“You guys knew better than to ever go out on that bridge when you were kids. So why’d you do it?”
“Why do kids do anything? We used to paint turtles too, caught ‘em in a creek that ran near our neighborhood.”
"It’s really pretty up here," Amanda admits, gazing out at the river. The water is so calm the reflection of the entire tree line on the opposite side of the river is reverse-imaged on it.
Suddenly Kent begins to walk out along the pedestrian path of the bridge. He walks about 20 feet away and then turns back toward her and waves with his arm, indicating she should come along.
"No way. Come back here!"
"C’mon, you chicken, just a little ways. If we hear a whistle we’ll run back.”
"The bridge curves. I can't even see the other side." Amanda edges out barely onto the pedestrian side of the trestle, not even past the edge of the elevated embankment.
"Oh my God. There's no handrail or anything."
"No, but if you lost your balance you could just hold onto one of the metal supports. Can you swim?"
“I guess so. As you can imagine, I haven’t tried lately. You don’t forget how if your brain gets scrambled, do you? Like riding a bike?”
"Don’t know. I don’t want you to find out. It’s a long way down.”
After following Kent no more than 10 yards, Amanda chickens out. She turns around and starts slowly walking back.
“Did I just hear a whistle?” Kent says.
What a smart ass, she thinks. Never one that was comfortable with heights, Amanda quickly returns to the embankment. She turns and notices that Kent is still walking in the opposite direction on the pedestrian side of the track.
"Kent, get off of the bridge. Now!"
Kent stops and turns, wearing a funny smile on his face. He holds both arms outstretched, moving them up and down playfully in an airplane motion, like a soccer player who scores a goal.
"You’re a killjoy" Kent begins to walk toward her.
“You’re a lunatic."
"Actually, it’s probably not any riskier than being on a busy highway. And this is way more fun."
Amanda impulsively puts her arms around Kent and stares into his eyes. He looks back at her and they hold each other’s gaze for a moment. She initiates the forward motion and barely touches his lips with hers. Then she moves away and stares back into his eyes. He then pushes forward, his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. He runs his hands under her hair and softly touches her ears and the nape of her neck. He presses his body against hers. It is dusk, the sun no longer visible on the horizon. After a few minutes he grabs her hand and they start walking back to the car. He helps her in and closes the door. He comes around to his side, cranks up the car and pushes the accelerator directly to the floor. He looks over at her with a worried look.
"Um, it didn’t do anything."
"Are you kidding? Try again."
The same thing happens.
"That's the problem with these old sports cars. No reliability.”
"Now what? Do you have any tools?"
"Hang on." Moments later Kent has popped the hood and is looking around. In the dusk he can see a little but could really use a flashlight. A few minutes later, he gives up on the engine. Amanda watches him as he walks and stares at the gravel beside the road.
"What’re you doing?" Amanda shouts.
There's no answer, even though Kent obviously hears her. He continues looking carefully at the ground. Finally, he reaches down and picks something up. He waves in the air what appears to be a long discarded shoelace.
"I don't believe it. We’re so lucky!" Kent excitedly exclaims.
"How are we lucky, stranded in the middle of nowhere?"
"Just wait." Kent peers under the hood. After a few minutes his hand appears and Amanda sees part of the long shoelace that he has fished from under the left side of the hood through to the driver's side of the car. He lowers the hood back down but leaves it slightly open.
Kent returns to the driver's side, picks up the dangling shoelace, and pushes it through his open window. As he opens the driver’s door he holds the shoelace and then closes the door again.
"If this works this is going to be our accelerator cable.”
Kent turns the ignition, pulls the shoelace slightly and they both hear the engine start.
"This is our ticket home tonight," Kent says gleefully.
"You mean the shoelace is going to make the car go?"
"Yep. I'm gonna have to juggle between shifting gears and using the shoelace as the accelerator,” he says as the car edges out onto the road. "You ever drive a stick-shift before?"
"Once again, I don't know. Just tell me what to do."
"Okay, just move the gear shift down or up when I say so."
“Right.”
"Pull down," Kent says and Amanda dutifully shoves the gear shift. "Excellent, now up and to the right."
Once the car is in top gear, Kent simply holds the shoelace near the left side of the steering wheel. After traveling along the rural road at 55 miles an hour for a bit, their unusual shifting procedure doesn’t seem unusual at all.
“Seven Devils” by Florence and the Machine wind-tunnels through the air:
* * *
Seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house
See I was dead when I woke up this morning,
And I'll be dead before the day is done
Before the day is done.
* * *
“I’ve never heard of painting turtles.”
“No? There were plenty of yellow-bellied sliders in the creek. We’d tie some fishing line and a hook to a branch and try to catch ‘em. Sometimes we’d rest the stick in a tree while we were playing, and if you hooked one, your pole would pull right out. We’d run and try to grab the pole before it fell in the creek. Sliders aren’t fast, so most of the time you could grab it before the turtle swam away with the pole.”
“How’d you paint ‘em?”
