In the letter, the Magic Man called him “Boss” and told him he looked forward to working with him and his team, but that they would never meet again. Frank put his arms on his desk, leaned forward and bowed his head in shame as he recalled how easily the Magic Man had gotten into his head. A short while before that, Frank had been walking in the parking lot when an old man asked him if he had dropped a badge. The old man held out an FBI pin-badge that most of the agents had pinned on their coat lapels. Frank had said it wasn’t his but that he would hand it over at the desk. With ploy as simple as that, the Magic Man had gotten into Frank’s mind, then into his dreams.
Joe had advised Frank in the letter to trust him as he would never ask him any questions about state security. He told him he would never get into his mind again, and not to go resigning or blowing his brains out, because his invasion of Frank’s mind was a one-off and wouldn’t happen again. Frank had worked too hard to get where he was and he wasn’t ready to throw it all away, so instead of shooting himself, he decided to trust Joe the Magic Man, and make use of his gift.
A day earlier, Agent Burrows’ department had asked Frank’s permission to use Joe to help solve a cold case, and Frank had said “yes”. Now he was thinking that the case at hand was more important than a cold case file.
Frank marched out of his office to his assistant’s desk, put his hand on his shoulder and said casually as if ordering a takeaway, “Get Agent Burrows over to our Cisco office ASAP. Tell her it’s top priority and tell her to get that Alice Timberlake woman up there pronto. We need the Magic Man in on this.”
“Yes sir, top priority,” came the understanding reply.
*
Alice Timberlake was having her breakfast and reading the cold case file that Agent Burrows had sent her by special delivery. Alice was twenty seven years of age, 5feet 6inches tall with brown eyes and black hair that she mostly wore in a ponytail. She lived in Lancaster, California and up until her encounter with the Magic Man a few months ago, she led a normal life with her husband, John. She was an assistant to an agony-aunt writer in their local newspaper, working part-time from home. Her husband John was a prison officer and they had been married for five years with no kids.
With her help, the FBI had contacted Joe and he had helped to solve two crimes. More importantly, the FBI said she could become a freelance journalist, with access to the inside story on all the cases that Joe and her were working on. They had kept their word and allowed her to write freely about the rape and drug cases. Alice’s ambition since she was very tender was to be a newspaper reporter so this opportunity to work with the FBI was too good to turn down. She was only twenty seven as she kept reminding John, and she and John, (who was now thirty) would finally be able to afford to raise a child with the extra money coming in from the new firm of Joe Mann and Partner. She was running all this through her mind when her phone buzzed.
Alice looked at her phone screen to see Agent Burrows’ name and she picked up the call. “Agent Burrows, I got the file you sent me yesterday and....”
“Forget that case, Alice. We’ve got some kind of emergency up in San Francisco,” Burrows said, interrupting her. “Drop whatever you’re doing or planning, pack an overnight case and get yourself down to the airport, pronto. We are booking you on the next flight, so just go and pick up the ticket; everything will be arranged from the office.”
“What’s the rush? I can drive up there nearly as quick as flying.”
Alice’s mind raced to what John would say, she would have to call him at work to explain her sudden departure.
“Look Alice,” Agent Borrows said, “when the Deputy Director of the FBI says he wants you, it means he wants you immediately! It’s top priority so you say, ‘yes sir, right away’ and you do it. He has even got Homeland working on this. It’s that big.”
“You make it sound so top secret... Can you tell me what it’s about?” Alice was already making her way upstairs to pick up her case.
“We’ll be briefed when we arrive, and that’s as much as I know. You’ll be met at the airport by one of our agents and you will be taken to our office there to wait for me. I’m on my way to our plane now, I’ll see you up there, okay?”
“Okay,” Alice sighed.
How could she complain? They had told her it would be like this, just called up at any time and flown anywhere. She didn’t have to think what to take as her small case was already packed with all the things she needed. She didn’t tidy up and she was soon in the car and on her way to L.A. airport. The first chance she had, she called John.
“Hi honey, what’s up? Can’t you sleep?” John asked. When he had left for work not too long ago, Alice had been fast asleep.
“I’m okay, love; you’ll never guess where I am and what I’m doing.”
“Oh, that shouldn’t be too hard to guess,” John replied. “Joe’s contacted you again last night in your dream. And both of you have come up with a plan to help Burrows.”
“Close! I’m in my car and on the way to the airport. Burrows just phoned and told me to forget the cold case file for now, and get my ass up to Cisco, pronto.”
“What? You can’t go without me!” John wanted to be involved with Alice’s work with Joe, even if it was only driving her and keeping her company.”
“Sorry love, Burrows thinks something big is going down.” She gave a nervous sigh. “FBI and Homeland want Joe’s help right away and Burrows made it sound really important.”
“Homeland Security,” John said, his mind racing and wondering what was going on. “If Frank Brubaker wants Joe’s help, then I bet it’s some kind of terrorist attack or a nuclear bomb hidden somewhere and they want Joe to help find it?”
John looked around to make sure no one was listening to him, then continued, “That’s why Frank Brubaker put your task force together, isn’t it? To use Joe’s gift to find things out.”
