Down the Rabbit Hole

by F J messina

  She took another few steps, and in the darkness the shape of the barn appeared to her; but as she quickened her pace to reach the barn, she tripped over a large rock, falling to her hands and knees in the mud. What the hell am I doing here?

  Sonia stood and wiped her greasy, muddy hands on the black jeans she had just bought last weekend. A few minutes later, she was close enough to reach out her hand and actually touch the barn. So far, no alarms had gone off, from what she could tell. No spotlights had come on, not even the kind of motion-detection light that many people have on their homes. Brad must have made it safely.

  Slowly, she walked behind the barn to the corner and turned right to walk along its side. Then, peeking around the corner, she saw Brad Dunham leaning against the barn, a smile on his face. He was right there at the corner waiting for her, only a foot or so away from her face. It startled her. A huge breath escaped her and she realized that she had barely been breathing for the last few minutes.

  Brad glanced back at the barn door. “It’s done, let’s get out of here.”

  Every cell in her body screamed silently. Yes! Yes! Let’s get out of here!

  Without another word, Brad walked straight down the driveway toward the road. Following, Sonia kept to the side of the driveway as much as possible. Brad didn’t seem to care. As soon as they got to the end of the driveway, Brad turned to Sonia. “Stay here. I’ve got one more thing to do. Just crouch down and stay here. Don’t move.”

  Sonia did exactly what she was told. She was cold, and it was damn uncomfortable to be crouching down in the gravel, but at that point, she was committed to doing exactly what she was told when she was told. Brad hurried across the street and into the bushes.

  Sonia shivered. This is what it’s like to be a soldier. Somebody gives an order, you do it. You don’t think, you don’t ask, you do it. Wow.

  Less than four minutes later, Brad reappeared. “We’re all set. Now let’s get to that car and get going.” Without waiting for a reply, he took off toward the car.

  Sonia stood up, her legs aching from crouching, and followed. Her heart rate was starting to fall. She was just beginning to breathe normally again. We did it. We got in, did it, and got out. The sense of having done something so dangerous so well was making her giddy.

  It was no short walk back to the car, but their energy moved them quickly. It seemed like only moments and Sonia was wiping her hands on her pants and crawling back into the Corvette. Sonia didn’t even try to hide the big grin on her face. And when she looked across at Brad she could see a definite twinkle in his eyes. Those beautiful, blue, twinkling eyes, surrounded by that rugged, manly face. Sonia had a powerful urge to just reach over and kiss him. She wanted to kiss Brad Dunham. She wanted to share this moment with him passionately. Those eyes, that face . . . . She pulled back. “Your face?”

  “What?”

  “Your face?” Her voice rose. She was beyond the fear of getting caught. “There’s no camouflage paint on your face. Why is there no camouflage paint on your face?”

  Brad smiled broadly and said nothing.

  19

  Tell me! Tell me!” Sonia insisted. “Why don’t you have camouflage paint on your face?”

  Instead of answering, Brad started the car and took off. Then he said, “Well, about that.” His voice trailed off. He kept his eyes on the road.

  Sonia’s voice sizzled. “What about that? What the hell is going on?”

  “Now don’t get your panties in a wad.” His voice got just a little edgy. “It’s just that, well, this could have been a pretty dangerous operation, and I couldn’t just let you walk into it unprepared.”

  Sonia’s chocolate brown eyes were burning─throwing flames right at him. “So you made me dress up like a clown? What the hell good did . . . wait a minute. I didn’t need to march through that field, either, did I? You sent me on a damn wild goose chase, didn’t you?”

  Brad turned left at the castle. “Listen, I was just concerned for your safety.” But as he spoke, Sonia saw the smile on his face get bigger. Eventually, she could swear she actually heard him chuckle.

  Sonia reached over and slapped Brad’s muscular arm. “You son-of-a-bitch! You damn son-of-a-bitch! Figlo di puttana!” She slapped him again, the words flying out of her mouth. “You’re so full of your ex-Marine, ex-NCIS self, it’s unbelievable. How could you do that to me? How could you?” Sonia reached up, pulled down the sun visor, and flipped open the vanity mirror. She felt Brad’s eyes snap to what she was doing. She turned back to him, but his eyes were locked on the visor, locked on the handprint she’d left on the tan leather.

