Missy's Operation Lily Pad (Missy the Werecat Book 6)

by P. G. Allison

  Carlos was not ready to make any commitment but it didn’t seem as though he had anything to lose. He had no reason to dismiss this Pancholi character and didn’t really want to anger the CIA. He realized the “government friends” who had helped Missy McCrea make Rodriguez disappear were most likely separate and distinct from the CIA. And, although those friends of hers had of course helped him with being the one to replace Rodriguez, nonetheless he was far from being on friendly terms with all those other U.S. government agencies.

  Missy had once explained how her government friends were monitoring all the paranormal and supernatural activities around the world but did so mostly on a “non-interference” basis and did not get very involved with chasing criminal organizations or participate very much with all those other agencies. They were busy enough just handling what they had on their own plate.

  “As Rafe has explained,” said Carlos, “we really don’t know anything which might be helpful. But, I’ll let you question Pablo a little further, if you like. As you’ve said, he did have many dealings with Arnold over the years, acting on behalf of Rodriguez.” Looking at Pablo, he asked him, “Can you think of anything which might help the CIA locate this Homeland Security traitor?”

  Pablo was relieved that Carlos seemed okay about his talking freely to the CIA about Arnold. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll be glad to help but I have no idea where this Arnold may have gone.” He had been walking a very fine line ever since Rodriguez had left and Carlos had taken over. He knew it was very necessary that he continue making Carlos happy. Or else! The alternative was not anything he dared to think about. He was still having nightmares about what had happened that night when Missy McCrea had forced Rodriguez to leave.

  Arvind began asking some questions which Pablo had no difficulty answering. Clearly, Arvind was fishing, looking to understand how things had worked between Arnold and Rodriguez, reviewing various activities and delving into depths greater than what was on the surface. Arvind knew quite a bit, which Pablo assumed he’d learned from Homeland Security. Then Arvind began asking about the JAT task force. The Jacques Arbogast Team.

  Arvind said, “So this task force came to Bogota from Cancun, where Arbogast had operated, and even their name designated they were getting their information from Arbogast. He had been working for Rodriguez, right? And, they were here in Bogota conducting an investigation into the Rodriguez organization, in spite of how Arnold had helped cover things up for years?”

  Pablo nodded and said, “Yes, that’s true. After that task force grabbed Arbogast, they ended up coming here. Only, Rodriguez didn’t think they were really getting all their information from Arbogast.” He glanced at Carlos and suddenly became quite nervous. Maybe he’d just made a mistake, telling this CIA guy how there’d been doubt about Arbogast being the source. He’d never directly asked Carlos about this but had taken it for granted that Carlos had been the one who had leaked information about Rodriguez.

  Arvind of course noted Pablo’s distress right away and that helped confirm what he’d suspected. The fact that Carlos was a supernatural, had a prior history where he’d been running a criminal organization in Miami for ten years, and had then somehow ended up being the one to replace Rodriguez? He was guessing Carlos must have had some help and probably had worked directly or indirectly with someone in the U.S. government. But, he still couldn’t quite see how things were connected.

  He continued, saying, “Well, the U.S. government has many sources beyond Jacques Arbogast. We know he was responsible for kidnapping Candace Axtell, for example, but he wasn’t responsible for her being over in Afghanistan so she could be rescued the way she was.” Arvind knew bringing up Candace Axtell, without acknowledging who sold her to terrorists, would probably get a reaction. And, it did. Pablo’s distress increased considerably.

  Pablo had vivid memories about Missy McCrea and recalled her saying how she’d been the one to rescue Candace from the WIJO terrorists. This whole conversation was forcing him to recall things from that night when she’d shown up. He’d been trying to forget that night and had avoided talking about it to Carlos or anyone else. He had no intention of discussing anything further now.

  Arvind pressed on, saying, “Arbogast was merely one of Rodriguez’s middle men, acting for Rodriguez, right? How much did Rodriguez get paid for her, anyway? I understand he was paid in drugs rather than money.”

