THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH: A Suspenseful Action-Packed Thriller
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55
JACKSON SHOOK VINCE’S BED WITH his foot. Not yet fully alert, Vince reached for his Glock 17 on the night stand.
“Whoa, Vince, hold up,” Jackson said, holding his hands up in a surrendering position. “It’s me, Jackson.”
“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me,” Vince grumbled.
“Sorry, man, but we need to get this show on the road. I’d like us to get there by day break. Dixon isn’t going to wait around for Riley and Casey to surface. She’s probably had her intelligence or inside people working on this all night. We can’t give her any more of a lead.”
“She’s not a robot. She has to sleep like the rest of us,” Vince grumbled, forcing himself out of bed. Not a morning person was an understatement.
“No, but she’s smart, disciplined and connected, so she might as well be.”
“Do I have time for a quick shower?”
“Five minutes.”
Vince dashed into the bathroom, showered, and got dressed.
When he came out, Jackson said, “I just checked in with the Bureau and there’s nothing new. I told them we were going to follow a couple of leads. I didn’t give any specifics.”
“Good.” Vince walked towards the door and reached for his jacket. But before he put it on, he unconsciously patted his side where his Glock rested in its holster. He reached down and patted his leg where he kept his steel insurance policy. He then slipped his jacket on.
“That some kind of ritual you do?” an amused Jackson asked.
Vince grinned and patted his side one more time. “Can’t hurt.”
The two men walked out into the hotel hallway.
ACROSS THE HALL, Rolinska waited patiently for the two men to leave. She dressed casually in blue jeans, a white sweater, a brown-leather jacket, and brown-leather sport shoes. With her short brown wig, she looked nothing like the woman Riley knew. With the tracking device in play, Rolinska had been able to go to her apartment, and gather everything needed. She could have slept in her apartment, but she liked being close to the men, in case the tracking device was discovered or failed. Rolinska also enjoyed the sense of control being so close without either suspecting a thing. She could strike at any time.
She heard the men quietly leave their room. A few moments later she heard the ping of the elevator arriving at the third floor. She waited one minute, then left her room. Rather than take the elevator, she used the stairs, quietly descending the two flights. Next to the staircase an exit door allowed her to get outside of the building without walking through the lobby. She checked her tablet to get the men’s location. The signal moved quickly, so they were already in their car. Rolinska looked up and saw an Explorer turning onto the street with Detective Amato in the passenger seat. She walked out into the parking lot and got into a white Ford Taurus, which she kept at her apartment. It rendered her virtually invisible.
Rolinska placed her tablet with the tracking app in an easy-to-see location on the dashboard. She made sure to stay back far enough not to be spotted. The app superimposed the satellite signal from the tracking device onto a map, giving her an exact location of the vehicle at all times. They just entered the interstate. Soon, Jackson’s SUV headed rapidly away from DC.
Rolinska spotted a McDonald’s and pulled off the highway for breakfast. No need to tail them visually. Her stop gave the two men plenty of time to think they hadn’t been followed, making them more vulnerable to her attack once they reached their rendezvous location.
As Rolinska munched on her breakfast sandwich and sipped coffee, she reviewed her primary tactical objective. Eliminate everyone.
56
BILLY’S CELL PHONE RANG. HE answered it as he sat in a chair turned to face the front window overlooking the long driveway to the house. Jeremiah sat upright in the sofa bed, pulled the covers back, swung his legs over the side, and slipped on his shoes.
“Billy, this is Vince. We’re about fifteen minutes out. Is everything okay there?”
“We’re all fine. It’s been quiet here. We took turns standing guard so none of us got a lot of sleep. But at least we got some. Anything new?”
“No. Nothing’s changed since we last talked.”
Jeremiah opened kitchen cabinets and pulled out cereal boxes. He took a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and placed them on the counter. He grabbed some plates, bowls, and silverware and placed them on the counter too.
