The Sweeper File (Remote Traveler Series Book 2)

by Finian Blake

  “Rajiya, may I call you later to see if you are alright?” She thought for a minute deciding that he was trying to be polite and gave him the number of her disposable phone.

  Rajiya drove off but only made it around the corner when she found a parking space and dialed Nabil.

  “I have important news for you about our project when can we meet?”

  “I can’t leave work right now. Can I suggest dinner at that restaurant that you prefer?”

  “Yes, I have a class at four is seven o’clock acceptable?”

  “Seven then…”

  “Nadia and Ted had finished teaching their class with Cher attending both the morning and afternoon sessions insisting on participating in both sessions. They had worked Cher hard but they were teaching something that she desperately wanted to know which was how to defend herself. Cher thought that she had it bad with her mother and tough guy boyfriend. When Jimmy and that bitch bimbo Candy snatched her off of the street, Cher found out that it could be much worse. Cher was determined that it would never happen again. Ted and Nadia seemed to be really decent and Cher was going to stay on this train. There was a little bit of a fuss when Nadia had insisted that she cleanup after the workout but Cher had given in and felt much better after her wash. Cher looked like any other thirteen-year-old girl. to look at her one would never guess that she had seen things that no adult should have to see.

  Ted had to park down the street from Tom and Helen’s house because all phases of the barn’s construction were in high gear. Nadia walked up to a beautiful black woman with several rolls of paper under her arm kissing her warmly on the cheek. All of the black women that Cher knew were rather surly and always seemed to be mad at her mother. This black woman was warm and friendly. Nadia pointed to Cher and the woman walked over to her extending her hand as she walked.

  “It’s such a pleasure to meet Nadia’s daughter. I wasn’t able to attend the party last night. I was sorry to have missed you. I am Layla and I think that my husband Edward will be down in a minute to say hello. Cher took the offered hand and was caught off guard by the strength of Layla’s grip causing her to wince. Layla was instantly apologetic.

  “I am sorry dear did I hurt you,” Cher was not used to receiving apologies from adults.

  “Oh no, you just surprised me.”

  “When I meet people, I get excited and forget myself. I was just going to show your mother what we are doing. The Barn is for Sue’s horse and should be done just in time.” Cher was surprised at the easy way that Layla talked to her, which was as if she had known Cher all her life.

  “You are in charge.”

  “Yes,” Layla took Cher by the hand, “but it is not just a barn. It is also a kennel for her dog Tom and there is an office too.” Nadia took the Nextel off of her belt and punched in a number. “Tom, we are about to tour the barn could you send Sue out?”

  “We’re on our way. I’ll bring the hard hats.” Sue came running out of the house wearing a hard hat with one in her hands holding it out to Cher. She ran with a huge German Shepard behind her. The dog had to be bigger than she was.

  “Layla did all of this for me and Tony and Tom.” Sue put her hand on the dog’s shoulders which were level with her chest. “This is Tom. I called him Tom because I love him and I love my dad. My horse Pegasus isn’t here yet because he is coming from England. Grandma Lynn gave him to me if you are going to live at the Inn she will probably give you a dog and a horse too. They are her favorite animals and she likes to do nice things for people.” The burst of information over whelmed Cher.

  “Grandma Lynn…?”

  “Yes and Layla is your aunt just like Rhonda, Cherry and Sera.” Cher did notice that Susan never mentioned the distinction that she was adopted.

  “It will take a while to explain the family,” Nadia smiled to Cher, “come with us and Layla will explain what she did.” Layla took the lead.

  “As you walk in there are three stalls on the left and the kennels along with the office are on the right. Over the stalls is a hay loft. Over the kennels and office is a people loft. The wall dividing the offices from the barn is bullet proof as is the large window looking out on to the stalls. There is an entrance from the kennel to the office complete with a doggie door for Tom. The kennels and the stalls are equipped with the latest sanitary equipment and the hay can be dropped directly into each stall.” Layla walked through pointing out all of the fine points. Cher pulled Susan to the side.

  “Do you think that Ted and Nadia would do something like that for me?”

