John: The Senior Killer (15 page)

Inside the house all of the
team was present and all eyes were on the culprit who went across
the line to the enemy. She noticed a tall black man and wondered
how he fit into the team. If looks could ………. She didn’t finish the
thought as Sujin introduced the entire team to her. Nancy was
shocked to find out Wendy and agent Jones was FBI. How strange, she
thought.

By now with all the added
team members a like table was needed and with Earie was an old
Korean woman helping in the kitchen. Sujin showed Nancy where to
sit and after a struggle with her long legs, finally found a
position fairly comfortable. As usual lunch was a simple affair of
fish soup and vegetables. Nancy waited and watched how everyone ate
and then went to work on the soup and side dishes.

Lunch over Brad asked where
Billy was and found out Billy had taken a walk on the beach. It was
a little unusual for him to walk on the beach, but Brad guessed he
had a problem he was working out in his head. At that moment, the
high pitch sound along with the lights went on. Nancy, chopsticks
in hand looked around like the Japanese had attacked again like on
December 7, 1941.

Billy walked through the
turned off door and with a smile that made him look like a little
kid, took one look at Nancy and gave her a Korean bow saying hello
in Korean. Nancy wondered who the hell this guy was. Dressed like a
college student with ragged jeans and a sweatshirt with a hood on
it could only be a relative or something like that. It was later
when she found out what a diamond in the rough this young man
was.

The downstairs was starting
to get a little crowded so some of the team had to drag out a chair
or two from the computer room. Nancy followed Sujin down the stairs
like she was headed for the dungeon back in the Middle Ages. Sandy
had replaced Rocky and she sat looking at Nancy. Brad was pacing
what little floor space that was left after all had landed around
the room. Finally he stopped pacing and facing Billy said, “Well
what have you got that can’t wait?”

Billy knew he had the floor
now and swaggered a little while said, “Boss that forty percent
went to eight plus after a run again through the mainframe. We came
up empty in Oregon or California so if he remains on target and
hasn’t changed his plans, well……. I’m just damn glad it is your
decision and not mine.”

“On the contrary, my young
friend, if you and
your
weirdoes are wrong you might find out if crabs like hackers.”
That loosened the team up and Brad went on to say, “This is how we
will play the game.” He told them a team would go to Aberdeen and
set up shop as a new laundry dry cleaners store with a van to match
the shops name equipped with all the communications gear needed;
next in Anacortes a similar shop and over in Arden a Korean owned
mini stop was an idea. He asked for feedback and Mike was the first
to offer his words.

“I like it and who what when
and how is all we need to know.”

“Well, believe it or not,
our new addition to the team, Nancy is going to make a detailed
plan and we will look at it in forty eight hours.”

Those words hit Nancy like a
ton of bricks. This was the test and would she make the grade.
Right this minute she didn’t think so, but after a good nights
sleep and after a long walk on a clear cold morning on the beach,
might renew her confidence. She woke early and after the walk on
the beach with a cold wind blowing she never felt so lonely. After
returning, with a legal pad began her plan with a map on the wall
to help her out she went to work.

Her plan involved the FBI
and as far as she was concerned the team could fit in the plan with
the FBI. She worked diligently until noon and had skipped
breakfast. She’d asked to you the computer to type the plan out and
Billy provided her with a computer and a chair next to him. He left
frequently to satisfy his nicotine habit and that gave her an
opportunity to e- mails her lover. In a brief mail she told her she
had no idea when she would be back home, but to not worry as she
was safe and sound, but unable to call at this time.

Of course she knew a
computer guy like Billy would be able to find her e-mail, but at
this point she didn’t care. Just before noon she took a shower and
went upstairs to find not a person around except Sujin’s sister and
the old Korean lady. In perfect, accented English Earie told her
the team was out on the beach and if she liked she could join them
at noon at Devils Kitchen for lunch. Nancy decided some fresh air
wouldn’t hurt any and asked her if she had some clothes for beach
walking she could borrow. What Nancy didn’t know was that Mike had
gone to town and bought her some sweats and beach shoes with a
shirt that said, “Bandon by the Sea.” After changing clothes she
helped carry the food and drink down to the beach.

Devils Kitchen is an old sea
stack with a U shape perpendicular to the sea; a cove if you will;
and with the wall to the west protecting the visitors from the
relentless wind off the sea, it is a quite a nice place to have a
picnic. The day was cool and clear. Only a small northwest wind was
blowing. The team had a fire built out of driftwood and were
sitting around in a casual looking mood as the bearers of food made
their way to the fire.

