Monster

by Bernard L. DeLeo

  “You look so deep in thought maybe I better go talk to the team for a while.”

  “Get in here and close the door, Mr. Mountain,” Reskova ordered, walking around her desk toward him. “I see you don’t have your cane. Are you getting cocky or are you really feeling that much better?”

  “You actually have to ask that after my version of a wake up call this morning?”

  “Good God, don’t go there.”

  McDaniels put his arms around Reskova and kissed the top of her head comfortingly. “Maybe this would be too early in the day for those thought pictures. On the bright side, the guys downstairs had my ID ready. I guess you didn’t hear me out there saying hello to the troops when I came in, huh?”

  “I was too busy thinking about what it would be like to have your baby,” Reskova admitted in a whisper.

  “Wow,” McDaniels replied, holding Reskova at arms length. “I thought we were in the middle of a trial relationship period.”

  “The trial’s over for me.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, the trial’s been over for me since the morning you attacked me across the street from the Mercado place. What do you want to do about it?”

  “Nothing we can do right now. You look good in that uniform. Want to play soldier and ravished FBI agent when we get to the apartment?”

  “In a heartbeat,” McDaniels replied, enfolding Reskova in his arms once more. “We’ll walk Dino around and then get down to business.”

  “Dino can wait,” Reskova whispered huskily as McDaniels stroked her back. “How’d the workout go? I didn’t expect you for another couple hours.”

  “It felt better than I expected and Abe’s almost as good as new. He told me he just has the soreness now rather than the knifing pains. I love you.”

  Reskova looked up. “Do you mean that?”

  “Do you know me at all?” McDaniels asked with some exasperation in his voice. “Of course I mean it, Red.”

  “I’m sorry. I…I just wanted to hear you say it so badly, when you did it surprised me. I love you too. Hey, you called me Red.”

  “I did indeed. I think I’ll call you Red from now on, except of course in front of your subordinates.”

  “And if I object?”

  “Bummer,” McDaniels replied. “Want to get married?”

  “Just like that?”

  “I won’t be around for more than a month. I’m not real sure when I’ll be back. Your folks would probably rather have a big wedding though, huh?”

  “Not if I don’t ask them. How about we see how fast we can actually get married. Then I’ll call them with the time and place as a done deal.”

  “I like it if you like it. This is probably a little late, but what religion are you, if any?”

  “I’m a Christian. How about you?”

  “I believe in God. When I do go to church, I enjoy it as long as there’s no real rough stuff. I don’t go in for snake handlers or people going into convulsions. Although I was raised a Catholic, I don’t adhere to confessionals. I do like their services the best. Were you raised Russian Orthodox?”

  Reskova nodded. “My parents were old country religion from before Lenin and Trotsky. I guess we don’t have too much at odds with religion. I would want to attend church with my children if I had any.”

  “I have no objection. You already said you wanted a baby. I guess we’ve covered all the bases. In this day and age we could do worse. I won’t cheat on you or leave you. You’ll have to kick me out and I’ll make damn sure you don’t have a reason.”

  “That’s as much as any woman could ask for, Mr. Mountain. I accept. Where’s my ring?”

  McDaniels pulled her close again. “We’ll shop for rings this week. Will that be soon enough?”

  “I’ll take you with a pop top off a soda can.” Reskova hugged him tightly. “I only asked because my Mom will be looking for one when I introduce you as my fiancé.”

  “When will I get to meet your folks? Does it seem like we’re real people yet?”

  Reskova smiled. “I guess we are. I’ll need to break it to my parents slowly. Give me a few days to hint I’ve been getting serious.”

  “Where do your folks live?”

  “That’s right. I spent so much time grilling you I didn’t give you a chance to ask me anything personal. “They live in Pittsburgh. My sister Carrie lives there too. She’s married with two kids, a boy and girl ages six and four.”

  “Then they really aren’t too far away. Do you go and visit them often?”

  “Not as much as I should. I do call them once a week.”

  “This was sure a romantic proposal, huh?”

