Next Exit, Three Miles

by CW Browning

  “Really?” she drawled. “And how did that go?”

  John grinned.

  “I don't have any broken bones or new stitches,” he retorted. “I thought we had to get some things out of the way and clear the air, so to speak.”

  Stephanie considered John thoughtfully. He was right, of course. The past had to be resolved between the two of them. There was never any question about that. Neither of them had ever truly closed the door on the mess that their relationship had become. However, Stephanie was somewhat surprised that John had recognized that fact.

  “That was very mature of you, John,” she commended him warmly. “You two needed closure. Did you work it all out?”

  “I have no idea,” John admitted ruefully. “She managed to control the entire conversation and I'm not sure how we left things.”

  Stephanie burst out laughing at the confusion in his voice. Oh, she wished she could have heard the conversation!

  “Well, I guess we'll find out.” She sipped her coffee. “Did she tell you something about what she's been doing the past ten years? Is that what you want to talk about?”

  Stephanie tried to get the conversation back on track. The seven o'clockers would start arriving soon and when that happened, John would go back to his desk and her chance of a glimpse into his head would be lost.

  “She didn't tell me anything,” John answered. “But I was able to surmise a little bit.”

  He sounded irritated and Stephanie could relate whole-heartedly. Alina had picked up a habit of not saying anything and leaving it up to them to draw what conclusions they liked. It was extremely frustrating. It made her feel like their friendship never existed. Or, worse, that it didn't mean a thing to Alina anymore.

  “Don't you think it odd that she suddenly came back when she did?” John asked.

  “I've been down this road.” Stephanie waved her hand in the air and crossed her legs. “It could be coincidence, but I doubt it. Whatever she is doing, she's not working against us, so I've come to an understanding with her.”

  “Really?” John looked up. “When was this?”

  “The day our mysterious Mr. Peterson arrived. I had breakfast with her.” Steph finished her coffee and dropped the empty cup into the trash can, wishing now that she had asked him to get her another cup. “I know you think that I work too hard, and am therefore oblivious to everything going on around me, but I'm not. She was with me when I went to Sladecki's crime scene. She was the one who led me to the rooftop where our shooter blew out the lights. Alina put it all together while I was still examining the car.”

  “You never told me this,” John said, leaning forward. “Why didn't you tell me this?”

  Stephanie shrugged.

  “I didn't see that it made any difference,” she replied. “The point is that the next day I went over there and had a nice little chat. She knows that I know that she's not just here for Jersey's lovely weather, and we agreed that any information could be mutually shared.”

  “Mutually shared?!” John stared at her in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?! This is a federal investigation...or had you forgotten?”

  Stephanie rolled her eyes.

  “This is why I didn't tell you,” she retorted. “Yes, it is a federal investigation. And whatever Alina is doing here, she can help us with that investigation. I would rather be working with her than against her right now. At least that way I can see what she is doing.”

  John stared at her. His initial reaction subsided as quickly as it had surfaced and he saw the method behind Stephanie's madness. It was much easier to keep tabs on the enemy if you were working with them.

  “So what does she know?” John's mind was working furiously.

  “Not much, actually.” Stephanie shrugged. “We haven't discussed anything since that morning, and we didn't know anything at that point.”

  “So she didn't know about the Solitto connection?” John asked.

  Stephanie shook her head.

  “Nope.” She raised an eyebrow. “She didn't. Does that mean that she does now?”

  John had the grace to look a little sheepish.

  “I told her the other night,” he admitted.

  “Oh really?” Stephanie demanded, her eyes twinkling. “Discussing our federal investigation, were you?”

  “Look, it was bothering me that Solitto knew we were coming,” John said, lowering his voice as the elevator doors dinged, heralding the first of the seven o'clockers. He leaned forward in his chair so he could talk quietly. “The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. So I went out to Alina's to see if she knew anything. It's just too much of a coincidence for me.”

  “And did she?” Stephanie leaned forward as well.

  John shook his head.

  “I don't know,” he answered honestly. “She fed me a bunch of half-lies and misdirection and I honestly have no idea if she knew about Solitto or not. She's hiding something, but whether or not it's that, I just don't know.”

  “Well, how did you approach it?” Stephanie asked.

  “I hinted that she was working for him,” John told her.

  Stephanie stared at him, her mouth dropping open. John glanced up and shrugged at the look on her face.

  “Are you INSANE?!” she demanded, her voice rising. She lowered it again hastily. “No wonder she didn't tell you anything,” Stephanie hissed. “Leave it to you to be such an ass.”

  “It's a possibility,” John defended himself calmly. “You may not want to think about it, but she could very well be on Solitto's payroll. It would explain nicely why she came back when she did.”

  “John, I really didn't think you were stupid, but now I'm starting to wonder,” Stephanie muttered, sitting back in her chair.

  “Well, she laughed at me, if it makes you feel any better,” John retorted.

  “I don't blame her.” Stephanie leaned forward and lowered her voice again. “I can tell you this much, Alina is either working for a government agency or for herself. Solitto couldn't pay her enough to work for the Family. That's just not who she is.”

