by Terry Spear
Their hearts raced like the wind. Shots rang out. They dropped to the ground.
For several minutes, they listened. With no further noise other than the raucous sound of crickets and cicadas singing their mating dance, Dave said, “Come on. Let’s head back to the road. The shots were fired from the other side of the river.”
They helped each other to stand, and they both groaned and chuckled. “Sorry, Dave, we’re some pair.”
“How would you like to go to Hawaii with me?”
She stared at him as the morning’s early light gave him a slight halo. “I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii. Sugar white sand beaches, crystal clear aqua waters, colorful umbrellas dotting the sand, but it’s not happening anytime soon.”
“Sure. We could rent a couple of rooms at the Hale Koa. Use your military ID. Charlie and Marilyn could go along.”
“Marilyn and I wouldn’t make very compatible bunkmates.”
He chuckled. “Really, Deidre, it hurts to laugh.”
“I’m serious. I imagine the first night I’d break one of those fake nails of hers, just for the fun of it. And I’m not normally a violent person.”
Groaning, he squeezed her shoulder. “Just think all you would miss, luaus on the beach with torches blowing in the ocean breeze, gals dancing in their skimpy grass skirts—”
“That’s what interests you, not me. Now the guys in their short skirts—”
Dave leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Wouldn’t you like to dance the hula with me?”
“Heavens no. I’m really quite shy, didn’t Charlie tell you? But now I wouldn’t mind another night at a dance club—”
“We’ll have to arrange it sometime soon. Still I’m not giving up on Hawaii yet. I think you’re the kind of girl who has to think on something for a time. After a few more days, you’ll be ready to go.”
She squeezed his waist. “If we could flick a wand and be there in a heartbeat, I’d go right now. But when I’m back to my senses, sitting at my desk at Fort Hood, I’d say absolutely not.”
“Shh.”
They stopped walking. Voices ahead made them quicken their step over the gnarled underbrush. Drawing close, they saw the redheaded man speaking to someone else.
Deidre and Dave crouched low.
The redhead said, “Yeah, two of the vehicles were swept away. The rest of them are searching for the others.”
“What of our men?”
“Cross is dead. Couldn’t find any sign of Laston.”
“And the shooting?”
“Unless they’re shooting at Laston or he’s shooting at them, I don’t have a clue.”
“You know what the boss says. If we don’t kill those two—”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And if we don’t find that manuscript—”
“Maybe the author didn’t send out a copy like we thought.”
“The literary agent’s log showed it was sent in. Aren’t you going to get that leg of yours looked after? It’s swelling and looking pretty nasty.”
“Yeah, but I got another hour before I really have to worry about anything.” He threw a cigarette butt on the ground, then limped to an SUV parked nearby.
“I’ll hang around here a while longer.”
The redhead grunted, then climbed into his car and drove off.
“Hey!” Ricky shouted, but still not in their line of sight. He must have heard voices and thought it was some of his team.
The man pulled out his gun. Dave struggled with his safety catch. Deidre grabbed his gun when it cleared the holster. Before he could stop her, she sprinted toward the man.
“Hold it there, mister!” she shouted, trying to give Ricky time to shoot him.
She had to let him know he was headed for danger. That’s all she intended to do. She anchored her feet to the ground just as if she’d been doing weapon’s training. She couldn’t shoot the man in cold blood, and her hands shook slightly with the notion.
Dave crashed through the underbrush behind her, still some ways away.
The man turned to her and smiled. “FBI?”
“Assistant G-1!”
“What?”
“And combat ready!”
“Hold it right there!” Ricky yelled as he came up behind him. The man whirled around and fired a shot. Ricky crumpled, but he got off a shot. Deidre squeezed the trigger, once, twice. No response. The killer held his chest and turned to shoot her.
Crouched on the road, his left arm dangling, Ricky fired again. The killer collapsed to the pavement.
“Jeez, Deidre.” Dave grabbed the gun from her with one hand while still holding his ribs with the other as he made his way to the two men.
