by DJ Erfert
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
WINDOW
OF DEATH
DJ ERFERT
WINDOW OF DEATH
© 2016 Debra Erfert
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, uploaded, distributed, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in this story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.
Book Edition: March, 2016
Book ISBN- 13: 978-0-9968597-4-5
Cover Design by D. Robert Pease, walkingstickbooks.com
Edited by Shauntel Simper
Published by
Stone Horse Press, LLC
Dedication
To Mike, who almost always understands.
CHAPTER ONE
“I have to kill you now. It’s not personal.”
Lucia aimed her .380 automatic at the knotted-up muscle and shot a single bullet into the snake’s head. The hot Sonoran desert north of the Arizona-Mexico border supplied her with a variety of vegetation to use as cover from the relentless sun. But hiding hadn’t been her intention after their human coyote unconscionably ditched her and the other members of her group when they illegally crossed the border into the U.S.
“I’m sorry I had to evict you, Mr. Sidewinder,” Lucia said, sliding onto the cool, shady sand, “but this Mesquite bush isn’t big enough for both you and me. I couldn’t take a chance that you’d come back if I moved you to another residence. Besides,” she continued with a small smile on her lips, “snake tastes just like chicken.”
~*~
“What was that?” Border Agent Mark Whittier asked.
Agent Jason Morelli put down his binoculars and stared at his field-training officer. “It sounded like a gunshot!”
“We better go check it out. Could you tell which way it came from?”
“Yeah … from the south.”
Mark shoved his equipment bag over to the passenger seat. “Very funny.”
“Okay, okay, it was more southwest,” Jason said, opening his driver’s door. “I’ll take the point.” He grinned and added, “Try not to get lost.”
Mark got behind the wheel of his four-wheel drive Tahoe and softly chuckled. He lifted the microphone off the dashboard and held it to his lips. “Take it easy with the new truck, Jason.”
“You worry too much.”
“And you don’t worry enough.”
“We’re finally getting some movement, and you aren’t excited?”
Mark let out a frustrated breath at his rookie. “Just don’t get careless. Don’t make me regret letting you check out your own truck today.”
“I won’t.”
Mark kept pace with his rookie for another mile before stopping on a short ridge along side Jason’s truck. After opening his door, he grabbed his binoculars and stepped out on the running board. Mark swept the unusually hot November landscape with his elbows propped up on the edge of the window frame. The high noon heat made the distance slowly dance—like looking through the clear flame of a fire. “Do you see anything?”
“Yeah … a lot of sand, scrub brush, and blue—damn,” Jason said loudly, dropping his binoculars away from his face and rubbing his eyes. “What was that?”
“It was a flash!”
Jason blinked rapidly. “Are you sure it wasn’t an explosion?”
Mark grinned. “Only to you. I didn’t have my binoculars up. It definitely was a flash. There it is again. And again.” He looked at Jason and asked, “Did you see that?”
“I can barely see anything!”
“It’s a signal!” Mark studied the flashes intently—and out loud. “One flash, two … three … one two three, one two three, one … two … three, one two three, one two three.” He sucked in a fast breath. “It’s an SOS. We must have a downed Marine out there. I wonder why the base didn’t notify us.”
Jason rubbed his eyes. “Maybe it’s top secret. Or maybe they don’t know yet.”
“Well, let’s not keep our pilot waiting,” Mark said, jumping back inside his truck and shoving it into drive. “He might be injured.”
~*~
The quiet sounds of distant engines were as sweet as anything Lucia had heard in days. She used her switchblade to catch the light of the sun and signal potential rescuers, but Lucia hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to get caught sneaking into the U.S. It took a solid twenty-four hours before she saw the white vehicles with bold green stripes down the side.
Lucia’s lips were chapped. She’d started sweating like she’d run a marathon, and her headache had intensified over the last couple of hours; sure signs of dehydration. But it was more her fault than not. The needle-like spines sticking in her ankle-boots spoke of the supply of cactus around her feet. And with the cactus came moisture and nourishment. But Lucia despised the taste of the plant and had rationed it too thinly. Now her body regretted it.
When they were close enough Lucia discreetly closed her knife and clipped it back inside the collar of her boot while watching the two men climb out of their trucks. They’d spotted her.
Relaxing, she waited for them to come over to her hiding spot. Lucia realized she would need help getting up. She hadn’t eaten any protein for two days, and her strength had dwindled. The older man looked around as if he expected an ambush while talking with the younger man. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he didn’t look happy for some reason. She could see his brows scrunched beneath the brim of his hat, and he had a frown on his lips. When they cautiously knelt down next to the bush and peered in at her, the younger man asked her how she was doing.