“We’d put ‘em in a bucket and hang it from our handlebars on the ride home. Katie’d get some white fingernail polish, and when their shells were dry we’d paint our initials on them.”
“Did you keep them as pets?”
“No, none of our parents would let us, but we’d feed them and take them back to the creek and let them go. We painted them so we’d know if we ever caught them again. Let’s stop by the farm for a few minutes."
"Cool, I'd like to see the horses again.”
"I’ll borrow a car so I won't have to use the shoestring method to get you home," Kent adds with a grin.
Chapter 46
Kennedy Center
Bobby Vail and his brother had both played for the Boston Celtics, but his brother perished in the 9/11 collapse of the Twin Towers. That motivated him to get involved with those making a difference in others’ lives. Bobby and his associates took care of all the details relating to Amanda's appearance for the annual "Healing Heroes" TV special sponsored by CNT. He had personally talked to Andy, and then Amanda, about her appearance. He explained that they would have a collage relating to the Hemispheres crash and her survival, and then a presenter would introduce her and present her with a Healing Heroes award. He also promised limousine service to and from the event and backstage VIP passes for Amanda and her family.
Everyone meets at Andy's place, including Kent, whom Amanda invited as her guest. Once they get to the venue there is a large room backstage for all of the featured persons and their families and friends. There is even a roving videographer doing a back story and interviewing people as well. The event is being aired live and will be shown a couple of other times by CNT.
Finally, one of the production assistants with an earpiece tells Amanda it’s time to move to the ready room just off the stage. Everyone wishes Amanda the best of luck, and she follows the assistant. Inside the quiet room is a large screen showing the ongoing presentations on the stage.
Vail begins to introduce Amand
a Michaels' piece by first stating, "The next story of survival needs little introduction. We are all familiar with the lone survivor of the Hemispheres Airlines plane crash earlier this year. Before we bring out our next guest, please watch this short video clip."
Helicopter footage shows the Hemispheres crash, the smoke and fire and parts of the aircraft strewn through the wooded area. The video montage then cobbles together the interview of the rescue worker, helicopter footage showing the Nightingale chopper landing at the hospital, and video of the gurney with Amanda being rushed into the hospital. Her first interview is shown when she has the halo, and then an interview is shown with Natalee Spalding when she was released from the hospital. When the video is complete, the large Kennedy Center audience claps enthusiastically. Bobby Vail then says "I'd like to introduce to you the survivor, Amanda Michaels."
The production assistant indicates its Amanda's moment to walk onto the stage. Once she is at the podium beside Bobby Vail, her first words are, "Thank you, thanks so much." Before she can say anything else, Bobby Vail leans into the microphone.
"Amanda, we have arranged a little surprise for you."
At that moment a man, perhaps in his 40s, comes walking from the other side of the stage toward them.
Vail leans back toward the microphone and says "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Dale Peterson, the fire and rescue worker who rescued Amanda Michaels at the crash site. Let's give him a hand."
Amanda is shocked. She has never actually “seen” Peterson, except for watching the news footage of him. Looking completely surprised, she immediately embraces Peterson, and he hugs her back for what seems like several minutes.
Peterson breaks the embrace and looks into her face.
"I guess you don’t remember me?" he asks into the live mike.
"I've seen the video, so I know you’re the one," Amanda says.
Bobby Vail leans toward the mike. "Anything you would like to say to Dale?" he asks.
"Thank you so much for everything. I don't know what else I can say — you saved my life, I know it."
"Can you tell us what you are doing with your own charity, the Amanda's Halo Charity?" he asks.
Amanda says, "We hope to help people who need rehabilitation, particularly those with brain injuries."
"Let's give a round of applause for Dale Peterson and Amanda Michaels, a true survivor's story," Vail says.
The crowd at the Kennedy Center loudly claps and gives a standing ovation to both of them. A few moments later they both walk off the stage together to the ready room and then into the back room where all of the other VIPs are waiting. Within seconds the backstage videographer is interviewing Amanda and Peterson. Later, there is an after party sponsored by CNT at the Kennedy Center Ballroom. The entire event is a blur for Amanda as every other worthy survivor or admirable person involved in charitable work jockeys to speak with her during the reception.
It is early Sunday morning when the limousine drops their entourage back at Andy's house. The Simons say their farewells immediately and depart. Andy and Becca have set up the guest room to have Amanda stay over. Andy offers to let Kent sleep downstairs on the couch, but Kent declines, explaining that he’s working the morning shift at Café Loco.
Amanda walks outside with Kent before he drives from D.C. to Middleburg. Once the door closes they stand on the porch, press in to each other, and passionately kiss.
“I like running my hands through your hair,” he says pulling away from their embrace, and continuing to run his fingers down the back of her head and shoulders, making her tingle with excitement.
“It feels really good,” she says, then presses her lips to his, inserting her tongue inside his mouth. She runs her hand along his chest and then she lets it slide down his back past his belt line to the left side of his butt, just grazing it but not grabbing it. Kent lightly caresses her earlobe and her neck as they continue kissing.
“I guess I need to hit the road, probably going to take 45 minutes.”
