by Craig Hurren
“I assure you this is all very real and there are no stuntmen in this movie. We have to be careful now that you’ve been targeted - especially now that Devlin’s teams will think you are more than capable of taking care of yourself.”
“But I didn’t do anything!”
“Of course you didn’t but dead men tell no tales. Who do you think they are going to blame for the loss of three men that were sent after you? And now they’ll strengthen the teams and probably arm them as well.”
Alan tried to maintain composure but his face betrayed his fear.
“Don’t worry; I have a safe place but you’ll have to hole up for a while. Now, do you have any family they could use to get to you?”
“No, my parents died years ago and since my wife was killed, I’ve been alone.”
“What about the lady you’ve been spending time with?”
“Holly - do you think she’s in danger?!”
“I’m afraid she could well be if she’s important to you.”
“She is but nobody knows about her except my lieutenant.”
“Well, I knew about her so maybe they do too. What about this lieutenant?”
“Thomas Walker and yes, he is also important to me.”
Jake’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked, “Thomas Walker – is he a big guy in his late forties with a big jaw, a thick neck, and a gruff personality?”
Alan was once again shocked by his new ally and his face showed it as he spoke.
“How did you know that?”
Jake’s face contorted into a huge toothy smile, which caused heavy creases to appear in his scar, as he began a low rumbling chuckle that turned into a raging belly laugh. Alan was now in total confusion as he waited impatiently for the laughter to subside.
“That crusty ol’ son of a gun!” Jake said fondly, still chuckling. “I can’t believe your boss is one of my former US Ranger Instructors!”
“What? Lieutenant Walker was a Ranger?!”
“Not just a Ranger; a Ranger Instructor! That guy is one of the toughest and craftiest sons a’ bitches I ever met in my life. He could easily have gone into the Special Forces or Delta but his wife wouldn’t let him. She wanted him to become a civilian – I guess police work was the compromise. How is the ol’ crocodile anyway?”
Alan tried to compose himself before answering, “He’s just like you describe him – and his wife still wears the pants.” he said, cracking a smile.
Jake again burst into laughter and it was a relief for Alan to see such an obviously dangerous man show a human side.
“Don’t worry about Walker – he can take care of himself and his family but we’d better warn him. I told you not to discuss this with anyone - but for Walker, we can make an exception. Give me his number and I’ll call him but don’t bother trying to ask him who I really am because trust me, you couldn’t torture it out of him.”
Alan gave Jake the number and his face turned serious.
“What about Holly? What do we do about her?”
“Does she know the Walkers?”
“Not yet; we’re supposed to eat dinner at their house together on Sunday night for the first time.”
“OK, we need them to meet sooner than expected. If I know Mrs. Walker, she has a spare bedroom and Holly will have to use it until we get this shit storm squared away. You’re going to have to get her to trust you without explaining anything to her. Just tell her you’re investigating some organized crime gang and threats have been made. Walker will cover for you.”
“Are you sure he can protect all of them?”
“If he doesn’t think he can, he knows people who will help without question.”
“OK, I’ll call Holly.”
Jake disappeared into the bathroom to call Walker as Alan dialed Holly’s number and waited for her to answer. The phone rang several times before she finally answered in a tearful voice.
“What’s wrong Holly?” Alan asked trying to sooth her.
“Professor Guthrie has committed suicide – I just saw it on a news bulletin.” she sobbed.
Alan felt as though his chest was sinking into the pit of his stomach. His mouth opened but nothing would come out.
“Alan? Did you hear me?” Holly sniffled.
The detective desperately tried to pull himself together as the realization set in that Guthrie was likely silenced because of his investigations into Blue Sky’s potential new discovery on Alan’s behalf. Before he could collect himself to speak, Holly asked through her tears, “Did he seem alright when you met him? How could this have happened?”
Guilt and confusion pervading his mind, one thought cut through the collecting muddle – these people would let nothing stand in their way. They had found a way to kill with impunity and he had to make sure Holly was safe from these monsters. He spoke clearly and deliberately, “Holly, I need you to pack a bag right now. A large man with a thick neck called Lieutenant Thomas Walker will pick you up from your home soon. Do not open the door to anyone else – do you understand?”
“No, I don’t understand Alan. What’s going on? What do you know about Scott Guthrie’s death? What aren’t you telling me?” she said, panicked.
“I’m sorry Holly but I can’t explain right now. Please just do as I say! Lieutenant Walker will be able to shed some light on it and I will fill you in as soon as I can. Just don’t open your door to anyone other than Walker and do exactly as he says – please!”
Holly reluctantly agreed and when Alan hung up the phone, he could hear some laughter coming from the bathroom as Jake spoke with Walker. He jumped up from the bed and rushed to open the door. Jake immediately saw the panic on his face and told Walker to hold. Alan quickly explained what had happened as Jake listened intently.
“If they got to Guthrie, they must know about Holly too! Please Jake; we have to keep her safe!” Alan blurted anxiously.
Without hesitation, Jake began speaking in rapid military terminology to Walker. He asked Alan for Holly’s home address and relayed it to Alan’s boss and his former Ranger Instructor in phonetic alphabet to be certain the message was clear and hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
“Are you sure Walker can keep her safe?” Alan asked insistently.
