The Final Flashpoint

by Iona Morrison

  Chapter 45

  A nap, shower, a fresh set of clothes, and she was ready to go. Audrey was at the store, one less thing for her worry about. She wanted to spend the afternoon with Matt. She twisted the ring on her finger. He had told her she’d beg him to marry her. She smiled at the memory. “No, Mr. Parker, I believe you’ll be begging me, and the way I feel, you won’t have to beg for long.”

  Jessie ran by the store to check on things. “How’s it going, Audrey?”

  “Steady, which is nice. I had another call from a book club that would like to meet here. I told them you’d have to check the calendar and would get back to them. The name and number are on the pad near the phone.”

  “I love the idea of book clubs meeting here. It keeps the place filled with people and conversation. I think it gives business to Molly, too.” Jessie tore the page with the phone number, off the notepad. “I’ll call them later.”

  “Sounds good. By the way, how’s Matt? It’s all everybody is talking about this morning.”

  “He’s banged up, has some broken ribs and collarbone, and is fortunate to be alive.” Jessie’s eyes got misty. “As soon as I have lunch, I’m headed to the hospital. When I left earlier, he was waiting for the agents and his officers to arrive for a meeting. It’s hard for him not to be involved.” Jessie walked through the open doors into the coffee shop.

  Audrey followed her. “He’s a great chief of police.”

  “You won’t get any argument from me. I think he’s the best.” Jessie smiled. “If you need anything, you can call. I’ll have my phone with me.” Jessie walked into the coffee shop

  “I will. Tell Matt I said hi, and I hope he feels better real soon.” Audrey waved at Molly.

  “Jessie, what a pleasant surprise. What can I get you?” Molly asked.

  “I want a bowl of your broccoli soup, and I’ll take six of the brownies Matt likes, to go.”

  “Do you want the soup to go?”

  “No, I’ll eat it here.” Jessie gave Molly a twenty and waited for change.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here today. I thought you’d be at the hospital.”

  “I was there overnight. I’m headed back as soon as I finish eating. I thought I’d take Matt a treat while I’m at it.”

  “How’s he doing? Better yet, how are you doing?” Molly squeezed her hand.

  “He’s hurting, but it could have been so much worse. Let’s just say I’m happy to have him with us today.” Jessie put a few dollars in the tip jar.

  Molly handed Jessie a tray with the soup and a slice of thick crusty bread on it. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Water with lemon would be nice.”

  “Go sit down. I’ll bring the rest to your table. I want to hear all the details.”

  Jessie recounted the events of the past several hours to Molly. “We’re all fortunate to be here today. The suspects had some diabolic plans to kill as many law enforcement officials as they could.”

  “It scares me to think of Kenny in this line of work. Blue Cove always seemed like such an idyllic sort of town. I can’t believe all this stuff is happening here.” Molly toyed with a lock of her hair.

  “These guys didn’t originate in our town. They were passing through to kill Matt on their way to some other dastardly deed they were planning. I guess we’ll know soon enough what that was.” Jessie took a taste of her soup. “Oh, Molly, this is so good. I’m hungrier than I thought.” Jessie buttered her bread and took a bite.

  “Enjoy. I have a special treat for dessert, and you’re going to eat it. Something tells me you haven’t eaten in a while. Am I right?” Molly stood.

  “You’re right, the past twenty some hours has been a bit of a blur. I was too worried about Matt to leave his side; no wonder I’m so hungry.” Jessie spooned up more soup.

  Molly brought a cup of tea and a hot blueberry turnover over to the table. “I want you to eat every bite. Look, there’s Reba.” Molly waved at her. “I’ll bring your tea to the table, Reba.”

  “Thank you, Molly dear.” Reba arranged herself in the chair, crossing her ankles as she sat. “Well, girl, our fine chief of police got through his ordeal with flying colors, didn’t he?”

  “He did.” Jessie wiped her mouth with her napkin.

