ZAP Agent Mathis

by C. R. Daems

  "How long are you staying in DC?" I knew the senator represented Idaho but wasn’t sure where the family resided when he wasn’t in DC.

  "A week or so. I need to get back for school." She stood evaluating me and probably trying to imagine me tailing her to school with her friends.

  "You'll need new drapes."

  "Why?" she asked, staring at the drapes like they had the answer.

  "Because at night with a lamp on, someone on the street will be able to see your shadow through these," I said, hating to scare her, but better she knew the truth. "It's probably not necessary, but why take chances?"

  She frowned and her eyes darted to the windows. Then she nodded. "Timothy didn't say anything about the windows."

  "Timothy and I worry about different things. I'm your personal security, and therefore I only worry about your safety. It is unlikely anyone will shoot at you through the window, but why tempt them by giving them something to shoot at?"

  I could see her eyes turn misty as the reality sank in.

  I sat down on the corner of the bed and patted it for her to come and sit. "Lexi, you can call me Kate. My job is to keep you safe. I will do that by staying close to you at all times. That will mean anyone who wants to hurt you will have to get me out of the way first. And I'm not easy to get out of the way."

  "But you're only a girl ... woman," Lexi said as if that proved her concern.

  "Believe me, they didn't send a puppy to guard you; they sent a junk-yard pit-bull," I said.

  A smile appeared on her little round face. She jumped off the bed and headed for the living room. "Dad, Kate says I need heavier drapes for my windows so I don't tempt someone to shoot at me."

  "Are you an idiot, woman? You're scaring her!" Burns shouted.

  "I'm doing my best to keep her alive. If she thinks this is a game, she will be careless and make it harder for me to protect her. If she understands the threat is real, she will be more cautious and far less likely to get hurt. The people we believe are threating her have sniper rifles, AK-47s, in addition to Glocks with expanded clips. Personally, I'd change all the drapes in all your rooms. If I were them, I take a shot at the windows just to put you on edge."

  Burns and his wife glared at me as if I were a loose rattlesnake, then put their heads together and talked in a whisper.

  "I think you're right about my man in the hallway," Timothy said, leaning close. "Any suggestions?"

  "I think I'd get him a police shield. That way he would have something to hide behind while he exchanged shots with the assassin. Might even give him an advantage."

  "Sounds like good advice, thanks and good luck." He nodded toward the Burnses and then turned and left the apartment.

  In the end, the senator called his aide and arranged for thicker drapes to be installed the next day.

  "What now, Kate?" the senator asked with a scowl.

  "Everyone should go about their business. I'll be seen but not heard unless I feel you are putting Lexi in unnecessary danger. However, you must remember to include me in any arrangements that involve your daughter." I moved back against the dining room wall with a good view of the room and the entrance.

  A short time later, the senator and his wife went into their bedroom and Lexi came to join me. She pulled out a chair and sat.

  "Why don't you ever sit?"

  "You wouldn't like your pit-bull sleeping, would you?"

  She gave a small giggle then sobered. "I'm glad you're here, because I'm scared even though I pretend I'm not."

  "If you can keep the image of me—a pit-bull—on a leash about the length of this room, you will be safe. Like a real pit-bull, I will be watching everyone and everything so you don't have to."

  "Don't you get scared?"

  "I would if I thought about all the bad things that could happen, but I don't. I focus on you and the people and things happening around you. That way I have an advantage when the bad guy shows up. If I worried about all the bad things that could happen, I’d be distracted and they would have an advantage. Besides, that would take all the fun out of the job."

  "Fun?"

  "Yes. While protecting you, I'm going to learn about the real Lexi: her life, friends, enemies, likes, and dislikes."

  "You’re crazy."

  "Maybe. Is it crazy to want to save good people from evil people?"

  She didn't answer, just sat looking off into the distance. After a while she got up and wandered into her bedroom. I followed and used a spare blanket to cover the window while she got ready for bed.

  "Goodnight, Kate," she said as she crawled into bed.