  Carlos interrupted and said, “Why are you dredging all of this up and what does it have to do with finding Philip Arnold?” He could see how Pablo was getting worked up and he wanted to change the subject.

  “Well, the payment probably doesn’t matter,” answered Arvind. “And, Arnold wasn’t in the loop for the rescue operation. But, he was providing Rodriguez with some rather unusual information, right while all of that was going on. Right after Arbogast disappeared. Since it makes no sense, we naturally are curious whether it might be related to his own disappearance. These reports which Arnold was sending down here were maybe the last things Rodriguez asked him for. Then, Rodriguez disappears. Right after that? Arnold disappears. We’re merely looking for possible connections.”

  Carlos could see Pancholi didn’t realize where Rodriguez had gone. But, it wasn’t a surprise the CIA hadn’t been in the loop. They probably suspected he was responsible, since he’d taken over and was running the organization now. “Look, when Manuel Rodriguez decided to leave, he did that on his own. I had nothing to do with that. I merely stepped forward to help run things after he left.” He looked over at Pablo and said, “Pablo has been assisting me. But, we know nothing about Arnold.”

  Pancholi nodded and said, “Okay, then. I see. So these reports about a West Point Cadet named Missy McCrea? We do know she helped in Cancun with Arbogast being grabbed …” He stopped because as soon as he mentioned Missy’s name, Pablo reacted. He was visibly terrified and made no effort to hide his discomfort. In addition, it was obvious both Carlos and Rafe knew who Missy was. And, since Carlos had likely received help from someone in the U.S. government, maybe that wasn’t all that surprising. Maybe it was starting to become clear how things might be connected.

  Carlos stood up and said, “We have cooperated fully, Mr. Pancholi. But, we have nothing further we can tell you which will help. Please go. This Philip Arnold worked for your Homeland Security. We’re down here in Colombia and simply don’t know anything. Yes, Rodriguez paid him for various services. But, so what? Obviously when Rodriguez left, Arnold got worried. So he left. He was a traitor and he didn’t want to get caught. Good luck with your search.”

  Pancholi smiled and stood up as well. “Very well. I am very grateful for your cooperation. I will be sure to mention how you have been open and forthcoming, should anyone ask.” The meeting was clearly over and he wanted to leave without stirring things any further. But, he would definitely be getting with Pablo Estaban later. Whatever had caused such absolute terror in that man was something he very much wanted to learn more about.

  Ten minutes later, he was driving his rental car back towards Bogota. This meeting had indeed provided him with some excellent insights and a much better understanding of things. Yes, he would arrange to see that same girl Maria as last night. Things were going well and he felt fully deserving of a nice reward.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dec 4, 2019

  Tracy had been up for only a half hour when she suddenly sensed Missy’s energy entering the room. Well, she’d gotten the call the night before that her roommate would be returning and planned to teleport back once the “P” Branch jet was within five hundred miles. Sure enough, a few moments later, Missy’s characteristic energy pulse was accompanied by Missy herself re-appearing, back in her human form. Oh, goody!

  “Hey, Tracy! Did ya miss me very much?” Missy giggled as she went over to where she kept her clothes and selected some undergarments to wear. “I’m thrilled to be back, of course, but when we get a chance, there’s so much to talk about!”

  “I’m sure there
is and I can’t wait to hear about everything. And, yeah … great to have you back again. This place just isn’t the same without you.” Tracy smiled at her friend and then said, “You cut things pretty close. You’ll have to hurry if you want to make your formation but I know that won’t be a problem for you. I trust you got some sleep on the plane since we have a full day ahead of us here.”

  “Oh, yes. I got enough so I can push through any jet lag, no problem. And, you know how great the meals always are, thanks to Marsha. So I’m good.” Missy had continued to dress herself while she talked and soon was wearing the appropriate uniform for the day. She didn’t need to shower or even comb her hair, thanks to always materializing from any Change all fresh and clean with perfect hair.

