SKY WOMAN OF GROOM LAKE

by Charlie Peart

  The agent tried a few more questions revolving around Nick’s activities on that day and Nick finally stopped him. “You know, I have a lot of work to do here. We’re shutting down our project; there are reports that have to be written in a timely fashion. This is a big waste of my time, and yours.”

  The agent abruptly thanked Nick for his time and left the room. The visit, however, had rattled Nick and put a damper on his day, as well as the beginning of the new week. “When are these guys going to let up?” he wondered.

  However, Nick managed to put the visit out of his mind and continued to work diligently on his reports. As he drank his afternoon “pick-me-up” soda, Nick began to think that he might go to his boss and ask for Friday and the next week off. That way, he could join his son in Florida. By then it would be getting very close to the two-week mark, and Amie would probably be getting quite worried. Expecting Tom to handle everything on his own was asking a lot of him. Also, Nick believed he would have the final reporting wrapped up probably by the finish of the day on Wednesday, so surely his boss wouldn’t mind him cutting out for a week.

  As it turned out, Bob called Nick to his office just before quitting time. His boss appeared curt, in a high-strung way that Nick had rarely seen the man display before. Mincing few words, he told Nick that he would no longer be required to write the final project reports.

  “Well, I’m just about done. Why not let me finish?”

  “To be honest, Nick, the government is making me pull the plug on you with those reports. I really appreciate what you’ve done on them. You’ve got the bulk of the task completed. Someone else can put the finishing touches on them.”

  “Be straight with me. What’s going on?”

  “They didn’t like the fact that you would not take a polygraph. It seems suspicious to them.”

  “Hey, you know I’ve never tested well on those polygraphs. I always have to go back two or three times. Something about those damn things gets me all uptight.”

  “Well, it wasn’t only that. They also feel you are being uncooperative and evasive in your answers to their questions. Sorry, but they put the pressure on me this afternoon. You’re off the project.”

  Nick was stunned. He recovered after a minute and did not argue the matter. What was the point? It was obviously out of Bob’s control. Their aerospace company worked for the government, they did their master’s bidding. “Well, I guess this would be a good time for me to ask you if I can take Friday and next week off and go back down to Florida. I’ve got work to do on my house before I can move in.”

  “Tell you what, I’m going to need you to write up awards for the folks back here that helped on your project. You can work on those for the rest of the week. Then take off for Florida next week. I really need you to get all those awards done for me.”

  The boss seemed in no mood to trifle with. It was only the difference of one day. So Nick agreed, and left the office to go home.

  By the next day, after her fiasco with the kayak, Amie had recovered her equilibrium enough to want to go back outside. She was concerned, however, because she no longer had her sunglasses to disguise her strange eyes. She ventured out in the afternoon to sit under the oak tree in the sunshine, dropping her head down as she rested so that the blond wig would shade most of her face, and turning her back away from any boaters that might be on the river.

  The days since Nick had left were mounting, and Amie was feeling a growing concern. She had marked every day off on the old calendar, since Nick had told her he would return in two weeks. It was now day twelve. Her food supplies were getting much lower. Amie had cut back on her food consumption, in the anticipation that Nick might not arrive for three weeks or possibly even more time than that. Her anxiety was growing.

  While she sat under the tree, sheltered by the wig and the long strands of drooping Spanish moss blowing gently all around her, Amie heard the slamming of a truck door. She saw a man carrying a bucket into the backyard of the neighboring house. He opened the door to the screened enclosure of the back patio. Amie wondered if she should run inside to hide, in case he should see her. But her curiosity was piqued. The man had a long pole and was obviously working with something on that patio. She decided to go in and look out the window to see his vehicle and find out what he might be up to. Peeping from behind the bedroom blinds, she read the sign on the side of his truck. He worked for a swimming pool company. Apparently, the neighbors had an in ground pool on their patio.

  Chapter 22

  Tuesday afternoon Tom received his father’s letter. It was an unusual event to begin with, because it was the first letter Nick had ever written to him requiring that he sign for it.

  Tom took it into his house and immediately opened it, dislodging the house key, check, photo, title to the Honda, and the handwritten letter. He then sat down at his kitchen table and began to read Nick’s correspondence. Laura entered the room, asking him what they got in the mail. He told her it was the letter from his father, which he had been waiting for.

  Tom read the letter twice, pausing at various intervals to re-read certain paragraphs. When he finished, Tom handed it to Laura. His face was ashen. “You’re not going to believe this. Read it, then we need to talk.”

  Laura read the letter and, like her husband, paused to re-read it several times. “What the hell kind of nonsense is this, Tom? What is your father into anyway? Go to the Bahamas? Has he gone senile or something?”

  “He’s obviously in trouble, Laura. I know my dad. He wouldn’t have sent something like this unless there was a huge problem. The thing is, I don’t have a clue what he is really talking about. We’ll have to go see my dad’s old friends, Doug and Terri, when we get to Florida. Then we’ll have a better idea as to what this is all about.”

  “You aren’t seriously considering helping him on this thing are you? Did you read the part about ‘we’ could be apprehended, too?”