“Son of a bitch,” Jeremiah said.
“What’s the matter?” Billy asked, walking into the kitchen.
“I’m out of coffee, damn it. I thought I had plenty.”
“We can get by without coffee.”
“Speak for yourself young man,” Jeremiah chided amiably. “These bones have enough trouble moving in the morning as it is. My brain needs a little jolt of energy to get it flowing too. When Vince and the FBI guy get here, I’ll take off to get some coffee. We’ll know pretty quick if they were followed or not. Riley and Casey will have plenty of protection once they get here.”
VINCE AND JACKSON reached Jeremiah’s place just before five-thirty in the morning. With no signs of a tail, they felt confident they still had some breathing room.
Billy opened the door just as they began to knock, and stuck out his hand for Vince to shake. “Good to see you, man.” Vince shifted the bag he had in his right hand to his left hand so he could accept Billy’s handshake.
“Billy, this is Special Agent Jackson from the FBI. This is Billy Daniels, a reporter for--”
“I know who he is,” the agent interrupted. Extending his hand to Billy he said, “I’m a fan of your work. You’ve done some great investigative stories. If you ever want to change careers, let me know. The Bureau can always use a mind like yours. The fact that you’re former SEAL doesn’t hurt.”
Billy nodded, modestly accepting the praise.
Vince raised his eyebrows. “You were a Navy SEAL? How come I’m hearing about this now?”
Before Billy could answer, a smiling Jeremiah called out, “No way I’m letting you poach this one.” He walked to the door to meet Vince and Jackson.
The two men removed their coats.
“Do you have someplace you want us to put these?” Vince asked.
“Just hang them in the closet over there,” Jeremiah said, pointing as he walked back to the kitchen.
“Vince tells me you and Billy are involved in this for personal reasons. You’re not reporting on it?” Jackson asked. “That’s hard to believe with a story like this. There must be one hell of a compelling reason to keep the lid on this one.”
Billy said, “Riley is all the reason we need.” Jeremiah nodded his agreement.
Vince looked up, saw Casey, and broke into a big smile, which she immediately returned. He introduced her to Jackson.
“Tell me you’ve got coffee in that bag,” Jeremiah said.
“No.” Vince said. “Just some clothes for Riley. Don’t tell me this means you don’t have coffee. We didn’t even stop on the way. I picked these things up last night after I talked with Casey. We were hoping that you had some coffee and food here.”
“Food, yep. Coffee, nope,” Jeremiah said.
Casey took the bag from Vince and examined its contents. “This is perfect, Vince. Thank you so much.” She reached up and pecked him on the cheek. Turning around she headed up the stairs to the bedroom.
Billy glared at Vince who grinned back at him. Jeremiah gave Jackson a look to confirm that what he thought was indeed correct.
Jeremiah said, “I’m going to run out and grab us some coffee. I’ll get some milk and orange juice too.” He walked over to the closet. “There’s a BuyMart up the main highway about six miles from here. I should be back in twenty minutes. In the meantime, help yourselves.”
Jeremiah reached into the closet, and pulled out what he thought was his jacket. He hadn’t noticed Vince’s jacket was very similar.
“Do you think it’s a good idea for you to leave?” Billy asked.
“It should be all right,” Vince said.
“Is there somewhere I can park the Explorer so it’s out of sight?” Jackson asked. “Sitting in front of the house is not a good idea.”
“I keep my truck in a detached garage at the back of the house. That’s where Billy’s Jeep is. I’ll leave the door up. You can park your Explorer in there. I’ll park in front when I get back.”
Jeremiah zipped up Vince’s jacket as he walked out the door.
57
ROLINSKA ESTIMATED SHE WAS ABOUT fifteen minutes behind the two men. They were almost an hour outside of DC by now and heading for the mountains. Rolinska needed to make a pit stop. The sign she just passed indicated food and gas at the next exit.