  Tracy was ready now as well and the two girls left their room together and headed out, but each then went off in a different direction since they were assigned to different units. Missy was in B Company, third Regiment while Tracy was in D Company, second Regiment. They also had different majors and, for those subjects they had in common, their schedules had them taking those at different times.

  Missy’s major was Defense & Strategic Studies which combined various subjects and disciplines to understand the nature of war and the role of the military as an instrument of national power. It would provide both theoretical and practical understanding of the use of force for policy ends. Her goal, of course, was to eventually serve in the Special Forces and perhaps someday lead one of the Delta Force teams.

  Tracy was a Psychology major but wanted to attend flight school after graduation and become an attack helicopter pilot.

  They didn’t see each other again until after dinner when they both arrived for their language class in Pashto and Farsi with Major Kahn. Sergeant Town had actually managed getting back and was there as well. Of course, not being able to teleport like Missy, he had only just arrived after driving down from Boston where the “P” Branch jet had landed. He and Mike had gotten off there and the jet had then flown with Les and Marsha down to Washington, D.C. where it was normally based.

  Their classroom was one of the ones which just about everyone at the academy now referred to as Kelsey’s Korner, named after Kelsey Powers who had set up after-hours tutoring assistance the year before. Now, not only were her third year yearling classmates continuing to get help but fourth year plebes were as well. Several other cadets assisted her in this but everyone still looked to her as the one in charge.

  Kelsey was also one of Missy’s former roommates and Missy had convinced her to take this special language class which General Blake had asked for. Her boyfriend Mitch Cooper, also a third year cadet, had eagerly agreed to take the class since he knew it would help his career. Of course, in addition to having an incredibly high IQ, Kelsey had a real ear for proper pronunciation so the others in the class looked to her for corrections whenever Major Khan or Sergeant Town were not around. Since it was a total immersion course, they all practiced using both languages even when not in class.

  Twelve cadets, all yearlings like Missy, plus Captain Bonomo, one of their TAC Officers, were taking this course. The cadets were all close friends and really enjoyed the chance to be together for this class since their other classes often had them scattered far apart. Yes, it was extra work, but they were all good students and considered the effort well worth it. Khan’s Klass at Kelsey’s Korner. KK@KK. Six days a week and they found themselves looking forward to it more and more.

  Missy was warmly welcomed back, just as she’d been at all her other classes, and easily joked and bantered with everyone about the two days she’d missed. Naturally, in this class, all this was in Pashto. The hour went by quickly … Major Khan really was an excellent instructor … and then many stayed for several minutes afterward, continuing to talk about academy life as well as how they’d spent their Thanksgiving vacations. But, she and Tracy were finally able to talk freely once the group at last broke up with everyone going off in different directions.

  Missy quickly related how things had gone once she’d joined Candace’s tour. She told Tracy all about Arvind Pancholi who was still missing and highly suspected of being a spy. Then, when she finally mentioned how Oliver had identified two supernaturals in Kabul who had turned out being werewolves, Tracy really got excited.

  “Wow,” she exclaimed. “You weren’t kidding about having lots of things to talk about. Werewolves?”

  Missy nodded and said, “Yeah. You should have seen their reactions when General Blake told them he knew what they were. I was right there the whole time, in my spirit form, just in case he needed me. He told me afterwards how knowing I was there really helped, even though I was invisible. They didn’t know and never did find out I was there, since they’re not witches and couldn’t sense my energy.”

  “Did they try and deny it? Tell him he was crazy? I mean …”

  ‘No, but they needed lots of assurances from him that he wasn’t going to expose them or arrest them before they could relax enough to talk about it. He handled them pretty well, explaining why two off-the-grid supernaturals being there in the U.S. embassy was suspicious. He never did actually explain how he managed to identify them as werewolves but kept asking them to explain stuff until he was satisfied they weren’t spies or any threat to our national security.”

  Tracy asked, “Were they able to do that? What was their story, anyway?”

