by Woods, Karen
Spider dropped his hand away from her arm. Then he looked beyond Geri. “Your bride has strong opinions.”
Josh laughed. “She has a mind of her own,” he agreed. “And she isn’t at all afraid to speak.”
Yeah, right, Geri thought, sure I’m not afraid to speak my mind. That’s why I’ve confessed my love for you, so often and loudly. Yeah right. “Go back to bed, Josh. It’s way too early for you to be up,” she said as she turned to face her husband.
“It’s way too early for you to be up, too,” Josh replied. “You need your beauty sleep.”
She smiled and teased him. “What, you don’t fancy being married to an old hag?”
“Very funny, Sweetheart,” Josh told her in a tone that said he found her comments to be anything except funny.
“I have work to do. Excuse me.”
“You need your rest.”
“There is no rest,” she said, her words as stark as her mood. “Besides, I have a design to rework, as you well know. I might as well get a start on it as long as I can’t sleep.”
“You’ll function better if you have some rest,” Josh advised.
Geri shook her head. “I need to play with the ideas a bit before I’m willing to say I’ve got a solution that doesn’t cause more problems than it solves. But, I think I’m onto something.”
“The work will always be there,” Josh offered.
“I know. But, work doesn’t get done by waving our hands at it and hoping it will go away. The only way anything gets solved is to actively try to solve it.”
Josh laughed. “Woman, you don’t have to solve every-thing by yourself.”
“Old habits are hard to break, husband, especially when I haven’t the least of intentions of trying to break them,” she replied. “I work best alone. Now, I need to get to it. I’ll be in your office, working, if you need me for anything.”
* * *
After she walked away, Josh turned to Spider. “Okay, what was that all about?”
“Hell-if-I-know,” Spider said with a dismissive shake of his head. “That woman of yours doesn’t much like me. She called me a jaguar.”
“She’s a good judge of character.”
“Well, she’s a quick study. I’ll give her that. And she’s fast on her feet. She’s able to think faster than she moves. All in all, she’s really quite a dangerous character. Which makes her a perfect match for you, old buddy.”
Josh nodded. “I think so. She’s a very good woman. Since you’re up, you want a cup of coffee?”
“I wouldn’t turn it down. Then we have to talk.”
Geri was in the kitchen brewing a pot of very strong coffee. Hearing them come in, she removed two more cups from the cabinet. She poured cream into Josh’s cup. “How do you take your coffee, Spider?”
“Black, three sugars.”
Geri sighed again. She should have figured the man would have a sweet tooth. Then she placed three spoons of sugar in his cup.
The coffee finished brewing. She poured herself a cup, then poured the coffee into the men’s cups. She took her cup, turned to face them. “Josh, I’ll be in your office working.”
* * *
Geri settled in at Josh’s computer. Somehow, as she told Spider, she just couldn’t think of any of this house as hers, in spite of her marriage to Josh. This would always be his and Amanda’s house.
But, she had work to do. The existing design for the P100 had been burned onto a CD and brought over, under guard, from the engineering department by one of the junior engineers before the close of business yesterday. The files had a password code to open them. Geri provided the password and got into the design files, then she provided the secondary encryption code and finished decoding the files.
She had been reviewing the design of the control circuitry for over an hour when Josh came in. Or at least, she was trying to review the design. But, it was hard to look at anything since she was crying. She hated the thought that Hilda was probably dead, just another wasted pawn in this terrible game of revenge.
Josh sat down and was silent. Geri didn’t acknowledge him, even though she was painfully aware of him. She didn’t want him to know that she was crying.
“We haven’t even been married a week,” he teased, “and you’re ignoring me.”
“I’m working Josh,” she replied without turning to face him. “Please leave me to it.”
Josh walked out without saying another word.
Geri forced herself to concentrate on her work.
At five thirty, Josh came back into the office. “Do you want breakfast, Geri?”
Geri saved the work to the hard drive and placed a blank CD in the CD writer. “Sure. Just let me burn the files.”
“Are you done?”
“Not hardly. But, I think I’m on the right path,” she said as she turned around to face him. “I’ve fixed some of the major design flaws.”
Chapter Seventeen
Josh put down the phone as he stood up from the breakfast table. “We’ve got a bomb in warehouse number one,” Josh told Geri and Spider, who had joined them for breakfast.
“Figures,” she replied, also rising to her feet. Warehouse number one was where most of the volatile chemicals were stored. An explosion of a bomb properly placed within that structure would level not only that warehouse, but would do serious damage to the entire complex with the resulting chemical blast and fire.
“The man’s not stupid, Geri,” Josh said.
“No. He’s not. But, I wish he were. It would be easier to deal with. We need to get there. My being there is the only guarantee he won’t explode the device.”
Josh looked at his wife. “Explain that.”
“It’s a given there is at least one person who wants me dead. But, blowing me up wouldn’t give either of them enough satisfaction,” Geri said. “And my staying away would only give them the opening to do more damage. They’re not going to risk losing the personal face-to-face revenge they want by exploding that device if it could kill me.”
