The Greatest Good

by Craig N Hooper

  “I’m sorry, I had you covered for a while. There was another government agent involved. He showed up in the parking garage. I thought he was the shooter so I went after him. Since he wasn’t armed, I didn’t think there was an immediate threat to you two.”

  “So there’s two of them?”

  “There’s the inside man and his accomplice, the one who actually does the dirty work. Now stay here and don’t move. I’ll be back for you soon.”

  Before he could whine, I took off and headed toward the water’s edge. Unfortunately, too much light flooded the grassy area around the lighthouse, so hugging the shoreline was a death sentence. However, the light didn’t penetrate past the shoreline. The water was dark, silky, and hopefully forgiving to an approaching shape.

  I entered the water, keeping just my head above the surface. To minimize my silhouette, I pressed the Colt flush against the right side of my head, then slowly waded east toward the lighthouse. When I was about seventy-five yards away, I saw movement on the lighthouse platform. I also heard a few sharp whispers float across the water, which was a good sign. It meant the accomplice hadn’t slit Karla’s throat yet.

  I moved another twenty-five yards east. By that point my night vision was coming in and I could see two figures on the lighthouse platform. Both lay flat on the metal grate. Both of their bodies were pointed my direction. Afraid of being spotted, I sank as low as I could go in the water. My nostrils flared wide as I breathed as slow as possible. As I breathed, I contemplated a different plan.

  The sound of a subtle click stopped my thinking. Right away I recognized the sound. It came from my rifle. The Weatherby’s safety had released.

  I tensed and held my breath. Any second I expected a round to tear through my face.

  When that didn’t happen, I decided to screw the Colt and go under. I blew out all the air in my lungs to get rid of my natural buoyancy, then I started slipping under, first my chin, then my mouth, then my nostrils. Real slow, so I didn’t make a sound or draw attention.

  Just before my ears slipped under, a voice stopped me.

  “Don’t move,” it said.

  I obeyed. Not because the voice asked, but because I recognized the voice. At least I think I recognized it. I hoped I’d misheard.

  “Don’t move, Augustine. I need time to think. Don’t make this worse.”

  I’d heard correctly. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. You’re kidding me.

  “Aug, please,” the man said. “I’ll shoot if I have to.”

  I pushed out the breath I’d been holding. “Gabriel?”

  Deafening silence followed. The man didn’t respond. All I could hear were tiny waves lapping at the shoreline. Thoughts started coming like a drumroll. I wanted to shake my head clear, though I didn’t dare move in case he was serious about shooting.

  “I’m sorry, Augustine.” The man’s voice strained to the point of cracking. “So sorry for all of this.”

  “Gabriel? Is that you? It can’t be you.”

  No response, only a sigh.

  Gabriel was the codename of my former sniper partner. Worse, it was the codename of my best friend, Mick Cranston.

  CHAPTER 18

  Iheld my breath, waiting for confirmation, but it didn’t come. The man didn’t speak. Though I knew it was Mick, I was still holding out a crazy hope that it wasn’t my best friend pointing a rifle at me. It’s insane how logic can fly out the window when you desperately want something not to be true.

  “Mick,” I said, breaking the silence. “Is that you? Tell me this is some sort of crazy joke. What the hell’s going on?”

  Still no response.

  “Mick,” I yelled.

  Finally, he sighed. “It’s me, Chase. I have orders to kill Stanley, and you.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re not going to kill the governor’s son or take me out. No way.”

  I rose out of the water and walked forward.

  A pop came from the rifle. A millisecond later a sizzling heat whipped past the right side of my face. The round plunked into the ocean and sizzled. The heat of the bullet burned my ear. I grabbed at it to make sure it was still there. I looked up at my best friend and held out my hands.

  “This is insanity, Mick. You just shot at me.”

  “They took my girls, Chase. What am I supposed to do?”

  “What? Whose they? Who took your girls?”

  “The same people who issued my orders.”

  “But you work for the government.”

  “Exactly,” he said. “That’s how corrupt this is.”

