Mike put his hand up. “He did say he and his mother had been threatened.”
“Right,” Kai interjected, “but if someone, anyone threatened me and or my family, I would find a way to reach out to the authorities, even if I had to do it quietly.”
Grady nodded his head. “Rookie’s right. And if it were done quietly, so to speak, there would be a paper trail of some sort.”
“There isn’t any, I checked,” Crosby piped up.
“Are you on top of everything?” Reggie crossed his arms and stared at Crosby.
“Always, Big Man. It’s how I stay ahead of you.” Crosby spun his chair around.
Greg took a sip of coffee, cleared his throat. “Okay, if you kids are through.” He stopped and looked around. No one spoke, so he continued, “We know for certain the one Drango brother did in fact work at Nellis.”
I raised my hand.
“Yes, Laura, you have a question?” Greg asked.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but could you please verify that?”
“The air base?” Greg looked confused.
“Yes, please. I was under the impression Teddie worked where the Stealth is based, at Whiteman,” I said.
Reggie pointed at Mike and said, “Those two have a silly bet and Laura’s upset because she just found out she lost to her partner.”
Mike gave Reggie a nasty look and Crosby immediately jumped up from his chair, grabbed Mike by the shoulders and walked him right out the front door.
“Reggie, I’m the leader of this group, so whatever the hell is going on between you and Mike, kindly leave it outside. Literally, because I don’t think I need to inform you what’s at stake here. Or do I?” Greg stood toe to toe with Reggie, shoulders squared, eyeing him, while he waited for a response.
“No Greg, you don’t. I’ve got this,” Reggie responded.
“Good. I’d like to answer Laura’s question and I don’t care if she and Mike had a bet or not, it’s a valid question, got it?”
“Yes. As I said, we’re good,” Reggie answered.
“Excellent. Then go out and bring both Crosby and Mike back in so they can hear the answer. We’ll wait.” Greg leaned against the counter and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
Adelaide sat at the counter, quietly absorbing it all. I stared at the counter and counted tiles. I had never seen Mike get so angry, but then I had never known Reggie to provoke him in such a manner. This case was far different than our last; the safety of the town had been on the line. This time our national security was at stake and the threat had been born in our town.
I could hear my heartbeat, then, realized it was the tick tock of the clock on Adelaide’s wall. I was about to ask Greg if someone ought to check on why it was taking so long for Reggie to retrieve Mike and Crosby when we heard something hit the side of the house.
“I know the sound of a body slam when I hear one. I can’t believe this; my team’s fighting each other instead of the enemy.” Greg dropped his head, momentarily, and then tapped Kai on the shoulder. “Would you mind?”
“No, Sir, not at all.” Kai jumped to his feet, and ran to the door, stopped, turned and said, “I promise I won’t get decked, Sir.”
Grady stood up.
Greg motioned for him to sit back down, but Grady remained standing. “Kai’s going to need some help and I’m assigning myself.”
Greg smiled. “Good thinking. I smell an agency turf war and I don’t like it.”
Grady saluted. “I’ll bring him back in one piece.”
“How about the rest of them?” Greg inquired.
Grady shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I can’t say what condition Reggie will come through the door in, but he’ll be fine for the game.”
The door closed, Greg and I looked at Adelaide who made the sign of the cross and said, “I’m only the den mother.”
While listening to the grunts, I contemplated the odds, because I had no desire to watch grown men duke it out, especially with Kai involved. Reggie was built the same as a football linebacker, and Mike wasn’t in the greatest of shape but could throw a good punch, or so I’d heard. Stories of Crosby’s fighting exploits in the military were legendary. Grady’s skills equaled those of Crosby. As for Kai, I knew he was nimble on his feet due to his competitive surfing abilities, so, whose body had been slammed against the house? I supposed the most embarrassing question of all was whether or not any of them would require medical attention and if so, who was going to explain what happened to the ambulance crew.
“Laura, what’s so funny?” Greg asked.
“I was wondering who was going to explain to the ambulance crew how this occurred, and then I realized it would be you since you’re in charge,” I replied.
“Jensen, you’re not a nice person.” Greg straightened up, stretched his neck side to side a couple of times and walked to the door. He stopped and said, “If I’m not back in two minutes, call the cops. I need this entire team, this is ridiculous.”
Adelaide frowned as the door closed. “He is the cops. They’re all cops.”
“It’s okay, I’m timing him. Two minutes and we’ll call the cops, but he’ll have it figured out before then, otherwise Annie will have one hell of a story to write: Cop Riot Breaks Out.”
Adelaide laughed and said, “Over dinner not being ready soon enough and the Mets losing.”
“Adelaide, you’re a genius!” I said.
I ran to the TV, grabbed the remote and turned the game on. The pre-game chatter was on, but it didn’t matter, I turned the volume up as high as I could and opened the windows along the front side of the house. The commentators were arguing, back and forth about how it was a do or die night for the Mets, and how tough it was going to be to win on the Royals’ home field. One announcer kept saying with Syndergaard on the mound, the night would belong to the Mets regardless of where they played. His co-announcer laughed it off, claiming the Royals were unstoppable with a two to nothing lead in the World Series.
