Damage Control

by Gordon Savage

  “Don’t worry, we’ll keep our distance. We’ll find your daughter and bring her back to you.”

  Phil shook his head. “I’m going out to look for her too.”

  Brady protested, “Sir, if she’s wearing a bomb, it would be too dangerous for you to get near her.”

  “She’s my daughter. I’ll take the risk. Keep me informed if you see or hear anything.”

  I caught Phil’s arm. “I’m familiar with the vest and managed to get it off – just this morning if you recall. I’m coming with you.”

  He frowned and grimly said, “I don’t like it, but you’re right. I need you. Let’s get going.” He headed for the door, and I was right behind him. He stopped at the coat closet and handed me an oversized, even for me, down jacket.

  He turned to Angela and hugged her. “We’ll bring her back alive, honey. I don’t know how, but we will.”

  I hoped he was right.

  ◆◆◆

  Day 17, 6:00PM

  Phil pulled out of the parking place, making a U-turn the SUV wasn’t designed for, and headed for the memorial.

  A few blocks from his apartment, his phone rang. He glanced at the number and handed it to me. The number was Gardner’s burner.

  I wanted to taunt him, but for Lacey’s sake I kept it subtle. “Mack, nice of you to call back.” I started listening for background noises.

  “How the hell did you get this number?”

  I was careful not to overdo it. “Cheryl gave it to me. I don’t think she knows you tried to kill me this morning.”

  He snarled, “I saw on the news this morning that you survived. Nice trick. You were lucky, but it doesn’t matter. That bozo you’re working with is going to get his. If he finds his daughter, he’ll only have thirty seconds to get her out of her vest. If he doesn’t find her, in less than two hours she goes boom anyway.”

  Phil looked furious and reached for the phone. I waved him off. “What are you trying to prove, Mack? Haven’t you and Bednarik killed enough people already?”

  Gardner preened. “Reid got what he deserved, and those TV people were his flunkies. If you hadn’t started investigating the explosion, we would have gotten away with it. We may not have gotten you, but we’ll get your partner – and his daughter. You’ll have to live with that guilt.” The phone went dead.

  I handed the phone back to Phil. “As you heard, that was Gardner. While he was talking, I heard a boat horn in the background. It had to be one of the Potomac ferries, and the earlier phone call had come from the Pentagon memorial area. That would put him near the 14th Street bridges, and only one of them has a pedestrian walkway. That must be where he’s taken Lacey.”

  “That’s close to here, meaning it’s too easy.” He took the next left. We had been heading south for the Key Bridge.

  I nodded. “From what he said, he probably has her wired up so he can start a thirty second countdown timer with his phone. He’s undoubtedly watching her like he did me, and as soon as he sees you’re there, he’ll start the countdown, figuring to catch you in the explosion. We’re going to need to work together to get her out of that vest before it blows.”

  Phil gave me the phone. “Call Grady and tell him what we just found out.”

  When I finished describing the situation to Grady, he said. “Thanks. I’ll get a team out to blockade the bridge right away.”

  Before he could hang up, I stopped him. “Wait! Don’t do that.”

  “Why not? I don’t want to sound like a pessimist. There will be hundreds of people on that bridge. If things go wrong, we don’t want anyone else caught in the explosion.”

  “I understand, but the minute you shut the bridge down, Gardner will trigger the explosive. There’s no way we can clear the bridge in thirty seconds. People will definitely get killed. Our only hope is to get the vest off Lacey and throw it into the river before it explodes. I managed to do it this morning. With Phil’s help, I think we can do it again tonight.”

  “Won’t he trigger it as soon as he sees you?”

  “He won’t see us until we find Lacey and turn the light bar on. We’ll have most of the thirty seconds to work.”

  “That’s assuming he gives you thirty seconds.” Grady sounded doubtful.

  “That’s assuming he gives us thirty seconds.” I agreed. “But I’m absolutely certain he wants Phil to suffer before he dies. He’ll have the timer set.”

