by J. C. Fields
Bishop’s wild smile returned. “No, I don’t suppose you think you do. But it’s time to pay up. Say good bye, Agen…”
As the Glock rose even with Kruger’s eyes, Bishop’s head disappeared in a mist of red, gray and white matter. The arm holding the Glock twisted to Bishop’s right as muscles in the now dead body constricted, pulling the trigger. A bullet struck a tree to Kruger’s left. The headless body collapsed backward into the morning dew. The echo of a high-power rifle shot reverberated off trees in the crisp morning air, masking its location.
Kruger could feel moisture on his face and realized it was probably splatter from Bishop’s demise. He felt a spasm in his back as he struggled to stand. He leaned against the tree and looked down at the lifeless body. Fearing he would not be able bend over and stand again, he kicked the Glock out of Bishop’s hand. When he looked up, he saw JR and Sandy Knoll running toward his position. Both held Remington 700s with sniper scopes.
When they arrived, Knoll asked, “You okay?”
Kruger nodded. “Arm’s broke, but other than that, yeah, thanks to you.”
“I couldn’t make the shot, didn’t have the angle. JR took it.”
Kruger looked at his friend.
JR stared down at Bishop’s body. “Not sure what it says about me, but I don’t feel anything except relief.”
Placing his left hand on JR’s shoulder, Kruger’s smile was grim. “It says you’re more interested in life than death. Bishop was death.”
JR looked at Kruger, who was holding his right arm again. “You’re hurt. Let’s get you back to Joseph’s.”
Chapter 43
Springfield, MO
“Your arm has a comminuted fracture.” The ER doctor pointed to the x-ray on a light screen in the emergency room occupied by Kruger and Stephanie. “I’m not an orthopedic specialist, but I believe you’ll need surgery.”
Kruger winced, took a deep breath, and asked, “How long to recover?”
“Like I said, I’m not a specialist, but experience tells me it will be awhile.”
“And that means?”
The doctor just smiled. “They’ll be down in a few minutes to take you to surgery. Do you have a specialist you prefer?”
“No, this is my first broken bone.”
“Lucky you. The one on-call is excellent.”
With those words, the doctor parted the curtain and walked out of the room. Kruger sat on the bed, and Stephanie stood next to him. She asked, “How’s your back?”
“Just bruised. I was lucky; he could have shattered my spine.”
“What did he hit you with?”
“Fallen tree limb. Apparently it struck something before it hit me.”
She rubbed his left arm, but remained quiet.
Joseph moved the curtain back and asked, “What’s the verdict?”
Stephanie tightened her grip on Kruger’s good arm. “Shattered humorous. He’s going to surgery in a bit.”
Joseph grimaced, entered, and let the curtain fall behind him to close off the room.
Kruger asked, “What’d I miss?”
Taking a deep breath, Joseph shook his head. “Bishop executed everyone in the Owens’ house except the daughter. She was spending the night with a friend, she came home early and slipped past a couple of patrol cars watching the place. You probably heard her scream when she got home.”
Looking down at the floor, Kruger nodded. “Yeah, I heard it. I started to react to it, but realized I would be leaving Bishop alone. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.”
“Bishop’s body was turned over to the Highway Patrol. Allen Boone told me it will be cremated, and the case closed.” Joseph paused for a few moments. “Sean, I know you don’t want to hear this, but one good thing resulted from this affair.”
Kruger looked at his friend. “What the hell could be good about all the people he murdered?”
“Sandy’s team stopped a lot of terrorists. You and JR’s discovery prevented a lot of carnage and destruction. Some of the attacks could have left hundreds dead.”
“I wish I shared your enthusiasm.” Kruger reached for Stephanie with his still-functioning left hand. She took it and squeezed.
A commotion in the hall stopped their conversation. A young nurse slid the curtain aside, a cheery smile on her face. She looked at Kruger. “Are you Sean Kruger?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Brenda, I’ll be taking you to surgery. You’ll be assigned a room after that.” She turned to Stephanie. “Are you Mrs. Kruger?”
“Yes.”
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the waiting room.”
***
Stephanie flipped through the magazine for the fourth time. She did not see or remember any of the words or pictures. Joseph sat next to her quietly watching the door leading to the surgery rooms. They were the only ones left in the waiting area, others having come and gone.
She dropped the magazine on the empty chair next to her. “What is taking so long?”
Joseph placed his hand on her arm. “It’s only been ten minutes since I checked.”
Standing, Stephanie started pacing. She looked at a wall clock. “It’s been four hours, Joseph. How long does it take?”
He was about to respond when a slender man in his mid-forties dressed in blue scrubs walked through the door next to the waiting room. He looked at Stephanie and asked, “Are you Stephanie Kruger?”
She nodded.
“I’m Doctor Morgan. Your husband’s in recovery now. He’ll be transferred to a room in about an hour. You can see him then.”
“How is he?”
