An Unlikely Hero (1)

by Tierney James

  Timidly, Tessa took a step forward. “And Mr. Crawley? What about him?”

  Ben nodded. “None of the agencies claim him but both the FBI and the CIA dodged our inquiries. No work history, no family, no previous address, no nothing as far as we’ve found which adds more evidence that Mr. Crawley was someone important who knew about such weapons.”

  Tessa took another step. “But,” she looked up at Chase. His hard eyes fell on her like hammers at her interruption. “He moved here from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We used to talk about it since I worked there too when I was in college.” The team exchanged serious glances. “And…” Tessa felt a tingling sensation, knowing this little bit of information meant something or the Enigma team wouldn’t be staring at her.

  “Out with it, Betty Crocker!” snapped Sam with a growl. “We don’t have all day. Maybe if you’d given us this information earlier we wouldn’t be playing catch up!”

  Tessa withered at her reprimand. Her mouth went dry and her words came out a stutter. “I, I’m so sorry. I, I...”

  Chase reached out and touched her arm. “Take your time, Mrs. Scott.” He leveled his dark eyes at Sam causing her to take a step back and frown. “And what?”

  “Before that,” Tessa swallowed hard, “Mr. Crawley lived in Santa Fe.”

  “New Mexico?” Chase asked. She nodded. “That’s thirty minutes from Los Alamos,” he said pointing to Vernon who sat down at a computer and began tapping keys so fast it sounded like one continuous tone. “Did he say why he moved to Tennessee, Mrs. Scott?” She seemed frozen except for the large blue eyes that looked up at him in terror.

  “Yes! He worked at a lab until he retired.”

  “A lab?” Chase said looking over at Vernon who nodded and began tapping even faster on the computer. “Did he ever tell you..?”

  Tessa gasped. “It was Oak Ridge National Laboratory!”

  “You’re sure?” Chase said as his hand remained on her arm.

  “Yes. I remember thinking how close that was to my parent’s house in Nashville.” Tessa gulped. “Who was Mr. Crawley really?”

  “Got him!” Vernon yelled out with pride. He turned the laptop around for everyone to see. There was a picture of a young man around thirty five and another of a man in his late fifties. “Mr. Crawley retired ten years ago and left for parts unknown, much to the FBI’s disappointment!” Vernon laughed knowing he’d bested them. “He apparently wrote a paper that was never published about the safety measures both at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge concerning isotope production.”

  “Isotopes?” Tessa shook her head. “Why would isotopes be so important?”

  Sam came up behind Vernon and reached over his shoulder to pull the lap top back around. Her body rested against the young Vernon’s back. Slowly she pulled back to view the screen, pretending not to notice Vernon was paralyzed at her touch. A hint of perspiration showed just under his wild red hair that fell over his forehead...

  Sam casually informed Tessa of the importance. “Isotopes are used in nuclear medicine. It aids in the medical and diagnosis of disease. Some isotopes are used in the study of environmental science such as understanding acid rain, flow paths for geochemical and hydrologic modeling.”

  “You’re over my head now,” Tessa said lightly not wanting to be the victim of Sam’s disgusted opinion of her.

  “No kidding,” Sam said sarcastically as she folded her arms across her breasts. “In other words isotopes are used in everything from defense programs to food irradiation which makes our food safer to eat and have a longer shelf life. The U.S. now has to import nearly 90% of our isotopes because our facilities cannot produce enough.”

  “The Department of Energy is trying to convince congress to build some new facilities so our dependence on Russia and other foreign powers will not put our national security in jeopardy,” Benjamin Clark added.

  Tessa nodded in understanding, visualizing the big picture. “So without isotopes people go undiagnosed, and salmonella poisons our food.”

  “Some 40% of all raw poultry has traces of salmonella.” Sam continued. “Then there’s E Coli which affects 7,000 to 20,000 Americans a year. The cost of this can reach a half a billion dollars. Irradiation is widely used on food items grown in or near the ground such as spices and vegetables that are dehydrated. All these items are exposed to bacteria and mold.”

