Lady Justice and the Mysterious Box

by Robert Thornhill

  “Do you hear yourself?” Scarborough asked with disgust. “You’re two highly trained agents, and one old man has eluded you three times. There has to be something else going on.”

  “Yeah, boss, but what?”

  The car was quiet during the rest of the trip back to their hotel.

  We watched them unload at the Holiday Inn and picked up their conversation inside their room.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Scarborough said, “Williams has been one step ahead of you. There has to be an explanation.”

  We heard a suitcase unzip.

  “What’s that thing, boss?”

  “It’s a Scantron, a radiofrequency detector. You may have been bugged.”

  “Oh, oh!” Alex said.

  Silence, then, “Well, I’ll be damned. There it is. You bozos let Williams or someone he’s working with bug your room. No wonder you’ve got squat. Jesus! I thought you two knew what you were doing.”

  More silence. “I don’t like the looks of this. This is high-teck equipment. As good as anything we have. Williams is definitely getting help from somewhere.”

  We heard a rustling. “Williams, if you’re listening, hear this! You’ve got something I want, and I’m coming after it!”

  Then there was a ‘crunch.’

  “Well, so much for our bug,” Helen said, “and I have no doubt he’ll find the one in the car as well. He’s a pro.”

  There was nothing else we could do at that point, so we all headed back to our homes.

  I had been home about a half-hour when I received a call.

  “Walt Williams?”

  “Yes, this is Walt Williams.”

  “Garret Scarborough. We need to talk about the box.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Let me put it to you plain and simple. That box and its contents belong to the U.S. government. You need to turn it over to me immediately.”

  “That’s strange,” I replied. “I’ve examined the box and its contents and I haven’t seen anything with the words, ‘Property of the U.S. Government.’ I know for a fact that the Russians, Chinese, and North Koreans have been after the box as well. I’m sure each of them would have said the same thing, ‘The box belongs to my government.’”

  “Mr. Williams, I’m losing my patience. The contents of that box are vital to our national security. I must have it.”

  “How about this. Tell me what’s in the box that’s so important. Maybe if I understood, I would be more willing to cooperate.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do that. It’s classified.”

  “Of course. More government bull shit! That’s the stock answer when you bureaucrats want to hide something. If you can’t tell me what it is, tell me this. If I give it to you, who do you give it to? The Defense Department? The NSA? The FDA?”

  “That’s classified as well. Look, we’ve tried to resolve this peacefully ---.”

  “Peacefully! Ishmael and his contact in Springfield are dead and I have little doubt that was your doing. On top of that, you sent two of your goons to intimidate and follow me and then you had them attempt to break into my apartment. By the way, I’d like to see the warrant authorizing the search of my apartment.”

  “I never authorized them to enter your apartment.”

  “Then you’ve got a couple of rogue agents acting on their own. They were here all right. And for your information, the injury to Stokes hand had nothing to do with hot coffee. You might want to ask him about that again.”

  “Ah, yes, the bugs you planted. Very clever. You’re obviously getting help from somewhere. Who might that be?”

  “I’m sorry, that’s classified.”

  “So that’s how we’re going to play this? I had hoped we could come to an understanding.”

  “No, you hoped I’d just hand over the box without any explanation. That’s not going to happen.”

  “Very well, Mr. Williams. Have it your way, but understand, there will be consequences to your stubbornness.”

  The line went dead. After the call, I wondered if I’d overplayed my hand.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Stokes, tell me again what happened to your hand,” Scarborough said.

  “We were in this restaurant and ---.”

  Scarborough slapped him across the face. “That’s for lying to me!” He slapped him again. “That’s for entering that building without my authorization! What the hell were you thinking?”

  “Sorry, boss,” Stokes replied, rubbing his cheek. “We hadn’t made any progress and we just wanted to make something happen so you wouldn’t be pissed.”

  “Well, you’ve succeeded in accomplishing just the opposite. You made me look like a fool in front of Williams. It can’t happen again or I might have to replace the both of you if you get my drift.”

  Stokes understood all right. Other agents who had displeased Scarborough had mysteriously disappeared.

  “It won’t happen again. We won’t do anything without your okay. We promise.”

  “Very well then. Williams is being obstinate. It’s time to initiate the next phase of my plan.”

  “What do you want us to do, boss?”

  “I want you to watch his building, and when his wife leaves, follow her. Then let me know her whereabouts. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes, boss. We’re on it.”

  “Well, that was different,” Maggie said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a birthday party at an IHOP.”

  “Something new every day,” I replied, my mind still occupied with my conversation with Scarborough. “Do you have plans for the rest of the day?”

  “Actually, I do,” Maggie replied. “I’m holding open my listing on Cherry Street. I should be home by five.”

  “I’ve got nothing pressing,” I said. “How about this? I’ll put together my tuna casserole, chill a bottle of Arbor Mist, and have a nice dinner ready for my hard-working wife. Then after supper, I’ll give you a foot rub and we’ll see where we go from there. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds fabulous!” she replied, giving me a peck on the cheek. “See you at five.”

  “Isn’t that the wife?” Steele asked, as an attractive redhead exited the building.