“Gee thanks John, a nuclear bomb? I think I might just catch a plane heading the other way.”
“Sorry love, I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just... well, that’s all we ever hear about from Homeland – terrorists.”He screwed his face up in annoyance at himself for talking without thinking. “You’ll be all right, they probably just want Joe to get into someone’s head and get information they can’t get, so don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I can drive up when I finish work to spend a few days with you. You know you owe me a few days.”
“No honey, you stay there and I’ll call you later to let you know what’s happening.”
“Are you sure, because Joe can’t do anything until there’s contact tonight, can he?”
“I’m hitting a little traffic now so I had better hang up; I’ll speak to you later, love you loads.”
Alice hung up and shook her head at her behavior. She had avoided the question because John wasn’t right about her having to wait until night time for Joe to contact her. Alice and Joe had somehow learnt to communicate telepathically. Neither she nor Joe knew how it happened; it just did. It was surprising to Joe because firstly, apart from Alice, none of his “clients”, as he called them, ever knew he was in their heads. Now Alice was the only client he could telepathically talk to.
Alice had first noticed it one morning when she heard a voice in her head. She was fully awake at the time and it freaked her out so she shouted at Joe to get out of her head. It freaked Joe out as well, for he had no idea how they were communicating. He told her they must be talking telepathically and that they must be the only people in the world with the ability.
It had taken Alice a long time to accept it and ultimately, they had both decided it would be best if they kept it a secret, even from her husband, John. The world would look at them as freaks.
The telepathic thing worked only one way though; Alice couldn’t just call Joe’s mind at anytime but she had to wait for him to call her. Joe told her that all he had to do was close his eyes and think of her and he could get into her
mind. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, he told her he could see what she could see; if she was watching TV he could tell what she was watching. Alice didn’t like it but knew that was just part of the Magic Man’s gift.
She couldn’t wait to tell Joe they had a new top secret case to work on. Joe had said he would contact her and go over the cold case file with her. That was another unsettling part of their partnership, she could be reading something and Joe would be in her head, reading it at the same time, miles away. His most common way of communication though, was getting into her dreams, hypnotizing her and having her relate what she had read earlier to him while she slept. As far as John and the FBI knew, that was the only way Alice and Joe the Magic Man communicated.
*
Alice had just got off the plane when Joe made contact and she quickly filled him in on what was going on. She told him that Burrows had told her to drop everything and get to Cisco pronto, that they had a new assignment and that it was kind of top secret. Joe was in her head talking to her as she walked through the airport. Alice spotted a man holding a board with her name on it, Joe saw it through her eyes and told her he’d stay with her as long as he could, but he had other things to do and he would be back with her soon.
Alice knew Joe had to be alone when he made contact with her, Joe had told her that no other person, except his mother, knew he possessed this gift. He kept the gift a secret from his wife, family and friends. Alice had personally experienced the awkwardness brought about by this secret: there was this one time when they were chatting away and he stopped suddenly, it was just like someone hanging up on the phone, and when he got back to her he said he was sorry, but his wife had just walked into the room. Alice knew for sure that to avoid running mad, she would have to get used to Joe popping in and out of her mind.
“I’m Alice Timberlake,” Alice said with a smile to the man holding the board.
“Right ma’am, I’m Agent Clark.” He looked behind her. “Is it just you?”
“I’m to meet Agent Burrows at the field office.” Alice felt a sense of awe as she talked to the agent and she had said “Field Office”, because she didn’t know if they called it field office or H.Q.
“Right, I’ve got a car waiting outside.”
“After you,” Alice said and watched as he simply marched off without offering to help with her case; she didn’t really mind as it was small and on two wheels so she hurried behind him.
“Have you been told to brief me on what’s going on?”Alice asked as soon as she got in the car, trying to sound as if she had done this kind of thing many times before.
“I think it’s best you wait until Agent Burrows arrives,” the agent replied guardedly.
“Yeah, but it’s something big, isn’t it? I was told to drop everything and get up here pronto.”
“It’s quite important honestly, but I can’t tell you any more than that, I don’t know what clearance you have.”
“I understand.”
They drove more or less in silence the rest of the way and Joe made the first contact of the day in her head, saying he’d be back as soon as he could as he wanted to find out what all the fuss was.
Alice, getting uncomfortable in the cold, lifeless atmosphere of the car, thought it best to ask a question. “Who’s in charge of this case?”
“Oh, we’ve got officers all over the US working on this, but I think it’s alright to tell you that you’ll be working with Agent Ed Campbell. You’ve worked with him before, haven’t you?”
“Yes I have, and this is starting to sound like a security alert.” She saw a little smile come on his face, but he said nothing. Alice knew security alert wasn’t the right term for it; it more than likely had a code name.
When they got to the office, she was taken to a waiting room and given a cup of coffee. Twenty minutes later, Agent Rosemary Burrows came smiling into the room. She was tall and thin and in her early 50s; it was whispered around that she had a long-term boyfriend but their jobs kept them apart. Both of them had put their careers first and they were happy with that arrangement.