  “Not to mention insects and rodents that frequent growing centers,” Vernon chimed in with a shiver. “I hate rodents!”

  “And,” a new voice entered the room. “Isotopes may be a possible alternative power source for longer-life space missions. If we produce enough isotopes for use in fundamental science projects it may just simulate electronic devices when exposed to cosmic radiation.” Former astronaut Carter Johnson smiled mischievously as he entered the room “Great stuff isotopes!” His eyes fell on Tessa who had now recognized him and couldn’t seem to speak. “And you must be the new girl,” Carter said with the charm of a political candidate running for president. “I’m Carter.” He stepped toward Tessa and stuck out his hand.

  Tessa swallowed hard, afraid her admiration for the former astronaut would be evident. She’d followed Carter Johnson’s work at NASA over the years. Having been a co-pilot on six shuttle missions and a pilot on two, Carter had flown into space more than any other astronaut. His expertise was in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

  She remembered reading an article about him in Time magazine after he’d suddenly left NASA to take a job in the private sector. The reporter implied he had been asked to leave because of his reckless behavior and tendency to be a thrill seeker. NASA invested a lot of money in their astronauts and didn’t need them taking unnecessary risks. His biggest mistake, the article reported, was getting involved with two women astronauts who both claimed to be his lover. Unfortunately one of those astronauts had been Russian and planned to write a book about her six months aboard the International Space Station with Carter Johnson. Both space agencies were furious. The Russians took care of their problem as only they can. It wasn’t until the second female astronaut hired a contract killer for the Russian that NASA decided to let Carter go his own way. He was a public relations nightmare.

  Tessa took his hand and felt it close around hers. He gave a sensual squeeze and continued to hold her hand as he smiled flirtatiously. “So you’re the sweet thing that took our glorious captain to his knees.” His laughter sounded like a high school quarterback used to having everyone enjoy the joke. Carter lifted his eyes to Chase who seemed to be frowning more than usual. Tessa tried to remove her hand but Carter continued to hold it. “Tessa, better watch this guy,” Carter spoke to her but his eyes were clearly on Chase. “He’s a smoother talker than me. You’ll never know when this guy is lying to you.”

  Tessa’s eyes darted to Chase in alarm, wondering if she’d let her guard down too much. She managed to free her hand. “Nice to meet you, Carter. I’ve followed your career for ten years. I admire all you managed to accomplish at NASA.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound like hero worship.

  Chase pushed between Tessa and Carter moving her toward Vernon’s computer screen. “You obviously don’t know about everything he accomplished at NASA.”

  Instead of being put off by Chase’s condescending tone, Carter laughed good naturedly and slapped Chase on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, buddy. I won’t spoil your fun with the little housewife.”

  Tessa whirled around in anger. “You know I’m getting pretty sick and tired of people treating me as if I’m not in the room. I’m not a total air head! Maybe I don’t have all the degrees behind my name like all of you but I seriously doubt all of you combined have as much common sense as I do in my little finger!” Tessa reached down and turned Vernon’s computer screen around and folded her arms. “And if you think you’ve found Jericho Crawley, you’re sadly mistaken! Because,” Tessa pointed at the screen, “that’s not him!”

  Chapter 9

  Holding a cup of steaming coffee, Rober
t stood on the front porch, drinking in the beauty of Lake Tahoe. He and Tessa often wondered if there was any place on earth as beautiful as this mountain hideaway they shared each year for two weeks. The smell of pines and fresh air could be intoxicating.

  He rubbed his eyes. Sleep had eluded him for a long time but dozed off only to be awakened by something around four in the morning. After checking all the doors and windows, Robert made rounds, looking out each window into the darkness for over an hour. The story about those escaped convicts forced an uncomfortable uneasiness on him. Soon he felt wide awake and pulled out a novel to read. He thought the western involving gunslingers and Indians would invite sleep. The book, lame in plot, was laid aside as he rested his head back against the rocker he had brought inside the living room from the porch the previous evening.

