by Tim Blagge
“We have a security detail positioned around your house and they are coordinating with your wife if she needs to go out.” Mathews said. “And I’d like to ask you a few more questions please. “What nationality were these men? Did they speak with a foreign accent or were they Americans?”
“One of the men spoke with very poor English. It sounded Russian but not exactly.” Dr. Books answered. “I worked with a Russian once and this accent was slightly different. He was the one who beat me up. The other guy sounded American and he was giving the orders and he did the driving.”
The nurse came in and said that Dr. Brooks needed his rest and we’d have to leave.
“I’ll stick around here and see if I can get any more useable intel out of Brooks when he’s able to talk again,” said Mathews. “Are you two OK to make the trip back by yourselves? I can have an agent follow you back if you want.”
I looked at Stella who answered, “We’ve got protection at our houses and we’ll stay vigilant on our trip home. Give us your number. If we see anything suspicious we’ll give you a call.”
“Good luck and I’ll talk to you if I find out anything more,” said Mathews.
Stella and I went to the car for the ride back. Stella drove.
-28-
Back home, FBI Agent Brown had decided to take Pops suggestion seriously and proceeded to look around the hills behind the house. As he hiked around the area, he started seeing food containers and other evidence of people having spent time in the area. At first he thought it was probably homeless people but then he found what looked like a camp. When he looked closer he discovered a hidden area covered with some brush. Under the brush, he found surveillance equipment, cameras and binoculars.
Almost immediately, Brown heard someone coming so he took cover behind a large rock about fifty yards away. Four men entered the camp equipped with assault rifles and side arms. He overheard their conversation.
They were planning to rush the house, kill the occupants and steal some device. Brown looked at his watch and it was exactly 10 AM. He quietly made his way out and down the hill and when he was out of earshot; he quickly called his office, informed them of the situation and requested reinforcements. He then notified his partners out in the street assigned to security.
Mid morning, Jerry showed up at my house after Stella and I were on our way to Victorville.
“Hi Pops, is Bill home?” Jerry asked.
“No, he’ll be out for most of the day,” Pops answered. “What did they do, kick you out of the Army? It seems like you just left.”
“I did just leave and I am still in the Army – sort of,” Jerry answered. “So it sounds like Bill didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Pops asked.
“Bill and Dr. Morton insisted that I head up the security around Bill’s machine. Since the Military isn’t allowed this kind of operation on American soil, my guys and I had to take a temporary leave of absence from the Army to do it. If those two were able to arrange this, they definitely have developed some clout with the Government. We technically have become satellite agents of the FBI. Is Joanna home?”
“No she’s at work,” Pops answered.
“Agent Brown burst through the door and told Pops and Jerry about the men on the hill behind the house. “There are at least four gunmen with assault rifles and side arms. I overheard them say that they are coming to kill anybody in the house and steal some device.”
By then the two FBI agents on the security detail had also entered the house.
“How well are you armed?” Jerry asked the agents.
“We all carry standard issue 45’s,” said Brown.
“Better than nothing but against assault rifles, we are definitely out gunned and probably out manned,” Jerry determined as he evaluated the situation.
Without a word, Pops opened the entry closet door and pulled a panel off the back wall. “Jerry, look, I keep my collection of Vietnam era rifles and other gear hidden in this closet.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got Pops,” as Jerry fought his way through the coats and umbrellas to get to the guns.
“OK guys we’ve got six vintage M-16 rifles and lots of ammo.” Jerry said.
“Most of them haven’t been shot in decades,” Pops said. “But I keep the guns clean and the ammunition fresh. They should at least give us a fighting chance.”
“Give me one of those,” Grandma ordered. “I’m not going down without a fight.”
Pops handed the guns and ammo to Grandma and the men and then Jerry took over.
“Pops, Agent Brown, this is the kind of operation I’ve been trained for. Now who is the best shot?” Agent McCoy raised his hand. “OK, take your weapon, and circle around the house to the garage on the west side of the property,” as he pointed in the general direction. “There is an old oak tree there and you can take a position behind it.”
“You, Agent Brown circle around to the right to the far side of the barn. There is a garden there with some large rocks you can hide behind. You two have got to stay hidden. If I know this type of enemy, most of the men will come down the property lines moving from tree to tree. Some others may move up in the middle of the pasture and take cover behind the fence posts that are there. Try to keep the enemy inside of you but stop the men closest to you first as they move forward.”
“Pops, you go upstairs and watch from the window. If you get a clear shot at anybody, take it. Take your binoculars with you.”
“OK, you are the last man, Richmond, right?” Jerry continued, “I want you to watch the front. There has to be a vehicle nearby that will drive up and collect the device if they find it. If those guys hear any kind of gunfire, they’ll be here in a hurry to assist their people.”
“Remember men, this enemy will not hesitate to kill you and burn this place to the ground to accomplish their objective. If you get a clear shot, take it but you’ve got to wait for me to shoot first. You wing men shoot the people on the outside first. That will force the others to the middle where Pops and I can take them out. Unless you are looking down the barrel of a gun, hold your fire. I will shoot first.”
