by Paul Stein
“I’ve tried to love you and be more than just the whore that you fuck. I curse you, Alastair. I curse you for all those people that you’ve destroyed over your lifetime. I curse you for treating your only daughter like an outcast. I curse you for all the people that you shamefully mistreat. Go to hell, you bastard.”
“You first, bitch!” he yelled, throwing the plate of croissants at Angel, who was moving quickly toward the door.
“No one walks out on me…you hear me, Angel? No one! You’re fired, you’re fucking fired!” he screamed, the blood vessels in his neck threatening to burst.
Angel was shaken by the altercation. She was sobbing and trembled uncontrollably as she retreated to the sanctuary of the gardens surrounding the estate. But as unsettled as she felt following the fight, she also felt a strange sense of freedom, as if she had finally vanquished an age-old fear.
As she was walking on the path leading to the beach house she saw a man approaching whom she had never seen before. He was obviously not one of Alastair’s employees; this man had a presence about him and carried himself confidently. He was perfectly proportioned for his average size and appeared to be in superb shape. She noticed as he drew closer that he had kind eyes. She figured he must have recognized her distress and she could tell he was going to offer her assistance.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Are you okay? I don’t mean to intrude…but I couldn’t help recognizing that you look troubled. Can I help you?” asked the stranger.
“I wish you could, mister. But, no…this is standard around here. If you know Mr. Holloway then you know he can be pretty nasty at times. This is one of those times for me,” Angelina said, wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself in front of this strange, good-looking man.
The stranger looked at the woman admiringly. Even though she was obviously distraught—eyes red, mascara running, lipstick smeared—he thought she was still a vision of beauty. How anyone could mistreat someone of this quality was beyond him. He took an immediate dislike of the person behind her distress.
“I’m so sorry you’re upset, ma’am. I wish there was something I could do. My name is Emerson Palmer,” he said holding out his hand, taking hers gently in return. “I’ve been sent to question Mr. Holloway about an urgent matter in conjunction with a situation in California. Would you know where I can find him?”
“Are you a policeman?” Angelina asked, startled by how quickly the winds of fate seemed to be blowing in her favor.
“No, ma’am. I’m not with the police. I run a private investigating firm and a friend of mine asked that I contact Mr. Holloway about a difficult case in California. I’m sorry to bother you with this,” he replied, reluctant to withdraw his hand.
“My name is Angelina,” she said, a faint smile creasing her lips. “I may be able to help you, Emerson. Do you mind if I call you Emerson?” she asked charmingly. She didn’t know how, but she had a powerful premonition that the gentleman holding her hand was the answer to her prayers.
“Not at all, ma’am,” he replied.
“Oh, please, call me Angel; all my friends do,” she cooed beguilingly, drawing him in with her standard line to quell his defenses.
“Yes, ma’am…Angel,” he replied, correcting himself. There was something enchanting about this woman. Emerson was not easily smitten, but Angel had an aura about her he had never experienced. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. She was possibly the key to unraveling the mystery behind Holloway. Because she was upset, he hoped she might be more candid than normal about whatever she knew about the man.
“Now, how can I help you, Emerson?” she asked, completely composed. “Do you mind if we walk to the beach house? I was on my way down there. It will be more private.”
“Thank you, Angel. Lead the way,” he said, motioning that she precede him along the path.
“As I said, I’ve been asked to question Mr. Holloway about a matter in California. His company, Triton Energy, has been linked to a man that’s involved in developing a new technology for the Department of Defense. Unfortunately this man was killed yesterday, and the research they were developing is also missing. We want to know if Mr. Holloway can shed any light on the matter,” he said, providing a plausible explanation for his presence at the estate.
“Are you looking for the woman, too?” Angel asked. “Because they just moved her this morning. That’s why I’m so upset. I can’t believe what they’re doing.”
Palmer stopped abruptly and looked incredulously at Angelina. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Could it be that Sela Coscarelli was being held captive by Alastair Holloway?
“What did you just say? What woman are you talking about?” he asked.
