by David Carner
“John, I need you to wear that at all times you’re here. Not everyone, like Fred, is still here and knows you.” Trip closed the case file he had been reading and leaned back in his chair. He ran his hand over his balding head. He stared at John a second and a slow smile came over Trip’s face. He stood up, and walked toward John. John had expected a handshake. He was very surprised when Trip hugged him. Trip stepped back and put one hand on John’s shoulder.
“John, I am so glad to see you. As much as you drove me crazy, you’re a saint compared to Bruce.” John was so stunned by the honesty of Trip that he began to laugh, and then to his surprise, stoic, rock solid Trip, began to laugh out loud. Trip turned and got a refill on his cup of coffee, and offered one to John, who politely declined. Trip leaned back on the coffee counter, took a deep breath and spoke.
“I need to say some things, and I need you not to interrupt me.” John nodded. “First, no matter what happens, you will get full access to your wife’s file.” John swallowed and looked away his eyes moistening. “I would ask you not look at it until you finish with this current case. I know how much that file will mean to you and I know you will put your everything into it, and right now, I have two live agents who need your help. After this case is over, I will give you every available resource I can to help you with that file.” Trip stopped. He wanted to let it sink in exactly what he had told John. John shook his head as if to clear cobwebs. He couldn’t believe that Trip was willing to go out on a limb for him. Maybe John had misjudged Trip all of these years, or maybe what happened with John and Sam had changed Trip. He didn’t know, but he did know he was glad of the change.
Trip continued, “Second,” Trip paused, sighed and continued. “I am sorry for having to put Jessica in the box with you that night. If I hadn’t, the DOJ would have come after all of us John. I did what I had to do, but I promise you I didn’t like it.” John nodded.
“Third, if, after this is over, you want back with your team, I will do everything I can to give you your spot back. I must warn you that Bruce has all but built a house in your old office space.” John smiled. Who knew that John was less trouble to Trip than Bruce? John waited to make sure Trip was finished and then spoke.
“First . . . Thank you. Second I completely understand, and third, if, and that’s one mighty big if,” Trip nodded, “if I come back, can my group just keep the foxhole?” Trip nearly choked on his coffee. He stared at John incredulously. Then Trip chuckled and smiled.
“You want to be down there in the basement?” Trip asked. John nodded. Trip continued. “It would kill him to know you’re solving cases down there and not on the main floor. He thinks he took something away from you, but if you show it doesn’t bother you, that will just kill him.” Trip clapped his hands together. “I LOVE it!!!” John had a huge grin on his face. “It’s all yours, and it’s perfect! It has everything upstairs did, and Chet actually has more computers down there than he did upstairs.” It was John’s turn to look stunned.
“I didn’t know that was humanly possible,” John said. Trip chuckled. John continued, “If you don’t mind, sir, I have two agents to help, and possibly a third to get reinstated, but most importantly there’s a certain someone here I need to make his life as miserable as possible.” Trip laughed and gestured toward the door. John tipped his hat and headed outside. Trip chuckled and drank from his coffee cup. He then spoke out loud.
“I think things may get a little interesting around here over the next few weeks.”
Chapter 12
John started downstairs when he heard a mocking voice call out to him.
“So how is the view from the bottom?” John stopped and smiled. He was going to enjoy this one. John turned and walked toward Bruce.
“Bruce,” said John, offering out his hand, “so good to see you.”
Bruce took John’s hand hesitantly. “John, glad to see you. I’m sad to say we have heard some bad rumors around here about you. I’m glad to see they were just rumors.”
John smiled and put his hands in his pockets. He rocked back on his heels and nodded his head toward the offices that Bruce now occupied. “I’ve noticed you’ve moved up in the world.”
Bruce smiled. “I must have impressed several people. I mean they did give me a section of the office that used to hold three people.” Bruce was looking very proud of himself. John slapped Bruce on the back and started to walk off. Trip walked out of his office and leaned against the doorframe. John was counting down in his head and as he reached one, Bruce called out. John smiled and turned.
“John!! If there’s anything I can do to help, you be sure and let me know.”
John walked back toward Bruce. “You mean like sitting on a week old case for three days to make sure that my crew, excuse me, I’m not an employee here anymore, my FRIENDS, have almost no chance to solve.” Bruce’s smile fell. “I don’t think I need that type of help at any point in my life.”
Bruce drew himself up and stepped right up into John’s face. Trip smiled, if John was 70% of what he used to be, this was going to be all sorts of fun.
“You better watch your step, Boy,” Bruce said. There was a veiled threat in the sound of his voice. John looked amused. Bruce continued, “There’s a new top dog around here. Take a good look around.” Bruce nodded his head toward his office.
John gave Bruce his second in the sun, and then decided to bring him back down to Earth. “Hey, Bruce, where’s your picture with your Dad?” Bruce looked confused. “You know like the THREE he shot with me for the cases I solved? You know the ones that he won his campaign with?” Bruce looked ready to spit nails. “I mean you had three years by yourself to rack up some photo ops and I don’t see anything.” John started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to Bruce, his voice very soft.
