The Nick Lawrence Series

by Brian Shea

  “I’m calling it. Time for me to head for shelter.” Declan yawned and stretched.

  “If you think there is a chance to get some play on this, then I want in.” Alex’s eyes were deadly serious.

  “Be ready to go. If the opportunity breaks, then I want you by my side.”

  “Hey, a little off topic but maybe you will be able to catch a bit of the football game tomorrow evening. Mitch is really impressive on the field. He’s getting looked at for some big schools. Plus, there really is nothing like a football game on a Friday night in Texas,” Alex said.

  “I’ll see.”

  The two old teammates parted ways. Declan drove into the Texas night wondering what the next couple of days would hold for him and his team.

  37

  “Mr. Lawrence, she’s going to be fine. Her injuries were minor, but because of her age we would like to keep her here a few more days for observation.” The doctor spoke to Nick in a calm and reassuring manner.

  “Thank you, Doc. Please keep me posted on her progress.” Nick cleared his voice. “I am out of state right now, but I’m hoping to be back by Monday.”

  “Of course, Mr. Lawrence. I have you listed as our point of contact. She’s in good hands.”

  “Thank you.” Nick ended the call and looked around at the modest hotel room. He had requested to be lodged in Georgetown because he wanted to have quick access to Cassidy’s children in case of an emergency. Nick had been shocked when Nelson told him that arrangements had been made for the three of them to stay at the Sheraton. Normally the Bureau’s travel arrangements were not so accommodating. Big case equals big hotel room.

  Declan’s room was adjacent to his. Nick had heard him return a few minutes ago and was tempted to stop over and discuss the case. Then decided that a mental break might help all of them gain a fresh perspective.

  Without thinking, Nick opened the door to his room and stepped out into the hallway. Crossing the red and gold carpet runner, he approached Izzy’s room. Nick just stood there, hesitating outside the door.

  Why, suddenly, did he feel like a sixteen-year-old pimple-faced boy waiting for his prom date? He heard an internal door in her room close and felt a moment of panic. This is stupid. What am I doing here? He had just turned around to leave when the door to Declan’s room opened.

  “Hey, Nick. Everything good?” Declan said as he passed by with the beige ice bucket in hand.

  “Yeah. I was just heading back to my room.” Nick had to focus hard on his words, afraid of stuttering like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Declan gave a slight nod, saying nothing as he continued to the cutout in the hallway marked Vending. But, as Declan moved from sight he shouted back, “Just knock bro. She won’t bite.”

  Nick exhaled, trying to release the embarrassment of the moment. Just as he raised his hand to knock, Izzy swung the door wide open. Nick almost jumped in surprise.

  “I knew I heard someone in the hallway.” Isabella Martinez stood before Nick with a towel wrapped firmly around her and was using a second, smaller towel to squeeze the dampness from her long, dark hair.

  “Sorry. I was just coming by to shoot the shit. Nothing important. I’ll let you rest. Talk to you in the morning.” Nick knew he was speaking a mile-a-minute and could tell from the warm feeling in his face that his cheeks had flushed. He turned quickly, wanting to escape this awkward moment as fast as he could.

  “Come on in. I just opened a bottle of wine.” Izzy said this in her normal, casual voice. But, as she lowered her head to the side and looked up at him from under her dark eyelashes, Nick thought he might have noticed something different in her smile.

  “Okay,” Nick said, stepping into her room.

  But just then Declan passed by carrying his full ice bucket. “Hey Dec, do you want to come in and hang out, too?” When Izzy said this, she instantly deflated any hopes that her invitation was more than just a friendly gesture. He also caught Izzy’s eyes run the expanse of Declan’s body, his white undershirt exposing the dense network of tight muscles. Although Nick maintained his fitness level after leaving the service, he knew that he had become a little softer around the edges in his time with the Bureau. Declan Enright looked like he had just come back from a deployment. The two were close in age, yet the former SEAL looked ten years younger. Nick felt the wave of jealousy wash over him. Until a week ago, this feeling had been foreign to him.