  “That’s her all right. Pretty hot for a gal her age.”

  They watched her get into her car.

  “Don’t lose her, Brian. If we screw this up, we’ll both be toast.”

  They followed her to a house on Cherry Street where she parked, then put an ‘Open house’ sign in the yard.

  “Perfect!” Stokes said. “The boss is gonna love this. Give him a call.”

  Twenty minutes later, Scarborough arrived and pulled in behind Stokes and Steele.

  “She’s in there,” Stokes said, pointing.

  “Is she alone?”

  “As far as we know. No one else has gone in or come out.”

  “Good. You two wait out here. I’m going in after her. No one goes in or comes out except me with the woman. Understand?”

  “Got it, boss.”

  Scarborough knocked, then entered the open house.

  “Good afternoon. I’m Maggie Williams. I’m the listing agent. Thank you for stopping by. May I show you through the house?”

  “That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Williams,” Scarborough said, pulling an automatic from his shoulder holster. “I have other plans for us.”

  Maggie didn’t hesitate. She reached for a can of pepper spray she had concealed under some brochures and sent a stream directly into Scarborough’s face.

  “Jesus!” Scarborough screamed, rubbing his eyes.

  Maggie grabbed her purse, bolted for the door and headed to her car.

  Stokes and Steele saw her heading their way.

  “Something’s not right. Where’s Scarborough?”

  “I don’t know, but we can’t let her get away. The boss will have our hides.”

  Stokes and Steele bolted from their car and grabbed Maggie just as she reached her car.

/>   “Let go of me you big apes!” Maggie screamed, struggling to get free.

  “Calm down, lady. We don’t want to hurt you.”

  Realizing there was no way she could overpower her attackers, Maggie quit struggling.

  “What do you want with me? If it’s money, I’ve got about fifty bucks in my purse. It’s all yours. Just let me go.”

  “We don’t want your money. Just get in the car.”

  At that moment, Scarborough emerged rubbing his face with a towel.

  “You’re quite a little spitfire, aren’t you? I’d teach you a thing or two but I need you for something far more important.”

  “Why do you need me?”

  “Because your husband has something I want and we’re going to make a trade.” He turned to Stokes. “Take her to the boat and wait for my orders.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  True to my word, I had my casserole in the oven at four-thirty. I pulled it out at five o’clock and unscrewed the lid on the bottle of Arbor Mist. I poured two glasses, assuming that Maggie would be walking in the door at any time.

  At five-fifteen, I had polished off the first glass and poured a second.

  At five-thirty the casserole was getting cold, her Arbor Mist was getting warm, and I was getting worried.

  I hesitated to call, thinking she might have gotten tied up with a buyer interested in the house, but at five-forty-five, I called her cell. The call went straight to voice mail.

  At six o’clock, I was just heading out the door to go by her listing on Cherry when the phone rang.

  “Maggie! Where in the world are you?”

  But it wasn’t Maggie.

  “Mr. Williams, Garret Scarborough here. You’re probably wondering why your lovely wife is late coming home. The answer is quite simple. I have her.”

  I was shocked, totally speechless.

  “I’m so sorry it had to come to this,” he continued, “but your resistance to my request left me with no other choice. Here’s the bottom line. I want that box, and if you want to see your wife alive again, you’ll give it to me. A simple trade, your wife for the box. What do you say?”

  My blood was boiling. “Here’s what I have to say, you scumbag. If you harm my wife in any way, I’ll hunt you down and cut your heart out. Do you hear me?”

  “Now, now, Mr. Williams. That’s no way to negotiate. I have no desire to hurt your wife. All I want is the box. Whether she gets hurt is up to you. I’ll give you a few hours to think about it. I’m sure, after you cool off, you’ll see the wisdom in cooperating with me. I’ll call you later to arrange for the exchange.”

  The line went dead.

  I sat, stunned, trying to think. My sweet wife was being held by a black ops assassin. I had to get her back, but how?

  I quickly realized I couldn’t do this alone. I needed help.

  My first call was to Mark Davenport.

  “Mark, this is Walt. Do you have any influence over Garrett Scarborough?”

  “Not really. We’re both section chiefs with our own crews. Why do you ask?”

  “Because Scarborough and his crew are in Kansas City and they have Maggie.”

  “Scarborough’s in Kansas City? Why in the world would he have Maggie?”

  “Because I have the box and he wants it. Maggie for the box.”

  “You have the box? Jesus, Walt! How did that happen?”

  “It’s a long story. Oliver McDermont was killed in my hotel. Before he died, he got the box to me. Since then, agents from four countries, Russia, China, North Korea, and the U.S. in the person of Scarborough, have been after it. All of them are out of the picture except Scarborough. Now he’s taken Maggie to get the box.”

  “Walt, you absolutely can’t let Scarborough get his hands on that box!”

  “Oh, really? What’s so special about that damned box that I’d risk my wife’s life? Maybe if you told me what it is I could make a rational decision about how to proceed.”

  A long silence. “I can’t do that. You just have to trust me.”

