Mike laughed, Greg groaned while I turned to Kai and said, “Best to stay out of it and not take the bait Reggie’s dangling.”
“Am I missing something?” Kai asked, looking from one to the other.
Greg squared his shoulders and replied, “Troopers rule. Get to work.”
Reggie rolled his eyes and continued reading through notebooks while I pulled down another notebook from the bookshelf.
Kai looked at me and whispered, “Is he serious?”
“I heard you. I hear everything, no matter how close or how far away you are from me on a crime scene,” Greg said. He turned and grinned at Kai. Kai smiled, and bent down to inspect underneath the box spring.
No one spoke while we each poked through nooks and crannies for anything out of place, or something which might give us insight into what their next move could be. I was going page by page through the composition book I was perusing and had reached the last page when I found a tiny envelope taped to the backing. Simultaneously, Kai discovered an envelope which had been sewn into the material of the bottom of the box spring. All you could see of his body were his feet.
In unison, we demanded both Reggie’s and Greg’s attention.
“I feel left out,” Mike said.
“You’re pouting. Your turn will come,” Greg said.
“What is it, kids?” Reggie asked.
“Wait, who goes first?” I asked.
“Jensen, are you serious?” Greg asked.
I stood up and said, “I spoke up first, so it’s my turn.”
Greg looked at Reggie and said, “She didn’t pull the girl card.”
“No, and my guy is stuck under the bed.” Reggie sighed.
“Sounds like a problem.” Mike laughed.
“Is anyone going to help me?” Kai asked.
“You sound kinda muffled under there, sorta like you’re under water,” Mike said.
“Puts him in his element,” Greg said.
I handed the book to Greg, knelt down and tried to give Kai a hand in dislodging himself from underneath Jelly’s bed. One side of her bed was against the wall, so Kai turned himself around and pushed off using his feet with his hands outstretched. I got on my knees, grabbed both of Kai’s hands and pulled.
“I think we ought to cue up some music,” Reggie said
“Excellent idea. What did you have in mind?” Greg asked.
“Beethoven, perhaps,” Reggie offered.
Mike thought for a minute and said, “I’m not so sure this calls for classical. How about a violin solo?”
“You’re still in the classical realm Mike,” Reggie said.
“Not necessarily, they use violin in country,” Mike said.
“Good point,” Reggie agreed.
Greg smiled and said, “I know the perfect tune. If you know the lyrics, sing along,”
Greg kicked off the first line:
Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something
Reggie picked it up and sang right in tune:
I think you’ll understand
When I’ll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
Oh please, say to me
“I can’t sing at all, but I love my Beatles,” Mike said as he danced around.
You’ll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
I’ll let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
“I want all of you to know, you’re awful and completely out of tune.” I dragged Kai out and fell back on the floor, laughing with tears coming down my face. Kai lay next to me, laughing, too, tears rolling down his face, then he leaned on one elbow and wiped away some of my tears. He whispered in my ear, “I’m still in love with you, Laura Jensen. Fate brought us back together and I do wanna hold your hand.” He smiled at me and then jumped to his feet.
Chapter 16
Greg turned and looked at me, “Jensen, are you planning on lying on the floor all day long? Seems you came across a rather vital piece of information tucked away in the tiny envelope. Care to take a look.” He waved the envelope in his gloved hand.
I got to my feet, put on a fresh pair of gloves and watched as he removed a folded photo from the envelope. I asked, “What kind of plane is it?”
“It is the B2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, one of the pride and joys of the United States Air Force,” Greg answered. “Question is—why would Jelly have a photo of it squirreled away in her dorm room?
“I’d already peeked at the picture, but put it back in the envelope for dramatic effect, just for you. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, since you discovered it.” Greg smiled.
“What a guy,” Reggie said.
“Savor the moment, it’s a big deal, Laura,” Mike said.
“I’d love to know what their intentions are for the Stealth Bomber. Jelly must have some kind of orders in the other envelope under the box spring,” Kai said.