  “Okay, but we’ll have to clear as much traffic as possible of the bridge as soon as you stop. We’ll have two vehicles follow you several cars back, and as soon as your lights come on they’ll hit their lights and turn so the traffic behind them has to stop. Hopefully, the cars in front of them will clear your area far enough in thirty seconds.”

  I thought about it before responding. That wouldn’t set off Gardner since we would have already shown our hand before the FBI cars turned their lights on. “That sounds like the best you can do. Just make sure they’re they don’t do anything to stand out before we stop.”

  “Will do. Our guys will be waiting for you at the last on ramp before the bridge.” He hesitated. “Best of luck.”

  As we turned onto Wisconsin, I noticed that the sunlight was rapidly fading. “It’ll be dark by the time we get there. That could be to our advantage as long as we can find her. It may give us a few extra seconds before he starts the countdown.”

  We had to wait for heavy traffic on Water Street. Phil tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. I was impressed with his presence of mind. He said, “Okay, it sounds like you have a plan. What are we going to do?”

  “I got the vest off over my head after loosening the straps. As soon as we find her, stop right next to her and turn on your warning lights. That’ll alert Gardner, but we can’t help it. Traffic will be too heavy to stop without the lights. A collision would be a disaster.”—I thought, And if we can’t save her, the lights will keep others away from the explosion, but didn’t say it. He was stressed enough already.—“Gardner said the countdown timer is programmed for thirty seconds so that’s how much time we’ll have after turning on the lights.”

  He turned left onto Water Street, cutting off some guy coming the other way and leaving me gasping for breath.

  Still shaking, I continued, “You’re taller, so you’ll be in charge of lifting the vest. I’ll undo the straps and watch from the front that the wires don’t catch on something. Then you throw the thing into the Potomac.”

  I leaned forward and peered up at the freeway running over our heads. “I’m glad you’re driving. I’m already lost.”

  We drove on in silence until just before the sign over the road announcing Reagan airport. I saw the two FBI cars parked off the road on either side. “There’s our escort service.”

  The sun had pretty well set, but the overhead halite lamps lit most of the road. I focused on the pedestrian walkway on the right side of the bridge. “I’d guess she’ll be somewhere near the middle, probably midway between the lights. Yell if you see her first.”

  We slowed down, much to the displeasure of the drivers behind us. Several of them shook their fists when they managed to pull out and pass us. Then Phil slowed down even more. I glanced at him. “See something?”

  “Yeah, a ferry boat. I don’t want to be dropping explosives on it.” We both watched as it pulled out from under the bridge. Because I was looking at it, I almost missed her. I gasped and pointed. “There she is. She’s wearing a jacket.”

  “That’s her.” He reached for the light switch panel.

  “Wait till we stop. We’re going to need every second. I’ll unzip the jacket. You get it off her.”

  I already had my seat belt detached when we stopped. Phil flipped on the light bar as I opened the door and vaulted over the fence. Thank God it was low. Lacey cowered away from me. “Lacey, I’m Samantha Pederson. I’m here with your dad to get you out of that vest. Please stand up.”

  Phil dropped down beside me. “Hang in there, sweetie.”

/>   As she stood up, she started crying. “They said you can’t get it off. God, I’m scared.”

  I unzipped the jacket and saw what she was talking about. Bednarik and Gardner had apparently learned their lesson with me. Instead of plastic clips, the vest straps were tied together. My heart stopped.

  Phil pulled the jacket off and his face fell. “Oh My God!”

  The clock on the phone said “25” and was counting down. There was no time for anything else. “We’ll just have to work it off. Lacey stick your arms straight up. Phil, start pulling. Lacey wiggle to keep the vest from sticking.”

  The vest started up. It has just cleared her waist when I saw the wire through one of her belt loops.

  18 seconds.

  “Stop! Phil, knife now. There’s a Deadman wire.”

  He immediately handed me the hilt of an open pocket knife. I sawed through the belt loop, freeing the wire.

  11 seconds.

  “Pull.” I closed the knife.

  The vest slid up faster than before. Then it stopped. The last strap had reached her shoulders and was too tight get past them. I fumbled the knife open and sliced through the bottom strap.