  “Listen to me, Mark. Scarborough’s exact words were, ‘If you want to see your wife alive again, you’ll give it to me.’ As far as I’m concerned, Maggie’s life is worth far more to me than whatever’s in that box. I’ll do whatever I have to do to get her back safely.”

  “Walt, if that box falls in the wrong hands it may not matter if you get her back or not. I’m getting on the first plane to Kansas City. Please don’t do anything until I get there.”

  “Then you’d better hurry because I’m not making any promises.”

  I hung up and my next calls were to Kevin, Helen and Alex. I asked them to come over as soon as possible.

  After everyone arrived, I told them what had transpired. They were stunned.

  Kevin was furious. “The S.O.B. has taken my sister. Now this is personal.”

  I turned to Helen. “Any ideas?”

  At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was Ox.

  “What brings you by, my friend?”

  “I hadn’t seen much of you the past few days. Something seemed off so I just stopped by to see if you were okay.”

  He looked around the room. “Helen, Kevin, and a woman I don’t know are having a powwow. It sure looks like something is going on.”

  “You might as well tell him,” Kevin said. “He might be able to help us get Maggie back.”

  Ox was astonished. “Maggie! Back from what?”

  “Have a seat,” I said. “A lot has happened since the last time we talked.”

  I told him the whole sordid tale from Oliver’s death to Maggie’s abduction.

  “I don’t believe it!” he finally said. “Why haven’t I been part of this from the beginning? I thought we were friends.”

  “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to get you involved. Just about everyone who’s come in contact with the box winds up dead. I didn’t want that to happen to you. Kevin and Helen have only been involved for a couple of days.”

  “And who is this?” he asked, pointing to Alex.

  “This is Alex. It was her phone you pinged for us. She’s a government agent who was working with the Ishmael I was telling you about. She’s been a big help.”

  “Okay,” Kevin said. “Now that everyone’s caught up, let’s get back to business. How are we going to get my sister back?”

  “How’s this for a start,” Alex said. “You found me by pinging my phone. Why not ping Maggie’s?”

  I turned to Ox. “How about it?”

  “I’m on it,” he said, dialing a number at the precinct.

  “I have another idea,” Alex said. “We know they were at the Plaza Holiday Inn. It’s a long shot, but maybe they took her there. I’ll call and see if they’re still registered.”

  “Good idea.” Helen replied.

  We listened as she made the call.

  “Would you please ring Randall Stokes room for me please?”

  She listened, nodded, then hung up. “Stokes checked out yesterday. I’m really not surprised since they knew we had bugged his room.”

  A few minutes later, Ox’s phone chirped. He answered, then hung up. “They’ve got a location on Maggie’s phone. It’s an address on Broadway.”

  “Broadway? Those are all businesses. That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Still,” Kevin said, “if her phone is there, we have to check it out.”

  “Okay,” I replied, “let’s go.”

  “No,” Helen said. “You stay here. You have to be here when Scarborough calls back. We’ll go.”

  That made sense. I watched them go hoping they’d find my wife.

  They had been gone about fifteen minutes when the phone rang.

  “Mr. Williams, I hope I’ve given you enough time to assess your situation. Hopefully, you’ve decided to cooperate and bring this unfortunate problem to an end.”

  “Okay, Scarborough. I’ll play ball. I just want my wife back. How do we play this?”

  “Sp
lendid! Tomorrow morning, you will bring the box to the riverfront. I will text you the exact location at eight o’clock. You should be there by nine-forty-five. Here is why. I have a rather nice yacht tied up at the dock. Your wife is aboard the yacht and so is an explosive device that is set to go off precisely at nine. If you show up with the box, I will have my men disarm the bomb and you may leave with your lovely wife. If you do not show, my men will cast off, let the yacht with your wife aboard drift into the current and, well, you get the picture. I will meet you in the parking lot adjacent to the dock. Do you understand?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  A few minutes later, everyone returned.

  “Dead end,” Kevin said. “We found her phone in a dumpster behind a convenience store. Have you heard from Scarborough?”

  I nodded and told them about the call.

  “Damn!” Kevin muttered. “Eight o’clock! That gives us less than two hours to figure out a plan.”

  “Not necessarily,” Helen said. “They checked out of their hotel. They may be staying on the yacht. Walt, check your caller-id. See if you have Scarborough’s number.”

  I looked and smiled. “Got it!”

  “Scarborough just made his first mistake,” Helen said, grinning. “Ox, have your boys ping that number and give us a location. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Ox made the call and ten minutes later we had the location of a dock on the Missouri River.

  “Let’s go!” Kevin said, and we headed to Ox’s SUV.

  We found the dock and spotted the yacht tied up alongside.

  “Do you think we can take it,” Kevin asked.

  “Too dangerous,” Helen replied. “There are three armed assassins on that boat. If we go in hot, someone’s going to get hurt. There must be a better way.”

  My heart ached. Maggie was so close and there was nothing I could do. Scarborough had taken the most precious thing in my life. I vowed I’d find a way to make him pay.

  “I might have an idea,” Alex ventured. “If Scarborough is to meet you in the parking lot, undoubtedly Maggie and his two goons will be in the cabin below deck. See the porthole on the side? The light is shining through it.”