“Ms. Longstreet, as I
understand it, the FBI is working together with another government
agency and if that is true, who and what are they. Is it part of
Homeland Security?”
“No it is not part of
Homeland Security. It is a loosely held group of individuals
consulting with the FBI. The head of the group is an ex-military
man by the name of Brad Pratt. No more questions and thank you for
coming.”
“Jesus H. Christ,” Brad
shouted in his room with Sujin. They had been alerted to the press
conference by Steve. Steve told them to remain cool and he would
see them in the morning. “Can you believe this? She has spilled the
beans and now this guy knows who I am. What is God’s name was she
thinking about. I will kill the bitch.”
Sujin had never before seen
him this angry. He was pacing around the room like a caged animal.
Rocky was on the bed with her and he lay with his head in her lap
whining. Finally Brad quit ranting and put on his running gear and
left the house with Rocky hot on his heels.
The rest of the team had
been watching the news conference in another room. Half way through
Billy told them that the shit was going to hit the fan and a few
minutes later they heard Brad shouting and feet running up the
stairs. Everyone was afraid to move or say something. Agent Jones
couldn’t believe his ears that this agent in charge gave away
evidence that should never be made available to the press. All knew
the more the killer found out the harder it would be to catch him.
Jones felt that this was a giant setback to their plans and the
ability to catch this guy. Wendy later agreed with him and both
wondered what was going to happen the next day when this witch came
for the meeting. They all found out about two hours later when Brad
fresh from a hard run, took a shower and used the phone in the
center hub for all to listen while he call Steve in
Seattle.
“Steve,” he said quietly
into the phone. “If you come anywhere near this house with her I
will kill her and feed her to the crabs. Under no uncertain terms
bring that person here. I will not be responsible for my actions to
protect my property and family and that includes my team,” and he
hung up. The team clapped their hands and a thought went through
agent Jones’s head: what will happen now he wondered? Well, I’m
just along for the ride and the experience and too low on the
ladder to be drug into an interdepartmental squabble.
It was close to midnight
when the phone rang on Brad’s private line. The story was told
about the phone call to the team at breakfast the next morning
after their early morning run. Brad told them that Nancy Longstreet
had been raked over the coals and would Brad meet them in a neutral
location. Brad agreed only if the governor of California, Oregon
and Washington were at the meeting along with the Director of the
FBI at his father’s house in Palm Springs in two days’ time. “He
will call me before noon today with an answer.”
Two days later Brad and
Sujin flew to Palm Springs. His mother was excited her daughter in
law was coming. She also knew an important meeting was scheduled
and that didn’t faze her at all. Just another in a line of
important meetings she thought. Talking about grandkids was vastly
more important than an ole meeting between bunches of gray haired
old men.
Brad was with his father
behind closed doors in the study. Sujin and Brad’s mother sat under
an umbrella by the pool drinking fresh fruit juice. Brad’s mother,
whose name was Gwen, was saying, “I hate to be blunt my dear, but
you know we would really like to have a grandchild. We see little
of you and forgive my intrusion upon your private
affairs.”
Sujin noticed a kindly look
in her mother in law’s eyes and took a deep breath and said, “Well
you won’t have to wait much longer Mrs. Pratt, I’m pregnant and we
just found out last night after taking a pregnancy test.” Tears ran
down Gwen’s cheeks and she held her summer dress tight against her
neck like someone would steal her next words.
“Oh Sujin, does your mother
know yet? I’m just beside myself with happiness and I can’t wait to
tell Phillip. He will be so proud. Of course he would want a boy,
but I will take what God gives us,” she said with undying
gratitude. She felt her life was complete now and so many thoughts
ran through her head. She and Phillip had discussed moving to
Florida, but now they would postpone and wait until the baby was
born. Palm Springs was much closer than Florida and they would want
to be near their grandchildren. The girls sat at the pool for a
long time talking about babies and what if it was a girl and what
if it was a boy.
