The Adults in the Room

by Jeffrey Mechling

  “Stuff it in your butt, Tim,” Pam remarked as she walked out the front door. Tim smiled at the housekeeper and followed Pam back to the car.

  “So, what was your new friend telling you about her employers that you found so fucking interesting?”

  “You just hate it when I can do something that you can’t, don’t you, Pam?”

  “Cut the shit, Tim, and tell me what the maid told you.”

  “She said that she heard them arguing last night and that they’re planning on leaving town. To where, she did not know, but they are apparently freaking out. They are at their office right now, but she didn’t know for how long.”

  Pam had already started the car and was speeding to the gate. The rent-a-cop got out of the booth to say something, but he quickly retreated. Pam obviously had no intention of stopping.

  “Slow down, Pam! The last thing we need now is a ticket,” Tim cautioned.

  The Sunday morning traffic was light, and Pam’s speed was approaching 80 mph. For some reason, the Commonwealth of Virginia had passed a law that considered speeds greater than 80 mph to be reckless driving, which carried almost the same penalties as driving under the influence of alcohol. On the other hand, the speed limit on some of the state’s rural interstate highways was 70 mph, so a mere 10 mph over the speed limit would get you cited for reckless driving. Tim was sure that the state legislators in Richmond felt that they were just trying to protect the drivers from excessive speeds. After all, it was easy to pass laws, and the voters thought it looked good. Yet they were also applying undue pressure to the state police and court systems.

  “I have never received a speeding ticket,” Pam told Tim, “but not because I’ve never been pulled over.”

  “What do you do, flirt with the cop?”

  “No, I just mention the name of the county’s liaison officer and say that I’m on official Agency business. Most of them don’t even check.”

  Most of the local police departments in the District, Maryland, and Virginia had an officer, usually a captain, who acted as a liaison between the local and Federal law enforcement and intelligence communities. Although the CIA was not a domestic law enforcement agency, there were situations where an agent might find themselves in a compromising position. In these types of cases, the liaison officer would step in...but not for the purpose of fixing speeding tickets.

  “You certainly do push your luck,” Tim remarked.

  “Oh, cut me a break. You would do the exact same thing if you could.”

  They stopped at a traffic light in front of the local outlet mall. Pam took a post-it note off of the dashboard and scribbled a name on it, then handed the note to Tim.

  “Look, if something happens to us today and I’m not around, call this guy. He will at least listen to what you have to say and won’t think you’re some kind of nut.”

  Tim looked at the note. It read Captain Paul Henderson, LCSO. There was also a phone number.

  “Thank you, Pam,” he said. “I really do appreciate it.”

  And Tim did. The two of them had probably broken at least three laws already today, and it wasn’t even noon yet.

  Chapter 27

  As Pam drove into the Lansdowne Hospital complex, Tim was thankful that is was not a Monday or any other weekday. The parking lot for the medical offices was no more than a quarter full, so finding a space would not be a problem. As a matter of fact, the problem was finding the right space. Pam wanted to park behind the building with her car at an angle, which would prevent anyone from parking to close to her new Mercedes. Tim, on the other hand, thought that parking in the middle of a vacant parking lot would attract attention. After considering this, Pam finally agreed that parking at an angle would be a little too conspicuous and decided to park with a group of other cars closer to the hospital.

  At this point, Tim felt that this had to be the strangest operation he’d ever been involved in. He was keenly aware that the country was on the verge of collapse and that his and Pam’s lives were in grave danger, yet they were arguing about where to park.

  “So how do you think we should do this, Tim?” Pam asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been a B and E guy,” Tim replied as he looked around. Across the lot next to the medical building was an Audi parked in the Doctors Only spaces. “It looks like they’re here. What do we do if the door is locked? I kind of doubt they will open if we knock.”

  “I got that covered,” Pam replied as she reached into her bag and produced a set of lock picks. “I did take a course in this, but it’s been a while.”

  “And locks change all of the time,” Tim added.

