by Nolan Thomas
Turning to Jeremiah, Jackson continued, “You’re a high-value target. We can’t take any chances. I want you at an FBI safe house. Now. We’ll do the drawing there. You too, Vince. You’ve talked with her. Billy, I want you with them. We have to assume she’s identified you. I think Dixon will most likely contact one of you three.”
“How do you figure?” Jeremiah asked.
“She could have easily killed Riley and Casey. Why kidnap both of them? That was a risky move. I’m betting she wants to eliminate all witnesses. She’s got Casey’s phone so she has your numbers.”
Billy snapped, “I can’t hide in some damned safe house while Casey and Riley are in danger!”
Ignoring Billy, Jackson continued, “Agent McCoy, I want each of these men in a separate vehicle, each with a driver and two guards. Get that coordinated and let’s get these men back to the safe house we discussed.”
Jackson looked Billy directly in the eyes. “I understand how you must feel, but it’s more important than ever that we work together, and work smart. Every available resource is scouring the area and working to identify the victim and his vehicle.”
Billy’s shoulders drooped in agonizing surrender.
73
AGENT MCCOY EFFICIENTLY COORDINATED JACKSON’S orders. It took the caravan about thirty-five minutes to reach the safe house, a small bungalow in a quiet suburban Washington neighborhood. The three cars arrived approximately three minutes apart. Each FBI car pulled up in front of the safe house, and then two agents exited the vehicle walking on either side of first Jeremiah, then Vince, and finally Billy. The drivers and their cars parked at strategic locations near the house. Once everyone was inside, three of the agents stayed inside with the men, and the other three joined their respective partners for exterior surveillance.
The shabby-yet-clean furnishings were straight out of the seventies. A galley kitchen sat off the living room. A hallway led to a bathroom and two small rooms that looked more like military barracks than bedrooms. Each had three single beds with crisp sheets and army blankets.
An FBI agent waited for them at the chrome and Formica kitchen table, with her laptop and materials needed to complete a sketch of Kathryn Dixon. Billy and Vince watched as she created a face from Jeremiah’s description. Jeremiah’s lengthy conversation with his captor enabled him to provide an amazing amount of detail. The face of Kathryn Dixon peered back at them from the screen as if she were a living, breathing creature. Because Vince had also seen her, or had at least seen her memorable eyes, he was able to add to Jeremiah’s description. The focus of this task gave the men a merciful respite from the fear they struggled to keep at bay.
They all drank coffee as Jeremiah relayed his experience with Dixon, and how he managed to escape.
“That’s amazing, Jeremiah,” Billy said. “I don’t know if I would have been able to keep it together. That was brilliant to take her to that other house. It took a lot of guts.”
“I don’t know if it was guts so much. I figured I was a dead man no matter what, so I wanted to save Riley and you guys if there was any way I could do that.”
“You saved us all, man,” Vince said. “She would’ve blown all of us to smithereens. And getting back in her trunk after you escaped—that took major-league balls.”
“I thought the only way Riley could ever be safe was to track that murderous fiend down and get rid of her once and for all. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to stop her from kidnapping Riley and Casey.”
Billy reached over and put his hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself. None of us saw that coming. You wouldn’t let Vince and me kick ourselves in the ass for leaving them in the car, so you can’t do it to yourself either. We’re dealing with a diabolical genius. I mean, think about it. Who would cause a multi-car accident just to create that level of diversion? That was fast, adaptable planning and top notch implementation. She could’ve just as easily killed herself as be successful.”
“The way I figure it, she underestimated me, and we underestimated her. So now we’ve got to be on our top game because you know she’s going to be. We can’t make any mistakes from here on out.”
The afternoon gave way to evening. Jackson brought a fresh crew of agents for the night. The day shift left. The sentries were also replaced with fresh crews.
“I take it you haven’t had any word?” Jackson asked.
“Nothing,” Vince responded. “Any updates for us, Jackson?”
“We haven’t been able to identify the body in the ravine yet, so no description of the car she took. At this point it doesn’t matter. She’s probably ditched that car by now. We have the local authorities on the lookout for anything that even remotely resembles a crime where a vehicle has been stolen. They’re to notify us immediately. We’ve had a couple reports come in, but nothing panned out relating to this case.”
Jackson pulled out a copy of the artist rendition of Kathryn Dixon. “Interpol verified this is Agent Nika Rolinska. Jeremiah’s open line in the trunk tipped us to the Russian connection. She’s an agent of the Russian government, although she’s been known to freelance around the world for the right price. She’s not considered a terrorist, although some of her assignments have benefited terrorist organizations. We don’t know if this assignment is for Russia, or is one of her lucrative freelance jobs. Even though she’s relying on Russian contacts for information, that doesn’t mean she’s working for the government. She could be paying a substantial fee for their services. She’s an operative believed to be responsible for the deaths of as many as fifteen primary targets in the last ten years. That number doesn’t include collateral damage.”
This news was worse than the three of them could have imagined.
“Most of these targets have been key political officials or major corporate heads. I cannot stress how important her capture is to the US Government.”
“Important, yes,” Billy said, “But the safety of Riley and Casey is the Bureau’s primary concern. Right?”