“Right,” Greg said. “On the count of three, let’s flip it. Three!” He leaned into it by himself, and stood up gazing back and forth.
Mike held his hands up and said, “You’re supposed to begin with one, not three.”
“In Quantico, we’re taught how to count a lot differently,” Reggie said.
Greg pointed his finger at Reggie and then Mike and said, “Don’t start with me about how to count and which academy teaches more efficiently.”
“I wouldn’t think of it, much less say it,” Kai offered.
“New kid, I didn’t ask you,” Greg said.
“Right.” Kai dropped his head.
“Kai is the one who found it. Um, forget I said it,” I mumbled, as I felt three sets of eyes boring holes into me. “I know, I’ll count and I’ll begin with one,” I added with a note of cheeriness.
“Fine, Laura, count off,” Greg said, leaning once again into the side of the bed frame. “Let’s get this damned thing flipped before Game Two of the World Series starts. No way am I missing it.”
“Inspiration enough for me,” Mike grunted as he began lifting from the top end.
“Me too,” Reggie agreed as he flung the bottom against the wall with the mattress half off. He brushed his gloved hands together, pulled out a Swiss Army knife from his back pocket and sliced open the thin material. He slipped out the white office-sized envelope and handed it to Greg. “This what you wanted?”
Greg took the envelope from Reggie, shrugged and replied, “Yeah, and why do you have to show off? Lifting the box spring and mattress, by yourself, as if they weigh three pounds?”
Reggie smiled and responded, “Because it annoys you and there’s such little satisfaction I get from this job. Oh, and because I can and you can’t.” He slapped Greg on the shoulder and added, “Open the damned thing, will you.”
“Yeah, Greg, I wanna see Jacob deGrom pitch the Royals right back to Kansas, so open it already,” Mike said.
Greg held his hand up for a second and asked, “Hold on for one second, we haven’t decided where we’re going to watch the game, have we?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Reggie asked.
“Adelaide texted me a few minutes ago, while you were tossing the bed, and she’s invited all of us over for dinner and to watch the game,” I said.
“Does she have HD TV?” Greg asked.
“You’re awfully picky,” Reggie said.
“She’s got the most pristine sound system along with a large screen TV mounted on the wall, perfect for watching games.” Mike grinned.
Greg furrowed his brow and said, “An elderly woman has a set-up like that. I don’t get it.”
“Last case we had, her TV was smashed, so she bought a state of the art system. With my help.” Mike bowed.
“Naturally,” Reggie said, grabbing the envelope from Greg, who promptly yanked it back.
“As long as I know we’re not going to watch it on a dinky little box
with rabbit ears, and have to eat pizza again,” Greg said as he carefully opened the envelope. “It’s from Kim Jong Un to Jelly. It’s a photograph of himself, with writing on the back—specifically from him to her.” He stared at it for a moment, then read it quietly to himself before handing it to Reggie.
Reggie sighed, and then took a deep breath in before exhaling. He handed the photo to Mike who motioned for me to come closer so we could read it together. Kai moved in next to us to read along. I felt my heart rate quicken with the reading of each sentence, now understanding why each of the previous readers had gone a slight shade paler than their normal color.
“Greg, what do we do?” I asked, barely able to breathe.
“First, we verify this signature as being Kim Jong Un’s, then we find out the location of the nearest B2 Stealth. Afterwards, it’s an all-out manhunt for these three.”
Mike said, “I know you’re aware of this, but Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri is the home of twenty of the Bombers, Greg.”
“Right,” Reggie said, “and the other one is stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.”
“I know, I know.” Greg pounded his fist into the wall. “So what the hell do they know about the schedule we don’t? How the hell are three kids, two from North Korea and one from Russia, going to steal one? Oh, and by the way, Jelly happens to be the niece of Dear Leader, a nickname for Kim Jong Un. And double oh, she’s a pilot and an engineering student who’s running around trying to blow up half our infrastructure with her two pals who we’re unable to catch.”