Adelaide opened the front door and then joined me in the living room. Together we waited. Kai walked in first, missing several buttons from his untucked shirt. The laces were untied on one tennis shoe and he had dirt smudges all over face. His normally neatly combed hair was a disaster. He tried to smooth it down with his dirty hands, then tucked his shirt in and was about to sit next to me until Adelaide tapped his butt with her cane.
“Don’t you dare sit on my couch or any other surface until you clean yourself up, and it goes for the rest of you animals.” She waved her cane for emphasis. “I’m thrilled you came to whatever senses God gave you and you have remaining.”
One by one, they dragged themselves in, each of them with rumpled clothing and hair. They all had dirty faces, but at least from what I’d seen, no one had lost any teeth. Adelaide instructed them to go outside and either get a change of clothes from their cars, or go home and change before dinner. They all complied like contrite children.
It was possible all the nerves which had built up over the last weeks had been dispensed of by an old fashioned wrestling match. Adelaide and I discussed the boys, as she preferred to call them, while they prepared for dinner. She compared their physical jousts to a calmer approach she preferred when one was close to a boiling point. Adelaide was fond of meditation her Henry had taught her years ago, and she claimed she had the ability to do it even while walking with Chloe through the woods. She promised she would teach me since she was convinced it would be a necessity in the near future.
Within the hour, we were sitting down consuming dinner as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. Annie walked in on a subdued scene and did something out of character for her; she filled a plate full of food and wordlessly found a seat near me, sipped her Perrier and watched the game, which the Mets ended up winning. A new pecking order had descended over our small band.
Chapter 26
The game and dinner had been over for quite some time, and we were all relaxing in front of the roaring
fire, except for Annie. She was growing more and more impatient by the minute, waiting for her promised interview with Greg. The stillness was broken by one of her trademark whistles.
Greg jumped to his feet and asked, “Annie, if that’s how you normally get one’s attention, it worked. I’ve no idea where you learned to whistle like that, but wow!”
“I appreciate the compliment, Greg, now may I please have my interview?” Annie asked.
“An agreement is an agreement and I promised her an interview and fair is fair. If everyone wants to stay, you’re welcome to. It’s not a bad idea since it will be a general review of all we know to date. Questions?” Greg asked.
I remained seated, dumbfounded. I wasn’t under the impression Greg was going to reveal all the information to Annie, but it wasn’t my place to speak up. First he’d indicated he was going to tell her the truth, then he’d said he was going to use her to leak information followed by lying to her. Now, he’d circled back again. I had to watch and wait. I waited for Reggie to fire the opening salvo. Since Crosby was junior in rank, he wouldn’t oppose Greg. Greg being a Lieutenant, made him a superior officer, Even if Greg was a State Cop, he and Grady were on equal footing. As an ex-cop, Mike had a say in everything, but no over-ride.
As I suspected, Grady rose and motioned for Mike to join them. He walked over to Greg and whispered in his ear, then the three of them strode into the back bedroom and closed the door. I imagined they were going to review a few items prior to the actual interview. I looked over at Reggie, who was seated in a chair with his hands folded in his lap while he stared at the floor. Crosby was on the other side of the room, seated on one of the smaller couches—one leg crossed over the other at the ankle, his arms spread out behind him with his eyes closed. Annie was stretched out on the floor; her head resting on a few pillows. Her eyes were also closed.
I glimpsed over at Adelaide who was nestled in her rocking chair. She happened to sneak a peek at me at the same time, grinned and shrugged. She motioned toward the kitchen. I nodded and stepped over Annie on my way. Reggie was so lost in thought, he didn’t twitch when I passed by him.
Adelaide and I sat at the kitchen counter and kept our conversation to a whisper. “You go first,” I suggested.
“Okay, no hesitation from me,” she said, quietly. “I can’t believe Greg’s going to spill the beans on the entire operation to the media.”
“I’m not the entire media, and he trusts me.” Annie stood in the kitchen doorway, barefoot with her hands on her hips, a crooked smile on her face.
“Annie, I trust you implicitly and was about to relate some stories to Adelaide. She doesn’t know you like I do.” I started to get up, but Annie motioned for me to remain seated. She sat down next to me and put her hands, palms down, on the counter.
I put a hand on her arm. “Go easy.”
Annie smiled. “I’m honest and gentle.”
“I can vouch for you.” I agreed.
Adelaide appraised Annie up and down until Annie interrupted her, “I’m Laura’s friend and a good one, too.”
“It’s true, Adelaide. Annie stuck by my side when Matt was killed. She was there day and night until I learned how to be on my own again.”
“Where was Kai during that time? All of you were such dear friends—I don’t understand how he could abandon you.” Adelaide stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and said, “Men sometimes have a tough time with their emotions, don’t they?”
