by JJ Aughe
Bailey wrapped his arms around her waist and held her for a space. Over her shoulder, he happened to notice something and burst out laughing. Jessie looked at him as if he had suddenly gone mad. Pointing, he directed her attention to the family cat. Unlike the Dachshunds, who were whining in the arms of the children, that precious family pet, though singed by the intense heat and fire she had run through, was sitting on the hood of the car calmly preening her fur as if nothing had happened.
Jessie stepped to the front of the car, gently took the feline into her arms. “You poor thing, you,” she cooed. “You must have been terrified. Look at you now, though. After what you have been through, I’d never have thought you’d be so calm.”
The little girl, seeing Jessie holding the feline, raised her arms toward her pet. In a frightened, but overjoyed voice she cried, “Becka! You’re safe!”
When Jessie handed ‘Becka’ to her, the child, still cuddling her Dachshund in one arm, smiled brightly and began to croon loving words in her pet’s ear. The scene was so touching that tears came to Jessie’s eyes. When she glanced up at Bailey she could tell he had been touched too. He didn’t give her time to comment though.
He took her hand, pulled her close just as a fire truck and an ambulance screamed to a stop, and firemen swarmed the area. A paramedic rushed over to them, asked if they needed assistance. Jessie shook her head and nodded to the children. “You better check them, though. I didn’t have time to do anything but try to calm them.” The paramedic nodded her understanding, knelt to eye level and began talking to the children.
“Jessie,” Bailey whispered. “I see the car has been moved. I suppose that Sean, being a cop, didn’t want us to be blocked in and must have done that so it would be clear for us to leave. We need to be gone before the police arrive to start asking us questions.” Nodding her head, she let him lead the few steps to Carol and Melissa standing beside Eddie, who had just relinquished his duties to the injured woman to paramedics.
Tilting his head sidewise to indicate the seeming chaos building around them Bailey mouthed, “Let’s go.” Understanding, Eddie silently nodded and the crew quietly stepped into the street. Once beyond the first fire truck they crossed to the far sidewalk where neighbors had gathered and, unnoticed by firemen or paramedics, nonchalantly strolled down the street. A few people in the crowd, though, watched curiously as the five disappeared around the corner.
When questioned later, those same people would say they hadn’t seen the five get into a car and all would have varying descriptions of the group of people the police, firemen and the victims all claimed had been the heroes who had rescued the woman and her children.
Chapter 15: A Mercedes
Once they were away from the scene of the fire Bailey recalled Eddie’s statement that their vehicle was probably on H.S. radar. But, again he had no idea where they could secure another one. To his surprise, Eddie came up with an answer.
Eddie had been thinking about their need for different transportation while he had been attending to the woman’s burns. He remembered that an old friend lived not too far away. He told Bailey he might be able to barrow a car from a friend and made a fast call. Within a minute or so, he ended the call and told Bailey that his friend had a vehicle and gave him an address. Instead of continuing on toward Melissa’s, Bailey headed the opposite direction for the freeway interchange.
While Bailey drove Jessie was thinking about Bailey’s escape from the fire, turned to ask how he had got off that second floor, but hesitated when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a silver Mercedes sedan pull into the outer lane of the main thoroughfare, pass another car and slide into an opening two cars behind them. Something seemed familiar about the car and she turned to get a better look. It was similar to the car she had noticed behind the Security Company’s car, but something else niggled at her memory. Suddenly her trip to meet Bailey at the plane on Friday flashed through her mind.
Friday morning, within minutes of leaving her home to meet Bailey in Kenmore, Jessie happened to glance into her rear-view mirror and noticed a silver Mercedes was tailgating her. The driver of the car obviously realized what he was doing and immediately dropped back. She didn’t think anything of the incident and let her attention return to the street ahead and other traffic. She had planned on entering the 520 freeway at the next light and turned on her signal to get into the turn lane. An urge for her daily four shot, white mocha coffee suddenly changing her mind, she flipped her turn signal off and continued on so as to stop at her favorite Espresso stand.
