Terror Grips the Beach

by Steve McMillen

  Marty and Ronnie are from Syria while Phil and Anna are from Yemen. They are not martyrs; they want to live so they can continue their attacks on the West. They were all raised to hate the West, particularly Americans.

  All four speak fluent English with a slight accent; however, Anna does most of the shopping. They dress as Americans and show no trend toward terrorism. Once they arrive at their destination, they rent a house out in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Anna rents a P.O. Box and they receive cash every week to fulfill their needs. They are funded by factions of ISIS and the Taliban.

  Following their next attack, they will move on to New Orleans, then Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, Boston, and finally New York City. They will then return to Canada and back to the Middle East, leaving a path of destruction behind them.

  CHAPTER 28

  Bob Linde abandons the Tahoe and takes an Uber to his safe house. When he and Jeffrey Barrons arrived in town, they rented a condo under an assumed company name and purchased a second car in case of an emergency. At the condo, there are weapons and disguises to wear. He will be able to traverse the area with no problem.

  He knows the Feds have Jeffrey and that they are now looking for him. He believes Jeffrey will not snitch on him, so he has two choices: He can leave town and head back to New York, or he can stay and do the job he agreed to do, get rid of Mickke D. He decides to stay, finish the job and collect the money before moving on.

  *****

  Agent Colder and I are waiting in the conference room when Detective Concile arrives. The EMTs are giving first aid to Jeffrey Barrons’ gunshot injury, which turns out to be no more than a flesh wound. She’s not a happy camper.

  “So what happened here and why wasn’t I informed of your plans?”

  Agent Colder and I look at each other and I point to her, “Go ahead, it was your bust.”

  She begins, “Well, we came down here to see if I recognized Mr. Barrons as a drug dealer and I did. I arrested him and then his partner started shooting at us through the door,” pointing at the bullet holes in the conference room door.

  “And how did Mr. Barrons get a bloody nose?”

  “She attacked me for no reason whatsoever. I’m going to sue everyone here!” Barrons exclaims.

  “Oh shut up, you were resisting arrest.” Agent Colder replies.

  “Is that true Mickke D?” Detective Concile asks.

  I look at Agent Colder. “That’s how it looked to me, detective.”

  “They’re lying! I want my attorney. They’re both lying! She attacked me. I’m going to sue!” screams Barrons.

  “Can you hold him until I can get someone down here from Charlotte to pick him up?” Agent Colder calmly asks.

  “No problem, Agent Colder, consider it done. I’ll expect both of you in my office this afternoon to provide a written account of what happened.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Two days later, I’m nowhere close to figuring out what happened to Skipper Chucks, Linda Evans, and Mary Kay Henderson. Jeffrey Barrons lawyered up and said nothing before being transported to Charlotte by Agent Colder and another DEA agent. No one can find Bob Linde. They found the Tahoe but it had been wiped clean. He seems to have disappeared. I keep thinking that it is all related but I have no idea how.

  Just as I am about to close the file folders on my desk, Jannie transfers a call to me from one of my old real estate clients. “Hey, Mickke D, it’s Doug and Nancy Scottish. You found us a home out in Longs on Gator Ridge Road about a year ago. You said if we ever needed anything to be sure and call.”

  “Sure, Doug, I remember you two. How can I help you?”

  “Well, it’s funny. We had this couple move in just down the road from us about two months ago. Real quiet folks. Then two guys seemed to move in with them. They keep all the blinds closed in the house and they don’t seem to work. They have an old car and a van and it looks like they turned the garage into a storage area. I remember you had a private investigation company and well, it looks real fishy to me. Could you stop by sometime and see what you think? I called the sheriff but he said unless they do something wrong, he can’t do anything.”

  “Doug, I’d be happy to stop by and visit with you guys. I’ll call before I head out your way. May not be for a day or two, but I will stop by.”

  “Thanks, we’re looking forward to seeing you,” Doug replies.

  *****

  The following day after lunch, I stop in Jim’s office and ask, “Hey, big guy, would you like to take a ride out to Longs with me? One of my real estate clients thinks something fishy is going on in the neighborhood, so I told them I would stop by.”

  “Sure, should I bring my weapon?”

  “I guess so, why not.”

  I call Doug and tell him we’re on our way. Thirty minutes later, we pull into Doug’s driveway on Gator Ridge Road. They both come out to greet us. I notice both sets of eyes go to Jim’s weapon as Doug says, “Thanks for stopping by, Mickke D. I think these people are up to no good.”

  “Doug and Nancy, this is Jim Bolin. He’s in charge of the PI business.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Bolin,” Doug says as they both shake hands with Jim. Doug says, “Oh, here they come now.”

  We all watch as an old gold Chevy Impala comes slowly down the road. Doug and Nancy wave at them. Their wave is not returned. “See, what did I tell you? When was the last time you waved at someone in South Carolina and they didn’t wave back?”

  I gaze at Jim before answering, “It’s been a long time, Doug.”

