by Unknown
Bert shook his head. “No. But, for some reason this one just doesn’t feel right.”
The road widened and the dense foliage came to an end, replaced now by a circular driveway that led them to the front of a futuristic glass and stone building. Cliff parked the car.
They got out and walked up the front steps, into the front foyer. There was a reception counter and a long hallway that led to the rear of the building. Cliff could hear the faint sound of a bell ringing.
A middle-aged blonde woman rushed out of an office down the hall and came up to greet them at the counter.
Once she recognized him, she couldn’t hide her shock at seeing him again. In a halting, heavily accented voice, she said, “Oh, you again. I told you already that he’s not here.”
Bert stepped forward. “Hello, ma’am. We’re sorry to bother you. But, it’s an urgent family matter. We have to reach this man named John Hartford.” He held out his phone to her. “Here’s his photo. He may be going under a different name. Are you sure you haven’t seen him? It’s very important.”
The woman glanced at the phone and just shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen him.”
Cliff was starting to lose his patience. He glanced at his watch. His many years of experience had taught him that these things had to be done quickly. And, preliminary matters tried his patience. The real job lay ahead, and this woman was just a nuisance in the way.
He glanced around, and allowed his finely tuned ears to search for sounds of life. “Do you do tours here, ma’am?”
“No. This is a private winery.”
“So, are you the only one here? No staff?”
She hesitated. “No need for staff except at harvesting time. The winery runs itself, and as you know, wine just ages nicely when left alone.”
Cliff reached under his jacket and pulled out his Glock. He pointed it at her head. “I’m done being nice. We know that man, Hartford, is here. So, do yourself a favor and show us where you’re hiding him.”
The lady staggered backwards at the sight of the menacing pistol. She put her hand up to her mouth and gasped.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps. Cliff glanced to the right and saw a man walking quickly towards them. He was short, balding, and a bit on the chubby side. Wearing a rubber apron, rubber gloves, and holding a clipboard in his hand. He was studying the clipboard as he walked and hadn’t noticed them yet.
The woman had heard his footsteps, too. She whirled around and yelled, “Derik! Run!”
He jerked his head up, and his eyes and mouth opened wide as he took in the shocking scene in front of him. He dropped the clipboard, spun in a 180, and started running back down the hallway.
Cliff reacted on instinct. Images from Iraq flashed through his brain. The enemy throwing grenades at him and his comrades, then turning like a coward and running away. The soldier inside of him couldn’t consent to retreat. Retreat and escape weren’t permitted.
He raised his pistol and fired once. The blast reverberated within the walls of the small lobby, and echoed down the hallway.
The enemy went down. The woman screamed.
* * * * *
Allison led the way into the winery.
She called out. “Gerndle? Derik?”
Silence, except for the faint sound of the warning bell announcing their entrance, ringing down in the office area.
She turned to the others. “They must be down in the oak room. We’ll wander down there after. Follow me.”
Down the long hallway they went. Allison in front, with Wyatt, Willy and Helen pulling up the rear.
“My dad built this winery, and we have four residences underground—nicknamed the ‘Treehouse.’ Clever, huh?”
Wyatt moved up beside her as they walked. “So, down there is where the senator is?”
“Yep. And that’s where we’ll all be. I’ll take you there first, then I’ll introduce you to Gerndle and Derik after that. They run this winery by themselves, so when it’s wine-tasting time they’re both usually in the oak room together. This place keeps them pretty busy.”
She led the way out the back door and along a small path until they reached the small stone crypt-looking building that housed the hatch entrance to the ‘Treehouse.’ Allison took a remote unit out of her purse and pressed a button. The door lock clicked and she gave it a shove. The heavy door creaked open and they stepped inside.
It was pitch black in the windowless room. She flicked the light switch on the wall.
The scene inside made her stomach turn.
A man was standing over the hatch in the floor, with a gun pointed towards Allison’s head. “Welcome. Heard you coming, so we decided to turn off the lights and give you a surprise party.”
Behind her, Helen’s heavy breathing gave a dose of reality to the scene in front of her. There was another man off in the corner, also with a pistol in his hand. Derik was lying on the floor, wearing an orange apron and gloves. Blood was pooling on the floor underneath him.
Gerndle was stretched out on the floor, head leaning up against the stone wall, holding her hand over her chest. She seemed to be in shock, breathing shallow, eyes glazed over.
Allison found her voice. “They need help. Please, let us tend to them and then you can tell us what you want.”
The tall man standing over the hatch shook his head. “Only one needs help, and you can deal with that afterwards. The man’s dead. An unfortunate circumstance, but it couldn’t be helped.” He nodded in his partner’s direction. “Frisk them.”
The shorter man, who hadn’t yet said a word, stuffed his gun into a holster under his jacket, and began frisking each of them one by one. When he reached under Wyatt’s jacket, he pulled the 357 Magnum out of its hip holster and exclaimed, “Well, what do we have here? Police issue! Who are you, buddy?”