She noticed that another silver Mercedes was behind her shortly after leaving the espresso stand. Being she was going through the affluent Bellevue-Redmond area she didn’t think anything of it because there were a lot of that type of car in the area and continued on to the freeway. When she entered the freeway though she caught a glimpse of a similar car again, this time four or five cars back, but again passed it off as coincidence. She had completely forgotten the incidents until after she had turned onto the access road where Bailey had instructed her to turn and noticed another silver Mercedes was a couple of cars back and had turned too. A few months back she had been followed by someone and one of her executives had been shot and badly injured by the driver of that car. So, seeing what was possibly the same car again made her uneasy. This time she made sure to take note of the license number and other details about the car. When she entered the street to the pier where Bailey would be waiting she saw the car drive slowly by, seem to pause for a second then drive on. She could have sworn though that the driver of the car was doing more than eyeing her car. Immediately calling herself paranoid, she chalked the incident up to someone admiring her classic ‘Vette’ and continued on to the pier.
She was tempted to pass off this incidence too as coincidence, but decided to see if she could get a better look at the car. While she had been reminiscing the two cars ahead of the silver Mercedes had turned onto side streets and the car was now about ten car lengths behind them. Determined, she carefully scrutinized the car in the mirror on the sun-visor. Seeing what she had hoped not to see, she very quietly told Bailey to take a right at the next street. Bailey’s questioning glance at her prompted her to explain.
“Just do it, Bailey. I think we are being followed. That silver car behind us has been there for a while now. It may be just coincidence, but it is the same car I repeatedly saw behind me on my way to meet you in Kenmore. It followed me all the way there and right to the street where your pier is. I know it is the same car because, for reasons I won’t go into, I have recently taken up the habit of checking license numbers and remembering them. That car has the same license number.”
Bailey gave her a quick nod, flipped the turn signal on, made the turn then checked his rearview mirror. Sure enough, though it took a full count of ten, the car made the turn too. Bailey spoke over his shoulder to warn everyone. “Attention back there! The ride is liable to get a little rough, so brace your selves! Do not look behind us because Jessie thinks we are being followed. I am going to take evasive, or maybe aggressive, action, depends on what the driver of that car does. Are you with me?”
Everyone agreed. Bailey had to smile his agreement as Sean spoke up. “Do what you want, Bailey. But if I were driving I’d make it a confrontation.”
As Eddie and Carol each drew their weapons, Eddie, partly echoed by Carol, replied, “Do it the aggressive way, Bailey! I, for one, am awfully tired of these terrorist’s trying to do us in!”
Quickly scanning the tree-lined street ahead for an area to block the street, Bailey spied a large moving van waiting to exit a circle driveway of the first house on the left side of the next block. Since the silver car was almost two blocks behind, Bailey speeded up and the truck waited for him to pass before entering the street. When the truck obscured his view of the silver car Bailey whipped into the other entrance of the same driveway, jammed on the brakes and shifted into reverse. Tromping the accelerator the Lincoln responded as Baile
y hoped it would, the rear tires smoking as the car leaped backwards until Bailey again set the brakes, stopping the car and effectively blocking the street.
The Lincoln had hardly stopped before Jessie, Eddie and Carol were out with weapons trained on the approaching car. Pistol in hand Bailey threw open his door, sprinting toward the silver Mercedes.
The driver of the Mercedes slammed on his brakes and swerved toward Bailey but Bailey was fast enough to sidestep so the car’s fender missed him. As the car went by Bailey used his pistol to shatter the driver side window, got an arm around the driver’s neck yanking him toward the window effectively pulling him up and away from the steering wheel. The turbine headed driver struggled to free himself but Bailey got his hands under the man’s arm pits and held him as the car continued on, crossing the driveway and finally crashing into a large Cedar tree. Jessie, Carol and Eddie immediately surrounded the car, their weapons trained on the interior. Carol opened the passenger door, scooped up an automatic pistol, a hand-held GPS, a cell phone and a laptop from the front seat then quickly exited the car.
