Heat (23 page)

J
esse arrived at Washington National at seven in the evening. In the gift shop he bought a book of large-scale maps of Washington and its suburbs, then rented a car and drove into the city. He checked into the Watergate Hotel, then phoned Jenny.

“Hi, I made it safely.”

“Glad to hear it; everything all right?”

“Everything's fine; my appointment's at ten in the morning. If we finish by noon or so, I can make a three o'clock airplane home. I'll call you and let you know what plane I'm on.”

“I'll meet you in Spokane.”

“Did it snow?”

“Yes, and it's still snowing; we've had eight or nine inches, and they say we'll have a foot.”

“I'm glad you kept the pickup, then. Well, I'd better get a bite to eat and some sleep; I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I love you.”

“You, too; say goodnight to Carey for me.”

He hung up, then ordered dinner from room ser
vice. While he waited for it to arrive, he picked up a Washington phone directory, but could not find what he wanted. He had more luck with the information operator.

He studied his maps for a few minutes, then went downstairs and asked for his car. He forced himself to drive slowly, normally, not to get excited. He drove into northwest Washington and found Argyle Terrace, driving slowly until he spotted the house number. He drove to the end of the block, turned around, drove back down the street and parked a couple of houses away. His view was good. He could see the whole front of the house and one side, and it appeared that the kitchen was on the back corner. The lights were on there, and he could see a woman moving about, probably cleaning up after dinner.

When he had seen enough, he drove back to the Watergate and tried to watch a movie on television, but he couldn't concentrate. He switched it off and lay in the bed, planning the next day to the nth degree, rehearsing his actions. It was past two when he finally fell asleep.

 

He found Nashua Building Supply with no difficulty, across the road from the university, as Withers had said. It did not seem that he had been followed. He parked in front and went into the huge, hangarlike building. He was shown to an office constructed in the rear of the building and was greeted by John Withers, who shook his hand and closed the office door behind him.

“This way,” Withers said, leading him to another door, which opened to the outside at the rear of the building.

A plain sedan was waiting, with only a driver inside. Jesse recognized him as the man who had followed him in San Francisco.

“We've only got a two-minute drive,” the man said. “Kip has arranged for a room at the university. Get your head down.”

 

Jesse was led into a red brick building and down a hallway to a room where another man in a suit stood guard. The man rapped on the door, and Kip Fuller stepped out into the hallway.

“Come over here a minute,” Kip said, drawing Jesse away from the other two men. “There are some things I have to say to you before we go into that room.”

“Shoot,” Jesse replied.

“First of all, the people in there are Barker; an assistant attorney general with responsibility for oversight of Justice Department law enforcement agencies, reporting directly to the AG; an army brigadier general who oversees all unconventional warfare units for the Pentagon; and a bird colonel, who is a military adviser to the National Security Council, and who has the ear of the president. Does that sound like who you wanted?”

“It certainly does.”

“Now listen; I have not reported your threat of ‘move in two weeks or exposure' to Barker, and it's extremely important that you make no threats while you are in that room. These people are here to listen to you make your case, and they're your best chance of getting this done the way you want it done.”

“I understand.”

“Okay, follow me. By the way, I won't be making any introductions; they'll think you don't know who they are.”

“Right.” Jesse followed Kip into the room. The seats were arranged on steeply pitched tiers, and each desk had its own lamp. The shades were drawn and the room was lit by those lamps and by floodlights that
illuminated the blackboard area, where satellite photographs of St. Clair and the surrounding area were mounted. The photographs that Jesse had himself taken were there, too, and he guessed that they had been computer enhanced. He followed Kip to the lectern.

“Gentlemen,” Kip said, halting their conversation, “I'd like to introduce Jesse Warden. Jesse, why don't you begin at the beginning; explain who you are and how you came to be in St. Clair.”

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Jesse said, taking a deep breath and trying to calm a sudden attack of stage fright. “My name, as Mr. Fuller has said, is Jesse Warden. I was formerly an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency, attached to the South Florida Task Force and specializing in undercover work. My commander at that time was Mr. Barker, and Mr. Fuller was my colleague in the office.