The doctor did not smile. “There was substantial damage to his right humorous, and I had to rebuild it. What took the most time was finding all the bone fragments.”
Joseph stood. “What about recovery?”
“He should regain full use of his arm, but it will take time.” He smiled slightly. “He’ll probably be able to tell you when a change of weather is coming.”
Stephanie just stared at him.
The doctor finally smiled. “Go get something to eat, and by the time you return, he’ll be in a room. When you get back, ask at the nurse’s station.”
Without another word, the doctor turned and hurried back through the door behind him.
Stephanie turned to Joseph. “I’m not hungry.”
Joseph nodded.
She crossed her arms. “This is the second time Sean’s been seriously hurt on the job. The last time I almost lost him. It’s time he quit.”
Joseph did not respond.
“I’m serious, Joseph.”
“I know.”
“He has a daughter and will soon have another son. I don’t want to raise them without him.”
With a gentle smile, Joseph placed his hand on Stephanie’s shoulder. “The current President won’t be in office after this coming January. Sean may not have to worry about making the decision. It could be made for all of us.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know the two candidates running, never met them, and the current President doesn’t like either one. It could mean our program goes away.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
“Then you and Sean will have to make a decision.”
Chapter 44
Washington, D.C.
Two Months Later
Joseph and Kruger were shown into the Oval Office by the President’s Chief of Staff. President Osborne was seated at his desk looking through a file. He glanced up, smiled, stood, and walked around the desk to greet them. “Gentlemen, good to see you.”
“Thank you, Mr. President, it’s good to see you as well.” Joseph shook the offered hand and stepped aside.
The President looked at Kruger. “Your country is very grateful for your service again, Agent Kruger. You have saved more lives than any of us can imagine.” He offered his hand, and Kruger shook it with his left, his
right arm still immobilized with a cast and sling.
“Thank you, sir.”
“When does that come off?” The President pointed to the cast.
“Sometime in the next few weeks. Depends on the x-rays.”
“Good. Would either of you like coffee?”
Joseph nodded. Kruger shook his head, still not comfortable drinking coffee in the Oval Office, especially with his left hand. The President went to his desk and touched a button on his phone. Almost immediately, a steward with a tray of coffee entered the room.
After a few more pleasantries, they sat across from the President. “The candidate I least wanted to win the election won, even though we’re in the same party. He won on a platform of taking secrets out of government. Everything has to be out in the open, no special projects, nothing in the shadows.” Osborne paused for a moment. “He’s a naïve fool.”
Joseph took a sip of his coffee. “So what does that mean for our little endeavor?”
“I don’t know, Joseph. The government has numerous projects the public doesn’t know exist. Projects, I might add, that keep us safe. I hope when he takes office he will understand the need.”
Kruger spoke up. “Have you discussed any of them with him?”
“Not personally. We’ve reached out to his appointed Chief of Staff, but the reception was not… Let’s just say the response wasn’t encouraging.”
“Most disappointing.” Joseph frowned. “So, what do you want us to do?”
“I have three weeks left in office. There is a little housekeeping we need to do before then.”
Joseph remained quiet as the President paused.
“Has the man in Thailand been identified?”
Joseph gave the president a slight nod.
“Good.” The President sat back in the sofa and smoothed his tie with his hand. Looking at Joseph, he asked, “Do you have contingency plans for this individual, Joseph?”
“We have several.”
The President nodded again, but remained quiet as he looked out the window behind his desk. After several moments of silence, he turned his attention back to Joseph. “Do you remember the words I used the day the Imam from San Francisco had his fortunate accident?”
“Yes, sir. You told me, and I quote, ‘Find them, Joseph. Find them and make them go away.’”
The President nodded. “I believe this individual in Thailand is one of them.”
Joseph’s only response was a slight smile.
Kruger asked, “When you leave office, what then, sir?”
The President sighed. “For your own protection, shut it down.”
Both Joseph and Kruger did not speak.
“We can justify Agent Kruger’s activities because he’s an FBI agent. But your involvement, Joseph, could lead to embarrassing questions neither of us want to answer due to your previous employer’s identity. You’ve done too much good work. I don’t want that to happen.”
“What about Major Knoll and his men?”
“Once the individual in Thailand is dealt with, they will be retroactively assigned to the FBI. Director Stumpf signed the document this morning.”
“Can Sean direct their activities under FBI jurisdiction?” Joseph was sitting on the edge of his seat, leaning toward the President.
“As long as Director Stumpf is the head of the FBI.”
Joseph sat back and smiled. “He’s only been in his position for two years; he still has eight more.”
The President nodded. “Unless he does something illegal, which he won’t. There is one other problem, and the real reason I asked to see you both.”
Kruger frowned. He didn’t like the direction the conversation was going.
“Using JR and his skills, after the new president takes office, could put him in jeopardy of being arrested.”
“How?” Kruger stiffened, his anger growing.
