Run into Trouble

by Alan Cook

  “What if the generals and admirals have an allegiance to a greater god?”

  “You mean Casey? Why would they?”

  Melody said, “Because the president is talking about ending the Vietnam War, or at least the U.S. involvement in it. He wants to downsize the military. Even if the Cold War continues, that doesn’t get nearly the support of a hot war. The military may see a diminishing role for itself in the world.”

  Slick nodded. “If Casey can manufacture another war and scare enough people along the way, there’s no telling what can happen. People may even support a temporary suspension of the Constitution.”

  Even though he was appalled at the idea, Drake knew Slick could be right. “Temporary usually becomes permanent.”

  Slick pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. “My daddy told me never to eat at a place called Mom’s, but when the alternative is starvation, I think we can make an exception.”

  In fact, the sign over the entrance read, “Mom’s Café,” and underneath it, “Good Food.” The “F” was almost obliterated. It might just as easily have read “Good Wood” or even “Good Mood.”

  Once inside and seated, Drake asked, “What happens now?”

  There was a pause as a waitress showed up and took their orders. They tried to order the least bad alternatives from a greasy menu. The place didn’t have a liquor license, so Drake had to settle for coffee to drink.

  When the waitress left, Slick spoke. “We need to discredit Casey with the American people. To that effect, we’re leaking the story of Casey as a possible murderer, even though there’s no proof. If we do it right, the press will eat it up.”

  Melody said, “What about the fact that Giganticorp manufactured the submarine?”

  “That’s a tricky one, although we’ve verified that they did make it. The accusation would be that they sold it illegally to the USSR, but we haven’t been able to dig up any evidence that it actually happened that way, and we’ve got pretty good connections within the USSR. We need to do some more work on it. That’s where you two come in.”

  “Can you leak that it was manufactured by Giganticorp and let the press run with it?”

  “No, because it might backfire on the administration. The president could be accused of making deals with the enemy.”

  “Okay, what do you want us to do?”

  “You…” Slick indicated Drake, “…have one of the best connections to the military.”

  “You mean my father? He thinks of Casey as his long lost son.”

  “Look, I know that’s painful for you.” Slick actually looked empathetic, if a macho man wearing dark glasses is able to look empathetic. “It can also help us. Admiral Drake knows—or can find out—things that you can’t. The intelligence we’re looking for is the whole story behind the sub and the attack.”

  Drake felt miserable. “My father doesn’t confide in me.”

  “Au contraire. He told you about Casey’s liaison with Grace.”

  Melody tried to come to Drake’s rescue. “If we go to Bakersfield to see Admiral Drake, we’ll have to quit Running California. That will blow our cover that gets us to Casey.”

  Slick smiled. “Blade doesn’t want you to quit the race. Of course, you’re getting paid to run also. There’s nothing like receiving money from the enemy, is there, as long as it doesn’t affect your judgment. We’re in luck. I’ve found out that Casey is calling a meeting of the officers on his board for tomorrow to plot strategy. He’s also asked Admiral Drake to come. He badly wants the admiral on his side.”

  “Where’s the meeting being held?” Drake asked.

  “Giganticorp headquarters in San Jose. Which is convenient because at the end of tomorrow’s run, you’ll still be south of San Francisco, within spitting distance of San Jose. I can furnish you a car and anything else you need.”

  “So all I have to do is somehow set up a meeting with my father when he’s tied up with Casey, and then get him to tell me all of Casey’s secrets.”

  Slick beamed. “You’ve got it in one.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Today’s run goes from the intersection of Route 84 and Route 1 to Thornton State Beach. Take Route 1through Half Moon Bay and continue to follow it until it becomes a freeway south of Pacifica. Follow surface streets to Route 35 (Skyline Boulevard). Follow Route 35 to Thornton State Beach. There are several interesting climbs, including one right at the beginning of the run, another after Montara, and a nice steep one at the end of the run. This is the next to last day of the race, so if you’re going to make a move, it’s now or never. Enjoy.

