CHAPTER 14
INTERROGATION
Two soldiers rushed toward us. They talked excitedly and then motioned for us to stand. We both stood, and they escorted us down the aisle and off the plane. A black Volvo was just pulling up alongside the plane when we stepped out onto the runway. Agents Logan and Cox got out of the car and walked over to us. Although they were our adversaries back in the USA, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. At least now I knew we’d get home safely. Monty was all smiles as he pumped Logan’s hand.
“Boy, are we glad to see you two,” Logan said. “Where have you been?”
“Locked up in some dungeon somewhere,” I said.
“Really? Who kidnapped you?”
I shrugged. “You got me. They weren’t very communicative. I have no idea what they wanted from us.”
Logan looked at me warily. “How did you get away?”
I put my hand on Monty’s shoulder. “Luckily I brought Monty along. He managed to figure out a way to escape. As soon as we got loose, we came straight to the airport.”
Logan gave Monty a hard look, then smiled and shook his head.
“That's unbelievable. The police, the government—everybody’s been scouring the city for you two.”
Monty shook his head. “The guards obviously didn’t have much training or discipline. I just had to wait for the right moment to catch them off guard. It wasn’t difficult.”
Cox looked at us with genuine concern in her eyes, “Are you two all right. Do you need any medical attention?”
“No,” I replied. “We’re okay. They didn’t really hurt us, just didn’t feed us much. I bet I lost 20 lbs.” I smiled and rubbed my stomach. “Luckily I had a little extra stored away. Find us a nice steak dinner and we’ll be fine.”
“I am sure that won’t be a problem,” Cox said.
Agent Logan motioned for us to get in the car so we did. The driver drove us back to the terminal and we were escorted to a private lounge. Logan kept pressing for information about our captors but I was reluctant to tell him the truth about our mission to Ecuador, so I pled ignorance as much as possible.
“So why didn’t you just let us stay on the plane and catch up with us back in Dallas?” I asked.
“For security reasons,” Logan replied. “When the word got out that you were on the way home a mob of people started gathering at Love Field. We have a government jet waiting to take you back to Dallas. We’ll land at Addison Airport and avoid the melee.”
They led us back out on the runway where a small Lear Jet sat waiting for takeoff. We all climbed aboard and took our seats. A lone stewardess offered us drinks and a snack. Logan continued to question me, but I told him I was tired and wanted to sleep. He finally left me alone and I closed my eyes. The Lear jet rolled down the runway and this time we took off and began our journey home. Although I was exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about what I was going to say to Logan and Cox when we got back to the states and I was forced to give them a detailed account of our time in Ecuador. I had to concoct a believable story so they would let me get back to work helping Paula defend Dusty Thomas. Monty was a problem because he might contradict me and ruin everything.
There was also the problem of Tex. He was still a captive and I was his only hope. I needed to wire money to General Moya so he’d put Tex on the next plane home, yet the FBI was obviously monitoring my account. It was a delicate situation and one miscalculation could be disastrous. As our plane glided effortlessly through the sky, I finally fell into a shallow slumber. The plane’s sudden descent awakened me. It seemed like we were getting ready to land but we couldn’t possibly be back to Dallas. I looked over at Logan and saw him straining to see something out of the window. Curious, I looked out my window but saw nothing but ocean. Then I noticed land in the distance.
Looking at Logan again I said, “Are we landing?”
He looked up and smiled. “Yes, we need to refuel.”
I nodded but the explanation didn’t make a lot of sense. We’d only been flying a couple of hours and I didn’t think we could possibly be out of gas.”
Monty whispered, “Bullshit. One of these babies can fly 3,000 miles easy before refueling.”
Alarmed, I glanced out the window again and saw a large bay and what appeared to be an airstrip on one of its fingers.”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Naval Base Guantanamo,” Logan replied.
“We’re in Cuba?”
“Right,” Logan said as the plane lunged forward into a steeper descent. I didn’t know what to think about landing in Cuba. It wasn’t exactly on the way to Dallas.
Monty whispered. “This is where they run our anti drug trafficking and antiterrorism operations for South America and the Carribean.”
“You don’t think—?”
My thought was interrupted by the jolt of the plane landing. I gave Monty a worried look. Cox and Logan were whispering something. As we taxied toward a building in the distance, I realized we hadn’t come here for gas. We were here for our debriefing and whether or not we ever left depended on what we told our interrogators. It was obvious to me now. They perceived us as enemies of the state because of our CDA backing and our mission to Ecuador. If they wanted, they could report that we had been killed by our kidnappers and no one would be the wiser. Oh, God. Would I ever see Rebekah and the kids again? I looked at Monty as the plane came to a stop. I regretted that he had been dragged into this mess. I cursed the CDA for their exploitation of Dusty Thomas and vowed someday to pay them back for the chaos they’d brought to my life.
Deadly Distractions, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 6 Page 14