  “Works for me,” Reskova replied, opening the door. “Let’s get this afternoon over with so we can start playing soldier and horny FBI agent.”

  “I thought it was ravished FBI agent.”

  “Whatever.”

  * * *

  “Wow, I only thought you looked dangerous before,” Reskova marveled, as McDaniels modeled the suit and hat he would be wearing to meet the Russian. “The beard really does the trick. I doubt anyone would recognize you unless they knew you real well, and then came close enough to see the scars.”

  “Gee thanks, Red. You look great.”

  Reskova wore a black skirt with matching black top cut low off the shoulder. Her high heels were also black. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail. She held the long black leather coat she planned on wearing under her arm. Reskova turned so McDaniels could see her from behind, smiling at him over her shoulder.

  They were at Reskova’s apartment with Dino pacing around them expectantly. McDaniels dressed only after taking the dog for a run. Barrington called earlier to let Reskova know he and Rutledge were in a negotiating phase for meeting with the Russian courier. McDaniels heard Reskova on the phone again as he finished dressing.

  “You don’t just look great,” McDaniels rescinded his prior comment. “You look unbelievable. Was that Jen you were just on the phone with?”

  Reskova nodded. “We may not get to wear these outfits on the meet.”

  “Why, what’s wrong?”

  “The Russian picked the meeting spot. You’re not going to believe the meeting place he picked, Cold. He wants to meet with us in Fort Marcy Park.”

  “No friggin’ way!” McDaniels exclaimed uncharacteristically. “You are joking, right?”

  “Nope.”

  “You do know what that means, right?”

  “He’s a Clinton conspiracy buff?”

  “I wish,” McDaniels replied, taking off his hat and suit coat. “I have to get changed.”

  “What’s wrong,” Reskova asked in confusion as she followed McDaniels into her bedroom.

  “He’s onto us, Red,” McDaniels stated, undressing rapidly. “What time’s the meet on for?”

  “Three hours.” Reskova sat down on the end of her bed and petted the ever present Dino absently. “I trust you but how is he onto us?”

  “He wants to do two things.” McDaniels pulled up a pair of khaki pants from his service bag. “First, he wants to see who’s on to him. Secondly, he’s going to send a message before he drops out of sight - that is if he even comes to the meet in person. The Russian ain’t as alone as you thought.”

  “What kind of message?”

  “I’m betting he has a sniper backup who will ace us the moment the Russian gives him a cue. He would let us talk for as long as we held his interest. Then he’d scratch his head, pull on his nose or something like that and we’d get hit. Been there, done that.”

  “Shit! What are you going to do?”

  “We’ll triangulate the meeting point. How familiar are you with the park?”

  “I jog there occasionally. I’ll call Jen and have her network with us. She’ll pull up some first class topographical maps with satellite shots of the exact meeting place. She was still in the process of locating exactly where the Russian wanted to meet. He gave her the coordinates and directions but she’s
not familiar with the park at all.”

  McDaniels glanced at his watch. “We’re running short on time. Let’s take Dino with us and a change of clothes for you. I want you to be able to move fast if you have to. Call Jen. At least get us a location. I’ll check out the info on your portable notebook on the way. Fort Marcy’s only a stone’s throw from Langley. Let’s meet up at the office. Tell Tom I want two sets of the most powerful digital field glasses he can lay his hands on. I also want a portable thermal imager. I won’t have time to play cowboys and Indians in the brush.”

  Reskova walked out of the bedroom without a word to get her portable phone while McDaniels threw a few items from his service bag into one of Reskova’s carrying bags. Dino sat next to McDaniels after hearing his name mentioned. McDaniels looked up from his bag at the dog and grinned.

  “You know what, big D?” McDaniels cupped the dog’s head in his hands playfully. “I think I have just the role for you to play in addition to your expertise at smelling explosive residue. C’mon, let’s go get Red and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

  Ten minutes later, Reskova drove toward the office with McDaniels next to her concentrating on pictures Rutledge had sent of where the Russian wanted to meet. Dino sat up on the back seat with his head poked out the window in spite of near freezing temperatures.