  ***

  The hills accomplished what the wind and blowing sand yesterday hadn’t been able to do: separate the runners. Drake and Melody had taken the lead on the hill at the start of the run and hadn’t relinquished it. It gave them a chance to talk without anyone overhearing. Drake was trying to figure out how to contact his father.

  “Even if I could reach him by phone, the chances of us having an intelligent conversation are nil.”

  “Then we’ll have to go to where he is.”

  “You don’t have to go. This is my job.”

  “I know how hard it is for you. The least I can do is give you moral support.”

  “If we just show up at Giganticorp, what then? I’m sure Casey has a full schedule planned for the troops, including dinner. We can’t just cut my dad out of the herd.”

  “Maybe that’s what we’ll have to do. Now let’s see if we can gain some time on the leaders.”

  ***

  Slick picked up Drake and Melody near their motel in Daly City and drove them a few blocks to a rental car company. Their drive on to San Jose was complicated by the pre-rush hour traffic heading south out of San Francisco on Interstate 280. Drake grumbled as he had to slow down for a number of large trucks.

  “Now I know why I chose to live in Idyllwild. There aren’t any freeways there.”

  “We need to put a plan together on what to say to your father.”

  “If we even get to talk to him.”

  “We will. If necessary, we’ll enlist Casey’s help. He needs to stay on our good side.”

  “Does he? Not if he’s already won Dad over.”

  Their discussion continued until they arrived at what was called the Giganticorp campus. It looked like a college campus. They drove in the main entrance between two square, brick posts with a sculpture of the Big G logo in dark metal standing on top of each one. Multi-storied buildings sat in isolated splendor in front of them, separated by large expanses of manicured lawn, dotted with carefully tended trees. The buildings were modern and not ivy covered, but they gave the effect of wealth and stability.

  Signs with arrows pointed toward various buildings. Drake and Melody followed the direction of the arrows as they drove along the blacktop roads. A number of sprinklers came on as they passed one section of lawn, showering the grass and creating miniature rainbows with the help of the afternoon sun. They arrived at the administration building and parked in the ample lot.

  They climbed the marble steps and went through the glass doors into a reception area that featured a round counter directly in front of them. Two men and a woman walked briskly past them wearing suits. The woman’s suit consisted of a blue skirt and jacket combination and a white blouse with a red sash instead of a tie.

  Drake and Melody wore their Running California jackets. Drake wasn’t wearing a tie, and Melody wore slacks. Drake felt under-dressed. A pretty young lady sat inside the circle of the counter. As they approached, she stood and greeted them with a bright smile. She asked how she could help them.

  Drake said, “I’m Oliver Drake, and this is Melody Jefferson. We’re part of Running California.”

  “Oh, yes.” The woman’s smile grew even brighter. “I recognized your jackets when you came in. Now I see that you look just like your pictures, except you’re not in running clothes. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Thelma. We’ve been following your progress in the Gigantic
orp newsletter. A lot of us are rooting for your team. How did you do today?”

  “Thank you.” Drake turned on his smile. “We finished first. We’re very close to the second place team, overall, within two minutes, I think. I don’t know how the first place team did today, but we weren’t within striking distance of them this morning.”

  “Good luck tomorrow.”

  “Thank you again. The reason we’re here is because we heard that one of the participants in the meeting that’s taking place is my father, Admiral Drake. We came to see him.”

  “Right. Let me call Mr. Messinger’s executive assistant. Just a minute. Have a seat.”

  Thelma pointed to several chairs in a nook a few feet away. When Drake and Melody started toward them, Thelma sat down at her desk and made a short phone call they couldn’t hear. Then she came out from behind the counter and walked over to them.

  “Melinda is coming down to help you.”

