Drew explained, “Arnold is a traitor who worked for Homeland Security. I’ll have the CIA put him under surveillance. We’ll want to retrieve all the files he’s stolen and we may need you and Marie to help us with that.”
Marie laughed and said, “You mean you’ll maybe need our help if you can get Missy into his computer the way she did with Pancholi’s and get our remote access software installed onto it.”
Robert said, “Exactly! Which brings up the real reason we’re having this meeting. We’re hoping Missy can get your software installed on some computers over in Afghanistan being used by top leaders in the WIJO organization. Drew has some CIA and NSA experts who can help you with whatever you need to know concerning the Afghan language or any other foreign languages, if needed. And, they think those computers will have Linux operating systems.”
“And,” said Marie, “you want us to create something on a website which Missy can access and to provide her with instructions. We understand.” She and Lisa had been partially briefed about Missy being a witch and about supernaturals; she knew the experts Drew was mentioning would not be aware of any of that.
Drew said, “It’s really important that your remote access software not be discovered by any of these people. There are a lot of lives that depend on that.”
Lisa laughed and said, “Don’t worry! Marie’s worked for over a year at making her special Missy Virus software impossible to find; once a computer is infected, it’s done. She owns it.”
Robert said, “You girls call it the Missy Virus? Why am I thinking we do not want to know any details about that!”
-----
Tracy and John were enjoying a fun day in Boston, having dropped Mike off at Logan airport that morning and then parking near Quincy Market. There was just enough fresh fallen snow to make the city look really pretty, but not enough to interfere with strolling through all the shops and food courts or watching the various street theater performances.
Being the day after Christmas, the atmosphere was filled with a vacationing spirit and somehow seemed more relaxed. Frantic shoppers were no longer racing around, replaced instead by those making a few returns at a more leisurely pace, and other visitors who were just there, as they were, to enjoy the day.
They’d wanted to spend the day just by themselves and would do another round of visiting the next day, with their flight to Texas the morning after that. They’d again be very busy with all the necessary visiting once down there, so they were appreciating this alone time a great deal. It was therefore an unwelcome interruption when Tracy felt her wards over at Alice’s place suddenly flaring up.
“John, something’s happening and it’s not good. Wow! I’ve never felt this before!”
“What? What do you mean? What are you feeling?” he asked.
“Millie described this but, you know, actually experiencing my protection wards being triggered like this? Someone is trying to harm Alice. I can’t say how but they must really be filled with malice to be making me feel my wards getting triggered so strongly.”
“You have wards around Alice?”
Tracy said, “Sure! Missy does too but, since she knew she’d be away, she asked me at the wedding to reinforce her wards. As you know, I already had some wards around the reception; it was easy for me to transfer them to Alice when we left. We were worried that asshole stalker might go after her or Sandy.”
“Who, Morelli? That guy you chased off at the wedding?”
“Yes, and I’m guessing it’s probably him right now. That’s maybe why I’m noticing this so much. His evil energy is really doing a number on my wards!”
John knew these protection wards would not physically stop an intruder but reacted to whatever the intentions of that person might be. If someone was determined to get through the wards, they could do so. And, the greater their resolve to cause harm, the greater reaction Tracy would have when the wards were triggered.
He had Mark’s number on speed dial and quickly tried ringing his friend. His call went to voicemail.
Tracy got through to Robert and quickly briefed him, getting his assurances the FBI would have a team check out Alice’s place immediately. Since there were BAT surveillance teams nearby, watching the terrorist suspects in Dorchester, he assured Tracy it would only be minutes before personnel would be where Alice lived in Boston.
She and John hurried to where his car was parked and soon they too were on their way. She dialed both Alice and Mark while John was driving but neither picked up. Not good. And, she was feeling all pins and needles from how strongly her wards were reacting. Definitely not good!
Meanwhile, Paul Morelli was congratulating himself on how well his luck was going. First, he’d been able to sneak past the two D’Amato security guards and get into the apartment building where the Mathews girl and her husband lived. He’d used the old trick where you ring the bell and announce you have a delivery to get one of the residents to buzz you in. That had worked. Then, he’d quickly disappeared inside the building and had stayed hidden for an hour. The resident had of course come down to see why no one had come up with a package but, finding the lobby empty, they’d given up and gone back up to their apartment.
Then he’d made his way up the stairway to stand near the Mathews’ door on the third level. And he’d waited some more.
Sure enough, his patience was rewarded. Just over an hour later, the door had opened and the husband had walked out, alone. Mark Mathews. Probably an errand to run. It didn’t matter. He had been ready with one of his chloroform soaked handkerchiefs and managed to quickly subdue Mark without being seen, either by Mark or by anyone else. It took a few minutes for Mark to pass out but his struggles had been feeble due to the fumes he inhaled. Then, once Mark was out cold, Paul found Mark’s keys, opened the apartment door, listened for a minute, dragged Mark inside and closed the door again. Now, it was time to get that bitch Alice.
Although he had no way of knowing this, it was his violent attack on Mark which had triggered Tracy’s wards.
