In between the pups circling back and forth, Reggie drove in first followed by Greg. They both took note of the puppy circus and came to a stop until I’d called the furry ones down to the house before they proceeded any further.
Crosby jumped out and said, “Ah, great day to get out and run around.”
I put my finger to my lips and said, “Everyone has to be quiet, Adelaide’s taking a nap, it’s why we’re out here.”
Mike got out and tiptoed to the back of Greg’s car to retrieve some groceries.
“Mike, she’s not going to hear you walking out here,” Greg said with a laugh.
“Wanna bet? I’m not taking any chances,” Mike whispered as he grabbed a couple of bags and opened the front door, nearly bumping into Adelaide. He turned around and yelled at Greg, “See, you woke her up!”
Adelaide, who had changed into a sweatshirt and a pair of slacks, but still had her fuzzy slippers on, stepped aside to let Mike in said, “No, all your noisy clomping around did.”
Mike put on his best chagrined face and said, “Not possible, I tiptoed.”
Adelaide responded, “It’s what woke me up, you were too quiet.”
Kai walked through the door, toting more groceries. Adelaide gave him a big hug and said, “Thank you and I’m so happy you have the skills to dodge whatever comes your way.”
Kai smiled and replied, “You’re welcome. I guess it comes naturally; it’s a move my dad taught me when I was growing up. He claimed it was a necessary surfing skill.”
Reggie said, “Shame nobody filmed it, we could use it for training purposes at Quantico.”
Kai’s eyes lit up as he set the bags down and turned back to Reggie. He spread his arms out, put his head back and sung out, “It could be the beginning of a great stage career, or an undercover one.”
“Listen kid, it was a slick move, now concentrate and enough with the dreaming. I should know better than to foster any ideas of an acting career. What was I thinking,” Reggie muttered while he reached into the bags and removed one item after the other and placed them neatly on the kitchen counter top. “You might make a good undercover, one day, but I have to quit putting ideas into rookies’ heads too early in the game, especially when we’ve a big operation coming down in a few days,” Reggie said to no one in particular.
“It’s always good to have dreams,” Kai said as he stacked some fresh fruit in a bowl Adelaide had on the counter.
Adelaide commented, “Lots of fruit there.”
“Right, we bought some vanilla ice cream and thought it would be nice to have some raspberries, bananas, grapes and peaches on top of it,” Mike responded, as he put the ice cream in the freezer and raspberries in the refrigerator.
“And we bought some extra so we can make a fruit salad to have with dinner, if you’d like,” Kai said, holding up a pineapple.
Adelaide smiled and replied, “I believe all of this fruit will help my cold.”
Kai grabbed a cutting board and sharp knife and began making quick work of the pineapple and said, “It was our collective thinking, Adelaide. You need to get well fast.”
Greg asked, “Did Laura tell you what happened, Adelaide?” He was preparing a chicken for barbecue while waiting for a response.
“You’re avoiding saying I was left in a closet, aren’t you?” Adelaide walked over and sat down at the counter to observe the proceedings.
“No I’m not, I’m asking a question,” Greg continued to clean the chicken without turning around.
“Yes, Laura informed me, but I don’t understand why they’d come after me?” Adelaide sipped some tea from the cup Mike had placed in front of her. “Before you answer, all of this being waited on, dinner preparations in my home, well, I have to say all of you are so well organized, but I’m not used to it. I apologize if I’m a bit squirmy, but it’s why. I don’t want you to think I’m not appreciative because I am.” Adelaide wiped a tear away and sipped more tea.
Crosby came up behind Adelaide and lightly squeezed her shoulders. “We’re happy to do it after all you’ve done for us—you’ve opened your home to all of us many times.”
“Crosby’s right, it’s the least we can do, and besides we have to help you get back on the road to good health,” Grady agreed.
Adelaide brightened a bit and inquired, “Who am I riding up to the air show with? I’ve never been to one and it will be my very first opportunity to see the B2 in person.”
I looked around the room to see who would respond first, since we hadn’t even considered the possibility of Adelaide going along. With a viable threat against her, I couldn’t imagine what the explanation would be.
Greg, Reggie and Grady traded glances for a few seconds, appearing to be playing a silent game of rock, paper, scissors.
Grady inhaled, slightly and said, “I’m not so sure it’s such a great plan, Adelaide.” He leaned against the counter, waved his hand, and continued, “You do realize this group, of now four made an attempt on your life? If Laura hadn’t been there to protect you, who knows what would have happened?”
Adelaide readjusted her glasses and replied, “I’m fully aware of it, and I know they nearly ran over Kai.” She briefly glanced at Kai, and went on, “But am I supposed to remain closed up in my home until you catch them, and miss the opportunity to see the creation of Henry’s grandfather’s friend?” She tapped the floor with her cane as she eyed each one of us individually. Adelaide stated firmly, “I wish to see the Spirit of Jack and I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow those four to stop me.”