  “Fuck it, let’s just get this done,” Pam declared as she got out of the car and began to walk towards the building. Tim got out as well and had to hurry in order to catch up to his wife.

  “I hope you still have your Deputy Marshal ID, Tim,” Pam asked, but did not seem to care to hear the answer. She was focused on the building and the front door. “There may be security at the desk—”

  “But yeah, let you do the talking,” Tim finished. Although it was Tim who was really interested in interviewing the two doctors, it was apparent that Pam now wanted to as well. Tim could tell that she was angry at being double-crossed by Sebastian. This indicated to Tim that Pam would want to take the lead in the interview, which did scare him. Pam could be headstrong and was certainly capable of screwing this up. The last thing either of them needed was for the two doctors to clam up.

  As they entered the building, there did not seem to be any security whatsoever, just an empty desk. Tim looked it over, but it did not appear that anyone had used it recently. The doctors’ office was on the fourth floor, and Pam had already pushed the elevator call button.

  A loud ding sound soon followed, and the two elevator doors opened wide. Tim pressed the button for the fourth floor. When the doors reopened, Tim and Pam stepped out slowly, since neither knew what to expect. The medical building was rectangular in shape, and suite 420 would be at the end of the hall. Tim and Pam both turned to the left and slowly walked to the office.

  When they reached the office door, Pam placed her finger to her lips and pressed her ear to the wood. She nodded, indicating that she could hear that both doctors were in the office. Pam then motioned for Tim to produce his gun, placing her hand on her own pistol and slowly removing it from her holster. Pam next placed her hand on the doorknob and smiled when she discovered that the door was unlocked. She turned the knob and counted, “One, two...”

  On three, Pam pushed open the door with her shoulder, and Tim followed in behind her.

  Opening the door activated a chime, which the two doctors apparently did not hear. Pam and Tim stood alone in the waiting room.

  The doctors were in separate offices but speaking to one another through an interconnecting door. There was also a television on, showing Meet the Press. The subject, of course, was the condition of the President. Tim motioned to Pam that he would enter Dr. Jennifer’s office first if she covered Dr. Justice. Pam nodded to indicate that she understood the plan.

  Tim silently counted it off, then raised his Glock using both hands and kicked open Dr. Jennifer’s door. Tim saw that her head was down as she read a document, but she quickly looked up and saw Tim.

  “You!” Dr. Jennifer screamed, staring at him. “Richard, run!”

  Tim heard motion in the next office and a door opening, but his attention and the Glock remained trained on Dr. Jennifer.

  “Freeze, fat boy, or you’re fucking dead,” Tim heard Pam command from out in the waiting room. He then turned his attention back to Jennifer.

  “I need you to slowly place your hands behind your head and lace your fingers together,” Tim said as he paced around to Jennifer’s left side. He did not see any weapons. He also noticed that Jennifer was sitting in an office chair with wheels.

  He next looked at Jennifer’s face to gauge how she was reacting. She did appear to be somewhat afraid.

  “Ok
ay, Jennifer, I need you to relax,” he said once she’d complied. “We have no intention of hurting you or Dr. Justice, but if you do try anything, you may get seriously hurt. Now, I need you to slowly push your chair back away from your desk using your feet. Slowly, now.”

  Jennifer pushed her chair back until it was close to the window. Meanwhile, Tim could hear Pam speaking softly to Dr. Justice and next what sounded like handcuffs closing; then, the sound of duct tape peeling off the roll.

  “Do you have everything under control out there?” Tim yelled to Pam, careful not to use her name.

  Yeah, we will be in there in ten seconds.”

  Tim was still focused on Jennifer, afraid to take his eyes off her until Pam came in. He had to admit to himself that he just was not very good at this kind of thing.

  “Okay, fat boy, let’s go.”

  Tim moved aside as Dr. Richard Justice entered the room. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and Pam had wrapped duct tape around his head two or three times to gag him. Pam took Dr. Justice by the shoulders, turned him around, and pushed him onto the couch.