There was music playing, which Paul figured was helping … the girl Alice hadn’t noticed anything as yet. She did notice when he came charging into the kitchen, however. But, she didn’t manage to scream before he forced a handkerchief into her face. Like her husband, she was soon unconscious as well. And, it didn’t matter that she’d seen his face. She was never going to be seen or heard from again.
He merely needed to get her outside and into his car without anyone seeing him and all would be good. He looked around and, again, luck seemed to be with him. There was a nice six-foot-by-nine-foot rug on the floor in the living room. Perfect. He quickly rolled Alice up inside of this rug, hoisted her up onto his shoulder and, after glancing around quickly to make certain he was leaving no trace evidence behind, he went out into the corridor and closed the door.
There was an elevator but he wanted to avoid the risk someone might get on that and notice him so he returned to the stairway. All was quiet and he started down, carrying Alice wrapped inside the rug without difficulty. This was indeed his lucky day.
Until it wasn’t.
Before he reached the lower level, someone rushed inside down below and he could hear their steps coming up. Towards him. He quickly turned around and began climbing back up, hoping to elude whoever was using the stairs, after which he could again make his descent. But, carrying the girl slowed him down and, since she had seen him and could identify him, dropping her to make good his escape was not an option. He could hear the other person was climbing rapidly and would soon overtake him. Fuck!
He turned back and started down again, hoping to pass this person without incident. But that didn’t happen. As soon the person came within sight and saw Paul with his bundle, he raised a revolver and aimed it right at him, yelling, “Freeze! FBI! Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
At first Paul thought about trying to bluff his way out by threatening he’d kill the girl unless allowed to leave, but he quickly realized that was futile. He
’d be identified and his Uncle Ray would know. Likewise, actually killing the girl so she could not identify him and attempting escape without being identified was also not going to succeed. The FBI had arrived here definitely looking for him and no doubt had all escape routes covered. He’d fucked up and gotten caught. How that had happened he couldn’t figure, but? He was done.
The FBI guy advanced slowly, gun still trained on Paul, and ordered, “Put the girl down. Slowly!”
Paul did as he was told and backed away with his hands raised. Another FBI man appeared on the stairway above, weapon also pointed at Paul, and slowly came down the steps. Then Paul was grabbed and turned around, his face pressed up against the wall while he was quickly handcuffed with his hands behind his back. Yeah, he was done.
When Tracy suddenly came rushing up the stairs, Paul recognized her as the one who’d taken photos of him at that wedding reception. He stared at her and then asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Tracy said, “You’re Paul Morelli and your Uncle Ray will need to pay Sal D’Amato a lot of tribute for you attacking Alice like this. She better be okay!” She quickly went to check on Alice who the first FBI guy had now unwrapped from the rug.
Paul didn’t really pay much attention after that. His life was over and this girl, whoever she was, had obviously had something to do with that. The FBI men led him down the stairs after two others came up to attend to Alice. As he was brought out into the lobby he saw several others all gathered around. Yeah, they’d somehow all come here looking for him. How he’d fucked up, he didn’t know, but … yeah … his life was over.
An hour later, John and Tracy were talking with Mark and Alice, back in the Mathews’ apartment. The medical techs had left after declaring both victims to be okay and very, very lucky. The techs had also given some detailed instructions which Tracy assured them would definitely be getting followed since she and John were staying right there for the night.
Earlier, Robert made an appearance but once the FBI guys finished taking statements, gathered what they needed for evidence and finally took their leave, he left with them. The two D’Amato guards had also briefly appeared, apologized profusely for not stopping the attack, and then had made themselves scarce. It was obvious Mark and Alice wanted to be alone with their two friends.
Once they’d talked through the evening’s events several times, Alice finally summed them up. “This attack on me was because of the work I do, helping the Roseanne Fund girls. And, I’m okay with that. I am grateful for this last-minute rescue tonight.” Looking at Tracy, she said, “But, you and Missy and your supernatural friends can continue doing your part to go and save the world. I’ll continue saving all the young girls which being Director for this Roseanne Fund allows me to help.”
Tracy and John both looked directly at Mark.
Mark grimaced slightly and said, “Alice and I have discussed all this many times. It’s what she wants to do and I’ve told her I’m in. I’m all in. I’m proud of what she’s doing and I want to help, however I can and regardless of the risks. Again, though … thanks for the rescue tonight!”
Chapter Forty-Two
Dec 27, 2019
Missy had started her third eight-hour segment staying close to Karimi when she sensed Mike once again being within her range. He had taken regular commercial flights with layovers in New York and Dubai and was finally arriving in Kabul that day at two p.m. local time.
She’d been as up close and personal with Karimi as it was possible to get, her spirit entity staying right with him ever since Sami had pointed him out to her the day before. A tedious task, indeed. She’d been able to brief Les and Marsha about him during the two break periods she’d taken, about one hour each, back at the Camp Eggars office in her human form. Now that Mike was there, she’d be able to communicate through him whenever she wanted or needed to.
More importantly, she felt herself once again being complete with her other half now back. She sent him a mental message, Mike, I’ve really missed you! and felt him respond in kind. Ah, yes, with Mike there she could focus so much better. She began sending him more messages.