“Where will you be?” Pops asked Jerry.
“I’ll hide behind that antique ore cart you have on the porch.” Jerry answered. “It’s made of cast iron so it should give me a little protection. Let’s get to our stations men!”
Pops went upstairs and came right down. “Jerry there’s at least eight of them I can see out the back!”
“In Afghanistan, twelve of us held off 50 Taliban. We have the element of surprise on our side so we’ll be OK.” Jerry said.
As Jerry had predicted, two enemy men began moving down the property line on the east and three on the west. One man began to slowly crawl across the open pasture in the middle. There were three more that Pops saw hanging back in the bushes at the back property line.
Jerry waited until the enemy men were about half way to the house. He rose up from behind the ore cart and opened fire. The two wing men did the same. The man in the middle of the pasture went down first; then another from the east fence line and two more from the west fence line fell. A huge hail of return fire slammed into the ore cart.
Pops had decided to target the enemy in the bushes. He shot one and wounded another who hobbled back up the hill. The remaining attackers continued to return fire. When Jerry heard the sound of breaking glass and bullets hitting the side of the house, he looked around the ore cart and opened fire again. One more of the enemy went down.
Then there was the sound of gunfire from behind Jerry coming from the front of the house. Two men with assault rifles were running directly at Jerry’s position. Agent Richmond, who was guarding the front, shot one of the men but missed the other. The second enemy gunman leveled his rifle directly at Jerry’s head. Just as he pulled the trigger, another shot rang out and the man fell to the ground.
Grandma had shot the man.
Jerry had quickly rolled to get out of the way but the
attacker’s bullet nicked Jerry’s ear and hit the cart with a loud clang.
Three armored vehicles pulled up and fifteen members of the police Swat Team in full gear jumped out.
There was still one enemy combatant in the area. When he saw he was outnumbered, he dropped his weapon and held his hands up. He was quickly secured.
“Who’s in charge here,” the Swat Commander asked.
“I am” said Jerry. “You’d better get your guys up that hill behind the house. I think some of the bad guys got away. And I’d suggest you block the streets. They must have come here in some kind of vehicle and anybody still walking will want to leave the same way.”
A member of the Swat Team yelled. “We’ve got a man down up here and I think he’s one of ours. He’s been shot in the stomach.” It was Richmond.
The medic in the group jumped in and tried to stop the bleeding. When the first ambulance arrived, Richmond was loaded up and rushed to the hospital.
Six of the Swat Team members were dispatched up the hill in pursuit of any other remaining enemy fighters. Four others were sent to attempt to contain any enemy escape by vehicle. The remaining men went around and checked to see if any of the combatants were still alive.
Six were confirmed dead. One was nearly dead and one other was expected to make it.
“Let me have a look at that ear Lieutenant,” said the medic. “It looks like you’ve lost about half of your left earlobe.”
“Jerry, are you OK,” Pops asked as the medic dressed Jerry’s ear.
“You know Pops, two tours of duty in Afghanistan I barely got scratched. My first day back in my hometown I get shot. And since I’m temporarily not in the army, I don’t even get a Purple Heart!”
Bill and Stella were driving back from Victorville when Bill’s phone rang.
“Hello, Bill Burton speaking.”
“Mr. Burton, this is Agent Tim Mathews calling, remember me from the hospital?”
“Sure Tim, what’s up?” I asked.
“We decided to send two of our agents to follow you on your way home. I know we said we wouldn’t but with everything that’s been happening lately, we thought it was the prudent thing to do. Mr. Burton, we have reason to believe that you are being followed.”
“Stella, we’re being followed,” I said.
“I thought so,” Stella responded. “Is it a blue SUV?”
I asked Mathews and he confirmed Stella’s suspicions.
“OK,” said Mathews, “I want you to pull off at the next off ramp. If you go straight through the light, it will take you back onto the freeway. If this guy follows you, we’ve got a problem.”
I told Stella what Mathews said and as requested, she pulled off the freeway and got back on. The blue SUV got off and back on the freeway just like we did.
“If this guy’s got a brain, he’ll know we’re on to him after that maneuver,” said Stella.
Mathews told us to get in the slow lane and go 55 miles per hour. He wanted to see if the guy would pass us. He didn’t.
“OK,” said Mathews, “the guy has no idea you have help in the area. I’ll call the CHP and local police and when we have enough assets in place we’ll have them pull him over. You two just keep going. Our agents will continue to follow you.”
Stella turned to me and asked, “Bill, do you still have that gun Rolf gave you?”
“Yes,” I answered, “it’s in my pocket.”
“Get it out Bill and set it on the console and make sure the safety’s off. I’ve got a feeling that first SUV is just a diversion.”
Stella and I continued driving. In about five minutes Stella, who was watching the rear view mirror said, “They’re pulling the guy in the blue SUV over now. Hopefully the driver will give the FBI some information that will allow us to connect some of the dots in our mystery.”
About two more miles down the freeway another white delivery van roared up to our car on the left hand side. I looked over and a man on the passenger side had his body propped half way out the front side window. In one hand was a gun aimed directly at us and in his other hand he held a sign that read, ‘PULL OVER!’
