by Jude Hardin
“Thanks a lot,” Taggert said as he climbed into the back seat.
Diana followed him and closed the door.
“Where you guys headed?” the driver said.
“Forty-some more miles on ninety,” Diana said. “Little town called Upton Creek.”
“What a coincidence,” the young woman in the front seat said. “That’s where I’m going, too.”
“You live there?” Taggert said.
“No,” she said, turning her head enough to make eye contact with him. “I’m thumbing it, just like you guys. Mr. Page here was kind enough to put my backpack in the trunk for me. I started out in Iowa, and it’s kind of amazing how nice everyone has been to me. It was scary at first, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. My name’s Lacy, by the way.”
Diana and Taggert introduced themselves. Cammy and Brent.
“I figured you were father and daughter,” Diana said.
“No, but Mr. Page can be my adopted dad if he wants to. You want to be my adopted dad, Mr. Page?”
“Sure,” Mr. Page said.
“Well, we sure appreciate the ride,” Taggert said.
“No problem,” Mr. Page said.
Mr. Page wasn’t much of a talker, but he seemed harmless enough. Diana settled back in her seat with her backpack on the floor between her legs. Resting, enjoying the warmth of the vehicle, knowing that in less than thirty minutes she and Taggert would be out in the cold wind again.
“Why are you guys going to Upton Creek?” Lacy said.
“Just figured we’d hang out for a few days, maybe do some fishing,” Taggert said. “From what I’ve heard, it’s the kind of small town you don’t see much anymore.”
“I don’t really know much about the town,” Lacy said. “I met a guy online, and he invited me to come and check out his militia camp. It’s called CHOKE. Citizens Helping to Kill Expansion. Expansion of the government, of course. He says they’re hoping to lobby for a bunch of positive changes in Washington. Sounds real exciting. And he’s such a sweet guy. Can’t wait to meet him in person.”
Diana looked at Taggert. He shrugged.
“Actually, we were thinking about checking that place out as well,” Diana said. “They seem to have a lot of good ideas about turning the country around.”
“Exactly,” Lacy said. “Wow. That’s great. I’m really glad I met you guys.”
“Maybe we can hike in there together,” Diana said.
“Oh, we won’t have to hike. I’m going to call Kevin as soon as we get to Upton Creek, and he’s going to come and pick me up. I’m sure he won’t mind giving you guys a ride.”
“Sounds good,” Taggert said.
They rode along in silence for a while. When they got close to the Upton Creek exit, Mr. Page pulled to the shoulder and slowed to a stop. He pulled a lever under the dash, and the trunk popped open.
“All out for Upton Creek,” he said.
Lacy leaned over and gave him a hug. “Thank you so much,” she said. “And don’t forget, you’re my adopted dad now, so you better call me sometime.”
“I will.”
Diana Dawkins and John Taggert thanked Mr. Page as they climbed out, bracing themselves against the cutting wind. It was even colder than before, Diana thought.
Taggert walked to the trunk and grabbed Lacy’s backpack, handed it to her when she opened the passenger’s side door and exited the vehicle. Mr. Page tooted his horn and eased back onto the highway.
Diana looked around. There was a tall sign at the bottom of the ramp with giant lighted letters that said DINER.
“Want to walk down there and get something to eat while we wait for your friend?” Diana said.
“Good idea,” Lacy said.
They headed down the ramp, the wind whistling and making miniature dust tornados on the pavement. The sky was overcast now, gray and bleak and looking as though it might snow, even though it was only October.
AN HOUR AND FOURTEEN MINUTES later, Diana took a sip from her fourth cup of coffee, glanced out the window and saw a black Ford Bronco with huge tires and a modified four-wheel-drive chassis pulling into the restaurant’s parking lot.
“That’s him,” Lacy said.
“Good,” Taggert said. “You told him about us when you called, right?”
“Actually, he was busy with something, and I didn’t get a chance. But I’m sure it’ll be all right. You’ll see. He’s a really nice guy.”
Two men climbed out of the SUV. Both in their mid-to-late twenties, both around six feet tall and two hundred pounds. Both had high-and-tight haircuts and clean-shaved faces. Camouflaged fatigues, shiny black boots. Diana assumed that the man who’d been driving was Kevin.
“Looks like you got yourself two really nice guys,” Taggert said.
“That must be Mel,” Lacy said. “Kevin’s best friend. Don’t they look great in their uniforms?”
“Yeah. Great.”
The two men walked into the restaurant. Lacy got up and ran to the one on the left, gave him a big hug and a kiss. She shook the other guy’s hand, and then the three of them stood there and started talking about something, the discussion obviously turning serious at one point, the soldiers’ welcoming smiles directed toward Lacy changing to wary glances directed across the crowded dining room.
Diana couldn’t hear what was being said, but a minute or so later the two men walked back outside and Lacy walked back over to the booth.
She had tears in her eyes.
“I am so sorry,” she said. “Kevin says he’s not allowed to bring strangers into the compound without prior approval. He says you’ll have to go online and fill out all the admission forms, like I did. I asked if he could wait here while you guys took care of that, but he says he doesn’t have time.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Diana said.
