Terror Grips the Beach

by Steve McMillen

  GG also received a memo about the possible terror threat in Myrtle Beach. She knows Beverly has a connection in Myrtle Beach, so she contacts her and asks her to immediately go to the beach and see if she can help, but to be careful. Beverly readily accepts and gets on the first flight she can find. She is looking forward to hooking up with Mickke D again, even though theirs is sort of a love-hate relationship.

  Once she arrives in town, she checks into the Sleep Inn located next to Harborview Golf Complex, just a hop, skip and a jump from Mickke D’s house in River Hills. She considered showing up on his doorstep but decided that probably would not be a good idea. He may shoot her.

  CHAPTER 15

  I arrive at police headquarters and I am ushered into Detective Concile’s office immediately. She gets right to the point. “Okay, so what do you know?”

  I look at her and answer, “That there’s a possibility of a terror attack this weekend.”

  She nods her head. “You’re right, and we do need some help. Since you’re not law enforcement, I can’t let you into any meetings. Who is available to help you?”

  “Jim Bolen and Mark Yale from my office.”

  “I know Jim but not Mark.”

  “Mark is ex-Special Forces and ready to help.”

  “Okay. I am going to contact Agent Colder and see if she is available.”

  I smile. “That won’t upset me.”

  “I figured as much, but since she is law enforcement, she’ll be in charge of your group.”

  I hesitate. “Look, detective, we like to do things our own way. She may hinder our style.”

  “Yeah, I know your style. You’ll just have to work that out with her.”

  “Okay, we’ll worry about that later. How can we help?”

  She begins, “Here’s our plan of action. I want two armed personnel at every beach access location from Cherry Grove all the way to Myrtle Beach. You will be dressed in beach attire and armed with a concealed weapon. Each access location will have security from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Everyone will have a police radio, and each team leader will check in every 30 minutes with me. Everyone will be wearing a black wristband that shows you’re part of the task force, in case we need to converge on a location.”

  She pauses to catch her breath and then continues, “I want you and your team to take the first two beach access locations starting at the point in Cherry Grove and coming south. We are looking for anyone who looks like a suspect and is carrying any type of a cooler or object that could hold a bomb, or a weapon. You can take turns walking between access points. If anyone leaves a cooler or object and walks away, I want to know about it. If they do not return within a short time, call and I’ll send a cop with a bomb-sniffing dog over. Do not try to disarm anything yourselves. You will take along sandwiches and water in your own cooler, which we will provide. Each cooler will have a large black dot on it. This will be another way to identify you as a member of the task force. Bathroom breaks should be as short as possible. Whatever you do, don’t start a stampede or panic at the beach. Any questions?”

  “Sounds like three days of fun at the beach. What if it rains?”

  “You can leave when everyone on the beach leaves. Make sure no one has left anything behind. Keep an eye out from your vehicle. I don’t believe they would try anything unless the beach is crowded.”

  “Do we have any idea who they are?”

  “Not yet, but Homeland Security is working on it.”

  CHAPTER 16

  I return to the office and meet again with Mark and Jim. As I am going over what Detective Sam told me, I get a call from Agent Colder. I push the speaker button on my phone. “Hey, Mickke D, looks like we’re going to be working together over the holiday weekend.”

  “Looks that way. Meet me here in my office Saturday morning at 8:30. We need to be on the beach by nine. Don’t forget to wear swim attire and bring a weapon.”

  “No problem,” she replies, “But who put you in charge? Detective Concile said DEA was to take the lead on this.”

  While smiling at Jim and Mark I say, “That’s all fine and dandy Agent Colder, but you still need to be in the office Saturday morning at 8:30. We’ll discuss chain of command then.”

  Agent Colder ends the conversation abruptly. I look at Jim and Mark. “I guess that means she’ll be here Saturday morning.”

  Jim grins, “Since you said we will be working in teams of two, do you want me to work with Agent Colder?”

