Hawk turned on the radio, hoping to get a traffic report so he could come up with an alternate route to the airport. If it was a wreck up ahead, he could exit at the next opportunity and navigate along surface streets. If it was a foreign dignitary visiting that was causing the logjam, there was no outfoxing the snarled traffic. He scanned for the news talk channel on the AM dial that delivered reports every eight minutes. Once he found it, he caught the “Eye in the Sky” signing off.
Just missed it.
Hawk guessed that at the rate he was moving, he might move two hundred meters in the next eight minutes. He settled in and decided to listen to the anchor dish out another mouthful of gloomy news. Politicians bickered over worthless bills that bettered the lives of no one, except the contractors who’d line their pockets with the governments money. Suicide bombers attacked a church in Pakistan. A huge storm brewing in the Caribbean threatened to come ashore and ravage poverty stricken Haiti. A new U.N. education report revealed that American students were now scoring lower than some second world nations. Finally, a financial analyst warned that the stock market was headed for a deep dive in the coming months.
Another day in paradise.
Hawk had heard it all before and many times, too. He’d almost grown immune and hardened to the dissemination of bad news. However the final snippet grabbed his attention.
A pair of Colton Industry scientists have gone missing at sea over the weekend. Dr. James Davis and Dr. Brian Young left Saturday morning for a day trip in Young’s boat, but they failed to return well after dark. After repeated attempts by family members to reach the pair failed, authorities were notified. The Coast Guard conducted a search Sunday afternoon but cut it short due to stormy waters and high winds. According to spokesperson Sheila Waters, the Coast Guard plans to resume the search on Monday, weather permitting, but didn’t sound optimistic.
The Coast Guard issued a high winds advisory on Saturday morning and urged boaters to refrain from venturing out into the rough seas. We continue to encourage the public to heed these warnings to avoid such situations in the future. While we will continue our search in less than ideal conditions on Monday, we have yet to find any signs of Dr. Young’s boat.”
Hawk furrowed his brow. He’d met Dr. Young once before and knew him to be a responsible and experienced boater. It seemed out of character for Young based on what Hawk knew. Before he had too much time to consider if anything else sinister afoot, the traffic report came on. The reporter suggested an alternate route and Hawk didn’t hesitate to get off at the next exit and follow the advised detour. He made a mental note to follow up with Dr. Young’s family once he landed in San Francisco, especially since it meant getting to visit with a long-lost friend as well.
***
THE CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT was uneventful, particularly by Hawk’s standards. He always appreciated the beauty of what he considered one of the crown jewel cities in the United States. Majestic landscapes rising above the water, exotic plants and trees mixed with familiar vegetation to form a stunning tapestry—all serving as a backdrop to one of the most astounding feats in human engineering from eighty years ago: the Golden Gate bridge. He never grew tired of admiring the bay area’s scenery.
Once Hawk deplaned and rented his car, he checked his messages. The only one in his inbox was the only one he expected to receive, a brief note from Alex reminding him to call her once he landed.
“So you finally made it?” Alex Duncan said as she answered Hawk’s call.
“Without incident. Even managed to get on a flight that long without a single crying baby.”
She sighed. “You must be living the good life. I hope I get that lucky on Wednesday when I fly out there, too. I always seem to find the seat directly behind a screamer. Even with my noise cancelling headphones on, the crying is deafening. ”
“Now, that does sound rough—and totally unfair. Maybe next time you should see if General Johnson will spring for the extra cash to bump you up to first class. It’s the least he can do since he’s got no facility to maintain and you’re operating out of a mobile unit on location with me.”
“I’m not exactly going to be with you,” she corrected. “However, I will be there for you, just like in the past.”
“As long as you’re in my ear, I don’t care where you are.”
“Thanks—I think.”
“So, what’s the assignment?”
“Little different protocol this time around in the new era of General Johnson.”
Hawk was quiet for a moment before asking, “How so?”
“He wants you to drive somewhere to meet in person to discuss the specifics of the mission.”
“Seriously? A random location to talk about this in person? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was a set up.”
“Johnson told me this himself and informed me that my role will be different this time.”
“What is that gonna look like?”
She took a deep breath. “Not sure, but I’m hoping it doesn’t involve crawling through tight spaces. I’m a little claustrophobic.”
“I doubt it’s anything like that.” He paused. “So, you think this is legit? I’m still suspicious that Blunt’s death was not by natural causes.”