  They thanked her. Thelma turned to Melody and started asking her questions about the race. It was obvious that her interest in their team was because of Melody. Several elevators stood in a row on the wall behind the round counter. Within a few minutes, one of the elevator doors opened, and a perfectly groomed, middle-aged woman with dyed blond hair stepped out wearing the skirt-and-jacket uniform.

  She came toward them with her hand out.

  “Hello, Mr. Drake, Miss Jefferson. I’m Melinda Gage. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

  Drake and Melody stood and shook hands with her.

  “Congratulations are in order. I hear that you’re only five minutes behind Tom and Jerry going into tomorrow’s final run.”

  Drake was stunned. “Where did you hear that?”

  “We get a report from Fred immediately after each day’s run. Tom and Jerry got lost in the wilds of Pacifica, and by the time they sorted themselves out, they had given up a lot of time to you and the Phil and Brian team.”

  Melody was ecstatic. “I don’t wish them any bad luck, but it’s nice to have a shot at the big money.”

  Melinda smiled. “It will be an exciting finish, with three teams vying for the crown. Now, how may I help you?”

  Drake suspected she already knew the answer to that. “We’ve come to see my father, Admiral Drake.”

  “Did he tell you he was going to be here?”

  What should he say?

  Melody spoke first. “When we heard about the meeting, we assumed he’d be here.”

  “Who told you there was going to be a meeting?”

  Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her overall demeanor had chilled considerably. Drake was on his guard. “Can’t remember. Did we get it wrong?”

  “I’m afraid so. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing.”

  “Is Casey, er, Mr. Messinger here?”

  “Mr. Messinger is out of the office. But, of course, he’ll be at the finish of Running California tomorrow. A big celebration is planned. You can talk to him then. Good luck tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.”

  Drake and Melody exchanged a quick look. Melody made a barely noticeable movement of her head toward the door. There was nothing more for them to gain here.

  They thanked Melinda again and made as graceful an exit as possible. Once outside, they headed for the rental car. They climbed into the car, which was facing the front door of the building.

  “What do we do now?” Melody asked.

  “Maybe Slick had his information wrong. We should probably go back to the motel and get ready for tomorrow. Not to make too big a deal out of it, but we’ve got a million dollars riding on whether we win or lose.”

  “Let’s check in with Slick or Blade first and tell them what happened. I saw some pay phones inside.”

  “Bad idea to go back in there. Melinda’s already suspicious of us. In fact…who’s that coming out the front door?”

  It was a stocky man in a somewhat ill-fitting suit. Melody put their thoughts into words. “He’s another Peaches, and I don’t think he’s a friendly Peaches. He’s looking for us. I think he just spotted us.”

  “I think we’re outta here.”

  Drake backed the car out of the parking spot and slowly but steadily drove away. They exited the Giganticorp campus and headed for a commercial part of town a few blocks away, stopping in front of a small restaurant. Once inside, Melody procured a corner booth while Drake went to a payphone and called the number he used for Slick collect.

  The operator was told that Slick wasn’t available. Was there a message? Drake said no. He gave the operator Blade’s office number, hoping he was there.

  Blade answered the phone by saying the number and accepted the charge before the operator could get the words out of her mouth. “I was hoping you’d call, you son of a bitch. Where are you?”

  “San Jose.” Drake outlined the problem in two sentences.

  “This whole thing may be more serious than we thought. If they’re holding secret meetings, that may mean something is imminent. Okay, here’s what we think is happening. We think Casey wants to make some sort of important announcement coincident with the ending of Running California tomorrow. He’s getting his generals in a row tonight. What you’ve just told us confirmed some other stuff we‘ve learned. We don’t think the meeting is on the Big G campus.”

  Drake was annoyed. “Then where is it?”

  “Big G has a corporate hideaway in the mountains about thirty miles east of San Jose. They take their employees there to play bonding games and participate in other juvenile activities. Slick is headed there right this minute to find out what’s going on. I talked to him just after he left you—unfortunately, too late to catch you. He’s going to observe what he can, but he has to stay out of sight. He can’t move in with guns blazing. What we need is someone who knows the players to infiltrate the meeting.”

