by Mike McNeff
“I have Fire coming. We have units everywhere now. Thanks for taking that guy out, Rob. I thought he had me.”
“What guy?”
“The guy by the back bedroom window.”
“I didn't shoot anybody out back.” Robin looked down at Eddie.
“I…I…shot him,” Eddie said, his voice shaking.
“Well, I'll be damned,” Gabe replied in a low voice. He reached down and picked Eddie up into his giant arms. “Eddie, you're my hero!” Eddie managed a little smile.
“Gabe, they got Johnny Gardner.” Gabe put Eddie down and walked outside.
Robin walked over to Karen and Casey. He knelt down. “You okay, son?”
“I think so, Dad.”
Karen would not look at Robin. Her movements were rigid. “Are you all right, Karen?”
She didn't answer. She just worked on Casey's wound, but Robin could see the bleeding had stopped.
Police officers from the Phoenix Police, Chandler Police, Tempe Police, DPS, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's office were all around the house and the neighborhood. Portable radios crackled with calls of a foot chase and one vehicle pursuit of suspects in the shooting. Robin heard the sound of helicopters overhead.
Paramedics from the Phoenix Fire Department came and started working on Casey and Robin. Karen held Casey; he had an arm around Laurie. Eddie buried his face in Robin's chest.
Jack Moore screamed obscenities into the intercom as he flew the Blackhawk over Robin's house.
“Dammit, Jack,” Oscar said. “If you don't calm down, I'm taking over!”
“How can I calm down? Our buddy's family gets attacked while we were sitting on our asses only five minutes away with this machine and two Miniguns!”
“From what I can tell, it was just about over in five minutes anyway. We wouldn't have been much help.”
Jack seemed to deflate. He breathed deeply and the Blackhawk smoothed out.
“Lima Two-One, Control.” Customs dispatch called the Blackhawk.
“Lima Two-One,” Oscar responded.
“Lima-Two-One, can you see a school near the scene?”
“Roger.”
“Officers are clearing a landing site there for you. Land and stand by for further.”
“Roger, Lima Two-One.”
Juan Trinidad drove eastbound on I-10. Marlette's appearance at his house had taken them by surprise. Trinidad actually remembered with admiration how Marlette had maneuvered his van to provide cover for his movements. It had also blocked his teams' attack plan. He fought to stay calm as he left Marlette's house. Several police cars sped by him before he made it to I-10. Juan drove off I-10 at Riggs Road. He would take the old highway to Tucson.
As Robin let the paramedics clean up his wounds, the Director, Tom Pearle, and Lieutenant Hammel came in the front door, their faces grim. The Director walked up to Robin.
“You all right, Robin?”
“I'll be all right, Colonel.”
Pearle then came closer. Hammel hung back.
“Rob, we are making arrangements to get your family to a safe place, but first, we need to talk to you and Karen.”
“What's going on?”
“You need to get Karen over here.”
Robin took Eddie to Karen and the other two children. “Eddie, stay here. Honey, you need to come with me.”
“Why?” Karen asked, her voice full of anger.
“Please, Karen. Tom says he needs to talk to us.” Robin helped Karen up and they walked over to Pearle.
“Okay, Tom. What's going on?”
“You two need to brace yourselves. This is not going to be easy to hear.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Robin's voice got louder. Pearle took a deep breath.
“Andy and Cathy were attacked about an hour ago.” Karen sank to her knees. Robin stood like a statue, his fists clenched. Pearle took another deep breath.
“Andy's been shot and seriously wounded. He's in critical condition.” Karen started sobbing. Robin tried to hold back the tears, but they began rolling down his cheeks.
Pearle took his deepest breath yet. He looked Robin in the eye. “Rob, they kidnapped Cathy. They have Cathy.”
Karen screamed. Robin knelt down beside her. She looked at him with fear and fury. She slapped him and started beating his chest with her fist.
“I hate you! Look what you have done to my family!” Karen collapsed.
TWENTY ONE
Robin sat alone in a BOQ at Luke AFB. The last twelve hours had been a blur, a horrific blur.
