I needed to get a move on this morning. I wanted to stop at my office for copies of the sheets on the other ex-agents we are looking for, and to see if Cap might have a decent 308 I could borrow.
I was downstairs in the range office by eight. I asked Cap about a 308 and he said, "We have a new one that no one has even looked at. Let me show you."
Cap pulled a case similar to what I had out west and opened it. There was the twin of the rifle I had used before, complete with the dual swing away scopes.
I said, "Now I have to go somewhere to sight it in."
Cap said, "I used the distance frames up to a thousand yards. If you've used one of those sighting frames, you know it's accurate."
"Show me those, Cap, let me see how you sight this in."
We went to the range and he turned on a rear video display. He told me to use the scope and try to sight in at that distance. I did, then checked with the spotting scope and it recorded the same distance. I said, "That's uncanny. Here, let me click this back to two hundred yards."
I checked the rifle and the scope and both were right there showing two hundred yards.
"Cap, order another one of these rifles. I'll sign this out as I need it."
He said, "Why don't you just leave with it. I don't think it was ever inventoried into stock. Here, have four boxes of match grade ammo that aren't here either. If you get tired of it, bring it back and we'll inventory it."
I planned on giving it back, if and when I was able to get out west for some more practice and could get a gun of my own.
Just for fun, I asked Cap, "Do you have a noise suppresser or silencer for the Glocks. I need to practice with one on my weapon."
Cap dug around in a bottom drawer and came out with two different styles. I pointed at the one that looked like mine and he handed it to me. Cap asked as I was screwing on the silencer, "How far do you want to be able to hit something?"
After thinking about it for a second, I said, "It would be nice if I could be accurate to at least seventy-five yards, but a hundred would be great."
Cap said, "I'll set you up with a fifty yard target first. Go ahead and use that, then we'll let you waste ammo at the ridiculous distances."
When I fired these target rounds, I was slow and deliberate, making sure I was steady and right on target before squeezing the trigger. When I finished with the fifty-yard target, Cap gave me one at seventy-five. The first ten round magazine was only good for six in the white, although I did hit that target all ten times. The second magazine was all in the paint, and all head shots.
On the hundred yard target, again I hit the target all ten times, but only got four of ten in the paint. The second magazine was seven of ten and the third magazine was ten of ten. Cap said, "That's awesome at that distance with a silencer."
"I just need to know if I can do it, Cap. With all the crazy stuff going on, I need to be able to standup to anyone. I should be able to avoid distances like that, but I need to know I can do it if I have to."
When I was all done, I was cleaning my weapon and asked Cap, "Do you have any extra barrels for my Glock? This one seems to be a little off."
Cap reached down and brought out a new barrel. I put that one in and suggested he just have the old barrel I exchanged evaluated instead of pitching it. I thanked him profusely before heading up to the office.
Wanda had a couple questions on operations that I answered before copying the information I needed. I studied the five remaining ex-CIA agents for a few minutes, to make sure I would recognize them, before advising Wanda that I was leaving to take John and the Marshal back to DC. I was to meet them at the airpark as my car would not carry us all. They had ordered a taxi for the family.
When I arrived downstairs, the Marshal was waiting for me. He said he wanted to ride out with me so we had a few minutes to talk.
The Marshal began, "Chuck, it's good that you went after the problem as fast as you have. If you're lucky, you might be able to quickly handle these men. If they had kept their activities out of the country, no one would have ever said anything, other than foreign entities would be here hunting them. Understand that what I've asked you to do is highly unethical, but is necessary as there are several government and military figures that have open prices on their heads."
The man continued, "No one but John and I know that you've been asked to do this. The people you call for disposal are the tightest lipped group within the Secret Service, so they will never divulge your activity. I'm telling you this so you know that there will be no one hunting you when this is done. Stay covert, stay out of sight, and stay lucky."
While the Marshal had been talking, I was listening to his inner thoughts. What he was telling me was what he felt. The man actually felt fear of these men. I mentally nudged him to relax and he said, "John tells me all the time about how he feels so safe with you. I feel the same way. I just know you are protecting me and mine. Thank you, Chuck."
I smiled at the Marshal as what do you say in response to something like that.
DeDe had promised me the bigger Learjet so I could haul everyone back to DC. I asked the Marshal if he had cleared me into Andrews and he said yes. I also asked him if he would help me get services there so I could leave the aircraft for a few hours. He pulled his cell phone and immediately made arrangements. He turned back to me and said, "Got you a car to use too. Hope you like Mustangs."
At Andrews AFB, after putting the Lear in a parking position, I took my gym bag and the new rifle case in the transport vehicle to a small office at the edge of the security area. There a man said that I had been assigned the dark blue Mustang and added that if I was going to be gone overnight, I should call to advise them.
The first thing I wanted to do was to get an appropriate case for the 308 as the case it was in just looked like it might be a rifle case. I didn't need the advertisement.
I stopped at a large gun shop in Baltimore and asked to see some travel luggage for hunting rifles. The first thing he showed me was the common aluminum case. I asked, "I'd love to have something that looked like nice luggage. Something I could buy additional pieces that would look like it."
The salesman showed me a couple of nice leather cases then said, "How about a Samsonite case." He brought me a nice case that looked like a small thin suitcase or an oversized briefcase.
"That will be good, I'll take it."
When I left, I drove to a nearby park to take care of few things. After parking in the middle of a bunch of cars, I opened my gym bag and got out my vest and put it on under my shirt. Next, I got out my GPS and put in the address I was looking for. To make sure I was ready, I brought out my binoculars and opened the rifle case and a box of ammunition. I filled the magazine and screwed the silencer on. I also screwed the silencer onto my Glock and felt as if I was ready. Hopefully, this person was going to be around his residence today.
Getting to the condominium complex where he lived wasn't a problem, but entering it would be. There was a security gate complete with an older man dressed as a guard. Across the street was a Hyatt hotel with parking almost to the street. I parked there and used my field glasses to see if I could see door addresses.