  Suddenly his hand was on hers. “Be careful with that sweet─”

  Sonia wrestled her hand away, elbowing him in the chest.

  “That’s right babe. You wipe that mess on me, not on my car.” He grinned. “Come on. You’ve got to admit it’s pretty funny. You look hilarious in that stuff. And I kept you from getting hurt, didn’t I?”

  Sonia’s mouth dropped open. Her silence lasted only a moment. “Well, obviously, you weren’t too worried about getting hurt, now were you?” Sonia pawed Brad’s arm with her greasy, muddy hands. “No damn paint for you, was there?” He lifted his arm in self-defense. His elbow in her way, she changed targets, wiping her hands on his leg. “Was there?” Sonia was madder than she had been in a long, long time.

  Suddenly Brad got serious. “Now look. For all I knew this could have been a dangerous operation. I sent you off to stay safe. When I used my electronic gear, I found out the place had a pretty sophisticated security system. Damn sophisticated. What if you had set it off? I’m starting to get the feeling these boys play for real. I’m glad I sent you out of harm’s way.”

  “And tell me again, why no paint for you?” The pace of the conversation had become furious, razor-sharp. Her foot was tapping like crazy.

  “Because I took care of the security system before I went in. I took care of it.”

  “And how exactly did you do that, ‘Mr. NCIS?’ ” She spit the words at him.

  He paused. “That’s exactly how I did it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? How did you take care of the security system?” Underneath the camouflage paint, her face was bright red.

  “With some help from NCIS, that’s how.”

  She could sense he felt back in control.

  “Oh, I get it. You just put in a phone call to your old buddies, and they sent you something to take care of it? Is that how it works?”

  Brad checked his mirrors. They were the only ones on the road. “Well, I do have to pay for it.”

  “Pay for what? What the hell are you talking about? You just bought some help? You placed an order and the operator said, ‘That’ll be twenty dollars, please. Please deposit your money in the slot?’ Or did you do it by credit card?” She put on her TV-ad-man’s voice. “That’s right, order today by phone. Credit cards accepted. Just call 888-888-91screw you, that’s 888-888-91screw you. Call today!”

  Brad let out a heavy sigh. “Are you done?”

  “Not hardly.” She crossed her arms, the sound of her tapping foot almost audible.

  “Listen, remember when I said I sometimes used my electrical engineering skills to get past security systems, but now you can usually do that with a computer?” He turned his blue eyes to her.

  Sonia blew the wisp hair out of her face, that same piece of hair that seemed to stray only when she was frustrated with something. She waited for his explanation.

  “Well, I have this piece of equipment that can scan an area and tell if any security systems are operating, and what kind they are. When I found out these guys had a sophisticated system with 24-hour video surveillance from several cameras, I was able to use the same device to disable the system.”

  “How?” The tapping was slowing down. She was curious. She was, after all, a techie.

  “Well, it sends a signal that forces their video feed to become a freeze frame. We can pretty much
assume that the images those cameras are seeing stay pretty static. My device made them freeze altogether. Unless someone was carefully monitoring the time stamp live, no one would notice that the file ran a few minutes short over the course of the whole evening. Even if they fast forwarded the video in the morning, just to check to see if anyone had been on the property, everything would still look copasetic.”

  “And you can do this because you have all the ‘latest and greatest’ electronic gear?” Sonia asked with a clear note of disdain.

  They were on Broadway and headed for Vine and then East Main. “Actually, what I have is the almost ‘latest and greatest’ gear. You see, when new gear comes out, and the department decides the agents need it, they go out and buy it. And what do you think happens to the old gear?”

  Sonia looked out the passenger window. “I don’t know.” She didn’t want to give him an answer.