  “You already have it. You will be living at the Inn. I am so jealous you will have horses, dogs, all of the farm animals, swimming pools, an airplane, a helicopter and boats. Grandma Lynn is very nice and loves to do things with us. The ‘Old Men’ teach us things and let us do neat things like shoot guns and drive the tractors. I can only come out there in the summer but you will live there all the time.” Cher was catching Sue’s enthusiasm and ran off in search of Nadia but found Ted.

  “Ted, Sue said that I would be living in England is that far?” Ted bent down picking Cher up letting her sit on his forearm like a chair. She noticed that his forearm was as hard as a wooden chair. Cher was happy that he did not have to beat her last night when she stole money from Nadia’s purse. Ted waited until Cher wiggled into a comfortable position on his arm.

  “Yes, did you have anything that you wanted to bring with you or anyone you wanted to see?”

  “I only had my stuffed bunny that I wanted to take with me. I only had two blouses and a pair of jeans and my coat didn’t fit any more.”

  “Didn’t you have any friends that you wanted to say goodbye to?”

  “Rose was my only friend. Jimmy grabbed her with me. They bagged Rose and stuffed her in the freezer just before you rescued me.” Cher didn’t think that it was possible but she felt all of Ted’s muscles tighten. He realized that this little girl had seen things that even hardened men found to be sickening.

  “Do you think that I can have a horse?”

  “If you find that you like to ride we will get you a horse.”

  “Can I make things like Layla?”

  “We will teach you whatever you want to learn.”

  “Can I call you daddy?”

  “I would like that very much.” Ted eased Cher down to her feet and she ran off at full speed to find Sue. A voice floated over Ted’s shoulder.

  “She’s fourteen going on forty,” Nadia said in a wistful voice, “And I fear the forty.”

  “So do I,” Ted said somberly. “If we were one day earlier we would have had two.”

  “And if we were one day later there would have been three in the freezer.” Nadia’s voice had a decided chill to it. “We have a lot of work to do.”

  “Aye, but the raw material is good. Have you done anything about her mother?”

  “Yes I had some of Ted’s people call and release the body for Blossom. Cherry sent somebody down to sign the paper work. We are going to have a small service so that she can say goodbye privately.” Nadia seemed to brighten to the thought of Cher being able to have a decent burial for her mother.

  Edward came down looking for Layla and Tom. He found Layla just as she was concluding her tour of the new barn. “I am glad that Tom is with you. Rajiya has made some headway in picking out a target and she is going to meet with Nabil at seven. I think that both of us should be there.” Layla was about to answer when Nadia interrupted.

  “Layla, can you still get into dreams?”

  “Yes…,” Layla waited for more.

  “Cher has been having problems with nightmares do you think that you could…” Nadia let the rest hang.

  “Why not, dreams don’t take that much energy at all. You and Ted go to sleep in the other room and I will lie down with Cher.” Nadia gave Layla a strange look. “You will see when we start.” Layla, Cher, Ted and Nadia went upstairs to take a nap.

  Surprisingly enough Cher went to sleep right after Lay
la did and her dreams started almost immediately.

  As the dream started Walt walked in the room while Cher was watching TV. He started into his normal rage calling her names and slipping his belt off his pants raising it over his head to strike her. All of a sudden an oversized man’s hand came out of nowhere, seemingly covering his entire arm. The hand squeezed until he dropped the belt. Walt went into a rage calling her vile names. Another hand came out and covered his entire face. Suddenly her mother was there telling Cher how worthless she was and a woman’s hand came out of nowhere silencing the shrew. Nadia’s voice came through with a quiet calm.

  “She may have been your baby but she is our daughter now. Cher is much too good for you.”