Each unit had a doorway and a garage door. After studying the layout, I was able to define what door would go with what garage door. The door for the man I was looking for was actually the second from the high security fence and was partially obstructed from my view. I needed to be higher in order to see the door and windows easier.
The hotel had a parking garage but I figured they would have a room card security system for access. They would also have security cameras. I was about to rent a room when the garage door to the condo rose and a BMW 700 something, backed out. Instead of pulling away, the car pulled out, then backed into the short driveway.
My target got out of the car and went inside the house to haul some luggage to the car. The last case he brought out was a case that looked like the one I had just bought. Too bad I couldn't do the deed in the open, as it would have been an easy four hundred yard shot from where I was.
The target closed his condo door, appeared to be locking it, and then went to his car. To be ready, I pulled the Mustang out to the exit, and when the Beamer headed away from the condo, I followed at a long distance. The car headed north. I followed him up I-95 until we exited way up by Philadelphia. It wasn't too difficult to keep the pure white BMW in sight, but when he turned into a small subdivision in a suburb called 'Landsdown, ' I had to pass by the street he had turned into.
I pulled into a park and ride parking area and pulled out my notes. Using my GPS for a map I found that one of the ex-CIA agents I was looking for had his residence in that subdivision. This was strange. I had to see if I could locate where the guy I had followed was parked and then decide how to proceed.
The first thing I noticed as I drove through the subdivision, was all the for sale signs. It appeared more than half the homes were for sale. When I drove past the house the local man lived in, I noticed the BMW in the driveway of a house across the street with a for sale sign in front of it. I also noticed something strange; an upstairs window was open about six inches.
If I were to drive past too many times, I would be noticed, so I drove to the next block behind where the BMW was parked and found an empty house with a sign in front and parked as if I was supposed to be there. All of the adjoining yards were open so there must be deed restrictions on fences. It was strange as there were so many houses that were empty. I put my Glock with the silencer into my waistband and took my field glasses.
The weather wasn't going to help, as it had become darker and felt like rain. I didn't have a raincoat and it was chilly so this could be a wasted trip, but I wanted to see what was going on.
The street where the original target was at and the second guy with the BMW curved to the left fairly sharply, so I checked a house two doors from where the BMW was and found it empty. I had put on a set of rubber gloves and tried the back door. It was locked but felt loose. Using a credit card, I easily opened the rear kitchen door and went in.
I checked from the downstairs window to see if I had a view of the house where the BMW was and discovered I could look right at the partially opened window, as well as see the secondary target's house.
Upstairs, there was a window where I could use my field glasses and stay back in the shadows. The first window I looked at was the partially open window across the street from the secondary target. I could clearly see my original target at the window, with a barrel sticking up over the window sill.
Looking back over toward the residence where the other ex-agent lived, I could see various lights, but no movement. This could be a long wait.
For comfort, I checked the bathroom to see if there was running water. There was, so I took a leak and flushed. I also took a drink using the gloved hands to cup the water.
As I came back to the window, I noticed a van backing into a driveway two doors down from the local ex-agent's house. The van had "City Heating and Cooling" written on the side, so I was going to dismiss its presence.
Because I had nothing better to do, I watched as the driver got out of the van on the far side, instead of the driver's side. That's strange. When the man went to the back door of the van, he opened the doors and took a large tool box out and went to the front door of the house. This house didn't have a for sale sign, but the man didn't ring the doorbell. I saw him messing with the lock and then push the door open. He did a double check around him and went inside. I had not gotten a clear look at the guy's face as he had a cap on.
About that time, I wish I had the rifle with me.
There was movement in an upstairs window where the van was parked. I watched as a window pane first had a hole cut into it and then it was completely removed. Unless you were looking at the window closely you couldn't tell the little pane was gone. That's when I could see a man kneeling with a rifle at his shoulder. It looked like the rifle had a silencer. He didn't fire but was scanning all across the street at all of the houses. I made sure I was completely out of sight and stayed that way for a while. When I looked again, the man was standing back in the shadows but he had the same problem the man up in the woods had. I could see the lit end of a cigarette.
Around six in the evening, lights in the local resident's house were going out. When the garage door began rising, I was afraid I might lose the men who were here with me now.
Luck was with me, the local resident agent, walked to the garage door and looked out at the now steady rainfall.
"Crack," a single shot sounded, as I saw the man in the open garage door fall. When I pulled my glasses up to the window where the BMW was parked, I saw that man pitch back. Quickly changing directions I looked at the upstairs window where the van was parked and saw that man still holding his silenced rifle to his shoulder. This time he didn't have his cap on and he was close enough to the window that I could see his face. Another ex-CIA agent. Holy shit, this is really getting strange. The agent who had just taken out the original guy I had been after was from Chicago. He was definitely here specifically to hit one of the men, but I guess he decided to let the BMW guy do the first one and he would do the shooter.
The next thing I saw surprised me. The van guy came out of the house, pulled his van near the garage door where the guy was and put the body in the back of the van. The guy even cleaned up a little blood spill. He did something and the door to the garage closed.
He then pulled the van across the street and backed up in the yard near the front door. That's when I decided to get in on the fun. I went downstairs and outside, moving in the shadows until I had a clear view of the back of the van from the side of the house.
Soon the van guy carried the body of the BMW guy out to the van and dumped it in next to the other one. He didn't shut the van door, but went back inside the house and was inside for at least ten minutes. He came back out with some cleaning stuff and the BMW guy's rifle, putting it all into the back of the van. He was fishing in the BMW guy's pants when I eliminated the fifth ex-CIA agent.
After lifting the last man into the van, on top of his ex-cohorts, I used my cell phone immediately to call the special number for help cleaning something up. The person on the other end only said, "Address, please." I had to walk around to the front of the house to get the correct address. When I gave the address, the female voice asked, "Single?" I answered "No, three."
The voice said, "Busy today. Are there any vehicles?"
I said, "Two, a BMW and a commercial van."
The voice, "Where are the items?"
"In the back of the van."
The voice asked, "Will you still be there?"
"Not unless I need to be."
"You might want to remain near to secure the scene. A crew should arrive within forty-five minutes."
She asked, "Is there any special cleaning to be done?"