“¿Como esta, Seńora?”
Lucia turned her head and stared into the concerned eyes of the agent dressed in green, and smiled. “Asĩ, asĩ,” she answered softly, and then in English she asked, “You don’t happen to have a cell phone I can borrow?”
The older agent took an involuntary deep breath. “Jason, she’s Anglo!”
“Since I was born,” Lucia told him.
“Were you signaling us?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Jason asked, “Are you alone?”
Lucia closed her eyes and took a tired breath, then slowly let it back out. When she reached into her front pocket, a strong hand stopped her movement. She opened her eyes and saw the concern in the older man’s face intensify. His brows pinched together. She held up her hands and let him retrieve her thin wallet from her pants. His eye-
popping surprised look was fully expected.
“You got to be kidding,” he muttered loud enough for Lucy to hear. “Special Agent Lucille James. Central Intelligence Agency.”
“Call me Lucy,” she said.
Jason blurted out, “You’re a CIA agent?”
Lucy nodded. “A very thirsty one.”
“What are you doing out here?” Jason asked.
“Let’s get Agent James into an air-conditioned environment with a nice bottle of Gatorade before we ask anymore questions.”
“Thank you,” Lucy said as she held up her arms. Two strong sets of hands gently dragged her out from under the life-saving Mesquite bush.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
Lucy nodded. “Yes, I think so.” With one man walking on either side, they moved toward the trucks. “Have you found anybody else within the past twenty-four hours?”
“No, ma’am.” The older agent opened his passenger door. “Do you have a partner we should be searching for?”
Lucy held onto the door’s frame for support and stared at the agent. “I was one of sixteen people smuggled across the border north of Los Vidrios heading for Tacna. At least, that was the promised destination. But shortly after we were on the American side, our coyote deserted us without any provisions or communication. I doubt any of the women can make it out of this desert on their own, and one of the women has two young children.”
“And you left them?” Jason asked sharply.
Lucy gave him a hard stare. “I had a mission to complete. I gave them all the food I brought with me, as well as my water. That was the best I could do, agent.”
“Did you notice which way they headed?” the older agent asked, looking off into the distance.
Nodding, she said, “It was with the rest of the group. Northwest.”
“On foot? I don’t get it. It’s desolate in that direction,” Jason said. “A solid fifty miles of nothing but desert.”
Lucy nodded again. “I tried to talk them into going more toward the east, but one of the men was very persuasive. I have a theory—” Using two dirty fingers, she pinched out the dark brown contact lenses irritating her eyes and threw them to the ground. She looked up and grinned at the wide-eyed surprised look she got from the two men when they saw her blue irises. Considering she had no makeup on, she enjoyed their reaction. “I was, uh, undercover.” Her long, straight hair was naturally brown, so she slipped in comfortably with most Mexicans.
“We’ll—” The other agent cleared his throat and tried again. “We’ll call for a couple of helicopters and some more back-up.” He took hold of her elbow, turning her toward the truck’s interior. “And we’ll start a thorough search after your ambulance gets here—”
“No! I’m not going anyplace, agent.” Lucy pulled out of his grasp. “I need to get to a telephone, and then I want to help you look for Ana and her kids.”
“What help do you think you can be? You’re dehydrated!”
“I need some water and I’ll be fine.”
“Do you have a headache?”
Lucy straightened her shoulders but didn’t say anything.
“I can’t have you passing out on me in the middle of a search.”
“I’m coming with you,” Lucy said, getting into the truck and pulling the door closed behind her. She didn’t bother looking out the window to see if the agents were still waiting outside. As far as she was concerned, her decision was final.
The driver’s door opened, and the older agent sat inside beside her. He moved the air-conditioner vents toward her, giving her the first cool breeze she’d felt in days. Without speaking, he took out an orange-flavored sports drink from a cooler and opened it before passing it to Lucy. Just as quietly, he gave her a small paper bag.
“What’s this?” Lucy asked.
“It’s a roast beef sandwich I brought for lunch.” He smiled. “I think you need it more than I do.”
Lucy opened the bag and out wafted a delicious aroma that made her stomach tighten. “Thank you.” When she met his gaze, he had a smile on his lips, and in his hand was a BlackBerry phone.
“I’ll leave you alone while you make your call. By the way, my name is Mark Whittier.”
Lucy smiled. “Nice to meet you, Mark.”
~*~
“Do you know who that is?” Jason asked quietly.
Mark looked over at his truck. Lucy was sitting inside the Tahoe with the air-conditioning on high and his cell-phone pressed against her ear while she ate his lunch.
Jason continued. “I thought she was just an urban legend.” He glanced at Mark. “You’ve heard the stories, but…” he looked toward the truck and nodded his head, “there she is! Secret Agent Lucy James in the gorgeous, sunburned flesh.”
