The Arcturus Man

  Rubio picked up the car keys from the card table and handed them to Jenny.

  “You saved my life Rubio,” said Jenny. She stood up and took the car keys.

  “Por Nada, Jenny,” said Rubio. He handed her the cell phone.

  “Thank you,” said Jenny.

  “Do not feel guilty when you inform the FBI that I am here. You will understand that I do not wish to meet them. They may have other affairs that they would wish to discuss with me. I will be gone as soon as you depart,” said Rubio. “I am quite accustomed to being hunted. It can be an interesting game.”

  “It happened again. Jared used to say the same thing. It was all a game. The game killed him,” thought Jenny.

  Jenny left the cabin and walked to the Rover, avoiding the body of Sami. Rubio was standing in the doorway smiling. He was a handsome man. He reminded her of Jared—so much—it hurt to think about it. She opened the door and climbed into the Rover. She inserted the key and the Rover came to life. She glanced back at the cabin as she backed up. Rubio bowed to her. One arm performed a courtly flourish. She still couldn’t rationalize the man who had saved her life with the one she knew had executed Sami. She put the Rover into drive and sped off, kicking gravel into the air. She looked in the rear view mirror. Rubio was still standing on the porch. She could see his perfect white teeth. He was still smiling.

  “Thank you, Rubio,” she whispered to herself. It took Jenny several hours to get back to Fort Kent. She hadn’t paid attention to the way that Sami drove. She ended up on old logging roads that eventually disappeared and she had to backtrack. She did that several times. She tried to make sense of the hand drawn maps Rubio gave her, but they were of little help. The compass built into the Land Rover wasn’t much help either. She didn’t know which way to go. It could be east. It could be north. She finally began to be logical about the problem, just as Jared would have. She avoided thinking about Jared as much as she could. Whenever she came to two roads or a fork in the road, she picked the one that appeared to have more used. She eventually found a paved road. In a few miles there was finally a sign. It pointed to Fort Kent.

  She pulled into a parking lot in the small town. The cell phone had three bars. She punched in the numbers.

  “Hello, Krissy here.”

  “Krissy, I am so glad you had your cell on,” said Jenny.

  Krissy screamed.

  “Jenn, we all thought you were dead. I didn’t recognize the caller ID. Where are you? What happened?” asked Krissy. “Shit, Jenn, your face is on the evening news every night. Mom is like sick with worry and you know how she tries so hard to hide that kind of shit.”

  “I’m fine. I’ll be back soon,” said Jenny.

  “Like where are you?”

  “I’m in upstate Maine. On my way back.”

  “Gee, Jenn. I feel so bad about Jared. It’s been all over the news, on every channel. The FBI agents are crawling out of the woodwork. They’ve been to see me twice already and they just about live at Mom’s house. They said you were kidnapped,” said Krissy. “Jake is going nuts that they tapped our phone and are recording all of the calls.”

  “I was kidnapped but I’m free now, I’m not hurt and I’ll be home soon. Can you call Mom? I just can’t handle it right now. Will you do that? If I call her I’m going to cry like a baby and I’ve done enough of that to last me a lifetime.”

  “Sure. It’s just great to know that you’re OK. I’ll call her as soon as we hang up.”

  “And, don’t tell the FBI guys right way, will ya? Can you wait an hour or so?”

  “What’s going on Jenn?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m safe and on my way back. Gotta go.”

  “Sure, like I’ll wait an hour,” said Krissy.

  “Call Mom.”

  “I’ll call her. I’ll call her.’

  “How’s the baby?” asked Jenny.

  “It’s fine. I just had my checkup. Everything’s cool. I love you Jenn,” said Krissy.

  “Good. Talk to you later. Bye. I love you too Krissy,” said Jenny.

  Krissy was rarely sentimental. She didn’t use the ‘L’ word very often.

  Now she was feeling better. She was really hungry. She passed a Subway sandwich shop on Main Street, but she had no money. She wasn’t going to beg for a meal. She also knew she looked a fright. Her hair probably looked like a hay stack. She glanced at the rear view mirror and gasped. She looked like she had just been beaten up. Hell…she had been beaten up. She decided not to stop.

