The Hunt For Rose

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER TWELVE

  Cadiche arrived in person, usually information far too important for any medium of communication other than direct dialogue. After dispensing with polite dialogue with Jodi and Lola on a visit from Hawks Nest they descended to the den.

  Cadiche got straight to the point, out of uniform and in a slick suit the new minister of police looked impressive, his dark skin standing out against the collar of a crisp white shirt. "The cruise ship McCrea's family is on is on the way down the east coast and will be parallel with Bribie Island in Queensland at one tomorrow morning, McCrea is getting restless."

  Stanton was cleanly shaven wearing a suit and tie, ready to be seen in certain places. "Anthony will be on the ships helipad at precisely one am NSW time, McCrea's discreet messaging code via phone seems to be working fine."

  "Like I said it's taken so long, he's bored shitless."

  "As soon as his family is in that chopper two of his superiors will be taken down by their own system and he'll be back in the US inside a week."

  "Okay I'll let him know. Why not wait until she's in Cairns and pick her up from the street while she's shopping."

  "McCrea has already told us he knows the agent tailing her, they would expect that. If an agents watching her he has no back up on the ship but may have back up in Cairns they'd expect that."

  "Why are we going to such lengths to help this guy?"

  "In a few months we're going to Kentucky with a horse, a grand friend of ours disappeared there, next week we'll have someone inside the FBI, do you get my drift."

  "McCrea's an American patriot, can we trust him."

  "Agreed, but he's been shafted by his own creed, I'm sure he'd like a chance to catch up with those people, he knows who they are, we're not sure."

  "I have something a bit delicate."

  "Really, since when have you handled delicate."

  Cadiche hesitated but pressed on. "Couple of young blokes have visited here while your away over the past few weeks, hasn't happened of late but it happened. They weren't here for long."

  "I know I sent them."

  "Phew, thank god for that."

  "They discussed a matter with Jodi, she's having trouble working out a few things like who she is or wants to be at the moment."

  "They were psychologists."

  "You could say that, last week she was telling me she wanted to go to the Himalayas and meditate with monks in the mountain temples."

  Cadiche lifted his eyebrows. "What, is she going?"

  "Don't know, waiting for the next instalment, I think she's got that alzei... em menop....." he shook his head. "I don't know I think she's getting better."

  "Did the psychologist help?"

  "The first one seemed really happy with his consultation but the second one got thrown out."

  "Ohh, probably digging a bit to deep and touched a raw nerve."

  Stanton coughed slightly. "Yeah, never the less think it helped. She said if another psychologist came round here she'd shot him."

  "Shit, pretty strong for Jodi."

  "Well I've always said, don't get mad about yourself get angry."

  Cadiche lifted one eyebrow. "She does that a lot."

  "You don't know her like I do, she's been through a lot, not surprising she's looking for who she is. She's always been someone else for someone else, I've wanted to look after her since I can first remember playing as a child in the gardens of England. She can be whomever she wants, as long as its not in the Himalayas where I have absolutely no chance of looking after her."

  Cadiche looked at his watch. "I have a meeting, I still don't trust that McCrea."

  "Don't worry, when it comes to Bret we have an ultimate weapon."

  "A forty four magnum?"

  "No, Rose Fleming."

  "He mentions her, asks about her."

  "Yes, he could bring his life crashing down in more ways than one."

  "Fair enough."

  "One more thing, Jean Forbes husband, find him for me."

  "He was killed in a car accident in Germany."

  "I thought so too, dealing with em.. psychologists, dug up an interesting bit of information from one of them I was screening. He em... consulted with Jean Forbes, she let it slip whilst under em... induced hypnosis' that her husband was away in Germany and she enjoyed herself why he was away."

  "That bit I believe."

  "I don't know the exact ins and outs of the theory. He's using an alias, Brunner, Forbes maiden name."

  "Okay, how'd you get that out of a psychologist, thought they were bound by secrecy for their clients."

  "I didn't Bella did, lucky was just before he met with an unfortunate accident."

  "Oh dear."

  "Play with fire like Jean Forbes and you get burnt."

  "How the hell she got re-elected to office is beyond me."

  "Monika Lewinsky and Bill Clinton, raised his profile, among other things. Forbes is well connected, thick skinned and has done really well for her electorate. She's another tool in the toolbox or I would have personally shot her ages ago. Find her husband is all I'll tell you at present. Jean doesn't know it but she's looking into something for me currently."

  "Rudolf Brunner."

  "Far as we know currently."

  Cadiche stood and headed for the steps. "I gotta go, Ill get onto it. Oh before I forget, Creighton went down for five years."

  "Wasn't him but if the shoe fits."

  "That reminds me, Gustav Fleming, Rose's father, anything yet it's been months."

  "No, hasn't come up anywhere. Look I gotta go."