  Pam next looked at Jennifer. “Okay, honey, it’s your turn. I don’t trust this one,” she added to Tim. “If she tries anything while I’m securing her, shoot her. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get out of the way.”

  Pam pulled a pair of handcuffs from her bag and walked behind Jennifer, grabbing one of Jennifer’s wrists to place the cuff on it. She then took Jennifer’s other wrist and placed it behind the back of her chair, effectively handcuffing her to the chair. Pam then took a roll of duct tape and wrapped it around Jennifer’s ankles five or six times. “You can lower your firearm,” she assured Tim. “Neither of these two are going anywhere.”

  “How did you learn how to do all of this so efficiently, Pam?” Tim figured there was no longer any point to not using names.

  “Oh, I had a day-long class with the Marshals, learning how to effectively restrain fugitives. It was a blast, and we all went out for drinks afterwards.”

  Tim once again thought that his wife had joined the wrong agency.

  “So, Tim, pull up a chair and let’s start talking,” Pam said.

  “I don’t know what you two want, but just take what you need and leave,” Jennifer interjected.

  Ignoring her, Tim pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Jennifer’s desk. “Okay, Nurse Jennifer. Or is it Doctor?”

  “It’s Dr. Lockwood to you,” Jennifer said, attempting to take control of the interview.

  Tim looked at Jennifer for almost a full minute but did not say a word. Finally, he turned to Pam.

  “You better make sure the door is locked, Pam. I think this is going to take a while.”

  Pam laughed and walked out to the waiting room.

  “Jennifer, my wife and I are your last hope. Sebastian and his henchmen will be coming soon to kill you, but I think you’ve already figured that out. But when they do come, there will not be any talking. Just shooting.”

  “Fuck you,” Jennifer said.

  All of a sudden, there came the sound of a key entering a lock and then a door opening. Tim looked at Jennifer and saw a very worried look.

  “Shut her up,” Pam whispered, referring to Jennifer. Tim stepped behind Jennifer and placed his right hand over her mouth. Jennifer tried her best to bite it, but Tim held firm.

  “Mom? Dad? I’m back with the Starbucks.” It was a young woman, probably college age. And it was their kid.

  She walked directly into her mother’s office and saw Tim with his hand over her mother’s mouth. She would have screamed if not for Pam grabbing her from behind.

  Pam took the young woman’s arm and twisted it behind her back. “Tim, get a roll of tape.” When he obeyed, Pam quickly forced the young woman onto her stomach and tied her wrists with the duct tape.

  “What’s your name?” Tim asked

  “Joanna,” the young woman sobbed.

  “Okay, Joanna, just relax,” Pam told her, “and I promise you will not be hurt.” She quickly finished tying and gagging the young woman.

  “So, what do we do now, Pam?” Tim wanted to know.

  Pam motioned Tim to follow her into a corner of the room. When he did, she hissed, “This is a stroke of luck, Tim. Those two weren’t talking before, but I bet they’ll start now.”

  “Yeah, I know, I know,” Tim agreed.

  Pam looked around and saw two keys hanging on the wall behind the receptionist’s desk. Pam took one of the keys. “Tim, pick Joanna up and follow me.”

  Tim did as Pam ordered, following her to the office door and out into the hall. Pam then used the key to open the door to the ladies’ restroom. She entered, and Tim followed with Joanna. Pam opened one of the stalls and placed Joanna on a toilet. Pam then took the roll of duct tape and wrapped the tape around Joanna’s waist and the pipe, securing her to the seat.

  Pam knelt down to speak with her. “Joanna, I’m sorry that we had to do this to you and to your parents, but everything will be all right. You will only have to stay here for an hour or so, and we will make sure someone comes and finds you, okay?”

  Joanna nodded. “Okay,” Pam said again, then walked with Tim back to the hallway.

  “Tim, when we get back in there, I will question the fat man. You take Jennifer,” she ordered. “Tell Jennifer that if she doesn’t cooperate, she will never see her kid again.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Tim responded.

  Pam glared at him. “Look, Tim, I don’t like doing this either, but it’s the only way we are going to find out what we need to know. Do you understand?”