  Honey Lynch, wholesome and sexy that one. Strange how she popped up yesterday. Her company last evening had been welcomed but a little uncomfortable. Entertaining attractive women without Tessa around made him feel guilty. He wasn’t sure why. It had been obvious that Honey was interested in his company. The trout had been delicious. The kids had eaten every bite. She had finally said goodnight when it looked like Robert wasn’t going to send the kids off to bed. Once again she’d disappeared into the woods like a phantom. He’d ask about her vehicle and shouldn’t he and kids drive her to her car. But Honey had only smiled teasingly and said she could take care of herself. After all she carried a gun. That part unnerved him more than the escaped convicts. Maybe she was a psychotic killer looking for unarmed campers. Robert smiled as he took another sip of coffee. Nothing that looked that good could be a killer. He was sure of that.

  “Mrs. Scott?” Captain Chase Hunter spoke in a quiet voice as he sat down next to Tessa. She’d fallen asleep shortly after takeoff at two in the morning. Her head rested against the window with a blanket pulled up to her neck. The small pillow had fallen down on her shoulder. Even though the overstuffed leather seats were the best money could buy for this type of luxury jet, there was no substitute for a good bed. She’d turned down the offer of the one bedroom, saying she didn’t want any special treatment.

  Sam, Carter and Vernon had gotten off the plane at Los Alamos. Unloading their equipment had taken only thirty minutes. Zoric continued on with Chase and Tessa to Knoxville, Tennessee. Tessa never knew they’d landed and taken off again. Chase covered her with a blanket after the second takeoff. He sat across the aisle from her facing the opposite direction so he could keep an eye on her. It wasn’t until Zoric flopped down across from him that he realized he’d been staring at the new lady in his life.

  “So what do you think?” Zoric said in his raspy voice.

  “Ben said that Jamaal was intercepted by three men outside Sacramento. We lost track of him after he was taken to a carwash and scrubbed down by hot jets of water.” Chase’s demonic smile showed no sympathy. “Even though we lost him after that I’d have given anything to watch that creep get his just desserts.”

  Zoric laid his head back and grinned sadistically. “No, man,” he nodded toward Tessa Scott. “I mean the woman. What do you think?”

  Chase glanced over at Tessa and turned back to a folded map he quickly opened. He shrugged. “Interesting.”

  “Interesting hell! She’s amazing!” Zoric chuckled quietly so as not to wake her. “How can someone who looks like that get into so much trouble?” He leaned forward and smiled, revealing a chipped tooth. “She’s gotten to you, old friend.”

  Chase scowled. “Got that right. That’s why I’ve developed this twitch,” he said pointing to his left eye.

  “Naaah! It is something else I think,” he said leaning back in his seat. Zoric closed his eyes and remembered his wife and daughters one more time before he slept. It had been a ritual for many years now. “I think you have found the one person who can make you face the past and finally see the future.”

  “Shut up, Zoric,” he said offhandedly. “You artist types are all alike.”

  “Romantic,” he said quietly as sleep approached.

  “I was thinking weird.”

  With a soft chuckle Zoric let his sleepy smile fade. “Yes. Weird and romantic.”

  That had been several hours ago. The sun was brilliant above the clouds but the weather report indicated showers all day. The pilots had flown around some turbulence in New Orleans, going northeast through St. Louis. Although Benjamin Clark’s newest toy, the Aerion SBJ, could out fly anything in the sky, going to Mach 1.8 easily, the pilots felt like they needed to break her in before pushing the limit. The plane gave Chase and his team a time advantage even though they weren’t maximizing the advantage of the 80 million dollar aircraft.

  He’d searched the computer for Lion’s Breath after Zoric faded into sleep. The number of articles on the extinction of North African lions filled more cyberspace than Chase desired to read. A few chosen summaries convinced Chase that the symbol of lions killing and eating the infidels deemed the possibility of an imminent terrorist attack a viable risk. He rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger and decided he’d leave them closed for only a few minutes to ponder the information he’d read.