  She thought she knew the way now. She recognized some of the landmarks they passed when Sami was driving to the cabin. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed south. About nine miles south of town she recognized the turn off to Daigle Lake. She turned up the road toward the lake and found the dirt lane that led to the cabin. She slowed the Rover to a crawl. As soon as she went around a sharp bend, she saw it. The RV was parked in the back. Sami had hidden it in the woods. That’s why she didn’t see it earlier. There were no other cars. It looked just like when she and Sami left it in the morning.

  She pulled the Rover up to the cabin and shut off the engine. She rolled the window down and listened. Nothing! She opened the door slowly and stepped out. .

  Suddenly, men came running out of the woods. Jenny was on the verge of bolting.

  “Jenny. Jenny. It’s me. John Cabet.” Jenny spun around.

  “Thank God you’re safe,” said John. He grabbed Jenny and gave her a massive hug, lifting her off her feet.

  Two more men appeared. She saw three more come out of the woods. Several wore black vests with FBI written in large white letters. They all had guns, big guns and little guns. None were pointing at her.

  “I’m so glad to see you. It’s been horrible.”

  “You escaped?” asked John.

  “Yes and no. I did escape but someone came along and killed the kidnapper. The creep who took me was called Sami Zhidov.”

  “Zhidov’s dead?”

  “Yes. If you give me a map I think I can show you the approximate area where his body is. It’s outside a cabin near a mountain,” said Jenny.

  “There’s plenty of time to do that. Let’s get you cleaned up. I think you should consider getting checked out. There’s a medical center in Fort Kent.”

  “I’m fine. I just want to get home. Really!”

  “It’s up to you. You said that someone killed Zhidov. Law enforcement?”

  “Not exactly. Can we talk about that later? I don’t want to go home looking like this and I am starving.”

  “Sure. I have some grub in my car.”

  He turned to the group of men and one woman who had gathered around their reunion. “Agent Goldman, please get Miss Nilsson’s clothing.”

  “Do have my clothes?” asked Jenny.

  “We bagged them for evidence. We thought that you…ahh…that you might…”

  “Be dead?” Jenny finished the sentence.

  “Yes,” said John.

  Agent Goldman walked up to Jenny. “Hi, I’m Connie. I have them in the car. It’s hidden in the forest. I’ll be right back.”

  “Thank you, Connie,” said Jenny.

  Her hair was in tangles. She had small bits of twigs in her hair. She was wearing men’s work clothes that were several sizes too large for her. The work shoes flopped as she walked. She didn’t smell good. For a clean freak like Jenny, that was absolutely intolerable. Her face was badly bruised.

  “I’ll be honest with you Jenny. We all thought you were a goner, especially Jared. He’s been going crazy worrying about you. He must have phoned me twenty times today,” said John.

  “WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?”

  “I said he’s been phoning me all day.”

  “ARE YOU SAYING THAT JARED IS ALIVE? I SAW THE NEWSCASTS ABOUT HIS SUICIDE,” said Jenny. She was still yelling.

  “Of course, he’s alive. I didn’t know you didn’t know. I guess I’m stupid and should have realized that you might not know. I am so
sorry for not telling you right away,” said John.

  Jenny was a strong and self-reliant woman and hated the affectations of girlie girls, but she almost fainted.

  “He’s alive? You are certain that he’s alive.”

  “One hundred percent! He managed to fool the EMTs that he was dead. I don’t know how he did it but I don’t need to tell you that there isn’t much that Jared can’t do,” said John.

  Agent Goldman came back carrying Jenny’s clothes. They were still in plastic bags. She also had a shoulder bag with her.

  “Ms. Nilsson, this is my overnight bag. It has soap, toothpaste, a comb, and stuff like that. There’s even some lipstick and other cosmetics. And, I think you need a towel. She handed Jenny several packets of premoistened wipes.

  “I am so grateful Connie. This is wonderful,” said Jenny.