  “Which brings us back to the original question. What has she been doing and what is she doing back here?” John retorted.

  Stephanie stared at him.

  “What does it matter?” she finally asked.

  “I think she's much more involved in this mess than either of us know,” John answered. “And, following that line of reasoning, I want to know what she's doing and for whom.”

  “Well, good luck finding any of that out.” Stephanie sat back again and returned to her email. “Alina will let you into her past when the cows come home, John, and not a minute before.”

  “That's why I am not asking her.”

  John pushed himself back to his desk as the elevator dinged again and released a full load of people. Stephanie glanced over at him. She didn't need to ask him what he meant. The search results on his monitor explained that comment perfectly. They had been for Alina Maschik.

  And they were classified at a level far, far above theirs.

  Damon swallowed the last gulp of coffee from his mug and set it on the vanity before stepping into the shower. Sighing, he lifted his face to the hot stream of water. He had arrived home just before dawn and managed to sleep about three hours before his cell phone woke him. He would be happy when Viper found Johann. When she did, she wouldn't stay home and then his camping sessions in the tree could come to an end. He was getting to know the tree frogs now by their respective calls, and Damon was pretty sure he might be starting to resemble one himself. Last night he had settled in the tree and hadn't moved for six hours. Raven had even flown by and looked right at him, as if he was mocking him. Alina came out onto the deck around ten and practiced yoga for an hour. That had been the highlight of his evening.

  Damon reached for the shampoo. He didn't like waiting. He never had. And he especially didn't like waiting where Viper was concerned. If she was inactive, it usually meant a storm was brewing. John had been th
ere two nights ago now and Alina hadn't had any other visitors. Damon was starting to wonder what he was even watching for, other than the occasional yoga practice. But until Alina got the information she needed to move forward, Hawk knew that every night his place was in that tree.

  Damon finished rinsing and turned off the water. He pulled the shower curtain open to step out of the shower and found the object of his thoughts sitting on the back of the toilet with her feet on the closed lid. She smiled and handed him a towel.

  “Morning Tiger!” Alina said cheerfully, her eyes dancing. “Late night? I thought you would have been up hours ago!”

  Damon took the towel with a grin and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the shower, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “You have no idea,” he answered.

  Viper's eyes were glittering with laughter and she shook her head, clucking her tongue.

  “You have to be careful at your age,” she informed him. “You need to conserve your stamina.”

  Damon bit back a laugh and leaned forward, placing his hands on the wall at either side of her head. He brought his face within inches of hers.

  “Trust me. Stamina is not a problem,” he murmured, his sparkling blue eyes locking with hers.

  Alina grinned.

  “Good to hear,” she retorted softly, not breaking the eye contact.

  After a charged moment, Damon chuckled and straightened up. He glanced at his empty coffee mug.

  “At least you could have brought more coffee,” he said, backing up.

  “Oh I did!” Alina replied, breathing an unconscious sigh of relief. Damon clothed was dangerous at any time. Dripping wet, wrapped in a towel and with a five o'clock shadow, Damon was devastating. “It's in the kitchen.”

  She got off the back of the toilet and moved around him to head out of the bathroom. She glanced over shoulder, taking one last look at him.

  “Get dressed. I found him.”

  Damon walked out onto the small balcony off the living room and joined Alina with his coffee. She was seated on one of the two plastic chairs that had been there when he moved in, her feet propped up on the iron railing, her head back and her eyes closed. Damon glanced at her and sat in the other chair, sipping his coffee. He had shaved and dressed in jeans and a black tee shirt. His feet joined hers on the railing.

  “Where is he?” Damon asked after a minute, his eyes taking in the grassy courtyard below them. The apartments across the courtyard all had their blinds pulled tight against the sun and the only movement in the courtyard came from a pair of doves, moving around in the grass.

  “Cherry Hill.” Alina didn't open her eyes. “He's holed up in a house in a nice quiet neighborhood.”

  “Did you see him?” Damon sipped his coffee and looked at her. She looked tired with her eyes closed, but Damon could feel the energy coming from her.

  Alina still didn't open her eyes, but she reached into the shoulder bag on the floor by her chair and handed him a small camera. Damon took it and turned it on. He opened up the only video file on the camera and watched silently as a black pickup pulled up to a modest two-story house. Lights shone through the windows downstairs, but the second floor was dark. A tall teenager got out of the truck and reached back into the cab, pulling out a red bag that looked to be about the size of a large pizza box. Damon watched as the delivery boy carried the large insulated bag and a 2 liter of soda up to the door. A moment later, the door opened and the camera zoomed expertly in on the face of Johann Topamari. Johann glanced around outside as the boy took two pizza boxes out of the bag. He then took the boxes and handed some bills to the boy. The whole process took less than thirty seconds. The door closed and the delivery boy walked back to his truck with the empty bag. The camera stayed on the truck until it had pulled away and then the screen went black.

  “Pizza?” Damon asked, shutting off the camera and dropping it back into her bag.

  “One large plain cheese and one large garden vegetable with cheese.” Alina yawned and finally opened her eyes. “I confirmed with the pizza place last night. He ordered once before, same thing, and pays cash. He also tips generously.”