Wyatt spoke through clenched teeth. “Good guess. I’m a police officer.”
The tall one chuckled. “At least we have someone here who understands that we’re serious dudes. Tell your friends to behave themselves, copper, and they’ll be okay.”
Allison took a step towards Gerndle.
“Hey! Stay where you are!”
“She needs help. What have you done to her?”
“Nothing at all. Seems she had a heart attack. She’ll be fine.”
“No, I don’t think she will. Let us at least get her some water and an aspirin.”
The tall man shook his head. “We want Senator Hartford. He’s down there, according to the lady. She agreed to phone him on the direct line to try to convince him to come out, but he didn’t fall for the bait. Apparently, she can’t open the hatch from up here because the sly man engaged the safety lock. He won’t release it.”
Allison nodded. That was a safety device installed to protect the inhabitants down below, in case of attempts at intrusion from above. The senator, while having been careless with his cell phone, was now at least on his guard. She was glad. But, it presented an extra challenge for them now. Her mind was whirling.
“Well, the senator was being smart. What do you intend to do with him?”
“Lady, I know who you are. Allison Fisher. We were given information about you. I know you own this place, and I know you’re a good friend of the senator’s. He probably barely knows these two sauerkrauts lying here, but I’m sure he knows and trusts you.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you going to do with him?”
“I’m not going to bullshit you. We’re going to kill him, because that’s what we’re being paid to do. We’re not being paid to kill you or the others—one’s dead, but that wasn’t intended. If you let us have Hartford, we’ll let the rest of you live. We’re running out of time here.”
Allison bit her lip. “First, you need to let me make a phone call. To Atlanta. I promise you that it will not put you in any danger. It has to do with this…job…you’ve been assigned. After I make the call, you’ll have my cooperation.”
The man pondered her req
uest for a second or two. “I guess there’s no harm.” He walked over and stood beside her. “I’ll watch your phone to make sure you’re indeed calling Atlanta and not someone local.”
Allison pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket, and punched in the number.
“Powers, here.”
“Chad, it’s Allison. Call off the dogs.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m standing here with your two killers. Talk to them and end this. You know there’s no point anymore. You’ve talked with Cardinal Valenti and I’m sure CERN as well. It doesn’t matter now if Hartford blows the whistle. The deadline has moved up.”
“I’ve already ordered the hit stopped. I did that yesterday. They should have received that message through our blind.”
Sarcasm dripped from Allison’s voice as she quipped, “I don’t think they got the memo.” She held her hand over the phone and turned to the tall man. “My contact says the hit was cancelled.”
The man chuckled. “No one told us anything, and even if they did, the order can’t be reversed. There’s a ‘failsafe’ in our profession, lady. Orders stand.”
Allison put the phone back to her ear. “He says the order can’t be cancelled, Chad. You’ve really set the wheels in motion here, haven’t you? You prick!”
He growled back at her. “Fuck off, Allison. I have more important things to worry about than your senator buddy. Deal with it. Let them have him. You should have just let him die back in Vermont instead of sticking your pretty little nose in. Serious stuff going on now—all hell’s breaking loose. All of the Majestic 12 board have disappeared, and I’m about to do the same. So, if you think I give a shit about a stupid politician, think again.”
The phone disconnected.
Allison turned to the tall killer.
“I’ll pay you double, triple, or whatever—to not do this.”
“Sorry, lady. We have ethics in our profession, too. Our reputations would be toast if we did things like that. We’d probably be dead ourselves in short order. So, get on that phone hanging on the wall over there and phone the good senator. Then, we can all go home.”
Allison didn’t believe his promise that they’d be allowed to live. Once the senator was killed, she was sure they’d all suffer the same fate. But, she was running out of options.
The tall man walked over to the trembling Gerndle and put the gun to her head.
“I’ll count to three. If you haven’t picked up that phone by then, she’s dead. Then, one by one, each of your friends, too—until it’s just you and us.”
Allison put her hands up. “Stop. These people mean a lot to me, much more than the senator does. I’m not going to watch them all die over him. You can have him. And, he’ll listen to me. He’ll open up.”
The killer moved his gun away from Gerndle’s head.
“Smart lady. Okay, make the call.”
Allison walked over to the wall and, before pulling the phone off its cradle, she turned towards the killer. “Did Gerndle tell you that the safety lock is on a timer?”
He shook his head.
“You’ll have to be a wee bit patient. Once he releases it, it will unlock automatically after ten minutes. Understand?”
“Okay, makes sense. A true safety lock—good thinking on your part. Make the fucking phone call.”
Allison pointed her remote at the hatch and pressed a button.
“Okay, the topside lock is released now. Once we hear the click of the safety lock, we can lift up the hatch in exactly ten minutes’ time.”
“Phone him!”
Allison picked up the phone and punched the button.
“Hello?”
Allison kept her voice steady and cheerful.
“John, it’s me, Allison.”
“Oh, good. You’re back. I’m sorry—I really screwed up on that cell phone thing. Should have listened to you.”