  “They sell it, of course. And who do you think are the first people to hear about the sale of that kind of gear?” He looked at her. “Former agents, of course. So, with a little help from my friends, I was able to purchase some of that almost gear, and I used it tonight. We now have three cameras inside the barn and two different angles from outside, thanks to the good ol’ NCIS Procurement and Disposal Program.”

  Sonia unfolded her arms and looked directly into those blue eyes. “Inside? Three cameras?”

  “Yup. We’ll be able to see what the boys are unloading from that truck and what they do with it. We’ll also have a view of both of the stalls that have been made into accommodations for any special female guests that join the workers.” He gave her a little smile.

  Sonia furrowed her brows. “Only two stalls? But there were four of them. Four prostitutes.”

  “Well, share and share alike they always say.”

  Sonia thought for a moment, then turned and looked away again. “Oh, that’s disgusting.”

  Brad waited, then asked, “Are you okay?”

  Sonia wanted to snap back a nasty retort, but when she looked at him she saw that twinkle in Brad’s eyes. Yes, he’d played her for a fool and sent her marching through a half-mile of cold, muddy, frozen, grass. But she had to remember how scared she was. Things really could have gone very, very wrong. Sonia turned and looked out the passenger window again. These guys do seem to play for real, and he really did keep me out of harm’s way. Besides, when his eyes smiled that way, he really was damn cute, almost irresistible.

  Sonia stared out the window for the remainder of the ride back to her place. She’d had one hell of a night and would have one hell of a story to relate to Jet the next morning. She also had one hell of a conundrum going. First, she was totally frustrated that Brad had not really let her participate in the night’s operation. But second, she was grateful that they now had eyes on most of the operation on Dahlia Farm. Third, she really wanted to slap Brad silly for making her dress up in that greasy stuff and stumble across a field at three in the morning. And fourth, she was pretty sure that when they had gotten back in the car she had wanted to pull him close to her and kiss him passionately . . . . Now, she was pretty sure she still did.

  20

  Around eleven-thirty Tuesday morning, Sonia pulled into Magee’s parking lot. A quick glance up those damn stairs sent a wave of fatigue through her body. She blew that wisp of hair out of her face and changed her mind. She walked from her car, past the steps, to the bakery’s front door. She was beat, and she needed a cup of coffee desperately. As she stood at the counter waiting for Hildy to come out of the back, she looked up at the beautiful mural on the wall behind the counter. It was a scene that portrayed Julie and her brother, the owners, working in the kitchen along with some long-time help. The image continued and the walls of the bakery dissolved. A lovely, peaceful rural scene drifted out to the horizon. Sonia wanted to be out there in those fields, no pressure, no fatigue, just peaceful sunshine.

  “Miss your appointment today?” Hildy asked, startling Sonia.

  “What?”

  “Your appointment. Weren’t you supposed to meet someone here this morning?”

  Sonia wrinkled her tired face. “I don’t think so. Was someone here?”

  “That man you had coffee with the other day, the tall, thin man in the suit. You know,” Hildy half-whispered as she leaned over the counter a bit, “the good-looking one.”

  “Detective Adams? What about him?”

  “Well,” said Hildy, still sounding conspiratorial, “he came in about eight o’clock, got coffee and an almond croissant and just sat there. Checked his phone every once in a while, but he sat there near on an hour. I was pretty sure he was waiting for you.”

  Sonia looked at Hildy blankly. “I didn’t have an appointment with him this morning.” Sonia fumbled in her purse for her slightly over-used credit card. Just as her fingers reached it, she stopped. Ohhh. I told him I usually come in early, and he was hoping to just ‘run into me’. Sonia smiled. Well, well, well, Detective Sergeant Adams, apparently, you didn’t realize that for me, ‘early’ means ten o’clock. Her smile turned just a bit smug. And I’m ever so sorry I had a late night last night and didn’t get here ‘til now. Sonia paid and walked to the coffee bar in the front of the room to get her morning pick-me-up. Still, I am flattered that you would wait a whole hour just to catch me unexpectedly, Detective. How sweet.

