Jessica had miraculously slept through the entire night, and it frightened Brandy so much she woke the child up herself. After the little one got her bearings, and realized she wasn’t in bed with her mother, she began crying for her. The door between their two rooms was still open, and Dorie stepped through in seconds.
“I’d check the bed. More than likely, you are sleeping in a puddle, Brandy.”
“Oh geez,” she said as she felt the wet spot nearly a foot in circumference.
“Better get used to it, sweetie,” Dorie said in farewell as she exited to the other room, the toddler in her arms.
Brandy left another message for Tucker and then decided to shower and get dressed. Afterward, she joined the other room for the breakfast they’d ordered.
“So there’s nothing yet, I take it?” asked Brandy.
“Nada. Collins told me to expect some investigators this morning. Navy Intel.”
“I tried calling Tucker again. I didn’t leave any detail.”
“Are we just to stay here all day? In the motel room?” asked Dorie.
“For now.”
“Sure would like to know if my house is okay,” she mumbled as she fed Jessica.
“What if they know we came here?” Brandy wondered.
Brawley’s cell went off, and Collins told him two officers from NCIS Domestic Terrorism unit were on their way.
The two Special Agents, one an older woman and one a young man looking fresh out of college, presented their cards and both showed their shields. Brawley introduced his wife and Brandy and mentioned that Tucker had been on the mission with him to Nigeria but was overseas now.
“So, Mrs. Hudson,” asked the woman, “did you see anyone at your residence earlier in the day? Someone perhaps hanging around the street somewhere, or someone you’ve not seen before?”
“No. I left in the morning. Came back at night. I wasn’t expecting anything, so I really didn’t look.”
“How about your neighbors?”
“I didn’t talk to them. Brawley came over and got me out of there. I didn’t have time. Haven’t you questioned them?”
“I believe we have, Mrs. Hudson, but was wondering if anyone had said anything about someone checking out your home.”
“No. Tucker has a sixth sense about things like this, and he said nothing. I mean, he always checks out a room wherever we go. Just his habit, I guess.”
“We didn’t find any video surveillance on your front door, Mrs. Hudson, or did we miss it?”
“No, we don’t have anything like that.”
“What did you find out about the doll?” asked Brawley.
“In a minute, Mr. Hanks.” The female agent flipped through a tiny notebook and stopped at a page. “Were you, Mr. Hanks, in any public places recently where you could have been identified as a member of the SEAL community?”
Brawley thought about it but shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I mean, we go to the Scupper. We don’t announce who we are, but we sit together. Everyone kind of knows it’s tradition. Tourists and people we don’t know are in there all the time, too, but we never really talk to them or make much out of the job. Mostly people just watch, and if they get curious, we leave.”
Both the agents nodded. After a series of further questions, the female, more senior of the two, began to reveal small portions of the investigation. “The doll is loaded with prints. Must be fifty or more. Nothing came up that we have a record of. We found carpet and clothing fibers, spilled juice and food. It’s a used doll, plain and simple. Harmless. With your permission, we need to take your prints, Mrs. Hudson, to exclude yours.”
“Sure.”
“Brawley, you didn’t touch the doll, did you?”
“No, ma’am. I picked it up in the box and threw it in the backyard. But I don’t believe I touched it. I probably did touch the box when I tossed it.”
The younger agent took a set of prints from Brandy while they talked.
“You’ll probably be relieved to know it came up negative for any toxins or explosives of any kind,” she said.
Brandy found some relief in that. “Do you think this was a message? What did you call it, Brawley, a night letter?”
“Yes, a warning letter—”
“We know what a night letter is, Mr. Hanks. I’d say that’s pretty spot-on. What it does mean is that either one of the people involved in the incident in Nigeria has come here to San Diego or has talked to someone who lives here.”
“So why send it?” Brandy asked.
“To scare you. And it looks like it did,” the female agent answered.
“And what do we do next? We have our houses, our lives. Brawley is supposed to start a new job here in a few weeks. Are we supposed to stay in a motel room or go back to our houses and wait for the other shoe to drop?” Dorie’s frustrated voice wavered.
The two agents looked at one another.
“We’re not really set up with a witness protection or relocation program, not for this, anyway. We have limited resources. We can put surveillance on both houses, coordinate with the locals, have regular patrols. Maybe have someone stay with both of you, but beyond that, yes, it’s a waiting game,” the female agent said.
Brandy could see this was a wholly unworkable situation.
The younger agent posed the question. “Do you have family or relatives you can go stay with, either of you?”
Chapter 13
On the way to the airport, Coop tended to Jenna. He cleaned and put sterile pads on several surface wounds and put a strip on her cut. Kyle had Tucker drive so he could make contact with Collins. Traffic at this early hour of the morning was non-existent, except for an occasional delivery truck.
Cooper complained, so Tucker slowed down. “Sorry, man.” He turned to Kyle. “You asked the jet to stay, right?”.
“I did, but you never know. With a small airport in a foreign country, things happen. He could be directed off, or they charge a huge retainer for layovers.”
Tucker watched Kyle switch his phone on. The small screen lit up like Christmas.
