A shot rang out and Jack fell to the ground. Another shot and Rick fell forward landing inches from Jack. The little man tried to reach for the gun. "Put your hands up. We've got you covered. Move another inch and you're dead," said Inspector Jameson.
"Jack, are you okay?" Rita yelled.
"I think I'm fine. Just a little shaken," said Jack. "What are you doing here?"
"Jack, I'd like you to meet Rick ... my ex husband," said Rita.
Jack looked up and saw a ghost standing beside Rita. It was an older version of the kid lying beside him. "He was a clone. But how?" Jack asked.
"I'll explain it all on the way home. Are we finished here?" Rita asked.
"The police can handle it now, but we need to fill them in with any details we can learn from Rick," Jack said.
"I filled in the inspector on the way over," Rita said. "Let's go home."
JACK & JAIL
"So this is your ex husband. Good to finally meet you, Rick," said Jack.
The ghost reached out his hand and then pulled it back. "He can't get used to being a ghost. It's still new to him," Rita said. "I've told him all about you."
"I deny most of it. I've been hearing a lot about you, too. At least we thought it was you," Jack said.
"The clone. That must have been awkward for you; Rita's husband returning from the grave," Rick thought.
"What does he know about these clones?" Jack asked.
"He only knows about his clone. He's not sure when the clone was created. He first met the clone when it was about ten years old. The clone aged rapidly until puberty and has aged normally after that," said Rita.
"Who did this? What was their reason?" asked Jack.
"He doesn't know. I guess they wanted someone to take Rick's place that they could control. They gave the clone all of his memories," said Rita.
"They didn't do a very good job. How did they do it?" Jack asked.
"They would bring the clone to him every day. They drugged Rick and told him to think about a particular time in his life, usually correponding to the clone's age. They had him and the clone wear some sort of helmets with wires attached to them," Rita said.
"But the clone didn't remember much of anything," said Jack.
"That's because, at the time, Rick had amnesia. It wasn't until after the clone shot him that he regained his memories," Rita replied.
"The clone shot you? Why?" asked Jack.
"It was the final test of its programming," said Rita.
"It looks like we're being followed. I'm going to pull over and see what they do," said Jack.
Jack pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The other vehicle pulled over in front of them. Two men in black got out of the car and walked up to Jack's door showing ID's as they approached.
"National Security Agency ... What's this all about?" asked Jack.
"You're under arrest. Get out of the car and come with us," one of the men said.
"What are the charges?" asked Jack.
"That will be determined later, depending on how cooperative you are," said the other man.
"When will I be able to visit him?" asked Rita. "Do we need a lawyer?"
"Can't say, but don't call us, we'll call you," the first man said.
"Where are you taking him?" Rita asked.
"That's classified," the other man said.
"Go with Jack," Rita whispered to Rick.
"I beg your pardon. I didn't quite hear that," said the first man.
"Nothing. Just praying for Jack," Rita said.
Rita didn't bother to try to follow the car. She knew Rick would tell her where they were holding Jack. Still she was a bit concerned that she didn't know what they thought Jack had done. She was sure Jack was innocent and would be released as soon as he could straighten it all out. Just in case, she had an ace in the hole if things got tough.
When they arrived at the station they removed the cuffs and placed Jack in a room with one table and a few chairs. A large two-way mirror covered one wall. The other walls were bare except for a single door. In a few minutes the agents returned to the room and took a seat at the table across from Jack.
"You googled the name of a suspect at least an hour before the police knew his name. Where are you getting your information?" asked the older of the two agents.
"I can't tell you that. That's confidential," said Jack.
"We're talking national security here. We can hold you indefinitely until you answer our questions," the agent threatened.
"What is that going to gain you. Look at my record. Talk to the police. They'll vouch for me," Jack said.
"You wouldn't be the first A+ citizen to be corrupted by money. Can you explain your bank account? There seems to be quite a lot of money for a guy with no real profession," said the agent.
"Stock market knowledge and a little luck," Jack said.
"Give us the name of your source and we'll release you right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't make any holiday plans," said the agent, "and you won't be seeing that lady you were with in the car."
