Decency (45 page)
“The Sheriff who did the drive-by reports Kathy Pierce is in the Pierce cafe in the town of Weeping Water, serving customers. Harlan Pierce’s location unknown.”
“All right. Captain. The Pierces do not trust us. Get a local uniformed officer, if possible one who knows them, to see if he can find out from her where Harlan Pierce is.”
“Roger, sir.”
A beautiful harvest moon rose, promising a windy, cold, clear evening bright enough for shadows. The wind was lifting from a high pressure region over North Dakota being sucked to the south by a low centered on Arkansas. In other words, weather features of a clear and bright night offered no benefits at all. Overcast would not hinder the satellite and aircraft observation platforms, but would have reduced the available light for enemies, assuming they did not have night vision equipment. Moreover, wind would at least risk delay of, or possibly hamper, the helicopter insertion of Sandoval and Hostage Rescue. Precisely this weather would complicate everything they needed to do.
Marine Sergeant Michaelson was bone tired. It had been seventeen hours since she came on duty last night. Her name was called just as she was about to leave after an already long day. She and her team were given the job of clearing the Director’s SCIF and his office. Other teams had gone into the main switching facilities. She and her folks wanted to stay and clear the Security offices. But their fingers were getting too tired and rubbery to safely remove more panels and carefully slip CPU boards and other components from the bays. If they could just get through the Security offices they would have to stand down, rest, and come after the unauthorized intercept devices on the duty cycle after next.
She unscrewed the back panel of the computer serving the telecommunications switching functions of the Chief of Security. Before she even placed the panel on the floor she could see the device sitting right in front of her eyes on the chassis.
“Bingo.”
No one responded. She knew she was required to follow the briefed procedure. It was to be photographed and processed before she even touched it.
She raised her voice as loud as she could.
“
Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!, Y’all! BINGO!
”
Horton knew he had to call the President. He would expect to hear the report of the capture of the Chinese. Horton also knew what the next question would be. It would be better if the whole action team heard it.
He keyed for the White House switchboard to be patched to the speaker.
“White House.”
“Horton, for the President.”
Some of the team members eagerly waited for the next transmissions telling the President of their success. They were the inexperienced.
“How do we stand, Craig?”
“Joint Stars spotted a vehicle near the farm. The Nebraska State Patrol ID’d the two occupants as Chinese and captured them without incident.”
“We haven’t recovered the devices?”
“No, Sir.”
“How are the Pierces?”
“Kathy Pierce is doing normal business at their cafe. Harlan Pierce’s whereabouts, unknown. They are still away from the house.”
“We don’t know where Harlan is?”
“No, Sir.”
“Thanks, Craig. Let me know when we have a better handle on it.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The “ping” of the President disconnecting echoed throughout the room. The attitudes of the inexperienced properly adjusted. Horton broke the silence.
“FBI. How are we doing with the maps Sandoval requested?”
“They are being loaded on the helicopter for Sandoval and the HRT right now.”
“How about vehicles for the ground?”
“They’ll be at the site in…eight minutes.”
“When the helicopter takes off from Offutt I want an ETA for the arrival at the site.”
Kelly had taken two more Tylenol and had found a classical station featuring Spanish guitar. Three of her favorites, Montoya playing his
Malaga
and Segovia playing Albeniz’
Granada
and
Sevilla
, made the trip fly by.
She headed the car into the curb in front of the cafe just at darkness.
“Kelly! Thank goodness you’re here.”
Kathy threaded her way past the customers and hugged her warmly.
“It’s just really good to be here, Kathy.”
“Well, sit down. I just happen to have a catfish ready if you want it.”
“I would kill and die for it.”
“Sit down, sit down, it’ll be right out. Harlan will be back from Lincoln any minute. He’ll be glad to see you.”
The customers, all fourteen of them, nodded or waved to Kelly. If she was okay for Kathy Pierce she was their friend too.
Kathy returned with the plate of fish, french fries and green beans.
Kelly wolfed down the fish and was half finished with the green beans before showing any sign of slowing down.
“Well, should I bring another one?”
“A little sheepishly, Kelly swallowed and smiled. “You just saved my life. But, no thanks. More and I’d be too full later.”
“How about a beer?”
“A glass of milk would be the best.”
By the time she returned, the rest of the food was gone. Kelly gulped twice and put the glass down as Kathy sat down with her.
“Kathy, I have an awful lot to tell you. Don’t worry, it’s good. But I can’t do it here.”
Harlan came in the door and brightened immediately when he saw Kelly. Waving to the regulars, he rushed over.
Kelly rose and her right hand banged against Harlan’s hard palm.
“Good to see you, Kelly. Real good.”
“I was just saying to Kathy I need to speak to you where we can talk privately for a while.”
“Harlan, she says it’s good. Tell you what, Kelly, we’ll go right on out to the house.”
She turned toward one of the far tables.
“Julie, would you watch the register and see the place doesn’t burn down for a while?”
“Sure, take your time.”
Kathy got her coat.
“You sure you can leave?”
“Oh, they watch it for us a lot. Not that they would want to, but how could they get away with anything?”
Kelly found that complete trust deeply pleasurable.
Outside, Kelly warned them again. “Now, I still don’t know who we can trust and when we get to the house, we’ll have to turn up some noise or talk outside. The house is almost certainly bugged.”
They each drove in train to the house with Kelly at the rear. Kelly could literally feel nourishment siphoning into her tissues, like summer rain into dry earth.
Conor Flaherty, the Defense representative, sang out.
“NSA found a device!”
“Send pictures to the site too when Hostage Rescue gets set up.”
“ETA for Hostage Rescue to the site?”
“Four minutes.”
“Horton, Joint Stars.”
“Go.”
“Vehicle approaching the farm, heading south on the road running adjacent to the west boundary of the property, coming up on your screen…now.”
“Santos, you hear that?”
Just above the storm of the rotor blades in the background, “Roger.”
“Horton, State Patrol.”
“Go.”
“Sheriff reports a phone call to the cafe was answered by a local resident who said Kathy and Harlan left with a friend named Kelly, in the two Pierce pickups and a rented car, apparently for the Pierce farm about two minutes ago.”