  “One more thing. Your underwear wasn’t with your clothes so I hope you don’t mind that I left my extra set in the overnight bag. They were just laundered and are perfectly clean. The sizes are just a little off, but it’s better than nothing I suppose,” said Agent Goldman.

  “I really, really appreciate everything you are doing. Thank you,” said Jenny.

  “We’ll give you some privacy to get cleaned up. I will get the grub. We have a chopper about twelve miles from here. We’ll get you a proper meal as soon as we land in Rockland,” said John.

  “I know it might be late, but can we stop at Ashley’s for dinner?” asked Jenny.

  “That is a really odd thing to ask for, but OK. I don’t know where that is but you can show me,” said John.

  “And can I call Jared…now?” asked Jenny.

  “Here, use mine.” Agent Goldman handed Jenny her SAT phone. “He’s on autodial five. He’s been a busy boy today. We were very worried about you Miss Nilsson.”

  “Thanks, Connie.”

  Jenny picked up her clothing and the overnight bag, and climbed into the Land Rover. As soon as she had privacy, she closed her eyes and cried. Jared was alive. He was alive. She sobbed silently for a few minutes and then collected her composure. She mashed down the 5 button until the phone began to ring. Someone answered.

  “JARED….I’M SAFE.”

  Boston – Mass General Yesterday Afternoon

  Brett walked into the emergency care entrance of Mass General and asked the receptionist to page Dr. Lynn Oliver. In a few minutes a middle-aged doctor with salt and pepper hair appeared. Brett hated hospitals.

  “Mr. Koutsanoudis?” asked Dr. Oliver.

  “Yes, Dr. Oliver?”

  “Yes. Special Agent Cabet gave me instructions in this matter. You have to understand that this is all highly irregular but in the interest of homeland security, Mass General is pleased to assist. It is helpful that you are an attorney so that everything we are doing is above board. I am extremely uncomfortable about misleading the Boston Police Department and the State Police. Both agencies have been here several times.”

  “Anyone else from the FBI come by?” asked Brett. “No, only Agent Cabet.” Dr. Oliver looked suspicious about the question so Brett quickly changed the subject.

  “It was very important that I not identify the body in time for the evening news. I would like you to tell the press at around 9 pm that I came by and positively identified the body. It is important that your announcement appears on the 11 o’clock news.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. There are a few of those fellows still waiting around in the visitor lobby.”

  “We really appreciate your help and I want to emphasize how important your cooperation is. A young woman’s life is a stake.

  “I understand that a woman is being held hostage. What exactly is the connection with homeland security? Agent Cabet was very unclear about that part.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss it. You will have to speak with Agent Cabet about that.”

  “Very well. Please follow me,” said Dr. Oliver. “We moved Mr. Siemels to Allen Street to keep up the pretext.”

  “Allen Street?” asked Brett.

  “Sorry! That is a euphemism for the morgue.”

  They walked into a small side room near the morgue. Jared was sitting up in bed. His head was heavily bandaged, but he was smiling.

  “Dead man sitting,” said Brett as he rushed over to Jared.

  “Thank you Dr. Oliver. And thank you Brett. You both did a great job.”

  “You are entirely welcome Mr. Siemels. I am glad we have this opportunity to talk for a few minutes. This…event…has been somewhat disruptive. I hope you fully understand how lucky you are. I acknowledge that it was a small caliber bullet, but even a 22 could have penetrated the skull plate and, at the very least, caused a significant intracranial hemorrhage.”

  “The handgun I used was designed to fire .22 long-rifle cartridges, but I inserted a .22 short into the chamber. It was a very small bullet. I also calculated an angle that ensured that it would reflect off the skill and would not penetrated. It is like shooting at a pane of glass so it bounces off and doesn’t shatter the glass. I was counting on the heavy bleeding of any head wound to obfuscate first responder examinations.”

  “Yes, that is another interesting matter. I can understand how the off-duty nurse might have made a mistake, but these were highly trained EMTs who weren’t in on the ruse. Their report indicated that they could not detect a pulse or hear a heart beat, even with a stethoscope. How did you accomplish that Mr. Siemels?”