  Ted’s voice boomed out, “Go now and if you come back we will be here. You are not going to hurt our girl any more. “GO AND DON’T COME BACK.” Ted’s voice was the loudest thing that she ever heard. As Cher’s dream continued Jimmy and Candy attacked and each time Cher, Ted and Nadia turned them back. All of a sudden ugly monsters covered with blood and slime started to appear. Ted and Nadia appeared and fought them off. More monsters appeared with Layla and Edward appearing with Tom, Helen and Sue. Cher, Rhonda and Boris appeared with swords and started to slash at the monsters killing them as fast as they came. As monsters appeared, more people appeared to defend her until all of the monsters were torn to shreds spread out at her feet in little chunks of gore. Finally, Ted and Nadia’s voice rang out like a sonic boom, “GO YOU WILL NEVER HAVE OUR DAUGHTER.”

  Cher awoke with a start covered with sweat. Layla was still asleep with a smile on her face. Cher rolled out of bed quietly, somehow knowing that Ted and Nadia were in the next room. She crawled in from the foot of the bed and lay in between them. As her head hit the pillow their arm’s engulfed her making. Cher felt completely protected. Nadia’s arms were extremely strong but Ted’s arm’s felt like they were made of warm steel.

  In her next dream she was playing with Ted and Nadia in a place that was lush and green. Several people joined them and it seemed as if she could see all of their faces clearly. Everybody welcomed her warmly and treated her with great respect as if she were a queen. Ted and Nadia stood back while she explored, only stepping in when Cher had a question. Nadia was curled up in Ted’s arms smiling with her eyes half open. Cher had wormed into the tiny space between them feeling protected and safe. Cher looked out to see Layla and Edward resting on a blanket smiling warmly at her. Cher awoke to see both Ted and Nadia smiling warmly at her.

  “I can’t sleep any more. I’m going to find Sue.”

  “You run along dear Ted and I are going to talk awhile.” Cher kissed them both and crawled out over Ted. It was just a few minutes after Cher left when a quiet knock sounded on the door. Layla opened the door without waiting for an answer.

  “I sure hope that helps Cher. She had some real nasty things in her closet.”

  “How did you come up with that spooky dream?”

  “That was her dream. I just played inside of it.”

  “What about all of those nasty monsters that you sent.” Nadia was worried.

  “Those were her monsters, but it was me that kept kicking in the help.” Layla sounded worried as Ted joined in the conversation.

  “Couldn’t you have stopped the monsters?”

  “I could have blocked them out but then they would still be there. Cher exhausted her supply of monsters with you and your army, defeating them all.”

  “Was the fight rigged,” Ted smiled as if he knew the answer.

  “No, it was Cher’s dream. She allowed you to beat them. It appears that those steel arms of yours really impressed her. I can only make suggestions and bring a few things into play. The rest is hers. If she wanted those monsters to beat you, they would have. That young lady wants to win.” Layla left without further comment.

  It took Felix a few minutes to realize that he was in his son’s room when he awoke. Felix looked at his watch with surprise when he discovered it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon. Needing a drink something fierce he stumbled down to his den finding that all of the booze was missing. Felix remembered all of the bottles in the kitchen sink. He dug into the pile lifting the top bottle from the sink. No, the twenty-year-old Glenn Fiddich Reserve! Shit Felix thought that was one hundred dollars a bottle. He threw the bottle against the wall watching it shatter into a shower of broken glass. Felix started to stomp out of the kitchen, only making it halfway before a large shard of glass drove deep into his heel falling to his knees picking up three smaller shards in his hands. Felix pulled the shards out of his hands and feet. He brushed the glass out of the way and limped up to the bedroom leaving bloody foot prints on the carpet and bloody hand prints on the walls.

  Felix sat down on the bed picking up the phone. He dialed the Attorney General.

  “Bob where in the hell did your wife hide my wife and kids?”

  “Felix where in the hell are you? Part of the deal is that you commit yourself for evaluation.”

  “Doctor Breeze wasn’t evaluating me. He was pumping me full of Thorazine until I was a zombie. Who the hell is this guy?”

  “We use him on special cases that we don’t want to go public. Look, all you have to do is hang out at the hospital and lay low until the police and the FBI can put this on the back burner. Hell! Just hang until this gets off of U-tube. I will give you a bunch of low profile cases and in a year or so you’re back at full swing. We even talked that woman at the NSA into not pressing charges if you will accept help. I had to talk my ass off in order to get that deal. She was going to sue because of public embarrassment. More than five million people have seen her tits and bush worldwide.”