  4 seconds.

  “Pull.” The vest came off.

  2 seconds.

  “Throw it!” I watched in slow motion as the vest sailed toward the river.

  Zero.

  The C4 exploded just as the vest smacked into the water.

  Fortunately Gardner and Bednarik hadn’t put any kind of shrapnel in the vest. The blast jolted the bridge and produced a geyser of river water that splashed down on us, but didn’t do any significant damage.

  I watched Phil pick Lacey up and squeeze her like he never wanted to let go. She sobbed, “Daddy, I was so scared. Thank you. Thank you.” She buried her face in his shoulder. After she composed herself, she looked at me. “Thank you, too.”

  Phil looked at me. “Yes, thank you.” There were tears in his eyes.

  Phil set Lacey down and wiped her tears. “Are you okay now?” She nodded silently, and he picked up her jacket and helped her put it on. I noticed he was shaking as badly as I was. He pulled out his phone and dialed Grady. “Grady, she’s safe. You can pick up Gardner and Bednarik when you find them.” He paused. “Be careful. They still have some C4.”

  “Phil, give me the phone.” I grabbed it out of his hand. “Grady, Gardner was probably at the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial or on the bridge itself. Those are the only places with a view of where we are. But Phil is right. They probably still have about eight pounds of C4 based on how much was used today.”

  As I handed back the phone, I checked the traffic on the bridge. The two FBI cars had fairly effectively blocked traffic, but one car had disregarded the flashing lights and squeezed by them. As it rushed past us a chill went through me. It was a familiar looking black Audi sedan. Could it be?

  Chapter 42

  [Amber Alert]: “Lacey Kaminski, 14 year old daughter of Homeland Security agent Philip Kaminski, was kidnapped this afternoon. [Photo of Lacey] If you see her, do not approach unless she is alone. Immediately call this police hotline, 202-555-1793.”

  Day 17, 6:15PM

  The FBI arrived from the north end of the bridge with lights flashing, leaving behind a blockade that had cleared the bridge. An agent got out of the SUV. “I’m Agent Larry Maxwell,” he said. “We’ve barricaded this bridge in case the explosion did any structural damage.” He produced a can of spray paint and glanced at each of us. “Anything here that needs to be protected as evidence?”

  “Just my daughter,” Phil answered; a surprisingly light hearted response I thought.

  “Okay, then I’ll mark this spot for the record. We’re clearing the bridge, so you need to head on down to the lot at Boundary Channel and Connector Road. An agent will meet you there.”

  As we climbed over the fence to get back to Phil’s SUV, I said, “Phil, I want to be on hand when the FBI takes Gardner down. Instead of going straight to the parking lot, how about dropping me off at the Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial?”

  “I'm not sure that’s a good idea. There could be fireworks.” He frowned at me and headed around the front of the SUV.

  I was so angry – not at him – I nearly took his head off. “Phil, after at all they put me through in the last few days, I want to be there and watch when Bednarik and Gardner get taken down. Those two wrapped me in that damned vest expecting me to suffer and then die, taking other people with me. And then they tried again with you, me, and Lacey. I want to watch to make sure they don’t get away. Besides I’m a Marine. I can handle gun play.” I opened the front passenger door for Lacey and slid into the back seat of the SUV.

  Phil climbed in and looked at me again. This time he wasn't frowning. “Okay, I wish you’d change your mind, but I understand. There’s a bullet proof vest on the seat beside you. Put it on … in case you end up in the line of fire.” While I was putting on the vest, he made a quick call to Grady. I could hear Grady explode so I figured it was about me.

  “Tell him I know what I'm doing and that I'll stay out of the way. I have to be there. If nothing else, I can help identify Gardner and Bednarik.”

  Grady still didn't like it, but he hung up with a single muffled four letter word. Phil handed the phone to Lacey. “Call your mom and tell her you’re safe.”

  Phil turned off the light bar and took the number 10 exit. When we reached the end of the merging lane, he pulled off the road and came to a stop. Turning on the emergency flasher, he glanced at me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I gave a one word reply. “Absolutely!”