“It’s okay, John. Someone enquired about you, but they haven’t been back. It’s safe now.”
“Gerndle advised me to stay down here and put on the safety lock, told me not to release it. But, then she phoned me a few minutes ago and told me to unlock it. Something in her voice didn’t sound right. So, I decided to wait until you were back. Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Yes, it’s okay now. I have three friends with me who are going to be joining you down there. And…good news on the Homefront. Everything’s calmed down and you’re no longer a target. I’ve talked to your campaign headquarters. Sounds like it’s time for you to announce.”
“Really?”
“Things are moving along fast, John. It’s best you announce sooner rather than later. The nation needs leadership right now because things are spinning out of control. Okay?”
“Hmm…well, we’ll have to chat more about this. I’m not sure.”
“Disengage the safety lock now, John. We can fly back to Vermont in my jet. And, you’ll be pleased to know that your daughter got in touch with me. She just flew in from Spain. Wants to help with the campaign.”
“Gotcha.”
Allison hung up the phone, and nodded at the killer. The click of the safety lock reverberated around the walls of the crypt room.
He smiled, and glanced at his watch.
“You did good. Counting down….”
* * * * *
John punched the safety lock button as soon as he hung up the phone. He knew they’d hear the sound of the lock topside. And, he knew also that he had no longer than ten minutes.
He dashed to the back of the apartment and into the storage room. He opened up the gun locker and chose an Uzi machine pistol, shoved in a magazine and put an extra one in his pocket. He’d used one of these before, in a war games exercise. Of course, at that time he’d been firing blanks. This time he wouldn’t be.
The senator shoved open the blast door, revealing a passageway which connected with the main tunnel towards the emergency escape hatch. He recalled Allison telling him that the tunnel was about 100 feet long and could only be opened from the inside. It would take him out into an overgrown area of the vineyard, only a short jog back to the crypt building.
As he raced through the tunnel, the menacing Uzi stuck inside his front waistband, his life flashed across his mind. All the wonderful things he’d done, and all the wonderful people he’d known.
He thought about his regrets, too.
One in particular—that he’d never had children. Allison’s comment about his daughter flying back from Spain was clever indeed, but it also made him sad for a brief moment.
A moment when he wished it were actually true.
Chapter 50
Allison stole a glance at her Rolex. About seven minutes to go. When that precious time expired, these two killers would be expecting Senator Hartford to open up the hatch and climb out. At which time, they’d shoot him dead, along with the rest of them.
Of course, he wouldn’t be opening the hatch at all. Allison knew he’d picked up on her warning. But, what he would do instead, she had no idea. If he did poke his head out of the hatch, he’d probably be armed—so a gun barrel would come out first, instead of his senatorial head. Then, there’d be a gunfight, which in this small confined space would guarantee multiple casualties. John was smarter than that.
She’d already shown John where the gun locker was, so that was probably where he headed first after hanging up the phone. Allison had also shown him the blast door that led to the emergency escape tunnel. She prayed he remembered that. He could take that route and, once outside, use his cell phone to call for help. But, it would take time for the police to get there, considering how far outside the town of Osoyoos the winery was.
They certainly wouldn’t be able to get there in seven minutes.
She glanced over at Gerndle, who was slumped against the wall next to Derik’s prone figure. Derik’s blood had spread across the floor, and Gerndle’s beige trousers had soaked it up like a sponge. Her eyes were closed, right hand still clas
ping at her chest. Time was running out for her. If she didn’t get help soon, she would die right alongside her husband.
Allison turned her head toward Wyatt. He was staring at her, no doubt wondering about what she’d said to the senator over the phone. He knew her well enough by now to know that she wouldn’t have just summoned him to his death. He’d probably guessed that she’d given him a clue of some sort.
He flashed her a wry smile and she returned it with a quick wink.
Willy eased Helen down to the floor. Her face was as white as a ghost, and Allison knew that she’d been through hell a few weeks ago with the kidnapping. She had just recently started returning to normal, according to Willy. But, the earthquake had literally shaken her world again…and now this.
Willy sat down beside his wife and wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders. She closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh.
“Five minutes to go, Ms. Fisher. That safety lock should release completely and the good senator will come crawling out of there.”
Allison turned her gaze toward the tall killer. “Yes, not much time left now. However, he may not be able to open that hatch. It’s heavy, and he’s not a young man. He may expect us to lift it open for him.”
The killer smiled. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
He beckoned with his index finger. “Be a good girl and stand over here, right smack in front of the hatch. I want your comforting face to be the first thing he sees when he opens up.”
Allison walked over and stood near the edge.
The killer then pointed at Wyatt. “You, copper, come over here and stand on the other side of the hatch. If he doesn’t open up, you can do the honors.”
Before Wyatt could move, Willy unwrapped his arms from around Helen, stood up, and walked over to the hatch. “Let me do it, buddy. My son dislocated his shoulder a while back and might not be able to lift it. That hatch looks heavy.”