I said, "I don't think so. It appears the last one down did all the work."
The female voice cheerfully asked, "Do you want confirmation?"
Responding, I said, "That would be good."
She ended the call with a, "Thank you for calling," and hung up.
These covert people were strange.
To keep from getting totally soaked, I walked back to my car and drove it to where I could see the BMW and the van. True to the girl's word, another van pulled up and four men got out. They checked the back of the van and one went to the BMW and opened it. One of the men disappeared into the house and was in there for a while. I saw a strobe of a flashlight through the windows a couple of times. There was a light at the window that had been open for longer than the others, so I guess that guy discovered where that individual had departed this world.
The men were quick and efficient. Ten minutes after arriving, the two vans and the BMW left the scene. I sat in the car slouched down in the seat just watching the scene. There had been too much going on to just leave without observing the area for a while. I sat for an hour and almost fell asleep. That wouldn't do.
When I felt everything had happened that was going to happen, I waited another fifteen minutes, and pulled out and drove back down I-95 to Andrews Air Force Base. Back out at my aircraft, I put the rifle case, the new suitcase, and my gym bag into the Lear. It was after eleven, so I called home to tell the ladies that I wouldn't get in until after two. Tiani asked innocently, "Whatcha doin?"
With a smile in my voice, I said. "Oh, acting like a deputy today."
Tiani said, "Be careful, we'll warm up a spot for you."
As I was doing my preflight, my cell phone rang. The same female voice from before said, "All three are confirmed," and hung up.
While I was still looking at the outside of the aircraft in a slow drizzle, my cell phone rang again. It was the Marshal. "I guess I'll have to come see you again so I can find out how you were able to meet three of them. Good work. Hope the last two are equally as easy."
"I do too, Sir."
The Marshal said, "Be careful, and even though this is a priority, you don't have to be in a rush. Haste can hurt."
"Thank you, Sir, I'll be careful."
The man hung up as there wasn't too much he could say over unsecured phones.
I was getting damned tired of being wet. I took off my vest and put it into the gym bag, along with the silencer that I had taken off my Glock. The last thing I did before beginning the startup procedure was to set up the coffeepot.
Climbing out of Andrews was a little bumpy, but as soon as I cleared about twenty-five thousand, the sky cleared, and the winds calmed somewhat. I pushed the button on the coffee maker and enjoyed smelling the brewing coffee.
With the instruments set up to get me home, I was able to reach around and get the coffee pot, pour a cup and put the pot back without spilling anything. I pulled the two remaining ex-agents sheets out to look where I needed to go next once again. One was in Reno, and the other was in San Diego. I wonder if they were going to be on the hunt for each other, or the others, as well.
When I approached the airpark, I keyed in the signal for the runway lights and set the aircraft down gently. When I parked in front of the jet hangar, two things happened. The doors began opening and a fuel truck pulled up.
Eddie, one of the night mechanics said, "This bird has an early morning appointment. DeDe left a message that if you needed an aircraft tomorrow to take the Phenom."
I transferred my stuff to my car's trunk, thanked Eddie and the night girl for taking care of the aircraft for me, and headed home. There, I just left everything in the car and went into bed. I was still damp and chilled, so I took a quick warm shower and slid into bed outside of Lisa. She snuggled into me and pulled the covers over us.
I was asleep quickly.
The girls were trying to be quiet, but I woke up anyway. I sat up, stretched, and surprised them when I said, "Boy, a guy would think he would at least get a good morning kiss."
Seven women gave me a hug and kiss as they said, "We all want to get in early today. We're trying to make up to Metarie for all the time we've been taking off. We thought that if we went in an hour early and left an hour late every day for a week, we would have everything in the building caught up. Metarie has lost a couple of secretaries and has had a difficult time getting new help. We're going to take care of her."
I said, "That's sweet of you girls. I wish I had more time or I would come in and help you."
Frieda said, "That would be a twist. You could be my secretary for a day. My girl is out on maternity leave and I've been trying to do everything myself. I'm behind too."
I slid my peg and pair of shorts on to go into the kitchen and make coffee real quick. The non-pregnant girls had some coffee and the pregnant ones had juice. I was getting used to their wants and could anticipate them now.
When they were getting ready to leave, Brandy asked, "Are you going to be home today?"
"Probably not, I have to go to both Reno and San Diego. I might just try to do both and stay overnight. That would be the smart thing to do. Anyway, all of you give me a hug, and I'll see you tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
The girls left, so I showered again, dressed, and put some clothes into a suitcase. I went out to the car and brought in the new rifle, as well as the new Samsonite case. This rifle was a precision piece and was easy to break down. It came apart in three pieces, the rear stock, the main mechanism with the scopes, and the barrel.
Since I had cleaned the gun at the range, I fit the pieces into places in the big briefcase. I put the silencer in and filled the four magazines with rounds and put them in the case as well. If I ever needed four magazines at one time, I would be in some kind of bad trouble. Hopefully, that would never happen.
I used the shredder in my office to shred the copies of the five sheets of the ex-CIA agents and put the remaining two in my pocket. That should be all I would need. I took the time to clean my Glock thoroughly, as well as the silencer.
Wanda came into the kitchen just before I was going to leave and said, "I have a telephone number that was left for you. The man said he was your range officer out west and you would know who he was."
I said, "Oh good. I have been waiting for his call. I have to go that way, perhaps I can see him on the way. Ah, Wanda, I'm heading out to Reno, and then to San Diego. I will stop in the San Diego office to say hi, but I'm not sure when. You can tell them I'm coming or just let me show up, your choice. They're pretty laid back, so they won't mind if I drop in."
Wanda agreed, "You're right. They are laid back out there. Since you helped clean up out there, they've had no big problems, but the DEA and FBI are as busy as ever, helping Homeland Security figure out who they are."
I waited to call the range contact number as there was a two-hour time difference there, so it is now only five o'clock.
I had a late breakfast at Park Place and went to the airpark. The Phenom was waiting for me on the tarmac, so I loaded my stuff and did a preflight. I thought I would stop for fuel in Houston and call the range officer from there.