“There’s no way this guy will kill us,” shouted Stella. “The people who are coordinating all this know that without us, your anti-gravity machine will be worthless.”
Stella rolled down her window, picked up the gun off the console and while holding it straight out the driver’s side window, aimed it at the van and pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, she pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor.
As the bullet slammed into to side of the van, whoever was driving panicked, hit his brakes hard and turned the wheel away from us to avoid taking any more fire. The van lurched, swerved to the left, and the driver lost control. The van continued to the left, ran across all the lanes of the freeway and went onto the wide dirt strip in the center divide. When the van hit the center median it violently rolled over twice and came to rest.
“Bill, I told you he wouldn’t shoot,” remarked Stella calmly.
“But you did!” I replied.
“Bill I shot at the body of the van, not the man himself. It was the driver who lost control when the bullet hit the side of the van. And yes the occupants may be injured, but you saw Dr. Brooks and hour ago. These monsters didn’t show him any mercy!”
The FBI car that was following us pulled over behind the van. About thirty seconds later the phone rang. It was the agent who had been following us.
“This is FBI Agent Schmidt; I just called 911 for your tail that just rolled off the freeway. I’ll stay here and clear everything with the police. We’ve run out of escorts, so you are now on your own. We found out that the first SUV was just a diversion so the second guy could get to you. We have to check his story but the driver is a college student and said he was paid $250.00 to follow you. The man who paid him didn’t tell him why and the kid needed the money so he just carried out his instructions.”
“If the guy in the van survives, we should get some useful information from him. Do you know why he crashed?”
“They aimed a gun at us with a sign telling us to pull over, so Stella shot back at their vehicle,” I answered. “They must have panicked and you saw the result. Thanks for your help. Let us know if you get anything from him.”
When we were nearly home, the phone rang again. It was a call from Pops.
“Hi Pops, have I got a story for you!” I said.
“Bill, if your story beats mine, it’s been the worst day of our collective lives,” Pops said.
“My God, Pops, what’s happened?” Instantly I had a feeling of dread I’d never experienced before.
Pops started to give me some information on his ordeal. “Bill, I’ve got to go, the authorities need to talk to me. Get home as soon as you can, OK?”
“Sure Pops, we’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
I hung up and told Stella that we needed go directly to my house. I filled her in on what I knew.
“What about Joanna, was she there?” asked Stella.
“Pops didn’t mention her and I forgot to ask. Let me try her cell phone first. It sounded like Pops had his hands full.”
I called Joanna but it went directly to voice mail. I left a message telling her to call me. I then called the In-N-Out Burger. I thought she might be working and I knew they have a rule against using your cell phone during working hours.
“In-N-Out Burger, Jack speaking, may I help you please?”
“Jack, this is Bill Burton, ex-employee. Remember me?”
“Burger Nerd, how could I forget you, what’s going on?” Jack asked.
“Is Joanna working today? I need to talk to her, it’s very important.” I pleaded
“Let me check, Bill,” Jack answered, “I know she left to run some errands during her lunch break but she should be back by now.”
There was a silence of about a minute and then Jack came back on the line. “Bill, she was due back about twenty minutes ago but she’s still not her
e. Maybe she got hung up somewhere. It’s not like her not to call.”
“Thanks Jack, let me know if she comes back in please.” I asked. I gave my cell number to Jack and hung up. I gave Stella the bad news.
“Call Inspector Oliver at the Pasadena Police Department and have him send a car immediately to the In-N-Out-Burger.” Stella directed. “Tell them what Joanna’s car looks like. Let’s hope she had an FBI security detail on her.”
I followed Stella’s orders to the letter.
As we arrived in my neighborhood and pulled onto my street, we ran into an ocean of emergency vehicles plus several TV and radio vans and satellite trucks. We had to park about a block away. As we walked up to the house, several reporter types stuck microphones into our faces asking for a comment.
I whispered to Stella that these people didn’t even know who we were. They were just hoping we were somehow connected to the story.
My phone rang and the message could not have been worse.
-29-
We approached the house and ducked under the crime scene tape. A police officer came up to us and informed us we could not enter. After we told him who we were, he had another officer escort us into the house.
“Pops, Joanna is missing! I just got a call from the Pasadena Police. They told me her car is still in the parking lot at her job. Apparently there was a single FBI Agent who had followed her to work to provide security. They found him shot through the head.”
I saw a look on Pop’s face like I’d never seen before. It was a mix of terror and pure anger. Grandma sat down on the couch and started to cry in deep loud sobs.
“Did you say that Joanna had been kidnapped?” Jerry asked. “We’ve got to get her Bill.”
After Stella got off the phone, I introduced her to Jerry.
“I’ve heard all about you Jerry but now we have to move fast and find Joanna.” Stella said. “Every second we waste will make it that much more difficult to save her. I just got off the phone with my brother. He’s on his way over here now. He’s checking to see if she still has her tracking locator on her. Are you OK Jerry” Stella said as she looked at Jerry’s bandaged ear.