  “Word is, he’s a hero. He managed to capture one of the suspects even while injured.” Reba stirred sugar into her tea.

  “No exaggeration, he’s a hero.” The first bite of her blueberry turnover was perfect. “It was as you said—he was tried, but he found a way on his own to survive.”

  “Not entirely alone.” Reba winked at her. “He had help, but I’m not sure he’s ready to hear about that yet. Tell me all about what you know so far.”

  Jessie retold the story to Reba. “When I finally got to his side it was just as his knees buckled. I don’t know how he did it. He had several broken bones from the beating and the blast.” She shivered. “I’m happy to still have him with me today.”

  “It’s amazing how facing the possible loss of someone you love makes you appreciate everything about them, including the things that annoy you. He’s our town hero.” Reba dabbed at her eyes. “You should go to him. Give him my love.”

  “I will.” Jessie picked up her brownies. “Speaking of love,” Jessie said, “I feel that way about you.” She kissed Reba’s cheek.

  Reba wiped her eyes again. “Thank you, dear, the feeling is mutual. Tell Sadie hello from me.” She grabbed Jessie’s arm to keep her from leaving. “I know you saw more than the usual out there. We’ll talk when you’re ready.” She patted Jessie’s hand. “You may not see it right away; Matt will be a stronger and more loving man because of what happened to him in those woods. It will mean another adventure for you, but I think you’re up for the challenge.”

  Jessie walked to her car. Another adventure? She shook her head. One thing at a time, please. She looked up to the heavens. “Angels or ghosts; I’m not ready for anything else at the moment,” she whispered.

  ****

  Matt glanced at the clock again. The meeting had been over for a while, and he had plenty of facts to keep his mind busy. His parents and brothers had called. It was great to hear from them. The doctor had even been in and told him he could go home in a couple of days if he promised to take it easy. He wanted to see her. Where was she? The elevator doors opened and closed several times, and she still wasn’t there. It pinged again, and he grimaced as he straightened up in the bed. Shoes clicked on the tile floor; this had to be her. He took a quick breath as the sound paused at his door and then she was standing in front of him. He could breathe again.

  Chapter 46

  Matt wasn’t following the doctor’s orders, but it shouldn’t surprise her. He was committed to his job. As with each of the cases before, he was busy tying up all the loose ends, and she didn’t see him as often as she would like. Jessie knew he was feeling better, but not much else. Her birthday was tomorrow, and he had told he had something special planned for tonight and tomorrow night. He said tonight was casual and tomorrow was dressy.

  “Be ready at five,” Matt had said the last time he called.

  She pulled her favorite slacks off the hanger along with an icy-blue silk blouse. Jessie looked at her reflection in the mirror. It would have to do. Matt was always on time. A glance out the window told her that his record was intact; he was just pulling into the spot beside her car. She smiled. How could she not love the man? Handsome and always on time.

  She opened the door and waved at him. “I’ll be right there.” She grabbed her purse and locked the door. “Where are we headed?” She slid into the front seat when he opened the passenger door. “Do you want me to drive?” She pointed at the sling on his left arm.

  “No, it’s annoying, but I’m good.” He backed out of the parking space. “We’re going to the marina to talk, and then I have something else planned. You’ll know soon enough.” He waited for her to latch her seat belt. “I figured you’d want to
know what has gone down the past few days. It’s big, Jess. We’re talking major.”

  “I’m intrigued but not surprised. I mean, look at the murder victims—outstanding students, making an impact on others’ lives—there had to be a reason for their murders. Their parents are all well-known and strong members in the community. There was no way it could have been random.”

  “I can see you haven’t stopped thinking about the case.” He smiled at her. “I’m of the opinion that even you’ll be surprised by where this case is heading.”

  “Okay, you can’t keep me in suspense.” Jessie turned in the seat to look at him.

  “In a minute. We’re almost there. I can’t talk about this and concentrate on driving.” He made a turn off Main Street onto Blue Cove Drive and toward the marina.

