In the Dead of the Night

by Spear, Terry

  “Nope, Dale said she’s out of reach for the moment.”

  Allan stared at the fire, filled with concern. “Something’s really wrong about this whole case. I’ve said it all along, and I’m determined to find out what one way or another. Got your cell phone?”

  Cameron nodded and handed his to him.

  Allan punched in some numbers, having every intention of hearing the truth from Agency headquarters. “Sir, Thompson. What’s the true story concerning Jenny Brant and Thurman Wilson?”

  Chapter 19

  Thurman kicked the body of his double, now a corpse, as it lay like road-kill in the short grass of the West Texas landscape, several hundred feet from his home. Houses were scattered an eighth of a mile apart from one another. None of his neighbors would concern themselves with a weapon discharging way out here. “Who would have thought the bastard would die from the shock of having a bullet in the shoulder? Damned wimp,” he said more to himself than to Caruso who smoked a cigarette nearby, or the terrorists’ doctor, who was supposed to remove the bullet afterward.

  Thurman jabbed the knife in the double’s side to finish the disfigurement that would mirror his own old wounds. “Take care of him,” he said afterward to the doctor. Then he looked over at Caruso. “Everything else a go?”

  “Sure is, boss. We’ll fake the accident and everything should be in place after that.”

  “We’d better get Jenny this time.”

  “As soon as she makes an appearance at her home outside of Waco, she’s yours. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Thurman nodded. He already had the cords in the bedroom he planned to use to tie her to the bed frame. She’d been shy with his making love to her before, and that type of woman normally didn’t appeal. But the money was all too important to blow his relationship with her. Now the money was out of his reach. He cursed under his breath.

  But it wasn’t just the money he wanted to get his hands on. The two times he’d managed to get her into bed certainly hadn’t been enough. Once she was his, he would move her to South America for a while. Then he would enjoy her all over again, no holds barred this time.

  ***

  Early the next morning at the lakeside cottage, Jenny woke to an empty bed. She hurried to dress in jeans, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Time to climb a mountain, and then, whatever her boss said came next. For now, she would enjoy the “honeymoon” with her new husband.

  When she entered the living area, Dale motioned to the porch. “He’s out getting a breath of fresh air.”

  She banged around in the kitchen, then turned when she heard footsteps behind her.

  Allan wore a pale blue T-shirt and sexy looking denim shorts that cupped his crotch lovingly. His tanned muscular legs could probably sprint all the way up to the top of the mountain as good a shape as they appeared to be in. He grinned at the way she eyed him, then wrapped his arms around her. “Hmm, you sure are lively at night.”

  She whispered back, “You sure poked me a lot.”

  “I was just testing you to see if you were agreeable. You opened the door right up every time.”

  She chuckled. “Well, you certainly have all the right moves.” She kissed his mouth, sweetened by orange juice and slightly salty, flavored by the hickory-smoked sausages he must have eaten earlier. “Hmm, you taste good enough to eat for breakfast.”

  He patted her behind. “Got to get you up that mountain before lunchtime.”

  She wondered what he’d been up to when she’d stirred later that night, and he wasn’t in bed. Low voices in the living room, made her think he’d been talking Agency business. For the moment, she wasn’t going to worry about it. Garcia would get the word to her when she was to return to finish her mission.

  After breakfast, Lantham, Samuel, and Dale accompanied Allan and Jenny on the trek. The first part of the trail began in Monadnock State Park, forested with spruce, shaded, cool, the path spongy covered with needles, leaves and soil, making their step springy that morning.

  Each carried a backpack, except for Jenny. Allan insisted on carrying her lunch for her, being the gentleman he was. She smiled at him as he gripped her fingers on their stroll.

  The trail stretched wide enough for five or six people at this point to walk, but Samuel and Lantham followed Allan and Jenny while Dale led the pack to ensure they protected Jenny, ever wary of fellow trekkers.