  “I don’t even know what ‘this’ is.” I took a step forward. Before I could take another, a bullet tore through the water by my left foot.

  “Damn it, Mick, stop it. Stop shooting at me.”

  “You stop,” he yelled. “Just give me time to think.”

  “Tell me what ‘this’ is. Forget thinking and start talking.”

  Mick took a moment to think, then he said, “You and Stanley are national security threats. I was given a kill order for Stanley and you, and also an order to burn down your house. Apparently you housed highly-classified secret documents that needed to be destroyed.”

  I scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “I wish I was. That was my directive. That’s all I know.”

  “You know I’m being set up.”

  He sighed. “Of course I know that. That’s why you both are alive and your house didn’t burn down. Trust me, I’ve been stalling for two days. But they took Kimmie and Ruth and threatened to kill them.”

  Everything suddenly made sense. Mick gave himself away when he broke in because he wanted me out of the house. The detonator didn’t malfunction. Mick couldn’t bring himself to push the button. I didn’t think further about the details because Mick’s girls entered my mind. Being a father, I could imagine all too well what he was going through.

  I cleared my throat. “They’re not going to kill innocent young girls, Mick, no way.”

  “Maybe,” he shot back. “Maybe not. You don’t know these people, Chase. They have the power and resources to make anyone disappear. They could make my girls disappear forever, without a trace.”

  “It’s not going to happen. You and I can figure this out and take them down.”

  “You have no idea who we’re dealing with.”

  “I have a little idea, and they’re not that smart.”

  A brief pause. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your partner.”

  “Partner? I don’t have a partner. I’m a lone operative, 100% on my own on this one.”

  “What about Gates?”

  “Who’s Gates?”

  I sighed. “Agent Anfernee Gates.”

  “No clue. Never heard that name before.”

  What was Gates doing here then? I ran my hands across my stubbly head. How did he arrive before the Bureau?

  I shook off the questions. “Trust me, Mick, we can figure this out.”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry, Augustine. Not with my family on the line. You have to understand. Now where’s the kid? I’ll trade Karla for Stanley.”

  “Stop it, Mick. Stop using codenames, call me Chase. You’re not going to follow through with this. I’m your best friend.”

  I was positive he wouldn’t shoot me, so I started walking.

  The Weatherby coughed again. A whistle hissed by my left ear. I stopped walking, suddenly unsure of my best friend’s mental state. Maybe he’d cracked. Maybe he actually thought the only way out was to kill Stanley, and maybe me. With family on the line, who knows? I thought about it more, then shook my head.

  “You’re not going to shoot me, Mick. You know that’s not the greatest good here. You’re a father like me. You couldn’t live with shooting me and leaving Simon without a father.”

  “Don’t use your philosophy BS with me. You don’t know what the greatest good is.”

  I shot back. “You think the greater good
is killing Stanley and following through with a directive you know is corrupt?”

  “I won’t miss again, Aug, I promise. Just get me Stanley, tell me where he is. You and Karla can walk away. I’ll disobey your kill order, but I need the kid. I need some leverage. It’s his life or my girls.”

  “I’m coming to you,” I said.

  “DON’T,” Karla suddenly yelled. “Please, Chase, don’t move. He’s unstable.”

  “Listen to her,” Mick said.

  I didn’t listen to either of them. I took a step.

  The Weatherby spat. I felt the bullet’s path over my head. Positive that it had burned my scalp, I touched my head and looked for blood. Nothing.

  But I had Mick. He broke his promise. He said he wouldn’t miss again.

  So I took another step. Six cracks thundered through the air, shattering the night silence. Four bullets plunked into the ground. The other two sizzled into the water behind me. The mag was empty. It held eleven rounds, but I’d only loaded nine in the clip.

  I walked to the base of the lighthouse. Karla flew down the ladder, then she pulled back, whipped out the Smith & Wesson, and pointed it up at Mick. I motioned for her to put the revolver away. She hesitated. I motioned again and she lowered it.

  A minute later, Mick eased down the lighthouse ladder with the Weatherby in hand. When he turned to face me, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. I felt half anger, half sympathy for him.

