by Bob Blink
"What do you want to do?" Tony asked.
"I'm convinced from what happened next Wednesday that Natalie Rineri is their Back-Tracker. I was hoping for proof by my most recent loop. If I had gotten back to Wednesday and the trap they planned didn't materialize, then odds were very high she was the one. The others who were there were all dead. At least, I'd be absolutely certain it isn't Martin or her brother. It's possible it's someone else that she stays in contact with, but the overwhelming clues suggest she is the other Back-Tracker. I can think of no reason this attempt would have been initiated at any time before that Wednesday confrontation, and if that's the case, I have the confirmation I was looking for. So, if she makes an appearance at this ambush, we might be able to get a shot at her and determine conclusively if that is the case. Disabling their Back-Tracker is the key to bringing this all under control."
"You want to use their plan and get our own people in place before they move in and turn the tables on them," Tony deduced aloud.
"Let's call Susan," Jake said. "I'm certain she can get here in time to help us make this work."
"You want us in New York this morning?" Susan asked, her voice still a little thick from sleep.
"As soon as possible," Jake agreed. "If you can get a plane that would be best. We'd want you, Norm, Jim, and those two retired agents of yours. They are unknown to our adversaries, and can be located more openly in this park. The rest of us will have to be hidden."
"Why would they choose something as open and uncontrolled as a public park?" Susan asked.
She was still trying to absorb the information that Jake had given her about Jeff Rineri's sister being involved. Thus far, Jake hadn't told her about how they had linked her in, nor about Anne's death. There was no time for those distractions just yet.
"They probably didn't have many options to choose from on short notice," Tony replied. "The construction site would have been a possibility, but it hadn't worked out for them. Perhaps they couldn't ensure it would be deserted today. Whatever their reasons, I don't see them being particularly concerned about collateral damage."
"I don't like it being so open," Jim Laney said. He also sounded tired, but it was fortunate he was staying at the apartment.
"I only saw a couple of cars when I drove past," Jake said, so the place isn't particularly busy. If this all works out, and we verify that Natalie Rineri is their Back-Tracker, none of this has to happen. I'll go back a couple of weeks and we'll deal with her before all of this got started."
"The Bureau has a small jet available for emergencies like this situation," Norm said. "I'm certain the Director will approve our use of it. Susan can alert Solly and Lester, and I'll arrange for the plane. Jim can get Shaun digging up what he can learn about this park so we'll have some idea how to position our forces when we get there."
"I'll be in place in less than an hour," Jake explained. "Tony is going to pretend to be me again, and he'll be the one Jeff leads to the place. Since he'll be in the car and they have no reason to suspect such a switch, it should work out. Since I'll be in a sniper stand well before light, I'll be able to see if any of their people are moving into place before you arrive, and alert you. We Googled the area, and there is a small rise down along the riverbank on the south edge which should conceal me and provide oversight of the rest of the park. It's flat, but there are a lot of trees. Assuming you get here early enough, we can all be in place before they move in."
"We'll contact you when we're in the air," Susan said. "Now, we better get things moving on this end."
Tony and Jake set off for the park. Tony would scout the area before Jake took his position. Jake had no false confidence that he could move like Tony, who was a professional at covert action. Once Tony verified the area was clear, Jake would move into his chosen spot. There was a risk that the other side would want to locate some of their men at the same place, in which case Jake would have to Back-Track and they'd set him up somewhere else. From the brief look at the area, Tony believed any sniper the other side might put in place would choose a spot on the north perimeter. That location provided a more commanding view of the main park area, and was therefore preferable to where Jake was located. The advantage of Jake's location was he had a clear shot at the other sniper location. Finally, by having Tony drop him off, Jake wouldn't leave a car behind to indicate he was in the area.
"We'll keep the channels open full time," Tony said. "You'll communicate via text, but you will be able to hear us via your earbuds. Based on what you see when the enemy moves in, you'll have to suggest where our friends can set up without being detected. I'll be following Jeff Rineri"
"You'll be a walking target when you come into the park," Jake reminded him.
"I'm counting on you taking out their sniper first. He's the one who will probably make the attempt. The others will be back up. If that doesn't work, then hopefully when this is over and you have confirmed that the woman is the one, when you Back-Track, I won't ever have to do this."
"Promise," Jake said with a smile.
Tony scanned the park, then smiled.
"Later," he said, and moved off. Jake was amazed at how quietly he moved through the brush, and soon he couldn't see or hear him. The sound of the car starting was the only indication Jake had that Tony had left the park.
Half an hour later it was just starting to get light. Jake scanned the park from his hidden vantage point. At his back was the river. He was settled in amongst some very dense brush, and even though the jogging trail that circled the park crossed only a half dozen yards in front of his position, he wouldn't be able to be spotted by any passing runners. In the middle of the small park was a very small pond with a few ducks, two picnic table areas, and a small playground with slides, swings, and a jungle-gym for the children. A couple of baseball diamonds separated his position from the center of the park, and two tennis courts were located on the west side. The wide concrete path that came from the parking lot where he'd seen Jeff Rineri head into the park, snaked through the grass to the central area. A matching pathway entered from the north side where a second small parking lot was located. On either side of that pathway were thick stands of trees, and on the eastern side was where they expected the sniper to set up, assuming there would be one.
