by Marvin Wolf
§
“He’s lucky to be alive,” said the tall, slim and graying Medical Corps lieutenant colonel in charge of the Intensive Care Unit. “His left arm is broken in four places, his leg five. His hip is shattered. Same with his clavicle. All five fingers of his left hand are broken, some in more than one place. But his biggest problem is his skull—fractured in two places. His brain is swelling. We’re prepping him for brain surgery to relieve the pressure.”
Will frowned. “What’s his prognosis, doctor?”
“Eighty-20 against recovering consciousness. If he survives, and if there’s no permanent brain damage, I think it’s unlikely that he’ll ever walk normally.”
Will’s phone rang, and he ducked into the hallway.
“It’s Elliot Keiser,” said the voice in his ear. “The dude that Ash shot with a crossbow?”
Will said, “What about him?”
“His prints are in the system. Turns out, he’s a zombie.”
Chapter 76
Will exploded. “A zombie? What kind of bullshit are you peddling?” he said.
“Calm down, Will. What I mean is that his name was Richard Sherer, a pilot,chief warrant officer W-2, and he died in Afghanistan ten years ago at the age of 26. His aircraft went missing on a flight from Kabul to Herat, near the border with Iran. His remains were never recovered.”
“Apologies for going off on you, Elliot. It’s been a terrible day, and in a minute I’ll fill you in. Right now, who else is in the office?”
“Uh, just me, Steve Foosler, and Katrina.”
“Okay. Here’s what’s been going on,” Will said, and with half a dozen sentences brought him up to date on the events in the abandoned mine on Four Mile Creek Road.
“What the hell?” said Elliot. “Is everybody okay?”
“No. Alvie is in the ICU and it’s not looking good. Mr. Chelmin has a concussion and his artificial leg was crushed.”
“Chelmin wears an artificial leg?”
“Lost his right leg in the Gulf War. He was a Marine. And mum’s the word about that. I shouldn’t have told you.”
“What about you and Ash?”
“A few bruises. Ash is still being checked out. Now, I’ve got two jobs for you. First, go next door and ask the desk sergeant for two armed MPs, handguns and rifles, to secure our office.”
“Why? Steve and I can handle anything that might come up.”
“Here’s the thing about zombies, Elliot: You never find just one. And we already know that the people we’re hunting are capable of almost anything. I don’t want to leave Katrina there alone. And I don’t want you or Steve to be alone. So after the MPs are in position and briefed to expect two or more zombies, probably wearing flight suits or cammies, you and Steve go to the post engineer’s office. I want to see copies of any work orders to fill mines, caves or other excavations on this post, going back five years. It took heavy earth-moving equipment and trained personnel to fill an abandoned lead mine with boulders. Get copies of any work orders dealing with that sort of thing. And ask the senior officer present if any earthmoving equipment was stolen or illegally borrowed over the last five years.”
“Got it,” Elliot said.
“One more thing,” Will said. “See if Katrina is familiar with handguns, and if so, leave her one and a couple of loaded magazines.”
“I’m pretty sure the only extra handgun we have is a .38 special five-shot revolver.”
“That will have to do, then. But make sure that she knows how to use it. Otherwise, keep it locked up.”
Chapter 77
As Will clicked off, Ash came up behind him, slid her arms through his, and hugged him tightly. She whispered in his ear. “How is Alvie? Is he still alive?”
Will turned to face Ash and was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
“Still alive, but not doing well. You two close?”
“Alvie is my best friend in the whole world,” she said in a low voice. “Until you turned up, we were partners.”
Will’s face showed a maelstrom of confusing thoughts.
“Will, it isn’t like that. Alvie is gay. You didn’t know?”
Will shook his head. “Never crossed my mind.”
“He lives in Enterprise with his partner, James Lilly, a college professor. They have a house in the Spearpoint neighborhood. God, I have to call James. My phone was smashed to pieces May I borrow yours?”
Wordlessly, he held out his phone and Ash took it.
