by E. E. Borton
“On you, too?” asked Ryan.
“Is there something in the water around here?” she asked. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m just pointing out she’s an interesting person.”
“Okay, sorry,” said Ryan, slightly confused. He poked his head back in the room and said good-bye to Kristina. Michelle rejoined her as Ryan and Dallas left the house.
“What is with the guys turning into hypersensitive meatheads all of the sudden?” asked Michelle, not expecting an answer.
“I knew I shouldn’t have done that,” said Kristina, surprising her.
“Done what?”
“He didn’t say anything to you?”
“Who?”
“Ryan.”
“Oh, my God, it’s happening to you, too,” said Michelle.
“I’m not being hypersensitive,” clarified Kristina. “I apparently lost impulse control and hugged Ryan when he showed up tonight. He didn’t seem very happy about it. I thought maybe he said something to you in the hall.”
“It’s like I’ve traveled back in time to high school,” said Michelle. “Dallas getting creepy jealous I was talking to another guy. That guy wanting to show me his ‘gun.’ You telling me you have a crush on my boss, and Tom getting all mushy on me in the car. In the last forty-eight hours, my life has turned into a soap opera.”
“I don’t have a crush on Ryan,” said Kristina. “Well, maybe a little. Oh, hell, I don’t know. It’s ridiculous. I hardly even know the man.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Michelle.
“You’re going to get wine coolers, aren’t you?” asked Kristina.
“Oh, no, sister. I’m getting us something much stronger.”
17
Dancing in the Kitchen
Ryan turned down the long gravel driveway of Stacy Jorgensen’s country home located an hour east of Atlanta. The sprawling front yard was manicured, and flower beds flanking the long walkway to the front porch were in full bloom. When he stepped out of the car, he was hit with a subtle sweet smell from the confederate jasmine growing up a large arbor at the end of a stone walkway leading to the house. A woman was watering brightly colored perennials in ornate flower boxes that were under every window on the first floor. The entire property reeked of southern hospitality. Stacy put down her watering can and took off her gardening gloves as the expected visitor arrived. In a wide brim hat, the older sister of Derek Mathews walked up and greeted the federal agent hunting her brother.
“Agent Pearson, I presume?” asked Stacy.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ryan, shaking her hand. “You have an absolutely gorgeous home. I’ve seen less beautiful houses on the cover of Southern Living.”
“How sweet, thank you. It’s my little sanctuary away from the city. The commute is murder, but it’s worth every mile when I get home. Can I offer you something cool to drink? Sweet tea maybe?”
“It would be a crime to not have a glass while sitting on your front porch, Mrs. Jorgensen.”
“Please, call me Stacy. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
Ryan selected one of the four large white rocking chairs on the wraparound porch. The lazy ceiling fans pushed just enough air down to stop the sweat and keep the irritating gnats at bay. Even the birds seemed more polite in her yard as they patiently waited their turn at the feeders. Stacy handed Ryan a tall glass and sat in the rocker next to him.
“Thank you,” said Ryan, taking a long drink. “Oh, that’s magical.”
“There really is an art to making good sweet tea,” she said. “Most people just boil the flavor right out of it. I use nothing but the sun when I make mine. Quite a difference, don’t you think?”
“It really might be the best I’ve ever had. Stacy, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more specific on the phone about why I wanted to speak with you about Derek. To be honest, there are specifics about his case that I simply can’t discuss. Primarily because it’s still an ongoing investigation. When was the last time you saw or spoke with Derek?”
“Oh, it would have to be several months ago around the holidays. He was here for Thanksgiving with the family and then spent Christmas in the city with his friends. I think he might have been seeing a young lady at the time, but I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that he seemed a little distant.”