Josh looked at her for a long moment. “But they did explode the bomb on your car.”
“They had to have seen the remote starter there. If they’d wanted me dead, they would have hooked the bombs into the brakes, not the starter. And they blew up my apartment building when they knew I wasn’t there. No, he wants personal revenge and won’t take any action to rob himself of that which he wants so desperately.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Josh asked her.
“Then I’m dead. And the entire complex is leveled. The complex will likely be leveled anyway if I’m not there. I’m not telling you that you have to come, Josh. I’m just telling you I’m going,” Geri replied. “I know I’m right on this. I know it.”
“For what it’s worth,” Spider said, “I think she’s right.”
“If you’re both that confident, I’ll trust you. We’ll go,” Josh said.
“Sir,” the bodyguard called Tony said, “I wouldn’t recommend this course of action.”
Josh smiled tightly. “Tony, I trust my wife implicitly. She has a good head on her shoulders.”
“Yes, sir, but it’s my job to see she keeps it there,” the bodyguard replied. “I recommend you two stay home.”
“No,” Geri denied. “Albert is willing to kill by explosives if those deaths are simply an instrumentality, a way of getting my attention, or boxing me into a corner. He showed that when he killed the children in my apartment complex. But, he’ll want his final revenge against me up close and personal.”
Josh nodded. “Probably. But you know it’s a risk.”
“Life is one risk after another. Let’s get over to warehouse number one. He won’t blow it if I am standing there,” Geri replied.
Tony, the bodyguard, said, “That’s assuming that he’s monitoring your actions.”
“He’s watching,” Geri replied, her voice certain. “I don’t know where he is. But, he’s monitoring this somehow in real time. I feel it.”
> The bodyguard looked at her as though she had gone crazy. “You know that sounds profoundly paranoid, m’am?”
“You aren’t paranoid if they really are out to get you,” Geri countered. She looked at her husband. “I’m going. Are you staying, Josh? Or are you going? I won’t hold it against you if you stay behind. In fact, I think I would prefer it. At least, that way, I know you will be safe, whatever happens.”
“Then you aren’t so sure of yourself,” Josh observed.
“I don’t have time to argue or to second guess myself on this. I have to be there.”
“Marriage to you is anything except boring,” Josh said as he put his arm around her shoulder.
“Personally, I could use with a little boredom, now and again,” she said. “Couldn’t you, sweetheart?”
“I could indeed. And things will settle down once we get Albert, Geri.”
“Or when he gets me,” she replied with resignation in her voice just before she began to walk quickly towards the door. “That would cause things to settle down dramatically.”
Josh fell in beside her. The bodyguards flanked them. Spider fell in behind.
No one said another word not related to the event.
“I want silence on all radios, cordless and cell phones everywhere in the complex,” Josh said. “We don’t know if this device is radio detonated and I don’t want to take the chance.”
“Already ordered, sir!” Tony replied. “I want to file a protest against going into this situation.”
“Noted,” Josh said. “Hazard pay begins now.”
They were silent until they got to the warehouse building. The warehouse manager had evacuated the building. The entire crew stood well outside of the building.
Pete Jennings was the manager.
“Pete,” Geri demanded, “show me the device.”
“I’m not going back in there,” the man said. “They are on a timer and there are only a few minutes left.”
Geri nodded. “That’s okay, Peter. I understand. There’s more than one device, I take it. Where’re the devices?”
Pete showed her his clipboard. There was a floor plan drawing of the warehouse on the clipboard. “We discovered the first device here. The second one is right here.” The bombs were a good fifty feet apart.
“Are they independent of one another?” Josh asked.
“I didn’t look that closely at them,” Pete admitted.
Geri had been studying the floor plan and the placement of the devices. She shook her head. “No. My gut tells me that there would have been a third device. Either here or here. That would have been the only way to maximize the impact of the other two. There might even be devices at both other places.”
Spider looked at the architectural drawing. He nodded. “That’s the way I would have done it.”
Geri sighed. “Well, at least we’re of the same mind. Remind me to tell you later how deeply that scares me. Let’s go take a look.”
“Can you drain the tanks?” Josh asked the warehouse supervisor.
“Already in progress,” the other man, Pete, stated.
“That’s putting time constraints on this,” Geri said thoughtfully. “He’s going to want to blow the devices before the desired level of harm is decreased below where he wants it to be. Get your crew out of here. The police have been called, I presume?”
“They’ll be here in a few minutes,” Pete said.
“Don’t think we can wait that long,” Geri said. “Sam,” she said to one of the workmen standing there, “give me your tool belt. Someone has to take a look at those circuits.”
“You aren’t going in there alone, Geri,” Josh said as she took the tools.
“I’m not asking anyone else to handle my problems Josh.”
“Woman! You aren’t going in there without me. That’s final.”
Geri looked at him. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask.”
