The Greatest Good

by Craig N Hooper

  I shifted in the seat until I faced her. “Since we’re close to the Long Beach Resident Agency, Hornsby will call Frank. He has to, since we’re in Frank’s jurisdiction. Neither will come charging down here, though, not right away at least. They’ll conference call and get a quick plan together. They’ll send a small team, maybe three agents, which will take a little time to assemble. Not a lot of time, but enough—”

  “For the inside man to beat them down here,” Karla said.

  “Exactly. The calls between Hornsby, Frank, and the other agents will be intercepted, which should flush out the insider. If it doesn’t, and a small team shows up, we bail, taking Stanley with us.”

  Stanley leaned forward and poked his pinhead between us. “If I’m being used as bait I need a gun.”

  I leaned to the left and forced Stanley to sit back. “We know the insider is acting alone, at least so far he has been. With his skills, I’m positive he’ll beat the team down here. We’re going to have to be ready.”

  Karla nodded. “Like you said, he’s pissed that he screwed up, so he’s coming to fix his mistakes.”

  “Then I definitely need a gun,” Stanley announced.

  I turned to the kid. “You’ll get one.”

  “Seriously,” he said.

  Karla eyed me. “Yeah, seriously?”

  “I think he should have one,” I said. “Just in case things go bad. Plus, it gives Stanley the element of surprise. He can hide it in his sling.”

  “Sweet,” Stanley said.

  “I doubt you’ll need it, Stanley. It’s just for a life-threatening situation, that’s all. Cool it with the excitement.”

  Karla kept looking at me, but didn’t say anything. I imagined she was questioning Stanley’s ability to handle a gun. I know I was.

  “I’ll give him a quick lesson, Karla. He’ll be fine.”

  “A lesson?” Stanley said. “You just point and pull the trigger, right?”

  I turned and glared at Stanley. Karla sensed me losing it and changed subjects.

  “So run me through the details,” she said. “Make me a believer.”

  I climbed out of the Ford and walked to the chest-high concrete ledge in front of the Ford. Karla and Stanley joined me. The parking structure stood at the far western end of the waterfront area. I stretched my arm over the concrete ledge and pointed east. “This whole area is pretty much shaped like a figure eight, running on an east/west plane. You can sort of see the figure eight from this elevation. If we had an aerial view, or a map, you could really see it. It looks like an eight on its side—”

  “An infinity sign,” Stanley said. “I see it.”

  “Where the figure eight pinches in the middle.” I pointed where I was referring to. “That’s the channel where boats enter and exit the harbors. It’s the only way in or out. When boats come in, they either go left or right, into one of the two harbors. Right in front of us is the western harbor. The bigger boats, and the tourist ones, dock there. The eastern harbor is where the private boats dock. There’s a small public mooring area there. That’s where visitors tie up. Most of the activity at night happens there. There’s a string of restaurants and bars that curve around the eastern part of the figure eight. I want you two to wait over there.” I pointed east. “I want you at the end of the string of restaurants, the very end, sitting at those outdoor tables overlooking the channel. I’ll be up there.” I traced my finger across the channel. “At the lighthouse.”

  The western harbor curved as well. Instead of restaurants lining the curve there were a number of moored boats and one tourist attraction, the Long Beach Aquarium. A path continued past the boats and aquarium and wound its way up and around a large grassy area. At the pinnacle of the grassy area, overlooking the boat channel, was a lighthouse.

  “Good position,” Karla said.

  It was. I had a clear, elevated view of the entire wharf with almost no obstructions. The best part was that my back would face the water.

  I glanced at Stanley. “I’ll be fifty yards away, just across the narrow channel. I’ll have you covered through my scope. I’ll be able to count how many times you push up your glasses.”

  “Will my gun have a scope?” Stanley asked.

  I ignored the kid and grabbed Karla. We walked behind the Ford. I motioned at Stanley to stay put. “The only soft spot in the plan is behind you. It’s a weakness. My view of the parking lot behind the restaurants is partly blocked. But I’ll have a decent view of the lot entrance, so if I do see a car come in, I’ll be ready. I might not be able to see him sneaking up, but—”

  “I’ll be prepared,” she said.