Deidre dashed to Ricky. “Are you going to be all right?” He nodded and gave her a toothy grin. She smiled back. “Okay, where are you hurt?”
“In the shoulder.”
“Guess you earned a vacation.” She turned to Dave. “Have you got anything to stop the bleeding?”
“I do!” Bill ran up the road. He yanked his shirt off, then tore it into strips.
Dave felt the killer’s wrist. “Where are the rest of our men?”
“Johnson was wrestling with an alligator, the last I saw.”
Dave frowned at him.
“He killed it. Johnson was pretty mad. The gator chewed up his boot. Tore a chunk out of his new denim pants, too. I think Johnson really wanted to skin it and make a pair of leather boots from the hide. He dragged the damn thing for nearly a quarter of a mile.”
“And the others?”
“No sign of them yet.”
“Charlie?”
“As far as I know, they’re still in the vehicle on the causeway.”
“They’re on the wrong side of the bridge. Anyone got a cell phone that works?”
Bill pulled his phone out and shook the water from it. He punched some buttons and shook his head. “Guess they’re not waterproof.”
“Is he dead?” Ricky pointed at the killer.
“Dead.” Dave frowned at Deidre.
“Yeah.” Ricky nodded. “She did all right, Boss.”
“She could’ve been shot.”
She wanted to tell Dave he couldn’t have moved fast enough with his bruised ribs, but she bit her tongue. She certainly didn’t want to put him down in front of his men. She also worried if he was too badly injured, would they remove him from the case? Most probably. Then what would she do? Go with him. Jeez, she was nuts. She had her career to think of, and he had his.
Bill looked back at the washed-out road. “What now?”
“See if there’s a vehicle somewhere up the road belonging to this yahoo.”
“Sure.” Bill dashed off.
Dave crouched beside Ricky. “Are you going to be all right, Bud?”
“Yeah, you know me, Boss. I’ve got to have one of these a year to keep me in my prime.”
Deidre held Ricky’s hand, then turned to Dave. “What about the dead man? Does he have a phone? A dry phone?”
***
Dave jerked the man’s jacket aside and smiled. He pulled a phone from his shirt pocket, then punched in the numbers on the killer’s cell phone for the driver of Charlie’s car. “It’s me. How’s it going with you?”
“Hey, Boss, we’ve got everyone from the other vehicle. Who all are we missing?”
“We’re gathering the crew this side of the wash out. We’re waiting on Johnson. You head back an alternate route. We’ll meet in Orlando.”
“Charlie wants to talk to you.”
Before Dave could say a word, Charlie broke in, “I want to speak to Deidre.”
“Sure, Charlie.”
Deidre cleared her throat. “Are you all right?” She took a deep breath.
“Yeah, well they didn’t want me out looking for you and getting myself killed,” Charlie said, sounding irritated that he couldn’t have searched for her. “But I’m fine.”
Dave touched her shoulder, intent on getting them on their way.
She nodded to him. “I need another good bath, Charlie. We’ll see you in Orlando soon. No Disney World for me. You can take Marilyn with you. Bye.”
Bill hollered to them from down the road, “Got a car, just need his keys, and we’re good to go!”
Dave took the phone from Deidre. “We’ve got a car. As soon as we round up Johnson, we’ll be out of here. See you in Orlando.” He clipped the phone to his belt. “Let’s get Ricky into the car. We’ll throw the other guy in the trunk.”
“Hey!” Johnson hollered.
Dave shook his head to see Johnson carrying the skin of the alligator over his back.
“Aren’t they on the endangered list?” Deidre asked.
“Not when they’re biting!” Johnson retorted.
Dave turned to Deidre. “Guy’s a hunter—big game, little game, you name it.” He waved at Johnson. “Okay, help me get this guy in the trunk.”
Johnson stared at the dead man. “Damn, who shot him dead? Aren’t we supposed to keep them alive for questioning?”
Chapter 16
Deidre smiled when Dave turned to look at her. She pointed to Johnson’s leathery, green-tinged, alligator mantel. “Guess it was a bit of overkill, kind of like your dead friend there.”
