by Blink, Bob
As he stood and headed for the bathroom for some aspirin, he tried to consider the situation. It was now two days before the event. He’d partially thought out his approach before back-tracking, so he could take action without too much delay. This was important because his head was screaming at him making it hard to think. He kept recalling the vision of Karin in the hospital bed, head shaved and comatose.
After taking the pills he swung by the kitchen for a dose of caffeine, then headed out to the garage to start packing. He had decided somewhere along the way to take the Chevy. He’d be himself for this trip. He hadn’t had time to look into a new ID, and with Karin staying at the hotel where he’d be making reservations, there was little point in trying to hide who he was. The truck was more secure than the Toyota Camry, and the BMW was too prone to attracting attention.
His first stop was the gun safe. He was torn as to which items to bring along. He wanted the rifle for sure. However, he was going into the PRC, the People’s Republic of California, and that meant much of his gear was forbidden. That meant certain advantages to the hidden suppressor and the oil can approach. On the other hand, he knew if he was to attempt a shot, he would want to know where the bullets were going on the first shot. That meant the commercial suppressor was the better choice. Still undecided, he decided he would bring both. He’d see how the situation developed and make that decision later. He didn’t want to have to make another drive back to Nevada to get additional equipment.
He followed the same approach for the handgun. He’d bring the Sig, along with a couple of barrels, and both the commercial suppressor and have available the adapter for the alternate approach. The adapters for the rifle and pistol were different, so he’d need to hide the pistol adapter in the car. Since the suppressors were already a violation, having the adapter discovered wouldn’t mean any more trouble. He’d just have to hope no one showed any interest or checked his vehicle carefully.
He loaded the selections into the secure compartment of the truck. The only firearm he kept out and at hand was the tiny Colt Mustang which he slipped into a pocket of his jacket. Having a gun on him wasn’t a good idea in California, but he doubted anyone would be checking, and he felt better having it handy, despite the diminutive size. Better the little one with him than the magnum home in the safe. Next he threw several days clothes into his large suitcase which went into the back along with a cooler filled with soft drinks and chips to carry him through the drive. Then he was ready to go.
He jumped onto the 80 west and headed for California. Just over three hours later he was coming down the steep hill on the northern edge of Vallejo, looking for the turnoff that would take him over by the fairgrounds and to the Best Western he had visited a few days from now before back-tracking. He pulled into the parking lot near the lobby, and went inside to register. Using his own ID and credit card, he booked a room for a full week, asking for something on the second floor. He didn’t really know how long he would be staying, but he wanted to be sure he was covered. The cost wasn’t important. He was assigned to room 245, which wasn’t very far from the room Karin and Ellen would have when they arrived tomorrow afternoon. After returning to the truck and unloading his suitcase, he jumped back onto the freeway and headed south, crossing over the bay on the Richmond Bridge and then entering the city via the Golden Gate Bridge after paying the exorbitant toll.
After fighting his way through traffic, Jake finally arrived at the same parking area where he’d seen Ellen’s car. It took him a couple of loops around the street before he lucked out as a pair of backup lights announced someone was leaving up ahead. He goosed the pedal and made sure no one found a way to beat him to the spot, and pulled in happily.
Jake didn’t like leaving the truck with the gear it contained, but he hadn’t felt secure leaving the items back in the hotel either. He activated the alarm, and hoped that if the vehicle was targeted because of the out of state plates, they wouldn’t find the secure compartment. A few minutes later he was back at the entrance to Ghirardelli Square.
Of course today was like almost any other day. It was a Friday, and the place was packed. The weather was still excellent this time of year, and both out-of-towners and locals found Ghirardelli one of the nicer places to visit. He walked up the steps that led to the open central area, and slowly worked his way around the courtyard. He knew which entrances Ellen and Karin would be likely to use, but there were several others by which the shooter might arrive. The building he would shoot from was also a problem. Jake found three different entrances, each hidden from view of the other two. He could watch one, but would be unable to know what was happening at the others.
Inside the building, he worked his way upwards. There were a variety of shops selling souvenirs and food. On the upper level he located what had to be the access point to the roof. The sturdy and locked door was midway down the hall. There were any number of points where Jake would be able to watch it, but none were particularly concealed and there was no way to get up to the roof to see what options would be available to him. He also knew he wouldn’t be able to count on the place being empty. In the short time he’d been on this level, more than twenty people had passed through. This wasn’t what he liked. He had always chosen his confrontation point away from crowds. Getting in, and equally important, getting away, would be difficult. He could understand why the shooter had chosen to leave his weapons behind.
Back outside, he scanned the surrounding area. The only building that had a view of the rooftop was some distance away. It housed a number of high end condos. It didn’t appear to be an option to Jake. Not only could he not see any feasible way to gain access to the building without drawing attention to himself, especially with the needed weapons, but it was a long shot, with a background of the heavily populated open courtyard of Ghirardelli Square which wouldn’t be acceptable. In addition, any shot would have to be made over the long distance in the presence of the undependable winds coming off the water a short distance away. This wouldn’t work.