“Will, I’ve got bruises all over my body. You should get yourself checked out.”
Will nodded and turned to go.
“Let’s have dinner tonight,” Ash said. “I’ll bring some takeout to your quarters.”
Stunned, all Will could manage was a soft “Fine.”
“Eight o’clock?” said Ash.
“Okay, great,” he replied.
§
“Remove your clothes and put on that gown,” said the gray-haired ER nurse. “I’ll be back to take your vitals.”
Ten minutes later the nurse returned to take blood pressure, heartbeat, blood oxygen, and body temperature readings. A minute after that, the doctor who treated Chelmin came in. “Where does it hurt?” he said.
“Both shoulders, my chest, right buttock, left arm, left leg, near the ankle.”
“On a scale of one to ten, ten being unbearable, what’s your pain level.”
Will thought for a moment. “Maybe six or seven,” he said. “But getting worse.”
The doctor grunted and pulled on gloves. He listened to Will’s heart with a stethoscope, then his lungs. Finally, one by one, he gently probed each bruise.
“Are you dizzy?” the doctor asked. “Even a little?”
“No.”
“How about nausea?”
“No.”
The doctor stepped back. “You’re going to feel a lot more pain from each of those bruises. Take it easy for a few days. I can write a script for pain if you like.”
“I’ve got aspirin and ibuprofen in my quarters.”
“You’re all set. Get dressed, check out with the nurse’s desk, and get some rest.”
Chapter 78
Will climbed in next to Ash and started the engine.
Will said, “Should we go get your car, or do you want to go to the office with me?”
“My car, I guess.”
Eight minutes later, Will pulled off Four Mile Road and followed the creek. An MP stopped him near the clearing where Ash had left her car.
“You Mr. Chelmin?” the MP asked.
“I’m Spaulding. Chelmin’s in the hospital.”
“I got a message, either you, him, or Agent Shapiro turns up, you’re to see Colonel Moffett first before returning to your office,” he said.
“I’m Shapiro. What’s going on?” Ash said.
The MP shook his head, “They didn’t tell me nothing else, ma’am.”
Several minutes later, followed by Ash in her Hyundai, Will pulled into the Provost Marshall’s parking area. Inside the office, a grim-faced MP master sergeant gestured toward Colonel Moffett’s door. “Knock and enter,” he said,
Will knocked, waited for the gruff invitation to enter, and went through the door, followed by Ash.
“Where have you been for the past hour?” said Moffett.
“Hospital emergency room,” replied Will. “Both of us.”
“Can you account for Mr. Chelmin and Mr. Landon?”
Ash said, “Same place. Landon is in the ICU, and may not survive. Chelmin has a concussion and they’re holding him overnight.”
Moffett said, “Car crash?”
Ash said, “The mine was booby-trapped. Tons of big rocks fell from the ceiling. We were lucky to get out alive—and Agent Landon may die of his wounds.”
Moffett grunted, showing no emotion.
Will said, “What’s going on, sir?”
“What about agents Foosler and Keiser?”
“I sent them over to the post engineer about an hour ago.�
��
“Let me see your weapons.”
Will drew his Glock, cleared the chamber, and removed the magazine, and then handed the gun to Moffett. Ash did the same with her weapon.
Moffett examined each in turn, smelling each barrel and chamber, examining the gun for signs of recent cleaning.
Then he handed both back and sat down behind his desk.
“Sorry about that. Standard procedure.”
Will felt a dull pain growing in the pit of his stomach.
“Two of my men were guarding your office. They were both shot between the eyes, point-blank, with what was probably a silenced 9mm. And your secretary, Katrina, is missing. So is her car.”
Chapter 79
Colonel Moffett pressed a button on his desk intercom. A moment later the dour master sergeant entered the room.
“Sir?” he said, looking at Moffett.
“These two are cleared to enter the CID office. They will take charge of the crime scene investigation team, and the subsequent investigation.”