  We all watch as the two occupants pull into the driveway next door, which is about fifty yards away, exit the car and look our way before getting sacks of groceries out of the trunk. They still don’t wave, although I seem to notice a curt smile on the partially hidden face of the woman.

  I finally say to Doug, “I’ll run the tax records for that property and see if I can find out who owns it. I’ll get back to you one way or another. Have you ever spoken to them?”

  “No, we knocked on their door right after they moved in and they never answered the door. Nancy and I keep thinking they may be terrorists or something.”

  I look at Jim and reply, “Well, in this day and age, one never knows.”

  *****

  Phil and Anna notice the four people as they pass by. They glance again as they get out of their car. “Did you notice one of those guys has a weapon? Do you think they are the police?” Anna whispers to Phil.

  “I don’t know, but maybe we should consider moving. We don’t need the police knocking on our door.”

  Once inside the doublewide structure, they pull the blinds apart and watch as the two men leave their neighbors’ house. Phil calls for a meeting. The discussion is hot and heavy, but in the end, all four agree on their next plan of action.

  *****

  As we’re driving back to the office I say, “So what do you think?”

  “Well, I think they have read too many murder mystery novels or they need to find something else to do all day rather than spy on their neighbors. What do you think?”

  “Well, I don’t know. Their neighbors did seem a little strange. I’ll check the tax records and see what I can find out.”

  Once in the office, I get on my computer and run the tax records for the parcel of land next to Doug and Nancy. I find the owner’s information. They live in Richmond, Virginia, and I give them a call. The call goes to voicemail, so I leave a message that I am a real estate broker and I may have someone interested in purchasing the property, and to please give me a call back.

  CHAPTER 30

  The following morning I am reading the paper and half listening to the Weather Channel, when my cell phone rings. It’s Jim. “Did you hear about the fire?”

  My first thought was that the office burned down. An assassin almost burned it to the ground not long ago. “Oh God, not the office.”

  “No, not the office. Doug and Nancy’s house burned to the ground last
night along with their neighbors’ house. Go to the local ABC channel, they’re showing it right now.”

  I quickly switch channels and get a sick feeling in my stomach as I see the smoldering remains of Doug and Nancy’s house and their neighbor’s house. The reporter says that the fire consumed both homes and two occupants of one of the homes died in the fire.

  I get back on my phone. “Are you still there?”

  “Yeah,” Jim replies, “what do you want to do?”

  I think for a few seconds. “First of all, I’m going to call Sam and try to find out what she knows. I’ll get back to you.”

  Detective Concile answers on the first ring. “It’s awfully early Mickke D, this had better be good.”

  “Okay, but before you say anything, hear me out.”

  “Whatever, go ahead, you have my full attention.” she sarcastically replies.

  “Did you hear about the fire last night in Longs where two people died?”

  “Yes, I did. Saw it on the local news this morning.”

  I continue, “Well, the couple that lived in one of the houses were real estate clients of mine and they called me to come out and check on what they referred to as some fishy neighbors. Jim and I went out there yesterday afternoon, met with them and actually saw two of the neighbors, a man and a woman.”

  “And your point is?” she asks.

  “Let me finish. They also told us that after the man and woman moved in, two men moved in with them a few days later, and that they kept all of the blinds closed and they turned their garage into a storage area. Doug and Nancy, the couple who are clients of mine, thought they were terrorists. I ran the county records and found the owner of the property. I called and left a message, but never heard back from them.”

  After what seemed like an eternity, she finally says, “You have got to be kidding me. You think they could be terrorists?”

  “Not only just terrorists, but possibly the ones who blew up Charleston. Think about it. Every road was closed leaving the area and yet they were never found. Maybe they never left. Maybe they’re still here for a reason. I don’t know but if I were you, I would get someone out there to check it out.”

  “I can’t send anyone, that’s county. However, I will make a call and have someone in charge out there today. I’ll let you know what happens.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Marty, Ronnie, Phil, and Anna started packing the car and the van as soon as it turned dark. They rented the house furnished so, except for some personal items, the only things going with them were food, weapons, bomb parts and components. Once loaded, they wiped down the inside of the house to the best of their ability. However, before they leave, they plan to send a strong message to anyone who attempts to interrupt their plans. Mess with us and suffer the consequences. They watch as the lights go out at Doug and Nancy’s around 11 p.m.

  Just after midnight, Marty, Ronnie and Phil quietly move toward Doug and Nancy’s, leaving Anna to prepare the house for their getaway. The men quickly break in through the back door. Doug and Nancy are sleeping ducks.

  Doug and Nancy hear the noise. They are sitting up in bed when the intruders enter the bedroom. Doug reaches for his gun, in the dresser beside him, but before he can open the drawer, he and Nancy are each shot. Tom douses the room with gasoline from a one-gallon container they brought with them. They light a match, drop it and leave the same way they came in, jogging back to where Anna is waiting. As soon as she sees the fire from the house next door, she lights a match and starts a fire in the rented house, as well. They get into their vehicles and slowly drive away. The entire process takes less than ten minutes. There are no other homes within a half-mile so they are long gone before anyone notices the two blazes and calls the authorities.