After paramedics treated Karen at the scene, the whole family flew in the Blackhawk to Luke. Karen and Casey were checked out at the hospital and released. She would not even look at Robin while doctors treated him.
The rest of the Guardians and their families were gathered up and flown to Luke. Jim Adams, Chris Fleming, and Bill Grassley all called in markers and got permission to move the families to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The Air Force ordered a C-5 cargo plane diverted to Luke. The families were gone in six hours. None of the Guardians went.
Robin had been told Ernie Jackson and his family were being housed temporarily at Davis-Monthan. When Andy stabilized, a medical transport collected him and his family and took them to Walter Reed Hospital. Ernie and his family would also be housed at Fort Bragg.
Robin also received word Jim Adams had decided to immediately execute all warrants. While the Guardians were participating, the Director prohibited Robin from doing so. He didn't want to anyway. His mind flooded with thoughts of Cathy, painful bursts of reliving Karen's anger and her shunning of him, and the fearful, worried faces of his other children. Robin knew their survival resulted from a matter of luck as much as their willingness to fight back.
A knock sounded at the door. Robin's watch showed almost midnight. “Who could that be?” he wondered out loud.
He opened the door. There stood Ernie Jackson.
“Ernie! What in the hell are you doing here?” Ernie looked haggard, his eyes red and empty. He walked in and Robin closed the door.
“I came here to see you.”
“You should be with Andy and your family.”
“Maybe, but I know you and I know what you're going to do.” Ernie gave Robin a hard look. “You're not going without me.”
“Sit down, Ernie. You want a drink?”
“I would love a drink.” Robin opened the stocked minibar in the room. He took two small bottles of Jack Daniels and made drinks.
“Ernie, you need to be with Andy.”
“I know you're going to that ranch. You seem to forget my son loves your daughter. He would want me to go with you to get her back. We'll save a lot of time if you don't try to bullshit me into not going. I am going.”
“All right, we'll do it together. Where are you staying?”
“They gave me a BOQ here. It's a couple of doors down.”
“What do you have for wheels?”
“I brought my Bronco. I thought it would come in handy. I also have all of my gear.”
“Well, let's get some sleep and we'll get our shit together in the morning.”
“Okay, I could use some sleep. I'm exhausted.”
“Me too, brother.”
Ernie held up his drink. “I'll take this with me if you don't mind.”
“Absolutely.” The men hugged each other and Ernie left.
Robin sat and slowly sipped his drink. His thoughts returned to his family. His heart ached, and his brain pounded into his skull. He put his drink down and dropped his face into his hands. His family swirled in his mind. He could not contain it any longer, and started sobbing. Tears streamed into his hands.
“What have I done?” he said in an anguished voice. He felt utterly empty and alone. Time stopped.
Slowly, he became aware of soft knocking at the door. He walked to the door and opened it. Angie stood there. “Oh, Rob,” she said, her voice full of anguish. She stepped in and put her hand on his cheek
. He closed the door and Angie put her arms around him. They embraced as Robin cried into her neck.
“It's all right, Rob. Let it out. It has been a horrible day.” After a while, he raised his head and looked at her with a weak smile.
“Seems like we have reversed roles.” He turned and walked back to the couch.
“It seems to me we are playing the same unfortunate role—alone and hurting terribly. I heard about Karen's anger.”
“She has a right to be angry.”
“Yes, but not at you.”
“Yes she does, Angie. Despite the red flags, I fell behind the curve putting it together. I let my family down.”
“Twenty-twenty hindsight is a bad thing to judge yourself by.”
“Karen is the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I'm afraid I have lost her and maybe my family. I feel so powerless right now. I have to fix this, but I don't know how.”
“Rob, Grassley and Chris are working on getting Cathy back.”
“They will never get the federal government moving fast enough to get to her in time.”
Angie put her hand on Robin's arm. “Rob, you can't do everything yourself. We all want to help you. I want to help you.” Angie put her hands on Robin's cheeks and gently pulled him closer to her. Looking into her eyes, he felt himself falling into those beautiful brown pools.
