SILVER-2 (NORRIS FILES)

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SILVER-2 (NORRIS FILES) Page 14

by Marshall Huffman


  "I don't know. I don't know squat about Indianapolis or the race. You think it's viable?"

  "Actually I do. Literally millions and millions watch the race. Way too many people for the police to handle, so they use a lot of their own race security. Rent-a-cops, volunteers and such. I actually went to a couple of the races in the early 60's. Hell of an event," Wells said.

  "Then I'll look it over. That does it then. Were down to four cities really. Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis are all close together. Phoenix is the only one of any distance. Let’s leave it at four. I’ll get it down to two or three before when I give you the final recommendations."

  "Fair enough. When will you start?"

  "Tomorrow. I should be done in two or three weeks at most. I'll contact you when I'm ready to turn over the information."

  "Be well. I'll be anxious to hear from you."

  "I'll make it as quick as I can."

  CHAPTER TWENTY -EIGHT

  Zane Tolbert had been Harmon Wells’s right hand man since the early sixties. He had been recruited just before the Marilyn Monroe fix, and had been with him ever since. He was very bright and learned extremely fast. Zane had never been a sniper but he had a keen eye for detail and was able to get the lay of the situation very quickly. He was fast on his feet when decisions had to be made and had saved more than one shooter's ass.

  In the early days they used a lot of smoking gun, bit players, that could be used as fall guys. Zane had engineered some remarkable diversions. His real test had been Oswald. He had been the point man and the handler for him.

  Oswald was a basket case and it took all of his skills to get the man in the right place at the right time. Even with all his talents, Oswald almost blew it when he took off, instead of going to the safe house as the plan called for.

  In the end it all worked out because Wells had foreseen the possibility of Oswald's coming unglued. He had instructed Tolbert to have Ruby waiting in the wings, just in case. The rest is covered up history.

  Tolbert had a narrow escape when he was arrested in a sweep of the train yard behind the, now famous, grassy knoll. Again 'The Fixer' had foreseen this possibility as well. Zane along with one of the other shooters was released without so much as a question being asked.

  Zane's real talent was his ability to gather facts and relate them to the assignment. His reconnaissance senses were second to none. Even though he wasn't a trained sniper he had the ability to project through his eyes and that often made the difference.

  This time should be better. No nut cases, unless Mr. Red pulled another stupid stunt like last time. It didn't seem likely. Harmon was good at assessment of human nature and he wasn't alarmed. It would be fine.

  How, here he was again. Looking over the battle grounds before the battle. This was going to be his last time. Never again, he thought as he packed to leave. One last job and it would be back to the Cayman Islands for the rest of his life. He had left nothing behind in the USA, and he had nothing to return to.

  He decided to fly to Indianapolis to start his recon work. When he arrived he rented a car and began to get the lay of the land. He checked the phone book and found that there was a motel right at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race track.

  Speedway is a suburb of Indianapolis, divided by a city limits sign. He took the bypass from the airport and turned off on Crawfordsville. He followed it down to Georgetown Road and there it was. Home of the greatest spectacle in racing, The Indianapolis 500. The track is bordered by 16th street running East and West and Georgetown Road, North and South. The complex is huge and besides the two and a half mile oval it contains a golf course as well.

  Wells had described what he remembered from his visit to the track but he didn't think it would be of much help. He was able to tell him about the amazing transformation that comes over this sleepy little bedroom community, on the edge of Indianapolis, during the month of May.

  He had warned him that security would seem lax now, but it would pick up considerable once the track opened for testing and qualifications. What he was seeing now is not the way it would be in May.

  Tolbert checked into the motel and simply walked into the center of the race track and went to the infield museum. No one asked what he was doing at any time. Later he took the tour buses that go around the track so he could get a feel for the place. It was enormous. He was becoming excited. The place offered too many possibilities to pass up.