Ricky groaned as he climbed into the car. “If she hadn’t alerted me that he was one of the bad guys, he would have killed me for certain.”
The rest slipped into the vehicle, soaking wet and muddy. Johnson wiped the mud off his cheek with a wet handkerchief. “We’ll all be fighting for the shower when we get the rooms.”
“Ladies first.” Deidre rested her hand on Dave’s thigh. He wrapped his fingers around hers. Just a simple gesture of intimacy sent a cascade of warmth through her. More than anything, she wished they could continue to see each other beyond his current mission, but once the job ended, she knew they’d be through.
Johnson turned to face her. “Why is it women want equal rights, but not truly equal treatment?”
“I thought you guys were supposed to be tough, manly men. Don’t tell me you carry an umbrella in a light rain shower, too?”
He was a giant of a man, six foot, six in height, with angular features and a slight underbite, but had pools of azure eyes framed in dark lashes. The notion such a man would fight a woman for the shower, amused her.
Dave and Bill chuckled. Dave squeezed her hand lightly. “Guess she’s got you pegged, Johnson. Didn’t I warn you she has an uncanny way of profiling folks?”
***
After leaving Ricky at the hospital and the killer at the morgue, the rest of the party retired to a classy hotel in Orlando. Crystal chandeliers sparkled in the marble entryway as the muddy party of four walked inside. “Electricity,” Dave murmured.
Deidre stared at the shop windows displaying exclusive men’s and women’s clothing from glittery gowns to high-priced tuxes. She twisted her mouth in distress. “We have nothing to change into after we shower. Our luggage was lost with the vehicle.”
Dave motioned to Johnson with his head. “Check and see where our rooms are.” He slipped his muddy arm through Deidre’s and walked her to the restrooms in the lobby. “Wash up a bit, then we’ll check out some clothes.”
A few minutes later, Deidre joined Dave, their hands, arms and faces freshly cleaned. Their clothes still were damp and dirty and Dave’s wet shoes squeaked and hers squished as they walked into a shop.
The clerk, dressed in a linen dress of the highest quality, stuck her nose up slightly as she looked down at Deidre. “May I help you?”
Dave spoke, “We need the works.” He gave Deidre a nudge toward the dresses. “Select whatever you need. I’ll personally pick up the tab.”
“But I have to pay for the Hale Koa in Hawaii.” She quirked an eyebrow.
He chuckled. “It still hurts to laugh.”
The woman followed Deidre around the racks while she looked over her shoulder to watch Dave. Deidre finally turned to her. “We’re usually dressed a tad worse than this, but we knew we were going to a really classy joint so we dressed up for the occasion.”
The woman distinctly grunted in annoyance. Deidre pulled out a black cocktail-length dress. Dave squeezed up behind her and smiled. “Looks nice.”
His wet body against hers warmed her up. Right then and there she wanted him to wrap his arms around and hold her tight—no matter how bad they looked. She took a deep breath. “They don’t have anything here that normal people wear.”
He laughed. “You want to try it on?”
Deidre fingered the strap of the gown. “I probably have tons of mud inside my clothes. You know, trying to catch crabs the way in which we did it, wasn’t the right way, I don’t think. I certainly didn’t catch a one.”
The woman huffed off.
“I guess I could buy it, take my shower, and if it doesn’t fit, you could bring it down here to exchange?”
“That works for me, Deidre.”
She looked around the store. “Miss, you don’t carry lingerie?”
“No.”
“I guess I could go without,” Deidre said.
Dave ran his hand over her shoulder. “That’d be all right with me.”
The clerk glared at them. “There’s one a couple of shops down.”
Deidre nodded. “Okay. Did you find something you liked, Dave?”
He held up a pair of black slacks and a black and white pinstriped shirt.
“Looks good.”
After paying for the purchases, they walked to the lingerie shop. Dave rubbed his chin. “Nothing here for me. Guess I’ll have to go without.” He winked at her, making her cheeks instantly warm.