“Sometimes, Robin Marlette, we have to care for our own souls before we can care for others.” She put her soft lips on his. As her mouth started to part, Robin could not resist. The kiss felt warm, tender, and giving. As they kissed, she took his hand and put it over her left breast.
“Come,” she said as she led him to the bedroom. She kissed him more and started undoing his shirt. He started to do the same. The clothes came off slowly, both of them gently touching and caressing each other. When they were naked, Robin picked her up and laid her on the bed. He looked at her body. Her long dark hair curled over her shoulders and the top of her breasts that curved upward, like an artist's finest brush stroke, to dark pink tips. Her body flowed down, curving in inviting symmetry.
“You are beautiful, Angie.”
“You are too, Robin.” He kissed her lips and then her neck and more. They each explored the other's body with lingering kisses. When Robin entered Angie, real passion flowed between them, but it was restrained. They both knew this solace could only be a solitary, soul-soothing moment in time.
TWENTY TWO
Cathy Marlette struggled for consciousness. The echoes in her head faded and she tried to open her eyes. She had a fog-laden memory of being in an enclosure that opened up. A man shook her and tried to wake her, but she couldn't. The enclosure shut again, but felt much cooler. She faded out again.
Cathy was laid out on some kind of bed. She felt for the edge. She moved to it and put her head over and retched. Cathy's stomach seemed to be coming up into her throat in painful contractions. It surged into her esophagus over and over.
The retching finally subsided, and Cathy lay back on her side. She never felt so terrible in her life. Her head felt like it was splitting open. Every muscle hurt. A painful thirst raked her raw throat.
She heard voices. The door to the room opened and a fuzzy image of a man entered and then closed the door. He carried a pitcher and a glass and walked with a limp. He stopped ten feet from Cathy.
“I am told you are a vicious young woman.” Cathy looked at the man with a blank stare. “I am not here to hurt you. I have water and I can get food. If you fight, you will get nothing.”
“I won't fight. I can't fight.” Cathy said with a hoarse and exhausted whisper. “I need water.” The man walked to the bed and knelt down beside Cathy. He poured water into the glass and held it to her lips. She sipped a little. When she tried to gulp a mouthful, the man gently pushed her hand back.
“Easy, Senorita, it would not be good to drink too fast.” The man helped her to sit up. He again held the glass to her lips. “Drink in small sips for now.”
Cathy knew she should follow his advice. She sipped the delicious liquid. She stopped for a moment and looked at the man. He had kind eyes. He cleaned up the vomit on the floor.
“Thank you for the water, sir. What is your name?”
“I am Jorge.” The man leaned closer to Cathy. In a low whisper he said, “Do not talk. Do not react.” Jorge looked directly into Cathy's eyes and continued. “I work for your father. Always do as I say. I will protect you.” Jorge backed away and stood up. In a normal voice he said, “Drink slowly. I will be back with food.” Jorge left the room.
Cathy's heart pounded. Jorge said he worked for Dad! Her mind raced. Is that possible? Should I trust him? Her mind settled on her father. Of course it's possible. Dad is the best. The Guardians are the best. Jorge's eyes were true. Yes, he told the truth.
Then, the searing hot knife of her last sight of Andy ripped through her mind and heart. She collapsed back on the bed in despair.
Jorge waited in the kitchen as Leona, the ranch chef, prepared a small breakfast for Sergeant Marlette's daughter. Jorge worried. He now had two charges to protect in separate places on the ranch.
He watched out for Maria on the sly. No one knew, not even Maria. Maria remained relatively safe because of Juan Trinidad, but if Juan lost interest, things could get difficult. On the other hand, Miguel gave him the job of watching the “Senorita,” as he called her. Miguel did not trust anyone else because of the injuries she inflicted on some of the men. The others also attributed the deaths of their friends to her. They reasoned if she had not fought, the operation would have ended quickly and they all would have escaped. Many of the men wanted revenge, vicious revenge.