The President sighed. “The new administration will appoint a new director of National Security. If that person is as pragmatic as the incoming president, they will cut off JR’s access to the NSA computers and possibly prosecute him.”
Kruger thought for a few moments. “Who knows about JR’s arrangement with the NSA?”
“Just myself, Director Stumpf, the director of the NSA, you two, and the person who set up the link.”
This answer was better than he expected. “Have them shut down the link. Today.”
The President frowned and sat a little straighter. “Are you sure? You don’t want to wait for the new president to make that decision?”
“No, I don’t want JR put in a position to be arrested for doing something he did for the country, not personal gains.” Kruger paused for a second. “The reason the president-elect wants these secret programs eliminated is his belief others are profiting from them. While there may be a few who are, far more good than bad has been the results of these activities. Unfortunately, the American public believed him and he won the election.”
The President nodded. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, Sean. You may be right.”
Kruger shook his head. “We may find that the president-elect is using his rhetoric as a shield to hide his own intentions.”
Joseph stared at Kruger. “That’s a cynical point of view.”
“But more than likely the correct one.” The statement from the President caused both Sean and Joseph pause. They looked at the man as he stared out the window behind his desk. The President continued, “I fear we’re entering a dark and dangerous period for our country, gentlemen. We all need to be vigilant.”
The room was silent after the President spoke. He returned his attention to Kruger. “Paul Stumpf asked me to apologize for is absence this morning.”
Kruger smiled. “No need.”
“He’s uhh…” The president chuckled slightly. “He’s taking care of a personnel problem today. It seems the recording you made of Franklin Dollar’s attempt to compromise you was reviewed by the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, which in turn handed it over to the Office of the Inspector General. A more thorough investigation was conducted into Dollar’s career. The Department of Justice has reviewed numerous convictions where he was the lead investigator. They found proof he tampered with and in some cases, made up evidence. Dollar is facing time in a Federal prison.”
Kruger shook his head. “To this day, I don’t know how he made it through the academy.”
“This too is being investigated.”
“Figures.”
The President’s demeanor turned serious. “I don’t know what the next few years hold for our country gentlemen, but I would be honored if both of you would keep counsel with me after I leave office. There is still a lot of work needed to keep all of us safe. I’m afraid the good citizens of this country have just made it more difficult.”
Chapter 45
Springfield, MO
Two Weeks Later
JR and Kruger were alone in JR’s conference room. The cast was off, but Kruger was instructed to keep the arm in a sling except during therapy sessions.
“How long do you have to keep that thing on?”
“The therapist says another two weeks, maybe more. She seems pleased with my progress.”
JR nodded.
“Did you check the original NSA access link?”
“Yeah, it was shut down the day you got back from Washington, D.C.”
“Does your work-around still function?”
Nodding again, JR chuckled. “I closed those down and made new ones. I’ll keep repeating the process every week or so until we don’t need them.”
“They won’t notice?”
“No, Sean, they won’t.”
Kruger gave him a half-smile. “I don’t want any of this to blow back on you.”
“I appreciate it.”
Standing, JR walked out of the conference room to the Keurig he kept outside the room on a table. He made a cup of coffee and returned. “Did they ever find Stephen Blair’s body?”
> Nodding, Kruger took a deep breath. “Yes. I received an email from Tom Stark several days ago. The family who purchased Blair’s estate raises Carin Terriers.”
“Uh, oh.”
“You see where this is going don’t you?”
JR nodded. “I had one when I was a kid. Great dogs, but they love to dig.”
“Yeah, about two weeks ago, one of them was seen playing with what appeared to be a human foot.”
“Hope one of the kids didn’t find it.”
“No, it was the nanny.” Kruger stood and walked to the Keurig. “I’m going to buy you a drip coffee maker one of these days.” When his coffee was ready, he returned to the conference table. “The body was found in a shallow grave in a remote section of the estate.”
“Cause of death?”
Kruger rubbed his face with his free hand. “Dehydration.”
JR closed his eyes. “Did they find anything else?”
“No trace of his regular meds. Bishop probably didn’t let him take them. The ME suspects Blair’s mental state deteriorated to the point he didn’t realize he wasn’t taking in water.”
JR was quiet for several moments as he studied his coffee mug. “Stephen didn’t deserve to go that way.”
“None of Bishop’s victims deserved it.”
The room was quiet as both men were lost in their own thoughts.
Finally JR asked, “Did you make a decision about your involvement?”
“If I stay, I’ll have to take a promotion. Which, in effect, will keep me out of the field. Something Stephanie would like.” He stopped and turned toward the windows in the room. “Not sure I can do that and still feel effective.”
“Well, if you leave, I’m out too. I won’t work for anyone but you.”
“I appreciate that, JR,” Kruger smiled. “Maybe it’s time we both got out.”
Both men were quiet and lost in their own thoughts.
JR broke the silence. “You’ve expressed doubt about the new president’s intentions.”
“I can’t put my finger on it yet. There just seems to be something phony about his holier-than-thou attitude.”