“Just over two years ago, I was arrested and charged with the theft of half a million dollars from the office evidence locker and the murder of my partner, whose body was found in the trunk of my car, along with the money.”

There was the slightest stirring among his audience.

“I was innocent of both charges, but I was convicted of the murder of a federal official and theft of government property; I was given a life sentence and incarcerated in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. After serving fourteen months there I was released in the custody of Mr. Barker and Mr. Fuller and offered a presidential pardon, if I would assist in the conviction of the head of a religious cult and his two chief aides, who were rumored to be amassing large numbers of weapons and other materiel in a small town in the Idaho panhandle.”

Barker was glowering at him; apparently, he had not expected any mention of the pardon.

Jesse took the group step by step through his infiltration of the First Church of the Aryan Universe, and finally, through a complete description-of what he had seen in Coldwater's underground fortifications. His audience maintained a dead silence until he had finished, and the silence continued for another half a minute thereafter.

Finally, the man who Jesse assumed to be the assistant AG spoke. “Mr. Warden, have you determined what Coldwater's intentions are?”

“No, sir, I haven't, and I have the feeling that I won't know until it's too late to do anything about it. All I can tell you is that he's planning something that might make things so hot for him and his followers that he would have to retreat underground.”

“Do you think Coldwater is insane?”

“I have no qualifications in that sphere; I can only give you my personal impression of the man. There are times when I think he's nutty as a fruitcake, but he is always very self-possessed and seems to always know exactly what he is doing. I think he certainly has very pronounced megalomaniacal tendencies, but I'm not sure whether that qualifies as insanity.”

“Do you think he is fully capable of using this…facility he has built?”

“I have the very strong impression that he is determined to do so. Whether it will be in a day or a year, I cannot tell you.”

The man who Jesse thought was the brigadier general spoke up. “For a start, why can't a detachment of federal officers in plain clothes simply drive up to Coldwater's house and arrest him?”

Jesse suppressed a wild laugh. “Sir, that would be about as easy as driving through the White House gates and arresting the president of the United States. The very first thing that must be done is to take the mountaintop and the reinforced facilities there, so that
Coldwater cannot bring his people inside and button it down tight.”

“I'd be interested in hearing how you think that could be done,” the general said. “I mean, after seeing these satshots of the place, I'd really like your suggestions.”

“I'm not a military man, sir, but if it were up to me I'd go at it in three ways: first, I'd infiltrate a large armed contingent at night three or four miles north of the mountain and have them approach it on foot and scale the sides; second, I'd send a large truck or two, filled with troops and disguised in some way, right up the road to the top and try ramming the gates; third, I'd send helicopters, armed with armor-penetrating weapons to attack the smaller structures on top, and follow immediately with many troop-carrying choppers. There are, of course, drawbacks to each of these methods.”

“And what are the drawbacks?” the general asked.

“First, it would not surprise me to learn that Coldwater has placed some sort of sensors in the woods to the north to pick up anyone on foot, and I know that there are machine-gun emplacements on all sides for the purposes of repelling infantry; second, I think the chances of trucks getting up the road undetected and breaking open the gates are no better than fifty-fifty; and third, I had a look at the top of the mountain in a light airplane last Sunday, and I was told that there were stinger missiles in place that would take out any approaching aircraft. You're likely to lose some choppers.”

Jesse turned back to the satellite photographs. “I think, also, that in any first strike, you should take the police station, here, which is the security center; the telephone company, here; and I think you should cut the high voltage power line that brings in the town's
electricity from the north, or get the power company to. That would do a lot to cut or, at least, confuse their communications with Coldwater and his with his people.”

“You know,” the general said, “if this were a proper war, I would just bombard that place with heavy artillery until there was nothing left standing, then walk in.”

“I think you can see that that is impossible in this situation,” Jesse said.

“Yes, I can see that,” the general said wearily.

