by H. L. Wegley
“I’m on my way.”
When Bastian left, Peterson seemed to relax. He sighed and looked at Lee. “Back to the subject at hand. We recovered one assault rifle from the SUV and a Glock from the lady. But, Lee, you said you saw more weapons.”
“Jennifer and I saw at least two automatic weapons when they fired at her car.”
At his comment, her head popped up, “Speak for yourself. Remember who was driving?”
“And driving incredibly,” he said. “It’s a miracle we escaped them on the freeway.” He studied her face, hoping her anger would stop boiling to the surface.
“It was…a miracle.” Her voice had softened.
“About the weapons…I saw three assault rifles shortly before I left the mountain to come down here.” He had finally steered the conversation to the trap.
Jennifer’s head snapped towards him. Her eyes glared. “Lee, you weren’t supposed to see any guns—not supposed to be taking chances. You promised you wouldn’t do that, remember?”
He thought he had steered the conversation in a better direction.
Maybe his best chance to get back into her good graces was simply to tell the truth about his plan and hope for the best. He tried again to introduce the subject of the trap. “You’ll find the unaccounted for weapons in a cave I led them to on this side of the ridge.”
Peterson’s eyebrows raised, and he cleared his throat. “Please tell me, Lee, why you think these terrorists would abandon their weapons in some cave, especially since they needed them to kill you, and then get away.”
On the words “kill you,” Jennifer glared at him.
“It’s a long story, Peterson, but they had literally a million reasons for leaving their guns behind. It was all part of a plan Jennifer and I—”
Jennifer jumped to her feet. “He’s about to tell you the same baloney he told me before he sent me down the mountain and then stayed up there for fun and games.” Her voice grew louder. “You can’t—”
“All right, you two!” Peterson’s gavel came down hard. “I can see there is something festering just under the surface. But if you’ll just stick to communicating the facts for the next few minutes I’ll leave you alone shortly to sort out the…uh…other stuff.”
“Jenn, Agent Peterson, I need to tell you the part of our plan I…well…didn’t fully disclose to Jennifer.”
Jennifer’s entire body jerked at his last words.
He hurried to make his case before Jennifer could interrupt him. “It was a plan to get Jennifer down here safely and it worked. It could have stopped the goons right there on the mountain. It appears it nearly did.”
“I only called it baloney because I can’t think of a single thing you could have done to stop the goons and get away, short of magically turning into some superhero.” Jennifer spoke softly.
“That’s because you didn’t grow up with Colby and me.”
“With whom?”
At least her tone was civil.
“The buddy I mentioned several times while we were on the mountain. That was Colby. You see, Agent Peterson, we experienced something terrifying up there in mid-March right after a La Nina winter much like the one we just came through. We discovered a cave northeast of the spire and about three hundred yards down the south side of the ridge.”
Peterson shuffled his feet and frowned. “Please continue, but spare us the unnecessary details.”
He realized he was speaking half to Jennifer and half to Peterson.
Obviously, the tall FBI agent wasn’t going to tolerate any more of that.
Lee took a deep breath, exhaled, and rewound his story. “OK. We found a cave where some bears hibernate every winter. After a cold winter like we just came through, they seem to stay in the cave until early March. They leave behind an incredible infestation of fleas. After a couple of weeks of multiplying and not having food, the fleas are ravenous and they number into the millions.”
He paused to let the facts sink in. “When my buddy and I walked into the cave in mid-March, about twenty feet in, the fleas all leaped in unison. They completely coated us and nearly ate us alive. When we ran out of the cave we were literally black all over. The pain was unbearable and those little devils just kept penetrating deeper into unbitten territory. We couldn’t stop screaming. We had no choice but to shed our clothes and wash the fleas off our bodies in a snow-fed stream. It takes a while. Then we had to shake the fleas out of our clothes before getting dressed. That whole process can take from thirty minutes to an hour. I figured the goons would be held up long enough for Jennifer to tell the police where the cars were and for the police to catch the goons before they could escape.”