Once I arrived in Houston, I called the range officer. He said, "How are you doing, Johnson. I hear you want to use our range to practice."
"I do, but I don't know how to make arrangements to visit."
"When do you want to come?"
"I'm going to be going near where you are today. If I could get some practice today, that would be great."
The man said, "Tell you what, I'm going to send you to our welcoming committee so you can get in. They'll make arrangements for you. When you get here, they'll tell me and bring you to me or tell me and I'll come get you. I hear you want to steal a rifle too. Is that right?"
"That would be good," I said. "The one I used before was a good weapon."
The range officer said, "Both of those were good. You show up and I'll see what I can do."
The next person I spoke to asked me, "Where are you coming from?"
"I'm in Houston and would be traveling toward you."
The voice said, "How about filing for Reno. As soon as you're in the air, use this frequency and call for directions. You won't get air cover today but you don't need it for a visit. Oh, we're still Mother, and you're still Eyes."
Before starting up, I filed a flight plan for Reno. When I was in the air, I selected the given frequency and said, "Mother, Eyes."
Through the headset, the man gave me coordinates of where to shut down my transponder, and the new heading to take when it was off. He said, "Call me back on this channel at that time."
Just like before, as soon as I called in, he said, "You're black, descend to five thousand feet, and lock on to this approach control frequency. When you are on a five mile final, we'll contact you."
As I was on the last couple of miles descending to the runway, the radio said, "You're cleared to land, runway 09, clear and fifteen, from the east at fifteen."
I did the follow me truck thing into a low hangar, and shut down where directed. A little cart came for me and I rode down into a tunnel then back up where the range was. The range officer said, "You know, this is lunch time. I'm hungry, want some lunch?"
I smiled and nodded. We rode to the supply room in his cart. The officer asked, "Can you give this man a set of clothes real quick. If you still have the pack he used, he'll have a set of fatigues in there that fit." The man brought me a set of clothes and a pair of boots. He handed me a gym bag and said, "Put your civvies in this. If you come back, wear the fatigues and boots. Everyone dresses the same here. That's how we know who we are." He laughed. There is no modesty among most military groups so I changed quickly. Both men exclaimed over my special leg and the toy strapped on the prosthesis.
We rode to the big mess hall I had eaten in before. We went through the line and had a nice lunch. There were no cash registers, just everyone dressed alike, with very few markings on the fatigues. As we left, I saw the leader who had previously briefed John and me. He nodded at me, but said nothing. I guess once something was completed, it was never to be mentioned again.
Back at the range, the officer handed me a case that was a little scratched up. He said, "Here's the rifle you used before. The only thing different is the barrel. We usually change them out after a mission. He handed me a box and said, "Here are four more barrels. If you have to use this rifle, change the barrel and send the used one to the address inside the box. The recipients will take care of it for you. Now, let's do some shooting. What and where do you want to start?"
I said, "How about I start at a hundred yards using the silencer and go up in hundred yard increments to a thousand. After that, try to confuse me on distances so I can get used to the built in range finder."
I set up at the table using it as a brace. The first five rounds were as perfect as you could want. The next few rounds were a half-inch or so off, and I was a full inch off at eight hundred yards. I waved at the range officer to stop and checked to make sure the scope fit tight and checked the silencer.
I unscrewed the silencer and shot at the target. Dead center this time, so I said, "Do you have another silencer. As you see, I'm about an inch off at eight hundred yards."
The man handed me another silencer and I screwed it on. This time my round showed up almost dead in the hole of the round I had fired without the silencer. I said, "Better, let's go to a thousand and then let me use the range finder."
At a thousand yards with the silencer, I was able to hit the target as close to dead center as I could have wanted. The officer said, "I'll give you some movement and change the distances. I will only change the distances after you shoot."
The first target said five fifty so I clicked the scope to five and gave a fraction of elevation. The round hit above the ear. The next was eight hundred and was easy. Then the target was up close at two hundred yards. The movement was rapid and took me a second to get the rhythm. The hit was good and then the next surprised me. I laughed and pulled my Glock and nailed the target. It was only about fifty yards out. I said, "If I had my silencer I could have tested that too."
The range officer said, "I forgot you had your sidearm. I suppose you would be prepared for something of that nature in the field. Nice hit with a sidearm."
He asked, "Want some available light practice?"
"Sure, give me movement, and wind at five hundred."
The target lit up as I clicked the scope to five hundred yards. The target wasn't at five hundred; it was out to seven hundred. I smiled to myself as I clicked the scope and made a slight adjustment for the wind. The movement was erratic, but I nailed the target.
The range officer said, "You sure have a penchant for head shots. Don't you ever fire at the torso?"
I said, "I do, but it seems every time I do, they are wearing armor. I end up wasting ammo having to shoot them a couple of times to spin them around so I can head shoot them. Why not just shoot them that way first?"
"You have a point. So you do know how to stand a target up?"
"Yes Sir, we learned that early in operations."
The range officer smiled and said, "Ah, Semper Fi."
"Ooorah."
"Should have known, you are very good, even if you are now a civilian and don't get that much practice."
"Thank you, that's a compliment from a guy that watches shooters every day."
He smiled and nodded. I said, "Let me clean this weapon up. Thank you for providing a weapon I'm used to. This can be an advantage."
The officer said, "You must be important as the directive came from a high place. Hopefully, you won't need it. When you need practice, come back."
When the gun was clean and in its case the officer brought out a bigger case and said, "I made the suggestion that if you needed the 308, there must be times you might need this. Want to fire a few from this one?"
I opened the case to find the fifty I had used before. The man said, "This has been sent back to the manufacturer for modification. Please note that a magazine fits in the rifle. There are only seven rounds total, but that should be sufficient."
After picking up the rifle and examining it I asked, "Will the explosive rounds fit the magazine?"
"They do. I noticed when I sent the weapon back that you had not used any of the conventional rounds."
With a smile, I said, "I love things that go boom. Those sure do."
The range officer laughed. "Load a magazine and fire a few. You still have to use the bolt to eject the empty and load the chamber."
