The Alberta Connection

by R. Clint Peters

  Ryce grimaced. Four more agents would not help. All of the vehicles available to the Great Falls office were standard black Government Issue sedans. They stood out in a crowd.

  Russ and Damien were the last hope at the cabin. They were camped close to the road and would have no trouble verifying the arrival of the Silverado. Ryce did not want them to get any closer to the cabin.

  The JBTF still had the capability to track the Dodge Caravan, so not all was lost. They could continue to follow two thirds of the Renault Gang. Unfortunately, the most important pieces of the puzzle were now driving north at 75 mph, destination unknown.

  Ryce watched Tanya in the shower for a few moments and then slipped off his clothing and joined her. After she wrapped her arms around him, she asked how things were going with Dianne and her crew.

  Ryce explained that they still had two people they could track electronically, but Dianne needed eyes. If they somehow lost visual contact, Dianne would be lost.

  When he completed his shower and got dressed, Ryce booted-up his laptop. He wanted to look at the online maps again to compare them with maps he remembered taking to the cabin. Unfortunately, those maps and his notes were still in the JBTF office in Billings.

  Google Maps had provided no details about where the cabin was. In fact, Google Maps did not know that the cabin or the road leading to it existed. Ryce only knew he was on the eastern edge of Glacier National Park, within twenty miles of the border with Canada. And, MapQuest had provided less information. The campground that Matt had used as his support base was shown on Google Maps but not on MapQuest.

  On the third night of his last insertion at the cabin, long after the lights had been turned off at the cabin, Ryce had hiked to the lake. He then hiked over the hog’s back and followed the trail to a three-strand barbed wire fence. When he compared his GPS location with the paper map in his pocket, he confirmed he was at the Canada-US border.

  The trail followed a stream that had been infrequently fished, if at all. The fish in the stream loved the strips of Ryce’s salt pork. After breakfasting on fish cooked over an open fire, Ryce had retraced his steps back to the hog’s back. He had then taken a long circuitous route back to his observation post.

  Ryce’s biggest concern was he did not know where the trail came out into civilization on the Canadian side of the barbed wire fence. Without the ability to track anyone past the cabin or the lake, who ever went up that trail could disappear.

  A little after 5:00 PM Idaho time, Matt interrupted Ryce’s dinner in the Pendergast Ranch chow hall. Matt’s text message reported that Dianne and Delbert had stopped at Ringside Ribs in Shelby, MT. A little over an hour later, he sent Ryce a second text stating that they had settled down for the night at Crossroads Inn. Ryce looked at Tanya and ordered dessert.

  As he dug into his apple pie alamode, Ryce did a quick mental game and lost. Question: Where was the Silverado headed? Answer: To the cabin. Question: Where was the Dodge Caravan going? Answer: Not to the cabin.

  If the Dodge Caravan was going to the Seattle area, the most likely route that it would take would be back down I-15 to I-90 and then I-90 west. If Ryce used the average miles driven while Frank was a passenger, the Dodge would stop in Spokane, less than 375 miles from Great Falls. Ryce was extremely disappointed to discover there were no Waffle Houses in Spokane.

  But, the average number of miles driven after Frank had been dropped off in Grand Forks was closer to 600 miles. Ryce studied the map. The next major town west of Spokane on I-90 was Ellensburg, 560 miles from Great Falls. Ryce made a mental note to see if Vince had some friends who lived in Ellensburg.

  As Ryce walked into the apartment after dinner, he stopped Tanya and pulled her close. This was the last night they would be in Pendergast City, unless Tanya returned to have her baby. Pen was particularly insistent that her girls return no matter where they were when the baby was ready to join the Pendergast family. Ryce did not intend to determine how much pull Pen actually possessed. She knew someone who owned a Gulfstream G650.

  In some ways, Ryce was ready to leave. In others, he would be happy to stay forever.

  During dinner, Doug informed the table that he was accompanying the JBTF agents to the Annex in the morning.

  John laughed. “Did you leave something in Seattle, Doug?”