Deidre hurried to pick out the undergarments she needed, then turned to see Dave observing her. “You know you could be a gentleman and turn away.”
“Have to pay for them, don’t I?” He pointed to her muddy shoes. “We’ve got to find something to replace those. We’re going dancing tonight.”
She kissed his cheek. “Won’t it be a bit dangerous?” Glancing down at her shoes, she frowned. “You don’t think these would do? I could rinse them off.”
“No, I want you gliding in my arms tonight and those have rubber soles. As far as the danger, the guys will check everyone out before we go to the club.”
She touched his chest, lightly. “Are you sure my dancing with you won’t hurt you too much?”
“Not if you’re gentle with me.”
“I’ll certainly try to be.”
“Ahem,” the sales clerk said. “Did you need anything else?” Her eyes turned to new customers dressed as clientele normally would for such a ritzy hotel.
“Come on, Dave. Let’s get those dancing shoes on and have a good time.”
“Wait. Let’s get some bathing suits while we’re at it. There’s a pool topside.”
“On top of the hotel?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Outside?”
He smiled. “With a view of the city lights and everything.”
“And it has a high wall wrapped around it?”
He laughed and slipped his fingers through hers, then pulled her out of the shop.
***
“Wow.” Deidre brushed out her hair as she walked out of the bedroom. “Heated bathrobes and everything.” She ran her hand over her robe. “How did we ever get so lucky, Dave?”
Dave moved in close and kissed her heavily on the lips. “Man, no more mud freckles, and I swear those blue eyes of yours are more brilliant than usual.” He waved his hand at the table filled with food. “And room service, too.” They sat down to enjoy the meal. “I need to get caught up on some paperwork pertaining to the case. Maybe you could get some rest. I know your back has got to be bothering you, and we have a date tonight.”
She pulled a shrimp from its shell with her teeth and nodded. “I wouldn’t miss dancing with you for the world.” She studied his trim form in his permanently pressed slacks and shirt. “How’d you get cleaned up so fast?”
“Used the room next door. Guys don’t take as long and since most of the others didn’t take a dunk in the river, they didn’t need to get cleaned up like us.”
She looked up from her meal and smiled as he watched her as if he wanted to memorize every detail of her face. Why? Because he knew it would end for them all too soon? “What is it, Dave?”
He shook his head and concentrated on his shrimp again. It was times like these she wished she could read minds instead of seeing the future.
After the meal, Deidre kissed Dave on the cheek, totally wearied from their swim in the river. “More later.” Too tired to do anything else, she walked back into the bedroom and slipped into bed. Every part of her body was drained of energy. She definitely wanted to be refreshed for the evening’s activities.
Dave watched her from the doorway for a moment and smiled. “Pleasant dreams, Deidre.” He shut the door tight.
What was bothering him, she wondered? But her mind was too groggy to think on it further. Soon after she closed her eyes, the red canyons returned to her sleep-time visions. The red canyons where she would fall and meet her untimely death? Were they visions of something to come or just a nonsensical nightmare?
The sun reflected off the red clay. She squinted her eyes. Someone appeared, but not the one who she normally encountered. Someone else, she couldn’t see. Her body tensed with frustration, and her skin freckled with perspiration.
The sun shone too bright, situated halfway to the earth already, like an orange ball of flame. And then it dipped low enough that she could see—it was him. The redheaded man. His hair was colored the same as the cliffs, only he wasn’t standing before the canyon.
She twisted her head in her pillow. Where? Huge metal pans banged around against stainless steel counters. A kitchen? Not a family’s kitchen though. A restaurant? Where? His teeth shown slightly yellowed—coffee stained? Or tobacco?
He waited for her, taunting her to come.
She moaned in exasperation. Where was he? She would stop him. She had to. But her legs wouldn’t move. And then he ducked out of sight. She had to follow him. But she was frozen—with indecision? Why? She had to stop him. What was there to decide about? Something else was stopping her, but what?