Mike actually began getting Missy’s messages an hour before landing. After clearing customs and immigration at the airport, he found Les waiting for him. “Hey, Les, thanks for picking me up.” He too felt more himself now that Missy was in his head once again. He’d stopped trying to understand their bond long ago. It was enough to experience it and for that, he was a very happy person.
Les said, “Hey yourself, Mike! Welcome back to Kabul.” They went outside and climbed into the sedan sitting there, waiting. Once inside, Les told the driver to head back and twenty minutes later they were inside the office with Marsha, Major Grimes and Sami. After everyone had exchanged greetings, welcoming Mike back, Les began his briefing on what Missy had been doing and what the latest status was for their operation.
“She did her vanishing bit right after Sami got her close enough to identify Karimi. He was returning from another meeting with the WIJO leaders to the hotel where he’s been staying. They have a headquarters right here in Kabul and he’s been visiting there every day since Tuesday.”
Sami said, “What Les isn’t saying is how freaked out I got when she did that. Knowing she could disappear and being there when it happens? Very different! I had to pick up her clothes and boots … we had ducked into an empty room … then she said “Later!”, disappeared in a shimmer of light and her clothes just dropped to the floor. She was gone.”
Mike laughed and said, “Yeah … she’s such a fun person when she does that.” He chuckled and the others laughed.
Marsha said, “We waited here until late last night; she was gone almost eight hours. Then, we finally felt that energy burst of hers coming from the bathroom down the hall. She came out and stayed with us for maybe an hour before returning to be with Karimi.”
“It was a little easier watching her clothes collapse on the floor when she did that shimmer of light thing of hers again,” said Sami. “I guess everyone else is used to it by now but I’m not sure I’ll ever get really comfortable with it. Jeez!”
Mike smiled and then asked, “What’s she learning about Karimi?”
Les said, “She was able to watch him boot up his laptop. She’s learned his password for that and she watched him read his email. Then, when he went to bed, he left the computer open and running so she managed to browse without needing to Change into her human form. Her telekinesis ability allows her to press keys and do what she wants with little risk. I mean, if he were to wake up and see his screensaver not working, she figures that wouldn’t be much cause for alarm. She was careful though; she says he slept through it all anyway.”
“We’re still waiting for Lisa and Marie to send instructions for their Missy virus,” said Marsha. “Once we have that, you’re supposed to signal her so she can come back here and learn what she’ll need to know so she can download and run that.”
Mike raised his eyebrows and asked, “Their Missy virus? You mean their remote access software?”
The others laughed and Les said, “Yeah, apparently they started calling it that going back to when Missy helped them do something similar once before.”
Now Mike laughed, recalling how Missy had explained about Marie and Lisa hacking into Jonathan Baxter’s computer and messing with him ever since. “Oh, right! Missy told me they’d really improved it since then but I don’t think she knew they’d named it after her. It’s what she installed on Pancholi’s computer, right? Sooo … you want her to get that on Karimi’s computer?”
“His and that of any other WIJO leaders she can manage,” said Sami. He looked over at Major Grimes. “According to what Drew Martinson has told us, those girls have been able to not only get all the files Pancholi has on his computer but those he’s stored up in the cloud as well. And, all his financial stuff. They own him now.”
Mike nodded and said, “Yeah, they had good reason to do that during that other time Missy he
lped them. And, like Missy said, they’ve been improving the software ever since. Okay. You said she was able to browse around in Karimi’s computer. Does that mean the software might work on his computer as well?”
Les said, “It has a Linux operating system and the emails are in both English and Pashto. But, Missy says she was able to navigate okay. Point and click. Her knowing Pashto helps, of course.”
“Drew is having some language and IT experts provide the girls some assistance so their software will work,” said Marsha. “That’s why we’re still waiting for them to provide it to us. They’re revising and updating and testing. We should get something later today.”
Major Grimes said, “Missy went back last night and got to read many of Karimi’s emails. He has messages from Pancholi and she can see where he’s been able to download files from him as well. She can see a lot of the stuff he has obtained but she doesn’t know how to access wherever those files might be stored up in the cloud. Hopefully, the Missy virus will allow us to get all that later.”
Mike had been getting messages from Missy all during this briefing and now he said, “Missy is telling me these meetings Karimi has been having this week are all about his reports, based on Pancholi’s data. And here, unlike back in Herat, they seem to be listening to him. She says he’s telling someone back home that he’ll be here one more day. Does the name Kahliq Abdul Tabish sound familiar to anyone?”
Sami said, “Yes! That’s his assistant and who my operative Husnia has been spying on. She says she learned from Tabish that the leaders here in Kabul are worried about Karimi’s theory about demons and invited him here to discuss that. General Blake is concerned since, if these leaders are worried, maybe there’s more planned than what we know about … we think they’re the ones behind what’s happening in Boston.”
Mike nodded and said, “Hence this Operation Lily Pad. Yeah. Understood.”
Missy's Operation Lily Pad (Missy the Werecat Book 6) Page 29