  "Goodnight, Lexi." When I entered the living room, the senator's wife was sitting on the couch, obviously waiting for me.

  "I had planned to stay here for a few weeks until Lexi's school is scheduled to start. Do you think it's safer in DC or Boise?"

  "The kind of people we are potentially dealing with will go wherever they need to in order to get your daughter; however, I think they would stand out a bit more in Boise than DC. That could be a small advantage. I worry more about the kind of Lexi's activities. That will determine the extent of her vulnerability."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Routines are bad. It gives an assassin a chance to prepare for an ambush. Your best defense is to ensure I know where Lexi is going in advance so I can prepare her and me." Privately, I was thinking that unfortunately, there was no real way to prepare in this case where the potential assassins were opposites: gang members who tended to be impulsive and mobsters who tended to hire methodical killers.

  "Robert and I have decided I'll return as soon as he can make arrangements."

  "Thank you for letting me know. Maybe I can help." I dialed Dory.

  "Hi, Kate. Get fired already?"

  "I tried, but I must be getting old. Would you see if I can get the company plane to fly Mrs. Burns and her daughter back to Idaho? They plan to return for school, and I believe that would be a safer mode of transit and Idaho an easier place to defend her—smaller population and fewer strangers."

  "I'll check and get back to you with Director Liang's answer." When she hung up, I turned to Mrs. Burns.

  "Mrs. Burns, Director Liang’s secretary will discuss using the company plane to fly you and Lexi home."

  "Thank you for the thought. You can call me Denise, Kate, at least in private. How is this going to ... end?" she said, looking away from me.

  "One or more of those men are going to make an attempt on your daughter. I'll kill them, and the FBI will make a case against any of their known associates. That should change the anger from Senator Burns to me, and you can go on with your lives." I mentally crossed my fingers and said a small prayer to whoever might be listening to take pity on an innocent little girl.

  "You make it sound so simple." She turned and headed toward the bedroom. "Good night, Kate."

  After blocking the door, I had a wash and relieved myself, moved the lounge chair to watch the entrance, and settled down for the night.

  * * *

  The familiar sound of an automatic weapon had me up, gun drawn, and kneeling behind the chair with a direct line-of-sight of the entrance. More gun fire, then silence.

  Just then, Lexi appeared peeking around the corner.

  Seconds later the senator was there with a gun.

  "Lexi," I said, "go back into your bedroom. The shooter has an automatic weapon. There will be bullets flying everywhere. I'll come get you when it's safe."

  "Get out there and help!" the senator shouted.

  I ignored him.

  "Do you hear me?"

  "Yes. I hear you warning the gunmen outside to be careful—that another guard is inside," I said quietly. "Go back into your room, Senator, and let me do my job. If you want something to do, call nine-one-one."

  He did disappear into his bedroom, but I could hear his periodic rants.

  "She's a coward. What good is she hiding behind a chair? I'll have her fired."

  Sometime later
there was a knock at the door. "Kate, it's Agent Matthew. Everything all right in there?"

  Before I could answer, the senator rushed by me and opened the door. "Replace that coward!" he shouted, his face scarlet. He looked on the verge of a stroke.

  "How's your agent, Timothy?" I asked, ignoring the panting senator.

  Timothy also ignored the senator. "Thanks to your suggestion, he has only minor flesh wounds. The shooter knew he wasn't going to get quick access and had only minutes until a response team would be on its way and left after only a brief exchange."

  The senator looked to me. "Your career is over!"

  "Senator, let's get something straight. I'm not here to protect the FBI. I'm not here to protect you or Mrs. Burns. My assignment is to protect your daughter, and she is safe." I took out my phone and hit one on my speed dial, feeling sorry for having to get Liang out of bed at this hour, but the issue couldn't wait. When I heard her mumble something, I handed the phone to the senator. "Senator, I have Director Liang on the phone."

  He took the phone and walked around the room ranting about me as he related the incident from his perspective. Eventually, he handed the phone back to me with a scowl.