Jesse spoke up again, pointing to the photographs. “Coldwater lives here, Casey here and Ruger here. If you can knock out power, security and telephones simultaneously with capturing Coldwater, Casey and Ruger, your battle would be over, except for the mopping up. That, of course, could be nasty.”

“It's all going to be nasty,” the general said quietly.

There were other questions for nearly an hour, then the meeting broke up. The general approached the lectern and stuck out his hand. “You're a brave man,” he said. “I'm glad I'm not in your shoes.” He turned to Barker. “Dan, we'll get back to you first thing in the morning with some kind of rough plan.”

Barker nodded and shook the general's hand. “Look forward to hearing from you.”

The three visitors left, and Barker motioned for Jesse to take a seat. “I've got some questions for you, Jesse.”

“All right,” Jesse said. “Let's make it quick; I've got a three o'clock flight from Dulles Airport to make.”

“When did you first meet Charley Bottoms?” Barker asked.

Jesse saw where this was going. “I saw him around the yard on those rare occasions when I wasn't in solitary,” he said. “I never spoke to him until the day Kip came to get me out. He came to my punishment cell and said he wanted me to join up with the
Aryan Nation crowd in the joint, said they'd protect me from the other cons. He offered to beat me to death if I turned him down.”

“And when did you next see him?” Barker asked.

“Last week, when he turned up at a meeting at Coldwater's house. We drove up to the top of the mountain together, and he told me you'd sprung him right after me. That's the sum total of our contact.”

Kip spoke up. “I've spoken with Bottoms about this, and he confirms everything Jesse has said.” He turned toward Jesse. “I know this wasn't part of our deal, but do you think you could take out Coldwater prior to our going in?”

“The chances of my getting at him and staying alive would be slim,” Jesse said. “And you're right, that's not part of my deal. What I want to know, Kip, Dan, is are you going to stick by our deal?”

Barker glowered at him again. “You'll get the pardon when we've cleaned out this nest of maniacs, and not before. And I'll expect you to do whatever you're told to do when we go in.”

Before Jesse could speak, Kip held out a warning hand. “Not now, Jess; we'll talk about it later.”

Jesse shook Kip's hand, then, ignoring Barker, went back to his car and drove south. But he didn't head for Dulles Airport, or, for that matter, for National.

J
esse drove slowly down Argyle Terrace, then back again, casing the house. In daylight he could see a fenced backyard behind the place, and as he watched, a woman passed through the kitchen and out the back door.

He quickly parked the car and walked to the front door. Glancing up and down the street, he pretended to ring the doorbell, then turned the knob; the door was unlocked. He walked into a large entrance hall and looked around; somewhere a television set was on. He turned left and walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. A coffee pot sat on a warmer, and he poured himself a cup and sat down at the kitchen table. He could hear voices from out back. A soap opera was on television; he hated the music that played constantly during the programs. It was good coffee.

After a few minutes, he heard a foot scrape on the back steps, and she walked into the kitchen.

“Hello, Arlene,” he said.

She froze, staring at him, saying nothing.

“It's Jesse Warden,” he said. “I'm sorry I don't look quite the same as I did in my Miami days.”

Her shoulders relaxed, but her face remained wary. “Why are you here?” she asked, glancing at the wall phone.

“We'll call Kip in a few minutes,” he said soothingly. “Now pour yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat. Let's talk.”

She ignored the coffee but sat down at the table.

“It's been a while,” he said. “What, two and a half, three years?”

“About that,” she managed to whisper. “Why are you here, Jesse?”

“I want to see her. I want you to call her in from the backyard, tell her there's a friend here. After we've visited for a few minutes, we'll call Kip, then I'll leave.”

She didn't move.

“You've nothing to fear from me, Arlene; I'm not here to hurt you. Call her from the door, please; don't go out into the yard.”

Reluctantly, she rose and opened the back door. “Carrie, please come inside; you have a visitor.”

“An old friend,” Jesse said.

“It's an old friend, Carrie.”

Jesse was suddenly filled with panic. She wouldn't know him, would scream at the sight of his battered face.

The little girl came into the kitchen, her cheeks red with the cold, her eyes bright. “Who is it, Aunt Arlene?” she asked. Then she saw Jesse.