  I believed her.

  Stanley asked, “What if the inside man spots you, Agent Chase?”

  “He won't spot me,” I said. “I’ll make myself invisible. This is what I used to do for a living. I’ll take him out if he gets anywhere near you guys. I won’t miss. You’re perfectly safe, Stanley.”

  Karla nodded.

  “So where’s my gun?” Stanley asked.

  I pulled out my .50 caliber revolver. Stanley reached for it and I batted his hand away. I gave Karla the .50 and motioned for her to give up the Colt. She hesitated, then handed it to Stanley.

  “I’ll go make the call,” she said.

  While she walked to the other end of the parking structure, I gave Stanley the rundown on safely operating the Colt. After my demonstration, the kid swung the gun around wildly and tried out different stances. I snatched it away from him, made sure the safety was on, and tucked it into his sling.

  “Now leave it alone,” I said.

  I went to the Ford, opened the trunk, and took out the Weatherby rifle. When I turned around, Karla was back. “You sell it?”

  “I think so. I hung up in a panic; made sure not to give any details.”

  “Good,” I said. “So if the inside man doesn’t show, and the team does, we need to work out an abort signal. I’ll be able to see the team coming from a mile away.”

  “Why don’t you just call us?” Stanley said.

  “No open communication. We can’t take that chance. For all we know, the inside man is intercepting Karla’s cell.”

  “Do you have a Sony or Ericsson phone?” Stanley asked Karla.

  “No, who uses a Sony these days? And why would you need a Sony phone?”

  “Because I have an extra snapcell. The snapcell isn’t an actual cellphone. It’s a device that attaches to the bottom of a regular cell in the spot where you plug in and charge the phone. Snapcell, though, only works on Sony or Ericsson phones. But not to worry…” Stanley started rummaging through his backpack in the trunk, the one he retrieved from the burning safe house. “I have an extra phone and snapcell somewhere; here it is.” He handed it to me. “Press one and the pound sign. It will dial my number.” He held up his phone. “Then you can call me and give the abort signal. I’ll put it on vibrate mode.”

  “Stanley, why on earth would you need one encrypted cell phone, let alone two?”

  “Because of the death threats, Agent Chase. My father uses snapcell. He got me one and the other is for backup, so we could communicate safely.”

  “You sure these are safe?”

  “So far they are. No one’s been able to decipher the encryption, not even the NSA. The military uses this technology now. STE encryption and STU-III are pretty much fossilized systems compared to this.”

  I shut the trunk and led Stanley and Karla to the parking structure stairwell. We walked down in single file, in silence. At the bottom, I turned and looked at them. “Any questions?”

  Neither said a word. Karla nodded. Stanley pulled out the Colt and smiled.

  “Put it away,” Karla said.

  Stanley obliged.

  They headed left while I veered to the right. I kept my pace casual, in case anyone was watching me. I didn’t want to draw any attention. When I reached the base of the lighthouse, I stopped and contemplated a camouflage idea. Since the inside man had access
to Semtex, I figured he might have access to FLIR (Forward looking infrared) technology. FLIR makes it possible to see through foliage, day or night. It senses minute differences in temperature and assigns them various shades of color. It’s deadly to snipers, especially since the latest handheld imagers only weigh about a pound.

  I scanned the area for a minute, ensuring no one was around. Feeling confident that I was alone, I stripped off my clothes and waded ankle deep in the ocean water. I covered myself in muck from the ocean floor. I wasn’t sure if the mud would temper my body heat and help make me less visible to FLIR, but it was worth a shot.

  I put my cords back on, but not my shirt. When I reached the top of the lighthouse, I took up a position on the south side of the platform, lying on the metal grate with most of my right side facing the water. I put the rifle in place and used the scope to scan the eastern area, where Karla and Stanley were.