She nodded tightly. “Then if you are coming, come on.”
“Rick, give me your tools,” Josh commanded.
Josh took his wife’s hand as they walked toward the warehouse building. Spider and Tony both fell in behind them each with another set of commandeered tools.
“Spider, Tony,” Geri said, “you stay out of this!”
“You’re going to need every trained hand you can get,” Spider said.
“Thanks,” she told him. “Let’s take a look at these bombs.”
“It’s been years since I’ve had anything to do with explosives, Geri,” Josh said in concern. “The last time I even saw an intact bomb was over two decades ago.”
“If you don’t feel competent, Josh, this is the time to fall back. There is no disgrace in it,” Geri replied. “If I didn’t need to be here, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I vowed to protect you. I will be with you, whatever happens,” Josh said, his voice fierce.
“I love you, Joshua Samuel, with all my heart,” she confessed as she squeezed his hand while they entered the building. Then, without giving Josh time to respond, Geri called out loudly. “Hey, I know you are monitoring this. If you blow this building, you will forever ruin your chances of face to face revenge. I’m going to look at those bombs you planted, and if I can, I will disarm them.”
She told the guys, “I’ll work over here. You all check the other likely sites. Sing out about what you find.”
“You okay?” Josh asked.
“I’m fine. My assailants aren’t happy. So, stay on your guard.”
Josh smiled at her before he went to check the explosive devices. The other two men split off and went to check for the explosives.
Geri was examining the device that was planted near the solvent tank at the front of the building. The device was on a timer. There was five minutes and forty-five seconds remain-ing on the digital display.
Spider called out “I’ve got six minutes on the display.”
“Six fifteen,” Tony called out.
“Six and a half,” Josh said.
“Okay, nothing like a series of explosions,” Geri said. “Follow along with me. I have a fairly simple independent device. Gray charge, five by four by three inches, likely homemade. Digital timer with its own battery is controlling a switch that will discharge a big capacitor—from a camera flash unit. The capacitor is hooked to the detonator. Black wire from timer to capacitor. Red from timer to switch. Green from capacitor to detonator. Sing out on any differences, guys!”
“Mine isn’t independent. There’s a yellow wire leading off the timer,” Josh called out.
“I’ve got two—yellow and black,” Tony called.
“I’ve got the black,” Spider said. “Looks like they are wired in series.”
“Oh God!” Geri prayed in a whisper. Then she called out, “Suggestions?”
Josh offered, “Snip the green, isolate the capacitor from the detonator. Then we will each snip the extra wires going from the timer. On one. Three, two, one.”
Geri dropped the wire cutters and walked out of the building after she had snipped the wires and bent them up out of the way so they couldn’t spark on anything.
When she was out of the building, she turned back on her cell phone. It rang immediately. The number was unavailable. “It’s probably him.”
“Answer it and put it on speaker,” Spider instructed.
“Erickson-Sutherland,” she answered the call.
“What made you certain I wouldn’t blow the building with you in it?” that familiar hateful disguised voice said.
“You long for face to face revenge. Nothing else will satisfy you,” she answered.
“Bitch!” Then he hung up.
The bomb squad arrived less than a minute later.
“The devices are disarmed. You can dispose of them, now, please,” Geri said wearily to the officer in charge. “I’m going home. You can find me there, if you want a statement. I’ve got work to do.”
“Geri,” Josh said, “I’ll
drive you home.”
“I need time to work, Josh.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“I’m not going anyplace except the house.”
“I’m giving everyone the rest of the week off with pay. We need to sweep the buildings,” Josh said.
Geri sighed. “That’s probably not a bad idea. I’m going back to the house now. I’ll send the car back for you.”
* * *
Geri was working on the redesign when Josh, Spider, and the rest of the bodyguards returned home.
Josh looked in on her. Her back was to the door. She heard him walk in. “You okay?”
She turned in the swivel chair to face him. “No. I don’t think I am. But, I’ll live. Did you get everyone notified?”
“I put the word out.”
“I got a call from Detective Matthews a few minutes ago. He wants me to go into town,” she said.
“Hilda?”
“He didn’t say. But, that would be my best guess. When is this going to end?”
“When we bag the bastards, honey. When we bag the bastards.”
“Or body bag them,” she offered.
“At this point, I’m willing.”
“I would shoot either of them on sight.”
“That goes without saying.”
“When are you going in?”
“We’re meeting at the detective’s office at ten. I need to get a shower.”
“I’ll go with you to see the police.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Geri turned around and saved her work.
“Are you going to let me look at that?” Josh asked.
“When I’m done.”
“When do you think you’ll be done?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe another few hours. I’d been playing with this in my head since we put together the specification sheet. All I’m really doing is putting those ideas down and making sure they are consistent with one another. Most of the hard design work, I’ve already done by just turning it over in my mind over the last few months.”
“Let me know when I can take a look at it.”
“You’ll be the first one I show it to.”
Chapter Eighteen