Peterson frowned and cocked his head. “Did you really believe hardened terrorists would stop to get rid of some fleas?”
“Believe me, Peterson, the pain is unbearable and the feeling of defilement, while it’s a psychological thing, is overpowering.”
“I’ll take your word on that. Apparently it did just that.”
“Is that what you meant by intimacy with the mountain?” Jennifer asked.
He nodded.
But was Peterson buying his story?
From his expression Lee couldn’t tell.
Peterson sat rubbing his chin. “Now tell us again how you got them to the cave?”
“OK. When Jennifer was well down the road I made some clear tracks leading up to the mouth of the cave. Then I went back to the spire and waited for the goons…and the gooness, to stop looking for Jennifer and me in the caves. When they came out at the base of the spire I started a small rock slide and I let them see me running away towards the tracks leading to the cave.”
“You gave them a clear shot at you? You promised not to take any chances!” Jennifer’s volume rose.
He desperately needed diminuendo. “I was careful, honest.”
Jennifer still glared at him, unappeased.
He cleared his throat and continued. “Well, by the time the goons climbed up to the spire I had already jumped from the trail and hid in a saddle a quarter mile away. From there I could see the cave, but I still had quick access to the old logging road and a short run down to this place.” He paused and checked Jennifer’s reaction. “The goons took the bait and went into the cave three abreast, each carrying an assault rifle. Within a few seconds there was all kinds of shrieking and screaming coming from the cave. The goons came running out without their guns and without half of their clothes—-they ripped the other half off while they ran from the cave.”
“You mean you actually pulled that off?” Peterson’s brow was furled and his head cocked.
“Lured them into the cave, yes. But they were doing all of the pulling off. That’s when I ran down here.”
Peterson sat still for moment, processing the story. Then he began a belly-shaking laugh—a whole series of belly-shaking guffaws.
Jennifer’s angry look turned to a smile which grew into a giggle.
Soon, the three of them laughed loud and long.
The remaining tension and anxiety of the previous eighteen hours drained from Jennifer and him, while Peterson acquired a story he would probably enjoy sharing with his cohorts for a long time to come.
When their laughter subsided, he caught his breath. “And so, Agent Peterson, do you think those other guns are still in the cave?”
“I’d bet money on it.”
An idea popped into his head. “I noticed that you and Bastian…well…things don’t go smoothly when you two work together, do they?”
“When you have a young partner that comes with the territory,” Peterson managed between chuckles.
“Well, sir, you could send Bastian up to retrieve the guns.” He joked. “But he better wear a hazmat suit.”
Peterson shook his head and continued to chuckle.
Lee caught Jennifer looking at him. Her eyes were something less than hostile.
Carpe diem.
“Please forgive me?” He mouthed the words.
Still chuckling, Peterson stood. “Well, I think we’ve got enough to go on for now. I’ll leave you two here for a bit. When Joe Morrison gets here we’ll talk about the computer issues you uncovered.”
The moment the door closed behind Peterson, Lee swiveled his chair to face Jennifer. He placed his hand on her cheek and gently turned her face towards him. There was no resistance. He tried to carpe diem again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you or deceive you. I just wanted to keep you safe and to make sure the goons would be caught.”
Jennifer’s gaze bored into him again. “No. That’s not all you wanted. Don’t lie to me again.”
This was not going well, so he decided to do what any red-blooded male would do when a relationship with someone like Jennifer was on the line. “I’ll do anything you want—anything for you to forgive me. Just tell me—”
“I liked you better as the tough mountain man—my hero, who saved me from the goons. But you’re just…just a…groveling wimp!”
“You know me better than that.” He paused and took a calming breath. “Jenn…you’re right. I wanted something else, too. For what they did to us I wanted revenge. And when the screaming started and their clothes flew off, I got it.”