  When the laughter died down, John looked around the table and said, “Wheels up tomorrow at 10:00 AM.”

  Chapter 28

  The turn-around time for the BBJ, normally four hours, was completed in two. Phil had returned to Pendergast Field from Billings at 7:00 AM, and the service personnel came out of the woodwork. Phil rounded up a qualified alternate flight crew, who arrived at 9:45 AM. Phil had already gone through the pre-flight checklist. Phil climbed out of the left-hand seat, walked back to the cabin, found an empty seat, sat down, and buckled up. He told the passengers that they would be arriving at Paine Field in Everett, WA, in about 90 minutes. And, would they please wake him up when the wheels touched down?

  As they taxied to the unloading ramp, Phil passed out some maps with an insert and did his best imitation of a travel guide.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Everett, Washington. Everett is thirty miles from Monroe, Washington, the home of the Pendergast Annex, built many years ago by John Pendergast. The Annex was the headquarters of John’s software empire until the Seattle Campus was built. The Seattle Campus was later leveled by a bomb.

  “As soon as this aircraft stops, and you all retrieve your luggage, you will all be taken by bus to the rental car counters. John has helpfully arranged for each of you to be provided with a rental. He only forces his chief pilot to walk.”

  Doug began laughing so hard Ryce made a mental note to ask him what Phil was talking about.

  Phil continued. “Each of your rentals will have the GPS of the Annex loaded into it. This is a rural area, and some of the roads here are only about a half a lane wide. Doug will clarify that issue later. For those of you who left everything in Billings or Great Falls, there is a large strip mall about a mile from the Annex. You will be given a card when you get to the Annex that is good almost everywhere. On behalf of Pendergast Airlines, please have a wonderful time in Seattle.”

  Phil’s ending comment was, “If you are still on this aircraft when I back away from the terminal, you will have to hitch-hike back to Seattle from Idaho.”

  As the JBTF agents departed the BBJ, Ryce reminded them that they were expected at the Annex for orientation as soon as they could get there.

  Ryce glanced at the map insert as he rode to the rental counters. Each of the JBTF agents would be assigned a free apartment for six months, after which they could pay the rent on the apartment or find new living arrangements. Phil had included a handwritten note. He suggested they keep the apartments, which were half of the going rent and twice as nice as most homes in the area.

  When they arrived at the rental counters, each agent signed the rental agreements and was given keys for a vehicle. Ryce noticed that his rental had a sixty-day, prepaid, unlimited mileage contract. He didn’t need sixty days. He planned to drive his Ram to Seattle long before the rental contract expired.

  Ryce chuckled when he saw that all of the rental cars were Chrysler products. Had someone been monitoring his personal preferences? Ryce’s rental vehicle was a Dodge crew-cab pick-up, while Tanya’s was a Charger. Tanya verified that the Charger had a Hemi.

  Ryce was grateful that his rental had GPS. Without it, he realized he might have never arrived at the Annex. The area didn’t have many straight roads. He had waited several times for Tanya to catch up; he wasn’t comfortable with losing her.

  When they pulled into the Annex parking lot, Ryce noticed that several of his agents were waiting outside the entrance. He also noticed two strangers standing close to the group. His first thought was that the agents had a better GPS system than he did. Then he realized that they were agents from Seattle who had joined the JBTF in Idaho and were returning to
their homes. They knew where they were going.

  As Ryce and Tanya were walking toward the Annex entrance, Doug arrived, stepped out of his car, and caught up to Ryce. One of the strangers separated from the group and walked across the parking lot toward Ryce.

  After Doug introduced Jeb Sanders to Ryce and Tanya, the four walked to the JBTF agents, where Jeb introduced Ryce to David Bolt.

  David shook Ryce’s hand, and then said, “I had to fly out to Seattle for a non-related appointment. I thought I would take care of the transfer before I have to fly to San Francisco.”

  Ryce looked around the group.

  “It looks like we have about a third of the agents who have arrived. Let’s get this group through orientation. We can run the rest through when they get here. Jeb, do you have an office that David and I can use?”