Sean O’Donald, sitting beside Melissa in the back seat of the Lincoln, could only watch these events unfold. He knew he was weak and should stay in the car, but he saw that, as usual, the people of the neighborhood were coming out of their homes and were fast converging on the scene. If something wasn’t done and done fast, they were going to be in a real hot spot.
As he reached for the door handle Melissa grabbed his arm. “Where do you think you are going, Sean?” she whispered. “You can’t do anything and just as at the fire you are liable to hurt yourself or start your wounds bleeding again!”
“It’s a chance I’ll have to take, Melissa. I have to do something to get us away from here before this place is swarming with Police cars.”
“But, Sean. You’re in so much pain you can barely walk!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. “And believe me I’m well aware of it. I have to do it anyway.” Climbing slowly from the car he set his mind on what was needed, straightened his back and ignored the pain as he walked over beside Bailey who had the driver up against the car frisking him. Flashing his badge Sean went through the arresting procedure, even giving the driver his Miranda Rights. Then he turned to the gathering crowd, looking for a likely candidate to address.
He settled on an elderly gentleman who stood a little in front of the rest of the crowd. Sean quickly flashed his badge. He spoke in an authorative voice, “Sorry to have alarmed everyone, sir. I am Detective Brian Salvador of the Bellevue Police Department. I have arrested this man. He is wanted for questioning in one of my on-going criminal investigations. I don’t want any of you to get near this car. In fact, you all need to get as far from it as possible. We believe there may be a bomb in the trunk. The bomb squad will be here soon.”
As the gathering quickly disbursed, Sean turned to Bailey, secretively handed his handcuffs to him and, so as to be heard by anyone near, loudly ordered, “Officer Marsh. I believe officer Hagan has already called this in. She and the other officers will assist you in placing the suspect in the back of our car. Make sure he is well secured. We don’t want a repeat of the last time he was in custody.” With those words he ambled back to the open door of the Lincoln, plopped down on the seat, swung his legs in, pulled the door shut and leaned against the back of the seat, his eyes closing.
Thinking he had passed out from the pain Melissa pulled his head to her breast as, tears of pride and worry springing from her eyes, she whispered, “You darned, idiotic, heroic fool! I love you so much!”
Much to her surprise Sean raised his head, kissed her firmly on the lips, drew his head back and brushed a large calloused hand down her cheek. “And I, Ms. Melissa Calahan-Hough, love you too.” His eyelids slowly slid closed, his head lolled back on her shoulder as he passed out for real.
The rear door on the other side opened and Carol shoved the prisoner in, made him slide over next to Melissa and slid in beside him. Slamming the door, she reached around him, brought the seat belt around and snapped it secure. Without thinking about what she was doing Melissa grabbed her pistol from her lap where she had laid it to help Sean get back into the car and jammed it against the prisoner’s neck and snarled, “If you so much as move, scum, I’ll gladly blow your head off.”
Jessie and Eddie got in the front. Seeing the slight smirk on the prisoner’s lips fired Jessie’s temper. She pointed her weapon at his crotch, calmly threatened, “And if that isn’t enough to keep you still, maybe the prospect of me shooting your manhood off will. What would that do for your seventy young virgins, huh?”
Bailey got in, looked into the back, smiled and ordered, “Make sure he is well buckled in Carol. I wouldn’t want him to get hurt if I have an accident!” Then he turned the car around and got them out of there as fast as he safely could.
Minutes later four police cars converged on the scene. Because the witnesses informed the officers that the self-professed cop in the car that left had said there may be a bomb in the trunk of the car the ranking officer on the scene radioed in for the bomb squad and began evacuating the area.
