Blood Line: 1
Page 22
She leaned her back against me again and watched the faces of the people in the crowd. The security line wasn’t moving very fast. We had plenty of time to watch the people in the crowded airport as we inched forward at a snail’s pace. We were content to be there and just be.
“David called again,” Val said suddenly, “while you were out this morning. He asked me to reconsider.”
“Really? I thought he was happy with the decision.”
“Mom and Dad are sorry to see us move away, and are struggling with why I didn’t bring them into my confidence sooner, but they’ll get over it. They just need a little time.”
“What’d you say?”
“I just told them all I loved them, and we’d come back to visit regularly. But I made it clear we wanted to move out of the area and be closer to wherever Leecy wound up. They’ll be okay. Change is hard on everyone.”
“INESCO is in good hands. They’ll be fine. Your family will come around.”
We’d reached the ID and ticket check portion of the TSA line and presented ourselves for inspection. Once through, we entered the body scanner. That was that. We were through security. We slipped on our shoes and headed for the down escalator, the plane train, and eventually our destination at Concourse C.
The crowd of people waiting for the plane train resembled a New York subway platform at rush hour. We had to elbow our way through the large mass of bodies to get to the moving sidewalks. I preferred the moving sidewalks to the train, anyway. The walking gave me a chance to stretch everything out in preparation for sitting on the plane. We walked around a family standing in the middle of the floor staring up at the arrival and departure screens.
That’s when I saw a familiar face.
“Your two o’clock,” I said to Val.
She looked to her left before turning her head to the right. She saw the person in question and looked down at the floor.
“Yes, I see. Don’t forget, Leecy is making dinner for us in her apartment tonight. Do you think we’ll make it by 10:00 p.m.?”
I looked up and slightly to the left before responding. Another familiar face.
“Yes, I see that’ll be tough to do. I thought we were surprising her tonight.”
“We were going to surprise her, but I called and warned her we were coming. She’s very excited to see us. She said she had lots to tell.”
Val stepped off the moving sidewalk and veered toward the escalator for Concourse C, and I followed her lead. We snaked our way through the crowd and found a spot in line and waited our turn on the escalator. I checked my watch. It was 3:15 p.m. Our flight left in an hour. We had plenty of time and no reason to rush.
At the top of the escalator, we turned right with the crowd. We moved like cattle through a short corridor. When the crowd reached the main hall of Concourse C, we broke to the right toward Gate 13. The gate was crowded. It appeared everyone in Atlanta was flying to New York City. I looked around for a place to sit down but found nothing. Valerie pulled me by the arm.
“Come on,” she urged, “Gate 10 is empty. We can sit down over there.”
I looked in the direction she was pulling to see she was right. Gate 10 was deserted, and for good reason. There was a cleaning crew assembled outside the adjacent restroom. They were busy roping off the area, and everyone was giving them a wide berth.
We found a couple of seats on the far end of the gate area, facing the window. We sat down with our backs to the crowds and watched the dance of people with orange-tipped flashlights, luggage movers, fuel trucks and planes. We were the only people in the gate area. That is, until I saw the figures approaching us in the reflection of the window. Then I saw their faces as they sat down in the seats behind us.
“I take it you orchestrated the bathroom scene for our benefit. Or are you guys flying commercial, now?” I asked.
“Yes, those are my people, Ron,” Wakefield said. “I needed to talk to you and Valerie before you left for New York, and I never fly commercial. I do like to come here and people watch, though.”
“Yeah, we spotted your team as we made our way through the airport,” Valerie said.
“Ryan was at our two o’clock when we first entered the underground walkway,” I said.
“We picked up Franks at our ten o’clock,” Valerie added.
“Hodges was coming down the C Concourse escalator as we were going up. That one was blatant. I knew we’d be seeing you next,” I finished.
“Like I said, I needed to talk. You two headed north to see the kid?” Wakefield asked, and then not waiting for a response she added, “Let me tell you, she’s doing exceptionally well, which is no surprise to anyone at the Farm. She’s at the top of her class.”
