The Gypsy Queen: A Matt Preston Novel (Matt Preston Series Book 3)

by Paul Shadinger

  I was standing outside the small terminal at Boeing Field with Bean on her leash and I watched various planes come and go. I watched a brand new Boeing plane, which must have just come from the assembly plant up north since it was still wearing its build out green hue, circle the field. Eventually it touched down and taxied towards a waiting hanger. I continued to watch as a tow vehicle emerged from the hanger and hooked up to the front landing gear of the new plane and then tow it into a large building where it could be painted.

  My attention drifted off to the south and I noticed a small corporate jet come zooming in for a landing. The plane landed and then taxied directly to where I was standing. The motor on my side of the plane spooled down and the door opened. The onboard steps folded out and a very lovely lady dressed in sweater and slacks emerged from the plane, moved down the steps and out onto the tarmac then beckoned me forward. I told Bean to follow me and we headed for the plane.

  When we got to the stairs, she smiled and motioned for me to step up. Pointing towards the rear of the craft, she told me the admiral was waiting inside. I lifted Bean into the cabin and once I’d climbed in, I saw John sitting on what appeared to be a comfortable leather seat at the back of the small sitting area. He was talking on a cell phone and he pointed at a similar chair, indicating he wanted me to take a seat.

  I picked Bean up and sat her on a seat and then I took the one next to her. Once I was comfortable, the lovely woman who’d met me at the door leaned over and asked me to please buckle up. Before the belt clicked shut I felt the plane start to move—this I was not prepared for. I didn’t know John would be taking me someplace. Bean looked at me with what I can only say is a “What the hell is going on?” expression. This was her first flight.

  As the plane left the ground, John hung up the phone, extended his hand and smiled at me. “Hello my old friend, and thanks. I appreciate you meeting me like this. God, it’s good to see you. And by the way, who is your friend?”

  “Yeah, hello. This is Bean. Or Beanie or Brianna. She goes everywhere with me, but had I known we were going for a flight, I would have left her behind. I hope you don’t mind?”

  John laughed. “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.” He looked over at Bean and said, “Hello Beanie, you sure are cute.” That was all it took. She was out of her seat and curled up in John’s lap in no time.

  I looked around the plane and asked, “Not to be rude, but where are we going?” Since I had no idea how long we were going to be gone, I was wondering if it might have been better to have taken Bean to Sharon’s place.

  Orchard smiled at me as he petted Bean. “Matt, I don’t want to sound paranoid, but in here,” he waved his hand around indicating the small cabin, “is one of the few places we can chat and nobody can overhear our conversation.” As I waited for him to continue, I had to admit I did think he was being a bit paranoid, but I hadn’t heard his reason for meeting me in such a clandestine manner. John eventually settled back in his chair and smiled at me. He continued to pet Bean and asked, “How are things with you?”

  I know there had to be a surprised look on my face as I blurted out, “Apple, what is this? You call in the middle of the night and start shooting the shit until I rein you in and now you show up in a private jet and please tell me you did not fly all the way across the country just to pick me up in a private jet and ask how things are going in the life of Matt Preston. Not to be rude my friend, but what the hell is going on?”

  Silence. He didn’t even rise to the bait when I called him Apple. John turned his head and looked out the window. He continued to pet Bean and as I waited, I noticed how he was dressed. Loafers without socks, well-worn Levi’s and a blue denim work shirt. Other than our fishing trip, this was as laid back as I had ever seen him. At least there was a winter jacket on the chair next to him.

  His face was thinner than I remembered and his color didn’t look good. I noticed he had missed a few spots when he was shaving and his hair was uncombed. I had no idea what was going on, but from his appearance, it was taking its toll on him. I waited as the silence lengthened. Finally, he looked at me. He picked up Bean and kissed the top of her head and placed her on top of his coat. When he started to speak, his voice was so soft it was hard to hear him over the motors. “This is difficult for me, Matt. Like I said before, nobody wants to admit to mistakes.”