  I grin back, “No, Jim, I’ll work with Agent Colder. You and Mark will be a team. Anyway, I thought you had a thing for that new girl working for TC, isn’t her name Glenda?”

  “I figured that was the way it was going to be, but I thought I would try. Yes, I have been out with Glenda several times. Lovely girl.”

  Mark quirks, “Oh, come on Jim. We’ll have fun at the beach. Remember all the fun we had in Colombia?”

  Jim laughs. “Right. I can hardly wait.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Saturday morning, the three of us are gazing out the windows in my office awaiting the arrival of Agent Colder. We watch low-hanging gray clouds disappear and replaced by a translucent morning sky just as Agent Colder pulls into the office parking lot right on time.

  She exits her vehicle as the sun peeks through the few remaining clouds. “Look, she brought the sunshine with her,” Jim says. Mark and I just shake our heads, but inside I’m agreeing with him.

  She is wearing sandals and a beach cover-up, which hangs just above her knees. If she has a weapon, it is not apparent. As she confidently enters my office, I remark, “Agent Colder, I think you already met Jim. This is Mark Yale. I just received a call from Detective Concile and we are good to go. It’s going to be a great beach day.”

  “Great, looking forward to it.” She shakes hands firmly with Jim and Mark. “What qualifications do you two have for this mission?”

  Before Jim or Mark can answer, I jump in. “Jim is ex-FBI and Mark is ex-Special Forces. Both have been there, done that. Any other questions?”

  “Not right now. Always like to know who I’m going into battle with.”

  I nod. “So Agent Colder, here is your black wristband showing you’re part of the task force, and here is your radio. Detective Concile wants us to check in every 30 minutes. Since you’re DEA, I guess that’s your responsibility. Our locations are the first two beach access points in Cherry Grove. You and I will take the northern most access point and Jim and Mark will have the next access south. Mark’s wife Jannie made some sandwiches for our coolers that Sam sent over, along with soft drinks and water. Do you have any special dietary needs or special drinks?”

  “No, that works for me. Are we ready to go? Do you want me to drive?”

  “No. The bad guys would spot your vehicle a mile away. We’ll take my vehicle, and Jim and Mark will come a few minutes later in a second one.”

  “Do you have beach chairs, sunscreen, and an umbrella?” I ask Jim.

  “Yes, we’re set.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you at the beach. Let’s have fun in the sun and keep our eyes open.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Jeffrey Barrons is out of town until Sunday, but Bob Linde is not. He has chosen to collect his $100,000 as soon as possible. He finds the location of Mickke D’s office and is in the parking lot next door early Saturday morning to see if there is any activity at the office. He watches as Mark and Jim enter the office, followed soon after by Mickke D. Fifteen minutes later, a woman in beach attire arrives in what looks like a law enforcement vehicle and enters the office. They all leave 20 minutes later with coolers and enter two different vehicles.

  Linde is confused. They look like they’re ready to spend the day at the beach. Regardless, four people are three too many for him to attack. He trails them at a discreet distance and follows them to Cherry Grove Point. He watches as Mickke D and the woman go to one beach access and the other two go to another one. He realizes they must be on a case and leave
s the area.

  CHAPTER 19

  We arrive at our assigned locations and set up shop. Cherry Grove Point is a beautiful beach location. At low tide, there is possibly a quarter-mile of beach to explore. At the very end, or point, is a swash, which goes back into the salt marsh. Many people fish this area. Across from the swash is an island where visitors and locals take their boats to have picnics and relax.

  The beauty of the area mesmerizes Agent Colder and after we set up, she goes for a walk. I brought along several of those library books to read and I empty them from my backpack along with my phone. I call Jim and Mark to make sure they are in place. Jim asks, “Hey, did you notice a black SUV that followed us from the office? He parked about a block away and after we headed to the beach, he left. I didn’t get a license plate number.”

  “No, I didn’t. Keep your eyes open. We may have more enemies than just terrorists.”