  To say he looked haggard was an understatement. Deep wrinkles encircled a pair of darkened eyes. His wavy black hair was messy, almost bedhead looking, which wasn’t intentional on his part. Mick was meticulous about his hair. Usually he kept it slicked back like the famous basketball coach Pat Riley, except Mick placed a hard part on the left side.

  Mick also looked much leaner than I remembered, which was why I hadn’t recognized him the morning I’d chased him.

  He spoke first. “I’m so sorry, buddy. I didn’t know what to do. I was desperate. I didn’t want to make any of these decisions.”

  My sympathy faded and my anger took over. “But you did make decisions. You shot Stanley and Labonte.”

  “Hear me out,” Mick said. “Before you make any judgement.”

  “Start talking,” I said.

  “I had to buy time,” he said in a pleading tone. “I had to stall. I know I did terrible things. I understand. For the sake of my girls, I felt I had no choice. You have to understand that.” Mick looked at me, then Karla, then back to me. “Obviously I wasn’t going to kill the kid, so I shot him in the shoulder, told my superior he moved at the last second. I aimed at you first so you’d dive away from the kid. I didn’t want you jumping in front of the bullet if you thought it was coming for Stanley.”

  “What about Labonte? Why him?”

  “Again, buying time. I told my superior Labonte jumped in front of Stanley.”

  “He may die,” Karla stated.

  Mick buried his face in his hands. “I had to give them something so they didn’t go after my girls again. Labonte seemed like the only choice since he didn’t have kids or a significant other.” Mick looked at me. “I did everything wrong when I broke into your house. Wanted to make sure you got out. Of course, I couldn’t kill you, and I couldn’t bring myself to burn down your place. I knew you weren’t harboring state secrets.”

  I nodded. “You let the doorknob click in place.”

  “I even stepped on that squeaky floorboard.”

  “Twice,” I added.

  “I sort of hoped you would’ve charged out of the bathroom, taken me out, and ended it right there. Put me out of my misery. But I had my girls to think about.”

  “Does this have to do with our time in The Activity?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know, but I’m not with The Activity anymore.”

  “If this is about your black ops missions,” Karla said, stepping in between us, “how does a kill order for the governor’s son make sense?”

  “She’s right,” Mick said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  I nodded. “Tell me about the safe house. What was that all about? Had you changed your mind and decided to kill the kid?”

  He shook his head. “No way. Another stall tactic to buy time.”

  “What about the marshals?” I asked.

  “I threw a small pebble at the kitchen window. That lured the marshals into the backyard. I subdued them and dragged their bodies behind the shed.”

  “Subdued?” I said, raising my eyebrows.

  “They’ll be a little groggy with a splitting headache, just for a day or two.”

  I nodded.

  Mick continued. “After that, I went into the house and planted the Semtex on the front door. I hid across the street, waited for a while, and wondered what to do next. When the kid came rushing out of the front door, I pushed the detonator when I knew he’d be clear of the blast. I tailed him to the 7-Eleven, then here to the waterfront.”

  I ran my hand over my head. Mick was good. I hadn’t spotted anybody tailing us.

  “So who do you work for now?” I asked.

  Mick was about to respond, but a blaring siren stopped him.

  CHAPTER 19

  Mick heaved the Weatherby onto his shoulder and used the scope to scan in the siren’s direction. Nine rounds fired from a .308 caliber rifle could be heard miles away. Not a surprise the cavalry arrived so quickly. I wasn’t sure if the sirens belonged to the feds or the local cops.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “Unmarked,” Mick said. “Has to be the feds. Have a look.” He held out the Weatherby.

  I took the rifle and put my eye to the scope. Three unmarked vehicles rushed down Aquarium Way. They must’ve been on their way already, and then heard the shots. Otherwise, they wouldn’t come blazing in like this. I pulled my eye from the scope and looked at Mick.

  “Do we trust the Bureau?”

  “No way. We trust no one.” Mick glanced at Karla.

