She couldn`t speak, her lips trembling, the fear unbearable as she realised her captor believed they were Drug Enforcement Agency operatives. She knew that it meant no matter the pain, nothing she could say would stop it.
With a filthy rag jammed into her mouth she gagged, then watched as the man moved to another table at the back wall and returned with something that had her so terrified she was close to fainting. He was holding up a glass jar, the contents causing her to stare in horror. Now a convulsive, feral scream escaped from her throat, muffled by the rag and followed by a wrench of nausea.
Inside the jar, a tiny, multi-colored snake writhed and wriggled against the glass sides, seeking freedom, a place to explore. Suddenly, her linen dress was torn from her shaking body, her captor jamming his thick legs between hers, eyes wide with excitement. She could almost feel the slippery sensation of the snake; imagine its darting tongue probing her exposed body, dreading its destination.
Head down and shaking rapidly from side to side, her tied feet violently stamping on the stone floor, all rational thought now deserted her, an avalanche of panic in its place. Jessica was losing control, and as she began to hyper-ventilate she could hear the man start to snigger, the heat of his face coming closer. Then she heard it, the slow twist of the jar`s lid.
Arnie didn`t know that Jessica was in the next dungeon. Didn`t know if she had survived the crash, and as he looked around it was clear that his predicament was dire. Feeling his arms prickle with the heat and sweat he wrenched at the rope that bound him, the gesture futile and leaving a burn mark on his wrists. Suppressing the tendency to panic he tried to think, knowing that he needed just one chance, even the smallest, enough to take on his captor. But in the damp, gloomy silence and tightly bound to a chair, he knew his options were the wrong side of zero.
He thought of Jessica and hoped maybe she`d been hospitalised, anything to prevent him contemplating that she could be in his situation. It was a small comfort, one that was shattered by her faint but terrified scream permeating the wall to his left. In a reflex reaction he yelled out to her in desperation, the gag over his mouth making it a pointless gesture. Straining at the ropes that pinned him to the chair, he wrenched and writhed with every ounce of his strength, but to no avail. He now knew he could be facing the end of his life but also knew it wouldn`t be that simple, that suffering would come first, an enduring torture making death a welcome relief. With his eyes partly blindfolded and a dirty bandana wrapped around his mouth, he suddenly stopped struggling. His ears had picked up a strange sound, like a small bird flying past, a gentle rush of air. It was followed another sound, something rolling across the ground and followed by an even bigger sound, a deafening one.
The stun grenade explosion had sent him and the chair flying, his head hitting the stone floor and knocking him unconscious. Within moments, the door was booted open, one figure standing guard while another bent down, slashed away the rope that bound Arnie and dragged him to his feet.
The same had happened in Jessica`s cell, two men in black outfits crashing through the dungeon door with automatic weapons, Jessica cut free and thrown over a set of strong shoulders before being rushed to a waiting truck. It had been an operation urgently planned and executed by a force that outdid all others, people who risked their lives for strangers, and did it for reasons that most could never understand.
As the last of the men backed out of Jessica`s cell, he looked back at the brute on the floor who was now recovering and struggling to his feet. Without hesitation, the rescuer pulled a hand gun from his belt, shouted “torturing bastard” at the man then pumped three rounds into him.
It was obvious the Major was in a bad mood, his jaw tense, eyebrows drawn together. Arnie and Jessica seemed to know not to speak.
“Damned lucky to be here,” Greenmire said. “Got into a right mess, didn`t you, exactly what I warned you about. This ain`t Vermont or Michigan, this is enemy territory for folks like you. We`re here to protect U.S. interests and citizens, not a pair of jackasses like you two.”
They sat in a moments silence as Greenmire looked directly at Jessica. He had seen it all before with people that had suffered trauma, the signs of suppressed emotion, of vulnerability, anger. But what he also saw in her was the stuff that gutsy people possessed, resilience, a conviction not to buckle under the strain. “Seems like we got there just in time, Miss Hahn, and I guess you went through hell in that dungeon. They had to sedate you pretty good at our military hospital. You were unconscious for two days.”
