Illegal Contact

by Becky Harmon

  “How can I help you, ladies?” Sheldon asked, getting right to the point.

  Jamison glanced at Heather and then asked. “What can you tell us about the mail bombings two years ago?”

  Clearly that wasn’t the question Sheldon had expected and she took a while before answering. “Two families received packages in their home mailboxes. Neither package actually traveled through the postal system but were placed after the mail had been deposited in the box. The first one was picked up by the official’s son when he got home from school.”

  “Right.” Heather nodded. “He was only ten and luckily it didn’t go off like it was supposed to when the package was moved.”

  “He made it inside the house and dropped it on the kitchen counter.” Sheldon continued. “His mother arrived right behind him as she had been the intended target and normally picked up the mail each day.”

  “Who was she?” Jamison asked.

  “She was and still is a prosecuting attorney for the State of Georgia. At the time, she was assisting the sheriff’s department in compiling a case against the Mountain Militia. None of this information was ever released to the public and the case is still ongoing. The sheriff’s department had intercepted a shipment of guns by accident and almost had the truck driver singing like a canary. He was a third striker and willing to do anything to stay out of prison. This was the first time he’d ever done a job for the Mountain Militia and didn’t know how far they could reach.”

  Jamison leaned forward. “I was overseas at the time and I barely remember when this happened. If they had this guy, what happened?”

  Sheldon shrugged. “The second bomb was in the mailbox of the trucker’s family. When his wife opened the box it detonated killing her and their one-year-old son she held in her arms.”

  “Oh shit,” Jamison whispered.

  “Two different militia groups claimed responsibility for the attacks but neither was the Mountain Militia,” Heather added.

  Sheldon nodded. “Right. We believe Clayton Thomas worked out a deal with the other groups to pull the heat from his organization. The guy offered up as the ringleader was a nobody who’d been in and out of prison too many times to count. He was prosecuted but everyone knew he wasn’t the person responsible. We thought what happened would make the trucker angry and he’d agree to help us, but the militia got to him first threatening his mother and father as well as the rest of his family. He clammed up and took his third strike.” Sheldon sighed. “Not that it mattered because he was killed in a prison fight a couple of months later.”

  “What’s the group’s mission?” Jamison asked, looking between Heather and Sheldon.

  Heather jumped in. “That’s the thing. We don’t think they have one. They seem to only want to stay off the government radar and live in their little commune.”

  Sheldon nodded. “Most militia groups have a mission and a plan of attack. They’re after someone or a group that represents something. The Mountain Militia are preparing for the day when our government will fall.”

  “Which is why they’re stockpiling weapons and apparently explosives,” Jamison stated, shaking her head. “Then why are they coming out of the woodwork now? Can Clayton Thomas really be that crazy about football that’s he’s willing to risk everything he’s put together?”

  “It doesn’t seem likely.” Heather shook her head. “But yet, there’s definitely a connection.”

  Jamison sat back in her chair. “Maybe McGomery was really acting alone.”

  Heather looked at Sheldon. “Did Agent Wallace get anything out of him before he was released?”

  “Wallace couldn’t get him to admit anything more than he placed the explosives. He claimed everything in the storage locker was his and he worked alone.”

  “So where did he get the explosives?” Jamison asked.

  Sheldon shook her head. “He claims he drove to Miami and picked them up from a guy he didn’t know. No name, no description and he changed the date he supposedly made the drive several times.” She looked at Jamison and Heather. “By the way, Wallace had already left TPD when McGomery was taken before the judge. I called him after you told me what happened and he had no idea.”

  Jamison’s cell phone buzzed with a text message. “It’s Todd,” she said, looking up from her phone. “He says it’s urgent.”

  “Todd?” Sheldon asked.

  “Todd is the magic worker at Flagler. He can make information appear from thin air,” Heather explained.

  “Right, I remember him from last night.” Sheldon nodded. “Let’s hear what the magic man has to say.”