Meanwhile tension in the air
in the study was so thick it was like the tall rough at the U.S.
Open golf tournament. You would have to hack your way through the
tension entering the room.
In the room sat Brad, Steve
and the governor of California. They were waiting for the others to
arrive and he meeting was scheduled for one pm. It was now just
before noon and the discussion centered on what Brad thought the
killer would do next and the question of what to do with special
agent Nancy Longstreet. Brad told them the ‘A’ theory about the
cities in Washington, but now that the cat was out of the bag,
would the Senior Killer change his plans or would he be brazens
enough to go through with his plan right in front of the
FBI.
Brad’s father cautioned his
son on overreacting and to let the powers to be handling the chain
of command to decide what to do. Steve agreed and Brad said he
would let it develop for the time being. Then a knock on the door
announced lunch was served in the dining room.
Gwen couldn’t help but tell
her husband the good news at the lunch table. He took the news in
stoic stride and the governor shook Brad’s hand and gave him a hug.
Brad’s face was red and Sujin had downcast eyes as were her Asian
culture traditional custom. Once the excitement slowly diminished
lunch was served. After lunch the men sat at the pool and drank
coffee or tea waiting for the others to arrive. At one o’clock the
two governors of Oregon and California arrived and just after that,
the FBI director and Nancy Longstreet made their
appearance.
The meeting took place
around the large dining room table. Brad’s father took his usual
place at the head and the others sat where they wanted. The
Director took the other end of the table with Nancy, eyes on fire,
sat next to him. Brad was next to his father with Steve across from
him. Steve stood up and was about to say something when the
doorbell rang. A minute of silence and a knock on the door produced
two men in black suits announcing they were secret service and
would it be permitted to check the house as the president of the
United States waited in his limo. Everyone looked at one another
and just the smallest of a grin on Brad’s face was never seen by
anyone.
Phillip and the all the rest
of them including Nancy stood up and waited for the president to
enter the room. He didn’t wait for the secret service to check the
house out and strode in with his usual confident self. He shook
hands with everyone except the FBI director and Nancy, but he did
acknowledge her presence. He wasted no time as he stood shoulder to
shoulder with Phillip and asked that all be seated. Phillip drew
his chair off to the side a little ways to give the president the
head of the table. The president spoke.
“None of you here, save the
Director and Steve have any idea the pressure of the serial killer
has put me under. My advisors tell me the press conference the
other night damaged our investigation and put one of our agencies
under the spotlight. I gave you, Mr. Director specific instructions
to work with Brad’s team. You were observed to have spent less than
three minutes at the breakfast meeting leaving your special agent
and Brad to work out what needed to be discussed. I find this
intolerable and a gross dereliction of duty forgetting you direct
orders from me and your sworn testimony of the office you hold. Now
Mr. Director I expect to have your letter of resignation on my desk
by today eight o’clock Eastern Time. You are now excused from this
meeting and Ms. Longstreet you will remain here as I’m not through
just yet.”
The FBI Director’s mouth was
hanging open as was Nancy who finally realized what a gross mistake
she and the Director had made. She realized there was no way out
and she would be on the street by this time tomorrow. The former
Director left as a car waited for him at the curb. In the meantime,
the president was talking to Brad off in the corner of the room
close to his ear. Only a minute passed and one could see Brad’s
head nod a yes to whatever the president was saying. They all sat
back down and the president continued his speech.
“You all know and I don’t
have to tell you how important this is to the citizens of this
country. I will tolerate no more mistakes and from this point on
the person in charge of this case are Brad Pratt and his team.
Nancy,” and her mouth fell open again and she looked through
terrified eyes at the president, “you will go with Brad to a place
of his choosing and I will give you twenty seconds to decide that
he will be your boss and if you cross the line one more time, you
will, as I heard that Brad mentions you would be crab food, I will
let him carry out that threat with my approval.” At that he waited
for her to respond and it wasn’t long in coming.