  “We’re lucky it warmed up and rained a little this week,” McDaniels commented. “This is a first class set up. He wants us to go into the park by the back way using Chain Bridge Road. He even sent a picture of the picnic table all by its lonesome just inside the park. Guess what else, Red? The hill where they found Vince Foster’s body is to the left and up the slope from the picnic table. The sniper has probably been set up since last night. I would have.”

  “I know you have some plan for Dino here. Do you think Tomashevsky will be carrying a bomb too?”

  “Is that his name?”

  “Yes, Stephen Tomashevsky, why?”

  “I knew a Tomashevsky in the service. It’s one of those names you never forget. Anyway, I do have a plan for old Dino. Our boy Stephen will have a wand to make sure you’re not wired. Make book on that fact. We’ll wire Dino up instead. You know how much Dino likes strangers. Just let Stevie try and get close to our four legged partner.”

  Reskova chuckled. “I like it. What was that goofy word we’re supposed to use for Dino to attack?”

  “You still didn’t read the manual yet?” McDaniels threw up his hands comically. He reached back and held onto Dino, stroking him with one hand while gripping his collar with the other. “Nunca means attack. Matar means kill. Heel calls him off, just like with everything else. I bet you had blinking twelve o’clock numbers on every VCR and digital clock you owned before they went to automatic time setting.”

  Dino tensed each time McDaniels spoke his command words, relaxing when he heard the word heel. McDaniels petted him and released Dino’s collar, allowing him to again stick his head out into the chilly wind. Reskova turned to rebut McDaniels’ accusation but changed her mind when she saw he was waiting for her to do it.

  “You think you know everything, don’t you?” Reskova concentrated again on the road ahead.

  “So deny it,” McDaniels countered. When Reskova didn’t respond McDaniels laughed.

  “What do you plan to do at the park, annoying one?”

  “I’m going to find out where the sniper is and then take him off line. I’ll have to do it after Stevie appears for the meet though because they’ll probably have a pre-arranged signal so the Russian knows his backup is ready.”

  “Can you take the sniper alive?” Reskova turned as McDaniels sighed in a plaintive way at the suggestion. “What?”

  “Red, the guy will have a sniper rifle pointed toward the meeting spot. To make this not appear as some kind of setup you’ll have to be close to the Russian. I have no fool proof way to do this safely other than take him down hard. I ought to use an air to surface missile. I’m not thrilled about you walking in on this meet alone.”

  Reskova reached over to squeeze his hand. “That’s so sweet. We’re in the wrong business to get all mushy every time one of us takes a chance. Besides, I’ll have Dino with me.”

  “Maybe we are in the wrong business,” McDaniels muttered thoughtfully, bringing her hand up to his lips. “Since finding you, I’m not so sure about anything, especially my line of work.”

  “We’re too good at what we do to give it up, Mr. Mountain. Listen, I know what will make you feel better. Take the sniper’s head.”

  McDaniels burst into laughter. It took more than a few minutes before he could speak. He wiped away tears from his eyes, looking over at Reskova appreciatively. “I’ll save him if I can, Red, but don’t make any long range plans for him yet. If he even twitches during my approach, I will open up on him. You have Dino take Stevie down at the first commotion.”

  “Agreed. What do you want for a weapon?”

  “I have a Colt 45 in my locker at the office. I’m taking it with me. Just the sound will make the prick miss if I can’t get close.”

  * * *

  “My friend, I do not like this terrain,” Rasheed whispered as both men searched the wooded hill with their field glasses McDaniels suspected the sniper would use to stake out the meeting point.

  “Let me worry about the terrain, Kay,” McDaniels replied in the same hushed tone, although they were nearly a quarter mile away. “Are you having trouble with the heat scanner?”