Jessica was showing some bruising to her face and the gash on her head had been covered with a large band-aid, severe scratch marks clearly evident all the way down her right arm. She gave the major a determined look, her response more testy than intended. “Can`t tell you what that was like, but it was way past hell and then some. That guy was a fucking monster. Can I ask if you killed the sonofabitch?”
“You can ask,” Greenmire replied, “but I can`t tell you.”
“Well I`ve got a vision in my mind of your boys beating the crap out of him then shooting the bastard dead.”
The major allowed himself a smile. “Like I said, can`t comment on that, but I`ve heard that sometimes people`s wishful thinking turns out to be true.”
Jessica pulled herself straight. “That`s good enough for me, Major. All I need now is to get the hell out of this place, so can you get us to the airport, I`m nervous, not to say shit scared about an unescorted trip.”
Greenmire kicked up his voice. “No way you guys are heading for the airport, that`s the last place you`re going. After what we did the drug cartels would get the government to haul your ass off the plane and shoot you right there on the runway.”
“So how the hell do we get out of here?” Arnie asked.
“Choppers! That`s all I`ve got on this base, so you ain`t going business class. Got to get you to Panama and with Senator Carlucci`s help we`ll have the Air Force fly you onto the U.S. That fine lady at the desk outside will take care of things, get you under way.”
Standing up, Arnie fixed Greenmire with a serious look. “Owe you a big one, Major. We were goners had you not blasted your way in there to rescue us.”
“Protection of U.S. citizens the world over,” said the Major, “that`s our job.”
Waiting to board the helicopter to Panama, Arnie watched Jessica`s tiredness give way to fatigue as her eyes began to open and shut. “Need to stay awake, Jess we`re almost ready to roll.”
Straightening, she blinked several times and stared back at him. Her voice sounded weak. “This hasn`t exactly been a great success. So what the hell do we tell Carlucci? That we flat out got nowhere and that`s it?”
“Is what it is, Jess and we sure as hell ain`t coming back to Honduras no matter what. Just don`t get why Carlucci said we would have Greenmire`s full co-operation. He gave us nothing but Corbosa, who gave us nothing but Carmen and Louisa. Looks to me like we got the run-around right from the get-go, and I reckon that`s exactly what Carlucci intended.”
“You think he set us up to fail? Can`t see that, Arnie. He`s as ambitious as they come, but I don`t have him down as being ruthless enough to put us in that kind of danger. And why the hell would he. Getting answers to this thing would be a big boost to his career, gather up a pile of votes.”
“Maybe you`re right, Jess. It`s just a feeling I have about the guy.”
“Well unless he has something else for us, this thing`s over, we`ve got nothing. What the hell am I going to do now?”
Arnie knew it meant that financial pressures were about to become centre stage in both their lives, and that jumping on his Harley then taking off into the sunset was an option but not a great one anymore. He knew that romantic notions of freedom and the open road had their limits.
“So what now, Jess, if you can`t hang around in the hope of another freelance assignment, what do you reckon on
doing, try to get back on a newspaper`s pay-roll?”
“Chance would be a fine thing. Haven`t exactly covered myself in glory the past two years and my last job I got fired from, remember. So that`s Seattle out. How about you, got any plans?”
“Don`t ask. Been six years since I quit the Justice Department, not that I`d return to that, no way. So I have to fall back on the freelancing like you, hit the streets as a P.I., see if I can hustle a buck tracking bail jumpers or cheating-ass husbands.”
“Well teaming up again would be good, at least for me. I like having you around again, Arnie, but no way could I live in L.A.”
Realising how that had come out, she quickly added a rider. “Not that I mean that in a shacking-up way. I just meant that some joint ventures could be good for us both.”