  Jamison dialed Flagler. “Hey Todd. You’re on speaker with the whole gang. What’s up?”

  “Officer Cannon gave me access to TPD’s surveillance cameras this morning so I’ve been trying to identify the man who posted McGomery’s bail. He’s Daryl Kincaid. Nothing in the system for him except a driver’s license. His residence is the Mountain Militia compound. About an hour ago, McGomery’s phone was turned back on and I’m tracking him headed north on Interstate Seventy-Five.”

  “He’s headed to the militia compound then,” Jamison stated.

  “That’s what I assume too and I’ll let you know when he arrives at his destination. In other news, I ran a financial check on Watson-Hughes and they’re having trouble paying their bills and employee paychecks. Which seemed odd to me with the amount of money moving through the company so I dug a little deeper. It seems the bulk of their income is coming from one company and I’m having trouble finding an owner’s name for it. I’ve been tracking it through one shell company after another.”

  “That sounds like a job for my department. Can you email me all the details, Todd?” Sheldon gave him her email address.

  “Everything I’ve dug up is on its way to you now, Agent Barrett,” Todd said. “And now for McGomery.” He paused and they listened to clicking as his fingers flew over the keyboard. “He made two calls. One to his mother’s home number. It only lasted a few seconds. The second call was to the same number from Atlanta he was calling before you arrested him. I can’t tie this number to a person. Only to a company and it’s one of the companies Watson-Hughes has been taking money from. That phone hasn’t been turned on since I started trying to track it last night but when McGomery called it we were able to come up with a general location—” He broke off.

  “Todd?” Jamison spoke softly.

  “Just a second. One of my techs has something.”

  Jamison watched Sheldon flip through the emails Todd had sent her on her phone. She exchanged a glance with Heather but no one spoke as they waited. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shea watching her with acute interest and she gave her a quick smile.

  “Okay.” Todd said, coming back on the line. “The general location for the other phone is outside Atlanta in the mountains. I’m going to take a wild guess and pin that as the location of the Mountain Militia compound. Now for the update on McGomery’s phone. It’s been turned off now but we were able to track it to the same location.”

  “McGomery is at the militia compound.” Heather repeated what Todd had said, letting it sink in. She looked at Sheldon. “Let’s go get him.”

  Sheldon sat back in her chair. “I’m listening. What do you propose?”

  “Let’s just drive up to the gate and see if they’ll turn him over. If they want to claim they’re law abiding then they will.”

  “What are you going to charge him with?” Sheldon asked.

  “Illegal possession of explosives. His mother signed a sworn statement that the explosives in the storage unit weren’t hers and that George was the only other person with access to it. I issued the warrant before I left the station.”

  “I have footage of George entering the storage facility several times in the last week,” Todd added.

  “I’m good with it.” She looked at Jamison. “Are you in?”

  “No,” she said without hesitation, glancing at Shea. “I need to stay with
Shea until you guys get him in custody again.” She lowered her voice. “Besides, we can’t be sure someone else won’t pick up where McGomery left off.”

  Sheldon nodded. “We plan to have agents inside the stadium tomorrow as well as bomb dogs.”

  “TPD will have a strong presence too,” Heather added. She looked at Sheldon. “How many dogs do you have? Can we get one for every entrance?”

  Sheldon shrugged. “How many are you talking?”

  Heather looked at Jamison for confirmation. “Maybe four or five?”

  “I’ll have to check on that.”

  “I bet Kinsey and Jack would be willing to help out too,” Jamison added.

  “I’ll call her now,” Todd chimed in. “I’ll call if I get anything else.” He clicked off.

  “I have the stadium plans,” Jamison said. “Let’s iron down a few details in case I don’t get to talk with you guys again before the game.”

  * * *

  Shea stared at the three women sitting at the table, their heads bent in intense conversation. Heather and Sheldon were beautiful women but they didn’t have Jamison’s rogue exterior. Jamison didn’t have to follow the rules though it seemed like she did anyway. No one told her what to do but she followed her conscience in making her decisions with integrity. Shea liked the determination she saw in Jamison’s face to keep her safe. In her eyes, Jamison was the most attractive of the three and she watched the way her lips moved when she talked.