  “I’m gonna rest up and call the family, but you kids have fun.” Before Declan closed the door, he threw Nick a quick wink.

  Izzy slipped into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later in a gray T-shirt and running shorts. Her hair was still damp as she finished working it into a braid and casually sat down on the bed with her legs crossed. She patted the spot on the bed, inviting Nick to join her.

  Nick tried to look relaxed but struggled to ignore his thoughts about where this might lead. He met her on the thick comforter with two plastic cups of red wine. After a mock cheers motion, they both took a sip. An awkward silence passed between them but was quickly broken by the image on the television.

  “Do you think I will ever live that down?” The media was questioning Nick’s competence because he was there at the scene of the attack and never even saw it coming.

  “Nick, there was nothing you could have done. Everyone knows that.”

  “Apparently that guy didn’t get the message.” But behind his sarcasm, he realized that he was really letting the media circus get to him. He never used to care about the opinion of some news anchor, so why would he start now? This wasn’t the first time he felt truly grateful for Izzy’s friendship. He started to feel more relaxed and took another sip from his cup.

  “More importantly, how’s your mother doing?” Izzy asked with genuine concern.

  “The doctor said a couple of days. Which is actually a blessing in disguise because it gives me some peace of mind that she is being taken care of while I’m out here.”

  “Listen, Nick. I know it’s been rough, but how long do you really think that you can care for her in her condition?”

  Nick knew where this conversation was headed, it had come up a few times in recent months. “I found a few facilities that I plan to visit when I get back. It’s just tough to think about letting her go. I also promised my dad that I would take care of her, guess I reneged on that.” He attempted to make light of the conversation with a quick, unconvincing laugh. But he couldn’t hide from Izzy the vacant look in his eyes.

  She took the wine from his hand and placed both of their cups on the bedside table. She leaned forward with an intense and determined look that somehow made her seem even more beautiful. Her voice was firm, almost angry, as she said, “Damn it, Nick, you have to stop being so hard on yourself! What is that saying… ‘Have strength to accept the things you cannot change’? Whatever, you know what I am talking about! You are the most dedicated person I have ever met, and your mom is lucky to have you.” Izzy paused, taking a deep breath before adding, almost inaudibly, “Anyone would be.”

  Nick was caught off guard. Izzy’s comment completely derailed his train of thought. As he went to adjust himself on the bed, his hand accidentally grazed hers. That slight physical contact, like a match to a fuse, ignited something inside of Nick.

  Nick’s heart raced as he looked up to search for a trace of interest in Izzy’s eyes. But before he was able to process her response, she reached out, grabbing him by his broad shoulders and pulled him on top of her.

  38

  “Good morning.” Declan said to Nick and Izzy as they strolled in together to the hotel’s Brix and Ale Café. Declan had already devoured a hearty breakfast and had moved onto his second cup of coffee before the two agents had appeared. He learned a long time ago that when you had a chance to eat, you did, because sometimes that next meal might be far off.

  The two exchanged greetings and each poured a cup of coffee from the carafe that had been left by the waiter. Declan broke the silence, “Any wo
rd about the devices yet?”

  Nick was glad for the question. His mind had been stuck on the previous night with Izzy. “I just got off the phone with Nelson. He said that the bomb tech was delayed but should be arriving sometime later today.”

  “I guess that really doesn’t affect us. We are running on the assumption that Khaled is our doer. The discoveries made by the Bureau’s technician will help the extended search for the maker but has little to do with us finding the Translator. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Izzy said, and Nick nodded.

  “What’s the next step?” Declan said, looking to gauge his opportunity for a crack at Khaled.

  “We’ve flooded the area surrounding the marina with agents acting as employees and tourists. As of my last update, twenty minutes ago, no sign of the Translator.”

