by Joni Parker
“What are they?”
“Chinese eating utensils. Hold one stick like a pencil. Then hold this other stick below it. Move the top stick up and down like that.”
Alex managed to pick up a piece of chicken and popped it in her mouth. “Ummm. This is good. How do you know so much about this food?”
“It’s my favorite. Here, use a fork. It’s easier.” He turned silent as he tackled his food using chopsticks. When he was done, he leaned back in his chair and waited for her.
“This food is delicious. How do they cook it?” Alex asked.
“They use a wok and cook it fast over high heat.”
“Who thought of chopsticks?”
He handed her a pair that were still in the paper wrapper. “The Chinese. Have a pair to practice with. Would you like to take a walk?” They got up and went down the street. “May I?” He held his elbow out and she hooked her hand through.
“Which way is north?” She turned her head around. “I have trouble getting my bearings without seeing the sun.”
“It’s just that time of the year.”
Abruptly, Alex stopped and stared ahead.
“What is it?”
“Isn’t that the red car the bald man was in?” She pointed across the street.
“Unfortunately, there are over ten thousand of those cars in country. I checked it out when we were following him. The license is different.” He pointed at the numbers in the front of the car as they approached it.
“It looks like it can come off.” She noticed the screws on the plate.
“It can, but I can’t call in every maroon car.” He stepped back and rubbed his chin. “What makes you think this is it?”
“I thought it had a mark like this.” She pointed to a dent in the left fender.
Tyler looked around for the name of the street. He pointed his mobile at the car and took a picture of it.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a picture.” He sent off a text message. “Let’s get back.”
“Can I see it?”
As they headed back to his car, Tyler handed his phone to her and showed her how to scroll through. She was so busy looking at the pictures she went past the car. He cleared his throat and she stopped and turned around. He held the door open for her as she climbed inside.
The Inspector put his phone in his jacket pocket and they returned to the base. He stopped at Security and took her inside. At one of the computers, he touched the screen with his fingers and a picture of the maroon car appeared on the screen. He enlarged the left fender and saw a small dent just above the front tire.
Alex looked over his shoulder and pointed at the dent. “See, that’s it.”
“This is Leftenant Nelson’s picture. You have excellent recall.” He touched his mobile phone and the car appeared again, but at a different angle. “This is the picture I took this evening.”
He enlarged a view of the left fender. The dent was exactly the same. His fingers drummed across the desk. He typed out an email that made no sense to Alex.
“What language is that?”
“It’s police jargon. I’m sending a report.” He sat back and waited.
“To who?”
“The local police will send someone to check it out. We have to wait to find out what they say. I’ll be right back.” He took his mobile and left.
Alex sat and waited, watching the computer screen turn into a moving pattern with different colors and shapes.
Tyler handed Alex a can of soda.
“How do you open it?” she asked.
“You pull this tab on the top. Did any messages pop up on the screen?”
“All I saw were these pretty designs.” Alex took a small sip and remembered drinking one before—the bubbles gave it away.
Tyler pressed his lips together, hiding his smile and touched the screen. The pretty designs went away. A message popped up. “Damn!” He slammed his fist on the desk.
“What?”
“By the time the police got there, the car was gone. They’ve checked CCTV and a man got in the car and left, but he had long hair. I’ll be back.”
The pretty designs returned to the computer screen. Alex watched, mesmerized by the changing patterns. When he returned, he brought over a man in a camouflage uniform.
“Take a look at this, Major.” He touched the screen of the computer and showed him the pictures of the car.
The Major leaned in with concern. “I’ll put out a bulletin.” He nodded to Alex and she nodded back.
“It’s time for you to go back to the Admiral’s quarters.” Tyler looked anxious. He drank all of his soda and threw the can in a separate bin. “Put your empty in here. They’ll recycle it.”
Alex wasn’t finished but put the can in anyway. The bubbles bothered her.
Tyler parked his car at the Admiral’s house. It was brightly lit and a lot of people were inside. Tyler spoke to the young man in the hallway and motioned for Alex to wait.
“The Admiral’s having the base commander and his staff over for cocktails to thank them for letting him visit.”
A few moments later, his mobile jingled in his pocket. He touched the screen and read the text. “They found the car at a catering business, but no one was there.”
“What’s a catering business?” Alex asked.
“They prepare food for large functions—like this party.” He waved her ahead. “Act natural; see if the bald man’s here.”
“All right.” Alex wandered around the parlor and shook her head when she saw Tyler heading to the kitchen.
Two women were arranging small sandwiches on a large silver tray and one man set up a small tray of pastries. Outside, Tyler talked to a man next to a white van. Alex stared at him through the window. The man was tall with long brown hair pulled behind his head in a braid and wore a white chef’s jacket with a collar covering his most of neck. She could see the top of a tattoo of lightning bolts above the collar. Her eyes widened.
When Tyler finished talking to him, the man leaned inside the van to pick up a box. He hit his head lightly against the van’s frame and his hair moved. Alex gasped as he stopped to adjust it and peeked over his shoulder. Alex headed for the door and ran into Tyler.
“Nothing’s out here. Go back inside.” Tyler waved her back.