  He spent the next two days going over the place. He made several sketches and rated sties. He soon found six A+ sites and several A sites. He was sure the shooter would have no problem locating a place to shoot from in this facility.

  The distance that the SILVER-2 covered put everything within reach. Indianapolis went from the bottom of his list to the top in the matter of a few hours. After he had learned all he felt he could, it was time to move on.

  He decided to drive to both Cincinnati and Louisville since they were so close. He spent less time than anticipated in Cincinnati. He wasn't sure whether it was a lack of A+ sites or a lack of excitement for the city. After the excitement of Indianapolis he was let down some. Cincinnati is a beautiful city, but it didn't offer the opportunities he was looking for. He only spent one day before heading off to Louisville.

  After a refreshing night at the Gault House Hotel, he started out to map the city. The Convention Center was easy to locate and he soon found several good sites. He had located two A+ sites in short order. He drove out to the airport and traced the logical route the President would be traveling. Nothing really presented itself and he was soon back at the center. He spent most of the day walking the area, making maps, notations and sketches. He spent the better part of two days there before he decided he had gathered enough information.

  He turned in the car and booked a flight to Phoenix. He flew into Sky Harbor airport and rented a Mustang convertible from Budget. What better way to see the beauty of Phoenix and do work at the same time?

  He checked into a motel not far from Paradise Valley where the golf outing was scheduled to take place. He spent several hours driving the area once again to get the lay of the land.

  He decided that the best opportunities may be on the course itself. He made arrangements to play the course as an out of town visitor. He went to a local golf outlet store and purchased a set of irons, woods, putter and bag. Plus the usual paraphernalia that goes along with golf. Next he went to a local driving range and broke in the set. He did not want to have the clubs look too new.

  The following morning he arrived at the club early to get a picture of the layout in his mind. He spent an hour of so on the putting green just to watch the general flow of traffic. He strolled around the club house to check it out as well.

  The 18th green was set so that it could be

  overlooked by the restaurant deck on the second floor. It seemed logical that any awards ceremony would take place in this area. He rented a cart and got ready for his tee time.

  It wasn't very busy so he was not placed with other players. It was what he wanted. This way he could roam around with greater ease. Zane had been playing golf for twenty five years and had a respectable fifteen handicap.

  He drove off the first tee straight and long. Well enough to satisfy the starter that he knew what he was doing. His second shot he pushed into the rough on purpose so he could he could check out the tree line. He continued to play from one rough to the other and he found that there were unlimited areas to set up an ambush from.

  The biggest drawback was that the shot would have to come from higher up in the trees because of the gallery that would be following the play. Also, television coverage was expected, and that would add to the challenge. He finished the first nine and went into the pro shop at the club house.

  "Great course," he said to the man behind the counter.

  "How's the game today?"

  "Well, I've done better. It's my first time here and it takes a little while to get the hang of it. I'm out in 41. Dou
ble bogeyed the 7th," Zane answered.

  "That pretty good. That 7th gets em' every time. Second shot in the front sand trap?"

  "Yep, you must hear a lot of that."

  "Every day."

  Zane walked over to a display of specialty clubs.

  “Hey, maybe this is what I need;" he said picking up a club with huge oversized head.

  "Hey, don't laugh. You would be surprised how many guys buy those things. Not just your duffers either. That's the MagnaFlex Gold. It's the best one made. Some of the cheaper ones don't do much, but that one seems to be for real. I've sold twenty five in the last two weeks alone."

  "No kidding? Well a few extra yards off the tee never hurt."

  "You got that right. Our course pro took one out last week and drove about ten balls over 400 yards with that thing. He was really laying into it but nevertheless it was impressive."

  "Wow. Four hundred yards? That will tame that monster seventh hole or yours."

  "We price them right too. The Gold is just two hundred and seventy nine dollars."

  "Not bad. Now if you could just get the President to buy one when he comes here you would sell a ton of them," Zane said.

  "No kidding. That would be a hell of endorsement wouldn't it?"