  The brief level stretch switched to a moderately steep slope still surrounded by forest that got her heart muscle pumping a little faster, and her legs working a little harder. For three quarters of a mile, the trail continued like this, with rocks breaking out from time to time, a foreshadowing of what the mountain would become as they continued their trek.

  Dale got a call on his cell phone. He spoke with a hushed tone, then nodded to Allan.

  So far, all was well, Jenny assumed.

  The terrain leveled out near Falcon Spring. Refreshingly cold and tasty water bubbled from the spring, and log benches provided a resting spot for a couple of moments to catch their breath. Though Jenny noticed, she seemed to be the only one attempting to catch her wind. Guess, with her injury, she was more out of shape than she thought.

  Three trails forked off the main trail as they continued on their way past the spring. White Dot Trail was the one Dale selected that led straight ahead. Jenny pointed to White Cross Trail to the left. “Don’t you want to go up that one?”

  “A quarter of a mile longer than the other. Another two miles up is long enough for you to go today,” Allan said, “after the injury you suffered.”

  She smiled. Always her knight. She took his hand. “All right, lead the way, Dale.”

  “This way we can make it up to the peak more quickly,” Allan said, grinning at her.

  “Yeah,” she whispered back to him. “You want to return to the cottage for a nap sooner.”

  “You bet.”

  He helped her up the steep incline where the path changed from mostly dirt to rocks and tree roots. Eventually the trail widened, well-worn but rough, dipping up and down the mountain, making the three-quarter mile trek seem like three miles instead.

  Several times the party stopped for Jenny to catch her breath. Allan squeezed her hand. “Are you all right? No reason to try to make it up to the top if you’re getting worn out.”

  “I’m absolutely going to make it to the top. No telling when I can come back here.”

  “Yeah, well, you tell me if you’re feeling too tired. It’ll be awful hard for me to carry you down from some of the steepest areas, if you become incapacitated.”

  “We could just stay the night.”

  He laughed. “Need more privacy for that.”

  As the elevation increased, the bare rock face replaced the broken rock in areas. One of the slopes up the bare rock face was nearly a thirty degrees slope, extending forty-five feet. Jenny rested her hands on her thighs as she stared at the monolithic stone.

  When they reached the larger rock faces, the trees thinned, becoming shorter and sparser. They took a breather to look behind them at the spectacular view of the New England landscape, a sea of green forests, dotted with blue lakes. The trail finally lost some of its steepness and leveled out near the deciduous tree line. They turned west toward the upper junction of the White Cross Trail, when Dale got another call.

  They all paused. He nodded. “Gotcha, boss. We still have a ways to go. I’ll tell him.” He turned to Allan. “Boss has some news, but he said to enjoy our climb. I’m to call him when we’re on our way back to the cottage.”

  A chill snaked down Jenny’s spine as Allan gripped her hand tighter. She knew without Garcia telling them the news…something was up with Wilson. She assumed Wilson had no idea where she was, or Garcia would have ordered them off the mountain at once. Something else had to have happened.

  Several false summits followed this, giving the appearance the top was near. Wending their way to the peak, all that was left to traverse was solid rock. But Jenny’s mind remained on G
arcia’s mysterious call. She was sure the others were dying to know what was up as well.

  The climb remained steep, but had points to pause and take a breath. Treacherous areas of broken rock begged a hiker to step carefully or risk a twisted ankle. Twice they passed by hikers who couldn’t go any farther. There were no safety nets, no nice rock steps, or railings to provide any security. Just a huge naked rock pointing to the sky, the sheer sides dropping away to the trees down below. Nature at its best and its deadliest.

  After an exhaustive climb, they reached the summit. Groups of twos, threes and fours stood at the top looking out at the sea of green trees and mountains off in the distance. One male hiker had stretched out on the bare rock summit and fallen asleep with his head resting on his backpack. Others clicked their cameras at the views and some, like Jenny and her gang, prepared to eat lunch.