The officer gave me five hundred yards first for an easy shot. Next
he gave me about seven hundred and fifty with movement on the target,
another fairly routine shot. Next he surprised me. The target was way
out there. I used the range finder to note the target was near fourteen
hundred yards. Just before I was ready to shoot, the officer added wind
and movement. I used the maximum distance on the scope and aimed
carefully at the body, getting the rhythm of the movement. The target
blew off the carrier.
I said, "That was way out there. I could barely see it."
"That was a good shot. You don't rattle and that's good. That means you'll take your time and make a good shot in just about any condition. You're done. There's nothing more I can do for you."
As I began cleaning the big rifle, I asked, "So I can keep both of them?"
The man nodded and pulled out a couple boxes of fifty caliber rounds. He said, "One each conventional and explosive. When you need more, ask. I'll give you my card. There will be an answering machine. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you. Don't leave your number, I have it stored already. Use your call sign, Eyes."
When the rifles were clean and ready to use again, I put everything back into the cases, along with another box of 308 match grade rounds. The range officer gave me a ride back to the hangar where the Phenom was sitting as I had left it.
As he left me at the plane, a fuel truck came up and the guy said, "I'll load you up, okay?"
We fueled the aircraft and I did my preflight. I asked the fuel driver if they wanted to turn me around with a tow motor but he said, "Naw, you can spin it after you spool up. The door will open as soon as you fire up. Call in for movement instructions."
When I called in, I was given instructions as I spun around to head out the door. I trailed the follow me truck out to the runway as Mother instructed me, "Stay under five thousand, and land in Reno. Remember to turn your transponder back on after you set down. We'll remind you this time."
Forty-five minutes later, I was shutting down in the private aircraft area in Reno. I had already flipped the transponder on when I received, "Eyes, Mother."
"Eyes."
"You did good, come back and see us." There was a pause then, "Play nice."
That was a strange group out there.
The day was getting pretty far along, so I did the car rental gig and wandered around, using my GPS to find the residence of the ex-CIA agent here.
The way to pass through a neighborhood to make sure you are alone in the quest for someone is to first, drive a dumb looking car and second, you try to move through fairly quickly. When I put my luggage into the rental car, I found the best city camouflage known to man. There were two magnetic signs that said "Jones Real Estate" with a telephone number in the trunk. Now I could drive slower and gawk at all the houses. I could also scope out any cars that might look out of place on the street.
The house that I wanted was easy to find. But the neighborhood made observing it difficult. The house was on a cul-de-sac that made it silly to pass through more than twice. I didn't see any cars out of place, and I didn't see any activity at the house in question. There was a house under some form of major renovation on the next block that offered a view of the front of the house I wanted to watch. There were a couple of big trucks, but they were there for trash disposal rather than to haul workers. No one was there today, so I could park between them and not be out of place.
I was more prepared for a stakeout this time, since I had taken a leak and had a bottle of water and a cup of coffee to go along with a gas station chicken salad sandwich.
When darkness began creeping in, I waited for lights to come on in the house but nothing showed. There didn't appear to be blinds on any of the windows, so I should be able to see at least a glow if someone was up and around.
I stayed until nine, then left to find a hotel and food.
For whatever reason, I had kept the ID of the first guy I checked out in Huntsville. I had also kept his checking account alive and had charged a few things on the debit card. I used that name to rent the car and to check into the big hotel in Reno.
Don't you love the big casinos. They are busy twenty-four hours a day. They are an easy place to find good food and a fun place to watch people. After putting my suitcase in my room and calling home, I went on the hunt for food. After a pleasant steak dinner, I thought I might try what Missy said was fun to do.
I went to the blackjack tables to see if I could anticipate cards. I know you can win at black jack if you pay attention, so I tried to do both. My thought processes were not that good. I was either deep in the dealer's head listening to him bitch about having his brother-in-law visiting, or I was focusing on whether to hit sixteen.
Missy said that what you had to do was to just fix on the card sleeve or think of each person's cards. When the dealer dealt, I knew he had eighteen when he had dealt the cards. He flipped up a king and an eight. The first person he went to had a two showing with another two down. The player split them, which I would not have done, but then I'm not a gambler. He ended up with nineteen on one of the two cards and busted on the other. The next person could only get to eighteen and then it was my turn. I had eleven and the sleeve suggested to me that a face card was next. I pointed at my cards and a queen put me at twenty-one. Amazing, I won.
I did this a few more times but stopped at a low number a couple of times as I felt I would bust. I was even paid off a couple of times doing that, as the dealer busted.
I wanted to see how this talent worked at the poker tables, so I sat at a medium pot, seven card stud table. I hate having so many cards, but then the hands can get wild especially when you're playing with several players. The first two hands didn't give me anything to play with past the fourth card, so I used that time to study the other players. The next hand I was dealt a pair down and when one guy began betting wildly, I was able to hear him laughing as people folded. There was only him, another guy, and me left. The other guy had a pair of sevens down. The fourth card didn't change anyone's mind except mine. I now had trip jacks. That hand would be hard to beat most any time. All I had to do was to call the crazy man. The other player had some elation in his manner, so I looked to see that he had a set of sevens.
Damn, that's too bad. He's going to go crazy while I had a set of Jacks. I studied the cards held by the dealer and could feel what they were going to be. This was more than anticipating what they would be, but the cards told me that I was going to get another Jack and the other man would get another seven. Wow, two hands with four of a kind. When the betting began before the seventh card, the fruit basket betting wildly folded knowing that at least one of us remaining players had his nothing beat.
The other player with four sevens bet the farm, he bet all the chips he had left, which was a raise of almost two thousand dollars. I had to buy more chips, which I was allowed to do, so I could call. The seventh card was dealt and meant nothing to either of us. He knocked to check and I did too. The man spread out his four sevens and was grinning. As he reached for the pot, I laid down my four jacks. He looked like he was going to cry. I said, "Sorry about that." The man looked really beat, so I peeked into his mind. He thought he was going to win enough tonight to get back on his feet.