  I laughed as I responded, “I understand. I was really surprised to hear from you this morning. I didn’t even know you were still in the service, but then you tell me that’s just a cover. I know we haven’t kept in contact, but you seem to have covered a lot of ground since we last spoke. Whether it’s real or not, being an admiral is still a big thing.”

  John sat for several minutes more just staring at me. I’d never seen this side of him before. I shrugged my shoulders and continued, “I guess this still begs the question, ‘what the hell do you need with me?’” I waved my hand around the well-appointed plane. “It would appear you have everything you need.”

  The lovely young woman who had shown me to my seat came from somewhere up front and asked me if I wanted something to drink. At that point, Bean lifted her head and as so often happens when they see Bean, the woman gushed, “Oh God, what a cute puppy. Can I hold it?” And as always, Bean knew she was going to be held by somebody new. The woman held Bean in her arms and smiled at me and then at John. “Get me one of these,” she demanded. All three of us laughed. After she placed Beanie back on the coat, she asked me again if I would like a drink and I asked her for a Scotch.

  John said, “You already met my assistant Lois on the phone this morning.”

  She smiled at me. “Hello Mr. Preston. Pleased to meet you and your darling dog. And I must say, you don’t look the least bit gay to me.” As she turned I could hear her laughing over the roar of the jet engines. I looked at Orchard and saw he was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. I shook my head. “Okay tootsie bell, you’ve had a nice chuckle at my expense. Now come on, what the hell is going on?”

  His stalling was getting old. Deep breath and then a sigh, “This is going to be the strangest request you are ever going to be get. And again, I beg you not to utter a word to anybody regarding what we are going to discuss. Can you promise me that?”

  At that moment, the woman placed my drink in front of me. She asked me if Bean wanted some water or anything and I told her Bean was okay for the moment. I looked at John as I pointed at Lois as if to ask if it was safe to speak freely around her and John said, “Lois is with me. You can discuss any of this around her. Her clearance is almost as high as mine.”

  I took a sip and noticed it was an excellent brand of single malt. I frowned at his request to keep our conversation to myself. “Johnnie, of course I will. But like I said earlier, I’m hurt you even feel you have to mention it. Actually, I think you’re stalling. Come on.”

  For the first time since I’d known John Orchard I saw signs of nervousness and I watched him squirm in his seat. It was obvious he was in a lot of discomfort and I wondered why. “Matt, you have no idea what I’m involved with, or the position I’m in. Basically I’m at wits end and I desperately need a friend. I know I’ve said this before, but I need somebody I can trust. There are people you meet in life and you don’t see for years, yet when you see each other again you pick up the conversation as if it were yesterday when you last saw each other. To me, you’re one of those people. I need you, Matt. I trust you, and right now there are not a lot of people I can trust. Will you help me?”

  “John, we’ve been down this path. You’ve already asked me that and I told you I would. I won’t tell a soul a word about any of this!” This was getting heavy and I was starting to wonder if I wanted to get involved.

  I took a large sip of my drink and after I swallowed, I started in, “John, you keep talking in circles. Now stop stalling and tell me what’s going on. I’m delighted you would consider trusting me with
your problem. I just hope you’re not sending me back to the Far East, because I pass.” At least this got a little smile out of him. “Come on, my friend, I need to know a lot more. Plus, what do you think I can do for you?”

  He blurted out, “I need for you to find somebody for me.”

  I wondered how I ever ended up in the people recovery business. “Who do you want me to find?”

  “It’s a woman.”

  I’d never understood the word flabbergasted until that moment. I think I felt my chin hit my chest I was so shocked by what John uttered. I’d heard him, but I still asked, “What did you say?”

  “I need you to find a woman for me.” As I started to speak he quickly continued, “A certain woman!”

  “Oh shit! John, why is it people seem to think I’m now a pimp?”