  “Roger that.”

  Next, I call Detective Concile and let her know we are ready and that Agent Colder will be giving her the 30-minute updates.

  Her only reply is, “Play nice, Mickke D, play nice.”

  “No problem, detective, no problem.”

  Agent Colder returns in about fifteen minutes with a big grin on her face. “What a beautiful place. I could probably live here.”

  “I have a real estate office in my building. I can take care of that for you.”

  “I’ll just bet you could, but I don’t think my boyfriend would like the idea of me moving to the beach. We share a great place on Lake Norman, just north of Charlotte.”

  She just took the wind out of my sails. Well, I guess I can eliminate this young lady from my woman dilemma. Sounds as if she is in a good relationship and she is letting me know as much. Oh well, you win some, and you lose some. It will be all business from here on out.

  We settle in, and Agent Colder makes her first radio check at 9:30. Everything is quiet so far along the beach, but it is starting to get busy. Agent Colder is located on my left, closest to the access path. It doesn’t take long to figure out she has at least one bad habit. Every time she ends a sentence, she hits me in the arm. Finally, I sternly say, “Agent Colder, if you hit me one more time, I’m going to pick you up and dump you in the ocean.”

  She gives me a funny look, wondering if I would really do that. “Sorry, bad habit. I have three older brothers, and as kids, we always did that. So, what books are you reading?”

  “Oh, I got these at the library the other day. Three murder mysteries by some local author and a book on holistic medicine. A girl at the library told me the murder mysteries were very good. Would you like to read one?”

  “Sure, what are my choices?”

  “Well, you can read the one on holistic medicine or Murder on the Front Nine, Cougars at the Beach or Death on Mt. Pleasant.”

  “I’ll take Cougars at the Beach.”

  “Does that mean your boyfriend is younger than you?”

  “No, it means I’m just not into holistic medicine, golf and mountains.”

  We read a while, make radio checks, have lunch, and take turns walking between access points looking for anything suspicious. Mark and Jim do the same. Actually, spending this much time at the beach is rather boring, but I guess we could have a worse stakeout location.

  Occasionally, a nice-looking, well-built young lady walks by in a skimpy bikini and smiles at me, which perks me up. Agent Colder just snickers. “Come on, Mickke D, give me a break. Those aren’t real.”

  I smile. “And your point is?”

  The beach gets crowded in the afternoon. I’m standing up doing some stretches around 2 p.m., just after Agent Colder makes her assigned radio check. I spot him casually walking down the access path coming our way. He’s about 25 or 30, wearing dark sunglasses. He has on long pants, and a t-shirt, boots, and a ball cap, which is not exactly beachwear attire. However, the thing that gets my attention is that he’s wearing a backpack.

  I nudge Agent Colder’s foot. “Check this dude out,” I whisper.

  We both watch as he passes us and stops about halfway to the lapping waves of the ocean. In a rather crowded area, he takes off his backpack and places it gently on the sand. He sits down beside the backpack for about 30 seconds. He then gets up and walks north along the beach towards the swash. We watch as he finally turns and cuts diagonally back toward the access path away from his backpack.

  Alarms go off in my head. I don’t like the looks of this. I ask Agent Colder to give Detective Concile two beeps on the police radio, which means a possible threat has appeared.

  Just as I get ready to move to cut him off at the steps leading to the path, my phone rings. I look at the name of the caller and say, “Damn.” I look at my phone and back at the possible threat and say, “Agent Colder, go talk to that guy and remind him he forgot his backpack, but don’t reveal you’re DEA. I need to take this call. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She gives me a funny look and heads over to cut him off.

  In a very professional tone of voice I say, “I’m sort of busy right now. Can I call you back later?”

  The caller replies, “Looking forward to it.”

  CHAPTER 20

  I hurry to catch up with Agent Colder. I move in just as she is confronting our possible suspect. She says, “Excuse me, but you forgot your backpack. Do you want me to keep an eye on it for you? I’ve seen things disappear at the beach many times.”