Jorge thought he would have to devise an escape plan for all of them. He did not know how long Miguel would keep the senorita here. Obviously he had plans for her. Jorge needed to contact Rick.
Cathy was crying quietly when the door to the room opened again. Instead of Jorge, another man entered the room—the most evil looking man Cathy had ever seen. She struggled to a sitting position. The man stopped five feet from her. His face formed a hideous sneer.
“I am Miguel Rodriquez-Lara. Your father killed my brother. By now, your entire family is dead. You are going to be a further example to the American police not to trifle with me. When the time is right, you will feel me on you, over you, and in every part of you. Then I will let my men have you. We will film it and send to the American police. They will know none of them are safe.” A chilling laugh spilled from his throat. Cathy spat at him. Miguel lunged forward and reared back to smash her face, but checked himself.
“No, no, I am not going to damage you yet. When the time is right, the world will see you violated over and over, and then torn apart.” He gave her an evil grin and walked out.
Cathy was stunned. Her entire family dead? It can't be, it just can't be! She collapsed back onto the bed and drew herself into a fetal position and cried until she had no tears left.
TWENTY THREE
Mary Tatum anxiously waited for Captain Pearle to come to work. He greeted her as he walked by her desk to his office. Trembling, she got up and followed him.
As Tom Pearle opened his office door, he saw Mary coming after him.
“You need to talk to me, Mary?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Pearle saw her trembling. “Are you all right?”
“I really need to talk to you in private, Captain.”
“Certainly. Come in and close the door.”
Mary walked in and closed the door behind her. She stood there, looking at Pearle. “Oh, Captain, I hate doing this.” She started to cry. Pearle put his arm around her and gently placed her in a chair.
“Mary, you have worked for me a long time. You know you can trust me with anything.” Mary took a deep breath.
“Captain, I think Jose Molina is giving information to the bad guys. I think he told them where Sergeant Marlette lives.”
“Why do you think this?”
Mary explained
what she had seen and how nervous Molina seemed. She pointed out she had noticed the open drawer and the division roster when she saw Jose at her desk. She also told Pearle about the man with the evil voice.
After she finished, Pearle first called the Director. This made Mary even more frightened. Next, Pearle called Lieutenant Johnson in the Communications Section. He told Johnson to pull the tapes on the Street Narcotics Section phone numbers since the takedown in the desert. Pearle told Johnson to get them to him immediately, and not to tell anybody by order of the Director. He turned to Mary.
“Thank you for telling me this. You did the absolute right thing. We'll get to the bottom of Jose's conduct. Please tell Lieutenant Hammel to come to my office.“
“Yes, sir.” Mary still trembled.
“It will be all right.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Captain Tom Pearle hadn't felt anger like this in a long time. He directed part of the anger at himself and the top brass of the department. They always said the tapes on the phone system should be reviewed, but they never were. Everyone knew they weren't. If these tapes showed any evidence Molina was a bad cop, that would certainly change. Hammel walked into Pearle's office.
“Les, we may have a serious problem with one of our officers.” He filled Hammel in on the situation. “Block off your afternoon and get Molina's sergeant in here. We are going to be very busy listening to tapes.”
When Robin woke up in the morning, he felt calmer. Angie left after they lay together and talked. He had never dreamed things would turn out this way when they first met. Robin hoped she and her husband could make things work as much as he wanted things to get better with Karen.
Robin and Ernie met and worked up the first part of their plan. Later they ate breakfast with Emmett, Mike, Chris, John Luchek, Angie. They all filled Robin in on the progress of the case. He learned about the arrest of Walton at the airport. He was carrying millions in cash in his luggage. Emmett laughed as he told Robin that Walton had tried to bluff and bluster Mark and Doug. Emmett broadly grinned as he related Mark and Doug listened politely for about two seconds—then they spun Walton around, laid him over the hood of his car, and handcuffed him. In a loud voice in front of a growing crowd, Mark enumerated the charges against Walton, including felony murder. Walton now sat in jail with no bond.