The first activity Jake noted was a middle-aged jogger. He appeared from around the blind curve to Jake's left, obviously having parked in the lot and started off on the trail. The trees had hidden his presence until he made the turn along the south edge of the park. Jake watched him and decided he was just what he seemed. The couple whom he spotted on the path after parking on the north edge were also clearly only out for a run. He hoped that these people weren't any indication of the conditions in the park they'd have to deal with when the attack went down.
An hour after daylight the joggers had left, and he spotted the first covert activity. A heavyset man came walking up the jogging trail, and then stepped off into the underbrush, disappearing into the trees off to Jake's left. Periodically Jake could see movement as the man moved into position near the front edge of the underbrush, putting him just behind the baseball diamonds. It was a long shot to the picnic area for a handgun, and the man clearly hadn't been carrying a rifle, but then Jake decided he was more interested in being able to cover the pathway coming into the park from the parking lot, which passed within twenty yards of where the man was hiding.
At nearly the same time, Jake detected the sniper moving into position at the spot Tony had predicted. The only clear look Jake got of the man carrying the long dark case showed a thin, black-haired individual. After that, Jake could spot parts of the man's torso so he knew where he was, but could see no specific details. The man was still and quiet, which suggested he was good at this kind of thing. If Jake hadn't seen him move into place, he wouldn't have known he was there. Jake's rifle was already prepositioned to point to that location, so he would only need a minor adjustment when it came time to shoot. For now, he left it where it was, assu
ming the man was scouting the area carefully looking for anyone who might be hiding in the brush.
Then they waited. It would be a number of hours before Jeff Rineri led Tony to this place. Jake was surprised these men had moved into place so early, while at the same time he was surprised there were only the two of them.
Jake wasn't used to remaining so still for such a long period. The sloped hillside worked to conceal most of his body, and when he heard Susan's voice, he slowly slid backwards in order to put the hill between him and the two men who were in place.
"Jake," we're on the way to the park," Susan said. "Based on what Shaun has forwarded, we think we should spread our forces in the following way. I'll explain, and you and Tony can tell us if you agree."
Jake typed, "Go ahead," to indicate he was receiving them and ready to hear their plan.
"We see where you are located based on the information Tony forwarded to Shaun. Norm and I would like to set up in the trees on the north edge. We need someone covering that end of the park. Solly and Lester will move in openly, bringing along a chess set. Two old men playing chess in the park. Their arrival will provide a distraction so we can slip into the trees, unobserved by the sniper, assuming he is in place."
"He's here," Jake typed. "One other with handgun is in the trees to my left covering the south pathway."
"Tony will follow Jeff Rineri on foot, and Jim Laney will arrive just afterwards and watch the parking area for any supporting troops and to keep an eye out for Miss Rineri. We didn't think we could hide all of us in this small an area without being spotted. Our position should allow us to watch the north parking lot for any sign of Miss Rineri should she come in that way. "
"They have to have other people who haven't arrived as yet," Tony said. "The two that Jake has seen aren't a sufficient force to ensure their ability to quickly take him down."
"There's still some time before Jeff Rineri gets here," Jake typed. "We'll see who shows. The key is Natalie Rineri. If she doesn't show, we might as well abort. None of the other players are likely to be who we seek, unless you spot someone suspicious in the parking lot."
"Understood," Susan said. "We'll be there soon."
Chapter 45
Early Sunday Afternoon
May 15
Jake settled in to wait. Nothing happened for some time, then a young woman with a stroller made her way through the park, coming from the north parking lot, slowly pushing the baby carriage along the pathway past the picnic tables and the children's playgrounds, and then along the pathway to the south exit where she continued on her way.
The next visitors to the park were a couple of tennis players who made their way noisily from the south lot into the park, heading toward the tennis court closest to the center of the small park. Something in the way the men carried their equipment bags, and the fact they set them close to the net where they would be more readily accessible rather than along the edge of the courts where they would be out of the way caught Jake's attention. Soon they were batting balls back and forth across the net, but it was readily apparent that neither was very skilled at the game, and they spent a lot of time chasing errant balls. Dressed as they were they couldn't conceal any weapons, but Jake was convinced there were guns in the bags they had so carefully placed within reach.
"We've arrived," Susan's voice alerted Jake through the earpiece. "Let us know when Solly and Lester are making their way into the park so we can move into place."
Jake watched as the two retired FBI agents came up the pathway from the south lot, Lester carrying a box that contained their chess set and walking deliberately clumsily with a cane, his artificial leg on display, and Solly, wearing baggy shorts with his white spindly legs showing, carrying a small cooler. While the cooler might be filled with beer, Jake knew it also carried their sidearms. The tennis players weren't the only ones who had thought of concealing the weapons they were bringing. The two older men were as vocal as the two tennis players had been, arguing about the results of a baseball game from the night before and the call an umpire had made that had produced a contested outcome. By the time Lester and Solly were in place and setting up their board at one of the tables shaded by several of the trees on the periphery of the picnic area, Susan and Norm had moved into place. Jake had known where to look, and had spotted the briefest movement in the area they were to set up. He'd watched the sniper for any movement that might suggest he'd spotted something to investigate, but the figure had remained stationary suggesting his attention was focused ahead of him, where the two agents had come down the path and where Tony, dressed as Jake, would soon be making an appearance.