  Before he can answer, I walk up, put my arm around Agent Colder and say, “I’m sorry, my wife had her beach bag stolen once and her credit cards and other personal things were inside. She doesn’t want that to happen to anyone else.”

  “That’s not necessary,” he responds. “I was just leaving it for a family to pick up later. It’s full of books for their kids to read while they’re at the beach.”

  I look at Agent Colder and say, “Great. Honey, why don’t you watch the backpack for this nice gentleman while I get something from the car.”

  She tries to smile. “That’s a good idea…dear.” She turns and heads back toward our location.

  I walk with my new friend. Once we get to a rather secluded area on the path, I pull my weapon, stick it in his ribs and show him my PI ID. “Turn around and put your hands on the railing.” I quickly frisk him and find no weapons. “Now, I’m not going to hurt you. Just tell me who gave you the backpack.”

  With duress in his voice he replies, “Some guy paid me a hundred dollars to deliver it to some family members who were coming to the beach later.”

  I press the weapon harder into his side. “Did you look inside?”

  “Yes, it’s full of books.”

  “What did the guy look like?”

  “He was tall, had an accent and a beard. Seemed like a nice enough guy.”

  “Did he tell you his name?”

  “No. What’s this all about?”

  I contemplate for a few seconds then remove my weapon from his side. “Nothing. You’re free to go, but if you see this man, don’t mention me. I’ll be watching. By the way, where did he give you the backpack?”

  “I was in the Food Lion in North Myrtle Beach. As I was leaving, he asked if I could do him a favor. I declined until he said he would pay me $100.”

  “Did he give you specific instructions on what to do?”

  “Yes, he told me where to go and to leave the backpack of books and a family would pick it up later.”

  “Okay, get out of here. Remember, if you see the man again, don’t mention me.”

  Now, I have a quandary. Should I go down to the backpack? If I do, are the bad guys watching me? Is it really books or a bomb? Personally, I think the bad guys are just probing our lines to see if we are here and watching, but I don’t know that for sure. The guy said he saw books. Of course, there could be explosives in the books.

  Agent Colder is standing by our location as I approach. She is on her phone. “It’s Detective Concile. She wants to talk to you.”

 
; She says before handing me the phone, “What’s this married crap?”

  I smile, ignore the comment and accept her phone. “Yes, detective.”

  “So what do you think? Is the backpack a possible threat?”

  “I think if it was a bomb, they would have already detonated it. I think they’re just probing to find out if we’re here before they make their final move. See if anyone else along the beach has had a similar encounter with a backpack and tell them not to go near it, just ignore it for now.”

  She hesitates. “OK. I’ll get right back to you.”

  Minutes later, she calls back. “There was another backpack just seconds ago in Windy Hill. Same scenario. We’re staying away from it for now.”

  I reply, “Let’s wait until four and see what happens.”

  “You know, we’re playing Russian roulette with this. If either one of them is a bomb, I’m going to have to answer a lot of questions about why I didn’t contact the bomb squad right away.”

  “Your call, detective.”

  After an uneasy silence, she responds. “I’ve got to call the bomb squad, Mickke D. I have no other choice. We can’t take any chances with people’s lives. Go down and get everyone away from the area of the backpack. The bomb squad will be there right away.”

  I offer an alternative. “Here’s an idea. Why not have the lifeguards go down and secure the area. They can say they noticed the backpack and called the police, who then called the bomb squad. Maybe no one will be the wiser.”

  “Okay, sounds like that may be worth a try.” She hangs up and within ten minutes, two lifeguards are at the site and ushering people away. Seconds later, the bomb squad shows up with several uniformed police officers. After doing some preliminary work, they carefully place the backpack in a secure container and leave the beach. We all watch the crowd to see if anyone looks out of place. We notice nothing out of the ordinary, and before long, everything is back to normal.