“I don’t care if you hate my guts, but understand this, if I was the raging alcoholic agent that you painted me out to be, I would still be five times the investigator that you would ever hope to be. Now if you don’t mind, I have a case to help my friends solve. Why don’t you go ahead and call Daddy and see if he wants another photo op with me? It’s sad, you’ve yet to realize, that if he didn’t take all these pictures with me, he might not get reelected. If he didn’t get reelected, you might not have a job.” John held his hand up before Bruce could speak. “You see, I know the truth. You father never asked for you to have a single job in his life. Washington has always thought that having you as an agent keeps him happy.” John dropped his voice down to a whisper. “Wouldn’t they be shocked if they found out how much your father would enjoy it if you lost your cushy FBI gig?”
John turned and walked down the hall, nodding at Trip as he walked by. Bruce had turned a shade of red that was off the color chart. He marched into his office and slammed the door. Bruce’s nameplate fell off the door. Trip laughed. It was good to have John back.
John rounded the corner and there stood Jessica, smiling.
“Making friends again, John?” Jessica asked.
“I know I should be the bigger man, but I enjoyed that.”
Jessica laughed. “We all did, John. We all did. Now let me lead you to our offices.”
John smiled, “I know the way to the foxhole, but I will follow you anywhere.” Jessica looked surprised by his deduction of the foxhole, but punched his arm for the last comment. John laughed and started down the stairwell. Jessica sighed. She knew one way or another, things were about to change in the agency.
Interlude
David George
Chapter 13
David George walked into the seedy hotel. He paused for a second trying to remember which alias he had used to rent his room. He silently chided himself for not having a better plan. David knew better than not to have a plan. Ever since he left the service he hadn’t planned the way he knew he should. David paused, got a mental grip on himself and remembered the alias. He took a deep breath, and confidently walked up to the front desk and paid for another week’s stay. The
manager took the money and offered David a receipt. David passed on it and started toward the stairs.
The package he held in his hand was what he had been waiting for. It had been delivered to the PO Box two days ago, but David hadn’t sent his runner to get it until this morning. That was the great thing about this town. He could easily find someone who wanted to make $100.00; $25.00 up front and $75.00 upon delivery of the package. The best part was David never had to show his face at the PO Box. David didn’t think he was being paranoid, but right now he could care less. In one week he would have Veronica in his sights, and he would do to her what he couldn’t all those years ago.
He shook the memories from his head and started up the stairs to his room on the third floor. The hotel was sleazy, there was no doubt about that, but no one cared who he was or why he was here, and that was exactly what he was after right now. He entered his room and opened the package. He had been invited to the White House as part of the dinner honoring the 5th Special Forces Group. David had just finished his last tour of duty three weeks ago. It wasn’t supposed to be his last tour. He had planned on re-upping, but David knew he couldn’t after what had taken place in Afghanistan. He sat down on the bed, and then laid back. He closed his eyes and the memories started flooding back to him of those last days in Afghanistan. He shook his head trying to get rid of them, but they came unabated and all David could do was relive them, whether he wanted to or not.
Chapter 14
It was pure coincidence he had crossed paths with Jason Sparks in Afghanistan, but as far as David was concerned it was the best luck ever. It was chance that both units were in the same small town in Afghanistan. When David first met members of Jason’s unit, he heard someone mention Jason’s name. David asked around about Jason; he asked around every time he heard names that could possibly be related to his past. They had always turned out to be people he didn’t know in the past, but this time it turned out to be someone he did know. What were the chances of David ever meeting anyone he knew over here?
David couldn’t believe it. It was actually the man he knew, Jason Sparks of Kentucky. David thought at first maybe the name was just a coincidence; there had to be several people named Jason Sparks from Kentucky. David did try to keep out of sight as much as possible just in case it was the same Jason he knew. There was no sense taking chances it might be the man he knew. No, it was best to play it safe and deal with it when he verified if it really was Jason. When the fighting broke loose in the streets however, David saw his opportunity he took it.
Jason had gotten separated from his unit by enemy fire. He was pinned down behind a car while taking fire from snipers in a building across the street. When David happened upon the firefight, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There was Jason Sparks; how had he gotten from Kentucky to Afghanistan was anyone’s guess. The irony of the situation was not lost on David. He had gone thousands of miles away from Kentucky to avoid six people and had found one of them in a small town in Afghanistan. David was assessing the situation when he noticed a member of the Taliban circling Jason and starting to approach him from the back. David was furious, there was no way he had finally found Jason all these years later just to watch another man kill him. He screamed at Jason.
“Behind you!!”
Jason turned to see the Taliban member coming toward him. Jason sprayed gunfire toward the enemy soldier. The enemy soldier took cover behind an overturned cart in the road. David signaled he would get the Taliban member behind Jason, while Jason would get the sniper still in the building across the street. David came in behind the Taliban soldier and hit him in the head with the butt of his gun. The Taliban soldier went sprawling, dropping his gun, while Jason shot the sniper across the street. Jason turned around to see if his fellow soldier needed help and saw the US soldier standing over the prone body of his would be assailant. Jason came up toward David with his hand extended. David ignored the hand and bent down to pick up the enemy weapon. Jason was a little taken aback. David spoke before Jason could.