“Hello, Rabbit,” he said. Only he had ever called her that.

She blinked, staring at him. “Are you my daddy?” she asked, finally.

“I sure am,” Jesse said. “And I'm so very glad to see you.”

She came closer to him, gazing into his face. “You look different,” she said.

“I know; I had an accident, but I'm fine now.”

Suddenly, she rushed at him, threw her arms around him, laughing. “Oh, Daddy!” she cried. “Aunt Arlene and Uncle Kip told me you had gone to heaven.”

“They were wrong,” he whispered into her ear. “I'm right here with you, my Rabbit.” He held her back and looked at her. “You've grown so; you're a big girl, now.”

“I'm going to be six next month,” she said.

“I know, sweetheart, and I'm going to get you a wonderful present. Six is a very important birthday; you'll be going to school in the fall.”

“Where's Mommy?” she asked. “They said she was in heaven, too.”

“She is in heaven, sweetheart, but she looks down on you, and she knows what a wonderful little girl you are.” He was having trouble maintaining his composure; his throat was tightening up.

“I have a new little cousin,” Carrie said. “He's in the backyard in the stroller. Would you like to see him?”

“I would in just a minute, Rabbit. Why don't you go and make sure he's all right, and Aunt Arlene and I will be out in a few minutes.”

She gave him a big kiss on the cheek. “Don't be long,” she said, then ran out the back door.

“Jesse, I want you to understand,” Arlene said. “We never set out to steal Carrie from you; we thought you would spend the rest of your life in prison. We couldn't bear the thought of Carrie being put up for adoption; Kip and I both thought it was better that you didn't know where she was.”

“I believe you, Arlene,” Jesse said. “But you understand, things are different now.”

“Are they so very different, Jesse? Kip hasn't told
me in any detail what you're doing, but it was my distinct impression that your life is constantly in danger. Do you think you're ready to make a home for Carrie?”

“Arlene, my life was constantly in danger when I was working undercover in Miami, and yes, I think I'm ready to make a home for Carrie. I've remarried, and she'll have a sister.”

“I don't know how to argue with you,” she said. “Carrie has missed you so much. She still talks about you all the time.”

“Thanks for telling me that,” Jesse replied. “Now, I don't have much time, and I'd better call Kip.” He went to the wall phone and dialed the office number.

“She would never call us Mommy and Daddy,” Arlene said quietly, and a tear ran down her cheek.

“This is Fuller,” Kip said.

“Kip, it's Jesse.”

“Did you miss your plane?”

“I'm afraid so; I had another stop to make.”

“Another stop?”

“I'm at your house.”

Kip made a sort of strangling noise before he could speak. “Jesse, if you lay a hand on any of them, I swear I'll have you back in jail today.”

“Kip, Kip; there's no need for that. Everything is going to be all right.”

“What do you want, Jesse?”

“It's very simple; I want my little girl.”

“Jesse, you can't; we've adopted her, and it's all perfectly legal.”

“Kip, take a couple of deep breaths, and listen to me.”

“Let me speak to Arlene.”

Jesse looked at the phone and saw a speaker button; he pressed it. “Arlene is right here,” he said.

Arlene stepped closer to the phone. “I'm here, Kip; we're all right. He's seen Carrie; she knew him.”

“I'm sorry he's put you through this, honey,” Kip said.

Jesse spoke up. “I'm going to try to make this as easy for everybody as I can, Kip. I'm going to explain this to you and Arlene, so please listen.”

“I'm listening,” Kip said.

“And Kip, it would be a very grave error, bad for everybody, if you called the police.”

“I haven't called anybody, Jesse; tell me what you want.”

“This is how it's going to be: Carrie and I are going to leave the house in just a minute. Everything is going to be calm and orderly, and there won't be any fuss.”

“Jesse, you can't do this,” Kip said. “You'll put her in very serious danger.”

“No, I won't do that, believe me, Kip; she'll be very safe with me and her new mother.”

“Oh, God,” Kip moaned.

