by Peter Idone
“Do you believe him? I mean about the audit.”
“Let’s just say this meeting didn’t go the way I expected. Creech didn’t surrender the whereabouts of his infiltration or exfiltration points, either. He would not be budged on this subject. Apparently he wants to exert some kind of control over me. Claims it’s for my own safety. He did say that over the next few days, work will be done on a number of zones, integrating the new alarm system on the fence. Entire sections will be shut down. Creech will have access to a transmitter that can deactivate the responder units in their respective zones.”
“There’s no way we can circumvent Creech? If you know the general area where the alarm system will be shut down…”
“It won’t be that easy. The perimeter detection system is highly sensitive, especially this new tech they’re beefing up. The vibration sensors are spaced approximately ten feet apart. You’ve seen them. Small, plastic, weatherproof enclosures fastened to the chain-link about five feet off the ground. A lead cable connects each sensor which eventually ties into the local processing unit. Fence movement, tears, or cuts are detected by one or any number of sensors, which are then analyzed by the reporting unit. Each detection zone covers a distance of four hundred to four hundred fifty feet. A person would have to nullify at least two zones, possibly three, in order to make a cut in the fence without activating any peripheral sensors outside of that zone. In order to maintain an edge without being detected, you would need a twelve-hundred-foot span, six hundred feet on either side of the cut, and have disabled every programmed reporting unit within those detection zones. It’s a formidable system designed to keep out or at least make it difficult for terrorists or somebody with Special Forces training and equipment. This newer system will deliver a much higher probability of detection while maintaining negligible false alarm and nuisance alarm rates. Even a portable jamming device, if I could get one, would be useless to some extent. A frequency blocking the nine-hundred megahertz signal would be picked up by the reporting unit. It wouldn’t activate the alarm, but the unit would send information to the observation tower computers that an event was occurring. Security would then be summoned to perform a sweep and clear of the zone.”
“Well it appears as though Creech is the key to getting in and out of Pine Haven after all. He wields a lot of influence, not to mention control. I hope your trust is well-founded.”
When they returned to the parking lot, Logan pulled into an empty space beside the Range Rover. “There is one more item we need to discuss before heading off in our separate directions,” Natalie said. She unbuckled the seatbelt and removed the small, leather-bound journal from an oversized pocket of her coat. She drew his attention to several loose, neatly folded papers. “You may have noticed symbols painted on a number of trees while on your solo recon?”
Logan nodded. “Sure. I took some photos. Skull and crossbones and something else.”
“Runes. The white skull and crossbones represent sensors on the fence that are usually functioning. The symbol is painted on trees nearest the fence for a particular detection zone. It’s the yellow skull and bones we have to be wary of. They indicate an active IR beam in the immediate area. We will have to keep an eye out for them, both of us. Creech will have the transmitter and can shut the IR source down, but we will have to turn it back on again once we are safely out of the way. It’s a marking we will all have to be aware of.”
“Does that activate an alarm?”
“You better believe it does. There are only a couple, and most of the time, it’s an animal or one of the tech staff working in the field that will trigger it. We won’t be so lucky. Creech placed the symbol a good distance from the path of the beam but well within the range of the transmitter. Night-vision specs will pick up the IR beam pretty easily. You got that?”
“Yeah, I think so. If that’s all there is, then I don’t think it should present too much of a problem for us. We will have to remain alert and hope visibility is good.”
“Creech painted everything with the same medium used for chem-glow markers, only the intensity has been blunted quite a bit. He didn’t want it too obvious for the guards. They just think he’s a nutty fellow who likes to paint images on trees.”
“Let’s hope the Tacticals haven’t set him up for a practical joke and we fall into it. What’s the story on the runes?”
“That’s a Creech thing. It doesn’t signify an alarm, should you see one. I don’t know what the fascination he has with proto-Germanic ancient languages or even how well versed he is. There’s no scholarship involved, only dalliance, I think.” Natalie opened her notebook again and fanned through several pages before stopping at one with several symbols and writing. She pointed to a symbol drawn in bold lines. It looked like the letter Y but with the stem in the middle extended. Another was drawn next to it, the same configuration but upside down. “This is the elk symbol, or algiz. It means the warding off of evil. A shield. The reversed symbol, or merkstave as Creech called it, means warning, hidden danger. This next one is called perthro. Mystery, the occult. It also refers to vagina.”
“Nice.” Logan saw that the symbol was not unlike the letter C, only the bars at the top and bottom were chevron shaped—the top pointing down and the bottom pointing up. It didn’t remind him of a vagina, but he kept any flippant remarks to himself. “Is there a reverse meaning?”
“I don’t think so. Creech didn’t say. These two symbols are seen with the most frequency. There are others that are placed in areas where anomalies have taken place.”
“What kind of anomalies do you think we will run into? Have you any ideas?”
“I don’t know. So much is hearsay I don’t think it’s worth wracking our brains over it. If we come across something, I’ll try and document it as best I can.”
“Did you ask him about the pump house?”