Forgive me, Lord…
Jennifer stared into his eyes for several seconds, studying them. There were no traces of anger in her eyes or on her face. “Well, at least you finally told me the truth. But if we’re ever in danger again…”
Again? Was she implying there would be an “again” for them?
She sat quietly waiting. “Now that you’re back…as I was saying, in the future you’d better spill your guts up front not after the fact. I won’t be kept in the dark. Is that understood?”
He struggled hard to suppress a strong urge to wrap his arms around her. “Understood. No secret plans—ever.”
Jennifer’s eyes softened farther. “There’s more here than just me demanding honesty. I don’t want to lose anyone I care for again. I’ve gone through that once and I can’t—” She stopped and her mouth closed.
Jennifer said “care for” and placed him in a category with the person she felt closest to, her dad.
“Do you ever again intend to be chased by thugs, shot at, and hide out in caves all night?”
“No, of course not.”
“Neither do I. And I promise you, with all those same intentions, I’ll never endanger—”
“OK, here’s the deal. You break your promise and you have to run the flea cave in your underwear on March 19th.” Though her expression contained a smile, the intense stare from those all-knowing brown eyes told him she would hold his feet to the fire on the issue of honesty. She had actually relented.
Forgiven him.
Relief flooded over Lee’s tense body and mind. He tried to return her smile. “You sure drive a hard bargain when it comes to forgiveness.”
“Am I worth it?” She studied his face.
“Yeah, at least two or three runs through the cave.”
Jennifer stood and he followed her cue. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek into his chest. Her bear hug reminded him of her arm strength when she yanked him into the crevice on the cavern wall. It was long on bear and a little short on hug, but he reveled in it.
“I forgive you, but don’t do that to me again. Ever. You have two strikes on you now.”
“Jenn, two strikes? Which two?”
“You’re a guy and you deceived me.”
He hadn’t even seen the first pitch and the second was a little outside.
“Howie warned me,” he mumbled.
“Howie? I knew it. Do you realize Howie was playing matchmaker Friday night?”
“Was he successful?”
Her only reply was the enigmatic smile.
19
Lee deceived Jennifer and she forgave him. According to Howie this was out of character for her. She had done something extremely difficult for her. That spoke volumes.
He stood looking at this beautiful woman.
The two stood facing each other with both pairs of hands clasped, when the door popped open.
Peterson stuck his head in. “Looks like the…other stuff has been taken care of. Anyone in here need some coffee?” Peterson entered carrying a coffeepot and a package of Styrofoam cups.
Jennifer nodded and grabbed a cup.
He took a cup, too. His anxiety had drained away taking the benefit of adrenaline with it. Any coffee was most welcome. “It’s not gourmet coffee, but right now I’ll take anything with caffeine in it.”
Peterson placed the coffee pot on the workbench lining one side of the room. “Joe Morrison and someone who says he’s your boss are on their way here to see you. They should arrive in a few minutes, as will Bastian with Agent Stewart from NSA.”
Lee quickly rehearsed the scenario that would soon play out. He stepped close to Jennifer and took her free hand. “You need to know what to expect when my boss and Joe Morrison, the fellow you didn’t get to meet yesterday evening, get here.”
She dropped his hand. “OK, but is there anything important you haven’t told me?”
Was Jennifer looking for strike three? If he was going down on strikes he would at least go down swinging. “It would have been taken care of when we met with Joe.”
“I’m not in any trouble with National Aerospace, am I? You said I could count on you, remember, ‘have no fear, Lee is here’?”
But he had fear.
I fear I’m an idiot.
He remembered his words and her reaction to them. “Let me finish first and then the three of us can get consensus on the subject.”
She set her coffee cup on the workbench. “You didn’t lead me into some bug-infested cave right from the get-go, did you?”
“No, but you know the badge I got for—”
“It didn’t authorize me to do much, did it?” Jennifer folded her arms across her chest.
