Black Gold in North Dakota (Cooper Smith Book 2)

by Joe Field

  “We’ll make them think we are headed to the airport. They’ll really scramble now.” Nash laughed.

  Nash turned right onto Williams Boulevard with one police car and the minivan behind him. Once he cleared the intersection and guardrail, he jerked the car left so it was directly facing a narrow part of the median, about the height of a curb.

  “Get ready.”

  Gabby held on tight. Nash lurched the car forward. At an angle, they bumped and scraped their way over the median, narrowly missing an oncoming car in the other lane. Nash then turned the car so they were heading the other direction on Williams Boulevard.

  As they sped up, Gabby could clearly see both the police car and the Smiths in the minivan braking hard. They both turned and tried the same maneuver. Gabby couldn’t tell, but she thought they both made it over the median, although it slowed them way down.

  Nash accelerated the car quickly back on the on ramp for Interstate 10 East. He checked the mirror before pushing the gas to the floor and training his eyes on the horizon as the sun set behind them.

  When he slows down, I’ll make a break for it, thought Gabby, because there is no way in hell I’m going to be locked up in a safe house with him. Gabby looked over at Nash out of the corner of her eye.

  “The Big Easy.” Nash smiled. “Here we come.”

  ◆◆◆

  The minivan was firing on all cylinders, but it took the rest of the interstate from the airport to the city of New Orleans to be within eyesight of the blue Ford Taurus. The second police car they had lost at the airport earlier had now caught up and Cooper drove at a close but safe distance behind them as they pursued Nash. Cooper wondered for a minute if he might get picked up for speeding or reckless driving, but realized the police were more focused on the kidnapper’s vehicle.

  “Where do you think he’s going to go?” asked Soojin.

  “No idea,” said Cooper. “And this is our first time to New Orleans, so we are at a huge disadvantage.”

  “Do you think they’ll leave the car at some point?”

  “It’s possible, so we have to be ready, too,” said Cooper.

  “It just got a whole lot more difficult with the sun going down. See if you can get any closer.”

  “I would,” said Cooper. “But I don’t think those police officers want us any closer than we are now. Actually, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t want us driving like this at all.”

  “We’ll worry about that later,” said Soojin. “Just inch closer if you can.”

  Cooper tried to speed up, but there was a natural turn in the road as Interstate 10 curved to the left. “Look at that. I think he’s exiting.”

  “You’re right, get over in the right lane.”

  Traffic started to pick up as they neared New Orleans. The police sirens and lights caused the other cars to move over so Cooper didn’t have to fight with traffic on the single-lane exit—until a car pulled back out unexpectedly from the shoulder behind the police and in front of Cooper. Cooper veered left to avoid the car, smashing the minivan against the left guardrail. The van bounced off the rail and hit the merging car.

  Cooper held the steering wheel tight and powered the van through the collision as they regained their composure.

  “You okay?” Cooper asked. He sped back up to stay with the other fleeing vehicles.

  Soojin rubbed her neck. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little whiplash.”

  They were now off of the interstate racing down Basin Street.

  “There’s another curve up ahead to the right,” said Soojin.

  “I see it,” said Cooper. “Hold on.”

  They edged around some cars with the minivan as the road veered to the right.

  “Oh, no. Get over now!” Soojin pointed across the median. “He did another U-turn, we have to get over there.

  Cooper sharply turned the wheel to the left, following a path that opened up from the police car in front of him. He could see Nash heading the other direction across the median, then suddenly Nash turned again.

  “Hurry. He just went right,” said Soojin.

  “Got it,” said Cooper.

  “Turn right here,” said Soojin. “Onto Toulousse Street.”

  It was a small, one-way street, and Cooper saw red lights at an intersection up ahead. Nash sped through, barely escaping a collision with a pickup truck. The first police car was not so lucky. The truck T-boned it, slamming it away from the intersection. The second police car swerved to the right and ended up crashing into the light pole.