When Jackson didn’t respond right away, Billy repeated, “Right?”
“Of course their safety is of utmost importance to us, but our primary consideration has to be the capture of Agent Rolinska.”
“That’s bullshit!” Billy challenged, and turned away in frustration.
Before Jackson could say anything, Vince intervened. “He just needs some time to process all this. He’ll be okay. You’ve got to remember Billy and Casey grew up together. She’s like a sister to him.”
Billy wasn’t facing either of the men, but he cringed when he heard Vince refer to Casey as his sister.
Jeremiah watched Billy’s face and read his thoughts. He walked over and put his arm around Billy’s shoulder. “We’ll rescue her, and when we do, don’t you waste another minute of your life without her. Before you know it, you’ll be my age and the Good Lord will call the love of your life home. Don’t you waste a minute of that precious time.”
Billy looked at Jeremiah through gratitude-filled eyes. Now, in this moment, Jeremiah held Billy together—a beacon of hope to guide him. Billy thought this is what a father must feel like. He nodded his head and wiped a tear away as Jeremiah squeezed his shoulder.
Jackson went over to speak with his agents. They murmured quietly in the corner.
“I don’t trust these guys to put Casey and Riley first,” Billy said. “They’re just bait to them.”
“Come on, Billy. Don’t you think you’re being a little too hard on Jackson?” Vince prodded. “He’s been a decent guy so far.”
“It’s not about whether or not he’s a stand-up guy. He’s Bureau. Sure he’s going to save them if he can, but his priority is protecting the Country.”
“As it should be,” Jeremiah said.
“Look, I get that. I don’t knock him for it. Hell, I’m a vet. I took my oath seriously. But right now I don’t give a damn about anything but saving Casey and Riley. They’re in immediate danger.”
“So what a
re you thinking?” Vince asked.
“I’m not thinking anything, and that’s what has me so upset. I’m letting my emotions get the better of me and that’s no good for anyone.”
Billy paced back and forth in a short line close to Vince and Jeremiah.
“Usually when I’m on a big story I can stay relatively detached, even when I care about the people I’m covering. But this is a whole different ballgame for me. I love them. I guess this is the reason doctors can’t treat their own family in an emergency.”
“Look. One of us is going to get a call from this Rolinska. I tricked her and got away. She wants me dead,” Jeremiah said. “The question is how do we want to handle that call?”
74
SHE CONSIDERED KILLING CASEY AND LEAVING her in the Explorer, but she decided having two chips to play in this game was better than one. She accessed her cell phone and called.
“Identify yourself,” the Voice said.
“Agent Nika Rolinska.”
“Verification sequence?”
“Red Tide 3359X.”
“Verification accepted. What is your request?”
After she completed her call Rolinska drove in silence to her destination. She had plenty of time to get there before the drugs wore off.
CASEY CAME TO, groggy and confused. She lay on a soft bed with Riley next to her. Concerned, she reached out to make sure Riley was still alive. Her body felt warm to Casey’s touch. Riley breathed slowly as if in a deep sleep. Relieved, Casey swung her legs off the side of the bed to sit up.
Feeling slightly lightheaded and disoriented, she grabbed a bedpost to steady herself, then surveyed their surroundings. They were in a bedroom. Actually, a picture-perfect bedroom, clearly designed for a young girl. It looked so much like a room she had dreamed of when she was young.
Carefully rising from the bed and steadying herself, Casey walked over to the window and peered out. It was dusk, that sometimes eerie time between light and darkness. She didn’t recognize anything or know where she was, but they appeared to be out in the country.
As she gazed out the window, Casey tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she remembered was sitting in the back of the Explorer with Riley, waiting for Billy and Vince to come back from helping with a car accident. She had been talking with Riley, and then she was here. It wasn’t clear, but she had a vague memory of a sharp pinch in her neck. Casey rubbed the area.
Exploring the room, Casey walked to a doorway and glanced into an attached bathroom, which matched the decor of the bedroom. She walked past it and headed to what must be the bedroom door. She reached for the door handle. Locked. Casey considered calling out for help, but decided against that. This had to be the work of Dixon, but why were she and Riley still alive?
Riley stirred, moaning softly and stretching out her legs. Casey went over to the side of the bed and knelt on the floor next to her. A still groggy Riley opened her eyes. Casey looked at her with concern.
“Casey?”
“Yes, honey. I’m here. Are you all right? How do you feel?”
“My head kind of hurts,” Riley said, placing her hand on the top of her head. Casey saw that there were bruises on the side of her hand. She lifted up Riley’s other hand and saw more bruises.
Holding Riley’s hands, she asked, “Where did these come from?”
Riley looked at the bruises on her hand. “That must have been from banging my hands on the car window. After the Monster hurt you and got in the car, I tried to get Billy’s attention, but they couldn’t hear me.”
“What happened then?”
“The Monster turned the car around and started to drive away. I thought you were dead.”
Riley sat up and threw her arms around Casey and gave her a big hug.
“I got real mad at the Monster. She told me you weren’t dead, but I still got mad. I jumped into the front seat and started whaling on her. Then something hurt and I went to sleep. Why did the Monster bring us back to her house?”