The master sergeant nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said.
Will said, “Do you want to see Foosler and Keiser?
Moffett shook his head. “They’re your problem now.”
§
The master sergeant glared at the two MPs outside the CID office, then held the door for Ash and Will. Inside they found the bodies of two young MPs, each with a gunshot wound in the center of his forehead. They lay side-by-side, two feet apart, their legs facing the entrance.
Nearby, three CSI technicians photographed evidence and collected blood samples and other physical evidence. The oldest of the trio, a man in his fifties, smiled at Ash. “Hey, Ash, this your crime scene?”
Ash said, “Hi, Randy. It’s mine and my new partner’s, Will.”
“Where’s Nick?” said Randy.
“On his way to London—a training course with Scotland Yard.”
“No shit? That’s great. So, you’re the SAC now?”
Ash shrugged. “We’ve got a temporary SAC, Mr. Chelmin.”
“I guess we’ll meet in good time,” said Randy. “Listen, we’re ‘bout done here, soon as we box everything up and log it.”
“I’m Will Spaulding,” said Will. “Walk us through it”
“Not much to tell. One vic was shot in Nick’s office, the other out front, by the secretary’s desk. Nine millimeter, looks like. Both through-and-throughs to the center of the forehead and the slugs were dug out of the wall. Then the bodies were dragged out front, to their present positions.”
Will said, “Powder burns?”
“One quite a bit, and one somewhat less,” Randy said. “
Ash said, “Exit wounds show similar angles of entry?”
“I think so, but that’s the medical examiner’s department.”
The front door openED and an older woman, clad head-to-foot in protective gear and carrying a black leather satchel stood in the doorway. “Somebody call a doctor?” she said in a Southern accent.
Before anyone could respond, Foosler and Keiser stepped through the door on either side of the doctor—and froze.
“What the fuck?” said Foosler.
“Oh, God,” said Keiser.
Will looked at Ash. “You want to do this?”
Ash shook her head. “I’ll take Dr. Allenworth,” she said.
Will said, “Steve, Elliot, the conference room, now.”
Chapter 80
Will took the chair at the head of the table, and gestured for the others to sit on either side of him.
“Your sidearms, gents. Let’s clear ‘em and show ‘em.”
Foosler said, “You don’t really think—”
Keiser said, “It’s routine, Steve.”
Will examined each weapon, counted the rounds in the magazines, and returned them to their owners.
“All we know now is that those two lads were shot in the head, dragged into the doorway, and that the bullets were dug out of the wall.”
“What about Katrina?” said Foosler?”
“Missing. And her car,” said Will.
“Sonofabitch!” said Foosler.
Keiser looked like he wanted to cry.
Will said, “Put that aside for now. What did you find in the post engineer’s office?”
“A bunch,” said Keiser.
Will’s phone rang.
“Heyyyyyy, Will!”
“Agent Bourassa. What’s up?” said Will.
“Pick a number between ten million and a billion.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Over $137 million in queer hundreds, and we haven’t finished,” Bourassa said.
“So that makes you a Secret Service superstar, no?”
“Alabama bankers think that I’m the Second Coming of John Dillinger.”
“What’s next, Frank?”
“Press conference in Montgomery at 5:00 today.”
“Please, and this is really important, not a word to the media about CID involvement. And by the way, our Agent Landon is in the ICU, and may not live.”
“Jesus! What happened?”
“For now, let’s just say that I’m pretty sure your counterfeiters are involved in it. And, two of our MPs were shot in cold blood right in the CID office.”
“Fuck. What’s going on?”
“Don’t know yet. But stay in touch, right?”
“Right.”
Will broke the connection and looked at Keiser. “That was Agent Bourassa, Secret Service. The guys we’re battling passed more than $100 million in fake century notes, just in Southern Alabama.”
Shock stained the faces of both veteran agents.
“Now, Elliot, you were saying?”