  “Well, that's nice of him,” Damon murmured.

  “And he requested the same driver,” Alina added.

  Damon nodded.

  “He would. It gives him an added sense of security,” he said. “When did you shoot that?”

  “Last night.” Alina dropped her feet off the balcony and stretched. “And I have more.”

  She stood up. Damon looked up at her and grinned.

  “Of course you do,” he agreed.

  Alina winked.

  “I want to take you somewhere.” She held out her hand and he allowed her to pull him up. “I'll drive.”

  She picked up her bag and opened the sliding door behind them, stepping off the balcony. Damon followed her with a slight frown.

  How the hell had she left the house last night and he had missed it?

  Damon sat in the passenger seat of Alina's Camaro and surveyed the scene before him. They were parked on the top of a rise with the Susquehanna River below them. In the distance, across the water, was Three Mile Island. He lifted the binoculars Viper handed him and slowly studied the island. Alina was silent, her head back on the seat, her eyes closed behind her sunglasses. She hadn't told him what he was looking for. She hadn't even told him where they were going. They had left New Jersey and an hour and a half later, they stopped here.

  The car was silent for upwards of half an hour while Hawk examined the island and Viper relaxed. Occasionally, Alina opened her eyes and glanced over at the strong profile in the seat next to her. Her heart would give a little flutter and she resolutely closed her eyes again. It was distracting enough to have him sitting in the small sports car next to her. She didn't need to add to it by watching him.

  “It would be damn difficult,” Hawk finally said, lowering the binoculars to his lap. “But not impossible.” He looked at Alina, who still had her eyes closed behind her sunglasses. “What are you thinking?”

  Instead of answering, she reached into the backseat and pulled out her iPad. He took it with a raised eyebrow and chuckled.

  “Figure it out myself, is that it?” he murmured, switching it on.

  Alina grinned.

  “You're a smart man,” she retorted.

  Damon glanced at her with a grin and watched as she settled herself back in her seat, closing her eyes again. He turned his attention to the iPad and stared at it for a minute. What on earth was he supposed to be looking for? He went to the browsing history and started going through the sites previously viewed. When he got to newspaper articles, he smiled. He skipped to the beginning and started following her path of reading. Comfortable silence ensued in the car, and Alina was just starting to doze off when Damon let out a low whistle. She opened her eyes and turned her head. He had angled himself partially sideways in the seat and was leaning against the door, the pad resting on his knee. She looked at the article on the pad and smiled. He had found it faster than she expected.

  “Three Mile Island is a red herring,” Alina said softly.

  “This makes much more sense!” Damon replied, looking up.

  His blue eyes had a light in them that Alina recognized. It was similar to what she imagined a tracking dog felt when he got the first whiff of the scent. She had felt it when she realized what Johann was planning, and again when she had found him last night. It was the knowledge that the hunt was now on in earnest.

  “This is more like what I know of Johann,” Alina agreed. She pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and reached out to take the iPad off his lap. “When you first told me about Three Mile Island, it didn't make sense to me. Johann has never shown any interest in actual landmarks or mass catastrophes. He was never dramatic. All his actions in the past have been geared toward undermining population security and breaking people's individual will. Don't get me wrong. He likes a high body count as much as the next
terrorist, but he is more interested in destroying a person’s sense of security.”

  “Well, that would certainly fall in line with the ideology behind the actions,” Damon remarked. “If you break the will of the people, you can break the people. Warfare 101.”

  “Exactly.” Alina shifted to face him. “There's never anything flashy about Mossavid or what they do. They are just very effective. So Three Mile Island just didn't sit right with me. I started thinking about what was around the Island. When I drove up here to take a look, I saw the same thing you just did. It's not impossible, but it's damn close. And Johann doesn't appear to have the resources to pull off something of that magnitude in place in the US. At this point, as far as we know, he has himself and one known associate. He would need more than that for an attack on the Island.”

  “He would need at least 4 on the ground.” Damon nodded.

  “So I started digging around.” Alina motioned to the iPad. “Ever since the tsunami in Japan, critics have been attacking the evacuation procedures set in place in the US around all the active nuclear plants. The standard ten-mile evacuation process is under fire. The NRC maintains that any radiation plume would deteriorate beyond that, but critics are more concerned with the increase in populations within that standard ten-miles and the challenges of moving them instantly.”

  Damon nodded.

  “All Johann would have to do is present the illusion of an incident on the island and the highways would be clogged with more people fleeing the area than current evacuation plans are prepared to handle,” he said, following her train of thought. “And the interstate is within that ten-mile area, which is the most likely venue of travel.”

  “And it crosses the river farther up, between Middletown and Harrisburg,” Alina added. “Japan was a series of natural disasters that no one really expected would ever happen at the same time. I think Johann is working on the same theory. According to the papers, the First Lady is scheduled to visit Harrisburg on the weekend for a benefit. There's also a big music festival scheduled to go from Friday to Monday. The roads are already going to be crowded with traffic in and out of Harrisburg. If he creates the illusion of a disaster on the Island, causes widespread panic, then attacks the airport and train stations...”