  She couldn’t remember ever wanting more of a woman and she couldn’t wait to have her hands on Jamison again. She looked away when she caught Jamison’s eye but quickly glanced back again. Jamison’s attention was focused on what Sheldon was saying but her eyes seemed to caress Shea. She shivered and pulled the blanket around her, glancing one last time at Jamison before returning her gaze to the television. Jamison gave her a half smile, her focus still on the women at the table and Shea felt her stomach flutter. The way Jamison looked at her made her feel special. She knew at that moment that she would never be able to give Jamison up.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Shea could feel Jamison’s eyes on her. The silence in the truck felt heavy between them and she knew Jamison was concerned.

  Sheldon had left for the FBI field office to make preparations to pick up McGomery and Heather was headed for TPD to get approval from Chief Stillwell to accompany Sheldon. They’d both assured Jamison they’d call with details as soon as a plan was created. She felt Jamison glance at her again.

  “What?” she finally asked.

  “You’ve been very quiet.”

  “I’m trying not to think about everything. I can’t stop this guy or his friends so I have to leave it to you.”

  Jamison nodded. “We’ll get him.”

  She was silent again as they turned into the stadium and Jamison parked the truck. A glimpse of the pistol Jamison carried made her stomach turn. An all-too-serious reminder of what she was facing. She watched Jamison climb out of the truck, look around and then walk around to her door. She didn’t want to be dependent on anyone but Jamison’s confidence was reassuring and she leaned into her as they walked toward the stadium.

  “You’ll stay close, right?”

  Jamison’s arm slid around her waist, holding her tight. “I’ll be in the stands with Carlton.”

  Shea stopped and their eyes met.

  “And I’ll be watching you every second.”

  * * *

  The locker room was quiet as Coach Sutton talked. Jamison looked slowly around the room taking in each player. Their faces were somber with none of the joking she had seen over the last few days.

  “Hit the field and start your stretches. I’ll be there shortly.” Coach Sutton motioned everyone toward the door. “Agent Krews, can I speak with you?” He placed a hand on her arm as she passed.

  Jamison hesitated. She needed to follow Shea but she hadn’t missed the seriousness of his voice. “Can we talk on the field?”

  Coach Sutton nodded. “Yeah, right. Let’s talk while we walk.”

  They followed Shea and the team down the hallway.

  Jamison gave him a minute to gather his thoughts and then she prompted him. “Everything okay, Coach?”

  “I have a detective friend who works for TPD. He says the guy you arrested was released.”

  Jamison nodded. “George McGomery was arrested last night for breaking into Ms. Carter’s house.” She searched his face for any sign of recognition of the name. “He was picked up at his home with no problem but someone bailed him out this morning.”

  Coach Sutton frowned. “Someone?”

  Jamison took a deep breath. “They avoided TPD cameras in the station and paid cash. They didn’t want to be seen.”

  “So he has accomplices?”

  Jamison stopped as they stepped onto the field her eyes on Shea. “TPD and the FBI are working together. I’ve met with them and I’m confident they’ll uncover the truth. We have a plan for tomorrow’s game so please don’t let this distract you.”

  “I’ve been in football my entire life and have never experienced anything like this. I know people can get obsessed and fans can go a little crazy but this is beyond imagination. The conference is considering canceling the game. They’re afraid something horrible might happen on national television.”

  “As I said before, TPD and the FBI are on top of this.”

  “We already have a no bags rule. It’d be hard for anyone to bring something in through the ticket gates unless it’s strapped to their body.”

  “Right, so we’re going to have bomb dogs at every entrance and plainclothes as well as uniformed officers everywhere. I’m going to get with Carlton right now and we’ll have every access to the stadium monitored.”

  He nodded as he watched the team warm up. “They’re a good bunch of kids and they deserve this win.”