“I don’t think it’s going to do any good.”
“Just stay here with Brent for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Diana got up and put her coat on, exited the restaurant and walked across the parking lot to the Bronco. Kevin rolled the window down.
“Where’s Lacy?” he said.
“She’ll be out in a minute. I just wanted to see if—”
“Can’t do it. I already told her.”
“I know, but I was thinking if you could just get us to the front gate, you could drive on in and then we could fill out the paperwork there in the security shack.”
“How did you know there’s a security shack?”
“I guess I saw it on the website,” Diana said, attempting to cover up her blunder. She knew there was a security shack because of the intelligence Taggert had gotten from The Director.
Kevin’s expression changed. At first he’d merely looked annoyed, but now he eyed Diana with suspicion. She kept her finger on the trigger of the 9mm semi-automatic pistol in her coat pocket while he thought it over.
“There’s nothing about that building on the website,” he said. “Unless they’ve updated it recently. So how did you know?”
“Maybe Lacy told me. I really don’t remember. Anyway, don’t all big militia compounds have something like that at the front entrance? The point is, we would greatly appreciate a ride to the gate. We’ll walk if we have to, but since you’re going there anyway—”
“I can’t be bringing in strays,” Kevin said. “Especially after what happened in Florida last night.”
“What happened in Florida?”
“Security breach. I can’t talk about it. Let’s just say it was bad. Anyway, like I told Lacy, your best bet is to go online and fill out the forms. The background checks are pretty much instantaneous these days, so you should be good to go after that.”
“All right,” Diana said. “If that’s the way it has to be. Thanks for your time.”
“Would you tell Lacy to come on out? I really am in kind of a hurry.”
Diana walked back into the restaurant. Taggert and Lacy were standing at the register, waiting for someone
to come so they could pay for their meals.
“What did he say?” Lacy said.
“He said no. But it’s okay. We’ll get there.”
“I am so sorry.”
“He’s waiting for you. Go on out there. I’ll pay for your lunch.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Lacy hugged Diana, and then she hugged Taggert, and then she walked away, wiping more tears from her eyes as she exited the diner.
“She’s good,” Taggert said.
“Huh?”
“Lacy. She’s good.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s so good, you didn’t even know.”
“Didn’t know what?”
“She’s one of ours,” he said.
INSTEAD OF PAYING FOR THE food, Diana walked back to the booth where they’d been sitting and asked the waitress for another cup of coffee. Taggert followed and slid into the seat across from her.
“When were you planning on telling me?” Diana said.
“Telling you what?”
“That Lacy is an operative.”
“Might want to keep your voice down,” Taggert said. “It’s not exactly something we want to advertise.”
“So when were you going to tell me?”
“I was waiting for the right time. That time hadn’t come yet.”
“So the whole thing was set up for us? Mr. Page and all? He’s an operative too?”
“Yes.”
Which explained why Taggert had turned down the first car that stopped, Diana thought. The truck with the hunter.
“I know you’re the lead operative on this case,” she said. “But I’d really appreciate it if you would keep me better informed from now on.”
“I’ll try.”
“I’m assuming she’s going in to do some reconnaissance for us.”
“Right. And she’ll be there for backup if we need it.”
Diana unzipped her backpack, reached in and pulled out her laptop. She’d seen some people at other tables using cell phones to check email, so she knew there was a Wi-Fi signal nearby. She logged on, performed a search and found the CHOKE website.
“There’s something else we need to talk about,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“The CHOKE members here already know about what happened at the Florida camp last night.”
“It’s on the website?”
“No. Lacy’s friend Kevin told me. I’m afraid they might have gotten some pictures of us with their security cameras. And since you didn’t bother to change your appearance—”
“It’s okay,” Taggert said. “I was wearing a hood the whole time.”
“Good. But they pulled mine off when they captured me. They saw my face.”
“Did you notice any cameras?”
“No, but they could have been mounted up in the trees or something.”
“As long as your disguise holds up, we should be all right. And I think it will. You look a lot different than you did when we first got on the plane.”
“All right. But I’m wondering if they might be suspicious of you because of your size.”
“Lots of guys are as big as I am,” Taggert said. “Jack Reacher, for example. He and I could wear the same clothes. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be okay.”
Diana nodded. She doubted that there would be a problem, but it was always best to discuss new contingencies before moving forward with an investigation. She finished filling out the forms for the background checks on Camille Weatherby, and then she handed the computer over to Taggert so he could do the same for Brent Holbart.
When he finished, they got back in character, paid for lunch and walked outside.
THE HIKE FROM TOWN TO the main entrance of the CHOKE compound wasn’t nearly as bad as Diana had thought it might be. The dirt road was dry the whole way, and the surrounding woods helped buffer the wind. It wasn’t as bad as it looked on the maps, but it was still over four miles. By the halfway point, Diana and Taggert had both worked up a sweat. Knowing they would probably be searched at the gate, they stopped and sealed their pistols in zippered plastic bags and hid them in the brush. They each ate a prepackaged energy bar and drank some water from plastic bottles, and then they walked on. Two miles later, they rounded a bend and saw a sign that said NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL BEYOND THIS POINT.