“Go with your gut, but mine is telling me it’s safe to go.”
“Your gut and the rest of your body isn’t going to some random destination to meet with a person you only hope is your new boss.”
She laughed. “You’ve got a point—that’s why I said to go with your gut.”
“Okay. Give me the address.”
***
HAWK PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE and turned off his engine. Meandering down a well-worn path, he took a seat at the end of a bench overlooking the bay. The Golden Gate bridge towered over the park where he sat while the fleeting rays from a sinking sun glistened across the water. Checking his watch, he realized he was early. Within a few minutes, the sun disappeared on the horizon but still managed to create an orange glow that lit a small portion of the evening sky.
Unsure of who he was to expect on the bench, Hawk remained calm. He passed the time by watching a frisky couple edge uncomfortably close to the edge of the cliff. Hawk couldn’t tell if they were married, but they were unquestionably enamored with one another. Another lady, who trotted her poodle past him, forced a smile as she glanced at him. A few minutes passed before a slew of joggers rushed by.
But Hawk hardly flinched a muscle as he waited for his contact.
After the sun’s rays registered as little more than a thin band on the horizon. Hawk stared at the water, which was scarcely outlined from the lights of ships exiting and entering the bay. A few more joggers passed by him, this time wearing fluorescent vests adorned with blinking reflectors. He checked his watch and wondered if his contact had been detained in some way—or if they’d ever meet at all.
Hawk pulled out his phone and called Alex.
“Can you confirm the meeting details for me again?” he said once she answered.
“Still not there?”
“I’m sitting on a bench just waiting.”
She rattled off the details.
He sighed. “I’m where I’m supposed to be, that much I know.”
“Give it a few more minutes. If you haven’t heard anything by then, call me back and I’ll get in touch with Johnson and see what’s going on.”
“Roger that.”
Hawk hung up and waited a few more minutes, passing the time by studying the various trail runners that whizzed past him. Though Hawk was frustrated over the lack of contact, he determined to enjoyed the cool breeze whipping up the hill from the bay. It made him wish he’d brought a heavier coat.
However, there was still no contact.
He pulled out his phone again to call Alex when he heard a familiar voice.
“Hawk.”
Hawk whipped his head to the right toward the other end of the bench. He went slack-jawed as he stared at the man sitting a
few short feet away.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to so many people who have helped with the creation of this project and the entire Brady Hawk series. While I like to venture into locations I have yet to travel for scenes in my books, Sierra Leone was one where I had to rely on stories from others who had been there and other countries surrounding it. However, I did get some great insight into the big game culture from Craig Boddington, big game hunting consultant and one of the world's preeminent experts in the field. He was more than gracious in answering questions about hunting in the region.
Krystal Wade has been a fantastic help in handling the editing of this book, and Dwight Kuhlman has produced another great audio version for your listening pleasure.
I would also like to thank my advance reader team for all their input in improving this book along with all the other readers who have enthusiastically embraced the story of Brady Hawk. I might be looking forward to his story as much as you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JACK PATTERSON is an award-winning writer living in southeastern Idaho. He first began his illustrious writing career as a sports journalist, recording his exploits on the soccer fields in England as a young boy. Then when his father told him that people would pay him to watch sports if he would write about what he saw, he went all in. He landed his first writing job at age 15 as a sports writer for a daily newspaper in Orangeburg, S.C. He later attended earned a degree in newspaper journalism from the University of Georgia, where he took a job covering high school sports for the award-winning Athens Banner-Herald and Daily News.
He later became the sports editor of The Valdosta Daily Times before working in the magazine world as an editor and freelance journalist. He has won numerous writing awards, including a national award for his investigative reporting on a sordid tale surrounding an NCAA investigation over the University of Georgia football program.
Jack enjoys the great outdoors of the Northwest while living there with his wife and three children. He still follows sports closely.
He also loves connecting with readers and would love to hear from you. To stay updated about future projects, connect with him over Facebook or on the interwebs at www.IamJackPatterson.com and sign up here for his newsletter to get deals and updates.
DEEP COVER
© Copyright 2016 Jack Patterson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-938848-83-4
Print ISBN: 978-1-938848-82-7
First eBook Edition 2016
Cover Design by Books Covered
Published in the United States of America
Green E-Books
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Deep Cover (A Brady Hawk Novel Book 2) Page 16