  “She set me up!” Felix screamed into the phone.

  “Yeah, she made you stalk her and put your wife in the hospital. Tom Thomas from Four Diamonds was more than a little pissed at you peeping in at his dinner party. Let’s not forget bribing Colleen Arthur to steal a file that you had access to any way. You broke the chain of evidence and the perp is going to walk.”

  “Just tell your interfering wife Ellen to tell me where my wife and kids are.”

  “Felix just ‘check’ back into the hospital. In two weeks you get everything back.”

  “Why did she run away?”

  “Betty saw the video of you beating the shit out of that little lady, and ripping her clothes off. Holding her up naked and unconscious to the security panel didn’t play well with Betty or Ellen. I’m getting shit at home and at work for defending you on that one. The whole secretarial pool is ready to mutiny.”

  “Fuck off Bob.”

  “Felix, I won’t fuck off but I will fuck over.” Bob slammed the phone down. He picked up the phone dialing the Director of the FBI.

  “Murphy I want you to arrest Felix Owens.”

  “It will have to be a Federal charge. What do you want to use?”

  “Charge him with assaulting a federal officer in the performance of their duty. We will use the NSA security tape. Will that be good enough?”

  “It should be rock solid since it was done at a federal facility. I know that it will put me back on speaking terms with the Director over at the NSA. He was wondering when I was going to bust Felix. He was triple pissed when you sent Gerald Wringer over there to talk Cherry into not filing charges.”

  “I sent Gerald,” Bob howled. “No wonder the Director has been out every time I called. Felix must have asked him to go over there. Well it looks like I am going to need a new assistant too.” The AG growled into the phone, “Send a couple of agents to the Owen’s home and collect him, that’s where he was calling me from. Bring him in and hold him under the National Security Act.” The Director picked up the phone one more time.

  “Is this Gerald Wringer?”

  “Yes…”

  “This is the AG do you recognize my voice?”

  “Yes sir…”

  “Gerald Wringer you are fired, clean out your desk.” The AG hung up the phone
without further comment. He looked at his watch and after ninety seconds Gerald came bursting through the door.

  “Why…?

  “You went over to the NSA and asked the Director to have Cherry Newly drop the charges in that assault case.”

  “I didn’t actually ask…”

  “There is one office in that building that has video with sound and that is Rhonda Savage’s office. You were caught on tape trying to talk her out of pressing charges and were thrown out.” It was a bluff on the AG’s part but he was an experienced lawyer.

  “I only used your name with Rhonda Savage not the Director.”

  “Fuck…” The AG’s voice dropped down to a whisper. “I want you to go over to the NSA building and camp out there until the director agrees to see you. When he does you will personally assure him that this cluster fuck was wholly your idea and that I never asked you to make such an asinine request. After that I would like you to go down to Rhonda Savage’s office and do the same thing.”

  “But she threatened to cut my balls off.”

  “Good bastards like you should not reproduce. Now get moving or I will trim them myself.”

  The AG’s last statement rang in Felix’s ears. He ran to the bedroom pulling the 9 mm out of the drawer of his night stand. Next he moved to the closet grabbing the twelve gage shotgun and finally he went to the den to get his hunting rifles. The Ruger M77 thirty ought six was an old friend and Browning Springfield 03 was an antique but was a completely reliable back up. Felix sprinted up the stair grabbing a large suit case from the closet packing in two minutes. He quickly dragged everything out to the Toyota Camry and stuffed it all in the trunk. Heading for Maryland Felix thought to himself ‘if I can just get something on Alex Chalenger I can prove that I’m right’. He decided to hang out around Fort Meade and see what he could dig up.

  Boris spent the day with his mother Tamar which was the first real full day that he had taken off in years. It was near five o’clock he and Tamar had just pulled up in front of Tom’s house as the tradesmen were leaving. Cherry and Rhonda pulled up behind him arriving directly from the office. Both women wore pant suits looking like the picture of business professionals. Tamar leaned over to whisper in Boris’s ear.