She exited the highway onto the ramp and headed straight for the gas station. Not knowing how long the next leg of her trip would be, she decided to fill up. Rolinska pulled up to the pump and turned off her ignition. As she pushed the buttons on the pump, Rolinska failed to notice the tracker signal was stationary. The GPS map on her tablet clearly indicated the stopped location, but Rolinska patiently filled her tank and scanned the area, alert to all activity around her. When the pump clicked off, she replaced the nozzle and went to pay inside with cash. She then went to the ladies’ room.
Rolinska returned to her car, started it, and checked the tracking map. The signal still moved, but it looked like the Fed’s SUV had exited the interstate. This pit stop cost her seven minutes. Not much time in the big picture. Rolinska pulled away from the gas station and headed back to the highway.
Everyone just got a seven-minute reprieve on their execution.
58
CASEY TOOK THE BAG OF clothes upstairs. As she reached the top, Riley sat up in bed.
“Vince and a nice FBI agent brought you some new clothes. You won’t have to wear those pajamas all the time anymore.”
Riley went over to the railing of the loft and yelled, “Thank you, Vince. And thank you, too, FBI guy.” She waved to the new arrivals.
They waved back.
Riley grabbed the bag and started digging through. She pulled out socks and underwear, then a pair of jeans.
She held the jeans up to her waist and looked down. “Cool.” Riley pulled out a long-sleeved Elsa T-shirt. She ever so slightly wrinkled up her nose.
“What’s the matter?” Casey asked. “Don’t you like it?”
“It’s okay. I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but Elsa from Frozen. Seriously? I’m not five.”
“I see your point.”
“Don’t tell Vince or the FBI guy. It was awfully nice of them to buy me these clothes. I don’t want them to feel bad.”
Casey continued to be impressed by Riley. With everything she’d been through, she still thought about others.
“Get dressed, my little Elsa,” Casey teased. “Let’s get downstairs so you can meet Jackson.”
Riley dressed, and the two of them made the bed together. When they finished, Casey sat down on the side of the bed and called Riley over to her.
“Riley, I have one more thing for you. Things got so crazy yesterday I never got a chance to give it to you.”
Casey reached into her pocket. Riley’s eyes widened and filled with tears when she saw the locket. She threw her arms around Casey, who held and gently rocked her.
Riley pulled away. Sniffling, she whispered, “Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s the only picture I have of my mom.”
Casey slipped the locket chain over Riley’s head. She stood up and took Riley’s hand. “Come on. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
They headed down the stairs.
“Well good morning, Riley,” Billy said. “You’re looking stylin’ this morning. Did you get a good night’s sleep?”
“It was great. Where’s Jeremiah?”
“He went to the store to get some coffee.”
Riley walked up to Vince. “Thank you very much for the clothes. They’re great.”
Vince beamed. “You’re very welcome. I don’t know much about girls’ clothes, but the clerk at the store told me Disney’s Elsa was all the rage.”
Billy couldn’t help but notice the almost imperceptible look Riley shot Casey.
Riley walked up to Jackson.
“My name is Riley Sinclair. Thank you very much for helping us.”
A surprised Jackson tipped his head towards Riley. “I’m happy to do what I can to help.”
Riley pulled a stool next to Billy and climbed up.
In a conspiratorial whisper, Billy said, “You don’t strike me as the Elsa type.”
She leaned into him. Her mouth twisted in a sideways gangster sort of way, she whispered, “BTS.”
Billy nodded knowingly as if to say that made more sense to him.
“Did you sleep okay with Jeremiah on that sofa bed?” Riley asked, pointing across the counter to the still-open and unmade bed.
Vince, mid-swallow, nearly choked on his water. “Sorry I missed that.”
Billy shot him a dirty look and turned his attention to Riley.
“It wasn’t too bad. Jeremiah tossed and turned a lot, and once in a while there was a funny smell, but all in all it was okay.”