  Jeb laughed. “Three quarters of this complex is yours.”

  Jeb turned to Doug. “I’ll take the new group through orientation, and you can show David and Ryce to the conference room in C Wing. Do you still remember how to get there?”

  Jeb was still laughing as he escorted the agents to the side entrance of the Annex. Ryce and David followed Doug through the double entrance doors, turned right at the receptionist’s desk, and walked down the corridor. As they walked to the conference room, Doug explained that the Annex could hold over three hundred people. The JBTF agents would bring the occupancy up to less than one hundred people. The Cyber Crime group occupied half of the offices of A Wing. The local JMJ Software on-site representative, Kelly Price, was now occupying Marge’s old office in B Wing. Kelly was at the Annex primarily to coordinate over fifty programmers who were working from home.

  Doug laughed. “JMJ has hundreds of irons in the fire. There are people that work for John almost everywhere. He has people in Seattle, and in Portland, Phoenix, Idaho, Spokane, Virginia, and San Diego. John is a big believer in emails and text messages.”

  As they turned into C Wing, Doug pointed down the main corridor. “D Wing is down there and is empty.”

  Doug opened the door to the conference room. “I’ll let you two talk over what you need to talk about. If you go back in the direction of the receptionist, the corridor just before you get to her desk will take you to the cafeteria. That’s where Jeb is holding the orientation.”

  Ryce thanked Doug, and then he and David walked into the conference room.

  David pulled several folders from a leather day planner he had been carrying. He pulled papers from the folders, spread them out on the table, pulled a pen out of his pocket, and handed the pen to Ryce.

  “We have a bunch of papers to sign.”

  For the next twenty minutes, Ryce signed the papers that David passed across the table to him. As Ryce signed the last paper in the folder, David reached into his day planner, pulled out an envelope, and spread several cards out on the table. He picked two cards from the table.

  “These are ID cards for both you and Tanya. They are about three layers above top secret. Do not let them out of your possession. If they do leave your possession, I need a telephone call within a few minutes.”

  David slid the remaining cards across the table. “These are credit cards. I have ten with me. You and Tanya each get one. Carefully choose who gets the other eight. They have an unlimited purchase capability.”

  David checked his day planner, flipping through several pages. He closed the planner and then looked over at Ryce.

  “We are done. The JBTF is now yours.”

  When Ryce and David walked into the cafeteria, Jeb was standing at a mobile whiteboard that had been placed near two cafeteria tables. Jeb saw Ryce enter the room, picked up a card laying on the table, walked over, and handed Ryce the card.

  “If you are hungry, the cafeteria is open. The card in your hand gets you through the front and side doors, into your office, and pays for meals in the cafeteria.”

  Jeb smiled. “You have been oriented.”

  Jeb finished the orientation for the agents sitting at the tables and then suggested that Ryce, Tanya, and Doug take a tour of the main house. On the way across the parking lot, Doug explained the history of the house.

  Shortly after Jill and John were married, John had decided that ten programmers working out of a one bedroom apartment was not suitable for a new wife. John approached AP, his older brother, for a loan. AP informed John that he owned about twenty percent of Pendergast Holdings, which at that point was worth in excess of twenty-two billion dollars. How much did John want to spend on his new house?

  Using Pendergast Holdings architects and Pendergast Construction builders, John built what soon became known as “The Big Garage.” It was a two-story home with a five-car garage. The ground floor had a large living room, a kitchen, a dining room, two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, and a third full bath, Access to the second floor was provided with an interior stairway, a single-passenger elevator, and two exterior stairways. The master bedroom was on the second floor, along with a one-bedroom “mother-in-law” apartment. The apartment had a complete kitchen, a combination living and dining room, and a full bathroom with hot tub.

  When John decided to move to Idaho, he sold the house to Doug for $1.00. Doug was required to promise to sell the house back to John for the same $1.00 if John returned to Monroe. When John discovered Pendergast Holdings in Idaho could not operate without Doug, Jeb was given the opportunity to buy the home. Still only $1.00.

