by Gunn, Autumn
Chapter 22
After our romantic get away we returned home. We were still basking in the glow of such a magical time together and being engaged. The city was still basking in the excitement of our story. We were mini celebrities everywhere we went. Some people even came up and told us they feel safer now, knowing that there are two SEALs and an FBI agent in our town.
Things were never better between Kate and I. We were in love. Everyone could see it. Kate told me that people were coming up to her and telling her she had that special sparkle in her eye. That sparkle of a girl in love. My friends teased me about zoning out all the time. It was true. I was thinking of Kate, constantly. My memory was coming back slowly, but surely as well. My mind alternated between Kate and retracing my steps. Putting the puzzle pieces together. Unfortunately some of those questions took me back to my trust issues with women. I had some serious questions I needed answered.
I asked Cole to take the kids to a movie, to which he happily accepted. It was funny seeing how well Cole took to kids, and how well they seemed to enjoy him. I think that gym really gave him a big sense of purpose. Not only in his life, but in the lives of those kids.
While Cole was out with the kids I took Kate on a walk. It was a beautiful evening. I almost thought we might have to cancel. Kate had been waking up feeling a little ill the past few days. I though she might have come down with something. Jasmine and Jerry had a lot of friends coming in and out of the house so it would be easy to pick up something.
We walked along the river just outside of town. The sun would be setting soon. It was beautiful. Kate was beautiful. Our life together was beautiful, except for those nagging questions.
“Kate, we’ve really come a long way.”
“You can say that again.”
“I’m ready to take our journey to the next step, but every time I’m ready to do that something pulls me back.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“There are some questions I have that just don’t make sense. I don’t want to sound like I’m attacking you, or interrogating you, but as my memory has started to come back I’m remembering things, and I can’t for the life of me understand why they happened. I just can’t get things to line up.”
“I’ve noticed something was bothering you lately. It seemed like you’d drift off, but you always came back quickly and with smile. I thought maybe you were having flashbacks.”
“I’m having those too. It’s kind of like the first time, shoot I guess every time, you’re in combat. Once the combat is over you return there, whether in your sleep, or daydreams, or some other way. It’s just so intense that it’s hard to let go. Sometimes you keep certain thoughts with you forever.”
“I can imagine.”
I squeezed Kate’s hand harder and looked in her eyes. The sun was setting behind her. It was beautiful. Her brown hair had a very distinct amberish or orangish tint in this light. It was beyond romantic. I wanted to marry her at that instant. At that moment. Just the two of us along that stream, promising to be together forever. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
“I have to ask you something.”
“Jax, by all means. I want a totally open and transparent line of communication. No secrets, no regrets, no doubts.”
We continued walking. I looked ahead on the path and saw a fork. If ever there was an appropriate metaphor. I felt my body tense. I had goose bumps. I felt Kate’s answer would determine which fork we took. The right one, or the one that takes you to a dark place. A place you wish you never had to see. It seems like such a small decision at the time, but it is anything but. Just like this moment with Kate. It could define our relationship, or possibly end it right there, on the bank of that beautiful stream at sunset. Picture perfect or the broken glass of a frame which had held the photographic evidence of a picture perfect relationship.
“You called me to tell me Jerry had been kidnapped. When you were close to the Target store. That’s right?”
“Yes, of course. I was terrified.”
“I told you to go to the Target and I’d be there very quickly. I think I said four minutes. Does that sound familiar?”
“No. You said wait right there by the pay phone.”
“I said to wait by the pay phone?”
Kate went silent. I saw a tear stream down her face.
“Kate, I need to know.”
She began sobbing uncontrollably. “Yes. I was scared and didn’t understand why you left me out there like that,” she managed to get out in between sobs.
“Kate, what happened?”
“As soon as I hung up the phone. The second I hung up the phone, I felt a hand from behind come around and cover my mouth. The hand had a rag covered in a substance that caused me to pass out. I remember waking up in the back of a van sitting next to Jerry.”
Kate started crying uncontrollably. I pulled her in closely and she hugged me tight. She began again.
“He was propped up in a chair. They had a cloth bag over his head. We hit a bump and the chair fell over sideways. Jerry didn’t move when he hit the floorboard of the van. I couldn’t see the bag going in and out. I thought he wasn’t breathing.”
Kate stopped and wiped her eyes on the shoulders of her shirt. “I started yelling hysterically to check on him. I really thought he was dead. He hit the floorboard hard and I didn’t know what they might have already done to him. After at least 20 or 30 seconds, which seemed like an eternity in that situation, the men set him up and took the bag from off his head. He was bleeding, but he was still alive.”