His phone vibrated softly and when he checked the screen he saw the message that Norm and Susan were in place. That was good. Jake knew they were both armed with FBI issue M4s, giving his team some serious firepower if it was needed. He had the range, but they could easily reach the area where Tony would be walking with accurate fire. For the moment they outnumbered their adversaries, but Jake expected more arrivals. Paul wasn't here as yet, nor was their primary target Natalie. Unless they spotted her, there was no point in proceeding and he would wave Tony off before he started down the path.
"A gray van just pulled into the parking lot," Jim texted from his concealed spot adjacent to the south parking lot. "No one has gotten out just yet. Likely additional manpower intended to close the back door when Rineri leads Tony into the park."
Jake recalled the van from when he'd driven by as he'd watched Rineri head into the park. He guessed that Jim was correct in his assumption. The question was how many men were in the vehicle. Assuming there were two, then with the two tennis players, the man hiding in the bushes, and the sniper, Martin had six men in the park area. With Jeff Rineri, and almost certainly Martin himself, that would mean eight. Jake and his team numbered seven, so they were roughly equally matched, unless more would be coming. It would have to be soon if they were, because Jeff Rineri was due to arrive in eight minutes. The only other people in the park at the moment were a couple of young women who were making their rounds on the jogging track. They had made nearly a dozen circuits in the last twenty minutes. If they were armed, their weapons were small, needing to fit into the small fanny packs they both carried along with the usual bottles of water. He hoped they stayed clear when this went down.
"She's here," Susan texted. "A car just pulled into the north lot. Paul Martin is driving, and the woman in the passenger seat matches the description of Rineri's sister."
Susan and Norm's primary responsibility now that they had eyes on the woman was to ensure she was taken down as soon as the action started. If there was a certain shot, they were to take it even if the action in the park had not started. She was the primary purpose of their being here after all. Once she was killed, and they confirmed that she was the Back-Tracker they were seeking, Jake would be able to loop back, deal with her at a much earlier time, and prevent the death of Susan's friend Anne, something that Susan wasn't yet aware of. If the Rineri woman didn't show herself, both Susan and Norm would unload their rifles into the vehicle where she remained out of sight. It wouldn't be pretty, and it certainly wasn't in line with FBI protocols, but they had to disable the woman quickly before she could take any action. After Jake Back-Tracked, the approach used wouldn't matter much.
"Here comes Jeff Rineri and Tony," Jim Laney signaled.
Jake settled in behind his scope and focused on the sniper. The shooter was the target he needed to disable before a shot could be made at Tony. Back at the southern entrance where Tony had headed onto the path in pursuit of Jeff Rineri, Jim watched as two men climbed out of the gray van, each carrying an AR. Jim carried the pump action shotgun he preferred. Jim settled in behind the large tree trunk that concealed him and allowed the men to pass, then silently stepped out behind them, ready to shoot should either show any indication they were aware of him, or if they prepared to shoot at Tony.
Norm watched as Paul Martin stepped out of the parked car, revo
lver in hand. Without hurrying, he headed toward the park, the Rineri woman staying behind in the vehicle. Paul Martin held a cell phone to his ear. He was almost certainly speaking with Jeff Rineri, who had to be telling him that their target was following him into the kill zone. They hadn't caught on that it wasn't Jake Waters they were leading into a trap.
Jake could now see both Jeff Rineri and Tony via his peripheral vision as they headed down the pathway toward the area where Solly and Lester were intent on their game. A small motion in the distant sniper indicated the man might be preparing to shoot. Tony would be in view, and with the tennis players flanking his left, the man in the brush on his right, and the men Jim had spotted coming up behind, there was little chance of his getting away.
Tony's .338 was an exceptional rifle, and Jake settled in behind the scope with practiced ease. He placed the crosshairs on the exposed part of the man he'd decided was the middle of the sniper's back, and applied pressure to the trigger. The big rifle fired, the sharp crack loud and unexpected in the peaceful surroundings. His sight picture was knocked off by the recoil, and he fought to quickly regain a picture. When he recovered, ready to fire a second round if required, he saw that the sniper was now more visible, laying flat, the rifle that had been pointed downrange laying in the open where it had fallen from the man's grasp.
Jake let his own rifle settle in place as he reached back for his Sig. The barrel of the rifle was threaded through the brush and wouldn't be easily worked loose, nor would he be able to get much of a sight picture in the six power scope on the people who would have to be moving quickly. His sidearm would be the more effective weapon now.
To the north, Susan was focused on the car, her M4 pointed through the brush toward Natalie Rineri who remained in the front seat. Norm was focused on Paul Martin, who looked up sharply when the shot was heard. A shooter himself, Paul realized the shot hadn't come from the direction where his sniper was located. He took off running toward his sniper's position.