Chapter 35
Once again I was awakened by my phone. If this pattern persisted, my alarm clock would no longer be useful. I clumsily snatched it from the nightstand, rubbed my eyes and noted the caller ID indicated it was Annie. Oh dear, we’d neglected to inform her of the attempt on Adelaide’s life. Before I tapped the answer icon, I pushed the covers back, leapt out of bed and ran to the front door to let both boys outside and put the water on for my coffee then cheerily answered her call, “Good morning best friend ever!”
“Don’t even, you who didn’t bother to tell me those evil people tried to off Adelaide yesterday! How could you, how could all of you not let me in on what happened?” Annie demanded.
I could visualize her pumping her fist in the air while pacing in her kitchen. I scrambled for a reasonable response and settled for: “It was late, the game was on and before you knew it we were all leaving.” I shrugged and let the pups in. I set the phone down on the counter and put it on speaker while I set up their breakfast and mine, as this was not going to be a short conversation.
“At least Mike had the decency to text me last night, before he went to sleep and told me the story. Granted, it was the longest text I’ve ever seen in my life. It most likely took him an hour to put it together, but he kept his word as he said he would. Or he was so disappointed in his Mets losing the World Series, but I believe he’s a man of his word.” Annie let out a heavy sigh and stopped.
“Annie, are you still there?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m here,” her voice trailed off.
“Annie, are you crying?” I whispered.
I heard her blow her nose and she responded, “A little, only a little. I don’t want anything to happen to Adelaide, Laura and I’m afraid.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you last night,” I said softly, before I continued, “there really wasn’t a good time. It was a frightening situation for all of us to be in and all I can say is, it’s a good thing A. Twist warned me, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to call in the guys. If it hadn’t been for them, who knows what would have happened, especially Reggie and Kai. Well, Adelaide’s pharmacist too. Annie, we all love Adelaide and it’s why the cop stayed on her porch last night, we don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“I wondered about that, and it should have been a red flag to me. I am a reporter but I didn’t catch it.” Annie sniffled.
“I’m glad you didn’t, you might h
ave asked and it would have tipped our hand,” I said.
“Good point Laura, and Adelaide would have stormed out and all hell would have broken loose. You’re right, it occurred the way it was supposed to and she’s safe.”
“While we’re discussing this, there’s one other thing I may as well add and it might just work. I haven’t cleared it with Greg, but since you’ve been following this rollercoaster of a story for the paper from the start, you have to be there for the finish, right?”
“What are you asking me, Laura?”
“To kill two birds with one stone,” I replied.
“Care to be a tad more specific?” Annie asked.
“Babysit Adelaide and get the exclusive on the story of your dreams. How does that sound?” I proposed.
“If you’re offering what I think you are, you absolutely need Greg’s permission, but this would be the story of not only my dreams but of a lifetime. This would be analogous to being in a war zone—it would be the greatest thing ever and I can keep a close eye on Adelaide simultaneously!” Annie replied.
“I have to ask, Annie, are you dancing in your kitchen?” I picked up my mug and sipped some coffee.
“Oh yes, I get to go to the air show, I get to go to the air show!” Annie was singing.
“Yes you do, but you can’t tell anyone why you’re going. Tell your editor it’s a human interest story and it affects all of the state, including on a local level and you ought to cover it, or something along those lines,” I suggested. “Annie, the comment you made about the air show being the closest thing to a war zone, well consider this to be a dangerous assignment. In other words, do not take it lightly when I say Adelaide has to be watched over. She’s still considered a viable target and this crew will stop at nothing to get their hands on the B2.”
“I know, Laura, I’m excited because of it—this is the most challenging assignment I’ve ever had as a journalist. I do recognize the danger factor, but I’m equally aware we’ll be on an Air National Guard Base with armed soldiers all over the place.”
“All well and good, but who knows what sort of surprises Jelly and her friends have in store for us. They’re capable of anything,” I stated firmly.
“I agree and now I have to prepare all of my equipment and I know you’ve got to get going. I promise, I won’t utter a word of this to anyone, not a soul,” Annie declared.
“I know you won’t. We’ll catch up later, after I’ve spoken to Greg, but I know he’ll be fine with it.” We said our goodbye’s and hung up.
I contemplated our conversation as I ate my breakfast, standing at the kitchen counter since there was no time to either read the paper or listen to the morning news. If I didn’t hurry along, I was going to be late for range practice and I’d already missed one session, so being on time at this juncture was critical. Every second we had to train as a group was paramount to our success in retaining the B2 Spirit, and in the end it would be our ultimate victory over Kim Jong Un.
I finished my breakfast, showered, dressed and double-checked my backpack to be sure my Glock Nineteen, magazines and ammo pouches were properly secured. As for the frangible ammo and bulletproof vest Greg had supplied me with at the last practice, he held onto those items until just before the beginning of each practice. Whatever was necessary, Greg would take care of prior to our arrival at Bradley and he would go over each detail during the remaining days until we could perform our assigned duties with absolute perfection.