  “I’ve watched the changes to the marina over the past few months. That’s where I turn around when I run this way. It’s hard to believe there was ever a bomb blast there.”

  “I know. It’s ready for the tourist season to begin.” Matt pulled into a parking space.

  “I love this spot. It’s a perfect view of the cove. It’s such a peaceful place to reflect.” She reached for his hand. “It’s kind of sad that the historic old mill is a total loss, though. I kept hoping someone would renovate it.”

  “Chad and I used to hang out there a lot. I’m glad I remembered our secret way to get into the mill. It probably helped to save my life.”

  “Chad?” Jessie unlatched her seat belt.

  “He was my best friend from elementary school through high school.” Matt frowned and stared out at the ocean.

  “Where is he now?” Jessie wondered why she hadn’t heard of Chad before.

  “I have no idea. We drifted apart after graduation. We were inseparable growing up though.”

  “Did he move out of the area?” Jessie asked. Out of sight, out of mind, she guessed.

  “The last I heard he was living in Rocky Pointe, but I have no idea if he’s still there. At some point, I’ll have to tell you what separated us.” He laced his fingers through hers.

  It was beginning to make sense. “Another time. Right now, I want to hear about this case.” She turned in the seat to face him.

  “I figured you might.” He grinned at her. “Do you remember when you told me that every conflict has a flashpoint?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “It got me thinking about the flashpoint in this case. There were so many possibilities and all of them came into play in minor ways.” He stared out the window into the night. “The three men who traveled with Roth were extremists with very radical beliefs. They were easy for him to recruit and to control with the right tools. The fourth man they recruited from the protestors on campus. He was also the one who sent the note to Amir and monitored the kids’ activities for a few weeks before they abducted them. He was a loose cannon. The four students and their friendships were the fuel by which Roth ignited one of the fires.”

  “In what way?” Jessie watched a boat making its way to the dock.

  “Their unlikely friendships and relationships were a challenge to the men’s simple core beliefs and ideology. Roth could and did manipulate the facts to control the men he had with him.”

  “Are you saying Darsha and Amir’s relationship was a flashpoint?” Jess asked.

  “One of many.” He frowned in concentration. “It’s hard to know where to begin because the case is bigger than we could have imagined in the beginning. The FBI and CIA have taken control of the next phase, and we won’t be hearing much about it until indictments are handed down.”

  “You mean the case doesn’t end in Blue Cove?” Jessie grabbed her notepad out of her purse along with a pen.

  “Some of it is top secret and will never hit the papers. I will share what I can. The rest of the details you may or may not read in the paper someday.”

  “I want to know why those kids, and why you?”

  “Roth had a connection to Amir’s father from years ago and I was linked with Mr. Baz through the FBI investigation at the time. Amir’s father had shut Roth down when he tried to sell illegal weapons in his country. He embarrassed Roth publicly and Harry lost his reputation. He wanted revenge. Irwin from our Palm Spring case had met Roth on a trip overseas. He tried to peddle those goods to several countries. Roth also was a contact for the Harvest Club in India. He has had his hands in many illegal endeavors.”

  “I can see why he was upset with you. You shut down two of his operations. But why the kids?”

  “Amir was a way to get at his father. A payback of sorts. The other kids were in the wrong place at the wrong time. None of them was supposed to die. Roth wasn’t able to control the newest recruit. When Amir died they had to kill the rest. They knew too much. We found out during the interrogation that Harry had tried to enlist Amir using the false pretense of dealing prescription opioids to the students on campus. Amir wouldn’t do it.” Matt changed his position to see her better. “Although Roth wanted to make a contact to move drugs more than anything, he wanted to get back at Amir’s father through his son. What he didn’t want was Amir dead. He planned to collect the ransom and hand their brutalized son back to them. I suspect that if Amir had become a willing pusher, Roth would have outed Amir to get him arrested. That would have been a huge humiliation to his father and family. In his mind it was the perfect retaliation; money and the humiliation of his enemy. Instead he botched another mission and will land in prison for the rest of his life.”