  Tom could tell Laura wasn’t happy at all with the contents of the letter and, unless the items in the mysterious box at Doug’s place cleared things up, she would not want them to be involved. He was torn. Nick was his father, and he had been a good man and a good father. However, much of Nick’s work had been secret, even from his family, and Tom knew little about the exact nature of what his father had done on many of his assignments, particularly the one at Area 51.

  Of course, Tom knew what most of the public knew about Area 51 and Groom Lake, after having done a fair amount of research on the Internet. He knew enough to be aware of the Black Ops projects there, and he had fantasized that his dad had a big role to play in creating some of America’s greatest airplanes. Therefore, he was inclined to get involved in his dad’s problem, despite the warning contained in the letter.

  But Tom also loved his wife, Laura. He would not want to do anything that might hurt her or their relationship.

  “I read it, Laura, and I’m not saying I will do anything or not until I view the contents of that box. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Okay, let’s wait and see. But if this is some kind of spook thing, where we are going to be chased around by secret agents, I’m telling you right now, Tom Rossi, I’m not doing it. I love your father, but not that much.”

  Tom did not burn the letter as his father had requested, because his father’s apparent concern that it would fall into the wrong hands seemed like such an over-the-top exaggeration. However, Tom brooded about its contents for the rest of the day. He kept wondering about “this person” that his father seemed so concerned about. Tom planned to take the letter with him to Florida to convince Doug, who would probably be even more reluctant than he was to help his father solve his mysterious dilemma.

  The next day passed rather uneventfully for the couple, as they packed for the trip. Getting her bathing suit out, and some pairs of shorts and tanning lotion, Laura’s mood brightened considerably as time went on.

  “Getting away to Florida will be wonderful,” Laura thought, as she placed th
e last of her casual attire in their suitcase. She felt they both needed a break from the monotony of the job search and the lack of good news about their careers. Tom noted the change in Laura also. While he was very excited about taking the trip, a part of him was apprehensive as to what lay ahead. He was worried about his dad and wished he could call him. But, in its weird fashion, the letter had explicitly instructed him not to call unless he was turning the task down.

  The couple flew down to West Palm Beach on Thursday morning and took a shuttle van from the airport to Nick’s home in Palm City. They arrived early in the afternoon, with the warm sun splashing over the beautiful hibiscus bushes, planted along the front walk leading to the double doors of the small ranch house. Despite the vibrant flowering bushes, Laura thought the place looked quite old, in comparison to the newer development she lived in. “Isn’t this kind of a sixties looking house?” she commented, as her husband unlocked the door.

  “Yeah, but my dad is kind of a sixties guy, if you think about it. So he probably loves the place.”

  Once they were inside though, they were both impressed. “Wow, it looks a lot better inside than out,” Laura voiced. “And look, you can see right through the rear slider to the pool and the dock. That’s pretty nice. It really looks like Florida here!”

  “It’s great,” Tom said. “I wouldn’t mind living here at all. I like the new furniture dad bought, too.”

  “Who helped him decorate?” Laura asked, looking around at the new furniture and the decorative Florida paintings hanging on the living room walls. “It looks too good for a man’s touch.”

  Tom laughed, “Oh, really! Like a guy can’t decorate. What about those guys on HGTV?”

  Laura just looked at Tom and smirked. Tom knew what she was thinking. “I’m going to find that Honda he’s given us. Put your bag down and come with me.”

  Tom led Laura into the single-car garage and opened the door to the 2004 blue Civic. “Hey this is awesome. It looks like it’s in great shape.”

  “I’ll reserve judgment until I see if it can get us over to Doug’s place tomorrow.”

  Tom put his finger to his lips to remind Laura that they weren’t supposed to say anything that might sound suspicious to unseen ears. Laura nodded. “We are lucky, Tom. It looks like a great little car for me. I can’t wait to try it out.”

  The couple decided that Nick would probably want them to use the guest room, not the master suite, in case he did show up. They put their bags on the guest room bed and unpacked. Nick had thoughtfully placed empty hangers in the closet, and the room was furnished with a brand new, queen-sized bed.

  Tom turned down the thermostat to a more comfortable setting and then they walked out to look at the small pool. “This pool looks inviting,” Laura commented, and they decided to unwind with a swim.

  After donning their bathing suits, Tom opened the refrigerator. “How about a glass of chardonnay while we sit by the pool?” he called to Laura, who was already standing in hip-deep water at the shallow end. “You know my dad, he loves his wine.”

  Tom brought out two glasses of wine and set them down on the small table placed between two light blue, plastic Adirondack style chairs.

  “Ah,” he breathed, “Now it’s time for Tom to reee..lax,” exaggerating the word relax, for emphasis. Laura laughed.

  Laura was glad to see Tom unwind. The two of them had been under a strain since being laid off. They needed to have a little fun.

  While Tom and Laura sat relaxing by the pool, Dom and Marie had been watching them from their kitchen window. Now Dom crossed the small yard between the two properties and hailed the young couple with a hearty, “Hi folks!”

  The large, older man interrupting their peaceful moment startled Tom. He briefly wondered if this guy was one of the “problems” his dad had alluded to in his letter.