You just can't do that. I didn't stay in the guy's head, as it would have been too much of a downer. I left him with the thought that he should apply for a job here at the hotel instead of playing games here. I don't know where that came from, but the guy did look up and smile to himself. He left the table and headed in the direction of the offices.
This game was not that much fun, so after a couple of hands that had me trying to play with nothing, I left that table and wandered through the casino. Mercy said her mom could anticipate the ball color and number at the roulette wheel.
I traded my chips for roulette chips and concentrated on the wheel. I kept thinking red, so I put money on only the red. The little ball came to rest in red 16. The next was red 25 and then I felt the ball would fall on black 18 so I moved my money to a black square. The ball fell into black 18. That's eerie, two spins in a row that I anticipated not only the color, but also the number. I seemed to have red 19 in my head so I put half my winnings on red 19 and half on red.
Son of a gun, the ball landed in red 19. When I won again by picking the number and the color correctly, I noticed a man come to stand next to the croupier. They watched me closely as I hesitated before I put money on black 20. The croupier even put a different ball into the wheel after spinning it up faster. When the ball landed in black 20, the new man came to stand beside me.
I looked into the man's mind and found he was not a nice man. He was hotel security, but he was also a bully. When I was going to put a bet down, he acted like it was accidental but bumped me hard enough to knock my chips over that I was putting on a number. I quickly raked them off the table and looked at the guy sternly. He grumbled, "Sorry," but didn't move away.
I separated ten thousand from my winnings now and waited until the wheel was spinning, but the ball was still in the croupier hands. I said to the man next to me, "Can I bet now?"
He looked at me weird as I used my left hand to put money on the black 20 again. He had a silly grin on his face all the way until the ball bounced and stuck in black 20. The croupier even looked at the guy to see if he should pay off.
Several people were now betting with me, so the payoff was getting big. I let everything ride, putting it all on the red 27 and several people followed me. A few seconds later, I was richer. The guy said, "You need to quit. Leave the casino. I don't know what you're doing, but you can't win like that."
I said loud enough for the other gamers to hear, "You want me to leave because I'm winning? That's not very nice."
The guy grabbed me by the arm and said, "Come with me, Buddy, you and I are going to talk."
I reached up and put my thumb on the guy's carotid artery and pressed hard enough for him to stagger. I stood back but I had the sidearm from his shoulder harness in my hand, stuffing it in my waist band. He came to his senses and reached for his gun that wasn't there.
That's when I flooded his mind with thoughts of, "Help this man, don't try to bully him. Suggest he try another game." I did this over and over as he just stared at me and tried to figure out what had happened. All of the players were watching and some might have even seen me take his gun. They didn't like seeing a winner hauled away from a table, so they were becoming adversarial toward the croupier.
I asked for my chips to be exchanged to standard chips. The dealer gave me several large denomination chips, plus a stack of others. I tipped the croupier and headed toward the cashier. While I was cashing in the chips, another security guy was watching me, so I was quick about cashing in and going up to my room. I had a problem though as I still had the first security guy's gun. This was not good, since I was checked in using a fake ID.
Damn, I had not used my head while experimenting tonight. Looking up and down the hall, I didn't see anyone so I took my unopened suitcase and went down the stairs. A fake leg and stairs is not fun going down sixteen flights of stairs, but I made it to an outside door and left the building. I doubled around and got to my rental car. This time, I drove down the street to a no name motel and paid cash to check in. I unloaded and took apart the guys 1911 automatic. I made sure that my prints were not anywhere on the weapon and took a walk, dropping pieces and parts at each trashcan along the sidewalk.
Back at the hotel, I took a quick shower and went to bed.
I learned something tonight. It's best to go gambling with friends and it's best to not win too much from one table. At least I did know I could anticipate some things in a casino, and knew that it would be fun to do again. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard Mercy mocking me, telling me that I was chicken to take off so easily from a bully like that. Oh well, I'm going to live to tell about it.
I woke early in the morning, showered, dressed, and headed back to the house I had been at the day before. I sat in the same spot at five thirty in the morning, focusing on the house. I didn't feel any energy coming from the house at all. When I focused on the house next door, I could feel more than one person and how gently they were sleeping. I couldn't see into them and felt their comfort.
I almost went to sleep as I felt their slumber. When I focused on the house of interest, I realized there was no one there. Well, no sense in hanging around here if there was no chance of taking care of business.
While heading to the airport, it seemed as if my sixth sense was telling me I was being followed. I couldn't pick out any headlights that stood out, so I drove to a Denny's and went inside. I asked to sit in a corner booth where I bought a newspaper and sat with my coffee, waiting for my order.
Two men came into the restaurant and took seats with a view of my table. I noticed them because the waitress had wanted to seat them over by a window, but they had pointed at a specific table. The more I checked out the two men, the more I realized they were the last two on my list.
This was not good, as I was in an exposed area with my weapon, but no silencer. If these guys got cute, I would have to shoot inside a fairly busy restaurant. I needed to figure out how to get out of this.
I focused on the nearest guy and only felt hate and anger in him. When I focused on the other man, I knew he was the brains. He was calm, but concerned his partner would give them away. He kept telling his partner to be cool, to wait for the right opportunity.
A few minutes later, the man said, "He might go to the bathroom, one of us can go in and finish him in there and we'll get out of here."
The angry man said, "I want to do it. He's probably the guy who has been killing us off."
The man said, "I don't think so. He's from Huntsville and is just a country boy in the big city. We'll get rid of him, but I think he might have been sent here just for you."
That was interesting. They had found out my fake name and where I was from. They must still have contacts to trace people.
Well, I could go into the bathroom and wait to take out one of them, but then I would have a cleanup problem. It would be best if I found a place that was good for me and finished the game.
I ate slowly and took my time. My watchdogs ate hurriedly as they didn't know how fast I would leave. When I was done, I casually went to the cashier, paid my bill and left. The two men watched me go to my car while quickly paying their bill.
I was only familiar with two places. The street where the one guy lived and the parking garage at the hotel, I chose the parking garage as there was lots of cover. While going to the hotel parking garage, I took off my coat and put on my vest and put my sport coat back on. I reached into my gym bag and pulled out the Glock silencer and screwed it on, then I put three more magazines into my coat pockets.
