Authors: John Strauchs
Brett walked into the emergency care entrance of Mass General and asked the receptionist to page Dr. Lynn Oliver.
In a few minutes a middle-aged doctor with salt and
pepper hair appeared. Brett hated hospitals.
“Mr. Koutsanoudis?” asked Dr. Oliver.
“Yes, Dr. Oliver?”
“Yes.
Special Agent Cabet gave me instructions in this matter. You have to understand that this is all highly irregular but in the interest of homeland security, Mass
General is pleased to assist.
It is helpful that you are an attorney so that everything we
are doing is above board.
I am extremely uncomfortable about misleading the Boston
Police Department and the State Police. Both agencies have been here several times.”
“No, only Agent Cabet.” Dr. Oliver looked suspicious about the question so Brett
quickly changed the subject.
“It was very important that I not identify the body in time for the evening news. I
would like you to tell the press at around 9 pm that I came by and positively identified the
body. It is important that your announcement appears on the 11 o’clock news.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.
There are a few of those fellows still waiting
around in the visitor lobby.”
“We really appreciate your help and I want to emphasize how important your cooperation is. A young woman’s life is a stake.
“I understand that a woman is being held hostage. What exactly is the connection
with homeland security? Agent Cabet was very unclear about that part.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss it. You will have to speak with Agent Cabet about
that.”
“Very well. Please follow me,” said Dr. Oliver. “We moved Mr. Siemels to Allen
Street to keep up the pretext.”
“Allen Street?” asked Brett.
“Sorry! That is a euphemism for the morgue.”
They walked into a small side room near the morgue. Jared was sitting up in bed.
His head was heavily bandaged, but he was smiling.
“Dead man sitting,” said Brett as he rushed over to Jared.
“Thank you Dr. Oliver. And thank you Brett. You both did a great job.”
“You are entirely welcome Mr. Siemels.
I am glad we have this opportunity to
talk for a few minutes. This…event…has been somewhat disruptive. I hope you fully understand how lucky you are. I acknowledge that it was a small caliber bullet, but even a
22 could have penetrated the skull plate and, at the very least, caused a significant intracranial hemorrhage.”
“The handgun I used was designed to fire .22 long-rifle cartridges, but I inserted a
.22 short into the chamber. It was a very small bullet. I also calculated an angle that ensured that it would reflect off the skill and would not penetrated.
It is like shooting at a
pane of glass so it bounces off and doesn’t shatter the glass. I was counting on the heavy
bleeding of any head wound to obfuscate first responder examinations.”
“Yes, that is another interesting matter.
I can understand how the off-duty nurse
might have made a mistake, but these were highly trained EMTs who weren’t in on the
ruse.
Their report indicated that they could not detect a pulse or hear a heart beat, even
with a stethoscope. How did you accomplish that Mr. Siemels?”
“I practice Yoga mediation Dr. Oliver, my own variation of Samadhi Yoga. I am
able to slow my heart to about 1 or 2 beats per minutes, slow enough that the detection of
a heart beat is extremely difficult to discern if you aren’t expecting such a slow heart rate.
There was also a touch of bradycardia, you know, the constriction of all but vital blood
vessels to flood the brain with oxygenated blood.”
“My goodness man, do you understand that you could have suffered permanent
brain damage.
I hope you don’t subscribe to the mythology of the anecdotal reports of
small children being submerged in icy waters for an hour or more and being revived unharmed.
Many of these cases actually resulted in life-long damage and retardation of
many cognitive functions. I hope you don’t practice this trick very often.”
“Not to worry doctor. I am aware of the risks and I can assure you that I suffered
no ill effects.”
“I think we need to do some more tests Mr. Siemels…just to be sure.”
“I would like to be able to accommodate you doctor, but I have to leave. I have
already been here too long. It was vitally important that the kidnapper be convinced that
I was dead, but I have to try to find the kidnapped victim.”
“I understand,” said Dr. Oliver. “Perhaps we can meet again some time after this
matter is resolved. I would like to learn more about how you accomplished this remarkable feat.”
“We will meet again. I promise you,” said Jared.
“By the way. When I was examining you I noted what appeared to have been a
snake bit. There were signs of recent envenomation.”
