Easy Shot

by Smith, Dean Wesley

  Bonnie retrieved her badge from her purse while Craig showed his.

  There was a moment of uneasy tension as the man studied both badges. “Seems fine,” he said, nodding and handing the badges back. Then he extended his hand, smiling. “Steve Parsons, Senator Knight’s assistant. Come on in.”

  Craig shook his hand, then Bonnie did. Parsons’ hand felt firm and warm, and his smile was winning without being too patronizing. Bonnie liked this guy at first glance. More than likely it was that skill that had gotten him the job with a powerful senator at such a young age.

  “Sorry to bother you and the Senator like this,” Craig said as Parsons led them into the massive suite, “but we felt we had to tell someone what we heard.”

  “No problem,” Parson’s said. “We were just finishing up some paperwork before the weekend golf tournament. You can never get away from the stuff.”

  “I know how that feels,” Craig said.

  Bonnie got into the main area of the suite and simply stopped and stared. She had thought their room to be wonderful, but now it seemed much more like a regular hotel room. This suite clearly had numerous bedrooms and a massive living room and kitchen, all decorated in the soft earth and wood tones. The square footage was clearly more than their entire home.

  “You sure got me intrigued,” a voice came from around the corner in the kitchen. It also wasn’t one of the voices on the path.

  A moment later a refrigerator door closed and Senator Knight stepped toward them. He was holding a can of soda and wearing golf slacks and a polo shirt. He was also barefoot.

  Bonnie was taken aback at the man’s presence. His full head of gray hair seemed to shimmer and his smile filled the room. He extended his hand to her first. “I’m Darren Knight,” he said, his voice firm.

  Bonnie shook his firm hand and returned his smile. “Bonnie Stanley,” she said. “And this is my husband Craig Frakes.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Senator,” Craig said.

  “Likewise, Detective,” the Senator said, indicating they should take a seat. “And just so you know, on your way up here Parsons there called Seattle to make sure you two are who you say you are. You got glowing recommendations all around.”

  “Nice to know,” Bonnie said.

  “So what’s this all about?” the Senator asked as he dropped down into one of the big chairs. Parsons took the other, leaving the massive couch to Craig and Bonnie.

  Bonnie sat back, leaving Craig to sit on the edge of the couch and do the talking.

  Craig explained that he and Bonnie had gone out for a walk and decided to sit behind a rock near the cart path to watch the stars.

  At that Senator Knight gave her a smile. Bonnie could feel her face redden slightly. She had no doubt the Senator knew what they had been doing, but had the good taste to say nothing.

  “We heard two voices coming down the path from the hotel,” Craig said. “Men’s voices.”

  “And they were talking about me?” Senator Knight asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Craig said. “Let me see if I can tell you word-for-word what we heard.”

  Bonnie listened as Craig went on to tell the Senator almost exactly the conversation they had heard. She doubted she could have relayed the words so accurately, but that was part of what Craig did every day.

  When he had finished, Senator Knight turned to Bonnie. “Is this what you heard as well?” he asked. “Did your husband miss anything?”

  She liked the man’s question. He was being careful and making sure everything was clear. “I don’t think he missed a word, Senator,” Bonnie said. “And he added nothing.”

  The Senator nodded. “They didn’t know you were there?”

  “They didn’t,” Craig said. “And we made sure they were long gone before we moved. We went back to our room. We didn’t know of any senator near here, so I called the desk, asking to be put through to someone on the Senator’s staff, to see if there was even a senator here. They connected me to you.”

  “They did?” Parsons said, shaking his head. “That will change.”

  Bonnie smiled at the guy. Clearly someone in the hotel had screwed up and Parsons was going to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  Craig went on. “Can you see why we thought you and your security people should be notified?”

  The Senator laughed. “Sure, but I’m afraid you are looking at my security team and my entire traveling staff.”

  Parsons sort of half-waved at Bonnie’s stunned look.

  Bonnie was shocked. She didn’t know why, but she expected someone as important as Senator Knight to have security around him.

  “Oh,” Craig said, glancing at Parsons who only looked worried in return.

  You know,” the Senator said, laughing, “I get threats and hate mail all the time in my line of work. Almost all of them turn out to be nut cases. Harmless fools who think that threatening a Senator will get something done.”

  “Has anyone threatened you here?” Bonnie asked, not really believing that the Senator wasn’t worried.

  “Nope,” the Senator said. “Just here to play a few days golf in this charity tournament on my way back to Washington.”

  “Senator,” Craig said, “I also deal with nut cases every day. And I don’t think this is one time that should be taken lightly.”

  “I agree,” Parsons said.

  The Senator looked at Bonnie.

  She nodded. “This sounded very serious. And since it is not something you knew about, or two of your staff speaking in a code, we have to assume the two men’s words meant what we thought.”

  “Is there any kind of government protection you could get?” Craig asked.

  The Senator laughed, his smile filling the room. Bonnie had never seen someone so assured and comfortable in such an odd situation.

  “I’m afraid there isn’t much,” the Senator said.

  “And really nothing that could help us this weekend,” Parsons said. “The Capital security is geared to function in Washington.”