“You forgot the best part, about it being a diversion for them to steal the plane and get it back to North Korea so Kim Jong Un can bomb us with the real deal,” Reggie said, half-heartedly.
Mike put his hand on Greg’s shoulder and suggested, “Call forensics first, buddy. Maybe it’s not authentic.”
Greg looked Mike in the eye and said, “From your mouth to God’s ear, I hope you’re right.” Greg snapped a photo of both sides of the photograph, writing included, with his camera phone and texted it to Grady. He wanted to alert him immediately of the status change.
Greg placed the photo back into the envelope and inserted it into an evidence bag. “I might miss the opening pitch of tonight’s game. I have to drop this off at the forensics lab first.”
Reggie pointed at the door and said, “Go, I’ll keep Mike away from your dinner.”
“That’s not funny, Reggie. I would never steal a guy’s food.” Mike walked out the door patting his stomach then yelled after Greg, “Do you remember how to get to Adelaide’s?”
Greg stopped at the end of the hallway, turned and said, “I go up the long and windy road, take a right and hang a left between the two Maple trees, right?”
Mike shook his head, laughed and replied, “No, that’s how you ended up in the blueberry patch, trampling all those bushes with your truck. Remember the guy who screamed at you?”
“How could I forget? He was rabid about those damned things. I turn left at the oak trees. Glad I asked since he said if he ever saw me in there again, he was going to use a shotgun on me even if I am a Trooper,” Greg said. “Because of the wrong turn, I missed the takedown of the serial killer and the killing of Adelaide’s TV. Damned shame on both counts. Well, the TV needed to be replaced, but I would have loved to have been there to have seen Arnold cry like a little baby and put the cuffs on him myself. Okay, I’m off to the lab. Thanks for the directions Mike; I’d hate to be driving around up there in the dark. See you guys in a while.” Greg waved.
I texted Adelaide to let her know we were all on our way, dismissing the butterflies in my stomach as hunger pangs.
Chapter 17
Grady and Mike were debating who ought to be guarding the partially downed bridge, in front of the roaring fire with Reggie and Kai egging them on. Mike was in favor of the National Guard and Grady wanted the Marines to come in. Reggie and Kai wanted them to continue arguing. The puppies were curled up on the hearth sound asleep having had an early dinner. Adelaide and I were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the evening meal, while I was doing my level best to dodge her prying questions about Kai when we heard the shotgun blast. It was loud enough to disrupt the guy’s conversation.
Reggie reached for the remote control to turn down the pre-game chatter on the TV. “Mike is that what I think it is?”
Mike grabbed his phone and texted Greg. He waited for a response. The seconds ticked by.
“Why don’t you call him?” Reggie asked.
“Because the reception up here is lousy. I thought the text would go through faster,” Mike answered.
“I see headlights bouncing down the driveway. It’s got to be him unless it’s the maniac with the shotgun,” Adelaide said, brushing a few strands of white hair away from her nose. “If it is, there are plenty of guns in this house to take him out,” She added with a giggle.
Mike laughed and said, “Adelaide, why don’t you greet Greg cradling your Winchester. It ought to give him a warm welcome.”
“O’Malley, you’re truly evil, but I do love your style.” Reggie slapped his knee and laughed right along. “Get this Grady, Greg told my rookie Troopers rule,” Reggie said.
“Grady stood up from the couch, arched his back, looked down at Kai who was sitting on the floor petting puppy Kai and knelt next to him. “On your feet, Rookie!”
Kai jumped to his feet along with puppy Kai who immediately went into a sit stay. Koa continued to snore.
Kai saluted. “Yes, Sir!”
Grady circled him and asked, “How did you reply to this insult, Rookie?”
“I don’t recall, Sir,” Kai responded.
“Rookie, you’re FBI, you always respond.” Grady slapped Kai on the back and added, “Don’t let a Trooper push you around because you’re a rookie, got it?”
Reggie said, “I told the kid if you’d been there, the gauntlet would have been thrown down.”