“When we meet again. Thank you doctor,” said Jared.
“Till then,”
Brett handed Jared a green surgical gown and a rain hat to hide the bandages.
“My car is running just outside of ER,” said Brett.
“Might there be press outside?” asked Jared.
“You’re not that important, Jared. No press in the alley,” said Brett.
“Who in the FBI other than John knows about our deception?” asked Jared.
“John made a judgment call.
He thought that Jenny was the priority so he did
brief some of the agents who were assigned to the case.
You should assume that everyone at the Bureau knows you’re alive,” said Brett.
“That’s unfortunate but I fully understand why it has to be this way.
John exercised good judgment.
Jenny is the priority,” said Jared.
“I just hope that there are no
leaks. If Sami learns of the trickery, he will kill Jenny,” said Jared. “I guess it all depends
on Reisinger and Anderson not tipping Sami off. That worries me.”
“The FBI doesn’t believe that Sami will kill Jenny until some time in the morning, right before he makes his escape back into Canada,” said Brett. “They don’t think he
will try a crossing at night.
Finding your way around in Maine’s northern forest in the
dark is very difficult and lights could give him away to anyone watching the border from
a distance. He has to wait until morning.”
Jared looked worried.
“They took my stuff. Can you get John on the phone?” asked Jared.
“You got it.” Brett dialed John’s SAT phone.
“Yea, Brett,” said John.
“It’s me, Jared.”
“Neat trick Jared.”
“What have you learned about Sami?”
“The RCMP found a rental for an RV in Québec, the city, by a guy who fits Sami’s description.
They reviewed their video recordings along the border and think he
crossed at Fort Kent. We interviewed locals and several remember that RV gassing up in
Fort Kent and heading south. I have about thirty agents combing the region for that RV.
We also have a bunch of choppers in the air doing both visual and IR scans. Nothing so
far.
We
did
find
that
someone
stole
a
late
model
Land
Rover
on
the
Maine
side…Portland, I believe…and we think it was Sami, but that is still unconfirmed.”
“That’s encouraging, John. Please keep me informed,” said Jared.
“Count on it. We’ll find her Jared. Keep the faith,” said John.
Jared closed the phone. He sat down and just stared out the window.
Brett left the room to give Jared time alone.
But, they were running out of time.
Things were not good. He wasn’t very good at faith, but he was getting better at it. It was
all he had right now.
A great dinner, a long shower, a good night’s sleep, and wearing her own clothes
had done wonders.
Jenny felt great, physically, but she still could feel the emotional
wounds. Scrubbing in the shower for an hour couldn’t cleanse her spirit or rid her of Sami’s stench. She dreaded the next few hours.
Jared could see into her soul and thoughts
and he would be picking at her psychological scabs. She didn’t know if she could endure
it if he started on her.
She pulled into the dirt parking lot beside Ashley’s. She stayed inside her car for
a while…thinking.
John Cabet and Connie Goldman took her to dinner at Ashley’s last
night, and now she was back to meet Jared for breakfast.
It could have been romantic.
This is where she and Jared first met, albeit she didn’t know it at the time. Maybe it will
be special again. It’s all up to Jared.
Their relationship was slowly coming apart before
this all started. Maybe they can put it back together again. It’s all up to Jared. After all,
he was the one who was driving her away from him. She loved him so much more than
he loved her. Of that she was certain.
But she was here now and he was sitting inside
waiting for her.
Jenny never paid that much attention to how Ashley’s looked.
Now, for some
reason, she stared at the building.
All of the wood parts had turned to winter grey.
The
windows would never clean clear. You could wash them until they looked better, but they
would never be really clear. The glass was etched by years of hard times. The roof lost
the gutters to ice and snow, who knows how many years ago. The ice and snow could
take anything down if you weren’t strong. It could take people down.
Everything in Maine showed signs of many hard winters, especially the people!
They learned how to endure without complaining, but the long hard winters left marks
that stayed a lifetime. In men who worked the sea, it was on their faces and in how they
spoke—or what they didn’t say. In men who worked the forests, it was in their hands and
stooped shoulders and that they were silent at night when they finally were home. In the
women who waited for their men, it was in their souls. Loneliness and hard work made
resolute women in Maine.