“I wish we could stay together tonight,” she whispers.
“Your uncle is protecting you, and I can appreciate that. We’ll get together soon. Good luck at school Monday.”
“Call me or text me.” She gives him a short goodbye kiss and steps back.
Before even turning off Andy’s street, Kent remembers he put Perry Carson’s card in the unused ashtray of the Alfa, and he fishes it out and places it just in front of the gear shift where he’ll remember it. The time is right to call Perry and arrange a meeting, he decides.
Chapter 47
Hard Rain
As Sunday evening turns to night, rain falls in heavy sheets. Blackness covers the open pasture of the farm. Walking away from the sports car and the lifeless body in the driver’s seat, he looks vigilantly ahead and hears only the squishing sound of his plastic booties each time they meet the thick, soggy grass in the pasture. Because of the rural location and the new moon, there is no artificial or natural light. The outline of the sports car is barely visible, he thinks, as pelting rain buffets his tight-fitting black hoodie and forms long streaks running down his cheeks.
Once partly back in the driver’s seat of his black BMW, he slowly and deliberately lifts his feet up off the roadway. He slides the booties off his shoes and stuffs them into one pouch of his small black backpack. He then removes his rubber gloves, stuffs them inside another pouch, and puts on a new set of gloves before touching any part of the vehicle’s interior. He taps in a confirmation message on his wireless device and places it back into the backpack on the front passenger seat.
Less than 100 yards behind the black BMW is a black SUV, well hidden by the sheets of rain. The two men in the front seat have been watching the man walking toward the BMW through their night-vision goggles and have their self-contained breathing apparatus at the ready. The man in the SUV’s passenger seat stares down at his wireless device. The device silently lights and the word “proceed” appears.
They observe that the BMW has started to move very slowly, evidenced only by a very brief flicker of the brake lights. A few seconds pass. The driver of the SUV then commands his colleague: “Initiate the dose!”
The man reaches for a wireless phone doubling as a remote control. Once activated, the device takes over certain electronic components of the BMW, preventing operation of the electronic windows, locking the doors, and reducing the car’s speed down to a crawl before it loses all power. An odorless gas begins to permeate the car’s interior. Seconds later, the BMW veers toward the right shoulder and rolls down into a small, water-logged drainage ditch.
The SUV pulls up behind the BMW. Both men exit the SUV and approach the BMW, which has its right front end tilted down into the grassy ditch. The SUV driver, wearing his night-vision goggles and breathing apparatus, trains his Glock pistol ahead of him and slowly approaches the driver’s door. He holsters it only after confirming there is no movement from the driver, whose head is slumped forward. He nods to the other man, who unlocks the doors with the remote. He also crouches down and locates a tiny device magnetically attached to the undercarriage and places it in his small backpack. Carefully opening the passenger door, he surveys the front seat area for any loose or collectible items and grabs the man’s backpack. He pops open the glove compartment, but finds nothing except a registration, which he immediately puts in his backpack. He scours the floor, the back seat and the center console, taking several random objects and placing them in the confiscated backpack. The men exchange several words before laying a poncho-like covering over the body and carrying it back to the rear hatch of their SUV. They carefully lay the body onto a tarp in the back and fold up the tarp. With the driving rain and tinted rear window, there’s little risk of it being seen. He softly closes the rear hatch. At the same time his partner walks back to the BMW and completely circles around the car before entering the driver’s seat again. After cracking each of the front windows slightly, he turns the bi-level air controls to max. Reaching under the das
hboard, he removes the remote delivery system and jamming device and places it in a thick resealable plastic bag before stashing it inside his backpack. He starts the car, maneuvers it slowly back onto the road, and the two men caravan to their assigned destination.
@Part IV
Chapter 48
Pasture Spider
The orange ball of the sun just shows itself over the tree line on the east end of the pasture. Loudoun County Detective Holmes feels the moist air against his face as he captures a 360-degree view around the pasture, from the farmhouse to the tree line to the roadway entering the farm, and back to the small red sports car beside him. His homicide detective partner, Rogers, stands on the driver's side of the small sports car. Homicides are common in nearby D.C., but they are very infrequent in Loudoun County, and this one is definitely not routine, Holmes quickly decides.
"Are you going to call the medical examiner before we do anything?" Rogers asks Holmes.
"Yeah, right now, actually. But I want to explain the situation accurately so I’m thinking it through."
"We don't got all day. You've got the number, right?"
"Yeah, it’s in my phone." Holmes and Rogers are not a homicide “team,” because there aren’t enough murders in Loudoun County to justify one. They are two detectives who work together on various cases when the police chief tells them to.
Holmes reaches into his pocket, scrolls through his numbers and finds the Manassas office of the Virginia medical examiner. Figuring that the office is not open yet he calls the emergency number. The operator patches it through to the assistant medical examiner working that office who is probably still at home.
"This is Dr. Greenman, can I help you?"
"Hey, Paul. This is Detective Holmes, we need some advice."
Taming the Telomeres, a Thriller Page 15