“I’m talking about Sela. She’s a big-deal researcher who helps disabled kids. I have a nephew who has Muscular Dystrophy and she’s been working on a cure. It makes me so angry that Alastair is interfering with her work,” she said, looking fretful. “At first, he let me care for her while she was here, but they moved her this morning without even telling me she was going. I’m worried about her, Emerson.”
“Wait. You mean to tell me Dr. Sela Coscarelli was here until this morning? Sela Coscarelli…the research fellow from Johns Hopkins University, she was here?”
“Yes…she was here. I don’t know about Hopkin University, but it has to be the same woman. I don’t know anyone else with such a unique name. Are you looking for her, too, Emerson?”
“Angel, you just made my whole day…hell…my whole month,” Palmer said, unexpectedly grabbing her in his arms and giving her a big hug. “Yes, I’m looking for Sela. Do you know where she’s been taken?”
“Maybe I do. But I need you to do something for me before I agree to help any more,” Angel replied, pulling herself from his embrace. “I want to come with you. I set out to help Miss Sela and we were becoming friends. I need to know firsthand that she’s okay.”
“Angel, I can’t do that. What will Mr. Holloway think? You can’t just leave without raising his suspicion.”
“No…that’s the beauty, you see. I just left him…for good. When I found out they took Sela away, it was the last straw. We just had a big fight…he threw me out. I don’t have anywhere else to go. Please, take me to Kentucky with you,” she begged, grabbing his hand impulsively. “I promise…I won’t be any trouble.”
“Kentucky, huh? Do you know where in Kentucky they took her?” he asked.
“Does that mean you’ll take me with you?” she asked excitedly, jumping up and down on the path. “Oh, please, Emerson.”
“Okay…okay. I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this…but, yes, you can come with me. Let’s get moving; we’re wasting time,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her back to where he had parked.
“What about Alastair? I thought you had questions for him,” she asked.
“Not important any longer, Angel. You gave me all the information I need,” he explained. “I’m more concerned about Sela’s safety right now. My presence here will only tip off Holloway. I don’t want to arouse his suspicion. Now, where are we going in Kentucky?”
“I don’t know for sure, honey…some fort, I think. That’s all I heard.”
“A fort, you say?” he asked with a furrow on his brow. “Hmmm…a fort in Kentucky,” he paused, thinking, searching his memory. “Not Fort Knox?”
“Yeah, Fort Knox…that’s what I heard. Marlon said they were going to Fort Knox, Kentucky.”
Palmer looked stunned. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said out loud. “Angel, you are a godsend. This is the best news you could have given me. Come on, there’s no time to spare. We’ll need a couple of plane tickets to Louisville. Is there anything you need to get before we leave?”
“Just my purse, sweetheart…I still have my credit cards. Let’s fly to Kentucky courtesy of Alastair Holloway,” she said with a big smile on her face. “I knew I liked the look of you, Emerson. Let’s go find Miss Sela.”
“I’m right beside you, Angel…
right beside you.”
FIFTY-FIVE
HILTON HEAD
EMERSON PALMER had only been in Hilton Head a few hours and was leaving with far more than he could have imagined. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. Meeting Angelina was an incredible breakthrough. Not only had she provided critical information about his missing subject, but she also happened to be the embittered mistress of Alastair Holloway, the man Jason Henry suspected was the person behind his case in California.
Palmer’s first thought was to call Ben Dare and share the news about Sela. But then he reconsidered and decided to call Jason before he went any further. The news that Holloway had ostensibly kidnapped Dr. Coscarelli could be the linchpin to blow the case wide open.
“What have you found out, Emerson?” Agent Henry asked expectantly, anxious to hear good news.
“Grab your socks and jock your cock, man…you won’t believe what just happened,” Palmer said, proffering slang from their days on assignment together. He looked sideways at Angelina, having forgotten he was in mixed company. He was relieved to see from her dimpled grin that he hadn’t offended her.
