That Perfect Place

by M Carr

  Looking out from his hiding place, he counted eight men entering the barn carrying guns. He knew help was coming, so his plan was to stay put and hide until they arrived. Mirza was bruised, bleeding, and dehydrated. He needed rest and medical attention not a run through an overgrown field.

  While he was checking the weapon in his hand and discovering the clip to be nearly empty, Jake’s attention was diverted by the eight men bursting from the barn and fanning out over the property, weapons at the ready. Two men started in his direction, and he hissed at his friend to start crawling north. Mirza complied, and Jake winced at his ragged breathing even as he turned his attention to the men coming toward him.

  He picked up a few rocks and lobbed them off to his left. The armed men headed in the direction of the noise and Jake followed Mirza, who hadn’t gotten very far. They hid behind an abandoned seeder. One of their pursuers heard the noise of their flight and honed in on their hiding spot. He was visible for a few seconds through a break in the shatter cane, and Jake fired. He pulled Mirza to his feet as soon as he saw his assailant go down and swung him over his shoulders. Threading his way through the field, he took advantage of every bit of cover he could find. His heart was pounding in his chest from exertion and the knowledge that his height made the two of them an easier target.

  At the north edge of the property, there was a barbed-wire fence in very good repair. Jake set Mirza down to free up both his hands. He lost valuable time cutting it with his multi-tool, but there was no other way to get through. He could hear an unknown number of pursuers behind him as he worked. Bullets whizzed overhead, and they hit the dirt.

  Four men popped out of the corn where they were waiting with weapons leveled. Mirza lay on the ground sobbing. Jake breathed a sigh of relief. Their vests were marked FBI in large letters. Three of the men entered the field through the break Jake had made in the wire. The fourth called for a vehicle to pick them up.

  While they were waiting, they could hear gunshots in the distance and the screeching of tires. The agent helped Mirza into the corn and motioned Jake there too until their ride arrived.

  The injuries from the previous month were making themselves felt, and Jake lay gasping until a stinging pain in the back of his arm made him get up. The agent looked at it and said it looked like a bullet had grazed him. The first thought that popped into his head was that both Jill and Jeanine were going to be very upset with him. Jake laughed and wiped sweat from his face.

  “I’ve never known anyone to laugh about a gunshot wound before,” the agent said.

  “I’m just thinking this is nothing compared to what my fiancé will do to me when she sees it.”

  The agent looked at him oddly but said nothing. The SUV arrived about that time, and they loaded Mirza in and began to give him first aid. Jake got into the front passenger seat.

  When they reached the command post, Halloran was on his radio. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Jake get out of the car. The agent shook hands and thanked him.

  “We knew they were holding Jaleel somewhere in the area. He’s been missing for two days. Leave it to you to be the one to pinpoint it for us.”

  “We got a call at the clinic to see to some neglected horses here. I wasn’t supposed to be by until later. Maybe they were laying a trap?”

  A message came over the radio.

  “The area is secure,” Halloran informed Jake. “Would you like a ride to your truck?”

  The farmyard was swarming with agents when the car pulled in. The truck was being looked at by the bomb squad for booby traps.

  “Christ, Gundersen, you never miss out on the fun, do you?” Westin said when he saw Jake.

  “We got a good haul this time, boss,” Westin said to Halloran. “They didn’t have time to destroy any records. I’ve got names, dates, plans, and contact numbers on unencrypted files and several more big ones that are encrypted,” he said, smiling ear to ear.

  “Let’s get some analysts on it immediately.”

  All three men spun when they heard a commotion behind the farmhouse. They heard hoof beats and relaxed.

  Jake told them, “There are two horses running loose. I’ll round them up and take them to my clinic.”

  Halloran nodded. “Westin, get someone to help our friend here.”

  Jake called his sister and asked for the horse trailer.

  “Whoa, wait a minute. You text me and say someone is shooting at you and the next thing I hear one anxious hour later is that you need the trailer. You have some explaining to do, Jakob. Here, talk to your almost wife.”

  “Jill?”

  “Jakob, are you OK? What in hell is going on?”

  “It seems the guys we took out in August had some friends that were planning a party for me and Dr. Mirza, only I crashed it early and ruined the surprise. Halloran was nearby, apparently looking for him, so everything is fine.”

  “I swear, Jakob Gundersen, if I ever hear of you getting shot at again I’ll have your driver’s license revoked. Now get back here and let me make sure you are all right.”

  “I have two more calls.”

  “Now, Jake. Jeanine has already canceled them.”

  “OK.” Jake hung up. “I’ve been summoned home. I need to get the horse trailer anyway.”

  “So you married that little firebrand?”

  “Church is booked for December.”

  “Congratulations. I hope you’ll be happy,” Halloran said.