“Four major cap-and-fill operations on abandoned lead mines in the last three years,” Keiser said. “But all the paperwork has disappeared. All they have is the scheduling and after-action summaries of man hours, equipment usage, and expendable supplies. No way to tell who authorized the work, where it was performed, who was in charge, and exactly what was done.”
Will shook his head, frustrated. “You were just in that office. How tough would it be to burglarize?”
Foosler said, “Easy-peasy. Single lock, no deadbolt, no alarm. And no video.”
Will said, “The longer this goes on, the bigger the operation looks. Here’s what we know: A gang has passed over $130 million in counterfeit hundreds. Some of that came through the illegal casino in Mrs. Richardson’s home and two adjacent properties, all owned by impenetrable off-shore holding companies.”
The door opened and Ash slipped inside and sat down at the table.
“Excuse me, Spaulding,” she said. “How much counterfeit money was that?”
“Agent Bourassa just called. He says $137 million and counting.”
Ash’s mouth fell open.
Will continued, “Judging by that sum, they must have more than one way to move their product. Let me summarize what we know: Last summer, Sharon Coe, ex-military dependent, whose son’s grandmother is Idelle Richardson, was kidnapped and murdered. She was last seen leaving the Walmart near the northeast corner of our base. Her car was found near there the next day.
“On November 29 last year, two civilians, brothers, both last seen near the base—and not far from that Walmart—vanished. Their vehicle was found parked near that Walmart, but on the other side of the road. A week later, the first of our aviators was kidnapped. The only contact that we know of between those three was on a check ride late last November. Then Alvie discovered the illicit casino and we learned that it was passing counterfeit hundreds.
“Shortly after that, Steve and Elliot followed a car in which Alvie had concealed his belt-buckle tracker. The car vanished near Four Mile Road before you could get a tag or sticker number.
“Then a dependent kid found the belt buckle near the entrance to an abandoned mine. Near there, Ash and I found a fake cell tower with a real solar array, and it was booby-trapped.
; “Then a man in camouflage and an armored vesttried to shoot me, and Ash took him down. His fingerprints say that he was KIA in Afghanistan ten years ago, but his body was never found.”
Ash said, “Wait! When did that come down?”
Elliot Keiser said, “A couple of hours ago.”
Will continued, “We entered the mine and encountered another booby-trap, which may have killed Alvie.
“Steve and Elliot learned that the post engineer has recently worked on abandoned lead mines but the paperwork describing the work done or who authorized it has disappeared.”
Will paused and looked around the room. he said, “Elliot, do we have confirmation that the man who tried to kill me is, the same Richard Sherer who disappeared over Afghanistan ten years ago?”
Elliot shook his head. “Fort Belvoir said it might be a week.”
Will looked at Ash. “Do we know anyone else who disappeared over Afghanistan ten years ago and whose body was never found?”
Ash’s face lit up. “Yes we do. J.J. Richardson IV. Son of Mrs. Idelle Richardson.”
“And a rapist who’s the father of Sharon Coe’s boy,” said Will.
Chapter 81
Ash looked around the table, thinking. She said, “What if Sharon Coe came out of that Walmart manager’s office, and as she made her way through that store and to her car, she saw a ghost. Or maybe she saw him in the parking lot.”
“Hold on,” Will said. “What if the gang had someone in that store, swapping good hundreds for their counterfeit?”
Ash said, “Never mind that for now. If J.J. Richardson is alive, then he’s up to no good. If Sharon knew, then J.J. has to think that she’s too dangerous to stay alive.”
“And we can now surmise that the no-good involves passing counterfeit hundreds on a massive scale,” Will said.
“If J.J. is alive, then maybe the men he disappeared with are also alive,” Ash said.
Will got to his feet. “Four things,” he said.
“First, I’ve got to brief Chelmin and then General Davis.
“Second, we have to find Idelle Richardson and bring her in. Elliot, would you put out a BOLO, alert the FBI, ICE, and Customs, and get started on an arrest warrant?”