Jake spent another hour walking around, examining the area from all quadrants and checking the possible routes in and out. By the time he left to drive back to Vallejo, he had all but decided he wasn’t going to be able to go after the shooter himself. The decision would make Karin happy, but he wasn’t convinced how effective the police would be. He would have to insist that Karin and Ellen stay away from the area the day of the shooting, just in case the police screwed it up.
The next morning after breakfast he drove back into the city. He wanted another look at the area to confirm the conclusions he’d reached the previous evening after returning to the hotel. There wasn’t much else to do that morning anyway. Karin and Ellen wouldn’t be arriving until later in the afternoon. He fought the last of the rush hour traffic, something he’d assumed would have been over this late in the morning and parked close to where he’d been the previous day. Then he spent the next five hours considering the area.
By the time he returned to the truck and began the drive back across the Golden Gate Bridge, he was convinced the shooter had walked to the scene. That was the way he’d do it if he had been planning to go after the killer himself. The location was a traffic nightmare. Even under the best of conditions getting away from the spot was a challenge. With water on effectively two sides and small narrow roads complete with cable car tracks, traffic could easily become jammed up. After an attack, with panic and people fleeing, it might be a very long time before one could drive away. It would be better to simply walk four or five blocks and have a car parked there. He’d scouted the area and found numerous places up towards the famous Lombard street where one could park and have a much better hope of accessing one of the main streets and escaping. He’d bet good money the shooter had done that, or perhaps was even a resident in one of the many houses or apartments in the area. Unfortunately, there were too many roads that provided access to be able to wait and watch for him.
It was almost four o’clock when Jake retur
ned to the hotel. He made a pass around the parking lot and spotted Ellen’s car parked in a slot close to one of the side doors. It’s location was consistent with the room Ellen had given him in the hospital, so he was certain that’s where he’d find them. He parked a few slots away, and headed inside.
Rather than go to his room, he headed straight toward room 235 where they would be. He knocked on the door and waited. Moments later it swung open and a surprised Karin stood there. She looked wonderful.
“Jake?” Karin asked clearly surprised to see him. “What are you doing here? How did you know where we’d be?”
Jake wasn’t ready for the impact of seeing her again. Not only again, but well and whole and unharmed. His throat tightened up and his eyes watered involuntarily and it took a moment before he could answer. He wanted to embrace her, but wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate given their status.
“Ellen told me,” he managed to croak out.
“Ellen called you?” she asked, clearly surprised. “Why would she do that?”
“Why would I do what?” Ellen asked as she walked over curious what was going on.
“Jake says you called him and told him where we were.”
“I did no such thing,” she objected. “What is this? Why are you here?”
Jake was still having trouble recovering, and was shaking his head minutely. He reached out and touched Karin lightly on the arm. “Can we go inside. I don’t want to explain in the hall.”
Karin’s eyes narrowed a bit, and Ellen watched him curiously, but they both stepped aside and allowed him to enter, shutting the door behind them.
“So?” Karin asked pointedly once they were inside. She seemed aware that Jake was reacting strangely, but that might be because she thought he was here in an attempt to reconcile their situation.
Jake had considered the situation and had concluded he would be unlikely to get Karin separated from Ellen in order to talk with her alone. Attempts to do so could potentially derail what he needed to do. Since what he would be proposing would impact Ellen as well, he would have to allow her to hear, and despite her confusion and doubts, explain the situation. He would try and figure out how to deal with the fallout later.
“There’s going to be an event tomorrow,” he started uncertainly. He didn’t want to simply blurt it all out.
“What kind of event?” Ellen asked.
Karin seemed to have realized what Jake was alluding to. “Something bad is going to happen?” she asked. “This is one of your future warnings.”
Jake nodded. “Tomorrow in San Francisco. A gunman is going to shoot up Ghirardelli square.”
“Hey! That’s where we were going in the morning,” Ellen said.
Jake nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”
“Okay Jake,” Karin said. “Tell us what this is all about.”
Jake pointed at the bed where the two women sat. He plopped down in the only chair. Then he explained what would happen.
“We’re going to be shot?” Karin asked when he finished.
Jake nodded. His throat was tight again. “Both of you, he confirmed.”
“How bad?” Karin asked, guessing his answer.
“Very,” Jake replied, not wanting to go into details.
“So you back-tracked?” she asked, using his term for what he did.
Jake nodded again. “I can’t let it happen.”
“This is ridiculous,” Ellen interrupted. “There’s no way he can know what’s going to happen tomorrow. What’s this really about?”
Karin looked at her friend. “Yes, actually he can. I never told you about what caused trouble between Jake and myself, but it relates to what he can do.”