“Should we turn around and go back?” Diana said, her voice infused with sarcasm.
Taggert laughed. “Yeah, right.”
The security shack was a wooden structure about the size of a backyard tool shed. A man in uniform stepped out and stood at parade rest as the couple approached. The nametag stitched over his shirt pocket said Mueller.
“Can I help you?” he said.
“My name’s Brent Holbart,” Taggert said. “This is my friend Cammy Weatherby. We’ve come a long way, and we would like to check into the possibility of joining your organization.”
“Have you filled out the forms on the website?”
“Yes, but it was just a little while ago, so I’m not sure everything has gone through yet. How long does it usually take?”
“I’ll need to see your picture ID,” Mueller said, ignoring the question. “Yours too, ma’am.”
“Sure,” Diana said.
She pretended to ferret through her backpack. She pulled out a beat-up leather purse, found the wallet inside, handed Mueller the fake Ohio driver’s license for Camille Weatherby. He looked it over, wrote down the number, and then did likewise for Taggert’s phony ID.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said.
Mueller stepped into the guard shack and closed the door.
“You all right?” Taggert said.
“Fine,” Diana said. “Just a little tired, I guess. It’ll be nice to have something to lie down on, even if it is just an army cot.”
“I know what you mean. I could use some sack time myself. And Lacy should have some information for us by morning.”
“Good.”
Mueller was gone for several minutes. When he came back out, he was holding two large brown envelopes. He handed one to Taggert, and one to Diana.
“These are your orientation packages,” he said. “Unfortunately, our computer system is down right now, and we haven’t been able to run your background checks yet. You can go over all the information in the envelopes, and if you’re still interested you can come back in the morning.”
“In the morning?” Diana said. “It’s four miles back to town, and we don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. Please, can’t you just—”
“Sorry, ma’am. Ordinarily, we might be able to make an exception, but there was a security breach at one of our other installations last night, so we’re on high alert right now. There’s really nothing I can do to help you until our computers come back up.”
“We’ll be back in the morning,” Taggert said.
He turned and started to walk away.
“Wait,” Diana said. She stepped closer to Mueller, looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Can’t you at least give us a ride back to town? We’re tired and hungry, and it’s going to be dark soon.”
“I wish I could, ma’am, but that would be against regulations.”
“We’ll be all right,” Taggert said. “Come on, Cammy.”
Frustrated and exhausted, Diana turned and followed him away from the gate.
THEY PITCHED THEIR TENTS NEAR the spot where they’d hidden the guns. It was almost dark by the time they finished, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. Diana used a flashlight to check their food and water supply while Taggert gathered wood for a fire.
“Canned spaghetti and meatballs, or tuna fish on crackers,” Diana said. “Those are our choices for dinner tonight.”
Taggert struck a match and lit the dry twigs on the bottom of the woodpile.
“The Circle didn’t pack us any beanie-weenies?” he said. “Nothing to make s’mores with?”
“S
hut up.”
“Just trying to lighten the mood a little. I’m not very hungry anyway. I ate a lot back at the diner.”
Diana sat by the fire and opened one of the cans of spaghetti.
“How cold is it supposed to get tonight?” she said.
“I don’t know. But it would be a lot easier to stay warm if we both slept in the same tent.”
“Keep dreaming.”
Taggert shrugged. “I’m not suggesting anything other than comfort,” he said.
“Yeah, well, your definition’s probably a little different than mine.”
“So you’d rather freeze to death?”
“It’s not going to get that cold,” Diana said.
“All right. You know where I am if you change your mind.”
“You’re going to bed already?”
“Yeah. Set your alarm for five. I want to be back at the gate before sunrise.”
Taggert crawled into his tent, zipped the door flap shut from the inside. Diana sat there and stared at the fire and ate her spaghetti. Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned today, but they’d gone well enough. At least Lacy had made it inside. Having a third operative on board would be a great help—if she did her job right, of course. Lacy was young, but she seemed intelligent, and she’d played her part as well as anyone Diana had ever seen. Better than most.
Diana scraped out the last bite of spaghetti, dropped the empty can and the plastic fork she’d used into a plastic bag, folded it over and stuffed it into her backpack. To be disposed of later. She hated it when people left trash in the woods. She despised it.
She pulled out her laptop, thinking it might be a good idea to send The Director an encrypted email letting him know the status of the mission. Letting him know that she and Taggert were in the woods instead of where they were supposed to be. She tried to log on, but as she’d suspected, there was no Wi-Fi signal this far from the CHOKE compound.
On most assignments, she carried a cell phone that picked up a special satellite feed, a signal exclusive to operatives for The Circle, but this wasn’t most assignments. It was an infiltration into a hostile organization. There were some very capable hackers among CHOKE’s ranks, and if they ever got their hands on one of The Circle’s phones, the results could be devastating.