Valerie said, “That’s good to know, but we’re more concerned with how she’s doing academically.”
“She’s top of that class, too,” Wakefield said.
“Get to it, then. Our flight boards in five minutes.”
“Yes, I am fully apprised of your travel schedule. I have news from this summer.”
“We’re listening,” I said.
“The Smith boys, Travis and Briggs. Well, it turns out they are brothers. Both of them dishonorably discharged from the Army before ever becoming actual Rangers. They’ll be spending the rest of their lives in Leavenworth Penitentiary. Porter is in a Federal prison in upstate New York. His real name is Carl Reeves. He had several outstanding warrants in the New York area, and the state was happy to prosecute him. Porter was not Army. He was a friend of Moore from Moore’s college days.”
“Sounds like those guys are where they need to be. What about Julia?”
“Julia and Zach are heading a new division in charge of updating and protecting the Federal payment systems. Julia showed us how Moore wiped the system clean of Travis and Porter and changed Briggs Smith’s file information. She told us that Moore planned to erase all of them from the system once they had their big payday. Julia is a very bright girl, and I’ve also been making sure she gets the therapy she needs. Turns out she was abused by her stepfather. That explains the PTSD-like reaction to Moore’s tactics.”
“What about the buyer?” Val asked.
“The FBI picked him up when he landed. I don’t know his exact location at the moment, but I’m sure it’s unpleasant.”
“Thank you for the update. I’m happy Julia is going to be okay. I know Leecy will be glad to hear the news,” Valerie said.
“Leecy already knows,” Wakefield said, “which brings me to my real reason for being here. You two are without a home, your child is away at college, and you don’t have anything tying you down. I was curious what you are planning to do with this new footloose lifestyle.”
“We haven’t given it that much consideration,” Valerie said.
“Here’s something to consider, then,” Wakefield said. “You two make an excellent team. You know what each other’s thinking, like ESP. I could sure use it on my team. I want you two to come work for me. Freelance, of course. Freelance pay is really good. More than enough to supplement your new lifestyle.”
Valerie looked at me and said, “I take it freelance work still means what it used to mean?”
“It does. I have something on the books that a family of three would be a perfect cover for.”
“Sounds interesting. When would we start?” Val asked.
“As soon as possible.”
The gate attendant’s voice came over the loudspeaker. She was announcing the First Class boarding of Flight 2217 for New York. That was our flight. I stood up, ready to leave, but Valerie lingered a bit longer in her seat before standing and taking my hand.
“We can’t speak for Leecy,” I said to Wakefield, “and I wouldn’t dare insert myself into her business.”
“Here,” Wakefield said, handing Val an envelope, “you should read this. I think it’ll help you make your decision.”
“Goodbye, Tammy, and happy holidays,” I said,
as Valerie and I walked to our gate. I presented our boarding passes and headed down the jetway. We found our seats in row three. We sat and watched the people filing past us in search of their seats. The First Class attendant made the rounds, taking drink orders, which Val and I both declined. The Captain’s voice was soon heard over the speakers, announcing our place in line for takeoff, the weather conditions in New York City, and flying time to our destination.
The plane was moving slowly over the tarmac when Valerie turned in her seat to face me. I looked at her fully. She was holding the envelope in her lap. She opened the unsealed flap and we read the note together.
Dear Mom and Dad,
If you’re reading this, then you’ve talked to Wakefield, and you know there’s a mission. What you don’t know is I’m now part of Wakefield’s team. I’m not waiting for you at my apartment. I’m sorry, but you both know how this job can be. I want you two to join me, just as Wakefield does.
There’s a private jet waiting for you at Teterboro Airport to bring you to me, and car and driver waiting at LaGuardia to take you to the jet. I hope to see you soon.
All my love, respect, and admiration,
Leecy
“You in?” Val asked.
“I’m in.”
About the Author
John J. Davis is the author of the Granger Spy Novel series, including most recently Blood Line and Bloody Truth, available Spring 2015. He lives in the southeastern US with his wife, daughter and two dogs.
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