Jenny was soft and yielding.
She couldn’t last a hard winter
in Maine. She now understood that about herself. She didn’t understand that before, but
she did now.
She reached for the door handle, hesitated, and then finally opened the door. She
walked in.
“Morning, Jenny,” said Ashley.
“Good morning, Ashley,” said Jenny and smiled as best she could manage.
The restaurant was full for breakfast.
Her wild blueberry pancakes were renowned in these parts.
She saw Jared sitting near a window in the back. No one knew
that she had been kidnapped, but they all knew about Jared. They saw in the news that he
had shot himself in the head in Boston and was pronounced dead.
Yet, here he was.
They knew that the bodies of dead men were discovered by the police on Eagle’s Head
and that his house burned to the ground.
They had vaguer notions that the police suspected him of killing some professor in Boston. Yet, here he was. Being good Mainers,
it was none of their damn business.
Jenny walked over to the table.
The booths were tight so Jared didn’t stand up.
Jenny slid in on the opposite side. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at them, trying
not to make it obvious.
She wondered if he would have gotten up to hug and kiss her if
they were alone in the restaurant. Probably not. That aspect of his personality hadn’t ever
bothered her all this time that they had been together.
She never even thought about it
much. But it did bother her now. Everything was changed in the last few months.
“You look good Jenny. I worried about you,” said Jared.
Ashley walked over.
“Coffee?”
“That would be great,” said Jenny.
Ashley walked away.
“Aren’t you eating?” asked Jenny.
“Ashley knows what I order. It’s always the same.”
“Oh,”
“I’m not going to ask you what happened, if that’s what you’re concerned about,”
said Jared.
“Good. I don’t want to talk about it…not right now at least,” said Jenny. She was
relieved.
She needed personal privacy now more than anything and that was impossible
whenever she was with Jared.
“How’s Krissy?” asked Jared.
“She’s fine…actually better than fine. As I think you know, she decided to keep
the baby. You may not know that she and Jake are getting married. The wedding will be
right after Labor Day. I think she could do much better than Jake Herman, but she thinks
she’s in love with him. I keep wondering if she would still feel the same if she wasn’t expecting. Mom and I talked about it and we agreed not to meddle. She has to cultivate her
own garden.”
“Candide.
I like how Voltaire ended the story…the best of all possible worlds,”
said Jared.
“Jake is not the best of all possible worlds,” said Jenny.
“You don’t understand what Voltaire is saying,” said Jared.
“Don’t start,”
“Fine,” said Jared. He stared out the window and then looked back at Jenny. The
morning sun was shining through the window.
Her hair glowed in the sunlight.
It
brought back the images of when he first saw Jenny.
She was walking away from the
restaurant when that magnificent bottom attracted his attention.
“I was so worried about you Jenny. I am so happy that you’re…”
She spoke over him. “I know. I know.”
“
Just say you love me
,” she thought.
He sensed that, but said nothing. The words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
“Did John tell you about Rubio Matos?” asked Jenny.
“Yes,” said Jared.
“And about the traitor close to you?”
“That as well,” said Jared.
“Do you know who the traitor is?” asked Jenny.
“I think so.”
“You do know that Rubio saved my life,” said Jenny.
“Yes, I know about that as well. He is an interesting person,” said Jared.
“I didn’t understand him. He was so gentle and caring in dealing with me. There
was a man dead on the ground that he had just…executed. It’s like two different people,”
said Jenny.
“Everyone has a dark side,” said Jared.
Jenny thought about Jared’s dark side of the moon. Has she ever seen it? Seen all
of it? She didn’t know.
Ashley brought over their breakfasts and filled their coffee cups. They ate mostly
in silence.
Neither knew what to say or how to say it.
They talked a little from time to
time about mundane things. Jenny’s mother was feeling her age. Jenny was going to get
reinstated as a GEMS scholar in the Sea Grants Program. Krissy’s wedding was discussed for a while. Jared offered to pay for everything. Jenny didn’t think he should but
she would let Krissy make that decision on her own.
Finally, she put down her coffee
cup and stared into Jared’s eyes.
“Jared…Is it over?”
“No, it’s not over. I’m sorry.”