  “I practice Yoga mediation Dr. Oliver, my own variation of Samadhi Yoga. I am able to slow my heart to about 1 or 2 beats per minutes, slow enough that the detection of a heart beat is extremely difficult to discern if you aren’t expecting such a slow heart rate. There was also a touch of bradycardia, you know, the constriction of all but vital blood vessels to flood the brain with oxygenated blood.”

  “My goodness man, do you understand that you could have suffered permanent brain damage. I hope you don’t subscribe to the mythology of the anecdotal reports of small children being submerged in icy waters for an hour or more and being revived unharmed. Many of these cases actually resulted in life-long damage and retardation of many cognitive functions. I hope you don’t practice this trick very often.”

  “Not to worry doctor. I am aware of the risks and I can assure you that I suffered no ill effects.”

  “I think we need to do some more tests Mr. Siemels…just to be sure.”

  “I would like to be able to accommodate you doctor, but I have to leave. I have already been here too long. It was vitally important that the kidnapper be convinced that I was dead, but I have to try to find the kidnapped victim.”

  “I understand,” said Dr. Oliver. “Perhaps we can meet again some time after this matter is resolved. I would like to learn more about how you accomplished this remarkable feat.”

  “We will meet again. I promise you,” said Jared.

  “By the way. When I was examining you I noted what appeared to have been a snake bit. There were signs of recent envenomation.”

  “When we meet again. Thank you doctor,” said Jared.

  “Till then,”

  Brett handed Jared a green surgical gown and a rain hat to hide the bandages.

  “My car is running just outside of ER,” said Brett.

  “Might there be press outside?” asked Jared.

  “You’re not that important, Jared. No press in the alley,” said Brett.

  “Who in the FBI other than John knows about our deception?” asked Jared.

  “John made a judgment call. He thought that Jenny was the priority so he did brief some of the agents who were assigned to the case. You should assume that everyone at the Bureau knows you’re alive,” said Brett.

  “That’s unfortunate but I fully understand why it has to be this way. John exercised good judgment. Jenny is the priority,” said Jared. “I just hope that there are no leaks. If Sami learns of the trickery, he will kill Jenny,” said Jared. “I guess it all depends on Reisinger and Anderson
not tipping Sami off. That worries me.”

  “The FBI doesn’t believe that Sami will kill Jenny until some time in the morning, right before he makes his escape back into Canada,” said Brett. “They don’t think he will try a crossing at night. Finding your way around in Maine’s northern forest in the dark is very difficult and lights could give him away to anyone watching the border from a distance. He has to wait until morning.”

  Jared looked worried.

  “They took my stuff. Can you get John on the phone?” asked Jared.

  “You got it.” Brett dialed John’s SAT phone.

  “Yea, Brett,” said John.

  “It’s me, Jared.”

  “Neat trick Jared.”

  “What have you learned about Sami?”

  “The RCMP found a rental for an RV in Québec, the city, by a guy who fits Sami’s description. They reviewed their video recordings along the border and think he crossed at Fort Kent. We interviewed locals and several remember that RV gassing up in Fort Kent and heading south. I have about thirty agents combing the region for that RV. We also have a bunch of choppers in the air doing both visual and IR scans. Nothing so far. We did find that someone stole a late model Land Rover on the Maine side…Portland, I believe…and we think it was Sami, but that is still unconfirmed.”

  “That’s encouraging, John. Please keep me informed,” said Jared.

  “Count on it. We’ll find her Jared. Keep the faith,” said John.

  Jared closed the phone. He sat down and just stared out the window.

  Brett left the room to give Jared time alone. But, they were running out of time. Things were not good. He wasn’t very good at faith, but he was getting better at it. It was all he had right now.

  Rockland, Maine – Ashley’s The Next Day

  A great dinner, a long shower, a good night’s sleep, and wearing her own clothes had done wonders. Jenny felt great, physically, but she still could feel the emotional wounds. Scrubbing in the shower for an hour couldn’t cleanse her spirit or rid her of Sami’s stench. She dreaded the next few hours. Jared could see into her soul and thoughts and he would be picking at her psychological scabs. She didn’t know if she could endure it if he started on her.