“Alice, you raced me! How long have you been here?”
“Not long, I came straight here and was told to wait for you.”
“Right, I’ll find out who’s in charge and what they want of you and Joe, and if it’s an overnight job then they can find us a hotel. Stay here and I’ll…”
“It’s Agent Campbell,” Alice interrupted her, “Agent Clark told me he was here and we are part of his team.”
“Are we?” Agent Burrows was disappointed but not surprised. “He’s the brawn and I’m the brains.”
Burrows made a sad face as she sat down next to Alice.
“It’s something big,” Alice whispered excitedly, “Agent Clark said they’ve got agents all over the USA working on it.”
“Have they?”Agent Burrows said dryly. The excitement had gone out of her the moment she realized she wasn’t the leading detective. “Well, let’s get a coffee, find Special Agent Campbell and see what he wants Joe to do.”
As they walked down the corridor to the coffee machine, they heard a tap on one of the office windows as they passed. It was Agent Campbell beckoning them to come in.
Campbell was in his late forties and was the type of man who always did things by the book. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, athletically built and always open to new challenges. He wasn’t too keen on working with the Magic Man through Alice though; the idea spooked him. Of course, he was too proud to mention it so he maintained a cheerful expression as the two women walked into his office and shook hands with him.
Agent Campbell wasted no time and went straight to the point. “Mrs. Timberlake, I guess you’re wondering what this is all about.”
“You could say that.” Alice nodded excitedly.
“I just got off the phone with the Deputy Director of the FBI and he is running this operation with Homeland Security. He has asked me to make sure you understand that none of what I’m about to tell you goes to press. You are not to write a word of this until I give you clearance, agreed?”
Alice nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Campbell motioned with his hand for both of them to sit down; he began to brief them both but his eyes were firmly locked on Agent Burrows. “We had a tip-off from MI6 that there are two suicide bombers in the country and that they are intending to kill congresswomen.”
“Have they named anyone in particular?” Burrows asked.
“No, it seems the father of the terrorists wasn’t a fan of women who speak in public, especially on TV.”
Agent Campbell explained to them the story as it had been relayed to him, bringing them up to speed.
“How reliable is this information?” Burrows asked.
“Well, the CIA thought they’d try and find out more about Ali Haddad, the younger brother of the terrorists and the person who had been overheard telling his friends about his brothers’ plans. They sent in one of their men to find out more but it seems that last night after he left Omar’s café at about 2230hrs, he was mugged. They say he was found early this morning in a back alley, a hundred yards from his home with his throat slashed and his tongue cut out.”
Alice gave a gasp. “The poor boy! And the mother, she’s now lost a husband and two sons.”
“Well, if things go crazy over here, she might have to bring that tally up to 4 sons,” Campbell said matter-of-factly.
“Muggers don’t normally cut peoples’ tongues out,” Burrows said, ignoring Alice’s almost-sobs. “It sounds like he’s been murdered for talking; that’s why he had his tongue cut out.”
“Yes,” Campbell agreed, “the cutting out of his tongue is very symbolic.”
Alice gave another gasp. “Oh my God, I don’t believe it.”
“Do you think al-Qaeda found out he had been talking?” Burrows asked Campbell as they both ignored Alice and discussed the case. They were both professionals and couldn’t let such
gory details interfere with their work.
“Those were the CIA’s first thoughts,” Campbell replied, “but they realized that MI6 had an agent there at the time, and it would be in their interest to find out more about the camp that the two brothers went to. MI6 did pass on information that the two terrorists brothers had learnt to drive cars and handle firearms. They also told us that the brothers were coming to kill the President’s bitches, and then they found out that the bitches were congresswomen not the First Lady and her daughters. We wonder how MI6 found all that out in such a short time, other than by asking the boy personally.”
Alice was taking it all in and at the realization of what Campbell was implying, she blurted out, “Are you saying MI6 tortured the boy and then cut his tongue out? The British would never do such a horrible thing.”
“Yeah, sure,” Campbell said sarcastically and he waved his hand as if to say, Just forget about that.
“How MI6 got the information is none of our business, the fact remains that two trained terrorists have arrived here in San Francisco, and stopped overnight in rooms at a Thailand restaurant.” – He looked at Alice now – “And that’s where we want you and Joe to start. Homeland thinks the owners of the restaurant were too scared to talk in case of retaliation so we are going there now to ask them some more questions and it’s all an excuse for Joe to work his magic on the owner. The Deputy Director specially asked for this.”
Campbell waited for it to sink in, then he added, “He wants Joe to get into their heads and find out if they know more, okay?” He gave Alice a false smile. “How you and Joe do it, I really don’t wanna know.”
Alice heard him clearly but she told him anyway. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out an old badge. “Joe sent this badge to me by post last week and said if the FBI wanted him to get into someone’s dreams, then I was to let that person hold this badge that Joe had touched, and once they had touched it, it would make it easier for Joe to make contact with that person.”
Kill The President's Women (Joe The Magic Man Series Book 2) Page 3