  “Don’t mean to intrude, but I live next door. My name’s Dom. I know Nick pretty well, are you friends of his?”

  “Hi Dom,” Laura chirped, taking over the lead, “I’m Laura, Nick’s daughter in-law. This is his son, Tom.”

  Tom said hello and told Dom they were down here for a little visit, at the invitation of his father.

  “Where is your dad?” Dom asked rather bluntly. His tone did not seem particularly friendly, surprising Tom.

  “Oh, he’s back in Maryland. Working hard, and all that. Probably can’t make it down this weekend, but he wanted us to take advantage of his place.”

  “Well, I don’t mean to be rude, but with everything that went on the last time he was here, I was wondering if something happened to him.”

  Tom looked at Laura for support. Both were clueless as to what Dom was referring to. “What are you talking about? I mean specifically,” Tom asked.

  “You mean you don’t know?” Dom responded, a little incredulously.

  “I guess I don’t or I wouldn’t be asking you,” Tom replied, testily. This intrusive guy was beginning to get on his nerves.

  “I’m sorry, I thought he would have told you, you being his son and all. You know there was a lot of excitement around here about two weeks ago. So I thought I would just check to make sure everything was all right.”

  “What kind of excitement?”

  “I guess I should leave that to him to tell you. I don’t want to get involved in family affairs. Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “That’s okay,” Tom said, “I’ll ask my dad about it when we talk again.”

  “Well, nice meeting you both. If you need anything, Marie and I are right next door. Be glad to help.” Dom turned without smiling and walked back to his house.

  Laura was dumbfounded by the conversation. “Wow, more mystery, Tom. What was that all about?”

  Again Tom put his fingers to his lips. “Let’s get dressed, Laura, and go to the store. We need to get a few groceries for the next few days. We can eat dinner out tonight, though.”

  They left the pool area and dressed. Laura claimed first right to drive the Honda Civic. They drove out of the maze of canal-lined streets onto a main road, and followed a sign pointing to Port Saint Lucie. A few minutes later they had reached a small shopping center and pulled into the Publix parking lot.

  “What did you think about that neighbor, Dom?” Tom asked, after they got out of the Civic.

  “Kind of nosy, that’s what I think,” Laura replied. “I wouldn’t tell him anything until after you talk with your father. He seems like the type that would probably blab it to the neighbors.”

  “I agree. I’m going to call Doug. We need to get over to his place tomorrow. I’ll be honest, the suspense of this thing is killing me, and particularly since that Dom guy interrupted us.”

  “There was a lot of ‘excitement’ around here!” Laura laughed, as she mimicked Dom. “The sooner we get to the bottom of all of this, the better.”

  Tom didn’t reach Doug, but left a voice mail letting him know he planned to stop by later that morning to say hello. He knew Doug and Terri from his childhood, as they were one of his dad’s oldest friends. Laura had never met the Peyton’s, so it would be a good excuse to stop in to introduce her. Then he could ask them about the box. Doug returned the call less than an hour later, just as they were leaving Publix to go back home. He asked them to come by around 10 o’clock the following morning.

  The next morning, with introductions over, Terri showed Laura around her home, pointing out little craft projects she had created to make things homey. Then Laura and Tom were seated at the kitchen counter island while Terri bustled around getting coffee and cookies for them. Tom was anxious to get right to the point, but he delayed asking about the box until both couples had exchanged information about their current lives and activities. But, as soon as coffee-time was over, Tom brought up the subject.

  Doug and Terri immediately looked troubled. They expressed concern for what might be going on in their old friend’s life that he would come to them with such an odd request as to hide a box. Then they
excused themselves for a few minutes, while they went to retrieve the box from its hiding place in their attic.

  “First things first, Doug. I think my father would have wanted you and Terri to read this letter that he sent to me last week. Then we can open the box,” Tom said, while handing Doug the letter.

  Doug and Terri put on their reading glasses and sat down on the sofa and shared the letter and examined the photo of Nick and Tom with the words on the back about Sky Woman and the Great Turtle. When he finished reading, Doug shook his head. “Doesn’t sound good, Tom. Sorry, but I think your dad is in some serious trouble here.”

  “I agree. We’ll open the box now and try to figure out what the hell is going on. Let’s go into the dining room, close the blinds, and we can put the contents on the table and share them.”

  When Tom opened the box, the first thing he saw was a strange looking medallion held by a shiny, platinum-looking chain with a blue-colored jewel in the center. The medallion itself was made of some sort of iridescent gray metal, with strange symbols around the periphery. The symbols looked like a type of odd hieroglyphic writing. They passed it around for each to examine.

  The next item he found was an SD card from a digital camera.

  “Do you have a TV or computer we can plug this in to see what’s on it, Doug?”

  Doug took the card and walked over to his flat screen TV. He switched this card with the one in his camera and cabled his camera to the TV. After fumbling around with the TV controller, a startling first image appeared.

  It was a close-up picture of a very unique looking gray-skinned person, with a large, hairless head, small skin flaps for ears, much larger than normal dark, lidless eyes, a very small mouth and a short, flattened nose. Terri gasped, and Laura cried, “Oh, God!”