  “There’s a lot to be said for never having to make your own decisions ever again,” Westin teased. “I’ve been married for eighteen years now and she always tells me what I think.”

  “Don’t listen to him. He and Marla are deliriously happy and have been as long as I’ve known them.” Halloran shook his head, smiling.

  A siren distracted them at that moment, and the sheriff pulled in at full bore. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out.

  “Now do you believe me that this jerk is the mastermind?” he huffed, stabbing his finger in Jake’s chest.

  Jake just stood there looking bemused. Westin’s mouth was gaping.

  “McCaffrey, damn it,” Halloran asked disgustedly. “This is a federal case, and your presence is not required. Leave now,” he said forcefully, pointing at the sheriff’s Blazer.

  McCaffrey opened and closed his mouth a few times but finally climbed back into his vehicle and pulled out when both Halloran and Westin turned away from him. Jake couldn’t resist a wave and a smile when the sheriff turned back to glare at the group.

  “Gundersen, it has been a pleasure knowing you,” Westin said when he returned Jake’s laptop a few minutes later.

  “Thanks. If I ever see you guys again, I hope it has nothing to do with your job.”

  As he pulled around behind the clinic, Jake noticed that there were a suspicious number of cars in front of the farmhouse and wondered what was up. He parked his truck and noticed a sign on the back door of the clinic directing him to the house.

  Jill ran out and met him as soon as he shut off the engine. He wrapped her in a desperate embrace. She could feel the tremor in his taut muscles. His kiss was that of a starving man, hungry for some sustenance. After several minutes he loosened his hold.

  “All I could think about was that I had to get back to you,” he whispered. “I want you to understand just how much you mean to me, how I know everything will be OK now that I have you.” He tangled his fingers in her thick, wavy hair and tilted her face up to gaze down into her eyes. “Jill, I don’t want to wait. I want to get married and start a family right away. Life’s too short and too much can happen. I want us to have a little girl.” He kissed her again, cutting off her reply.

  When she could breathe she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh Jake, I’d love that.”

  “No J names though.” He spun her around.

  “What? No Janey or Joslin?”

  “Not even a Joyce.” Jake picked her up and was ready to cart her off to the cabin when some people appeared o
n the farmhouse porch and started yelling.

  “You two can do that later,” Nels called out.

  “Yeah, we’re hungry,” Steve Brandeis yelled.

  “Jakob, get in here and tell us what in holy hell is going on,” Jeanine commanded.

  Jake gave a weak smile and, setting her down, walked to the house with his arm around her.

  A sizable group of friends and family were waiting to wish him a happy birthday. He hadn’t even remembered it was his birthday.

  “Ida and your aunt are leaving tomorrow, so I didn’t want to leave things until the weekend,” Jill explained.

  “Thanks,” he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her on the cheek. She could tell he would rather they were alone.

  Jeanine handed him a plate of food. “Now, tell us what happened this afternoon. I had visions of having to rush back to the hospital—or worse—instead of eating this great food.”

  He filled them in on the details, omitting the fresh injury to his arm, but he hadn’t changed his shirt and it only took a minute for Jill to ferret it out.

  “Jake, please tell me that’s not a bullet wound,” she said as she grabbed his arm.

  “Ouch. Maybe.” He caught her look. “Yeah, OK. It’s just a scratch. The feds already treated it. See?” He rolled his sleeve to show the bandage.

  “Didn’t I tell you, You are marrying Rambo,” Jim said.

  “I’d rather be Chuck Norris,” Jake came back.

  “So, is this truly the end of the great Iowa jihad?” Steve Brandeis asked, helping himself to the deviled eggs.

  “Christ, I sure hope so. The homeland guys found all kinds of files. It seems these guys are a mixed bunch of cells trying to stop American agriculture or at least slow it down. Crap, I forgot about the horses. There are two neglected horses at the farm. I need to pick them up and bring them here.”

  “Yeah, well, you are going with an armed escort this time,” Jeanine insisted. “Oh, I almost forgot. There is a letter for you from one of your friends at UC Davis. One of you kids run and get it off the phone table in the hall.”

  Jake scanned the letter and laughed. “Why didn’t this come two years ago when our business was defunct?”

  “What is it, hon?” Jill asked.

  “They want to know if I’d be interested in applying for a position on their teaching staff.”

  “Are you?” about six people asked at once.

  Jake put his arms around his son and his soon-to-be wife. “Now why would a man ever want to move when he already has that perfect place?”

  Marian Carr has spent a lifetime working with and caring for horses, dogs, and cats. She teaches riding and has done technical writing for local horse clubs and small publications for years.

  She lives in Iowa with her husband and has three grown children who are spread out all over the country.

  Look for her upcoming release of Pewter Knight and middle-grade reader The Alfie Project.