  “Okay, be safe and don’t do anything stupid.”

  I climbed out of the SUV, closed the door, and looked around. Two FBI cars with their lights out were parked farther off the highway on the paved bike path far enough from the street lights they weren’t easy to see. Three dark figures stood talking near each car. They hadn't started to move in yet. Great. I could follow them.

  I leaned in the passenger window. “Phil, give me your gun.”

  He looked doubtful. “You don't plan on shooting them yourself, do you?”

  “No. I just want to be able to make sure they don't get away.”

  He hesitated. “They’ll have plenty of time to regret what they did before they’re executed.” He handed the gun to me.

  By now the sunlight had lost its competition with the city lights, so the Lady Bird Johnson Park was shrouded in dim light. I scanned the park. If they were still there, they would be down by the shore. I was about to send Phil off when I caught movement on the path leading to the yacht basin. “Lacey, can you hand me a flashlight?”

  She found one in the glove box and handed it to me.

  “Thanks.” The movement had stopped briefly before the open space on the way to the underpass. I suspected they might have noticed the activity by the road and were deciding what best to do.

  I told Phil, “Let the FBI guys know I'm here and armed.” I stepped away from the SUV and checked for a round in the chamber. Then I shoved the gun into my waistband in back. “See you at the parking lot. Now, get Lacey out of here.”

  While I approached the team of agents nearest the bridge, I kept watching for any more movement. Abruptly, the two shadows start sprinting, and I shouted at the agents, “Guys, they’re making a break for it.” I started to dash toward them – I wanted to be sure these bastards were caught, but I immediately slowed to a walk. I had said I’d keep out of the way, and as much as I wanted to tackle them myself, I couldn’t break a trust like that. Still, there was no way I was going to let them escape. I turned the flashlight on the pair. The stark, white beam bathed the two men in light making them standout, a big man and a smaller one. They had to be Bednarik and Gardner. And they kept running.

  A voice from under the bridge commanded, “FBI. Halt.” Both the big man and the small man skidded to a stop with their hands raised. Two agents I hadn’t noticed before, flashlights on,
came out of the underpass in front of them. The team nearest the tunnel headed for the spot at a jog. I turned off my flashlight and followed them. By the time we reached the pair and the other agents, the agents had the smaller man in cuffs and were securing the larger one. I couldn’t help smirking. “Coach, Mack, nice of you to wait around for us.”

  As I got closer, even in the dim light from the street lamps there was no question, they had captured the wrong men. Stunned, I shouted, “Those aren’t Gardner and Bednarik!” and began scanning the area. If Gardner and Bednarik were there, I didn’t see them. Where the hell were they? They had to be there. Damn. Had we missed them?

  One of the FBI agents shouted back, “You sure this isn’t them?”

  The big man held up his manacled wrists and loudly asked, “What did we do and who are Gardner and Bednarik?”

  The agent glared at him. “You may be aiding wanted felons which would make you accessories to attempted murder.”

  Both prisoners exploded, “What?” They began yelling together so fast I couldn’t understand either of them.

  “Silence!” The agent shouted. They both shut up. “What were you guys running from?” the agent asked.

  The smaller guy answered, “Two dudes paid us a hundred apiece to wait here by the monument and when someone showed up we were supposed to run for the underpass.”

  The agent used a four letter word. “We’re going to need to take you both in. If nothing else, you can help us by identifying the men who paid you.”

  When we started up the slope to the cars, I hung back with the agents who were escorting the two. I kept looking for Gardner and Bednarik. They couldn’t have gotten away. They just couldn’t. Before I had taken more than a few steps, a familiar looking black sedan pulled to a stop on the side of the road between the streetlights. It triggered an alarm in me. It looked exactly like the one that had passed us on the bridge.

  When the back window rolled down and the front end of an Uzi swung in our direction, I barely had time to shout, “Gun,” and dive for the ground. I landed hard enough that it knocked Phil's pistol out of my waistband, and it skittered across the grass. The agents in front of me and beside me hit the grass at the same time. Bullets sprayed over our heads.