“I’ve already lived through the aftermath of what happens in the morning,” Jake told Ellen. “I visited you in the hospital where you were recovering. You told me where you two had stayed the night before the attack. That’s how I knew where to find you.”
“We didn’t even know until about two hours ago,” Karin said. “We decided to come up here as we were driving.”
“I still don’t understand,” Ellen objected.
“Jake can send back his memories of what happens back to himself at an earlier time,” Karin explained. “I know that sounds impossible, but he’s shown me what he can do. It’s real. If he says there’s going to be an attack tomorrow, then count on it. Something’s going to happen.”
“You can’t go into the city in the morning,” Jake said. “You cannot be anywhere near Ghirardelli.”
‘Okay,” Karin agreed, “but what about the other people?”
“I have to stop him,” Jake replied.
Karin looked at him sternly. “Jake, you can’t be thinking of going after him yourself. Not again. That’s what we argued about.”
“I was thinking about it,” he confessed. “This is personal. The bastard shot you! But I’ve spent a couple of days looking at the situation. It’s too difficult. There are too many people around, and I can’t see a safe way to take him down. I also don’t think the odds of getting away clean are very good.”
“I thought you said the killer got away and the police don’t know who he is,” Ellen said.
“That’s correct. That’s why I can’t go after him somewhere else. I think he lives nearby and that’s why he was able to disappear. He certainly knows the area far better than I do.”
“Jake, you’ve got to call the police,” Karin insisted.
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve decided. I don’t like it. They haven’t responded well in the past. Ellen’s reaction is typical to my warnings. That’s why whatever happens, you two can’t go there tomorrow.”
“Look, we’ll go to Sea World tomorrow, and then into the city the next day. We’ll adjust our schedule. How’s that?” Karin asked.
“Okay,” Jake said relieved.
“So when are you going to call them?” Karin asked.
“Tonight. I hoped we could all go out to dinner. I’ll call them from a pay phone in the city. I don’t want them to be able to trace back the call.”
“Why would you care?” Ellen asked.
Jake explained the reasons.
“I’m still not comfortable with all this,” Ellen admitted.
“You explain it to her,” Jake said. “How about that dinner? Are you interested?”
Ellen looked to Karin for guidance. Karin nodded slowly, watching Jake thoughtfully.
“Where?” Ellen asked.
“In the city. It would be best to make the call from there. I’ll look in the phone book for someplace.”
“I know of a great restaurant, but it’s pricey,” Ellen said.
“Not a concern,” Jake said. “Maybe we can leave in an hour or so?”
The next day Jake went with the two women to Sea World. The dinner had gone smoothly enough and afterwards he’d made the call, receiving the kind of reception he’d expected. He refused to identify himself or how he knew, but provided specifics about when and where the event would occur. Then he hung up. Then they had returned to the hotel. As much as he wished Karin would spend the night with him, all he received was a small peck on the cheek before she retired with Ellen. He’d spent a restless night.
Now it was simply wait and see. He was distracted all morning while they waited. They were having lunch in the park when he pulled out his iPad mini from the small daypack he wore. While they ate he scanned the news. It was several hours after the event was to have taken place.
“Well?” asked Ellen after he’d spent a few minutes searching the news feeds.
“I can’t find anything,” he replied. In a way that was good. The attack had been prevented, so his call had worked. However, he would have been much happier had he found a news report documenting an attack had been attempted and had been foiled by the police who now had a suspect in custody. Since there was nothing related to the matter, he guessed the shooter had somehow detected the police and had aborted the mission. That meant he was still out
there somewhere.
“I told you this was all nonsense,” Ellen said annoyed. We could have been in the city today. The weather is supposed to be worse tomorrow. Thanks Jake.”
Karin looked over at Jake. “Did it work?” she asked softly. She had reason to know that Jake wasn’t making this up.
“I guess, but I wish they had caught the guy rather than chase him away.”
The rest of the afternoon was strained, with Ellen decidedly cool toward Jake. Karin was caught in the middle, but at the end of the day she stayed with Ellen once again and not Jake. They planned to go into the city the next day, something Jake couldn’t talk them out of. Since they were going, he insisted on going along. Ellen tried to object, but Karin told her she wouldn’t go unless Jake could come along. At least he’d made that much progress with her.
The following morning they were in San Francisco having driven into town in Ellen’s car. The back seat had been crowded and Jake had a crick in his back, but his truck had only the two seats so there had been no choice. The skies were indeed gray this morning, with a stiff breeze coming off the ocean, making it cold. Jake didn’t mind at all. It was twenty-four hours since the attack was to have taken place, but the killer was still out there. Jake figured the colder weather would keep the girls inside more, which he felt was a good thing.
It was just past noon and they were considering lunch when a sharp series of reports rattled off to their right not too far away.
“Gunshots!” Jake exclaimed and pushed the women toward the nearest cover.
Karin’s eyes went wide and Ellen looked at Jake curiously.