“And the blood was coming from his head?”
“At the time I thought so, but after I read the report and his statements I’m not sure. It may have been blood from the struggle. He bit one of the guys pretty hard. He said he tasted blood and that the guy had bled on him after Jerry got a small jab in on the guy’s nose. He was definitely dazed, but he seemed like he was still conscious and without major injuries. At the time I was sure it was worse.”
“A mother’s worst nightmare.”
“Yes, my worst nightmare happening right in front of my face.”
Kate slowly stopped crying. “Sorry.”
“It’s OK. I understand. You have every right to feel the way you do. You almost lost your son.”
“Yes, but I didn’t. And everything is OK now. Time to move forward. Learn the lesson, but no more victim mentality thoughts.”
“Kate, just one last question. One thing to verify. I never told or asked you to go to the Target?”
“No, which was strange. I thought for sure you’d tell me to go inside a crowded place. I didn’t know why you wanted me out there like that. Only thing I could think was you wanted me out there as bait and maybe you’d arrive at the same time and save the day for everyone.”
I put my head down and stared at the ground. “You thought I’d use you as bait?”
“I’m sorry, Jax. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You said what you felt. I’m not going to argue. You’re right. Leaving you out there would put you in a position to be bait; a wading pool of blood for a great white shark. I’d never do that, and more importantly I’m sure I didn’t.”
“I’m sorry, but you did. I had a hard time forgiving you for that. I still think about it sometimes.”
“I know this sounds crazy, but I’m sure I didn’t do that.”
I thought for a second. “Kate, where was Jerry taken?”
“What do you mean, he was taken right from where I called you.”
“I know, but where specifically? Where was he? What was he wearing? What was he doing? Where were you at the exact moment you realized he was gone?”
“Don’t you dare think of blaming this on me.”
“No, no, no. It’s not like that at all. Please, just tell me. I think we may have been played against each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone had your mobile number, right?”
“Of course.”
“Right, because they were sending those messages. All along we thought it was Hrytsenko, until we realized it was Kong. Then I thought about it more and it made sense that it was Hrytsenko. If Hrytsenko found out Kong was after Jerry he might try and warn you, in order to keep Jerry safe. I checked some of those messages. They are exact translations of Ukrainian sayings. It would make sense that Hrytsenko would send them as he thought you’d recognize them because you’re both Ukrainian. Sending those messages makes it look like he had someone on the inside who knew when Kong was planning on taking Jerry out. That person was tipping him off and in turn he’d warn you. He had to send something a bit encrypted, but scary enough that it would get your attention.”
“I’m not sure what to say about that.”
“Kong said Hrytsenko was a pawn. Right?”
“So? To Kong, everyone’s a pawn.”
“I know, but he said double agent and pawn. What if Kong was sending you those texts in order to set up Hrytsenko? If he takes out the double agent he wins even more favors with the Russians. And if he has a popular high ranking guy on the inside of his team that he needs to take out because he’s becoming too popular or powerful he can claim he was leaking info to Hrytsenko. He eliminates that guy without upsetting the rest of his team and also showing he can sniff out snitches and of course deals with them accordingly.”
“But why would he need to frame Hrytsenko? He could just take me out and be done with it.”
“Because he wins the favors with the Russians. And by framing Hrytsenko, it keeps the Americans off his back for a minute, allowing him to prepare for his U.S. military sting.”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure.”
“And then I go and take a look and I’m framed for the murder and I’m put away without him having to lift a finger.”
“True, but he started before we were together and also wouldn’t he want to get revenge face-to-face?”
“True, but at some point his surveillance spotted me, and that’s when he had the opportunity to let me do his dirty work. Remember how he kept saying I couldn’t finish?”
“Yes.”
“Well he was referring to Korea to antagonize me, but he kept repeating it because it was even more recent in his mind. I didn’t finish Hrytsenko so he had to have someone else do it. There wasn’t enough evidence for the Feds to tie me to it. There was a lot, but apparently not enough or if there was they hadn’t officially come after me yet which was a small thorn in Kong’s plans.”
“Small thorn.”
“Small thorn that became a big thorn.”
“You mean a big, huge, briar patch of terribleness.”
I laughed. “I like that description better. Maybe even a briar patch covering barbed wire. That thorny.” I winked.
“Yeah, you are right, but why didn’t he take you out that night?”