  "Bet this place turns into a zoo, huh?"

  "Ridiculous really. People who have known idea what they should do on a golf course, tromp all over the place. Between the spectators, con artist and the Secret Service, they destroy the place for the next month."

  "Secret Service guys a pain in the ass for you?"

  "You bet. Sticking their noses into everything. The last time the Vice President came here in 98' they sent in a special team that actually dug foxholes and shit in the roughs. You never saw anything like it. Guys in trees and stuff."

  "No kidding? How did the members take it?"

  "Didn't set well with some. Especially the real golfers. Now the social set thought it was just great because they had one up on The Bird," the guy answered.

  "The Bird?"

  "Thunderbird. The other mucky-muck country club."

  "Got it. Hell, I thought all the Secret Service guys did was stand around in sunglasses," Zane said.

  "Not here they didn't. I guess they have a special detail for this shit. They seemed to know what they were doing. This time will be worse. The First Lady is coming. All kinds of stuff lined up. Fashion shows, dance and who knows what else? A true dog and pony show. Prestige is the name of the game."

  "So it would seem. Well I had better go try tame the back nine. I’ll give the MagnaFlux some thought. See ya later," Zane said and went back to his cart.

  He played the back nine relatively quick, not even bothering to keep score. A foursome up ahead slowed him down for a while but they let him play through on the short par three at fourteen.

  He collected his car and returned to the motel. The preparations by the Secret Service bothered him. If the guy at the pro shop was right, this made the golf course a higher risk than anticipated. Especially since there was no patsy this time. He decided that he would eliminate Phoenix as a potential city.

  He called and made arrangements to fly to Washington the following day. He left the clubs setting in the car with the top down overnight. Sure enough, the next day, someone had taken them. Perfect.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  "Sir. Call for you on line two," an attractive blond agent said as she stuck her head in the door.

  "Great, I'll take it," PJ said reaching for the phone.

  "Matts here," he said.

  "Mr. Matts, this is US Air calling. We have been instructed to notify your office if we get any booking for a Zane Tolbert or Z. Tolbert. A check has turned up a Z. Tolbert on flight 277 from Louisville, Kentucky to Phoenix, Arizona. The flight departed at 9:30 A.M. and arrived at....."

  "Hold it. What do you mean, left? You mean the flights are already gone?"

  "Oh yes sir. This was on Monday."

  "Shit. I don't want old information. We need this when it's booked. This is history, I need current affairs. Didn't anyone tell you that?"

  "No Sir. I was just told to let you know. No one said anything about being current. Look, I just do what I'm told."

  "Terrific. Well I'm telling you we need that relayed to us as soon as it happens," PJ said.

  "Then I guess this next news won't help you much either. A Z. Tolbert flew on flight 343 From Phoenix to Washington yesterday."

  “Washington State?"

  "No Sir, D.C."

  "Look, if that name comes up on any other flights, you call me immediately. Don't let anyone tell you I'm out of contact. You make them track me down, you hear?"

  "Yes Sir. I'll call immediately next time. I didn't know."

  "It’s fine. Just no more old news. From now on, you just track me down," PJ said. He gave him his direct cell phone number and hung up.

  He headed to Ron's office with Sean following along.

  "Ah," Ron said when PJ entered.

  "What does that mean?" PJ asked.

  "That means, I recognize that look. You’re upset about something and have come here to spew it on me, right?"

  PJ just looked at him for a second.

  "It really shows that much?"

  "Are you kidding, everyone up and down the halls knows that look.

  So what is it this time?"

  "The jerks at the airlines just called to tell me that a Z. Tolbert flew from Louisville to Phoenix."

  "Well, that's good news isn't it?"

  "On Monday" PJ said.

  "I see. Not much help is it. At least it gives you a lead. I take it you’re headed to Phoenix?"

  "Well, it seems that Z. Tolbert then flew from Phoenix to Washington yesterday."