“Hey, man, I’m already at the airport…got socks, sans jock,” Henry jokingly replied. “I was about to call you myself. We’ve had an interesting development. But go ahead…what’s up?”
“The lead at Holloway’s estate paid off in spades, bro. I met his girlfriend. She tells me Dr. Coscarelli was in Hilton Head as recently as last night,” he stressed going for shock factor. “She thinks these guys took her someplace in Kentucky and mentioned a fort. Jason, I know it sounds crazy…but I think these guys are going to hit Fort Knox.”
“Not crazy at all, pard’,” Henry replied evenly. “Your information squares perfectly with evidence we’re piecing together out here. The last communication from Conrad mentions a place in West Point, Kentucky, called Wildcat Catfish. I’m on the next flight to Louisville in about twenty minutes. This is big, man. I’m betting Penburton was Holloway’s lackey. He’s the real mastermind behind this whole deal,” Agent Henry said confidently.
“Well, I’ll be go to hell,” Palmer said, sounding like a hillbilly. “I’m on my way back to the airport myself. Just so you know…I’ve got the woman with me.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Don’t ask; she insisted,” he explained, looking sideways again at Angelina, who was studying him carefully. “We’ll hook up with you later today. What about the locals? Have you alerted them yet?” Palmer asked.
“Absolutely not…we keep this under wraps. Lieutenant Morris has been authorized to accompany me to Louisville. But I’m having a devil-of-a-time keeping him from blowing the lid off. But I can’t just cut him out either; he’s my contact between Sarah Marshall and Dr. Conrad. Trust me, though…this is a federal matter. The locals will only hamstring us. I’m keeping Morris involved on a limited basis so we don’t lose contact with Mrs. Marshall. Other than that, he’s been ordered to stand down unless I authorize it.”
“I’ll bet he’s not happy about that.”
“Yeah, he’s pissed alright, but he’s got no choice...I’m not trying to make friends. Listen, can I call you back?” Henry said, assessing his priorities. The news that Holloway may have relocated the Coscarelli woman to Kentucky was a new wrinkle to consider.
“Sure thing…what gives?”
“I need to discuss this with Freeman before we do anything else,” Henry continued. “There’s information you don’t know about, Emerson, but believe me, it has national security implications. It’s why DOD’s been tracking this new technology all along. As I said before, we see a weapons potential. I’ll bring you current when we meet in Louisville. For now, consider everything classified.”
“Okay, you got it…but throw me a bone, will ya? Don’t leave me hanging,” Palmer pleaded, pressing his old comrade.
“Okay…okay. Remember I mentioned there’s twenty pounds of missing plutonium from the Lawrence Livermore lab?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we suspect these guys have it in their possession,” Henry blurted out. “It’s critical to operating Conrad’s machine. It’s looking like they’ve figured a way to use it at Fort Knox.”
“The antigravity machine? You think they’ve got it working?”
“Almost certain of it. We knew Conrad had a prototype at Stanford…but I’ll bet you these guys have the real McCoy.”
“Ho-lee-shit,” Palmer enunciated slowly. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Okay man, that’s all I need to know. Get authorization from the old man and we’ll make the next move in Louisville together. What’s your recommendation?” he asked, hoping for music to his ears.
“The joint chiefs will want to consider all options, but I’ll recommend that General Freeman activate the cleaners. We need to keep everyone but the president, the secretary of defense, and the Fort Knox base commander in the dark,” Henry replied. “Because of the weapons potential and the national security implications, I’m confident he’ll see it my way in the end.”
“That’s all I wanted to know, my man. I’m en route to Kentucky. See you later today,” Palmer said.
“Wow! That sounded important, Emerson,” Angelina said when he hung up. “Who’s the old man?”
“Sorry, Angel, I can’t share that information with anyone. If I told you…I’d have to kill you,” he said grinning, using the over-worked phrase.
“Oh…you wouldn’t do that to me, would you, honey? You haven’t seen my best feature yet,” she said, touching his forearm playfully.