“Grady, when are you going to tell him you’re half serious?” I asked.
Grady sighed and replied, “Kai, Greg and I both served in Afghanistan and rib each other every chance we get. He pulls the Trooper’s rule all the time, but stand up for yourself and who you represent, got it?”
“Yes, Sir,” Kai answered.
Puppy Kai remained sitting, leading Grady to ask, “Who trained Kai so fast?”
“Sir?” Kai asked.
Adelaide turned to Kai and inquired, “Do you need to go outside and use a tree?”
“No, Ma’am, thank you for the offer though. I prefer indoor facilities, if it’s okay by you,” Kai replied.
Adelaide nodded and said, “Okay, it does get a bit breezy on the hillside, so the indoor plumbing is a wise choice.” She had no sooner finished her sentence, when there was a loud rapping at the front door.
“I was wondering what was taking them so long, he must have gone to the barn first,” Adelaide said, walking to the door with her Winchester on her shoulder.
“Makes me worry about Greg if he can’t tell the difference between a house and a barn.” Reggie chuckled.
“He doesn’t know the difference between Oaks and Maples.” Mike laughed.
“It is dark out,” Kai said.
“Rookie’s got a point. Guess we’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt until we hear what happened,” Reggie said.
Adelaide opened the door; her Winchester remained on her shoulder. She looked the one individual up and down and said, “I don’t know you, but you’ve got to be Greg and the reason for the shotgun going off all because you can’t tell the difference between Oaks and Maples.” She extended her hand and continued, “Welcome to my home, and please put my Winchester in the holder, you’ll find it next to the coat rack. I have to have both my hands free to give Crosby a big hug.” She grinned ear to ear.
Greg obediently followed Adelaide’s instructions while Crosby lifted her up and swung her around. Adelaide kissed Crosby on the cheek. He set her down an
d she said, “Dive Boy, I’ve missed you so, what a wonderful surprise. No one told me you were coming.”
“Perfect, I wanted it to be a secret. We were supposed to be here a while ago, but Greg insisted he knew how to get here. I kept telling him the guy with the shotgun was going to get him, but what can you do? I guess he wanted to run into him again,” Crosby said as he laughed.
“It’s okay, trees are trees,” Greg said.
“Greg, oaks have nuts,” Mike said.
“I’m leaving that one alone.” Reggie picked up the remote.
“Where’s the inside tree, Adelaide?” Kai asked.
Crosby looked at Kai, and said, “Adelaide doesn’t have trees growing in her house. Who are you?”
Reggie piped up from the couch, “New FBI guy.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Rookie.” Crosby put his hand out, “I’m Crosby Lattimer, or Dive Boy, as Adelaide refers to me now and then. It’s because I run Marine One for the Soundview Police Department, among other things. Got a name, Rookie?”
While shaking hands, Kai responded, “Nice to meet you Crosby. I go by, Kai Halstead.”
“Oh, like the puppy.” Crosby smiled. “It will be easy to remember.
“Right. Thanks, I think,” Kai said.
Crosby pointed down the hallway and said, “The bathroom is over there, on your right.”
Crosby waited until Kai had left and said, “Nervous guy, huh?”
“Nothing like coming into an established group of jokers, and being a rookie,” Mike said as he grinned and slapped Crosby on the back.
“Good point,” Crosby said taking a long drink of hot tea from a large mug Adelaide had handed him. Crosby wiped his mouth and said, “You know, with all that we see, our bizarre sense of humor keeps us mentally intact.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Mike said. “It’s a part of our survival kit that not everybody understands.”
Adelaide had carried a tray of cups and mugs into the living room and set them out on the table, with her cane dragging behind her. I’d followed with pitchers of hot tea, coffee, milk, sugar and hot cider. I went back into the kitchen to get another tray filled with platters of antipasto, crackers, cheese, sausage and peppers and baskets full of warmed baguettes.
Case of the Mouse Trap Legend Page 8