  Karla looked like she was about to sock him, so I cut in. “Trust me, she’s fine. Let’s move.”

  We headed west. I led the charge while Karla trailed directly behind. Mick stayed ten yards behind her, running slowly and scanning the area. When Stanley spotted us, he hopped up and down and waved at me with his good arm. A moment later he saw Mick and started running the opposite direction.

  “Stanley,” I said. “It’s fine, he’s with us.”

  The kid kept going, so I doubled my speed and tried to catch him, but I couldn’t.

  I shouted after him, “Stop, Stanley.”

  He didn’t.

  I yelled louder, “Stanley Tuchek.”

  The kid finally stopped and spun my direction. He shouted while walking backward. “What’s going on? I heard shots, Agent Chase. And what’s with him?” He pointed. “He took Karla. He’s the accomplice.”

  I reached him a little out of breath. “It’s okay, he’s a friend of mine.”

  Stanley scrunched his face. “A friend of yours? What do you mean?”

  “A good friend. His name’s Mick Cranston. He and I used to work together.”

  “Work together?” Stanley shook his head. “What’s going on, Agent Chase?”

  “A massive conspiracy,” I said. “It’s a long story, Stanley. I’ll fill you in when we have more time.”

  He shot me a skeptical look.

  “He’s with us now,” I said. “Don’t worry. There’s no time to explain.” Stanley still looked skeptical. I put my hands on his shoulders and stared at him. “Trust me, he’s fine.”

  Before Stanley could argue, I took off and headed toward the southwest corner of the Long Beach Aquarium. I stopped running when I reached a locked gate that led to the outdoor section of the aquarium.

  I turned to Mick. “Should we hide out or take our chances and keep moving?”

  “I hate to hide out, but I think it’s our best chance. The area will be swarming with cops any second. It’ll be hard for four of us to move undetecte
d.”

  “I agree.”

  Mick pulled out a small screwdriver-looking device from one of his pants pockets. While he went to work on the lock, Stanley stood behind him, shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking excited over the turn of events. I debated poking him in the chest again and telling him to calm down. Mick had the lock open in thirty seconds and we were on the move before I could make a decision about calming Stanley down.

  Mick led us to the far corner of the aquarium’s outdoor center. We passed a shallow petting pool on our right. It contained fish, sand sharks, and manta rays. Somewhere in the background must have been a seal pit, because we heard a lot of barking. On our left was another pool. I believe it was the otter tank, but couldn’t see any otters to confirm. Behind the petting pool stood an elevated shark pool. Huge glass windows filled one side of the pool. I saw an ominous shape swimming around, and looked away.

  Mick stopped at the back corner of the aquarium, right beside two wooden shacks. The shacks hid the huge pumps and filters for the pools. They cycled on and off and were loud as hell. They were the perfect place for cover. We settled behind the biggest shack and sat in a bed of pine needles.

  Stanley pushed up his glasses and shouted at us, so he could be heard over the noise. “This is exciting, isn’t—”

  Mick and I reached for Stanley at the same time. Mick smothered his mouth while I poked him in the chest and held my fingers there. Karla shushed Stanley.

  Everyone stared straight ahead except me. I eyeballed Karla, noticing her chattering teeth. Since she didn’t have any fat reserves on her and her clothes were wet from the swim, she had a bluish tinge to her skin. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a shirt to give her. Mick sat in a trance. His brow was furrowed, thinking about his family, I assumed. Stanley fidgeted with his glasses and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He glanced over at me and held his left thumb up.

  I wanted to break it off. I didn’t understand the kid and his excitement. Maybe he was younger and more naïve than I thought. Maybe he really had no idea how bad a situation he was in.

  Since I couldn’t figure out his mood, I turned my thoughts to the conspiracy. It was hard to comprehend that one federal agent had been chosen to protect Stanley while another agent was commissioned to kill him, not to mention commissioned to kill the protector. Didn’t make any sense, not at all. Maybe it was a timing thing. Had something happened since I’d been chosen as protector that changed everything? Were the death threats on Facebook and now Mick’s involvement two totally separate things?