“Believe me, ma’am…Angel,” he corrected, “my imagination’s in overdrive. Now you behave yourself,” he said with a wink. “We’ve got work to do.”
Palmer’s next call was to Ben Dare. He could see from the highway signs that the airport lay just ahead. He figured he’d need just a few moments to bring Ben up to date on the news about Sela Coscarelli.
“Ben, it’s Emerson Palmer.”
“Good morning, Mr. Palmer. Have you found anything?” Ben asked impatiently.
“Good news of sorts. I’ve located a woman who was with Sela last night. I don’t want to get the senator’s hopes up…but tell him I’ve picked up the trail. Keep Metro out of this. This is for the senator’s information only. Is that clear?” Palmer asked.
“Awesome; I should say that’s great news, Mr. Palmer. Can you give me a reason not to involve the police?”
“Unless I’m mistaken, it was my distinct impression that the senator wanted the cleaners to handle this matter. I’ve made inquiries as I promised. The potential exists but only if the local authorities are excluded…best I can do,” he explained.
“Say no more, Mr. Palmer. I’ll inform the senator that you’ve picked up the trail but nothing is to be leaked to the media or D.C. Police. You have my word, sir.”
“Okay, Ben…please tell the senator I’ll be in touch the minute anything new develops…I’m fairly encouraged here.”
“Mr. Palmer, we still haven’t received any ransom demands. Isn’t that unusual by this time?”
“For reasons I can’t explain, I don’t expect you’ll receive any contact from the kidnappers. Sela’s abduction is much more menacing than we first thought. It’s linked to the case in California with Mrs. Marshall. But don’t worry…we’re close to a breakthrough on all fronts.”
“Oh, thank God,” Ben said, amazed the man had apparently pieced together so many of the facts involving Sarah and Jer.
“Remember…no police. That will slow us down. I’ll be in touch.”
Palmer completed the call just as he saw the exit leading to the rental car return lot. He looked over at Angelina, who had a perplexed look on her face.
“You’re a bona-fide secret agent, aren’t you?” she said, a hint of admiration in her voice.
“Something like that,” Palmer replied with a wry smile.
“Well, my goodness, isn’t this just my lucky day?” she said, looking pleased.
“No, A
ngel…this is distinctly my lucky day. You could turn out to be the reason we stop one of the biggest crimes in history. You’re going to be famous, my dear,” he said affectionately, tapping his index finger on the back of her hand.
“Famous. Me? Hah! I like the sound of that. I knew we were going to be good friends,” Angelina said proudly. “Let’s go find Miss Sela.”
“Yes…let’s do,” Palmer said. “Let’s do.”
FIFTY-SIX
WEST POINT, KENTUCKY
10:00 HOURS
TRAVIS MARLON couldn’t shake his feeling of impending doom. He regretted to his core giving in to Kilmer’s latest demand—agreeing to carry out the abduction of Dr. Coscarelli. It was one thing to be associated with Kilmer’s ne’er-do-wells, piloting them around, breaking one law after another; after all, their history together was long and storied. But to actively engage in kidnapping was way over the line. The trouble was he saw no way to disengage from further involvement. Hearing about Kilmer’s brutal revenge on McCauley following Weaver’s death, convinced him that backing out now did not bode well for his survival. Kilmer would surely make an example out of his disloyalty.
The flight from Hilton Head to Louisville was routine, considering he was transporting a hostage. Marlon was dumbfounded but also thankful for Sela Coscarelli’s accommodating nature. She offered almost no opposition, seemingly cognizant that any resistance would only engender more trouble. Instead, she talked incessantly, berating them for their foolhardy actions that included kidnapping a senator’s daughter. She brashly promised to relish facing them in court when at some future point the full weight of the judicial system settled the score.
Marlon soon wearied of her ceaseless commentary. He and Sully both understood perfectly the seriousness of their situation: kidnapping a senator’s daughter would launch a nationwide search with uncertain but grave consequences. If they were caught, the retribution would be swift and merciless. In the end he put on blinders, relying on Holloway’s master plan to keep them free of blame.