Arnie knew to steer clear of the territory they had strayed into, realising that regardless of his revived attraction, it was way too soon. His feelings had become deeper after their Honduran capture and he sensed the same in her, but letting himself go was not going to happen. His emotions would remain chained up, so not yet.
She swiftly changed the subject. “Been wondering if Carlucci might find us something, he`s well connected and politicians trade on information, especially dirty secrets. You be up for that if it`s offered?”
“Digging around in the D.C. swamp? Not a chance. I`d rather go hungry.”
“Well that can happen, Arnie, and self serving or not, my standards will settle where they have to if I`m going to get a decent life back. No Harley hopping for me, I`m a girl who needs her comforts and some kind of future.”
He said nothing, the statement causing him to wonder, not just about himself but about her and how much she had changed. After what she`d been through he also wondered if today`s stance was all bravado, her resilience likely to weaken when back home. Seeing the look of vulnerability in her eyes he felt like hugging her, a reassuring touch of her arm chosen instead.
As an officer approached and told them the helicopter was almost ready to leave, Arnie felt a surge of relief as he reached for his travel bag and threw it over his shoulder. He waited as Jessica stood and stared out across the runway to the town in the distance then spoke in a resolute tone. “Adios you sons of bitches, I hope you rot in hell.”
As they exchanged a momentary look, she pushed her shoulders back and spoke firmly. “Look, Arnie I know my emotions are all over the place and that I`m still badly shaken up. But I`m sick of the bad guys winning, so there`s no way I`m quitting on this.”
The show of defiance was admirable, typical of Jessica, but it worried Arnie. He had a sense that all was not as it seemed. Greenmire had pulled him aside and told him that what his men had found in the dungeon would put most people into a state of trauma and that Jessica was showing classic signs of denial. Arnie knew that getting back on U.S. soil would make a difference, ease her sense of vulnerability, and that she would need time to get to grips with what had happened to her. That Jessica refused to speak about it was typical of her, compelled to show strength and resilience, a trait he admired, but it was one that now unnerved him. His own emotional state had taken a hit after being captured, and what she had gone through compared to himself was something he wasn`t going to underestimate.
Today, as he watched her, a deep feeling of affection was building, and along with it a renewed sense of closeness between them. So having been given the nod from another officer, he linked arms with her and slowed his pace to match hers as they headed for the helicopter. Regardless of her dogged determination his mind was telling him that the investigation was now going nowhere, but as he strapped himself in and looked out over the Honduran countryside, a deep nagging in his gut was told him otherwise.
CHAPTER 8
Senator Carlucci kept them waiting for almost twenty minutes. Arnie was relaxed about the delay, had kicked back in the chair and closed his eyes. Jessica was different, checking her watch every few minutes, hands fidgety, a sign of agitation. Ever since her rescue in Honduras she had struggled to get a decent night`s sleep, and on waking, her nerves seemed to always be on edge. On more than one occasion it had crossed her mind to quit the investigation, retreat to a safer existence, but she knew that choice merely replaced one difficult situation with another. All the way through her career she had fought adversity, from blatant sexism to outright political coercion and never given up, so quitting was not to be tolerated. She knew that investigative journalism was not for the weak minded and today she had decided to regain her fighting spirit, take the challenge head on, no matter the consequences.
“You okay?” Arnie asked, placing his hand on her arm.
“Yeah, fine. Just a bit impatient,” she replied.
“The Senator will see you now,” the secretary called out from her desk as she put the phone down.
Inviting them in, John Carlucci noticed Jessica had dispensed with her formal outfit that he remembered from their last meeting, her casual sweater and smart blue-jeans impressing him. Knowing what she had been through, he softened his usual tone. “Glad to see you guys back safe and well. A tough experience so I`ve been told, especially for you Jessica.”