  He smiled at me as he shook his head. “It’s not like that. Let me explain. One of the think tanks we do business with has, ah, I guess it’s had a woman who was working on a super-secret software system for an interagency group. She’s known throughout the computer world. She’s said to be one of the best computer hackers to date.” He paused in his narrative, “You know what a hacker is?”

  “Shit, John, you think because I live out here in the Pacific Northwest I don’t know what a hacker is? Yes Apple, I know what a hacker is!”

  “Don’t call me Apple! Well, she was basically second in charge of her team. The team knew they were very lucky to get her. Her nickname is The Gypsy Queen. Anyway, her team was close to implementation and then a couple of months ago, the lady disappeared. Her programming team and the project lead are aware she’s missing, but they’ve also been instructed to keep still about it.”

  Listening to John’s story, I felt a strange feeling creeping over me. I knew where this conversation was going. I’d started to develop some ideas about what might be happening, but I needed to hear more from John.

  John continued, “I don’t dare tell anybody I know she’s off the reservation. I’m not even supposed to know she’s missing. There is fear that knowledge of the whole project could get out. I was, and still am totally opposed to the entire project, but I’ve accidentally discovered the woman is missing. For now, we’ve been able to keep a lid on this and other than her co-workers, Lois and I and a couple of people in another agency knows she’s gone. There are people and governments in this world who would want to get their hands on this woman if they knew what she’d been working on with her team. I cannot express how important it is this woman is found, for her sake as well as ours.”

  “Sorry to be so slow here, but why did you wait so long to try and locate her?”

  “Matt, I’ve been trying to locate her on my own. It was pure luck I even found out she was missing.”

  “How much can you tell me about the software program, and what this woman was actually working? You say she’s an internationally known hacker, what was her function on this project? Just tell me anything else you might wish to add,” I inquired, fearing what I might hear.

  Again, John sat staring out the window. When he looked back at me, I could tell he had made some sort of a decision. “The government is trying secretly to get some kind of a handle on all of its employees and subcontractors and so forth. It’s now almost impossible to figure out who is foe and who is friend inside of our own agencies. This group of programmers has worked out a way to keep track of a worker’s political affiliations and such in this massive database making some sense of what has become a total nightmare. It’s supposed to be top secret because nobody wants anyone else to know what’s going on. The Gypsy Queen was supposed to be making sure the program couldn’t be hacked.”

  I can’t begin to tell you how or why, but everything in my senses told me there was something very wrong with what John just told me. After he stopped talking, for a while I just sat in my seat staring at him. I cleared my throat and started, “Apple, I’m going to speak to you this way only because we are the best of friends.” He raised an eyebrow. “But you, my friend, are full of shit. I don’t believe a word you just said. I can’t tell you the exact reason why I feel this way, but something inside tells me this is so wrong. What you are telling me is wrong. That’s not what the project is all about and both of us know it. You ask me for my help and then you feed me this shit. I’m hurt John!” I shook my head and then raised my voice, calling out, “Miss, oh, ah, Lois!”

  “What are you doing?” Orchard interrupted.

  “I want your gal to tell the pilot to turn this plane around and take Bean and me back home.”

  “Wait, I’m not done,” John implored.

  I leaned forward and told him, “Apple, you are done!” I looked him in the eyes. “One of two things is going to happen right now. Either turn this bird around and take me home or level with me. I will not go out and do something for you with that cock and bull story you just tried to sell me. If I’m even lucky enough to…” My voice trailed off. I had no idea where I was going because I was so pissed he would try and con me. And what galled me the most was I could not exactly say why I was so positive he was lying to me.

  John sat staring out the window for a long time. We had reached the point in negotiations where the next one who speaks loses. I didn’t have to be anywhere for a long time. Bean might have to pee, but she was sitting on John’s coat. Not my fault if he wants to drag this out! I was going to wait him out.

  Still looking out the window John muttered, “Fuck you Matt. And stop calling me Apple!” He turned back to look at me and I got a smile along with his comment. “You’ve got no idea what you’re asking from me. This is stuff you really don’t want to know. This is so far above your pay grade, hells bells, this is even over my pay grade.”