  Sonia filled her cup, put a lid on it, and walked out of the bakery. She turned left and left again, then headed up the stairs. Pushing open the old door, she entered and walked straight toward Jet, who was sitting at her desk.

  “What the hell happened to you?” said Jet, looking up from her desk. “That must have been quite a night you had.” Jet shot her a sly look. “Did your trip to the farm end with a roll in the hay?”

  “What?” Sonia’s head bobbed backward. “No way, Jose. It was pure business all the way. Pure business.”

  “So, how did it go? Tell me.” Jet grinned. “Did GI Joe lead the charge? Did you guys take the hill?”

  “GI Joe was one damn jackass, thank you very much.” Sonia sat down opposite Jet’s desk and related the whole story of being told to put camouflage paint all over her face and hands, and having to walk through the mud and frozen grass. When she admitted to Jet that it was all a trick, that Brad had not used any paint, Jet lost it.

  “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. He did that to you?”

  Sonia was certain that the look on her face made it very clear that she didn’t think it was one-bit funny, but that didn’t stop Jet from laughing.

  “Sorry, lady. But you’ve got to admit, it’s a least a little bit funny.”

  “If you like sick jokes.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

  “Well, look at it this way,” said Jet, “at least he kept you safe. Right?”

  “Yeah, he did. And based on the kinds of security systems these guys have, it does look like they’re up to something out there.”

  “Listen, I’m glad he kept you safe. What if you’d gotten into something really bad out there? I’m glad he protected you.” Jet leaned back in her chair and took a sip of the coffee she had on her desk. Shaking her head, she chuckled silently. Sonia could tell Jet had images of her covered in camouflage paint running through her mind. Finally, Jet said, “Did you guys get anything accomplished?”

  “Well, that’s the good news. It turns out that Brad has a bunch of used NCIS surveillance equipment. We now have two angles on the outside of the barn, and three cameras inside. There’s one pointing at the door. The other two are covering the stalls the farm hands use when they hook up with the prostitutes. It shouldn’t be long before we lock down Mr. Marcos Torres once and for all.”

  “Cool. Very cool. But why only two cameras on the stalls? Aren’t there four prostitutes?”

  “Don’t ask.” Sonia finally lifted the lid off her coffee and took her first sip. Ah, southern pecan. “The great thing is that we don’t have to sit out there monitoring the cameras anymor
e. Brad used a system that connects via 4G and sends those feeds anywhere. We can watch from right there in his office.”

  “Nice.”

  “And, we’re recording everything. We’ll be able to go through and check on anything that happens when we can’t be monitoring. It’s great what his stuff can do.”

  “Thank you NCIS,” said Jet.

  “Absolutely.”

  Jet’s face turned softer. “So, are you going to be able to get some rest today? You look pretty beat.”

  “I’m supposed to meet with Brad this afternoon, but then I’m headed home. I’m going to turn in early tonight unless something pops out there.”

  At that moment, Sonia’s iPhone chirped out its funny Star-Spangled Banner. Remembering, again, that Jet was the one who had changed her ringtone, Sonia gave her a frustrated look as she answered the phone. “This is Bluegrass Confidential Investigations, Sonia Vitale speaking . . . Ah, yes, Detective Adams. How are you?”

  Jet grinned slyly.

  Sonia waved her off. “Well, I don’t know, I had a difficult evening last night and I’m pretty tired.”

  Jet mouthed some words, but Sonia ignored her and tried to focus on the phone call. “I guess an early dinner wouldn’t be too much to handle. Where should I meet you?”

  Jet mouthed more clearly, “Niiice.”

  “Actually, I’ve never been to Joe Bologna’s. It’s on Maxwell, isn’t it?”

  Jet began licking her lips and rubbing her stomach.

  “I’m sure I can find it. There really is no need for you to pick me up.”

  Jet made kissing motions with her lips.

  “Well, if you insist. What time should I be ready?”

  Jet’s motions became more exaggerated, and Sonia recognized the gestures. Jet was holding someone in her arms and kissing them passionately.

  “Okay. My address is—”