Neither of them responded and when seated directly opposite the Senator, Jessica got straight to the point, her curt manner taking both men by surprise. “I thought you said Major Greenmire would be co-operative, that you had him on a string? Well we got next to nothing from him, one contact and that was it. The result was me and Arnie getting grabbed by a drug lord, and I won`t tell you what that was like. We were marked as D.E.A. so how the hell did that happen, Senator, because it sure feels to me like we were set up.”
Arnie shifted uneasily in his chair, unaware that Jessica was going to fire such an accusation, the insinuation a dangerous one.
Senator Carlucci, unfazed by her hostile opening, answered in a soft voice. “I heard from Greenmire what you went through down there and I`m really sorry that happened. I had assumed all enquiries would be focused on the military base and the Marine`s buddies. If this thing is about those Marine`s getting hooked up with the drug cartels then this inquiry is going nowhere, it`s over. And if there was any set-up, Jessica, it had nothing to do with me.”
Arnie was quick with his intervention. “Looks clear to me that none of these Marines would have anything to do with trading in drugs.”
“Well as much as I would like that to be true” Carlucci said, “we all know that our overseas bases are notorious for it.”
“Yeah,” said Arnie, “and all too often it`s the officers running a sideline business.”
The senator returned a questioning look. “You think Greenmire`s involved?”
“Nope, like I said I don`t buy the drugs thing, and I don`t have Greenmire in my sights either.”
Carlucci pushed back in his chair. “What if I was to tell you that I now have information that might indicate otherwise.”
Jessica jumped back in, eyes locked on Carlucci. “What? Documentary information or verbal?”
“Both. Nothing absolute, more suggestive than anything. But here`s the thing. While you were in Honduras I got a letter from Marine Hoag`s sister who happens to be a lawyer.”
“What`s she got, something about Greenmire?” Arnie asked.
“No. A bank statement in her brother`s name, and the bank`s in Panama.”
“Panama, not Hondurus?” Jessica said.
The senator nodded. “But that`s not all. There`s only one deposit and that was a week before Hoag headed for home and stopped at that bar with his buddies.”
“How much was the deposit?” said Jessica.
“Thirty thousand bucks!”
Nobody spoke, Arnie first to break the silence. “So you`ve seen this bank statement?”
“No, as a lawyer she`s cagey. It`s with the family over in Tennessee, along with his other papers. So that`s where
you guys are headed.”
Jessica sounded suspicious. “Who was it that gathered up Jeff Hoag`s personal stuff, the military?”
“Bound to have been,” said Carlucci, “and I know it`s a stretch, but having checked around I came up with some guarded comments regarding that base and Greenmire`s reputation. He has history.”
“History?” Arnie said.
“Not red flags, but not green ones either. Came from the top so I can`t say more.”
“But Greenmire must have seen the bank statement,” Jessica said. “So why would he let it go through if it was relevant?”
“Don`t know, and I guess we shouldn`t speculate until we see it, check that it`s authentic. Then see if there`s anything else in the personal papers that could make sense of this.”
“I`m no great fan of the military and certainly not officers,” Arnie said, “but I think that`s the wrong track. Something else is going on down there and right now we`re nowhere near finding out what. Guess this payment could be a tie-in with the base or the drug cartels or both, but I just don`t buy it.”
Carlucci shrugged. “Well a $30,000 one-off payment to Hoag can`t be dismissed. So like I said, you guys get on over to Tennessee and hook up with this lawyer, Hoag`s sister. Check out what she`s got.”
“Just one thing, Senator,” said Jessica. “Why did Hoag`s sister get in touch with you?”
“Because of the bank statement,” he replied.
“So she must think it`s relevant, how so? Because of the amount or because it`s` a Panama account?”
“Both, I reckon. That and one other thing.”
“Which is?” Jessica said, impatiently.
“The $30,000 single payment was made from another Panama account, an off-shore entity run via the Caymens. And that account her contacts are having trouble identifying. So this Janice Hoag is digging, figures she`s onto something.”
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