  “Where are we going to be staging?” Declan tried not to show his eagerness.

  “The three of us should steer clear of the cruise boat and its surrounding area. Khaled knows our faces and I don’t want to spook him when he arrives.” Nick said this sounding slightly annoyed. Registering the deflated look on Declan’s face he continued, “I don’t like it either but getting this guy trumps all of our personal agendas.”

  “Well if we are not going to be near the scene then maybe we could stay near the kids. I heard there is a big football game tonight,” Izzy interjected.

  “I guess that would work. You good with that?” Nick posed the question to Declan.

  “Anything beats sitting around twiddling our thumbs. I’ll give a heads-up to Alex. He can meet us. I know that he was going to head to the game too.”

  Nick looked down at his vibrating cell phone and saw that the number calling had a Connecticut area code. He picked it up. Immediately recognizing the voice on the other end, he stepped away from the table.

  “Good morning Agent Lawrence. This is Janet Morgan, the manager of the Clover Leaf Bank.”

  “Good morning Janet. What can I do for you?” Nick said, having put the bank case completely out his mind until now.

  “I’m sorry to call you so early, but you told me to notify you once I had a chance to review the surveillance footage from the weeks leading up to the robbery.” She said this with some reservation in her voice.

  “Anything of value?” Nick’s interest was piqued.

  “The car that robbed the armored truck was a Toyota Corolla, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well a few weeks prior to the robbery; four to be exact, there was a Toyota parked at the bank.” Now a hint of excitement was notable in her inflection. Nick found this common among civilians who thought they had cracked a case.

  “Go on. What can you tell me about it?” Nick was patient, but Janet seemed to be holding back for some reason.

  “Well, that’s the thing. I know the man who drives it. He was there the day of the explosion too. I don’t know if you would remember him.” Nick listened and waited for her to continue, “His name is Declan Enright and he has been a patron of our bank for many years. I saw him on the video camera and he was leaning against the hood of the Toyota. It was around five p.m.”

  “He was at the bank then? And you’re saying that this was on a Thursday correct?” Nick’s head was starting to spin. He glanced back at the table with Izzy and Declan engaged in small talk.

  “Yes, to both. I did some checking and found that was the day that he met with me to discuss some financial assistance options for his family.” A quick pause and she continued, “You don’t think it was him, do you? I mean the guy from the robbery was dark skinned with tattoos.”

  “I don’t know, but I have to look at all possibilities until I have an answer. Could you tell me what the financial issue was that he discussed with you?”

  “His family has been struggling since losing his job and he had requested a loan. He didn’t qualify for it, but on the day of the explosion I remembered that he was wearing construction attire, so he must have gotten a job.” Nick heard the concern in her voice. She seemed to respect Enright and sounded remorseful for not being able to help him through his financial hardship.

  “Do you recall how much money he asked for?”

  “I would have to check my files, but off the top of my head, it was somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand dollars. He said he just needed enough to float the bills until he could get a job. He’s in a tough spot, especially with his youngest daughter’s special needs.”

  “Janet, can you make me a copy of the video footage and any paperwork regarding Mr. Enright’s loan request and include his banking statements?” Nick said his name in a hushed tone so that he did not alert his new friend to the current topic of conversation.

  “The footage is already on a DVD. The request for his financial records needs to be obtained by a subpoena or search warrant, but what I can tell you unofficially is that his checking account was closing in on zero when he came to see me.” Her demeanor had returned to a matter-of-fact style.

  “Okay. I will take care of it when I get back to Connecticut. The robbery case is going on the back burner until we get this other situation under control.” Nick knew that he did not need to explain that any further. “Thanks again for all of your assistance on this.”

  “You’re welcome. Be safe wherever you are.”

  “Will do and please don’t share your findings with anyone else.” Nick ended the call and returned to the table.

  “Everything okay?” Izzy asked with a look of concern.