  Those two were already in position. Nobody else was in the area. Just down from their location was a noisy bar, thumping out dance music. Karla had her back toward me. Her head swiveled slightly as she scanned the area. Stanley faced me. He touched his face more than usual and occasionally patted his sling, making sure the Colt was still there.

  I swept left with the scope, as far west as I could go. I didn’t see anything unusual, so I worked back east on a higher plane, concentrating on Shoreline Drive, the road directly north of the waterfront.

  When I reached the eastern parking lot entrance by the bar, I watched the activity for a few minutes. A number of cars left the lot and a few cabs entered. Figuring a cab would be excellent cover for the inside man, I zoomed in and studied each one. Nobody hopped out, though, just a bunch of tipsy passengers stumbled in.

  I turned the scope back to Shoreline Drive because I noticed a lone car traveling east to west. The car slowed and exited onto Aquarium Way, then headed straight toward the parking structure. I zoomed in with the variable scope. Unfortunately, it was too far away to make out the driver’s face. I could see the car, though. It was black with tinted windows and a dead ringer for a motor pool car.

  My body tensed when the vehicle wound its way up the parking structure and headed toward Karla’s Ford. From the elevated angle I had, the only part of the car I could see was the roof. It parked about five spaces away from the Ford. A second later I heard a car door slam.

  I peeled my eye from the scope, wiped some sweat off my forehead, curled my finger around the trigger, then put my eye back to the scope.

  The first thing I saw was the upper body of a man walking toward the concrete ledge. Since the parking structure lights were mounted on the outside of the building, and the light from those cast straight down, no light entered the structure itself. I couldn’t make out a face. But when the man reached the ledge, he bent forward and leaned over, bathing his face in the fluorescent lights.

  I blinked. It couldn’t be.

  CHAPTER 17

  Agent Anfernee Gates squinted as he tried to see past the bright lights.

  While I kept my eye locked onto Gates, my mind kicked into high gear. Frank didn’t know Gates. Obviously, he wouldn’t have called Gates, nor would Hornsby. They wouldn’t want another agency to swoop in and snatch Stanley. Frank and Hornsby wanted to grab Stanley first to save face.

  I swallowed and pushed out a deep breath. That meant Gates hadn’t received a call about Stanley and Karla being at the waterfront. Which meant Gates had listened in on Frank or Hornsby’s call. Which meant Gates was the inside man. But why would Gates be trying to kill Stanley? I smoothed the stubble on my head, thinking of Gates breaking into my house, and shooting Stanley. Did my memory of the shooter match his body shape? I couldn’t be sure.

  There were too many thoughts in my mind, so I refocused on Gates’ body. Any second I expected him to pull out a gun, but he didn’t. He just stood there, staring over at Karla and Stanley and occasionally patting down his puffy hair.

  I watched him for seven minutes. After seven minutes, I decided to do something stupid. I abandoned my post and went after Gates, leaving my rifle behind.

  Staying in the shadows, I made my way to the southern end of the parking structure. It took four minutes. At that point Gates was twenty-five yards north of my position, and four levels above. The concrete ledge on each parking level jutted out a few feet, so I was hidden from sight.

  I sidestepped along the base of the structure until I reached the stairwell at the far northern end. Gates was well out of earshot, but I crept as quietly as I could up the first flight of stairs.

  While ascending the second flight, my back pocket started vibrating. It took a second to realize that it was Stanley’s cell. I didn’t dare answer it. Stanley would have to wait.

  I reached the base of the third flight and felt Stanley call again. I waited for the vibrating to stop, then took another step.

  Just as I did, a distant yell caught my attention. I heard footsteps in the distance, then heard another yell. When I recognized the voice, I held my breath. It was Stanley, and he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

  I backed down the steps. At the bottom of the stairwell I realized Stanley was screaming my name.

  “AGENT CHASE. AGENT CHASE.”

  I ran toward him, cursing under my breath. The kid had no idea of the danger he was in. For all I knew, Gates was right now pulling out a gun and taking aim.

  “GET DOWN, STANLEY.”