  “How about the Secret Service?” Bonnie asked. “Or maybe the FBI?”

  The Senator shook his head. “Mostly the Secret Service is only for the President and past Presidents, vice Presidents, top White House Staff, Cabinet members, and others in direct line of succession to the Presidency. That bunch keeps them more than busy.”

  “We should call the local FBI,” Parsons said, nodding to Bonnie.

  She smiled back. She knew there had to be some branch of government who could help protect a Senator.

  The Senator nodded and looked at Craig. “You don’t mind telling the FBI what you heard?”

  “Not at all,” Craig said. “There’s also an ex-Seattle cop working as a detective in the Scottsdale police force. I could give him a call as well.”

  Before the Senator could object, Parsons said, “I think that would be a good idea, Detective.”

  The Senator smiled at his assistant. “Just don’t think of canceling me out of this golf tournament. I’ve been looking forward to this for a month.”

  “So have we,” Bonnie said. And if she had her way, this problem wasn’t going to get in the way of either the golf tournament or their vacation.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Friday, April 7th

  10:39 p.m.

  THE HEAT HAD been almost too much for Steph Baines to bear. The men with weapons had led her out of her apartment and into the back of an older panel van. The windows in the back doors had been covered and there was a partition between the cargo area and the front seats that had no door or window in it.

  When the van’s doors were closed, two of the masked men had tied her up and put her on the metal floor in the back of the van. Her feet were tied with a twine that cut into the flesh around her ankles and her hands were yanked behind her back and tied with a softer rope.

  Then they had left, shutting and clearly latching the van door. Then she had heard them climb into the front of the van and start the engine. She co
uld sit up, but not comfortably. Every corner the van took had sent her sprawling on the metal floor. Finally, after twenty minutes of trying to stay sitting, she had given up and remained on her side, her feet braced against the side of the van to help stop her from sliding around.

  This was all the worst nightmare she could have ever imagined. She had simply taken the morning off from school to help Danny get ready for the weekend golf tournament. During the entire drive all she could think was wonder why had they picked her?

  And what did they have in mind for her?

  She had tried not to think about that second question, mostly without luck. Everything her imagination had come up with was too horrible to even consider.

  For an eternity the van had seemed to drive on a freeway. She had moved around enough to find a half-comfortable position. The heat also kept getting worse and worse and sweat ended up coating her skin and streaking her with the dirt and dust from the floor.

  During one smooth stretch of road she had managed to move over to a sharp edge sticking out of one wall and work the rope around her wrists against it. But before she could get it cut, the van had jerked and she had cut herself. Her blood had felt warm dripping off her fingers and down her back. She had had no idea how bad she had sliced herself, but she hadn’t tried cutting the rope again. After a few minutes the bleeding had stopped. She had no doubt that if she had cut herself deeply, she would have bled to death before any of the men even noticed or cared.

  Finally, after a bunch of turns and starts and stops, the van had stopped and the engine had shut off.

  No one had opened the door to the van.

  No one had come to give her water.

  The sun had just baked the van into an oven.

  For an eternity she had just sat there until finally she lay down and let the heat take her.

  The next thing she knew a man was saying, “Here, drink this.”

  She felt wonderful, cool water pour over her lips and she had managed to choke a little of it down.

  “Stupid idiots,” the man said. “They almost killed you.”

  She had let more of the water in and swallowed, then had opened her eyes enough to see the unmasked man who had kidnapped her.

  The guy smiled. “Good, glad you’re still with us lady.” He turned to someone beside her that she couldn’t see. “Take her inside and get her situated in the second bathroom.”

  She had felt hands roughly pick her up and carry her just before the world left her again.

  Now the darkness seemed to push back one more time as she came to again. This time she was lying on a soft rug on a small bathroom floor. Her hands and feet were untied and a bright light was on over the bathroom mirror.

  Slowly, fighting the dizziness, she pulled herself up to a kneeling position and turned on the water in the sink. Using her hand as a cup she managed to drink a little more before slumping back to the wonderful coolness of the floor.

  She just knew that in a short time she’d wake up beside Danny and this would all be a nightmare, that he would hold her and help her get over.

  All she had to do was wake up.

  She lay on her back, staring up at the bathroom light, waiting.

  But the nightmare just wouldn’t go away.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Friday, April 7th

  11:12 p.m.

  IT HAD TAKEN Parsons two phone calls to get an FBI agent on the way.

  Craig had used a second line at the same time to get in touch with Detective Hagar Daniels, formally of Seattle, now part of the Scottsdale police force.

  Twenty minutes later Hagar had arrived at the Senator’s suite, followed in less than a minute by John Maxwell of the FBI.

  Bonnie remembered Hagar from his time in the Seattle force. He was a big man, well over six-four, with broad shoulders, a small gut, and a sense of humor that seemed almost too dry. He arrived wearing white Bermuda shorts, a golf shirt, and sandals.

  Maxwell, from the FBI, was even more casually dressed in jeans, a Grateful Dead tee-shirt, and a Phoenix Suns baseball cap. He stood about Craig’s height at six foot, and was trim and clearly in shape. His most striking feature were his deep blue eyes that Bonnie felt saw everything.