  Allan pulled her to the edge of the cliff, then handed her a ham sandwich and Coke. The other agents drifted off to watch their backs from nearby.

  “This is sure beautiful.” Jenny took a deep breath of the fresh, cool air, remembering now how amazing the vista was. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”

  “I was worried there for a minute I’d have to haul you up here on my back.”

  Allan pulled her to sit on the rock, and she nestled between his legs. Because the day remained clear, with just wispy clouds floating in the bright blue sky, Boston could be seen on the southeast horizon. Northeast, Mount Washington stood at attention. The Green Mountains and Berkshire poked into the sky, too. Blue lakes looked like ponds dotted across the landscape as a stiff cool breeze flowed over the top of the summit.

  Jenny shuddered. Allan wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Cold?”

  “Got heated up with the climb, but it’s almost chilly up here.” She caught Dale lifting his cell phone to his ear, and when she did, Allan turned to see what caught her eye.

  Dale’s face was grim and she wondered what now? When he hung up, he headed in their direction, and she knew the news couldn’t be good.

  Allan squeezed her hand as Dale closed the gap between them. “What’s up?”

  “Good news, the boss says,” Dale remarked, but the way his voice remained dark, Jenny surmised it wasn’t really good news. “He wants us to hike back down now and pack up. As soon as we’re in the vehicle, he wants you to call him back, and he’ll give you the details.”

  Jenny wished they could fly back down using a magic carpet, as she figured Allan was anxious to know what had happened, too. She tugged at Allan’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “Are you sure you’re rested enough?”

  No way could she rest, knowing something was up with Garcia. “Yes, I’ll be fine. If everyone stays out of my way, I’ll just slide down the rock face.”

  Allan pulled her close and kissed her lips. “And give me a heart attack.” He nodded his head to the other agents, signaling them it was time to go.

  Dale said, “I’ll help Jenny down the steep inclines from in front.”

  Allan motioned to Lantham to go first, then Dale followed.

  “All right. Let’s go.” Allan held Jenny’s hand as he stalked toward the edge of the cliff.

  With Dale stretching his arms out, he helped Jenny to slide down the steep rock face as Allan reached out from above, holding her hand until she could step on the next tiny ledge. When they’d reached the trail again where the trees began to offer shade, the five speeded up their pace.

  Though Allan asked repeatedly if Jenny needed a rest, she continually said no. He assumed she was just as anxious to know what was going on with Wilson. Whatever Garcia had to say had to be important, and he suspected it was time to move on Wilson.

  The idea Jenny hated Wilson, but continued to see him had plagued Allan’s waking thoughts. And when he’d talked to Garcia last night, he hadn’t made anything any clearer. Allan had discussed the situation with his partners and was glad they’d all agreed. The case had turned out to be the strangest one they’d ever worked. Twists and turns they’d never fathomed. The Agency’s plan to use Jenny as bait would top them all, if that’s what they intended. He was certain the call Dale received would set up some kind of a situation where Jenny would need to be returned home, and Allan and his partners would be given another mission, something that had to be dealt with immediately. His stomach tightened. No way was she going home alone.

  Everyone stalked at a brisk pace to the SUV. As soon as they’d climbed into the car, Lantham pulled out of the park and onto the main road.

  Allan lifted his cell phone from his belt and hoped he didn’t appear too anxious. Lantham concentrated on his driving, and Dale looked out the window, pretending not to worry. But Jenny watched Allan like she was a cat ready to pounce on a leaf tossed in the breeze.

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Thompson here,” he said to Garcia.

  “Wilson’s dead.” Garcia’s voice remained wooden. Shouldn’t he have been more enthusiastic? At once Allan’s senses were alerted that something wasn’t right. “We found his body half burned in a vehicle outside of Waco. Bad accident. He’d run into a concrete pylon holding up one of the overpasses on Interstate 35. We think he might have had a heart attack.”

  Allan stared at Jenny, not sure the whole nightmarish situation with Wilson could have been resolved without a fight. “Are you certain? It’s not just some poor sucker he used as a double?”