  I motioned toward my left, where there were benches, bushes, and spots for cover. Stanley couldn’t see me from that distance, however. The kid raced down the wharf with the Colt stretched out in front. I ran into him at full speed. Scooped him up and slammed him to the ground. We rolled under a concrete bench. I held him tight while he squirmed.

  “Agent Chase, we have to get the hell out of here. Back to the car, somewhere safe.”

  “Not the car. He’s by the car.”

  “What are you talking about? No, he’s not. I just got away from him. He has Karla.”

  “What?”

  Stanley nodded fast. I must have been in shock for a few seconds because next thing I know Stanley started shaking me with his good hand.

  “Agent Chase, I said he has Karla.”

  I blinked. “Who?”

  “The inside man—you know, the shooter, the arsonist. I thought you had us covered?”

  I snapped out of it. “How’d you get away?”

  “Because of this.” He held up the Colt. “It definitely surprised him.”

  “We have to get Karla,” I said.

  “I’m with you. Should I smear mud all over me, too?”

  I ignored the question and relieved Stanley of his weapon, then peeked out from under the bench. Gates was gone, which made sense. I was an idiot. The whole thing was a two-man operation all along. Not a one-man operation. Gates was the inside man, but he didn’t actually do the dirty work himself. He had an accomplice for that. Gates probably came to make sure his accomplice finished the job.

  I kicked the bench, pissed at myself.

  Stanley shook me again. “Agent Chase. Karla?”

  “Right.” I rolled out and glanced at the parking structure again. Gates was gone, and I could hear a car racing away, so I figured it was safe. I led Stanley back down the wharf in the direction he’d come from. While scanning the harbor, some motion in the water caught my attention. I stopped and squinted at the narrow boat channel. Two figures were in the water, swimming in single file. The person behind had one arm out of the water and appeared to have a gun pointed at the back of the first person’s head.

  The accomplice and Karla. It had to be. The channel between the harbors was only fifty yards wide, so it was a relatively quick swim. I figured the accomplice was headed to the lighthouse to get an elevated view of the area. He’d find the Weatherby on the platform and take us all out. Since they were already close to shore, I had no way of beating them to the lighthouse. I prodded Stanley back in the opposite direction.

  “To the bac
k of the aquarium,” I said.

  When we reached the southwest corner of the aquarium, I motioned for Stanley to stop. There were plenty of trees and foliage for decent cover.

  “What are we doing?” Stanley said, pointing toward the lighthouse. “We have to help Karla.”

  I pointed to the ground. “You’re staying put.”

  “No way, I’m coming with you. Let’s go.”

  I grabbed him by the shoulders. My grip was strong and powerful enough to send a message, but not so strong that I could get in trouble for it.

  “For your safety, Stanley, you have to stay here. No discussion.” He came toward me and I poked him in the caved part of his chest. Not hard, but not soft either. “I mean it.”

  He hesitated, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “Stanley.” I put my finger against his chest and threatened another poke.

  He sighed. “Alright.”

  “Good, now tell me what went down, quickly.”

  He took a breath. “Karla said she was going to check around the corner. Do a quick perimeter sweep, that’s what she said. About thirty seconds later I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, thinking it was Karla, and it was, but a man was behind her, prodding her forward with a gun.” Stanley paused and wiped his nose.

  “Then what happened?”

  “I’m not sure if you noticed, Agent Chase, but I’m pretty quick.”

  I nodded to keep the story moving.

  “Figuring I was a dead man, I went for the Colt. I whipped it out and pointed it at the man. I could see the surprised look on his face, but it only lasted a few seconds.”

  “Why?”

  Stanley’s shoulders dropped. “I had the safety on, and he knew it. But the man hesitated, too, so I flipped off the safety and told him to put the gun down. He was also quick. He grabbed Karla and pressed the barrel against her temple. Started making threats.”

  The kid looked down and away.

  I snapped my fingers. “Stanley. What happened?”

  “I’m sorry, Agent Chase, but I was more concerned for my own life, so I backed away, then turned and ran for it. Where were you, by the way?”