  They spend the night in a building about three miles away, which they leased, under an assumed name, for three months when they first arrived. They told the owner they were going to start an auto painting shop and if it proved successful, they would lease the building long term. The only auto painting they have done is to paint their vehicles after the Charleston bombing and to use it as a storage area for their explosives. They spend the night painting the vehicles again.

  The next day around noon, Phil and Anna move into an RV park not far from the ocean, renting a large, furnished RV for a month with cash. They tell the park manager they are thinking about moving to the beach and want to check it out before making a final decision. Marty and Ronnie arrive later. They park both newly painted vehicles on the side of the RV, partially hidden from the road. Their spot is near the back edge of the park and not many of the RV’s around them are occupied. Most of the owners use the park as a winter retreat and don’t rent them out to the tourists. It’s closer quarters than what they would like, so they need to be extremely careful and not raise any red flags. They are planning for their attack to begin in about ten days.

  CHAPTER 32

  Sam calls me right after lunch. She contacted the proper authorities and gave them the info I had given her. They informed her that from what they had found, both people in the one house, a man and a woman, had been shot, and no one was found in the second home. From the retrievable evidence at the scene of the fire, the occupants were Doug and Nancy Scottish. She said they wanted to talk to Jim and me ASAP.

  An hour later, we meet with Captain Norma Kirkpatty of the Horry County Police Department at their Little River office behind the library. We fill her in with everything we know and she thanks us for our input. She asks if we could give her any type of a description of the neighbors, but we were too far away to get a good look at their faces, so our descriptions were very sketchy to say the least, but I do remember that curt, faint, smile on the woman’s partially scarf covered face. We did give her a description of the vehicles parked in the driveway.

  Captain Kirkpatty tells us she will put out a BOLO on the two vehicles and hope someone may spot them. She will ask the public to help by keeping an eye out for two vehicles possibly used in a recent crime without telling them they may be terrorists. There is no need to panic the public yet.

  As we are leaving, I look at Jim. “I think they’re still close by. If they were planning something, I don’t believe they would just pack up and leave. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right, but where are they and what are they planning?”

  CHAPTER 33

  Three days after the fire, I am waiting in line at the Post Office, located in a hardware store on Sea Mountain Highway. I finally get my stamps and before leaving, I stop at the popcorn stand and pick up a container of fresh, hot popcorn. Now, I learned a long time ago that if I try to take the popcorn with me in my SUV, I usually spill it all over the front seat; therefore, I am aimlessly wandering around the store eating popcorn when I notice a young woman enter the store. One of the employees welcomes her, and there it is, that same curt, faint smile, I remember seeing on the face of the woman who lived next door to Doug and Nancy. My popcorn ends up on the floor instead of on the front seat of my vehicle. I nonchalantly act as if nothing has happened and tell the nearest employee I will be happy to clean up the mess. The employee tells me she will take care of it. The woman looks my way but doesn’t act as if she recognizes me. She just turns and continues her trip toward the Post Office section of the store.

  I watch her as she goes in the direction of the Post Office boxes. I quickly leave the hardware store. On my way to my vehicle, I look around the parking lot and notice a Chevy Impala, which looks a lot like the one parked next door at Doug and Nancy’s. The only problem is that it is black instead of gold. I move my vehicle to the far end of the parking lot and call Jim. “I think one of Doug and Nancy’s fishy neighbors is at the Post Office.”

  “No way, did you confront them?”

  “No, I’m out in my vehicle waiting for her to leave.”

  “Are you going to call Sam or Captain Kirkpatty?”

  “No, not until I’m sure she’s who I think she is. But,
what I need you to do since I’m waiting in the parking lot is to come down here. I’ll be at the far end of the lot closest to the IGA. If I’m gone, it means I’m following her. I want you to go inside and see if you can find out if she purchased anything and then call me.”

  “No problem, boss, I’m on my way.”

  *****

  Anna remembered her training. She did notice the man who spilled the container of popcorn and he did look familiar. He could have been one of the guys she saw at their neighbor’s house the other day. She continued toward the Post Office section of the store where she was going to pick up another cash delivery from her P.O. box and then purchase some items on her shopping list.

  If it is him, she doesn’t believe he will start anything in a public location and she can’t afford to spoil their plans by starting a battle of her own.

  Within minutes, she finds what she is looking for and carefully ventures toward the checkout counter. She does not see the bumbling idiot who spilled the popcorn or any sign of the police. She pays for her items with cash and slowly leaves the store. She has one hand in her purse, which holds her snub-nose .38, and she is prepared to use it. She casually glances in both directions before crossing to her car in the parking lot. She notices a vehicle parked at the far end towards the IGA, which looks familiar, but doesn’t want to stare in case it is him and he may be watching her. She errs on the side of caution. She leaves the parking lot and proceeds toward Ocean Boulevard. She turns right and obeys the speed limit while keeping an eye in her rear-view mirror to see if he is following her.