“How so, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“The entire family always looked forward to Derek’s visits. He’s one of the funniest people I know. We’d all sit around the table or outside on the deck and just laugh and laugh. But when the holidays come around, it’s even more special. He really does love being home during the season. He’s always been very sweet, but he’ll smother you in it from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. But this year, he seemed so quiet. He doted on our parents and played with his nieces as usual, but he didn’t talk very much at all to me or Elizabeth. That’s our little sister. And we’re very, very close siblings. We’re more like best friends.”
“And she lives a few hours away, correct?”
“Not quite, but far enough to where we don’t see her as much anymore.”
“Is that the last time you spoke with him as well?”
“No, I believe the last time we talked on the phone was about three months ago. But we only talked for a few minutes. He seemed fine then. More like himself.”
“Three months ago,” said Ryan. “I’m sorry, Stacy, but we checked all his phone records, and there were no calls to your home or cell phones.”
“Oh, he didn’t call me here. I was at a birthday party at a friend’s house.”
“Did it seem a little strange he called you there?”
“A little, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
“Could I have that number, please? And any numbers you may have of his friends?”
“Sure, I’ll write them down for you,” she said and then paused for a moment before speaking again. “Is he in trouble, Agent Pearson?”
“That’s why it’s very important I speak with him. He may be in trouble, yes.”
“Is he in any danger?”
“I’m afraid so,” said Ryan, wanting to be honest to his host. “If he tries to contact you or if you see him, would you please let me know? I hope you believe me when I say all I want to do is help him. I was a Marine myself for many years. We tend to look out for each other.”
Ryan stood and thanked her for her hospitality and the phone numbers. He returned to his car and immediately relayed the new information to Michelle. She was still with Kristina but could access databases discretely from the safe house. He left the peaceful scene of Stacy’s home and headed back to Atlanta.
When the dust settled on the gravel road, the doors to the barn behind Stacy’s house opened and a small SUV pulled up to the flowered walkway. Derek stepped out of the vehicle and trotted to his sister still sitting in the rocking chair.
“He seemed like a nice guy,” said Stacy.
“They’re trained to be nice when they need something from you,” said Derek.
“I told him everything you wanted me to say. Were you able to put that gizmo under his car?” she asked.
“The GPS tracker, yes. You did perfect. Thank you, sis.”
“Well, I just lied to a federal officer. I hope you know what you’re doing, Derek. He said you might be in danger. What did he mean?”
“If I was in any danger, which I’m not, it would be from them. But thanks to you, I’ll know exactly where they are. I knew one of them would eventually show up here. I need to go. And thank you again for letting me use your car. I’ll get it back to you as soon as possible.”
“Don’t worry about it. We just kept it to give to your niece when she’s old enough to drive. So just have it back in a few years and we’ll be good. But don’t bring it back on empty.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Derek, giving his sister a hug, “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Please be careful. I know you know what you’re doing,
but I still can’t help worrying.”
“Everything will be fine. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
He hugged his sister again and sped off after Ryan. He called Jennifer to let her know the agent in charge was alone. With the GPS tracker attached to Ryan’s car, Derek could easily stay concealed while keeping the man hunting him within his reach.
*****
Dallas and Tom were still investigating missing persons cases that might be connected to Derek or Joshua. They were on the north side of town and a few hours from finishing their interviews. Ryan decided to stop and have dinner at one of his favorite pubs not far from the FBI house. He was looking forward to having a few cocktails with his meal and maybe even run into some old friends who used to frequent the Village Tavern. It had been nearly ten years since his last visit, but he immediately recognized the bartender who smiled and shook his head when Ryan walked inside.
“You have got to be kidding me,” said Jack, frozen in place. “Did they finally pull your clearance?”
“I’ve seen too many skeletons for them to let me go alive,” said Ryan, shaking Jack’s hand. “You haven’t changed a bit. You look good, buddy.”
“I’m basically falling apart on the inside, but I’ll take the compliment. Did you take some time off?”
“No,” said Ryan, taking a seat at the bar. “But I’m taking a little time off tonight. I’m here working on a case for Uncle Sam. I figured I could finish up a little paperwork over a cold one.”