  Cooper slowed down, narrowly missing rear-ending the second police car as he swerved to the left and then back to the right to stay on Toulousse. The road narrowed even further here, and Cooper tried to avoid rear-ending parked cars as he stayed on Nash.

  A string of cars was stopped at an intersection up ahead. Nash swerved over on the sidewalk to pass them. Pedestrians screamed and jumped out of the way. Cooper followed Nash’s path, slowing down to avoid hitting a sign on the sidewalk, and honking his horn to alert pedestrians.

  Nash proceeded to worm his way down Toulouse Street, barely missing cars, pedestrians, and signs in the heavily trafficked tourist part of downtown New Orleans. The famous two- and three-story old brick buildings of the French Quarter hugged the sidewalk. Christmas lights hung from the second-floor balconies, where people leaned over railings watching the commotion below.

  Cooper clutched the wheel and maneuvered around another car until he was directly behind Nash. “Get ready. If they make a break for it on foot, we’ll lose them down here in this maze.”

  “There’s a stoplight up there,” said Soojin. “Which way is he turning?”

  Nash reached the stoplight and pointed the Ford’s nose to the right, then quickly jerked the car to the left. Cooper accelerated behind him as they turned left onto Decatur Street. Despite it being Christmas Eve, clusters of people still walked along the street.

  The buildings cleared up ahead, and Cooper saw trees illuminated with Christmas lights. “What’s this area?”

  “Coming up on Jackson Square,” said Soojin. “Look, police cars.”

  Two police cars flanked Decatur Street, their lights flashing. Nash hit his brakes and pulled his car to the left, stopping right in front of a string of horse-drawn carriages at the entrance of the square. The horses spooked, darting out in different directions with or without their masters in tow. People had paused to gawk as the driver’s side door opened and Nash stumbled out.

  “Here we go,” said Cooper. Soojin’s hand was already on her door latch.

  Cooper caught a glimpse of Gabby as she tried to sprint out of her door, but Nash grabbed her wrist, pointing a gun in her face as he yanked her toward him. Then he shot once into the air and fired another round right at the minivan. It hit the window between Cooper and Soojin, and they both ducked as Cooper stopped the van.

  “Go, go, go!” shouted Cooper.

  They jumped out of the van into chaos. People screamed and ran in every direction. The horses shrieked, clattering through the square with empty carts behind them. The police drove straight toward the van.

  Nash dragged Gabby into Jackson Square as Soojin sprinted behind them. Cooper followed alongside to the left. Nash stopped briefly at a giant statute of a man riding a horse in the center of the square. With an arm locked around Gabby’s neck, he fired once toward Soojin. She dove out of the way behind a tree.

  Cooper froze when he heard the gunshot and his eyes darted toward Soojin to see if she was okay. When he saw her safe behind a tree, he started running again until he was even with the statue. Nash took off again with Gabby around the other side of the statue, and now they were headed toward the big white cathedral at the end of the square.

  Dozens of confused Christmas carolers stood between the cathedral and a fountain at the far end of the square. They were holding candles, glancing around in search of the source of the excitement. Halfway to the fountain, Nash shot another round up into the air. The carolers sc
attered, tripping over each other and blocking the square’s exit. Nash scrambled back from the fountain, dragging Gabby with him.

  It was all the time Cooper needed. He closed on Nash and Gabby, tackling them both to the ground in front of the fountain. Cooper reached for Nash’s gun, but Nash squeezed off a round that hit Cooper in the front of his left shoulder. The bullet knocked Cooper back, but he clutched Gabby’s wrist with his right arm and pulled her with him.

  Nash slid back and aimed at Cooper again, but Gabby twisted her body to shield him, taking the bullet in her right forearm. Nash froze, his face horror-stricken, then tried to yank Gabby back.

  Cooper watched as Soojin came up behind Nash, sending a flying sidekick into the small of his back. He dropped to his knees, then pivoted toward her with the gun.