  The sun’s piercing rays opened them again as he realized he’d taken a nap. A sideways glance at Tessa revealed she slept soundly. It was time to wake her although looking at the angelic expression of innocence and peace on her face forced him to acknowledge Zoric was correct. Tessa Scott got to him. He wasn’t sure how, but she’d affected him in a way no one ever had before. As he stretched lazily his eyes fell on Zoric who sat across from him with his legs extended across two seats. He sat with his back against the window, sketch pad in hand, looking at Tessa as his hand quickly captured her essence.

  Zoric shifted his eyes to meet Chase’s. “Don’t you wish we could sleep like that?” he grinned.

  “What do you think you’re doing?’ Chase stood and grabbed the sketch pad. “I didn’t know you were drawing again.” He handed the pad back carelessly.

  “I want you to have something to remember when we are finished with her.”

  “I’ll make some coffee,” he said frowning as he moved away.

  Tessa Scott stirred lazily as she smelled coffee. “Hmm. Is that coffee I smell?” She pushed the blanket away trying to remember when she’d gotten it. Sitting up, Tessa stretched her arms out in front of her before rubbing her face with cool hands. A shiver ran across her as she realized the air conditioner was set lower than considered “green” at her house.

  “Here,” Chase said handing her a mug of steaming coffee. “It’s an African blend. Ben is partial to that. I added cream and sugar.”

  Tessa took the mug with both hands, caressing it, as the warmth spread through her fingers and palms. Just before she took the first sip she tilted her head and met the captain’s wide brown eyes with her own. Most of the day before he’d had them narrowed or hooded, deep in thought. Now they were relaxed, wide and handsome. “How did you know I took cream and sugar? Surely Claudia didn’t know that too.”

  “You had vanilla creamer in your frig. That’s not a guy thing. There was a sugar bowl full of sweetener too.” Tessa nodded in acceptance of his answer. “But,” Chase smiled warmly, “I saw you add cream and sugar last night around midnight when Vernon brought you coffee.” He was rewarded with a smile.

  Sleep had made her blonde hair curl out of the ponytail holder. One wayward curl fell across her forehead and Chase resisted the urge to move it away from her bright blue eyes. He’d never seen eyes that shade of blue. Although her lipstick had long faded and the thick lashes lacked mascara, Chase found the woman lovely. A slight tightness came into his chest and he instinctively put a hand on his heart.

  “Are you alright, Captain Hunter?” Tessa saw the creases around his eyes appear as he’d touched his chest.

  Chase stood and backed into the aisle, smiling. “Not enough sleep and too much caffeine. We’ll be landing in ten minutes. Buckled?”

  Tessa took another sip of
her coffee. “Buckled. And thanks for the coffee, Captain Hunter.”

  He nodded and turned away and moved to the front of the plane where he spoke briefly to the pilot. He then sat down in a seat near the front, buckled himself in and waited for the sound of rubber meeting runway.

  Benjamin Clark squeezed the phone as if his hand were wrapped around the Secretary of Homeland Security’s neck. “No! You’re not on speaker phone! I’ve got people on the scene without this intel.” Ben switched the phone to his shoulder where he could sandwich it there with his tilted gray head.

  He picked up the secure phone developed by an Enigma sponsor. All his team members carried one. The size made it look like all the others on the market, but this one could do anything just short of launching a nuclear strike. Vernon had snickered at that restriction, commenting that he’d already had a look around in that department. At the time Benjamin decided to put Vernon on probation from field work for the serious misuse of Enigma property in hopes of teaching him a lesson. Benjamin quickly realized his mistake when Vernon spent the time snooping in other areas that didn’t concern him. The phone blinked to life as Benjamin slipped it onto the back of his handset.

  “What the hell was that sound?” Tobias fumed. Even the Secretary of Homeland Security remained in the dark about some of the fancy toys Enigma possessed. Benjamin intended to keep it that way.

  “Dropped the phone. Continue, Tobias. We don’t have all day. You put my people in danger without this information.”

  “Those misfits are like junkyard dogs, Ben. They wrote the book on surviving unlikely scenarios and you know it.”