by Mark Lemke
CHAPTER 36
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Pete slowed our car as we prepared to pass through the security gate to the power plant.? In the short line of cars full of employees and contractors, Pete and I were just two more guys heading in to the plant for the graveyard shift just before midnight.? Maintenance personnel and contractors work eight-hour shifts instead of twelve-hour shifts like the operators.?
Pete pulled out the car pass I'd been issued, put it on the dashboard, and proceeded through the gate into the owner-controlled area.? The guard at the gate didn't check the pass to see if it matched the car or the driver.? It was late and there was a line of cars processing in.? He looked at the pass to make sure it was the correct color for this quarter and waved us through the gate and onto the access road.?
This was only the owner-controlled area.? We still had miles of access road to traverse before we got to the parking lots.? To get into the plant itself, which is inside the protected area, I would have to go through the security building where I would use the badge I'd been given.? Obviously I couldn't do that now without my presence becoming known.?
We proceeded up the access road, careful not to exceed the posted speed limits. Along the way, we discussed the change in plans required by my conversation with Prichard.
"You need to get to LA," I told Pete.? "You need to find and rescue the shift manager's family.? We don't know where they are, but we can bet they're holed up somewhere near Disneyland.? It would be safer for Jansen if they didn't move around with a woman and two young kids."
We passed through some beautiful scenic areas on our way up the road to the plant.? Gently rolling hills, covered with white oak trees and Manzanita, leading down to the Pacific Ocean.? But tonight wasn't the time for sightseeing.? We kept moving steadily toward the plant, in the line of graveyard workers who knew nothing of what was about to happen.
"We can also assume Jansen isn't in Orange County anymore.? He's going to want to be here to control things.? So he's probably left the wife and kids with someone else.? That's your job.? We need the shift manager on our side.? You know the drill."
"Got it, boss.? I'll need to loop back to the cabin and pick up a few things.? I'm going to need to do some work on the plane."? The private jet that flew Pete and the team in was on standby at the Ukiah airport. ?"Do we have any intel at all?"?
"Nothing hard, but we can assume Jansen moved her to another location, though I doubt it'll be far away from the motel they were staying in.? My bet would be a rental house nearby.? They probably set this up in the last week or two, so there shouldn't be too many of those to look through.? They'd need some transportation, so they likely rented a car.? But we don't know if that's going to be traceable or not.? Jansen would use a false ID, so that'll be a dead end."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to just steal one and not risk tipping off the FBI through a rental car agency?"
"Stealing a car could get the attention of the law quicker than using a false ID.? So I doubt it."
"What about the FBI?? They got anything useful for us?" Pete asked as he slowed around a dark curve in the road.
"The FBI picked up on some cell phone traffic.? That's all we know.? You might be able to trace them through their phone, but you'll have to narrow down the search parameters a bit. I'll call Marti and see if she can get you any additional information.? I'll have her call you on the plane."
"It's not a lot to go on," Pete said almost absentmindedly, as if working through some ideas in his head.?We drove on in silence for a while, each of us weighing our next moves, possible outcomes, and unexpected problems.?
There was a turnout up ahead, usually used by big trucks that go slower than the rest of the traffic, to allow the faster cars to go by.? Right now, it was Pete who was driving slowly.? He needed an excuse to pull off the road, and a long line of cars behind him would do the trick.? Just prior to getting to the plant, Pete pulled off the side of the road on the last turnout and came to a stop.? He rolled his window down and waved everyone by.? The cars behind him gratefully picked up speed as they passed.? No one wanted to be late for his shift.
After the line of cars passed by, leaving us alone on the dark coastal road, Pete popped the trunk release as I quickly got out of the car.? I grabbed a large bag, closed the trunk, and slipped into the brush on the side of the road.? I didn't look back at Pete.? We didn't need to exchange words or wish each other luck.? We each had a seemingly impossible task to do and needed to get to it.?
Hidden in the brush, I heard Pete get back on the road, hang a U-turn, and head back to the front gate. I made sure I was well off the road and out of sight of any cars that might be heading in.? Fortunately, there weren't any in sight.? The terrain was rugged and filled with brush. ?It was also almost midnight, with any moonlight obscured by low clouds, so I had no problems concealing myself.? I could see the light from the plant, which was just over the next hill.? This was close enough, I thought to myself.?
I got out my night vision gear and scanned the coastline about 40 feet below me.? The NVG allowed me to pick up heat signatures from several hundred feet away.? Against the backdrop of the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, I had no problem picking out the shape of a lone person in a small skiff, staying very close to the coastline and moving slowly toward the plant intake area.? Good.?
The air was cold and wet, yet somehow, I didn't notice.? I needed to make a phone call.