Alex shot him a worried glance and nodded to the man by the van. Tyler furrowed his brow, not understanding. She pushed by him and went over to the van as the man pulled out the large box.
“Do you need help?” she asked.
“No, thanks, love. Got it.”
As he turned away, Alex grabbed his braid and pulled off his wig. He was bald.
Stunned at first, Tyler hesitated, then ran at him. The man threw the box filled with sandwiches at him and ran.
Alex tried to tackle him, but the man pushed her to the ground and ran off. She rolled away and hit her head, dazed for a moment.
Tyler grabbed his arm, but the man pulled a pistol from his belt. Tyler struggled with him and knocked the gun away, but he got hit in the face and fell back. The man broke free once more, sprinting away.
“Get help!” Tyler pointed to her and ran after him.
Alex took several steps to the house, but the Marines poured out of the kitchen door running after Tyler and the bald man. She turned around and joined the chase. The bald man took a turn to his right and she ran to cut off his angle of escape. He pushed her away, a delay long enough for the Marines to catch up. They took him to the ground.
Tyler ran over, panting hard. “Are you all right?"
Alex grinned. “Just fine.”
Inside the house, Captain Jonas and the Admiral watched the events unfold.
“Captain, isn’t that the bald man?” the Admiral asked.
“I believe so, Admiral. Apparently, Alex just helped catch him.”
“She disobeyed orders and put herself in jeopardy. I told you she was on our side.” The Admiral grinned.
“Time
will tell, Admiral.”
“We’ve watched her as closely as we can, Jonas. She hasn’t contacted anyone. If an invasion was coming, she’d have to coordinate it.”
“I’ll keep my eye on her, Admiral.”
The Admiral gave Alex a pat on the shoulder when she came in the house. He returned to his guests, chuckling out loud. Outside, cars with sirens blaring drove past the house.
Tyler escorted Alex to her quarters across the street. “I’ll see you later, Alex.”
“Where are you going?”
“Security. I’ll give them a hand.”
“Inspector, before you leave, I have a question for you. How did that man know the Admiral was having a party and would need food brought in? Why not just poison the food?”
He paused and raised his eyebrows. “That’s two questions. I’m not sure how he knew about the party, but it’s common practice for the Admiral to have one when he comes. We’ll check the food for poison, but chances are he had too many people watching him. He was a new employee.” He grinned. “And from now on, call me Graham.”
Chapter 46
THE MARINES
Early the next morning, Alex heard people exercising outside her window. It was Monday, the day before the fall solstice. She put on her workout clothes and went outside.
A group of Marines were lined up in the meadow, doing calisthenics. She watched them for a while and then, wandered over to join them.
Royal Marine Captain O’Leary nodded to her. “Nice of you to join us.” She smiled and clapped her hands. “Fifty push-ups!”
Alex assumed the position and counted with them. “One-two-three…” until she reached fifty. O’Leary checked on her during the count and nodded as she kept up. When the count was done, Alex leapt to her feet and shook out her arms.
“Fifty more.” The Marines counted off again and Alex kept pace. “Fifty squats,” the Captain shouted and Alex completed the set. As she called out more exercises, Alex copied them and maintained the count. Sweat dripped off her forehead and she swiped it away. She was breathing hard, but it felt good. No longer did she feel the effects of lead and her energy level was high.
“Well done, Marines.” The Captain clapped her hands. “Ten clicks.” She trotted over to Alex. “Are you coming?” O’Leary waved her right arm as Alex nodded. “Forward!” As she ran ahead, Alex joined the formation, clapping her hands to the rhythm.
After the run, Alex returned to the barracks, showered and changed her clothes. She went over to Admiral’s house, where a young Marine stopped her at the door. He led her to the parlor where the Admiral and Nelson were sipping tea and reading.
“Good morning, Admiral,” Alex said.
He greeted her with a smile and waved her in. Nelson left to tell the cook.
“Have some tea,” the Admiral said. “Breakfast will be here shortly. Did I see you outside with the Marines?”
“Yes, I’ve been sitting around too much.”
“You kept pace with them. Good for you.”
Alex’s grin was wide and she nodded enthusiastically at the plate of food. She looked up at the server. “Your food is very good here.”
“Yes, we always get very good service here,” the Admiral said.
“Admiral, isn’t this house expensive?”
“It’s not mine. It belongs to the Navy and when I’m here and it’s available, I can use it. I pay a nominal fee for it, but it’s very convenient. I’m having a cocktail party tomorrow night with the commanding officers from Hunter Dawn. I want you to be there.”
“I will. Graham told me about it and said I could go as his date.” Alex scooped a fork full of scrambled eggs in her mouth and followed it with a bite of toast. The eggs seemed exceptionally tender, making Alex wonder if they had different kinds of chickens here.
“Good. They want to meet you,” the Admiral said.
“How long ago did you make arrangements for the party last night?”
“No more than a day. Captain Jonas actually set it up for me.”
“Did he arrange to have those people set up the food?”
“Why?”
“How did the bald man know?”
The Admiral frowned at her. “Surely you don’t think Captain Jonas had anything to do with that.”