As I headed out to the car, I wondered if it was possible for us to be prepared for every scenario which could be thrown our way. Jelly, Cho and Viktor had come up with some fairly basic distractions, but it was only in hindsight and now there was a fourth individual to take into consideration. Maybe Kang Kim was an expendable red herring who was tagging along, but he had made a direct attempt on Adelaide’s life. No, I thought, as Kai and Koa jumped into the back of the Pilot, Kim was the real deal, he was as equal a threat as the other three. Just because he bore the same last name as North Korea’s leader was meaningless, it was one of the most common surnames and told us nothing regarding his lineage or if he was even related. Possibly he was expendable; I considered as I sat behind the wheel and put the car into drive. I recalled the design of the B2 and was fairly sure she could only take two: the Pilot and Co-Pilot, but if she were in a pinch, one additional person. If she brought an extra person, they’d have to remain on the futon, which was situated behind the flight deck. The flight crew alternately used the futon for sleeping on long distance flights, a detail Jelly had to know as she was clearly the leader of the band. Who had Jelly given the invisible short straw to, without their knowledge?
I pondered the question further as I drove along the dirt access road to the range. I’d checked beforehand with Greg and he’d given me permission to park close enough to the range knowing I was bringing Kai and Koa, so I wouldn’t have to run all the way out to the street when I needed to let them out. There was a nice shady spot to park and I could leave the windows open to allow the cool October air in and a bowl of fresh water out for them.
I pulled on my baseball cap, grabbed my backpack and walked the remaining distance, deep in thought wondering who Jelly had chosen to toss to the wolves when Mike called to me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you Mike, what?” I asked, laying my pack on the table.
“Yeah, no kiddin’, you’re off in space land partner. Here’s your vest, get your ears on and join the team,” Mike said, handing me the vest and a box of frangible bullets.
I pulled the vest over my head and sat at the table but found myself distracted by who Jelly had chosen, so I raised my hand, as I was prone to do.
“What’s up, Jensen?” Greg asked.
“Greg, I know you’ve got a schedule to keep—may I please offer a theory I came up with on the way over here?” I asked.
Crosby grinned and said, “My girl.”
Greg chewed his lip for a second and replied, “I don’t want anyone’s mind wandering off during practice, so go ahead and get this theory off your chest.” He narrowed his eyes at Crosby.
As I related my hunch to the group, Greg’s interest increased, especially when I brought up the specifics of the B2 design and its limited crew capacity.
Greg had one foot on the bench and rested an elbow on his knee and said, “Excellent conjecturing on your part, Jensen, rock solid. You’re a hundred percent correct—she’s leaving at least one person behind and potentially two. Question is; who is she sacrificing for the success of the mission?”
Reggie had a growing look of concern on his face and looked at Greg when he said, “I think you hit the nail on the head Greg; who’s she sacrificing and how is she planning on carrying it out?”
Greg announced, “People, there’s more to this than meets the eye. We need to not only practice here, but I believe my FBI friend will agree with me, we need to take a field trip up to Bradley even though most of us are familiar with the base. We need to go over the specifics and flesh out more of Jensen’s hunch, she’s on to something.”
“I don’t care for it one little bit.” Reggie raised his hand and then added, “Mind you, I’m thrilled you came up with it, but my gut’s telling me we’re in for it.”
Chapter 36
Trying to focus on range practice was analogous to viewing Pluto without the aid of a high-powered telescope. Clearing my mind of all the possibilities we might encounter in the next few days was nearing impossible. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one and it accounted for the reason Greg settled on the drill not even being a dry fire exercise, meaning not only were frangible bullets out, but so were the plastic snap caps. Since it was not considered good for the firing pin to have an empty chamber when doing what was called a dry-fire exercise, snap caps were used. It kept the firing pin from wearing down and the guns in good working order. Greg had us simply point our guns sans the magazines with an added touch—he split us up into teams differentiated by blue flags for one and red fl
ags for the other. The red flagged team would represent the good guys and blue would mark the North Koreans.
Greg tossed me a blue flag and remarked, “Hope you’re not offended, Jensen, but you’re playing a North Korean for a while.”
Kai snickered and snatched a blue flag, mid-air, tossed in his direction, and fell silent.
I pointed at him and said, “You’d better back me up, I’m in a winning mood.”
Kai put his hand to his mouth and replied, “You’ve got it partner, I have your back.”
Mike feigned disgust and said, “You two traitors are going down,” as he grabbed a red flag.
Greg flipped a blue flag to Crosby who shook his head and said, “Not if I have anything to do with it.” Crosby tied the flag around his head, bandana style.
Reggie and Grady remained. Greg’s eyes roamed back and forth. He grinned since he only had two red flags left. He smiled and tossed the flags, one to each of them and announced, “I expect unfair play, the same as if it were the real deal—entirely sneaky tactics are on the table. In other words, let’s see if you’ve been paying attention and how creative you are with your teammates. Think on your feet, people, as if this were in the middle of the show and there were thousands of people milling about, jets flying overhead, toddlers and kids causing every distraction you can imagine and those you can’t. People bumping into you, vendors selling tasty snacks, yeah, Mike, pizza and corn dogs, but you can’t have it! Now pick a leader and follow commands and I will judge accordingly. Let me know when you’re ready, and make use of the entire area if need be.”
Mike raised his hand and quietly asked, “Pizza?”
“Everywhere, Mike, everywhere, and only if you behave yourself can you have a slice.” Greg smiled.
Case of the Mouse Trap Legend Page 19