“Jason Sparks, from Kentucky?” Jason looked stunned. He really had no idea who was in front of him. David smiled very slowly and asked him the question that would end Jason’s life.
“You don’t remember me?” Jason shook his head no, looking very confused. “How about my sister?” Jason looked even more confused. “Does the name Beth George ring a bell?” David asked. David watched as realization slowly crept over Jason’s face. David felt a slow smile cross his face. He then spoke the last words Jason would ever hear.
“I’m David, David George.”
Jason looked as though he saw a ghost, and then dropped dead as David shot him with the enemy weapon. David then picked up his own weapon and shot the Taliban soldier. David felt elated inside as he called for help. As other solders found his position, David had to repress the glee inside. As far as David was concerned what just happened was self-defense. It may have been over 25 years since it was needed, but it was self-defense in his mind all the same.
Chapter 15
David stood up from the bed he had been reminiscing on and walked to the window. He could see the Washington Monument from his window. This was coming together so much better than he could have ever hoped for. He walked over to his closet to inspect his dress uniform. He suspected it would be the last time he ever wore it . . . unless they tried or buried him in it. When this was over, he truly doubted anyone would ever remember that he served his country. David thought back to that awful day when his life had truly changed. The day when Jason had caused him to fall down that old mine shaft and land on top of the lifeless form of his sister.
He thought about how he wanted to go back home, but knew he couldn’t. He knew if his mother was alive, she would never forgive him for not protecting his sister. David thought of the irony. His mother never protected him or his sister. They had looked out for each other for years, until Jason had ended her life and tried to end his.
He thought about the old family that had taken him in a few days later. He was nearly dead when they found him. David had found an opening in the old mine shaft he had been shoved down, and crawled out of it. He had hid out in the hills until the old man had found him when he was out hunting. The old man who had helped raise him for the next five years was the closest thing to a father David had ever known.
David shook his head. His mother had little to no education that he knew of. She drank, took all sorts of drugs, and would date any man in the county, or surrounding counties, that wanted her. It was no shock to him when he learned she had died of an OD two months after he and his sister had disappeared. He wanted to go back after his mother died and tell the town what had happened to Beth, his sister, that day . . . but he knew better. He knew Veronica would have something done to him, or worse, no one would believe him over Veronica. No, it was better this way.
Pap, that’s what the old man had David call him, raised him. Pap and Maw lived in the hills. Everything they had they got from hunting, farming, or fishing. Every once in awhile, Pap would go into town and buy a few things and get his mail, but for the most part he and Maw lived off of the land. David never learned their last names. Pap worked David hard on the farm. David didn’t seem to mind. He immersed himself into the work.
Maw began to home school David. When he started to complain, Maw told David if he wanted any chance of getting in the Army someday he had to have a diploma. Not only did David stop complaining, but he poured as much effort into school as he did with work. Ever since Maw and Pap found David, all he would talk about was joining the Army when he turned eighteen. He believed it was his only chance to get away and not be found by the group; Veronica’s group. The one he had tried to be part of . . . until Beth died and Jason tried to kill him. They had never wanted him in the group since he was a few years younger than the rest of them. He always followed them whenever Beth went out with them. After Beth died, he never really thought they were looking for him, but he always wondered. He wondered if anyone checked t
o make sure that both of them were dead.
When the day came that David turned eighteen, he told both Pap and Maw goodbye. Pap gave David a ride into town, and $200.00. Pap said he had earned that and more over the years. They shook hands and David headed into town to try and find out where the nearest Army recruiter was. Pap watched him walk away and never tried to chase after David. Pap had watched the scrawny broken boy he found grow up to be a very strong and dangerous man. Pap knew something had happened to him, but never asked what. As far as he was concerned it was probably best David joined the Army. Pap drove off, never to be seen by David again, and honestly, Pap never wanted to see David again.
David’s biggest fear was when he joined the Army he would be questioned about his disappearance for over six years. David was stunned when everything was over and no one had asked him about him or his sister.
David snapped back to the present. He always wondered why his mother had never filed a missing persons report. As he climbed the ranks of the Army and was stationed at Fort Campbell, he did a little digging. Apparently neither he nor his sister had ever been listed as missing, or dead. Looking back, he couldn’t say he was surprised. His mother avoided the law as much as she could. She always suspected the law was after her. What he understood now that he didn’t understand as a child is the only reason the local sheriff and police kept looking in on her was to check on him and Beth.
It was a small town he grew up in until the incident and everyone knew that it was really just him and Beth. People in small towns tend to take care of their own. Someone always seemed to be bringing a casserole or something over at night for him and Beth to eat . . . which was good, because Beth really wasn’t much of a cook. As bad a cook as she was though, she was a much better cook than David’s mother. Beth was probably more of a mom to him than his own mother. Beth . . .over 25 years later, and he still woke up in a cold sweat thinking of that last time he ever saw her before she went to meet Veronica. David set his jaw and nodded to himself. He would see that Veronica came to justice . . . one way or another.