“Let’s hope not, but someone had to tell him. By the way, do your guests know about the entry point tomorrow?”
“Yes, that’s why they’re coming. I was very impressed with your actions last night and I have to thank you again, but I did tell you not to get involved. I understand the Inspector identified the bald man, even though he’s not cooperating. His name is Nathan Jones and he’s a member of a white supremacist group and wanted by Interpol.”
“What’s Interpol?”
“It’s a police organization and it stands for International Police. Most of the countries in the world cooperate and help each other find these criminals.”
“That’s good. I wish the Elves could cooperate.” Alex took a long drink of water and sat back as Captain Jonas arrived.
“Good morning, Captain. Where’d Nelson go?” the Admiral asked.
“He’s setting up this morning’s meeting. We should be on our way, Admiral.”
“Yes, I’m really looking forward to this.”
The Captain gathered the Admiral’s papers and placed them in his briefcase. They left her alone at the table.
A few minutes later, Alex finished her meal and changed into her cammies, finding the check and her eating knife in the pockets. She put them in her duffel bag. At the archery range, the same young man was there who had first issued her a bow and a sleeve of arrows. His name Duncan was written on his shirt.
“Good morning, Miss. Back again?”
“Yes, I really enjoyed it. Your name is Duncan?”
“Yeah. And you are?”
“Alex.” She held out her hand.
“A pleasure.” He shook it and smiled.
At that moment, Captain O’Leary came in, followed by a squad of Marines. She came over to Alex. “Leftenant, what are you doing here?”
“I tried the archery video yesterday. It was very challenging.”
“Care to try your hand with a CT Carbine?” She raised her eyebrows.
“What is it?”
“I’ll show you. Give me the case, Duncan.”
“Um, Captain…” He hesitated.
The Captain raised her eyebrows and Duncan reached behind him for a long, black case. He set it on the counter and opened it.
O’Leary reached in and pulled out the rifle, quickly assembling it. “This is the CT Carbine, one of the most lethal guns in the world.” She admired it. “Come on, let me show you what it can do. Marines, muster on the range!”
“Uh, Captain...” Duncan raised his hand timidly. “Are you sure you should be show--”
“Stop your worrying, Duncan. It’s just a demonstration. What was your name again?”
“Alex.” She followed the Captain outside. The men and women were already in position and a few had fired their weapons. Alex watched intensely—the noise bothered her, as did the smell of gunpowder, reminding her of fireworks. What she couldn’t believe was the speed at which these weapons fired. It reminded her of the night she was shot.
“Here, use these.” O’Leary handed her a pair of bright pink earplugs and held another pair in her slender hands. “Roll it up like this and put it in your ear.”
The plugs were made of soft foam and molded easily in Alex’s fingers. She put one in her ear and then the other. The Captain pulled her hair back and stared at her ears for a second.
“I guess I should’ve gotten you the blue ones.” She grinned
Alex blushed. “You know I’m part Elf.”
“Captain Jonas informed us, but I didn’t believe it until I saw you with my own eyes.” She stared at her ears and then to her eyes. “For the first time in my career, I’ve got more volunteers for guard duty than I have spots to fill. My Marines wanted to
meet you. I must admit that I was a bit curious myself.”
Alex smiled. “Are you disappointed?”
“A wee bit. I thought you’d have pointed ears.” Her eyes twinkled. “When I was young, my mother told me stories about Elves every night before going to bed. She even claimed to have Elf blood. I didn’t believe her.” Her eyes examined Alex’s face closely.
“I’ve heard those stories, too. I never thought they were about me.” Alex laughed and the Captain broke into a smile.
The Captain stepped over to a shooting station and put on a pair of clear plastic glasses. Alex watched as she raised the gun to her shoulder and pointed it at a target. She fired a single shot, adjusted it and shot a short burst. She slipped the safety on and held it up. “Are you right-handed?”
Alex nodded.
“Here. Put these goggles on. And don’t touch the barrel. It’s hot. Put this end on your shoulder and put your finger on the trigger. When you pull back on the trigger, the gun will fire.”
Alex lifted the rifle to her shoulder—it felt awkward and she didn’t know where to look. The Captain adjusted her stance. Left foot forward and knees flexed, weight on the back leg.
“How do I aim it?” Alex asked.
The Captain pointed to the end of the barrel. “Align the barrel to the target using the sight at the end. Then, pull the trigger.” She flipped the safety off. “It’s set to fire a single shot, so you can feel the kick. It’s not bad.” She tapped Alex on the shoulder. “Fire when ready.”
Alex put her finger on the trigger, not certain how hard to press. Then she looked down the barrel to line up the target, but her finger pulled back on the trigger too soon and fired, giving her an unexpected jolt on the shoulder. She missed the target and the bullet hit the ground instead. She aimed again and kept her finger off the trigger until she had the target centered, but this time, she anticipated the kick and hit right of the target. She took a deep breath and wiped sweat from her face. As she lined up the target once more, she fired, hitting it on one of its outer rings. The fourth shot was closer to the center. She wiped her face with the cuff of her sleeve and smelled gunpowder on her hands.