  Jenny’s brows lifted as her lips parted slightly.

  “We’ve got dental records to prove it.”

  “Verified by whom? Couldn’t they have been forged?”

  “The case is over, Thompson. You and your men have another crucial assignment at the moment. We’ve made arrangements for you to nullify the marriage to Jenny. You’ll be off the hook, and she can resume her normal life.”

  Allan swallowed hard. He wanted Jenny safe, and he wanted to stay married to her. Yet, how would she feel now that she could go back to her life, saddled with a man who couldn’t always be there for her? He should be with her once she returned home, taking care of her every night, chasing away the nightmares she would no doubt have.

  “Thompson?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Tell her you’re ready to annul the marriage, unless of course the two of you have a change of heart. In any event, you and your men are to be in Portland, Oregon by week’s end. There’s a suspected terrorist living on a horse ranch in the countryside.”

  Allan’s blood heated. “Yes, sir.” He wasn’t ready to take on another assignment. Not when his gut instincts told him this one wasn’t over yet.

  “Any other questions?”

  “We usually get a break from one hot assignment to another. Don’t we get one this time? The guys need to see their wives.”

  “I have my teams spread out too thin as it is. You have two days.”

  Allan pulled Jenny close and hugged her against his body.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Allan snapped his phone shut, then shoved it into its pouch. He loved his job, normally…the excitement, the feeling he was really making a difference in the world, the good guys against the bad. But he couldn’t help worrying about Jenny.

  He rubbed her arm as her inquisitive green eyes studied him.

  “What’s wrong, Allan?” Dale asked.

  “They’ve found the bastard dead.”

  Jenny took a breath and seemed to hold it.

  “No,” Dale said, his green eyes shifting from Allan to Jenny, then back again. “Is the boss sure?”

  Jenny’s face paled. Allan squeezed her tightly. “The boss says so.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dale asked, his voice wary.

  They’d been friends for too long for Allan to hide anything from him. “It’s all too simple.” He wrapped an arm around Jenny’s shoulder as she listened quietly, her brow wrinkled with concern. “He crashes his vehicle into a bridge and dies.”

  “A double,” Dale said under his bre
ath, expressing what Allan and the rest of his partners were sure to assume.

  “Yeah, only the boss says his dental records proved it was him.”

  “Forged?” Dale asked.

  Allan took a deep breath. That’s what he believed. The whole thing was an elaborate ruse. And the Agency knew it. They were using Jenny as bait.

  Allan fumed. His blood pressure had to have risen to unhealthy levels as angry as he was.

  “So what’s next on the agenda?” Dale asked, folding his arms.

  Allan had no intention of mentioning the idea of an annulment to her in front of his partners. He wanted to keep Jenny forever, but he wanted her to make the choice. If she decided she wanted an annulment…

  He’d have to convince her otherwise. “The boss said everyone could go home and see their families for the next couple of days. We have another assignment after that.”

  Dale ran his hands through his hair. “So what’s the plan now?”

  Allan knew Dale was looking for direction, some other guidance than he’d already given him, but he couldn’t give it to him. All he could suggest his team members do was what the boss told him to relay to them. “You’ll go home and see your wives, as the boss said.”

  Cameron blew out his breath.

  His partners weren’t buying the Agency’s position any more than Allan was.

  “What about you and Jenny?” Dale asked.

  “She and I need to talk.”

  Cameron cleared his throat. “Maybe we can have a moment to discuss this other assignment also.”

  Nothing more was spoken until they arrived back at the cabin. After waking Beasley and Samuel, Allan explained what the boss had relayed to him about Wilson and their new assignment in Oregon. Then Allan cleared his throat. “Jenny and I are going to take a walk.”

  “Backup?” Dale asked.

  “Yeah, you know it.”

  Dale raised his brows, acknowledging that he recognized Allan believed Jenny wasn’t in the clear yet. “You’ve got it.”