Jake came back in a reassuring tone, “If anyone can, it’s Walker. How far is it from the station to Holly’s apartment?”
“About ten minutes, I guess.”
“Then we’ll know in ten minutes.”
“Should I call her back and stay on the line with her?”
“How do you think that would help? It would only make her more frightened and even if someone came for her, there’s nothing we can do from here anyway. No, let her pack as you instructed and we wait to hear from Walker.”
Alan paced briskly back and forth past the end of the bed as Jake sat in eerie calm watching him. A couple of minutes passed and Alan’s cell phone broke the silence. Jake stood, knowing that this could only be bad news. If Walker had managed to get to Holly first, he would have called Jake’s phone, not Alan’s, so he now expected the worst. Alan fumbled briefly with his phone before he answered. His face contorted into an anguished grimace as he heard Holly’s panicked voice down the line until Jake snatched the phone from Alan’s hand.
“Listen to me very carefully Holly.” Jake said in a calm, detached voice. “Is the door bolted? OK, in a moment or two they will gain access to your apartment – there’s nothing you can do to stop that. Do you understand? I need you to breathe Holly – try to be calm so I can help you. Is there any other way out of the apartment? OK…are you calling from a land line? Good; do you have a cell phone? I want you to turn your cell phone off and conceal it in your underwear to minimize the possibility of detection – do you understand? Now, leave this handset off the hook but as close to the base as possible so I can hear everything that happens then go to the other side of the room and lie on the floor face down as though you have fallen. Do not move; do not tense your body even when they
touch you or lift you – you must act as though you have fainted and are completely unconscious so that they’re forced to carry you. Is that clear? OK, do it now.”
Alan’s face was a study in sheer panic as tears rolled involuntarily down his cheeks. The blood had drained from his face and every fiber of his being was screaming out at his own futility but his instincts told him there was nothing he could do so he remained silent. He felt as though he’d left his own body and all he could do was watch on in a stupor as the scene unfolded.
Jake held a finger in his free ear so he could focus solely on the sounds at the other end of the line. His eyes flicked this way and that as he strained to discern every noise in Holly’s apartment. His gaze snapped to Alan then he suddenly took his finger from his ear and slapped Alan hard on the cheek then grabbed his own cell phone and held it out to the stunned detective. The slap brought Alan out of his stupor and he grabbed the phone as Jake covered the microphone on Alan’s phone and said tersely, “Call Walker – now!”
Alan dialed the number and waited.
“Miss me already Riley?” came the jovial response.
“Lieutenant; it’s Beach. They’re at Holly’s door now!”
Walker’s demeanor changed immediately and he barked at Alan, “What is her cell number?”
Alan relayed the number to him and waited for a reply.
“I’m less than three minutes out and I’ll have a GPS tracker on her cell phone in less than a minute. How many assailants?”
“I don’t know.” Alan said keeping himself together as well as he could. He looked at Jake and whispered, “How many?”
Jake held up three fingers.
“Three assailants.” Alan relayed.
Walker came back solemnly, “Alan; I know this is hard but they are going to take her. I’ve got some serious badass brothers in arms on their way to me now. These guys are the best - we’ll get her back. Do you understand? I can’t risk going in alone so I have to let them take her but we will get her back! They won’t hurt her because they want to use her as leverage to get to you. Trust me Beach.”
Just then Jake hung up Alan’s phone and looked into his eyes. “You have to trust us Alan. This is the only way.”
Then he reached out to take his phone from the detective and began to speak to Walker. The language he used might as well have been Swahili as far as Alan was concerned. English words were scattered throughout but they were mixed in with all sorts of numbers and military jargon. He could only guess that this was the most efficient way for two former Rangers to communicate details of the situation.
The conversation continued for a moment then Jake hung up and said, “Alan, we have to leave now. There is nothing else we can do from here. I know it’s hard to let go but you have to trust Walker.”
“Not a chance!” Alan said vehemently. “I’m not moving until I know that she’s safe! We can wait here just as easily as anywhere else but if we go now, I won’t know if she’s OK until we get there.”
“OK, we wait.” Jake conceded.
Chapter 12
Thomas Walker wound his unmarked police car through the city streets as quickly as he could without drawing undue attention. He had turned the flashing grill lights on but left the vehicle’s siren off to maintain a degree of stealth. Fifteen minutes earlier, he had called Captain Fouts of the city’s S.W.A.T. team and briefed him on the situation. He then told Fouts to avoid official channels and only involve two other very specific men. The S.W.A.T. captain knew immediately what Walker needed and with a sharp, “You got it!” he hung up and immediately called Sniper Specialist Albrecht and Breach Specialist Sergeant Kerr from his team.
As a captain in Columbus’ elite S.W.A.T. team, Fouts technically outranked Tom Walker but the homicide lieutenant was one of his former instructors at U.S. Army Ranger School and they had a long and close association throughout their service. His respect for and trust in his mentor were absolute and as far as he was concerned, whatever Walker wanted, Walker got – proper channels be damned. The two other men were in the same position and Walker had given them all glowing recommendations to join the city’s elite assault team when they finished their military tours some years previously. At the time, a major bank robbery had left two former S.W.A.T. team members dead and another permanently incapacitated so the Chief of Police was more than happy to quickly recruit such well trained and seasoned replacements.