“How long do you think you’ll be in town?” asked Jack, handing Ryan a beer.
“No telling at this point.”
“You working on anything you can talk about?”
“Trust me when I say you don’t want to know,” said Ryan. “Any of the old group still come around?”
“Oh yeah,” said Jack. “You’ll probably see a few familiar faces in a bit. It’s still kind of early for most of them. Hey, would you mind if I made a few phone calls? If a couple of them found out you were here and I didn’t call them, they’d kill me.”
“No, go ahead. I can stick around for a couple hours. Speaking of the old group, do you remember a jarhead named Derek Mathews?”
“Derek, sure,” said Jack. “Great guy, but I probably haven’t seen him in almost a year. He’d pop in every once and a while when he was on leave. Why?”
“Turns out he was assigned to my old unit at Camp Lejune. Just figured I’d look him up while I was here. If you get an ear on where he might be, would you let me know?” asked Ryan, giving Jack one of his cards.
“No problem.”
Derek parked in front of a retail store attached to the same shopping center where the Village Tavern was located. Less than thirty minutes later, Jennifer pulled up in front of the pub. She stood motionless by her car for a moment, knowing Derek was somewhere close watching her. She ran her fingers through her hair. It was the signal for him to leave the area. She’d take it from there.
“If I didn’t know for a fact Mr. Ryan Pearson would never come to town without letting me know, I’d swear you were him,” said Jennifer from across the bar.
“I don’t know a Mr. Ryan Pearson, ma’am. But he’d be a lucky guy having you looking for him,” said Ryan jokingly. “Do people not age around here? You look fantastic, Jennifer.” He stood up to give her a hug.
“Did Jack call you?” asked Ryan.
“No, I was doing some shopping and decided to stop in,” lied Jennifer. “I haven’t been here in a while. The place hasn’t changed much.”
“I’m not quite sure how to take that,” said Jack.
“Take it as you look good, Jack. There are some serious memories flooding my head right now.”
“Same here. It’s good to see you,” said Ryan. “Please, have a seat.”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to bother you – Of course you better offer me a seat!”
“What can I get you?” asked Jack.
“A beer would be great, thank you. So, Ryan, what brings the prodigal son back home? Or would you have to kill me after you told me?”
“No, you’re safe. I do quite a bit of traveling for work these days, and the job brought me close. I figured I’d pop in and see how the old place was doing.”
“Well, next time you decide to pop in, let us know, please. I’m sure there are a few folks that would love to see you. How long are you staying?”
“I’m not sure. Basically, until I catch the bad guys.”
“They must be pretty bad to have Super Fed on their tail. I’m sure you’ll get your guy soon.”
“That’s the plan. Listen, while I was here, I was going to try and catch up with a couple guys from my old Marine unit. Do you know Derek Mathews or Joshua Bell?”
“Of course I know Derek. He comes around every now and then. He has family around here. I think his sisters live pretty close. The last time I saw him was around the holidays, though. He mentioned something about receiving orders to a training facility in New York or something.”
“Maine, actually,” said Ryan. “What about Joshua? Have you heard anything about him?”
“I don’t know Joshua. At least, Derek never mentioned a friend by that name. But again, it’s been a while since I’ve spoken with him.”
“If you do, would you let me know?” asked Ryan, handing out more cards.
“Sure. Is he the guy you’re looking for?”
“Oh, no, I just thought since I was in town I’d look him up. No telling when I’ll get back to visit.”
“Are you going to have dinner here?” asked Jennifer as Jack laid a menu in front of them.
“I am. I’d love for you to join me. Do you want to get a table or eat at the bar?”
“Let’s eat at the bar with Jack,” she said. “It’ll be like old times.”
Ryan and Jennifer sat and talked for nearly two hours while they ate and enjoyed a few cocktails. Several more of Ryan’s old friends and acquaintances arrived, extending his initial timeframe of a few hours for dinner closer to four. He didn’t mind the pleasant distraction from the serious business he was in town to conduct. For a short period of time, Ryan remembered what it felt like to have very few cares in the world.