  “No, Tom checked me out on it thoroughly.” Rasheed moved the collector slightly. He adjusted his position following the coordinates McDaniels gave him. They had been scanning the steep slope for nearly forty-five minutes. “Perhaps if…”

  “I got him,” McDaniels cut him off, giving Rasheed the coordinates to help his friend pinpoint the spot with his own set of digital field glasses. “See the line where the ground has been disturbed? It’s rectangular…”

  “Yes… yes, you are right,” Rasheed broke in. “I am not picking up a heat signature though.”

  “He’s probably wrapped in something like a space blanket. I’m heading out. If you spot him shifting let me know. Tom and Jen have the other side of the meet zeroed in but you keep an eye on the action. Update me during each step, okay?”

  “I do not like this terrain,” Rasheed repeated. “How can you approach quietly? There is not even a breeze to mask your steps. This is not desert sand, Mr. Mountain.”

  McDaniels chuckled at Rasheed’s use of Reskova’s favorite reference. “You will not be able to teach the little Cold anything with a negative attitude like that, Kay.”

  “Life is indeed good when we can speak of the most precious while contemplating the most horrendous.”

  “Yep,” McDaniels agreed in a whisper, squeezing Rasheed’s shoulder. “Just make sure you watch our little sniping buddy and not me. I will take my cue from what you tell me.”

  “I will not let you down, my friend,” Rasheed said, not taking his eyes off the image in his field glasses. “Do not make the Boss a widow before she is a wife.”

  “If you don’t pay attention, Kay, I won’t have a live woman to make a wife of,” McDaniels hissed as he moved away. “Audio on.”

  “Loud and clear,” Rasheed replied. “Do not blame me for the short comings of your plan. I will keep her as safe as it is possible to do from here. Mr. Mountain, do not take the head.”

  Rasheed saw McDaniels tense for a moment and then look back at him. Rasheed waved. McDaniels moved rapidly, veering to the extreme left of their position and his intended destination. Rasheed kept his glasses on the slight rectangular outline McDaniels had pointed out. McDaniels moved rapidly to a point nearly two hundred yards from his intended target, slightly above and to the right. He stopped with his eyes closed and remained dead still as he listened to the sounds around him. After contemplating the noise level, McDaniels moved on.

  Chapter 23

  Feel The Force

  Rasheed used both the
heat scanner and his field glasses, keeping them locked on the intended target. He shifted his attention momentarily to the picnic table the Russian had picked out as a meeting place. No one was in view. Rasheed looked quickly back toward where he knew McDaniels should be but McDaniels had seemingly disappeared. Rasheed scanned the grounds between the sniper’s lair and where McDaniels had started his approach in earnest. He could detect nothing. The hairs raised on the back of the Iraqi’s neck. He shifted his focus again to the picnic table.

  “I fear for your soul, my friend,” Kay whispered, transmitting directly to McDaniels. “You are an abomination. I will insist on you wearing an electronic ankle bracelet as my comrades have urged.”

  “Shut up, Kay. Keep an eye on what you’re supposed to be doing.”

  “As you wish but… Cold, the Russian is coming.” Rasheed watched a man dressed in hat and parka approach the picnic table. “He glanced around slightly and then directly at the spot you already pinpointed. You have done well, young Jedi.”

  McDaniels stopped and clapped both hands to his mouth, rocking silently in amusement at Rasheed’s words. Minutes later, McDaniels moved forward again toward his objective.

  “I spotted you, Mr. Mountain,” Rasheed lied, hearing the suppressed sounds of laughter from McDaniels.

  “Bullshit! Shut the chatter. This is a secured line, you clown.” After a moment, McDaniels ignored his own order “I didn’t know you were into Star Wars, Kay.”

  “Feel the force, Luke.” Rasheed watched Tomashevsky sit at the picnic table. “Tomashevsky is seated.”

  McDaniels struggled silently to prevent letting go with laughter, clasping his hands into fists, the incongruity of what he sought to do and the words of his long time comrade clashing in intense competition.

  “The Boss is approaching with the dog. Five minutes until they get down to business. Sorry, Cold.”