  “Meaning me?”

  “You’re not on the payroll, and I can’t order you to do it. After all, there’s not much at stake here except the future of the United States of America and the free world.”

  Perhaps; perhaps not. There was no question that a million dollars might be riding on what he did tonight. “You’re making this sound like the big time. If our man tries to take over, will people go along with it?”

  “If they’re scared enough, they will. The media have certainly been playing up the fear factor.”

  “How do you want me to proceed?”

  “Don’t do anything until we hear from Slick. Is there a place where you can get something to eat?”

  “We’re at a restaurant.”

  “Get some food inside you so you’ll be prepared. I’m going to give you a number where you can reach me. Call it in thirty minutes. In addition, give me the number there.”

  Drake exchanged numbers with Blade and hung up. He had Melody move to a booth close to the pay phones, so if it rang he could answer it. He sat down opposite her and quickly filled her in, adding, “I’ll go alone. We’ll find a way to get you back to the motel. Maybe a taxi—”

  “Belay that. I’m coming with you to make sure you get back safely. The run tomorrow doesn’t start until ten, and it’s a short one. We’ll be there with bells on.”

  When Melody made up her mind about something, there was no use arguing with her. Drake mentioned that what they were doing could be dangerous, but she had faced danger before. It didn’t faze her. They ordered dinner and ate.

  In thirty minutes Drake called Blade. Blade hadn’t heard from Slick and told Drake to call back in another thirty minutes. Drake and Melody ordered dessert. They talked about what they would do if they split a million dollars. The prospect wasn’t real to them. Yesterday it had been almost out of reach. But on the hills today they had gained valuable minutes on both the teams ahead of them. Having Tom and Jerry get lost was serendipity. Maybe, with a superhuman effort tomorrow…

  The pay phone rang. Drake stood and reached it in four long steps. He lifted the receiver and spoke softly.

  �
�Drake.”

  “The meeting is in progress. Slick had to come back quite a distance to find a phone he could use. It’s just your average ten thousand square foot rural retreat. He’ll meet you near the entrance. I’m going to give you the directions on how to get there. Do you have pencil and paper?”

  “Yes.”

  At least Drake had the back of the paper mat that had been set at his place at the table. He wrote down the directions with a cheap pen he always carried with him.

  CHAPTER 35

  Five minutes later they were in the car headed east with the dome light on so that Melody could read the scribbled directions. They started climbing through pine-scented woods. After a while they turned off onto a dirt road—stopped to verify that it was the correct dirt road—and then continued for a number of uphill miles.

  “Slow down,” Melody said. “That may be Slick’s car ahead.”

  The car was parked on the other side of the road, facing them. The sun had set and it was dark in the woods. Drake pulled in front of the other car so that they could read the license plate using their car’s headlights. Yes, it was the Ford that Slick had used to chauffeur them last night. Drake pulled around it and made a U-turn. He had to maneuver back and forth several times on the narrow road to complete the turn. He parked behind the Ford and turned off his lights. Drake and Melody got out.

  Slick emerged from the Ford. The first thing Melody noticed about him was that he wasn’t wearing his dark glasses, but it was too dark to see what color his eyes were. He stepped between the two cars to get off the road and pointed in the direction they had been heading.

  “The entrance is two hundred yards from here. There aren’t any guards at the entrance, but there are at least two inside the grounds. I got close enough to the building to look in the windows. Casey is there along with a bunch of grayheads. They were sitting around a big table. Dressed in civvies, of course, but I recognized your father and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from pictures I’ve seen. This is a high level meeting.”

  “How many are there?” Melody asked.

  “At least a dozen, probably more. I’m sure I didn’t see them all. It’s your ballgame. How do you want to proceed?”