“Yes, Adelaide, some do and Kai falls into that category,” I said. “He tried so hard, but Matt’s death rocked him to his core. They were as close as any brothers could be and he literally ran away. He went so far as to quit the FBI for a while and had to begin his career from the bottom. Now he’s back, and we’ve discussed it as best as he’s able to. He’s moved forward. I’ve asked, but to date, he doesn’t want to visit the 9/11 Memorial.”
Annie put her head on my shoulder and in a subdued voice, said, “You’ve been once, and look what it took to get you there.”
Adelaide wiped her eyes once more and said, “Before we change the subject, I agree with Annie, Kai may never be able to go to the Memorial. Don’t hold it against him—I know many people who haven’t physically gone there, but have viewed it from a distance and it’s all they’re capable of.”
Annie checked her watch. “They should have been back by now, it’s getting late and Greg promised me the interview.” She dropped her head on her arm and yawned. “I’m beginning to think they’re doing this on purpose.” She sat bolt upright. “They are aren’t they? They probably went on a hike, figuring I’d get tired and take my dog home. Where are my shoes?”
“Annie, slow down. Grady’s afraid of the dark, there’s no way he’d go more than a hundred feet away from the house,” I said.
She laced up her boots. “But he’s got the other guys with him.”
“Nobody has a flashlight,” I insisted.
“How do you know?” Annie asked.
“They left them all inside.” I pointed to the living room where all the car keys, guns and flashlights were. It resembled the beginnings of an armory. “Hold on a minute, they went into the other room. Sneaky boys must have climbed out the window!”
Adelaide ambled over and locked the front door and then pushed the curtain aside on the adjacent window. “You’re correct, Laura, they’re huddled on the porch and didn’t seem to hear the lock flip into place.” She let out a snort and went on, “I’ll teach them a lesson for playing tricks on us. They went outside so we wouldn’t hear them!”
Annie walked over and knocked on the window. Grady appeared perplexed, and tapped Mike on the shoulder. Mike shrugged, got up and walked over to the front door. We could hear him jiggle the door handle. We heard him try and shove the door open. It was followed by a short yelp.
“He doesn’t really deserve it, Greg does.” Annie sighed. She walked into the living room and scooped up all the guns, keys and flashlights, except mine, and put them into a large burlap bag. She walked back to the window, opened it and lowered the bag to the ground. She cheerily announced, “I believe you’ll find all your belongings in the bag. Well, the important things. Ha, I made a funny. We’ll be gathering here, tomorrow evening for Game Four of the World Series, so whatever’s not in there, you may retrieve then. As for you, LT Gregory Hendricks, your presence is required at least one half an hour prior to all the pre-game chatter stuff you boys like listening to in order for you to give me the exclusive interview. I expect you to be on time, or no dinner.”
Without waiting for a response, Annie shut and locked the window, pulled the curtain closed, turned around and walked into the living room to sit down on the floor next to the fire.
Adelaide flipped the porch light off and followed Annie’s example, minus sitting on the floor—she chose her rocking chair. I tied my hair back and headed for the linen closet to get a few extra sets of bath towels out for myself and Annie. Knowing Adelaide as I did, the beds in the guest room always had clean sheets on them.
Chapter 27
I rolled over in bed, and prayed whatever was making the terrible racket at the front door would go away. It didn’t, it persisted. I sat up, yawned and stretched my arms up toward the ceiling and crossed my legs beneath the blankets. The banging continued. I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and noticed Annie and the puppies sleeping soundly. I nudged her foot and waited for a reaction. Nothing. Great. I sighed and thought: If we’re attacked by Kim Jong Un, Annie will sleep right through it, won’t report on it, and her editor will fire her. Ah, it won’t matter; she’ll wake up refreshed and wonder what happened to the rest of us.
I put my robe on, and quietly closed the door behind me. I paused at Adelaide’s bedroom door to see if she was awake. She was asleep, too and the rapping on the front door went on. Someone was wearing out a good set of knuckles.
I opened the peep hole in the front door and was greeted by a haze
l eyeball staring back at me. I unbolted the door and showed Greg in.
“Took you long enough to wake up, I was about to call for reinforcements.” Greg smiled at me and asked, “Are you the only one up?”
“Greg, it’s six o’clock in the morning. Adelaide and Annie are still sleeping. What’s so important you had to come out here now?”
“I want to talk to Annie,” he answered.
“What? Now? Without anyone else around?” I asked.
“Yes, now. It will be perfect, without any interference. No other distractions or questions and I can get straight to the point with her. It’s how I want to handle it, and it’s my decision.” Greg looked me in the eye, and grinned. “You and Adelaide are here.”
I sighed, turned around and put some water on to make a pot of coffee and started down the hallway, stopped part way, turned back and said, “Greg, you’re doing a good thing here, being upfront with Annie. It will go a long way with her, I know it will.”
Case of the Mouse Trap Legend Page 13