  "I'll approve the company plane for you to get away from Senator Burns," said Liang. "Dory will call you with the time of arrival and departure. Good night." The phone went dead.

  Denise had appeared in a pink robe and stood with her arms around Lexi.

  "Mrs. Burns, Director Liang has approved the company plane to take you and Lexi to Boise."

  Denise nodded and proceeded to make coffee and a chocolate drink for Lexi.

  When everyone was settled down, the senator spoke. "I seem to be the only one who thinks you didn't do your job," he said looking at me. It wasn't a friendly look but the color in his face had returned to normal.

  "The ZAP program was established by Congress specifically to protect important people like you from being assassinated. To ensure a high degree of success, the ZAP agent is responsible for his or her assigned individual—nothing else—not the police, FBI, other family members, or bystanders."

  "That's ... ridiculous. Stupid." Burns said but not quite as loud as before.

  "Based on the simple scenario you have in your mind, it would appear stupid. I run to the door, open it, shoot the assassin, and save the FBI man in the hallway. However, another possible scenario is I run to the door, open it—and get shot, since the FBI man is already dead and the shooters are waiting. They walk into Lexi's bedroom ..." I didn't finish it, not wanting to scare Lexi.

  Denise's hand flew to her mouth.

  Lexi nodded her head several times in apparent agreement. She might not have liked fighting, but she wasn't stupid.

  "I'm scared," Burns said. "They are threatening my family."

  "You have good reason to be apprehensive. But you have the best protection the government can provide for your daughter. I’m not just security but security specifically designed to stop assassins."

  * * *

  "Welcome aboard, Mrs. Burns and Miss Lexi," Carolyn said in her normal cheerful voice as we entered the plane. "I'm Carolyn, your flight attendant. I'll be serving lunch in a few hours, but if you would like a snack or something to drink before, then let me know."

  "Mother, look at this. And we are the only passengers," Lexi said walking past Carolyn into the interior.

  "Do you always fly like this?" Denise asked, choosing a seat across the aisle from me.

  "Right now the organization is new and small, so occasionally they book me on the company plane when they need to get me someplace in a hurry, or like now when it benefits the security of the client."

  "Seems a strange profession for a woman. Not the FBI, but this ZAP group. You're on your own facing assassins, and it seems it’s kill or be killed. Doesn't that bother you?"

  "I'd rather think of it as saving lives, like that of your daughter Lexi. And that is very satisfying."

  Denise nodded and relaxed, watching Lexi change seats every ten minutes. She even got a quick peek into the cockpit.

  At the airport, Dory had a limo waiting. The limo used State Highway 20 toward the foothills of Boise, turned onto Warm Springs Road, then lost me using several side streets to Castle Rock Circle, a dead-end street. The directions didn't really matter since I had no plans to drive a car or even a bicycle. I didn't like Castle Rock Circle, since the house was visible from Quarry View Way and bordered directly on Castle Rock Park—a large open area which gave a sniper a lot of choices.

  When we pulled into the driveway of the two-story house, two men exited a black Chevrolet Tahoe. Fortunately, I recognized Timothy and holstered my weapon.

  "Hi, Kate. Carl and I have checked out the house. It's clean. I'll have two men on duty at all times. One to follow Mrs. Burns ... and one for her daughter." He watched me closely, apparently not sure of the protocol.

  "Hi. I don't mind an extra helping hand. I would like to know when they change shifts and to meet each agent. I'd also like each to understand I welcome their support, but my only concern is Lexi."

  "I'll brief everyone." He nodded and headed back to the car.

  "Denise, before you get settled, can you and Lexi give me a tour of the house? If there’s trouble, I need to know all the doors and where they go, in addition to which bedrooms you occupy."

  The house made me nervous. I didn't like the location, the number of windows, and I'd wager multiple entrances. The tour proved me right. The house was nearly four thousand square feet, with a bedroom, two bathrooms, kitchen, and living, dining, and recreation rooms downstairs, and three bathrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.