“He said it’s haunted. No one has gone near the pump house for a long time. The front end at the door is caged in with a fence topped with razor wire. Big surprise. The door has a number-coded keypad that throws the lock mechanism. Creech hasn’t been in there for quite some time, but he has or can get the code. I was a little put out that he didn’t provide it.”
“What did he mean by haunted?”
“All he did was shake his head when I asked him. As long as we can access the place, that’s all that really matters. You’re not afraid, are you?”
“No.” There had been ghost stories about Pine Haven for as long as Logan could remember. It had simply carried over to the new tenants.
“What he will do is periodically check the old Romantic’s Garden located at the western side of the mansion. It’s about five hundred yards from the building, carved out of the forest. Look for it on Henry’s map like I told you. There’s good cover. It’s mostly overgrown now with vines and ivy. There are low stone walls, fountains, and columns. It looks like an old ruin. That will be our rendezvous point should we get separated. Creech will stroll over sometime after midnight and make several passes throughout the night. He can lead us toward the exit point from there.”
“I still can’t believe he hasn’t told you how to get out of there.”
“It doesn’t matter. We haven’t much of a choice now, do we? It’s Creech’s intention to make a contribution, so I won’t push him. I can’t.”
“Sounds as if he wants to have total control. You’re taking a big gamble trusting this character, Natalie.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Both you and Glass. I’ve known Creech for months now. He hasn’t steered me wrong yet, and showing a little trust isn’t asking that much.”
“Fine. He’ll bend over backwards for you, but he won’t know me and it might get him spooked. The hell with it. I’ll let you talk your way out of it. He’s your friend.”
“I’m going to exert my own will over this operation, and he won’t be able to do much about it then and there. I’ll introduce you as my assistant. We work for the same boss who c
alls the shots, not me.”
“The guy’s awfully sweet on you. I know it.”
“That may well be, but Creech will just have to tie a rubber band around his dick and control himself until our job is finished.”
“Have you led him on?”
“What difference does it make? Jealous?”
“Doesn’t to me, but it could make a very big difference to him. I’ll be very interested to see how all this plays out.”
“I can assure you it will play out just fine. All you have to do is be ready to roll when I give the word.” Natalie gathered up her notebook and started to open the cab door, but stopped and without looking at him said, “Put yourself on standby, Joe. Be ready and wait for my signal. We could go as early as tomorrow night or the night after. Wait for my call.” She said something about making penetration from the west where the neighboring farms border the estate grounds, but for the sake of security didn’t say exactly where. She did not say how they would get there or who would be driving.
It’s her show, Logan thought, and didn’t press her. As an afterthought he said, “Thursday is Thanksgiving.”
“So? I hope you haven’t made plans, because if you did cancel them.”
“I haven’t made any plans.”
“Good, because we might be occupied or our work will be over by then. We can celebrate together, at my place. Besides, holiday or not, security won’t be lax. It’ll be business as usual for the Tacticals. Be prepared.”
She exited the truck and got into the Range Rover. Logan didn’t wait for her. He backed out of the parking space and headed home. She didn’t really need him, he thought, so why did she want him to come along? Help diffuse or conquer some unknown threat or danger? He simply wasn’t the type. Maybe Natalie was the kind of person who just couldn’t stand to do something alone or to be alone. Pine Haven was a strange place. Maybe Creech had filled her head with stories of anomalies that could put some serious fright on a person’s psyche. Maybe Creech freaked her out a little, more than a little, and she wanted someone around to protect her. Glass certainly wasn’t capable; besides, he’d excused himself from attending this party. Natalie was all about sex and tension and was probably getting a very heavy vibe from her “glow boy.” She’s bringing me along to help keep his libido in check. He had half a mind to tell her to go fuck herself when she called with the “go code,” but was still wondering about squeezing a few dollars out of Glass for his trouble. If the opportunity arose, he thought, he was definitely going to try to make some money from this arrangement.
17
Natalie called the next day at three o’clock in the afternoon. “Be ready to roll by nine p.m. I’ll swing by and pick you up. Got that?”
Logan said he did. I guess she’s driving, he thought. She hung up. He figured they would commit by tonight. Yesterday’s meeting with Creech had caused Natalie to behave more anxiously than usual.
By late morning, he had started rounding up the gear he would take. He laid out his thermals, wool socks with liners, hiking boots, wool sweater, and hooded Polartec sweatshirt. To put over this rig, he had a black, lined army field jacket. For headgear he chose a navy-blue watch cap. He also picked an old pair of trousers he used for work: a blend of mostly polyester and some other synthetic. The nice thing about the pants was that the fabric was incredibly durable and shed moisture. If damp or wet, the fabric wouldn’t wick and could dry out relatively quickly in the air.
He sorted through the items he would carry in the daypack. Binoculars, batteries, wire cutters and crimpers, and the spool of tie wire. It was feeling heavy. The quart of water and a couple of power bars would be all he would take for refreshments. They had to make short work of this, he thought, in and out and no dicking around. He would tell Natalie that for any chance of success, they would have to be off the property well before sunup.