  A fast counter punch by Soojin knocked the gun away, and she attempted to follow it with a straight kick to Nash’s face. He ducked, then spun with a leg sweep that knocked Soojin to the ground.

  Cooper clutched his shoulder as he pulled Gabby around the side of the fountain. Police officers ran toward them from across the square. He squirmed back around to see if he could help Soojin.

  Soojin leapt up from the ground and dodged a punch from Nash. They spun back around at each other. Nash jabbed at Soojin with his left arm and sent a would-be knockout right hook to her head. But she ducked just in time and elbowed him in the ribs as his momentum took him past her. She then kicked the back of the leg he had planted on, and he collapsed to his knees.

  Cooper found Nash’s gun lying on the ground by the fountain, and he dove for it. Clutching his injured shoulder, he scooped up the handgun with his good arm.

  Soojin attempted a finishing blow to the back of Nash’s head, but he ducked as her kick sailed over him. He used her momentum to throw her to the ground. Nash then turned and, with a limp, tried to run past Cooper and the approaching policemen.

  Nash was all but ten feet away when Cooper lined up the sights with his one good arm and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Nash behind his right knee and exploded out the front of his kneecap. He dropped on his face into the pavement.

  “Drop the gun, drop the gun!” shouted out the police officers.

  Cooper obeyed, returning his hand to his injured shoulder.

  “That’s him!” Soojin pointed. “The one on the ground is Nash; arrest him.”

  The officers ran past the fountain and handcuffed a slithering Nash as blood spilled out from his leg.

  Soojin ran over to Cooper. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, let’s go check on Gabby.”

  They found Gabby propped up against the side of the fountain, clutching her bleeding arm.

  Soojin called over at the police officers, who were now kneeling on top of Nash. “Call an ambulance—we have two more wounded over here.”

  “They’re on their way,” replied one of the officers.

  Soojin and Cooper sat on either side of Gabby, their eyes filling with tears as the three of them embraced.

  Chapter 24

  Saint Paul, Minnesota

  Cooper stood on the sidewalk of Cedar Street in downtown Saint Paul, directly across from MPR headquarters. It had been just over a month since Gabby had reunited with her family—and, as promised, Senator Hanson had arrived in Saint Paul to do an exclusive interview with Cooper. Before he went inside, Cooper waited for the top of the scrolling headlines for his daily moment of Zen.

  Monday, January 26, 2015 – Price of Oil Drops to $45 a Barrel for the First Time Since April 2009; Oil Industry in Disarray...

  Sweet justice, thought Cooper.

  Cooper used to take his morning smoke here on the sidewalk as he watched the first headline, but he was glad to have kicked the habit again. He was down to one pack of Juicy Fruit gum a day. He blew a bubble in the cool morning air, popping it with his lips as he crossed the street and entered work through the main door.

  His left arm was still in a sling, but the pain didn’t bother him so much anymore, and he was looking forward to rehab. He started walking up to the third floor, then stopped on the second flight of stairs. Something caught his eye, and he turned to look out the large glass panel windows across the street.

  It can’t be. Is that the black Dodge Charger from before?

  The Charger was idling across the street on Fort Road, with a man inside it on his telephone.

  Wheeler.

  Cooper waved, but Wheeler turned his head and pretended not to be watching.

  You’re too late. The interview is today, and now you’re out of a job.

  ◆◆◆

  Governor Simmons’ secretary immediately patched the call through to him.

  “How bad is it?” asked Simmons.

  “It’s not looking good,” said Wheeler. “Hanson already arrived at the studio, and the reporter just went inside. The interview is going to happen today.”

  Simmons slammed his fist down on the table. “I paid you to take care of this.”

  “Look, I don’t do hit jobs, so what else do you want from me?”

  “What am I suppose to do now?” demanded Simmons.

  “Governor, I suggest you either find yourself an excellent lawyer or you get to Mexico as quickly as possible. Same for Thompson.”

  “You no good—”

  There was a click on the other end of the line, and Simmons slammed his phone down on his desk. His Nixon bobblehead doll shook its head at him.