Dennis O’Donald, waiting at Overlake Hospital in case the helicopter he knew was carrying Bailey and the others came there, silently swore. He had just got off the phone with the commander at Whidby Naval Air Station. The chopper had disappeared from radar and the Navy jets had searched fruitlessly for it. He was sure the pilot of the chopper had only dropped to treetop level so as to disappear from radar, had somehow evaded the jets then continued on to an unknown destination.
He was still fuming a couple of hours later when a call came in about a strange rescue at a house fire involving three women and two men who had rescued the occupants and then quietly disappeared before anyone could get their names or a license number. Satisfied that Bailey’s crew now numbered six or seven, including the pilot of the helicopter and its owner, and there being only five people in the rescue incident he let that one go as inconsequential. Ten minutes later another call came in about a possible car bomb in a residential area in Northeast Bellevue only a mile from the previous fire report. He was sure it had been Bailey and crew who had fled that scene with the driver of the suspected car bomb. Thankfully, one of the witnesses had jotted down the license number of the Lincoln Towncar leaving the scene. It wasn’t a surprise to Dennis at all when the registered owner turned out to be none other than Jessica A. Melano.
He was tempted to rush to the scene but his better judgment told him it would be best to stay put and see what happened next. His mind flashing back to the call about the fire he made the connection. Bailey and Carol wouldn’t stand by and watch something like that without trying to help, he was now sure they had been involved. And if they indeed had captured a terrorist he had a hunch things were going to get pretty interesting before long. That in mind, and because he knew Bailey had been trained in the fine art of extracting information from captives, he decided to go with his gut and sit tight to give Bailey time to extract information from their captive using tactics he himself would be forbidden to use.
For almost an hour he pondered what they could be up to and where they could be heading. Then another call came in. The Lincoln had been found abandoned near the entrance to the freeway interchange at One hundred Forty-eighth Ave. NE. Well, not completely abandoned. A large note on the dash informed whoever found the car to be cautious and to call police, there was an unconscious, handcuffed suspected terrorist locked in the trunk! The so-called terrorist was now being brought to Overlake Hospital by ambulance.
Dennis was present when the ambulance arrived and took immediate custody of the suspected terrorist. He had to hide a knowing smile as the attending doctor informed him that the man had multiple head lacerations, a broken arm and all the fingers on one hand had been broken and needed surgical attention. A couple of hours later when the doctors released the suspect, Dennis took him to Bellevue Police Headquarters for hours of interrogation.
&
nbsp; The suspected terrorist claimed he had been kidnapped and beaten by a gang of thugs and knew nothing about anything concerning terrorism. When confronted with the fact that his fingerprints were all over the car police had found earlier and that bomb making items and multiple assault weapons and ammunitions were in the trunk of the car the man claimed he was a diplomatic attaché from a small mid-eastern country and claimed diplomatic immunity, then clammed up.
Three hours earlier:
To protect the others from witnessing what he was about to do Bailey dropped them off at Eddie’s friend’s home, then drove to a secluded spot on the outskirts of the city. When he was satisfied he had extracted all the information from the terrorist he was going to get, he stuffed the unconscious man into the trunk of the Lincoln. He then left the car parked in a red no parking zone near the freeway where it would be soon ticketed and walked away.
Meanwhile, Eddie had run into a snag trying to convince his friend to loan him his extra vehicle. Since the SUV had come to him after his brother’s recent fatal heart attack Eddie’s friend wanted to sell it to Eddie instead. The snag came when Eddie realized he only had his I.D. with him, but not his Bank Debit card. Thinking quickly, Eddie asked to use his friend’s computer, went on line to his bank’s web site and transferred the required amount into his friend’s account. He had just finished the transaction when Bailey returned.
The two-year-old Buick SUV had an almost full tank of gas, so when they left Eddie’s friend’s place Bailey decided to use the back streets to Melissa’s home to pick up her dog. After leaving Melissa’s Bailey asked her if there was a park somewhere they could stop where they wouldn’t be noticed so they could discuss what they should do about Almed. She said there was a secluded dog park where she always took Kerry on weekends for his exercise.