  “Amir obviously refused; he was a reputable young man.” Jessie smiled to herself.

  “Remember Darsha told us about the man in the limousine?”

  “Yes, how does he fit in?”

  “He’s a mafia boss from a country currently under U.S. sanctions. Roth found people willing to launder money through their businesses for him. He contacted Roth a few months ago about a special mission. A friend of his wanted a group to stage a terror attack on our soil. It was planned for a major city, and they had a dirty bomb. I can’t tell you the reason, but let’s just say it was to move public opinion.”

  “The loss of life could have been astronomical.” Jessie rubbed her arms against a sudden chill.

  “Right. And the FBI knew some of the possible players behind the scene who ordered it, but they are only beginning to put the links together.”

  “What are you saying?” Jessie was shocked. “This man was only a contact, but Roth was ultimately hired by someone from our own country?” She saw him nod. “You mean like a traitor willing to see people die for some cause?”

  “You’re catching on, Jess.” Matt let his breath out slowly. “It’s mind-blowing.”

  “Who? And how far up does it go?”

  “Out of our hands, and we won’t know until we know, if ever. This only came to light because Roth decided to come after me out of revenge. The failure of his operation averted one major catastrophe for now. Is there a backup plan? We have no idea. We do know that someone in our country is a traitor. We may never know who it is.”

  “I don’t know what I expected to hear, but I wasn’t expecting this.” Jessie shivered. “It’s scary to think about.”

  “In the kids, we see what we’re up against. We have good people with different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientation. Hatred against them is expressed every day. Hate groups, rhetoric, intolerance—there is always someone willing to exploit our fears, even those we might trust. Words matter. In this case, our own fears became the final flashpoint.”

  “I’m stunned.” Jessie gazed into his face.

  “Stunned is a good description. Sanders and Dickerson deal with these high-level threats all the time. Me, I’ve been asleep, thinking everything is normal.”

  “I’d say this is a wake-up call. It hit too close to home.” She snuggled against his side.

  “That night out at the mill, strange things were happening. I heard about Amir’s ghost stopping you, but there were other things going on. Harr
y didn’t say much, but the other suspect couldn’t stop talking through the interpreter about what he saw. I think we may have had more than a little supernatural help that night.” His voice took on a serious note. “My life passed in front of me revealing some areas I had buried deep inside of me. Jess, I thought I was dying and I would never see you again. It’s amazing what is important when you think you aren’t going to make it. You will be the first one I talk to about it when I’m ready. I want you to know everything about me with no secrets between us.” Matt swiped at the tears on his cheeks. “I remember seeing a bright light around me right before I passed out.”

  “I will be there when you’re ready to talk.” Reba’s words came to mind. She laced her fingers through his.

  “Harry meant for the bomb to take out all of those who had been tracking him along with me. He had some grand plans.”

  “He wouldn’t have had to worry about those who knew him the best. Thankfully his plan failed.”

  Matt nodded. “I can’t explain how I got free or out of the mill in time. It happened, that’s all I know.”

  “I’m glad it did.” She stroked his cheek. “There were moments when I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. Dylan helped me at one point.”

  “How?” Matt brushed her hair away from her face with his hand.

  “He told me I would know if you were dead. Dylan said what I needed to hear.” Their eyes met, and a knowing look passed between them. “It helped a whole lot more when we found you.” She took his face in her hands, taking her sweet time to look at him. The air crackled around them. He was alive, and it was magic when she leaned toward him, and their lips met in a perfect kiss.

  Chapter 47

  Matt pulled away first. “As much as I want you all to myself, and believe me I do, I have a birthday surprise for you. I’m happy to be here to share it with you. He opened his door and walked around to her side. He took a large triangle of fabric out of his pocket. “No questions. You’ll have to trust me on this, and I’m afraid you’ll have to help. Here, hold this end.” He lifted her hand to hold the blindfold in place while he clumsily tied it.