  Maxwell and Hagar clearly knew each other, and liked each other. Bonnie had a sneaking hunch they had worked together a number of times before and didn’t have the rivalry that sometimes happened between local cops and the FBI.

  After all the introductions and badge exchanges were finished, the Senator had the two new arrivals join them in the large living room area of the suite and then had Craig relay exactly, word-for-word, what he and Bonnie had heard.

  Bonnie was again amazed at how exact he got everything. There were times her husband impressed her and this was one of them.

  After Craig had finished with the story and how he had informed the Senator, Hagar whistled softly. Then he said, “No wonder you called us.”

  Maxwell faced the Senator. “You don’t have any friends or co-workers here with you besides Mr. Parsons?”

  Bonnie liked the question. It was along the same lines that she and Craig had first thought might be a possibility.

  “I sure don’t,” Senator Knight said. “It’s just the two of us. I seldom travel with anyone else, do I?”

  Parsons nodded his agreement, but said nothing.

  “No meetings planned this weekend?” Maxwell asked.

  “Just with my putter and thirty-six holes of golf,” the Senator said, laughing.

  “One more question,” Maxwell said. “Has any person in this area threatened you lately?”

  The Senator looked at his assistant. “I never read those kind of letters,” he said. “You know of anyone?”

  Parsons shook his head slowly. “All the threatening letters are back in the office in Washington. I don’t remember any lately from this area, but I could have that checked in the morning.”

  “I think getting someone to do it tonight might be a better idea,” Craig said.

  Bonnie completely agreed. The morning might be too late.

  Maxwell nodded. “I agree. I’ll have someone from the Washington bureau meet one of your staff members tonight to go through the letters.”

  Parsons laughed. “Jenny, the Senator’s secretary, isn’t going to be happy.”

  The Senator joined in. “Got that right. Monday in the office is going to be hell.”

  “Better than no Monday,” Maxwell said seriously.

  Bonnie agreed, but the Senator just waved a hand dismissing the somber tone. It seemed that even though this was his life they were all worried about, the Senator wasn’t going to let it bother him. He was here to have fun and damned if he was going to let anything like someone threatening his life get in the way.

  But if he wasn’t going to be worried, Bonnie knew that the rest of them had to worry for him. Which meant they had to stay close to him, and during a golf tournament, that wasn’t going to be easy to do.

  “Senator?” Bonnie said, “who are you planning on playing with in the tournament tomorrow?”

  “They got me scheduled with a young, hot pro from the Sedona area,” the Senator said. “Beyond that, I don’t have any idea.”

  “Well,” Bonnie said, smiling at the Senator, “Craig and I are here to play as well. Mind if we join you?”

  “Dear Ms. Stanley,” the Senator said, “that would be my pleasure.”

  Bonnie could feel herself blushing slightly again. Why the Senator did that to her she had no idea. Out of the corner of her eye she could see both Craig and Hagar nodding, clearly agreeing with the idea of she and Craig playing the round with the Senator.

  “Well, people,” the Senator said, standing. “My tee time is at eight-forty-six in the morning, and I plan on getting a good night’s sleep. Thank you all for your concern.”

  With that he headed into the bedroom to the right of the living area and shut the door.

  His exit felt sudden to Bonnie, but correct. There was nothing
more he could do now, so he left the planning in the hands of the people who knew what they were doing. He was clearly a person who knew how to delegate and was used to doing just that.

  One hour later, Craig and Bonnie left, heading for their room.

  Bonnie was tired, and they had to be up early for the tee time, but she knew there was no chance she could get to sleep at once after all that had happened. She wasn’t sure she was going to get much sleep the entire night.

  An FBI agent was standing at the end of the corridor as they headed for the elevator, clearly on post for the evening. He nodded good night to them. Maxwell was efficient and already covering the Senator. That made Bonnie feel a lot better.

  Bonnie had been impressed with both Maxwell and Hagar. After the Senator went to bed, the four of them had planned what measures were needed to guard someone on a rocky, desert golf course. Much of the close-in duty was going to fall on Bonnie and Craig’s shoulders, and Hagar was going to furnish them both with side-arms tomorrow to carry in their golf bags just in case. Maxwell would ride in a cart along with the group as well, with his people and Hagar’s people set up along the course in an unobtrusive manner.

  Everything was being done that the four of them could think to do. Even Parsons seemed satisfied with the plans after getting off the phone with the Senator’s staff in Washington.

  The only thing they couldn’t figure out was who would want the Senator hurt, and who would pay big money, as the two men on the path had said, to have it done? Both Hagar and Maxwell said they would have full teams working that end of the problem.

  Bonnie and Craig rode in silence down the elevator and to their room.

  As Craig opened the door she said, “Seems we’re not going to get away from work after all.”

  “Yeah, I’m afraid we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Bonnie moved inside and Craig let the door close behind them, locking the safely bolt. Then he turned and she put her arms around his neck, kissing him lightly. “I thought it was fun out there on that fairway. Didn’t you?”