“Come on. Do you believe everything you hear?” He turned away from the truck, in case the agent could read lips, and lowered his voice, too. “Even if they were true, I’m sure they’ve been blown all out of proportion. The guys are so plastered when they’re telling those wild stories.”
“Maybe.” Jason shrugged. “Why don’t we just ask her if she single handedly stopped a terrorist group—”
The sound of the truck door opening stopped Jason’s suggestion before he could finish it.
“Mark, does your MDC have an internet connection?”
Mark whispered, “No, Jason. Just leave her alone.” He then went to stand next to Secret Agent Lucy James. Yeah, he believed the stories he’d heard, too. Every one of them. They were as fantastic as any spy movie he’d seen in years. “No, not out here it doesn’t. Why?”
Lucy shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
Jason threw Mark a grin.
“Do you know the closest place I can go online?” Lucy slowly asked, her stare going between the two men.
“My phone has the internet,” Jason said.
“No, that won’t work.”
“I can take you to the station, but then you’ll miss the search,” Mark told her.
Lucy nodded. “You’re right. Finding that family is more important,” she said softly. Looking up at the sky, she shielded her eyes with her hand. “When will our air support get here?”
“Any time, now,” Jason said quickly.
“How about the back-up?”
Mark said, “They’ll be coming from Yuma and will be here within the next hour.”
“Are we going to wait for them before we start our search?”
“I don’t see why.” Mark headed for his side of the truck. “You gave us a pretty good idea on the area where they might be.”
“Good. I don’t know how far a woman with two children can walk in this heat—” Lucy lifted her head and asked, “Did you hear that?”
“Gun shots?” Jason asked.
Lucy caught Mark’s stare. “Yes. Gun shots!”
Mark nodded. “I heard them, too. Sounded like a .45. Three shots.” He pointed west, his heart accelerating with excitement. “That way. Come on, Lucy. You’re with me.” He grinned at his rookie and said, “Try not to get lost.”
Mark jumped into the driver’s seat just as their secret agent got in the passenger side. He quickly used his GPS to mark his position. With a hard punch of his boot, Mark accelerated forward, spinning his tires and spraying a waterfall of sand behind his truck, accidentally covering his rookie’s windshield. “Lucy, I need to ask you something.”
Lucy struggled to fasten her seatbelt. “What?”
“Do you have a firearm and did you discharge it?”
“Yes, I killed a snake. Why?”
“We heard a single gunshot and that’s how we found you. What caliber is it?”
“A .380.”
“And it was louder than the three shots we just heard—which means our target is farther away—”
“Or it could have just been down in an arroyo,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “That would muffle the sounds.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Mark pointed toward his GPS. “Do you know
how to use one of these?”
Lucy tilted the monitor toward her. “What did you want me to do?”
Mark smiled. He knew she would. “Pan out and look for an arroyo or wash.” He glanced sideways and saw her concentration as she tapped on the monitor’s on-screen keyboard. “Just out of curiosity, would you tell me where you keep your gun?”
Lucy stopped and stared at him for a moment, and then she placed her boot against the dashboard. When she pulled up her pant leg, she exposed the weapon strapped to her ankle. “Any other questions?”
He glanced at the floorboard and asked, “Yeah, do you have any other weapons?” The smile she gave him was… intriguing. She placed her other boot against the dash and pulled up her pant leg before removing a folding knife. He flinched when the blade popped out from the handle. “A switchblade?”
“Uh, huh! My father gave it to me when I started dating.”
“Holy crap, Lucy! Where did you grow up?”
“Phoenix.”
“That’s not exactly a dangerous city.”
“Maybe not, but I tended to get into a lot of trouble, and this came in handy more times than I can remember.” Lucy tenderly placed her knife back inside her boot. “Here,” she said, touching the GPS monitor. “Veer ten degrees south. There’s a six-foot dip in the landscape in about half a mile.”
“Okay.” Mark maneuvered the Tahoe around the scrub brush and found the clearest path. When he saw recent tire tracks on the sand in the direction their secret agent told him to go, he got concerned.
“Oh no,” Lucy whispered.
Mark glanced at her face. She saw them, too. He followed the tracks around a sharp bend before suddenly swerving into an arroyo carved out by heavy flash flooding decades prior. He got on the radio to warn his rookie.
“Jason, come straight down. Don’t take it at an angle.” He let out his breath when the other truck made it down the steep grade without losing control or getting stuck. The ground was firmer in the dry riverbed, and the tire tracks got harder to follow.
They went around a large outgrowth of brush. Lucy shouted, “Stop!”