  “Oh, shut up!” Simmons hurled Nixon across the room, where it smashed against his office door. A loud knock followed.

  “Go away, it was nothing,” said Simmons.

  The door swung open. Two FBI agents entered, flashing their badges. The first one presented a search warrant to Simmons while the second started handcuffing him.

  “What—what is the—the meaning of this?” Simmons stammered.

  “Rick Simmons, you are under arrest for bribery, fraud, and corruption. You have the right to remain silent . . .”

  Simmons zoned out the rest of his Miranda rights and let the officers drag him out of his office, his head hung low. When he reached his door, he saw Nixon laying on the ground in pieces.

  ◆◆◆

  Lisa Larson was slumped down in a chair in front of Bill Anderson’s desk when Cooper entered Bill’s office.

  “It’s about time you got here,” said Bill. “We were getting ready to scratch your interview.”

  “And give up the story of the year? That would be a big mistake!” Cooper smiled at Larson. She rolled her eyes.

  “Just sit down so we can go through the program,” said Bill.

  Cooper took the seat beside Larson.

  “Okay, so we are going to put you on News Presents today at noon.” Bill pointed at Lisa. “The first thirty minutes of the show will be Larson’s special from her interviews and discoveries out in North Dakota.” Bill then turned to Cooper. “The second thirty minutes of the show will be your live interview of Senator Hanson. Comprendé?”

  “That’s fine,” said Lisa.

  “Works for me,” said Cooper.

  “We will wait to see how the reception of the story is today,” said Bill. “If it is positive, we will play more of your North Dakota reporting and clips from your interview the rest of the week as a miniseries. Do you have your questions ready?”

  Cooper nodded. “Yes, but I think we’ll just have to turn the microphone on and let the senator do the talking.”

  Bill shook his head. “You young punks are always looking for the easy way out of everything. Back in my day—”

  “I know what you’re going to say,” interjected Cooper. “You typed on an old typewriter and carried it to and from work uphill both ways in the snow!”

  Bill pointed to the door. “Get out. Get out right now, Cooper Smith. I’ve made it twenty-six days without a blowup this year for my New Year’s resolution, and I’m not about to waste one on you. Just deliver the story, or you can kiss the investigative team goodbye.”
>
  Lisa smiled as she got up and quickly left the office. Cooper followed and touched her on the shoulder.

  She spun. “What?” She had one hand on her hip.

  “Hey, I just wanted to say, whatever happens with that investigative slot . . . well, may the best reporter win.” Cooper stuck his hand out.

  Lisa sneered. “Save the handshake for your next job interview after you get the pink slip here.” She turned to walk away, but then stopped.

  Facing Cooper again, she said, “Okay, whatever, good luck.” She shook his hand, then darted away before he could respond.

  Cooper laughed.

  Of all the reporters on this earth, the radio gods had to pair me up with someone from Wisconsin.

  ◆◆◆

  The producers decided to use the UBS Forum studio for Senator Hanson’s interview. The Forum was one of MPR’s newest studios, and it was designed to look and feel like a small theatre, with elevated seating for the audience. A huge glass window behind the stage looked out on the Central Presbyterian Church in the foreground, and the state capitol building in the background.

  Two sofa chairs faced each other on the stage, angled slightly toward the audience. Mark walked onto the stage and shook Cooper’s hand, and then the two of them took their seats. The countdown in the studio began as Lisa’s segment was ending. Cooper looked out and saw Soojin sitting next to Gabby in the audience. They were both glowing. Like Cooper, Gabby wore her arm in a sling. She pointed to it and winked at him. Cooper gave her a thumbs-up and smiled at Soojin as the studio lights came on and the house lights dimmed.

  Cooper looked up to the control room and was surprised to see Bill Anderson standing next to Lisa. Bill pointed two fingers to his eyes and then pointed his index finger right back at Cooper. Cooper nodded; the message was clear. Lisa frowned, her arms crossed over her chest.