  Tim nodded

  “Then let’s get this done.”

  Tim and Pam reentered the doctor’s office to find Justice on the floor while Jennifer was struggling. Pam and Tim took it to be a good sign, since it showed that the two doctors were becoming desperate. Pam and Tim walked over to Justice and got him to his feet.

  “Come on, fat boy,” Pam told Justice. “You and I need to talk.” Pam directed Justice back to his office.

  Tim waited until they were gone, and then looked at Jennifer as if he were considering something. Jennifer spat at Tim, which landed on his pants leg. Tim raised his right leg and pushed Jennifer’s rolling chair across the room. The chair hit the wall and then fell over to one side. Tim took his Glock out and pulled back the slide until it clicked.

  “We have your kid now, Jennifer, and all it will take is one text from me and she’s dead. Now start talking. Start at the beginning and tell me what happened in China.”

  “Sebastian Oak is behind it all,” Jennifer gasped. “Please don’t hurt my child!”

  “That is fucking up to you, Jennifer. Continue.”

  “Sebastian has been moving intellectual property to the Chinese.”

  “Why?” Tim wanted to know.

  “Money, just for money, but he needed to get you out of the way, so he came to us before he left and wanted some drugs that would make you lose your memory. He had us make up some syringes with Propanol, which he injected you with at some point. I don’t know when.”

  “Okay, Jennifer. Now tell me what happened when I came home from China and what happened in Santa Domingo.”

  “Richard and I thought that we were done with all of this. I mean, we really never wanted to be involved in the first place, but we received an overseas call from Sebastian telling us that we needed to meet him at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. So, we drive up there in the middle of the night, and we meet him at the front gate. Sebastian and these MPs take us to an airplane hangar for a private jet. Sebastian takes us on the jet, and we see that it’s a medical transport plane with a patient. The patient is hooked up to monitoring devices and IVs, plus he is also wrapped in bandages. So, Sebastian orders everyone off the plane except me and Richard. He takes the bandages off the face of the patient, and for the first time we see that it’s you. You appeared to be comatose, but all of your vitals looked good to me.”

  “What’s your med
ical background, Jennifer?” Tim thought this might be good to know.

  “I attended Harvard Medical School and did a residency in Emergency Medicine at John Hopkins and at Baltimore Shock Trauma.”

  “And you know Dr. Gray, my neurologist?”

  “Yes, I know Felix, and I’m crushed that he’s dead,” Jennifer said, appearing to mean it.

  “Just so you know, Pam and I are trying to make sure that you and your husband do not suffer the same fate. So, let’s get back to the airplane.”

  “Yeah, so I checked your vitals, and you looked stable to me. Hey, would you mind picking me up off the floor?”

  Tim looked to make sure that Jennifer was still secured to her chair. She was, but one of the handcuffs was beginning to cut into her wrist. Tim rubbed it to try to return some of the circulation.

  “You know, that would be a lot easier if you removed these handcuffs,” Jennifer suggested in a way that made Tim almost comply with the request.

  “Forget about it, honey,” Pam said. Tim turned to see her standing in the door.

  “Tim?” Pam motioned him to come toward her and spoke to him in a low voice. “I can tell you’re really out of practice. This woman is starting to play you. Remember, she is a mother, and the only thing she’s thinking about right now is saving her daughter. We are making progress, so please focus on the task at hand.”

  Tim nodded to indicate that he understood. Pam was correct, of course, and he thought once again about how much better than him she was at doing this kind of work. When Tim was in the field, all he did was find out information, take that information to base, and talk about what it meant. Pam was more hands-on. In any event, Tim was happy that she was with him.

  Tim walked back and sat opposite Jennifer again. He decided to change his tactics. “Okay, Dr. Lockwood,” he began, “how is your wrist?”

  “Fine, besides losing circulation. I didn’t know your wife was such a bitch, Tim.”

  “Yes, she is, and I’m doing my best to make sure she does not murder your family. So, let’s get back to me and the airplane in the hangar.”