“Holy shit, Collins has been calling me every half-hour. Something’s going on back home.” He dialed the number and then put it on speaker. “Hope you don’t mind.”
There was nothing but silence in the back two seats.
Collins’ voice cracked. “About fuckin’ time Lansdowne. You guys okay?”
“Right as rain, and we got the package. A lot of computers and other stuff someone in Washington is going to want to take a look at.”
“Okay, here’s what’s up. We got a big problem.”
Tucker held his breath. He could see T.J. and Fredo had pulled themselves awake and were hanging over the seat. Cooper held Jenna against him, wrapped in a blanket. She was drinking a bottle of water.
“Hey, Collins, I’ve got you on speaker. I’ve got half the team in the van, just so you know.”
“That’s okay. Everyone needs to know. Last night, I got a call from Brawley. Someone delivered a package to Tucker’s house, and Brandy opened it.”
Tucker squeezed the steering wheel and shouted, “Is she okay?”
“Yes, yes, she’s safe. They’re all safe.”
Tucker sighed with relief.
“Who is they, Collins?” asked Kyle.
“Brawley, Dorie, the little one and Brandy got moved to the Marriott until we could inspect the package, and check out both the houses. Inside the box was a doll with a hand cut off.”
“Fuckin’ perverts,” Fredo barked.
Tucker’s mind was winding around itself. He tried to grasp for answers he couldn’t find.
“So, they’re attacking at home, then,” said Kyle. “They’re in San Diego.”
“The girls must be scared out of their gourds,” said Tucker.
“Actually,” sighed Collins, “I’ve been told the girls are pretty good. This morning a team from NCIS came over to get some information. They’ve just started working over the doll. It’
s been handled by everyone under the sun, and so far, we’ve got nothing.”
“You getting us home this morning? That better be a yes, Collins.” asked Kyle.
“I wanted to hear from you first, but yes, I’ll make sure the jet is there. Does the girl need any medical attention? Should she go to a hospital? Or, I could find a private clinic.”
“I think she’s good till we’re stateside,” said Cooper. “You know, the usual testing for what she’s been through.”
“I want to go home!” Jenna shouted.
“Under the circumstances, Collins, we need to get off this island as soon as is possible,” added Kyle. “One thing you’ll need to arrange for us is a passport for Jenna. They’ll check ours at the airport. In her condition, and she’s a little beat up, I don’t want to involve the local authorities. That would be a ticket for a week’s delay, or worse.”
“I’m on it. So what about the Dutchman and his body guards?”
“All but two are done. It was very quiet and quick. We left everything the way we found it, but took the laptops and cell phones, which ought to be a treasure trove,” reported Kyle.
“Okay, well, I’ve got some calls to make. I’ll be in touch. You guys head for the airport. What’s your ETA?”
“Two, two and a half hours.”
Tucker needed to be in touch with Brandy. “Collins, I gotta call my wife.”
“You better, or you’ll be getting a divorce next month,” quipped Collins.
“And does Christy know?” asked Kyle.
“Yeah, she was the first one I called. Solid as a rock, but she’ll want to hear it from you. Tucker, all of you, go ahead and call your families to give them a heads-up. We don’t want anyone opening up packages.”
Tucker didn’t know what this country’s laws were, but since it was night, he doubted anyone would catch him on the phone. Brandy picked up at the first ring.
“Tucker! Thank God. Is everything okay?”
“Comin’ home, baby. You hang on.”
“Listen, the Navy guys thought perhaps we should drive up to stay with Brawley’s folks in Oregon.”
“That’s a no, Brandy. I’m going to be home in a day.”
“But shouldn’t we leave the area?”
“Maybe your dad’s, but no long road trips. Absolutely not.”
“Brawley and Dorie really want to go.”
“I think it’s a bad idea. You stay right where you are until I come. No moving around. Stay put and let everyone do their jobs.”
Tucker knew they’d lose control if everyone scattered in different directions. And if something should happen, it would be too hard to get there in time. They were better off as a unit, families and all. He cursed the investigators for having put the idea into their heads.
One by one, each of the men talked to their wives and families. Coop let Jenna briefly talk to her father, who was screaming for joy.
Tucker wound through the city center, where traffic became congested, though dawn was still several hours away. Most of the congestion was due to large vans and early shop deliveries. There wasn’t a building above three stories, and most of them looked at least two-hundred years old. With no public streetlamps, the going was slow, and Tucker had to be on guard for motorbikes and small lorries that buzzed in and around traffic like motorcycles did on the California freeways. By the time they came to the two-lane approach to the airport, Tucker’s armpits were drenched, and he was reminded he’d not showered like some of the other men had.
He mulled over and over in his mind how the elements they’d fought against in Nigeria had been able to infiltrate their border. Could this militia group be more mobile than they assumed? In all his years of service, it was the first time consequences of his actions over in the arena actually followed him home. Or the first time that he knew of.
They’d not talked about their last job except to their liaison, and Kyle did most of the coordination with the CIA and prepared their formal mission papers, which were on file with the Navy. Yet something had slipped through the cracks.