“Arlene is taking this better than you are; now settle down and listen to me.”

“I'm listening.”

“First of all, I'm very grateful to both of you for taking such good care of Carrie. Arlene has explained your reasons for not telling me, and I accept them. Because I'm grateful, I'm going to try and forget that you knew Barker framed me—”

“Jesse, I couldn't prove it.”

“Kip, listen to me. Barker was the only one who could have done it; you knew that, and Barker knows you know; that's why he's letting you run this show. I know you felt badly about it, and that's why you got me out of prison.”

“I had no evidence, Jesse. If I had, I'd have nailed him.”

“I believe you, Kip.”

Arlene spoke up. “I'm going upstairs and pack some things for Carrie.” She left the room.

“Daddy!” Carrie called from the backyard. “Come and see the baby!”

Jesse cracked the door. “I'll be there in just a minute, Rabbit!” He picked up the telephone receiver. “Kip, listen very carefully, because this is the last time you and I are going to discuss Carrie. She's coming with me, now, and you're going to think up something to tell the neighbors—the adoption went wrong, something like that.”

“Jesse, you can't go on the run with Carrie,” Kip moaned.

“I'm not going on the run,” Jesse said. “I'm going back to St. Clair with Carrie, and now I'm going to explain to you why you aren't going to do the slightest thing to stop me or get her back.”

“I'm listening.”

“You remember the threat I made to Barker?”

“Yes.”

“I'm withdrawing that; I'm going back to St. Clair and help you nail Coldwater, even though that exceeds our agreement. But if you make the slightest difficulty for me with regard to Carrie, I'll blow the whole thing sky high. I've already made arrangements to do that, unless I periodically make certain phone calls. If, for any reason, I'm unable to make those calls, half the newspapers in the country will receive a certain information packet containing irrefutable proof of what you're up to. If you make a move on me, Coldwater will immediately know everything, and you know what that means.”

“I know,” Kip said weakly.

“Even if you take Coldwater cleanly and shut down his operation, you still won't want the papers to know about me, Kip. You'd never be able to explain to the press why you had a convicted murderer released from prison, unless you exonerated me, and Barker can't let you do that, because he knows he'd go down. Do you understand me?”

“I understand.”

“There's more than your career at stake, here, Kip; there's your life. If you make a move on me or Carrie, I'll find you, and I'll kill you, and you know I can do it.”

“I know, Jesse.”

“You still have a chance to be a hero in the department, Kip; arrange for Justice to forget about me, and I'll help you be a hero.”

“I'll do as you say, Jesse.”

“When this is over, my family and I are going to disappear.”

“I'll get you in the witness protection program,” Kip said.

“I don't want that; I'll make my own life, but you and the federal government are going to have to forget I ever existed.”

“I'll see to it,” Kip said.

“I want my fingerprint and criminal records destroyed.”

“I'll do it.”

“I don't want any problems from Barker.”

“I can handle Barker.”

“If he gives you a hard time about me, tell him I'll kill him, too. He understands that sort of threat.”

“Barker won't be a problem; I won't let him.”

Arlene came back into the room carrying a small suitcase and a teddy bear.

“Goodbye, Kip; I'll call you from St. Clair.”

“Goodbye, Jess; don't let anything happen to Carrie.”

“She'll be fine, I promise you.”

Arlene set Carrie's things on the kitchen table. “She won't go anywhere without the bear,” she said.

Jesse nodded. He'd given her the bear when she was no more than an infant. He stepped out the kitchen door and walked to where Carrie was waiting with the baby.

“Isn't he beautiful?” Carrie said.

Jesse knelt next to the stroller. “He certainly is,” he said. “And do you know something? You've got more than a new cousin; you've got a new sister.”

Carrie's eyes widened. “I have? Where is she?”

“You're coming home with me, and I'll tell you all about her on the way,” Jesse said, scooping up his daughter in his arms.

In the kitchen he gave her the teddy bear, picked up her suitcase and turned to Arlene Fuller. “Thank you,” he said, then he walked out of the house with his daughter.