Then there was the gun to consider. The Ruger was lightweight and small. He had purchased a pocket holster some time ago, black nylon with a Velcro band that would remain in place when drawing the firearm. When the Station was in the midst of its severe downturn and the crime rate was spiraling, Logan had carried the Ruger on him just about everywhere he went—mainly when going to the store and sometimes even when he went to work. He had stopped after a while, mostly out of fear of being stopped and searched by the police. It was an illegal ownership. He’d purchased the gun out of state at an outdoor gun flea market. The .38 ammunition and the holster was all he’d bought locally. He had no qualms about taking it with him on this venture. Not that he planned to have a shootout with the Tacticals if they were caught, but it might come in handy as persuasion for either Natalie or Creech should the occasion arise. The only problem was that his trouser pocket was too snug and the bulk would look as though he was having a party in his pants. He decided to keep the holstered weapon in the field jacket’s side cargo pocket. The snap buttons on the pocket flap would have to be fastened to prevent losing holster and gun if he had to engage in excessive movement. Putting on the coat and daypack, Logan practiced retrieving the gun until the movements became familiar and fluid.
He ate well late that afternoon. Around four o’clock he boiled up nearly a pound of spaghetti and added garlic, butter, and a little tomato sauce. Sprinkling it with cheese, he ate an enormous pile. There would be plenty of time to digest it, and his body would be loaded up with carbohydrates, the fuel necessary to get him through the rigors the night would offer. After about an hour, he took a brisk walk around the block to help work up a dump. The last thing he needed was to be antagonized by an enormous log trying to breach his intestines during a critical moment at Pine Haven.
***
By eight p.m. Logan was suited up and ready to go. He’d checked and double-checked the contents of the daypack and small odds and ends in his field coat pockets. The Ruger felt snug and light in the right side pocket of the coat. It would work out fine.
He left the light over the kitchen sink on, but turned off everything else, including the front and back porch lights, and smoked a couple of cigarettes in the near dark at the kitchen table. The hum of the florescent made the house seem quiet and lonely. At eight forty-five, he slung on the daypack laden with gear and was ready to wait in the dark shadow of the driveway when the phone started ringing. He wasn’t going to pick up, but would wait only long enough to hear a voice. “Out of Area” was lit up on the phone’s LCD. It was Natalie and she sounded near hysterical with anger. Logan picked up the receiver.
“Joe! Something’s come up. We have to use your truck. How fast can you get here?”
“I’m leaving right now.”
“Have you enough gas? I can call Frenchy and make arrangements. I doubt if you will find a gas station open…”
“Don’t involve him now. I have plenty to get where we’re going and back, so relax.”
“Good. Come right over, but don’t stop at the house. I’ll be walking down Spring Road. You can pick me up at the side of the road past the house. Keep an eye out for me.”
“Okay…” But she had already hung up.
He grabbed the keys to the truck, locked the back door, and tossed the daypack on the fold-down seat in the cab extension. As he backed out of the driveway, he hoped that the rest of the night turned out better than this inauspicious start.
***
He spotted Natalie about a hundred yards down from the house she shared with Glass. When Natalie climbed in, she flipped the car’s interior light off. She placed her pack, bulging with equipment, at her feet and strapped on her seat belt. “Where to?” Logan asked.
“Get on the highway and take the Maplewood exit. About four miles down, there’s a safe place where we can stash the truck.”
“Sounds good,” Logan said and maneuvered the Toyota around in the opposite direction.
“It could have been a lot better. I had asked Glass to take us.”
“And he refused?”
“Not at first. I thought he could simply drive us
over, slow down at one point where we could bail. The closer we got to leaving, the more frightened he became. His knees were shaking. It was pathetic. He whined about how he couldn’t do it. That he’d get us all killed. Apparently he’s still not ready to leave the house.”
“What exactly is his problem?”
“I don’t know. Extreme paranoia coupled with a severe case of agoraphobia? I’m not a psychiatrist. Whatever his shit is, it’s serious and I am so through with it. After tonight it’s over for good between him and me. This could have been so easy if only he would have partnered up.”
“Try to let it go, Natalie, and stay focused.”
“I’m focused, don’t you worry. There’s a stretch of farmland off Maplewood. I’ve spoken to the couple that lives there. The property falls within that buffer zone on the map Henry Bock gave you. They’ve been getting all kinds of pressure to sell. Eventually they will have to if the DoE invokes eminent domain or some such nonsense. The family plans to fight it, even if it comes to that. They’ve seen some pretty weird shit flying over Pine Haven and the vicinity. Some pretty unnatural shit. I asked them if I ever needed to park on their property while doing my investigation, would it be all right? They said, whatever they could do to help. I had to call them this evening at the last minute. I didn’t want to get anyone involved, but I had no choice.”
“You didn’t tell them what you are attempting to do?”
“I’m not an idiot. They didn’t ask questions. I told them I’d leave the car till around morning. Maybe longer. Christ, why couldn’t Glass have dumped us off.”