Jennifer noticed him looking at his watch with more frequency as the midnight hour started to creep up on them. It was time to put her plan into action. She took her phone out of her purse as if she were receiving a call. She spoke loud enough to make sure Ryan heard her fake conversation.
“Hello? Yes, I am,” she said and paused briefly. “No, no, that’s fine. If the doors and windows are locked, I’m sure it was a false alarm. Sometimes when the air conditioner kicks in it blows the curtains and sets off the motion detector.” Jennifer paused again and noticed Ryan listening to her call. “Okay. Thank you very much. I appreciate the fast response. Good-bye.”
“Is everything okay?” asked Ryan.
“Yeah,” said Jennifer, exhaling. “My house was broken into a few months ago while I was at work. It freaked me out a little, so my dad installed a security system. Actually, he had no choice. Either he installed the system or I was going to become a permanent resident in his basement man cave.”
“Was that the monitoring service that called?” asked Ryan.
“Yeah. They said a motion detector went off inside, but when they sent a patrol car to check it out, all the windows and doors were locked. I guess maybe it was the air conditioner blowing the curtains.”
“I need to call it a night,” said Ryan. “Why don’t you let me make sure your house is clear. I am Super Fed, remember?”
“Why Mr. Pearson, are you asking to come home with me? That’s a little forward after all these years.”
“Funny girl. But, yes, I’m asking to go home with you.”
“Seriously, Ryan,” said Jennifer, playing him like a fiddle. “I’ll be fine. I’ll have my mace and cell phone at the ready.”
“I won’t go into gory detail, but it would make me feel much better knowing nobody was in
a closet waiting for you to lock up, thinking you’re safe, and climb into bed with you.”
“You sound like you’re talking from experience,” said Jennifer, showing genuine concern.
“Too much experience,” said Ryan, standing from the table. “Shall we?”
Ryan and Jennifer said their good-byes and left the Village Tavern. He followed her the short distance to her home. They pulled into her driveway and Ryan did a quick perimeter walk while Jennifer waited in her car. When he finished, he told her to unlock the door, disarm the security system, and then return to her vehicle and wait for him to clear the rooms inside.
He walked inside the small one-story ranch home, drew his weapon, and turned on his high-powered flashlight. From her vantage point outside, she could see the beam of light enter and then exit each room. When he entered the furthest room from the carport door, Derek Mathews quickly and silently entered the house. Jennifer exited her car and positioned herself in the doorway. She could see Derek crouched behind the breakfast bar in the kitchen ready to ambush Ryan when he reappeared from the back of the house. The agent turned off his flashlight and holstered his gun as he walked through the hallway toward Jennifer.
“All clear,” said Ryan, approaching the kitchen. “I found a lightning bug, but he evaded me and went into the air-conditioning vent in the spare room. If he gives you any trouble –”
As Ryan passed the breakfast bar, he instinctively went for his gun when he felt a presence followed by movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he could aim, Derek uncoiled into him, sending them both crashing into the dining room table. His gun hovered in the air for a moment then fell to the kitchen floor as the impact jarred it from his grasp. The genetically enhanced soldier with adrenaline firing through his veins continued through the table, overshot Ryan, and buried himself into the far wall.
The FBI agent quickly recovered to his knees. “Run!” yelled Ryan. “Get out of here! Run!” His eyes stayed focused on the intruder as he attempted to keep himself between Derek and Jennifer’s escape. As both men scrambled to get back on their feet, Ryan saw Jennifer still standing in the doorway. He yelled for her to run again as he reached down to his ankle to draw his backup pistol. In the blink of an eye, Derek launched again from across the room sending them tumbling back into the kitchen. Adjusting his trajectory, the Marine easily pinned the FBI agent’s arms while driving his head down to the tile floor. Ryan was immobilized.