  At one am precisely Cunard lines Queen Mary 2 was sixty kilometres directly off the coast of Bribie Island Queensland Australia. The captain was called to the bridge, by the time he arrived a Sikorsky S92 chopper had touched down on the ships helipad. It had come in hugging the sea from the west shrouded in darkness, it came up on the ships radar but could not be seen. It touched down for only a few seconds while a woman and two teenagers climbed aboard, it quickly lifted off dropped to sea level and vanished to the south. The incident was reported to authorities by the ships captain. An FBI agent informed Washington McCrea's wife and children had been lifted from the ship by chopper. Simultaneously information concerning FBI section chief of staff Leonard Wayne fell from the sky and landed on FBI director Glen Cheviots desk in Washington. The information was regarding leaking of classified information to enemies of the American states by Wayne and documents outlining a lucrative real estate portfolio worth over thirty million linked to Leonard Wayne. The information had also been directed to the head of the CIA, an investigation was launched and within twenty four hours Leonard Wayne was arrested by the CIA. Cheviot was spared but sent the information for a reason as he was an accomplice. Cheviot retracted the arrest warrant for McCrea and covered himself when interviewed by the CIA having to favour McCrae for support as Wayne made statements to the CIA implicating Cheviot. Once Cheviot had admitted it was a mistake to have suspected McCrea for alleged misconduct and tabled evidence to seal the case on Wayne. Once Cheviot had been on record and released damming evidence on Wayne he could not go back. Stanton struck again releasing the evidence needed to back up Wayne regarding Cheviot. Cheviot received the same evidence, he disguised himself and boarded a plane to Germany. During the flight he fell under the spell of Bella Elizabeth Fonteyn, no trace has ever been found of him.

  McCrea presented himself and family to the American Embassy in Canberra, was pardoned and returned home elevated to area commander of the southern states from California in the west, to Washington in the east including his home state of Texas and Kentucky for the FBI. Before he left he was given two names through Cadiche, CIA agents Dirk Truman and Conrad Wayne by direct conversation. Conrad Wayne was Leonard Wayne's brother; the CIA pair had worked with Stanton before in Pakistan.

  Stanton visited Shangri La, when he left Harper rang Bryce owner of American horse Thunderbolt and confirmed the one on one challenge with Flaxmead, the rules of engagem
ent such as even weights as Lindy Cumberland was so small and the exact time the challenge would take place. They agreed on 3 miles, 4.8 kilometres, neither horse had competed at this distance therefore neither horse could be favoured. Harper had studied the race surface at Churchill Downs Louisville where the horses would run and replicated the earthen surface in the back paddock of Shangri La wines below the broken back range, the surface up hill and down dale around the edge of the paddock was around four miles. Lindy Cumberland ran Flaxmead there twice a day since it was finished some three weeks after returning from Ascot.

  By February Lindy discussed a problem with Flaxmead, he was slowing down. They anticipated it was because he had no one to race and running every day at the same time had become mundane. Celtic Storm and Ross Hildebrand had remained in the UK after Ascot now stabled in Edinburgh. Flushing Meadow had been put to pasture at Harpers own property and ridden on a regular basis by Anna Fields. Harper brought in four of the fastest horses he had access to and ran them against Flaxmead in the back paddock at Shangri La, Flaxmead nearly pulled the reins out of Lindys hands to get at them running like the wind and delivering the best time over distance yet on the ramshackle at times dusty track. Gauging definite success was difficult, they were aware Thunderbolt had a gruelling training regime at the very track the race would be conducted on and under the same circumstances, start with no gate. Harper began running Flaxmead with one horse under the same circumstances with no starting gate. Flaxmead would run the horse down then cruise, there was no competition, and they looked for a horse that could push Flaxmead. Harper made the decision that Flaxmead would run an event in Australia two weeks prior to the American challenge. Neither Harper nor Stanton was keen on propaganda, they rather Flaxmead make a statement.

  Stanton troubled by many things was as time ran short visiting the training sessions frequently in an attempt to unwind. He knew information was being delivered to Bryce on Flaxmead's training, he had noticed the sun flashing off the lenses of powerful binoculars atop the broken back range. No matter how he tried he could not find Winston Blake and his daughter, no matter what angle he thought about things it was still a hunt for Rose. Jodi had not yet fully settled from her bizarre behaviour and he did not want to leave her but the last thing he wanted to do was take her with him in harms way. As he organised the plan to get Flaxmead to Kentucky and back the more he learned the less confident he was of success. Bella and Rose were too well known to operate in the areas of need and Hurst was suddenly having problems with Albert Hollis.

  Then in a conversation with Jodi she suggested a face book page for Flaxmead, although several existed none were official, Stanton liked the idea of the masses being informed of his progress and whereabouts. It's difficult for governing authority to achieve much where masses of the public are gathered, a massive crowd around a decoy or the real thing could prove an advantage in the right place. Another point that interested Stanton in the idea was it gave Jodi focus; she became quite excited about running this face book endeavour. From the time it commenced Stanton received updates by the minute on the masses of people following the page, Jodi turned into her old self in charge of something she believed in. He gave her information on exactly what bits of information or comment he would be interested in, within a week Flaxmead had broken another record, the biggest following on face book ever recorded.

  Lifted by some of the goings on, Stanton received direct contact from Wu Far. Doc Bastard of the Overlords motorcycle club wished to see him urgently. Doc Bastard had not contacted Stanton since the end of the street war. He knew he would not attempt to make contact unless it was of the utmost importance, he left home bound for the Overlords clubhouse in Bondi.