He wondered if he should call Brawley but figured he wouldn’t be so stupid as to take off with the family. But he wasn’t the SOF Command’s responsibility any longer. He was in that limbo land between having been formally detached from the Team and not yet picked up elsewhere. Tucker decided to wait, perhaps give his best friend a call when his boss wasn’t sitting right next to him.
He was grateful, nonetheless, in the wisdom of getting Brandy out of the house and finding her the safe place to spend the night. Brawley would fully protect her; of that he was sure.
The Jeep passed them by, so Tucker followed them all the way to a gated entrance near the hangar. The sentry made note of the sticker in the driver side window, and they were allowed to enter the secure compound. The gate closed behind them. Tucker parked right next to the other vehicle. Kelly dashed from the passenger side to check on Jenna, who was being helped out by Cooper.
But the jet was nowhere on the tarmac and not on the horizon. Tucker doubted that they’d land now until morning, but hopefully it wasn’t too far away.
“What do you think?” Sven asked him.
“I don’t think they can land at night. But I guess it depends on the bird,” Tucker answered. They all stood in a huddle, waiting for instructions.
Kelly got off her phone. “Good news. Mr. Riley has made the arrangements for a backup plane, in case they can’t cut the other one loose. It will take about three hours to arrive,” Kelly said to Kyle. “We can wait in the Net Jet building until we know. There’s food and coffee in there.”
Kyle directed the team to unload everything from the vehicles and deposit their things inside the hangar.
“I imagine he must be one happy fella,” Tucker said to the special agent.
“That phone call from Jenna will be something he remembers for the rest of his life. He’s greatly indebted to you all.”
Kyle stepped up. “We’re supposed to get a passport for Jenna. You don’t happen to have one, do you?”
“I do not. But perhaps her father has a copy we could get delivered. You want me to try?”
“Wouldn’t hurt. Collins is working to arrange it, but that could take a while. You got any other Department contacts here on the island?”
“Nobody I trust. I think your man is our best bet, but let me see if we can get a copy of the original one.”
She sat Jenna down in the middle of the group. Except for a handful of staffers preparing food and stocking vending machines, the place was empty. From several paces away, she made another call and then waited. About ten minutes later, her phone pinged with a message. “Got it!” she shouted to Kyle.
“Thank God. I hope it’s enough.”
Tucker was looking for someone official. “If the jet arrives, maybe we just board and forget the permission.”
“Never happen. As soon as the plane lands, customs will be here in a flash,” answered Sven. “They’re notified of incoming.”
Kyle sent the picture of the passport to Collins for added ammunition.
A large black van stopped at the gated sentry and was allowed in. The seals on the sides doors were not readable, but it was apparent an official of some kind had arrived. Before the two suited gentlemen got to the entrance of the hangar, they could hear the buzzing of a plane overhead.
Kelly Fielding introduced herself and showed her credentials. The gray-haired gentleman with the large moustache gave her a long perusal before he decided to show his identification. He spoke in Spanish, and Kelly continued in the same.
Kyle stood next to Fredo to get an unofficial translation.
“They’re asking about the girl.”
“Uh oh,” whispered Kyle.
Kelly showed the man a copy of Jenna’s passport, and then she said something quietly Fredo couldn’t hear. He took a picture of the passport image with his own phone and walked away to make a phone call.
The jet, twice the size of the firs
t one, landed with a boom and then taxied until it got within a hundred yards of the building. Tucker could make out two pilots, who waited.
A stretch Mercedes with diplomatic flags appeared at the sentry gate and was granted entry. The two officials jogged over to greet whomever was sitting in the back seat.
“Not sure about this,” said Kyle.
Sven shrugged his shoulders. “I’d be more concerned if it was a troop transport truck. I think we’re about to be given the golden ticket.”
The older official bowed, gave a salute to whomever was in the vehicle, and headed back to the hangar. The Mercedes, with its mysterious passenger turned around and left the compound.
In broken English, the gentleman with the moustache spoke to their group. “We have been given assurances by the Brazilian Consulate General in person that your papers are in order. He was entrusted to get everything ready, but he apologizes for the delay. He says it was all his fault. And he’s promised us he will deliver the necessary documents to my office this morning. So you are free to go.”
Tucker exchanged stares with Sven.
Kyle monitored a text that pinged his phone. “Collins,” he said, waving the screen in the air.
The two officials were on their way back to their car.
“That sonofabitch,” Kyle whispered, shaking his head. “The old man came through for us.”
The bags were loaded aboard the plane with haste. Kyle remained on the tarmac while everyone else boarded the gangway. He waved to the officials standing beside their car, boarded the plane, spoke to the pilots, and then took the first vacant seat in front.
Tucker sat behind Sven. As the plane began to taxi, Cooper called out, “Just where are we off to?”
“Norfolk. We’ll be on US soil in ten hours.”
Chapter 14
“He said not to go, Brawley.” Brandy had pleaded with them not to leave. “They’re on their way home. Just wait. One more day,” she pleaded.
“Brandy, we don’t know if we’re any safer here than in our own home,” said Dorie.
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