  “Well, you probably know this but I had never thought about it before. Werewolves always want to live in packs rather than have anyone being a lone wolf. Only, there aren’t that many werewolves so it’s very difficult for them. They are really careful about keeping secret while, at the same time, they try to increase their numbers. Since it’s a rare genetic thing, that means they are always concerned about breeding. The best chance for giving birth to more werewolves is when both parents are werewolves. Even then, it’s maybe only fifty-fifty.”

  “Uh, oh! I can see how that might cause some problems.” Tracy shook her head as she considered what a werewolf breeding program might entail, amongst a very small population. “It’s like with all those hillbilly incest jokes only maybe not so funny, huh?”

  Missy laughed and said, “Exactly! To avoid marrying cousins or, worse, brothers and sisters, they make arrangements with other packs. That’s what happened with Amanda. She was born in Germany but once she reached puberty and was able to Shift? She was sent to Canada to live with the pack over there. It was an exchange, actually, with one of the young Shifter girls from that Canadian Pack going to Germany. Arranged marriages are pretty much like back in the Dark Ages, with the pack always coming first.”

  “Wow! And you thought you had it bad, forced to live alone in the mountains for a couple of years. At least you did manage to get back to your family. These girls are forced to leave home, go live with strangers and then marry whomever they’re told to mate with, huh?” Tracy shuddered with revulsion as thoughts of such barbaric treatment entered her mind. “I suppose it’s necessary, though, if you want to sustain all those wolf packs without in-breeding. Ugh!”

  Missy said, “Things got really complicated for Amanda. She was living with the Tremblay family and was supposed to mate with Dylan, the oldest son of the Alpha. He’s supposed to be Alpha himself some day in the future when his father steps down.”

  Tracy raised her eyebrows, expectantly. “Only, I’m guessing Dylan isn’t the one she’s with now, is he?”

  “No, she and Dylan’s younger brother Gene fell in love. They were in all the same classes in high school, were living under the same roof, were always together … they couldn’t help themselves, according to what they told General Blake. As you can imagine, once they started having sex, there was no keeping that a secret.” Missy giggled, saying. “You think I have a sensitive nose? Wolves are ten times more sensitive than cats.”

  Tracy laughed, understanding why things had gotten complicated. “So what happened? Why couldn’t …”

  Missy answered without letting her fini
sh. “Long story short, they were evicted from the pack. And, they can never go back. They also can never go to any other pack since Gene isn’t really an Alpha and what they did was such a big no-no. The way Gene tells it, his brother wanted to kill him and his father would have been okay with that, only his mother insisted they be allowed to just leave instead. So, they went away to college, which his mother paid for. That was at the University of Illinois and, after graduation, they got married, became U.S. citizens and joined the Foreign Service as translators.”

  “So, they travel around the world, keeping a low profile, avoiding other packs, and someday? Will they have some kids and start a pack of their own?”

  Missy nodded and said, “That’s been their plan. They even have waited on having kids until now, so they can get close to having their twenty years of service in before any kids they might have will reach puberty. They have not been selling secrets to foreign governments. Nope. They’ve been keeping secrets of their own and being really careful. That’s why they managed not showing up in the “P” Branch database.”

  “What about the packs they came from?” asked Tracy.

  “Oh, yes,” said Missy. “Les checked and “P” Branch knows about both of them. But, with less than fifty percent from any pack ending up being able to Shift, Gene and Amanda weren’t flagged. Once Gene left home and didn’t return? It was assumed he was yet another who hadn’t inherited the werewolf genes. And, Amanda was completely off the grid. They hadn’t even tracked her from Germany to Canada at all. It’s quite a daunting task trying to identify and keep track of all the supernaturals around the world.”

  Tracy knew that; it had been why General Blake had encouraged Candace and Oliver to go on this tour. Since Oliver was an air witch, his ability to sense other supernaturals was especially good. And, of course, he’d done very well. No doubt, the general was already looking at having him visit more embassies along with various other key facilities throughout the Mid-East. She asked, “What happens to Gene and Amanda now? You said General Blake handled them pretty well.”