“Maybe he planned to if I didn’t finish Hrytsenko off. There was a lot of traffic in and out that night. Maybe he just missed me or more likely he thought I had killed Hrytsenko. I left him in bad shape, but I knew he’d recover eventually. By the time he, or whoever was monitoring me that night, arrived to check on Hrytsenko it was too late. They thought it was open and shut when they saw me drive away, but upon close examination I’d left and Hrytsenko was still alive which ruined their setup.”
“A lot of coincidences.”
“Maybe, but maybe not.”
I have a plan. I’m going to check on something tonight when we get home.
“Let it go. We got the happy ending. We got each other.”
“I agree one hundred percent, but if we don’t know, there will always be questions. That and I want to prove to you I didn’t hang you out to dry at that phone booth. I know I didn’t.”
“It’s OK. I know you wouldn’t intentionally hurt me.”
“I wouldn’t ever hurt you. Intentionally or unintentionally and I’m going to prove it.”
Kate looked at me and raised both eyebrows. Her body language was clear…give it a rest. Let it go. I couldn’t. I had to know for myself and didn’t want her to wonder for the rest of her life why I would make such a careless decision. One I knew I didn’t make.
“Please, Kate. Where were you the exact moment Jerry was taken?”
I stepped inside a shop to look at a pair of shoes. Jerry tapped me and said he saw a motorcycle and wanted to look. He went outside to look.”
“Where was the motorcycle?”
“Across the street.”
“Could you see it from the shop?”
“No, it was blocked from view. It was parked in a corner on the sidewalk.”
“Could you see it from the pay phone?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so or no.”
“Jeez, Jax. No. No, I couldn’t see it. Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
“The exact opposite.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“We were both fooled. We were fooled by who we thought was the other.”
“What? What secret do you have now? What have you been hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything. It’s the full truth that’s hiding.”
“You realize how crazy you’re starting to sound?”
“All geniuses sound crazy at first.”
“And now an ego.”
“It’s not cocky if you can back it up.”
“Not exactly, but anyways, how do you plan on doing that?”
“I’m going to show you. Real soon.”
“Um, OK?” Kate didn’t seem to optimistic but she seemed even less enthusiastic about continuing this conversation. I quickly changed the subject, but the thoughts were bursting to get out. I knew what I had to do.
When we got home I went back to the one woman I had always trusted. The one who was always there for me and I was hoping she could deliver just one more time.
“Jax. How’s the quiet life?”
“Suddenly not so quiet.”
“Why don’t I find that hard to believe?”
“Maybe because you know me too well.”
“Maybe or definitely?”
“OK, definitely.”
“Thank you.”
“Laura, I know I already owe you 100 times over, but I have one more favor to ask of you?”
“I’m always here to help you guys. You know how much working with the SEAL Teams means to me. Active duty or not.”
“You’re the best. Here’s the thing. At the moment Jerry was kidnapped, there are conflicting verbal messages between Kate and I. If that wasn’t enough, there are also conflicting text messages from Kong and what Kate spoke.”
“OK, so Kong’s trying to confuse you. How is that strange?”
“That in itself wouldn’t be strange, but the way he went about it.”
“And how would that be?”
“I know this sounds crazy, but it makes sense. Kong is Korean. Korea is home of Samsung and a lot of other technological inventive marvels. A lot of the parts in an iPhone are actually made by Samsung. The wifi speeds are even up to 100 times faster in Korean homes than in U.S. homes.”
“What’s your point? You’re sounding nationalist or something.”
“Not nationalist. I think Kong has access to technology we don’t have or he’s using the technology we do have better than we know.”
“Do tell.”
“He was texting Kate at one point and later he texted me. He had our numbers. At the moment of Jerry’s kidnapping he sent conflicting information to both allow him to find and kidnap Kate, and to flush me out.”
“If he kidnapped Jerry, wouldn’t he know where Kate was?”
“Yes, but he lost track of her for a second. He wanted them both at once, of course, but he got Jerry and then realized Kate wasn’t right there. He needed her quick. He doesn’t want to create a scene.”
“And you think he used technology to pull this off?”
“I’m almost sure.”
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br /> “Can you check cell tower records for our phones for 10 minutes before the kidnapping to 10 minutes after? GPS and also routing?”
“Sounds strange, but I guess so if you think it’s going to make a difference.”
“A huge difference. It’s going to show us just what Kong was capable of and more importantly it’s going to improve the trustworthiness between Kate and I?”