  "Well, what do you think, Kate?" Denise asked after we finished.

  "I don't like the location or the house, but we have to work with what we have. The good news is the blinds on the windows are adequate so long as you keep them closed at night. Keep all the doors locked all the time. It won't stop anyone, but it will give me a second or two warning." I turned to face Lexi. "Lexi, you must keep me in sight at all times, even in the house. You can go about your normal activities, but I go along. You are in far less danger so long as I'm with you."

  "You think someone will try to kill me?" she said in a whisper.

  I didn't want to scare her, but she needed to understand the risks, as it would make her more likely to cooperate.

  Denise stood shaking her head at me.

  "Yes," I said. "Two men lost their daughters and blame your father. Although he wasn't to blame, they are in pain and want him to suffer like they are. You are right to be frightened, because these men are scary. But you and I are going to be the last two standing." I smiled and raised my hand for a hi-five.

  Her frown slowly changed to a tentative smile, and she slapped my hand.

  "Was that necessary?" Denise asked, looking angry.

  "Yes. The better she understands the risk, the more likely she is to listen to me. I can't be watching her all the time and monitor the area as well. Besides, she's more likely to notice anything out of the ordinary than I am."

  Denise decided she needed to go to the store for groceries and looked to me. I in turn looked to Lexi.

  "Mom, I need to exercise. I’d like to go for a run." She looked to me with a crooked smile.

  "Good, I could use the exercise." I moved my suitcase to Lexi's bedroom and we both changed into running clothes. "Where?" I asked.

  "The Park. Once around is about a mile." She started for the back door.

  "Key, remember? Keep all doors locked at all times," I said for both Lexi and Denise's benefit.

  Lexi ran around the park five times, so I got a good look at the neighborhood. I noticed the FBI man on duty didn't join us. He either didn't see us leave or wasn't into running. We passed a lot of people walking or running for exercise, walking their dogs, and kids playing. I hoped our quick change of location would give me a few days to learn Lexi and her mother's routines before the thugs followed us to Boise.

  * *
*

  Over the next several days, Denise and her daughter got ready for the new school year: shopped for new clothes, school books and supplies; registered; and paid a visit to the school principal, a Mrs. Sherwood. That proved amusing.

  "Having a bodyguard in the classroom could be very disruptive, Mrs. Burns," Sherwood said after Denise explained I would be accompanying Lexi to school.

  "Not as disruptive as a gunman in the classroom shooting at young girls," I said.

  "Couldn't you stay outside? Stop him before he comes in?"

  "There will be an FBI man posted outside. That would be sufficient if there were only one entrance to the school. Is there?"

  "Well, no. There are several. I think Lexi should stay out of school for the protection of the other children."

  "Mrs. Sherwood, the senator and his family have been threatened. It could just be one of our citizens exercising what he thinks is his free speech or the person may just intend to throw paint on the senator's family car or he may shoot at the house. Who knows? We are just exercising reasonable caution. This individual is not some local psychopath, so he's not out to kill the other children at school. He's mad at the senator." I paused to let her digest that. "Besides, are you going to tell an Idaho Senator his child can't attend school? Good luck."

  "Well ..." She looked a bit nervous at the thought and looked to Denise and quickly away.

  "I promise not to speak unless spoken to," I said.

  Lexi turned her head and coughed in an excellent attempt not to laugh.

  "The novelty will wear off in a day or two, and I will be ignored."

  "So long as the classes aren't disrupted," she finally conceded after thinking about going up against the state's senator.

  "Did you mean what you said to Mrs. Sherwood?" Denise asked when we were back in the car.

  "Which part?"

  "The minimal threat at school."

  "Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm going to trust Lexi's wellbeing to an assumption about who, when, or where."

  * * *

  True to my prediction, I was the main attraction for the first couple of days. Each teacher wisely pointed out who I was and that Senator Burns's family had been threatened, which avoided a lot of questions and speculation. By the third day, except for some of the older kids who couldn't resist making wisecracks, the kids had found other things to gossip about.