  I interrupted, “Okay, what’s the name of the Gypsy Queen, your missing woman?” I asked with some trepidation.

  “Her name is Melissa Herman.” I’d just taken a sip of my drink when John said her name. Even though I half expected to hear her name, I was still startled. Part of my drink exploded out of my mouth and part of it went down the wrong pipe. I was coughing and hacking and gasping for breath. If I could, I would have jumped from the plane in a heartbeat!

  Orchard’s face took on a look of concern and he reached out his hand for my arm. “Matt, Matt, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just give me a minute.” My mind raced as I continued to gasp for air. What was going on here? First ‘ol Randy Ralph comes to me and asks me to find this chick and now John calls, flies across the country and then tells me it’s a national security matter for me to find the same woman. Then to top it all off, Johnny lies to me and then tries to feed me a bunch of bull about how he can only trust me. I needed a few minutes to myself to think this over. “John, give me a second here to get my breath. Is there a restroom onboard this thing?”

  “Yeah, right over there.” And he pointed out a small door at the rear of the plane. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah … my drink went down the wrong way. Excuse me, just give me a second.” Bean lifted her head and I told her to stay and she settled back onto John’s coat.

  I stumbled into the miniscule restroom and shut the door. For a while I just stood there and leaned back against the door. Eventually I moved forward until I could hold on to the sink and I looked in the mirror. I shook my head and whispered, “Holy jumpin’ gee-hos-so-fat. What the hell have I done?” I looked down at my hands and noticed a slight tremble.

  I knew my best plan was to go out and tell Johnnie some bullshit excuse why I had to take a pass on his request. Next, I should take that damn business card back to Ralph and give it to him and tell him I was very sorry, I just didn’t see how I could possibly help him. I wondered if he knew her nickname was the Gypsy Queen and he had kept it from me.

  I wondered if once my scrawny little butt was on the ground, Bean and I should go on an extended fishing trip to the de
epest recesses of Alaska where there’s no such thing as cell phone reception or any sort of communication with the outside world.

  Yep! That’s what I should do.

  But guess what?

  Yeah, you guessed it.

  That’s not what I did.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I returned to my seat and got myself resettled. Bean looked over at me and I told her to stay. John asked me if I was okay and I said, “I have a question.” He told me to ask my question and I asked how he’d discovered about the Gypsy Queen, his missing woman.

  “I have a dear old friend from college days by the name of Gail. Well, Gail’s daughter Denise was Melissa’s roommate. As I said, Gail and I are old friends and we’ve kept in touch over the years. When her daughter Denise died under very strange circumstances, Gail called me, very distraught. She knew I was in some way involved with the government and to her that meant I was also involved with some kind of law enforcement. She begged me to find out what really happened to her daughter. Through inter-department channels, I was able to get a copy of the state patrol’s investigation into the accident. The accompanying toxicology report showed all sorts of strange drugs in Denise’s system. Gail swears her daughter didn’t even drink, let alone take any kind of drugs. I told her all parents think that about their children and Gail got very defensive. She begged me… no, she demanded I look into the accident. Gail also told me about Denise’s roommate Melissa. She asked me to go and chat with Melissa to see what she might know. When I went to find Melissa, I found out she was missing.

  “Gail told me just before Denise died, she called her and said she was concerned about Melissa. Gail asked Denise what she meant. Denise said Melissa had called and asked if any strange people had been asking about her. Gail asked her daughter if there had been and her daughter said yes. She said the day before, two strange men came to see her and had insinuated they were government agents, but they wouldn’t show any identification. When Denise told Melissa about the two strangers, Melissa swore and told Denise she needed to go and hide for a while. Melissa thought both of them might be in trouble, Melissa couldn’t tell Denise anything about it. Then two days later Denise is killed in an auto accident late at night on a straight stretch of country road.