When I drove into the garage, I made sure that I went slowly so the two guys wouldn't lose me. I went up to the fifth floor that seemed to be fairly full and found a single slot near the elevator, a logical place to park. When the two men passed me, I slid from the car and duck walked in front of the cars to get about ten cars down, closer to where the two men were parking.
They both got out of the car, doing the swivel head routine, and they both had those silly little twenty-two automatics with silencers. They kept looking around and were walking toward my car.
No one was coming, so I rose just enough to put them both down quickly. They were so confident that they didn't even suspect I knew they were coming.
Both men were big and it took a lot of effort to drag them back to their car. It was everything I could do to put them into the back and front seats.
They did bleed, but it almost looked like oil instead of blood. I pulled off one guy's coat and tried to wipe up the blood. I didn't do much except mop it up, but it did look better. I pitched the jacket into the car along with the cheap twenty-twos.
Back in my car, I called the special number. This time a man answered and asked "How may I help you?"
I said I had a couple of items in Reno. He asked where and I gave him the hotel parking garage, the floor, and the car they were in. The man asked, if there was need for extensive cleaning. I told them some, but not much.
He asked if I would remain at the scene so it would remain secure. I agreed and told him to hurry, as I needed the potty. He laughed and said the crew should be there in fifteen minutes. The last thing he asked is if I wanted confirmation. Of course, I said I did.
Less than fifteen minutes later, a van came through the parking area and stopped behind the two guys' car. They used some kind of chemical on the floor to quickly wash it, then drove the car and the van toward the exit.
I waited for about five minutes and drove out of the garage, heading toward the airport. No one was following me and when I turned in the car, I pulled the two magnetic signs off the car and threw them into a trashcan.
Once on the plane, I relaxed. All of the bad guys were gone. None seemed to be that good and all were so overconfident that they were dangerous to themselves. I went up to the operations building and ordered a fuel truck and went to the bathroom.
To make the trip look right, I did fly to San Diego and visited the office there. Hal was still actively working and insisted we go home to eat. It was there that I was told Maria had met a fine young man and was now married. She was expecting her first child and Hal's first grandchild.
I had received my confirmation call and shortly afterward, the Marshal called and said, "I can't believe you handled that so fast. You'll have to tell me about it sometime. Good job, now go to work being a deputy."
While flying home, I kept thinking that I didn't want to be a hired assassin for the government. I needed to tell them that I would be happy to attempt to arrest people like that, but I didn't like just eliminating them. Something was wrong with that. My conscience couldn't take a lot of that sort of thing.
At home, I was greeted by Lena and little Tina who said they were about to head out to Sue's and Mercy's. They said the girls were going there for supper.
I called Wanda to advise her I was home, and she said that John Scott had been trying to get hold of me.
I called John and he said, "Good job, Johnson. I want to tell you something, but you'll have to come get me to tell you. How about coming for me in the morning and flying me up to Chicago. We can talk and do a special arrest while we're up there."
Thinking about what a special arrest might be, I said, "Hope it isn't like the ones I just did."
"No, this is the conclusion of a long investigation. The person doesn't suspect we're going to arrest him, and we are the ones that need to do the deed. It won't be dirty, just politically messy. Oh yeah, bring Wanda along, as you will need her support on this one."
"You have my curiosity now, is this overnight, or just an up and back."
"Probably just up and back, but bring along some extras to be sure. You'll see me in the morning. Andrews at nine, okay?"
"Damn, John, that means I have to leave here at six thirty."
"Oh well, that's the life of a plebe. See you then." He hung up on me, laughing the way he always does.
Steve's place was fun, but I couldn't drink as much as I wanted to as I needed to get up and get going again early in the morning. Oh well.
The ladies were in a crazy mood tonight, and it took some extra effort to make them all know I cared for all of them. It was fun and did let me let off steam.
I had told everyone that Wanda and I had to be gone early in the morning, so we were up and out of the house before five thirty. At the airpark, the Phenom was fueled, checked out, and ready to fly. I parked at Andrews just before nine. The black Buick drove across the tarmac, and both John and the Marshal got out. As soon as they were out of the car, the Buick took off, letting me know I had two additional passengers.
We talked while I was refueled, then I loaded them onto the plane. John said he would ride up front with me so I showed Wanda and the Marshal how the communications system was supposed to work. Wanda had experience with inflight communications systems, so she could show the Marshal.
Once in flight, John said, "I promise to keep you out of stuff like you just did. That was special as the men involved had become very dangerous. They probably still have some contacts in their old group, so you could have been expected by the time you finished."
I said, "I was expected, and that's how I got them. They followed me from my stakeout to Denny's. I led them back to a better place so they would think it was easy to take me there. You know how to do it. I was the hunter instead of the hunted."
"I'm glad it was as easy as it seemed to us here. You're lucky at a lot of things, and I'm glad you were lucky at this one. I promise, no more of that."
"Good, John, I don't like it. I can do a mission when necessary, and make an arrest even with some collateral losses during the arrest, but I don't like just putting them down like that."
John laughed, "Good way to put it. They were a bunch of rabid dogs. You did what was needed. Did you know those men had actually accepted a hit on our favorite Marshal? They did, and we're going to make that person's arrest later this morning."
"In that case, I'm glad I was able to take care of the problem."
"You've met the regional guy up in Chicago before. He's a great guy, but thinks he should be the Marshal. He has the Chicago mentality, and has set himself up as a king within our own service. Hopefully his minions won't cause us any problems, but be ready. I'm sure the Marshal is briefing Wanda so she will be prepared, as well. We'll try to do this gently and quietly. When we clean out the office, we'll call the successor at his hotel and have him come in. Wanda will take care of the paperwork and we'll introduce him around to the Bureau Chief, as well as the current Station Chief. Hopefully, everyone will be agreeable and won't cause any grief. I think the current Deputy Marshal in charge is ready for a normal relationship with his regional."