“Her house?”
“Yes. This is my bedroom. When the Monster was still Aunt Dixie, we lived here. This is my bedroom.” Riley got off the bed and opened the closet door. “See? These are the clothes she bought for me. The closet was full when I got here. Rocky was already here, too. We slept together every night in that bed.” Riley’s voice cracked when she mentioned Rocky’s name.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Casey said, motioning for Riley to join her on the bed. Riley walked over and sat next to her.
“Do you know where this house is? Could you tell Billy and Vince how to find it?”
“I don’t think so. I remember when Aunt Dixie, I mean that Monster, picked me up from the Child Services lady. She drove for about half an hour.” Riley’s face brightened. “I know we were going west.”
“How do you know you were traveling west?”
“It was close to supper time when we left, and we drove into the sun. The sky was a pretty pink color, but the sun got in my eyes. My mom taught me the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. She said if you face west and raise your right arm, it would point north and your left arm would point south. She said everyone should know their directions. It was an important thing to know because we lived on the streets, and that’s how you got around. Cars don’t have addresses, just spots.”
“That’s excellent. Your mother taught you well. Do you remember anything else about getting here?”
ROLINSKA WATCHED AND listened to their conversation from the kitchen. She was surprised at how accurate Riley’s observations were, but the information wouldn’t do them any good. It would all be over soon.
75
SHE DIDN’T CONTACT THE MEN right away. Rolinska wanted them to worry. Worry heightened emotions. Emotions made her prey vulnerable—it was time.
Rolinska called FBI Special Agent Jackson.
“Jackson here.”
“This is the call you’ve been waiting for.”
“How do I know it’s you?”
“Cut the bullshit. I have Riley and Casey. Check out the live-stream.”
Jackson hit speaker and placed his phone on the table. They all gathered, straining to see the small screen. Casey and Riley were in a bedroom. The image changed to what appeared to be a bomb. The camera zoomed in so they could get a good look at it.
“What do you want?” Jackson demanded.
Rolinska laughed. “It’s time for the three wise men to make a pilgrimage to save madonna and child.”
The image shifted back to Riley and Casey.
“They don’t know about the bomb. If they try to pick the bedroom door lock, the bomb detonates. My patience is running out. There’s a time limit on this game.”
The video shifted back to the bomb, zooming in on the timing device. The illuminated red numbers came to life, flashing 04:00:00, then 03:59:59 . . . 03:59:58 . . . 03:59:57 as the timer continued its merciless drop.
The screen went black as Rolinska ended the call. Everyone looked at their watches. It was eight o’clock.
The bomb would detonate at midnight.
76
ROLINSKA WANTED TO GET TO KNOW her newest guest. Humming, she prepared sandwiches, then placed them on a tray along with potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. She grabbed three cans of ice-cold Coke from the refrigerator, and carried the feast up the stairs.
Balancing the tray in one hand, she used a key to open the door to Riley’s room. Rolinska entered the room and placed the tray on the desk.
“Good evening ladies. I thought you might be getting a little hungry.”
Rolinska walked over to the bed, sat down next to Casey, and placed her hand on Casey’s thigh.
“We haven’t actually been introduced. My name is Kathryn Dixon.”
Casey instinctively pushed Dixon’s hand away and moved, putting a few more inches of bedspread between them.
Rolinska leaned in, her lips ever so lightly touching Casey’s ear. “Don’t try anything foolish or heroic
. I have an assortment of ways to kill—knives, guns, drugs, and my bare hands.”
She placed her hand around the base of Casey’s neck and squeezed. “I can see and hear everything in this room.”
She squeezed harder. “One more thing. There’s a bomb. If you try to open the door without this key—boom! If I don’t like what I see or hear—boom! I think you know I wouldn’t hesitate to blow you and Riley to kingdom come.”
Rolinska sat back, flashed a radiant smile at Casey, then reached over and took one of the sandwiches.
“Eat up,” she said, and took a bite of the sandwich.
77
“I NEED TO KNOW WHERE that place is and what type of bomb we’re dealing with,” Jackson said to two of his agents. “I just linked Rolinska’s video stream to the FBI lab. I want both of you to get over there now to make sure this is getting analyzed immediately.”
The agents nodded their understanding.
“Nothing gets handled before this,” he continued. “Absolutely nothing. This is top priority. I want them examining every detail. Give me immediate updates on any and all progress.”
The agents left without a word.
Jackson started making calls. He moved to the living room to get some privacy.
Vince asked, “Do you think this could be a bluff?”
“No way,” Jeremiah responded. “I saw explosives in her trunk. You saw that house go up. This woman is a pro. She knows what she’s doing and I think she’s told us exactly what she wants. There’s no way Dixon, I mean Rolinska, intends for any of us to survive this. She hasn’t seen you, Billy, yet she’s including you. That means she’s been able to find out who you are and she wants you dead as well. Vince and I have seen her, so there’s no way she can leave us as loose ends.”
“I agree with Jeremiah,” Billy said. “I’ve had some demolition experience. That bomb looks like the real deal to me.”