“I will agree to your terms
and do my best for my country.” The president with his beady eyes
stared at her to make sure she realized he was giving her a chance
to redeem herself and left the room, but not without shaking hands
with the others and surprisingly Nancy’s too.
It was then Brad stood up
and said, “let me fill you in on our plan and then we will let
Nancy fill us all in on current developments, if any.” Brad then
told them of the ‘A’ plan, but not the details. He further told
them this was only a best guess scenario and it had a forty percent
chance of being correct. He went to say, “We have no idea what he
will do now that the press conference is over and he has added
information from which to either change his plan or maybe he will
throw it in our faces.”
For the next thirty minutes
discussions were heard around the table and when it came to Nancy,
she told them no new developments had occurred in the last few
days. At that the meeting was over and the governors departed for
their respective agendas. After seeing them out the door, Brad told
Nancy to follow him and they went to the side of the pool for some
much needed air and refreshments. Brad didn’t realize how tall she
was. She was as tall as his six foot plus height. She walked a
little awkward due to her height and had a slump to her shoulders
from walking slouched over self-conscience of her height when
young, he thought.
Sitting down at the pool
side he noticed she was visibly shaking. I guess I might be too if
the president fired my boss and then gave me only seconds to make a
career decision, or most likely be thrown to the wolves for dinner.
Let’s see what she is made of, he thought. The maid brought them
fresh juice and they sat there quietly for a few minutes as she
stared at the juice in her hands. Finally she lifted her head and
Brad noticed her eyes still held a contemptible look. It was then
he knew she might not make it, but maybe with Wendy’s help and
agent Jones she might turn out an asset rather than a
liability.
She said, “What will you do
with me?”
“I’ll put you to work,” he
said as a matter of fact. “You have talent and I want you to do
what you do best.”
“It appears I have no choice
in the matter,” she said in a low voice almost cracking under the
strain.
“Sure you do Nancy, you can
quit, but I doubt you are a quitter,” he said with a voice that had
compassion in it. “You wanted to see where I lived and now you will
get your wish. However, not quite under the same circumstances as
you once thought. I’ll give you a week and if you don’t like what
we are doing, you are free to return to wherever you came from and
no hard feelings.” She nodded her head in agreement and drank her
juice wishing it was laced with vodka.
Chapter 10
Nancy went to her hotel and
Brad and Sujin stayed until the next morning. Then they flew back
home with a downtrodden Nancy. Nancy never said a word all the way
to North Bend. Mike met them at the airport and drove them home. No
conversation occurred until they turned off the Loop Road onto the
rutted side road to the Round House. Nancy sucked in a deep breath
and said, “You are going to kill me aren’t you?
Sujin spoke up and said,
“Not yet, the week is not up.”
Brad said nothing and
thought, let the team greet her and lets see how it
goes.
Mike said as they pulled
into the gravel parking lot where only a slight breeze was blowing
this December seventh, “We have a few new developments when you are
ready.”
Sujin said, “Let’s have
lunch first, I for one need some spicy food and the baby is crying
for some Kimchee.” That broke the tension for the time being as
they got out and made for the house. Sandy wagged her tail at Rocky
and gave him her best side going around in circles. Of course the
macho Rocky stuck his head in the air and walked with tail erect in
the door where Earie waited.
Wendy was rubber necking the
site and surrounding landscape and now that she was here, after all
the wondering what the place looked like, she got her wish, but
certainly not under these circumstances. She had no power left and
not a lot of dignity for that matter. She wasn’t even sure by the
end of the day whether she had a job or not. Maybe after sixteen
years she would have to hit the pavement looking for work. The last
thing she thought about was her lover at home. They talked every
night by phone or by e- mail and now she wasn’t sure if she would
be allowed to use a phone or a computer. Her cell and side arm had
been asked for and now she felt as naked as a new born.