It took until almost one to get to the federal building in Chicago. We went directly to the station and briefed the chief. We took him with us as a witness and went to the next floor up and entered the lavish regional manager's office. The secretary was pretty upset that we pushed straight through. Wanda told the secretary to keep her hands away from the phone.
When we went through the door into the office of the regional manager, four guys were standing attentively in front of the regional manager. All four jumped back and almost looked as if they were going to pull on us.
John smiled at the four men and asked them to step out into the lobby area. When they were gone, the Marshal said, "Frank, you're under arrest for a variety of crimes that include conspiracy to commit murder, theft of government property, and conspiracy to promote organized crime. Please hand over your badge and sidearm."
The man looked at the Marshal, but looked back at me warily. He didn't make any quick moves and lay down his badge and gently pulled his weapon from a shoulder holster to put on the desk. The Marshal said, "You know the position, don't make this difficult."
After cuffing and chaining the man, the Marshal said, "So far so good." He handed me two more sets of chains and said, "The four men out there are also being charged. Be careful as they are suspected of some rough stuff."
We went out to the lobby and I asked the four men, "Very slowly and very carefully, raise your hands and put them on top of your head. You know my reputation, and know I will not hesitate to protect myself and those around me."
The four men looked at me and the Marshal said, "You are being arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, theft of government property, and conspiracy to promote organized crime."
I cuffed and chained two of them, while the Marshal and John did the other two. The Marshal asked the secretary, "Are you a part of the deal up here? I hope not, as I don't have a new secretary for the new man."
The girl said, "I'm just a secretary, I do what they tell me. Sometimes I don't want to do what they want me to do, but I need the job. I'll do whatever you want to keep my job. I can be good to you."
The Marshal said, "Don't talk like that or you'll be working the streets. There will be no trading favors in this office. This is a law enforcement office, not a slave quarters or a bordello."
The lady was embarrassed, but held her head up and said, "Good, I will be a good secretary and support my new boss."
The station chief had a couple of his men come up and shake down the new prisoners. All five were then taken downstairs where a federal judge arraigned them. All five were hollering for their attorneys, and all five were given the opportunity to make a call. It was too late though, as all were finished with the judge and booked by the time their attorneys showed. All five were being held without bail.
The new regional came and was introduced to all. The Marshal told me that I should make a point to visit here at least monthly for a while. I promised to do that.
Wanda had all of the paperwork complete and said to the Marshal, "I'm ready to go home, Sir. How about you?"
The four of us were out of there and flying back to DC within a half-hour. On the way, the Marshal sat up front with me. He repeated what John had said, and told me, "You've done more for the service than the service has done for you. I want you to know that we owe you. You've been lucky at a few things and that has brought you some wealth. It hasn't affected you and you are still a good deputy. That makes me proud to be your boss."
I said, "I don't have a problem doing my job and today was a good example. It could have been messy, and I was ready to do what was necessary, but it turned out great. I would much rather attempt to make a capture and an arrest than the others I just did. I don't want to do that again unless it's absolutely necessary. You might even have to give me some good proof."
"Not to worry, Chuck. I don't think that will happen again." He paused then said, "Are you going to take a trip in that new sailboat you bought? I heard that thing was made for a billionaire that got greedy. Amazing how that happens. I doubt you ever will, but don't ever get that way, Chuck."
"I pray I won't, Sir. We may take a trip soon. It seems my friend, his family, and mine, are planning a trip to Europe. I think that would be fun. It might be for too long, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes."
The Marshal smiled, "You have a lot of good will credit, so don't hesitate to tell us when you want off. We'll be sure to work something out."
From DC to Tampa, Wanda sat up front with me. She asked, "So are you any closer to figuring out how to handle your group of ladies?"
"I think so, Wanda. All of them accept Lisa as the leader. The original five accept Brandy as their spokesperson. Strange, but I'm good with the way it's worked out so far. I'm still amazed that all those women are getting along. I didn't know that was possible."
Wanda said, "It has to do with you, Chuck. Your presence promotes harmony. Something about you makes those around you gentler, happier, and wanting to get along. I wish you could identify it and market it. You'd be a multi-millionaire from book sales."
"I don't know what it could be, but I like it, Wanda. I enjoy the harmony we have and I can tell you the loving is wonderful, but then you know that. Are you and John happy with the plan for all of us out at the park?"
"Very happy, Chuck," Wanda sighed. "We both enjoy being a part of your household. We both enjoy your crazy ladies. This will be the best of both worlds for John, as he will be near Steve and friends, and also live with you and all of our friends."
"Sounds almost like a commune or cult, Wanda. I hope this is a good thing."
Wanda was smiling, "It will be, Chuck, it will be. I anticipate lots of little kids running around in the years to come. That will be very nice."
When we were back in Tampa and sucking up some of Steve's booze, Steve asked me, "Would you be interested in a hotel resort in the Keys?"
"If you mean Key West, and if I have enough money, my answer is yes. My investment fund has been growing rapidly. What do you have?"
Steve said, "Do you remember the hotel you stayed at when you went down there with some of your ladies? Ben might have even hinted something about it once before."
I nodded. Steve said, "That's the one. I'm already half owner of it and the other half is now for sale. I want you and I to buy the place and I want to use the owners' suites often. We might remodel that whole top floor into one giant suite so we can all go down there and party hardy."
"Sounds good, Steve, I'll get with Ben so you can do what you do best. I'm sure my crew will be ecstatic."
Steve said, "You know, you and I are becoming more and more acclimated to some nice leisure places. We need to make a trip to Hawaii to check up on Bear and Crystal, and to check on our resorts over there. Abe, Tiny, and Henry have all gone, but you and I haven't. Dewey says everything is going as planned, so all is good. We need to go see how it's going ourselves, though, so plan on it."
I said, "I will. Now that a lot of my running around seems to be coming to a close, I will enjoy hanging around home a little more."
By the time we made it home, I was a little fuzzy and had to let someone else drive. Everyone was fine with that, as I had been under a lot of pressure and they could feel it.
I was put to bed sweetly and cuddled to sleep. What a perfect way to end the day!
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious
Additional Helicopter Knowledge by Rotorhead
Last one through — Deenara2000