  “And we’re going to make sure they get the opportunity.”

  He nodded again as he walked away from her.

  She sighed. She wished she felt as confident as she had sounded to him. Climbing the steps into the stands she dialed Todd. “How many agents can Flagler spare for tomorrow’s game?”

  “Mrs. Bowden and I have been working on that. We have about twenty-five locked in including Kinsey.”

  “That’s great, Todd. Send me the list of names and I’ll make sure security has their passes ready. Can you ask them to be on the north side of the stadium parking lot at zero nine? I’ll provide diagrams of the stadium and coordinate their assignments. TPD and the FBI bomb teams are going to clear the entire stadium starting at zero six.”

  “I wish I could be there too,” Todd said with regret. “Give Ms. Carter a good luck from us and we’ll be watching on the big screen here in ops.”

  Jamison smiled, wondering if Bowden had approved the ops screen to be used for the game.

  Reading her mind Todd added, “Mrs. Bowden is coming in too and she’s bringing pizza.”

  “Wow,” Jamison said, leaning against the metal bars separating the seats from the field. She allowed herself a moment to enjoy the support from her team.

  Shea’s voice echoed through the quiet stadium as she called the plays. Jamison climbed the remaining steps to join Carlton on the fifty-yard line.

  “How’s our cub today?”

  “She’s a little shaken up.” Jamison filled him in on the events that had taken place after they spoke earlier.

  His head bobbed as he nodded his acknowledgment but his eyes never left the team. “McGomery, huh? I’m sure I don’t recognize the name. And he’s a local?”

  “Yep, still lives in his childhood home on Krest Street.”

  “And he’s back on the street now,” Carlton stated and Jamison could hear the unease in his voice.

  “Hopefully not for long. The FBI will be on their way to pick him up shortly.”

  “So you know where he is?”

  “We’re tracking his phone.”

  Carlton’s head bobbed again.
“What can I do to help? I know TPD will start clearing the stadium at zero six.”

  “Yes, the TPD is coordinating with the FBI and they’ll have bomb dogs for each ticket entrance. Flagler is sending twenty-five agents as well. I’ll email you that list as soon as I get it. I’m briefing them at zero nine in the stadium parking lot on the north side if you want to send any of your officers too.”

  “I’ll send a handful but the rest will already be on details. I’m briefing all of my officers tonight after practice if you want to attend.”

  “I’ll do that.” She pulled a notepad from her pocket. “Let’s go over all vendors and anyone else that will have access to the stadium without passing through ticket entrances.”

  For the remainder of practice, she worked through details with Carlton for a plan they’d both be able to follow with their staff. When Shea trotted off the field, she waited at the tunnel entrance for Jamison and together they walked back into the locker room.

  “Coach has film footage set up in his office…” Shea let her words hang.

  “That’s fine. Once you’re settled there I’m going with Carlton to brief his staff.” She glanced at Shea. “If you’re okay with that?”

  Shea nodded. “There’ll be about five or six players and all the coaching staff with me. I’ll wait there until you return though.”

  Jamison winked at her. “I’ll come back for you as soon as I can.”

  * * *

  Jamison studied her notepad trying not to think about Shea, naked, less than thirty feet away from her. She had specific points she needed Carlton to touch on to make sure his staff would be on the same page as everyone else. She glanced up at movement in the room and quickly looked back at her notepad making Shea laugh. Instead of wrapping her towel around her body, Shea was using it to dry her hair.

  “Nice view,” Jamison mumbled, refusing to look up again.

  When Shea finally began pulling on clothes, Jamison risked another look. She could feel the velvety softness of the skin across Shea’s back, remembering how her fingers had slid down to the curve of her hip. Jamison quickly stood, turning away from Shea. She needed to keep these images far away from her thoughts. She’d already decided she was sleeping on the couch tonight though she hadn’t broken the news to Shea. She knew how her muscles ached this morning after their marathon last night and she didn’t want anything holding Shea back tomorrow.