Riley giggled and put her hand up to her mouth when Billy mentioned the smelly part.
“What about you, Riley?” Billy asked.
“Oh, it was good. Casey is great to sleep with.”
The silence in the room was deafening. Jackson dropped his head down so his grin wouldn’t be apparent. He wasn’t sure who had slept with whom, but he sure as hell knew who wanted to sleep with whom. It was kind of fun to watch these two guys in action. Too bad Jeremiah wasn’t here to see this. He’d have to tell him about it when he got back from the store.
“What?” Riley asked while doing her best rendition of an emoji shrug.
Casey, standing next to Riley, began pouring Cheerios into her bowl. “Eat.”
“But there’s no milk.”
“Eat.”
Riley’s hunger got the better of her curiosity.
The three men moved to the living room area by the window.
“What’s the next step?” Billy asked.
“Getting everyone to a safe house,” Jackson said. “Because we strongly suspect Dixon has an inside contact, it’s taking a little longer than usual. I’m waiting for a call now. Once I get the all-clear we’ll move forward with an FBI escort.”
They watched out the window and waited in uncomfortable silence.
“This kind of shit only happens in novels, not in real life,” Vince said, dropping his head, and shaking it from side to side.
“I wish that were true,” Billy said. “I’d love for all this to be a figment of someone’s imagination so we could all get on with our lives.”
“Jesus,” Vince said, rubbing his temples, agitation and frustration getting the best of him. “When is Jeremiah going to get back with that coffee? My head is killing me.”
Jackson and Billy exchanged a look. Both men looked at their watches. Jeremiah had been gone thirty minutes. The trip was only supposed to take twenty.
59
THE TRACKER SIGNAL HAD STOPPED. It wouldn’t be much longer now.
The signal led Rolinska to a BuyMart parking lot. The tracker indicated Detective Amato was inside the store. The two men hadn’t stopped for coffee this morning when they left town, so Rolinska supposed this was a rest stop for them.
Rolinska pulled into the lot and slowly drove around looking for the Explorer. She didn’t want to inadvertently park close to it and be seen by the men when they came out. Although neither would recognize her, they would be on hyper-alert, and perhaps any woman in their vicinity would raise an alarm. The lot wasn’
t very crowded so Jackson’s car should be easy to find. Rolinska drove through the lot twice, but the agent’s car wasn’t there.
Damn! Did Amato find the device? Had he randomly placed it on another person? I don’t need this complication.
If the device had been replanted, she had lost the two men as well as her best lead to Riley. This would put her substantially behind schedule. Rolinska decided she might as well park and go inside and see who had the device. As she walked through the store Rolinska grew disgusted at what she saw. Sloppily dressed people ambled amicably as they pushed their carts up and down aisles created by shelves, filled to the brim with any sort of treasure imaginable.
Americans took for granted all the bounty at their fingertips. It never occurred to them that supplies of anything could be limited, or that they might have to make do with toilet paper that wasn’t puffed and cushioned for comfort. Theirs was the land of plenty. They had some sort of distorted notion that God favored them, and that natural resources and whatever else their hearts desired would always be at their disposal. This naiveté lulled them into physical and mental laziness. Most had abdicated all interest in their government and allowed those in power to have free reign.
They thought they still lived in a democracy, but power had become very concentrated in the hands of a small number who flourished on greed and exploitation. The citizens of this country were asleep. The rest of the world was not. There would be a price to pay, and payday was just around the corner.
Her tablet indicated the person with the GPS tracking device was at the bakery counter. She stayed back far enough to be unnoticed. Five people stood in line, three women and two men. No Detective Amato. She examined each person closely, and didn’t see anything that would lead her to believe there was a connection to the FBI agent and the cop. Frustrated that Amato had found the device, Rolinska turned and walked away, her mind churning. Once outside, she’d contact headquarters.
But something nagged at the back of her mind. She shrugged it off as an annoyance, then froze in her tracks.