“No. Just visit the facility with me as your escort. It was my decision, and mine alone, to disclose certain information to you. It was also my decision to allow you computer access to gather the intelligence to identify the conspirators. So in theory it’s my head on the block, not yours.”
Her arms still folded, Jennifer frowned. “In theory, huh. National Aerospace will understand all that and why you brought me into the investigation, won’t they?”
Lee followed the negative trend in Jennifer’s body language. Her pitch was a wicked slider breaking over the plate. With two strikes he at least had to foul it away. “I didn’t follow established protocols for bringing you in. Though we had no direct access to classified or restricted data I’m hoping your clearance through NSA and the NSA agent who’s coming will vouch for you and smooth things over with Joe Morrison. Technically, you’re cleared for everything but National Aerospace proprietary information. And your need to know—well, that’s a matter of interpretation.”
Peterson stared across the room, wrinkled his brow and pinched his chin.
Lee hoped he had something helpful in mind.
“Considering that Jennifer is cleared,” Peterson spoke slowly, “and that NSA and the FBI will go to bat for her I think all we really need to do is have her sign a nondisclosure agreement with National Aerospace.” Peterson’s words now came in a steady flow. “That would resolve the whole issue without anyone becoming too upset. Besides, there’s nothing about this affair that National Aerospace would want to be in the press. If that cute face were plastered on the front page of every newspaper and on every TV screen in America accompanied by bad press for National Aerospace—well, I just can’t see them letting that happen.”
He agreed with everything Peterson said, except for one thing. Jennifer’s face was in no way cute. It was absolutely, stunningly beautiful. But this wasn’t the forum for such a discussion. He glanced at Jennifer. Her arms were no longer folded. She appeared more embarrassed than wo
rried by this turn in the discussion.
Lee heard the door behind him opened.
A familiar voice came over his shoulder. “What in the world have you stirred up now?” Joe asked as he walked around to an empty chair.
It was a good thing they had a game plan for this.
When Joe turned to be seated Lee could see the smile on his face. That was good. But it also meant Barry was here. He prayed the NSA agent was, too.
As Barry entered the makeshift conference room a dark-suited stranger followed. The stranger was followed by Agent Bastian.
Thank you, Lord.
Even without NSA’s help Lee already decided nobody would run roughshod over Jennifer. If they tried he had another bug-infested cave waiting for them.
“Brandt?” That wasn’t a good sign. Barry never called him that. “You’re in a lot of trouble. I want to know everything you and that student from the university found out. You compromised our security by bringing her in.” Barry was always quick to speak and to throw his weight around.
Lee wasn’t sure how much Joe knew about the security breach. But since Barry’s attack was all threat and no substance Joe must not have revealed any details of this case to Barry. He would let Barry run for a while giving him some rope. If Barry started to come down on Jennifer he would yank the noose, hard.
“You disclosed proprietary company and classified military information to her all without proper authorization.”
You shouldn’t have said that, Barry.
Barry continued his rant. “You could lose your job—even spend a little time in prison along with your college—”
“Barry, that’s enough!” His voice surprised him with its ferocity. “You will leave Jennifer out of this. Her participation was absolutely necessary to discover the terrorist and drug-cartel activity within National Aerospace. She connected the dots and located the hackers they were using to get inside our firewalls.”
Barry’s mouth had closed and his eyes bulged at the words “terrorist and drug cartel activity.” Barry’s mouth opened again. “But—”
“I don’t like buts, Barry. And if you even mention prosecuting Jennifer, or damaging her career in any way, yours is in trouble. You will see page after page in the press detailing how National Aerospace let terrorists and drug lords infiltrate the computing system that you and our illustrious CEO outsourced to a foreign company, giving away American jobs in the process. Besides, Jennifer has a Top Secret SCI clearance. I don’t even think you know what that is. And she routinely works with the FBI and NSA. In case you haven’t noticed both of those organizations are represented in this room.”