  "Washington? As in DC?"

  "You got it."

  "He is here in DC? Now?"

  "Well we don't know for sure. That's the real problem isn't it? Three and four day old news doesn't exactly narrow the search field much. It only tells us where he has been, not where we might locate him."

  "I'll get Charles on it right away. He'll shake them up so that we get instant information."

  "I would appreciate that," PJ said more politely than usual. "What I have been able to piece together from Air Trans and Southwestern is that Tolbert flew from DC to Indianapolis. He next turns up in Louisville and takes a flight to Phoenix. Then yesterday, he flew back to DC. No trail before that and nothing else so far has turned up."

  "That could mean that he is operating from right here in DC. Right under our noses. That is, if it is our Z. Tolbert. We need to locate this guy and find out once and for all," Ron said, and picked up the phone.

  He called Charles and threatened to pull his few remaining hairs out one at a time if he didn't get the airlines to feed PJ the needed information immediately.

  "Thanks Ron. Now all we have to do is figure out why he was in those places and where else our boy might have been."

  "So do you go to Indianapolis, Louisville and Phoenix?" Ron asked.

  "Seems like a good place to start. He isn't sightseeing, that's for sure. He must have driven from Indianapolis to Louisville, unless he flew on some airline that hasn't called in yet. Can you get someone on checking the rental car's in Indianapolis?" PJ asked.

  "Done. What else do you need?"

  "Every swinging dick we have to start checking motels, hotels and flop houses in this city. He has to be holed up someplace near hear. If he is here, that means Wells can't be far away either. I want to find that bastard."

  "Don't we all?" Ron said. "What is the significance of those cities?"

  "I don't know. I wish I did. What is it that he knows that we don't know?"

  "The President's travel plans?" Sean asked.

  Both men turned and looked at him.

  "Right," they said in unison.

  "That has to be it. Somehow they have the travel plans and are sending Zane to do the recon work. It has to be," PJ said.

  "
We need the schedule as well. I'll call Wainright and set up a meeting," Ron said.

  "Oh shit. That prick isn't going to give us the time of day let alone something we need. Ron let’s just back door this thing."

  "No PJ. I appreciate what you're saying, but we need to use the proper channels."

  "We won't get far, I'll bet my ass on that,” PJ said angrily.

  "You may be right, but that's the protocol and we will follow it. You just stay around here; I'll let you know when the meeting is set for."

  PJ and Sean went back to his office and started gathering information on each of the cities. Thirty minutes later Budget called to let them know that a Z. Tolbert had rented a car from the Indianapolis terminal agency and returned the car to the Louisville airport lot.

  He had also rented a car in Phoenix and returned it to the airport as well. A little late to do much good, PJ had said. Ron called to tell them that Wainright had at first refused to call a meeting but he had convinced him that it was urgent. The meeting was set for 5:30 P.M.

  They arrived at the correct time and were shown into the same room of their previous meeting. Clones of the first Marines were again stationed outside of the door.

  Wainright keep them waiting the customary ten minutes before making his appearance.

  "This had better be good Neilson. Not some more of your hocus pocus crap. What have you got?"

  "Sir, you remember Zane Tolbert, the right hand man of Harmon Wells?"

  "I may be busy but I am not stupid. Yes, I know who you're talking about. Does the meeting mean that you have captured him and it's the same guy?"

  "No sir. We have been able to track his comings and goings. We have identified three cities that we believe he has done recon work in. What we need from you sir, is the travel plans of the President so we can crosscheck."

  Wainright didn't say anything at first.

  "Let me get this straight. Still no confirmation that it really is the right guy, and all you want me to do is supply the Presidents travel plans. Is that about it?"

  "Look Sir, I know it isn't much, but we know he is here in the US. He came in on a Cayman flight. We know he is still with Wells and that he somehow knows the places the President plans to visit. We need to confirm this so we don't waste time looking in the wrong direction."

 

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