"So there's no way for me to tell Rita that I'm being held in the basement of the Sears building," Jack asked as he grinned and glanced at Rick.
"Check him for a wire. Make sure his phone isn't active," said the older agent.
"He's clean," the younger agent reported a few minutes later.
"We'll give you a few minutes to think it over before we lock you up and throw away the key," said the older agent.
Jack watched as Rick disappeared through the wall. "You've already got my answer. Now release me or lock me up," Jack said.
"Lock him up," said the older agent.
When Rita arrived home, Rick was waiting. After discussing the situation Rita got on the phone and placed a couple of calls.
The following morning Jack was awakened by the two agents. "Get your clothes on. You're being released," they told Jack.
"Released to whom?" Jack asked.
"Rita, the girl from the car," the older agent replied. "She's in my office insisting that we turn over copies of all of our case files. Does she have the authority?"
"The last agent that questioned her authority is tagging polar bears somewhere north of the Arctic Circle," said Jack.
"I'll get right on it," said the younger agent.
"Will you be cooperating with the agency during you and your partner's investigation of the clones?" asked the agent. "I've been ordered to assist you in any way possible."
"Sure. I'll need one of your agency phones with all the features so we can work together effectively," said Jack.
"So, we're not going with you?" asked the agent.
"We work better alone. But we'll need a liaison back here to run errands and do paperwork," said Jack.
"I see. Are you mad about the way we treated you?" the agent asked.
"I don't get mad," said Jack.
"How did we get to be the a-team," Jack asked Rita as they got into car.
"It was the only way the president would help. He insisted we head up the investigation," Rita said. "I guess he was really impressed with our work on Luna 1."
"Let's get home and look over these case records and see what we're up against?" said Jack. "Are you willing to stick around for a while and give us a hand, Rick?"
"He said he's not leaving until he's sure I'm safe," said Rita. "I already asked him why he was still here."
"There's nothing here," Jack said as he tossed the case history onto the coffee table. "No wonder they wanted to know what I knew and where I got my information. They don't have a clue."
"Do we have a clue?" asked Rita.
"Well, there are these clones, we don't know how many, who don't know they are clones and spies. They probably hold sensitive positions in government agencies. Their only identifying feature is that they look young for their age, but unless we go around asking everyone their ages, I doubt that will be of any help. There is some good news, the ghosts of the originals will probably be close by," said Jack.
"So where do we start?" asked Rita. "Washington DC?"
"Is there anything that Rick has told you that could be of use?" Jack asked. "Does he have any idea if this was done by a country, a large radical group, or a few individuals?"
"He thinks it's an independent group. During his capture, when he was hooked up to the clone, he picked up a few of the clone's memories. They consisted of phrases in Vietnamese. Rick had learned to speak Vietnamese during his capture. I wrote them down just in case they're significant," said Rita.
"The police told me that Rick's clone died instantly when he was shot by the officer. I was inches from him, and I'm sure that a ghost didn't leave his body. Is it possible that the clones don't have souls?" asked Jack.
"That's what was missing, his aura. He didn't have a soul," said Rita. "I told you there was something missing."
"Then you may be able to detect the clones. How obvious is this missing aura?" Jack asked.
"Now that I know what I'm looking for, I think it will be easy to spot," said Rita.
"Would you be willing to try to find the ghosts?" Jack asked Rick.
Rick nodded, "Yes."
"I am going to text these phrases to the NSA agent and have him test them out on the one suspect we have in custody," said Jack. "Then I'm going to check my emails and see if the general has any clues."
"Don't stay up too late, Jack. You know how you are when you don't get your rest," said Rita. "See you tomorrow."
"Rick, since you don't sleep, you could go on ahead to DC and begin your search for the ghosts. We'll meet you in front of the White House at noon, Saturday, unless you find us first," said Jack.
After sending another email to the general, Jack lay down on the sofa to wait for a reply from the NSA agent. In a few more minutes, just as he was about to nod off, the phone rang.
"Hello, Jack here."
"Agent Dawson, NSA. Jack, we have a problem."