  “It was my mother’s doctor. He just wanted to update me and confirm that she was responding well to treatment.” Nick hated lying to her, but he couldn’t share the information with Declan present. Neither Izzy nor Declan seemed to note his deception.

  39

  The rhythmic thumping of the drums reverberated in Khaled’s chest as he sat in his nondescript light blue Honda parked outside of Birkelbach Stadium. The sea of blue and white moved in droves toward the home team entrance area. The energy and chatter amongst the arriving crowd were electric.

  Khaled ensured that the two detonators were prepped and ready before stepping out into the noise and lights that enveloped the parking lot. No one would recognize him. Khaled, or Darius Johnson as his current ID noted, had immersed himself in the football culture. Half his face was blue and the other white. He wore the official Eagles’ windbreaker and carried two light wands; representing team colors. The wands were different than others that the fans brought… each of his contained a detonator.

  He merged with the crowd and ambled into the stadium. It took a moment to adjust to the shock of the floodlights which bathed the field. The band played. Cheerleaders and players were conducting their warm-ups. He took his seat in the middle of the bleachers close to one of its many stairwells. Khaled sat and took in the sight. Impressive that a high school football game could draw such a crowd. The more the merrier, he thought as he scanned for his enemy.

  “There they are.” Alex pointed out toward the center of the field. “Mitch is wearing number twenty-eight. Mandy is over near the bench talking to the tall girl with the blond hair.”

  “This will be fun but remember to keep your head on a three-sixty swivel. He could be here too.” Declan was trying to relax, but the circumstances prohibited that for him. He was in operational mode and trying to take in everything he saw. He needed to establish a norm so that if something changed he could catch it. Focus and patience were the two key ingredients to conducting any kind of surveillance. Declan leaned over toward Nick’s ear to speak over the crowd’s volume, “What’s your take?”

  “I’ve never seen a crowd like this for a high school game. I hope to God that we didn’t point our assets in the wrong direction.” Nick seemed awestruck by this potential realization.

  “Nick, you have done everything you could. We are here now and can be the extra eyes, but all of the clues have led us to conclude that tomorrow is the day and the intended target is the cruise boat.” Declan gave Nick’s
shoulder a firm slap and then continued, “For what it’s worth I’d go into battle with you any day.” Declan did not give that compliment lightly.

  “That means a lot.” Nick felt a surge of confidence imparted by Enright’s words. At the same time, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. What if Declan did the armored truck job? Just then his phone began to vibrate. It was Fitzgerald. He answered just as the stadium announcer began to call out the Hutto Hippos starting lineup.

  “Hello? Jim, I am at a football game and can’t hear a word you are saying. Give me two minutes and I will call you back.” Nick gestured to the group that he would be right back. They nodded that they understood as they took their seats midway up on the left side of the bleacher area.

  The announcer boomed out names and positions of the starters as Nick moved out of the stadium to the sidewalk by the home team’s parking lot. The crowd erupted as the Georgetown Eagles exploded onto the field from their locker room. Once the volume subsided Nick re-dialed Fitzgerald.

  “Let’s try this again. Sorry about that. Texas football is something to behold.” Nick had already briefed the ASAC that the three of them would be attending the game.

  “They’re decoys!” Jim Fitzgerald, a man known for maintaining an eerie level of calm was unhinged.

  “What do you mean? What’s a decoy?” Nick fell victim to Fitzgerald’s intensity.

  “The damn bombs! The ones from the boat. The technician spent all day trying to verify that they would not detonate when he opened them up. The maker lined the boxes with lead blocking the x-ray. There was nothing inside except some disconnected batteries and wires. A bit of Semtex so the bomb dog would hit. He set us up!”

  The impact of these words caused Nick to stumble slightly. His mind raced. A volley of cheers from the crowd unleashed, causing him to become momentarily overwhelmed. “Oh my God! It’s the game! Send everyone! Alert the ground team here. We have to shut the game down and get everyone out of the stadium! Now!”