  After Jeb unlocked the side door that led into the dining room, Doug gave the dining room and kitchen a long look.

  “I see you have been keeping my house in shape.”

  Jeb laughed. “Of course, for when either you or John come back.”

  Jeb showed Tanya and Ryce the interior stairway, the elevator, the door to the exterior stairway that led to the apartment, and handed Ryce a key.

  “You’ll have to get a key made if you get too far away from Tanya.”

  Jeb pointed at one of the ground floor bedrooms and informed Doug he would be sleeping there. Doug carried his luggage into the bedroom while Jeb led Ryce and Tanya up the stairs. The apartment was at the end of a short hallway.

  Ryce and Tanya’s luggage had been carried to the apartment during the orientation. Their bags were now neatly stacked in the middle of the living room, and their laptops had been placed on computer workstations along one wall. Ryce needed to catch up on three hours without email contact with the Idaho branch of the JBTF. As he started to plug in the laptop power supply, Tanya came into the room and motioned for him to follow her.

  The focus of Tanya’s interest was an unusually large snail shower with showerheads on three walls. Adjacent to the snail shower was a six-person in-floor hot tub. Tanya slid out of her clothing and helped Ryce remove his. After twenty minutes in the shower, they moved to the hot tub. Ryce felt he could become accustomed to both the snail-shower and the hot tub.

  Ryce did not want to get out of the hot tub, but he had scheduled an agents meeting at 3:00 PM in the cafeteria. Tanya found extra large and extra soft towels in one of the linen closets, and they dried off. Ryce gave the hot tub one last look and then walked into the bedroom and pulled on jeans and a sport shirt. Still plagued by no email contact, he walked to his laptop and pressed the power button. He had received no emails.

  Tanya and Ryce were the last JBTF agents to arrive in the cafeteria. Doug had positioned a mobile white board near the tables where the agents were sitting. He was outlining the office arrangements. When he completed his presentation, he walked over to Ryce.

  “Each wing has a conference room with an office on either side, or a conference room connected to an office that is connected to an office. John and Marge liked the second set up, while Jill liked the first. Jill said that if she was upset with John, walking through the conference room cooled her off so she didn’t kill him.

  “I assigned the offices alphabetically, per your request. All systems are up and running. There are six agents per office and two printer caves. Jo
hn called them caves, and the name stuck.

  “You are ready to hit the ground running tomorrow morning. Pick what offices you want and move in. Someone will set up the phones later. Welcome to the Annex.”

  After Ryce and Tanya selected their offices, Ryce gave his pep-talk. When he asked if anyone had questions, a voice in the back asked if they could get to work now. They had lots to do.

  Ryce now had two reasons to like the Annex. He had a twenty-four hour subsidized cafeteria and a hot tub. He and Tanya ate dinner and then returned to their temporary apartment.

  The first thing on the agenda when he walked into the apartment was to boot up his laptop. He noticed he had an email from Matt. Matt repeated his earlier report that Dianne and Delbert drove north on I-15 to Shelby, MT. They had lunch at Ringside Ribs and then drove to a residence. Matt included the address. Ryce made a mental note to have someone in the JBTF do some research on the address in the morning.

  Dianne and Delbert had stayed at the residence until late afternoon and then returned to I-15 and continued north. Their next destination was the border-crossing town of Sweet Grass. They checked into a motel that one of the agents described as a dive. Matt closed the email with a promise that he would report again as soon Dianne and Delbert moved.

  Ryce powered down and closed his laptop, stood, and walked into the bathroom. He removed his clothing and walked into the hot tub.

  Chapter 29

  When Ryce commented that the Annex cafeteria was almost as enjoyable as the Ranch chow hall, Doug laughed.

  “It better be. Ramona trained the staff.”

  The phone techs were finishing the telephone installation as Ryce and Tanya walked into their offices. One of the techs asked if Ryce wanted the receptionist to answer all calls or have the calls come directly to his telephone. He thought for a moment and replied that the receptionist could answer them. Tanya began to laugh.