"What sort of problem?" asked Jack.
"Our suspect has escaped. You told us to expect some strange behavior when we used the phrases on the suspect, but we didn't expect this," Agent Dawson said.
"Expect what?" said Jack.
"The suspect is trained in the martial arts. He took out at least seven agents before we lost him," Agent Dawson replied.
"Anyone seriously hurt?" Jack asked.
"A few broken arms and legs. Nothing that won't heal," said Dawson.
"Get some added protection for the Senator. The sergeant may try to finish what he started," said Jack. "Do you have anything broken?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," said Agent Dawson.
"You will have something broken if you screw this up," said Jack.
Jack opened the door to Rita's bedroom. "Rita?" Jack whispered. "Are you still awake?"
Rita didn't answer. "I guess I'd better let her sleep," Jack thought as he walked back to the sofa. "Our first chance to be alone and you've been thinking about work. Idiot! You didn't even thank her for getting you out of jail."
Jack lay down on the sofa, tossed and turned for a while, and finally nodded off. "Wake up Jack. It's 8:00 A.M. We overslept. We're going to miss our flight if we don't hurry," said Rita.
Jack rushed to the shower and got in. Before he could reach for the soap, Rita stepped into the shower. "You get my back and I'll get yours," she said. "Stop it, Jack. We don't have time for that."
"We could get a later flight," said Jack.
"I was hoping you would say that," said Rita.
"What?" asked Jack as he moved his head out from under the shower.
"Wake up. It's 6:00 A.M. I didn't know what time you wanted to get up," said Rita. "I've already had my shower. I hope there's enough hot water left."
"That's okay. I could use a cold shower about now," said Jack.
The flight was uneventful. Jack and Rita were met at the airport by a couple of NSA agents. "Just wanted to give you our cards in case we can assist you during your stay in DC. We have the airport covered in case the escaped suspect shows up. We have your phone number from Agent Dawson," said one of the agents.
"Thanks, we'll be in touch if we need anything," said Jack. "Do you know the status of the senator's condition?"
"Improving. He's still heavily sedated, but they say he's out of the woods," said the agent. "As you know, we've doubled security in and around the hospital. There's been no sign yet of the escaped suspect."
"We'll have to check on him tomorrow. I want to be there the moment he's able to answer some questions," Jack said to Rita. "I find it hard to believe they would have gone to all this trouble just to assassinate the senator. You don't have to get that close to someone to kill them."
"Just take the shuttle to your hotel. Give the valet at the hotel your name and he'll retrieve your agency vehicle," said the NSA agent. "You have a room reserved at the Hilton. That's not far from the hospital. There's a map in the vehicle."
"Has the general replied to your email?" Rita asked as they exited the airport. "What exactly are you expecting from him?"
"A list of all MIA's that have turned up in the last year. Especially those that can't account for their whereabouts over the last few years," Jack replied.
"That would be useful. At least it will give us an idea of how many we could be looking for," said Rita.
"By the time he gets back to me, Rick will have found all the ghosts in this town. If we're lucky, they will all be here," said Jack.
"If we can stop the people behind this, then the clones will be harmless," said Rita.
"They are guilty of killing their originals, if Rick's experience is typical. And what about them not having souls, what might that imply? Who knows what they may have all ready done," said Jack. "Even they probably couldn't tell you. They will have to be found eventually."
"I can't believe they had to release that little man from the warehouse. He was obviously controlling Rick's clone, and he ordered him to shoot you," said Rita.
"Since they couldn't prove that the clone was a paid employee, he couldn't be held on attempted murder charges," said Jack. "They still have him under surveillance, but he's aware of that and not likely to lead them anywhere."
"We're here. Let's check in and get something to eat," said Jack. "We've nowhere to go until tomorrow. The agency has my number if anything comes up. We might even have time for some gin rummy."
"I brought the cards and the score sheet from our last game. When were you going to pay me what you lost the last time?" asked Rita.
"Not to change the subject, but do you want a waterbed or regular king size in your room?" asked Jack.
"Regular," said Rita.
THE GHOSTLY CHRONICLES Page 10