Albrecht had been a sniper in the Rangers so his position in the team was obvious. Kerr was particularly skilled at close quarters combat so he became one of the lead breach team. Fouts himself had a reputation as an expert assault strategist with the Rangers and his capabilities facilitated his rapid rise to Captain in what was considered by many to be the top S.W.A.T. team in the country.
Each man, despite his official position, was fiercely loyal to Tom Walker and knew full well that he would never abuse their trust or enlist their services for a clandestine operation unless it was absolutely necessary. Fouts filled them in on the details as they drove to rendezvous with Walker in pursuit of the assailants who had kidnapped the civilian, Holly Stuart. They knew no further details other than the fact that the mission was a hostage rescue, it was off the books, and it was for Lieutenant Tom Walker - they required nothing further. Captain Fouts was in charge as usual so this was just another operation – except there would never be any paperwork submitted. Any possible witnesses would be advised that whatever they saw was simply a training exercise.
Walker had set up a conference call with the S.W.A.T. team members and gave them continuous directions as he followed the GPS tracking signal tuned to the SIM card in Holly’s cellular phone from about a mile behind her. It was only moments before Fouts in his car, and Albrecht and Kerr together in their SUV, caught up to Walker and all three vehicles followed the signal from a safe distance. The assailants’ vehicle soon merged onto Highway 71 heading north toward Cleveland but turned off the highway onto a small private road just past the top of Alum Creek Lake. The team stopped at the entrance to the small gravel road, got out of their cars, and Fouts immediately pulled up a detailed map and satellite images of the road on his laptop. The other men stood in silence as Fouts took in details of the road and the private properties dotted along its length. The signal from Holly’s phone became stationary on a property not far from the creek and Fouts nodded in silence then they concealed Walker’s car and all four men got into the SUV with Kerr at the wheel and the headlights turned off. The moon was bright but the night was still dark enough to offer good cover while allowing Kerr to safely guide the vehicle down the densely forested dirt road.
They proceeded slowly as Fouts zoomed in on a satellite image of the target property and began formulating a loose plan. He would need to see topography and obstacles with his own eyes before he could firm up the strategy and tactics but his razor sharp focus and years of experience quickly drew an outline of an assault and rescue plan. He gave a signal and Kerr turned off the engine to glide for thirty yards before he steered the SUV under the cover of some bushes about five hundred yards before the target property to avoid detection.
The men got out and while Fouts examined the property through his military grade image stabilized night vision binoculars, Albrecht and the others opened the vehicle’s tailgate to retrieve their equipment. Walker and Kerr pulled out standard S.W.A.T. issue Armalite M4 assault rifles and donned bullet proof vests, while Albrecht drew out the long aluminum case which held his personal Remington XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, Advanced Armament Corp. sound suppressor, and Leupold Mark 4 6.5–20×50mm ER/T M5 Front Focal variable power telescopic sight. He set his equipment, checked his scope and double checked the entire system then stood waiting in silence.
Fouts joined them at the rear of the vehicle, set his laptop on the floor and grabbed an M4 and vest before laying out his plan. The battle proven Rangers clearly knew their roles in the operation, which was a minor variation of a standard Ranger assault pattern. Walker loo
ked into each man’s eyes then spoke, “The hostage is a VIP; let’s keep this tight and surgical boys. Fouts has the lead.”
The others nodded knowingly and Albrecht disappeared into the bushes with barely a rustle while the others waited for him to take up his position just over two hundred and fifty yards from the small disused timber dwelling near the middle of the two acre property. A brief squelch came into their high tech communication earpieces to signify that the sniper was in place then Walker, Fouts and Kerr began to make their way through the forested grounds toward the property’s thirty yard driveway.
There were plenty of trees and bushes for cover and within ten minutes, the assault team had made its way to the edge of the property and took up positions fanning out fifteen yards apart from each other. Fouts again pulled out his binoculars to examine the situation. A few seconds later, he smiled knowingly and gave the others a series of hand signals. The assailants may have been former military but obviously were not elite forces, judging by their lack of discipline and focus. This was not an interrogation but prisoner security and yet, instead of securing the hostage then leaving her alone in the dwelling to take up defensible positions outside, one man remained inside with Holly, only one guarded the exterior, and the third sat idly in their big SUV with his feet on the dashboard. It was obvious that the assailants were blissfully unaware they’d been followed and were comfortable and lazy in their mission.
Fouts stayed at his outer viewing position to direct the operation while Walker and Kerr moved stealthily toward the cabin. Walker broke off and started toward the kidnappers’ vehicle while Kerr continued toward the dwelling then both men sank to the ground and waited. Fouts issued a brief command to Albrecht and received a squelch in reply. The sniper skillfully maneuvered to a vantage point where he could see the victim through one of the cabin’s windows then sent a second squelch to confirm his position. Fouts whispered into his microphone, “Albrecht has the lead.” and the other two men squelched their devices in acknowledgement.