Brad gave Nancy a smile and
welcomed her to the area and told her he hoped her stay here would
bring good memories in later times. Nancy was a little shocked and
tried to smile for the first time in quite a while. All were
sitting on the sand and she found a place made for her by Wendy.
Some idle conversation was taking place about Mike’s farm down in
Port Orford and Nancy wondered where that was. Sensing her lack of
geography, Mike looked at her and said, “Port Orford is down the
coast about twenty five miles from here and we have small farm east
of the town. The town is mostly on the ocean bluff and if we have
time, I would like to show you where we live and the town. It has a
famous rock called, ‘Battle Rock’ with some strange stories whether
true or false, nobody really knows.” The Korean women were taking
out the famous picnic food for Koreans known as Kimbop. The
contents are rice rolled up around vegetables and some meat. Then
it is cut into half inch slices and dipped in a soy sauce it make a
good snack. With it this time a hot spicy Kimchee Chaga soup is
guaranteed to warm you up on a cold winter’s day. The soup is made
up of Kimchee with lots of onions, garlic and some beef bones in
addition to tofu into chunks makes a dandy dish.

By her second spoonful,
Nancy was looking for some water to put out the fire. Sujin told
her to take a bite of Kimbop and that would cool her mouth off. You
need to alternate between the soup and the bop to keep the hot
spicy soup from being too hot. Nancy waited and watched Brad eat
and quickly got the hang of it.

Brad said after lunch,
“Anyone for a walk on the beach?” To a person all agreed on a
stroll up the beach.

Brad and Sujin were holding
hands and Nancy was walking next to them when she said, “I hear
congratulations are in order. I’m happy for you and wish you the
best. I was married once and found out I couldn’t have children. No
don’t feel sorry for me, I have a significant one with whom I love
dearly and we are quite comfortable with our arrangement. I want to
take this opportunity,” as she kicked some sand, “to say how sorry
I am for what I said at the press conference. I’m just as guilty as
my Director, but I intend to make it up to you given a
chance.”

“Sujin said, “I don’t think
any harm will come from it. We are well protected here and one man
would have a difficult time sneaking up on us”

Brad chimed in saying, “I
agree with Sujin and you are forgiven. However, we still need your
help to catch this guy. You have an excellent record of organizing
and implementing a well laid plan. We are counting on you to lend
us a hand.” Nancy felt much better and felt some of her shield
coming down. Watching Wendy and agent Jones chasing each other and
running through the surf, made her feel old and out of touch with
reality. Tunnel vision, she thought. She vowed to live again even
if was for only a few days on the Oregon coast. In later years she
had fond memories of that short time with some really fine
people.

On the way back, Wendy and
agent Jones were standing by the same rock they had climbed
blindfolded. Brad, Sujin and Nancy walked up and saw the grins on
their faces. Wendy said, “Watch this,” and agent Jones put a
handkerchief around her head covering her eyes. Only this time he
spun her around a time or two to disorient her and told her to get
climbing. She stopped and listened and slowly turned to the sea
stack. Touching the rock, she felt it all over and then satisfied
with her sense of touch, climbed the rock and back down like she
could see with her eyes. Agent Jones was next and he duplicated the
feat and both clapped at their
success
, along with Brad, Sujin and
Nancy who had no idea what was going on. Agent Jones asked her if
she would like to try and Nancy laughed and declined telling them
she had trouble climbing stairs with two eyes let alone climbing a
rock blindfolded.

* * *

After the newscast Clyde sat
there deep in thought. He switched the TV off and opened the laptop
again. Goggle Earth came up with the map of Washington State. He
stared at the screen looking at the ‘A’ towns and thought about the
newscast. Have they located the clue already, he thought. Do I or
don’t I follow through or should I change my plan. So much work, he
thought went into making a ‘C’ for his next word of ‘Catch. ’ Maybe
I will flaunt it in front of them and then I will give them a clue
to the next part of my scheme. Well, he said to himself, there is
no way they can catch me and come spring, Aberdeen better look
out.

Chapter 11

For Nancy the week passed
quickly and Brad and team thought she had a good plan for the FBI
to support the team’s plan. Brad decided to take a risk and send
everyone home for the holidays. It was a gamble, but just to make
sure he and Nancy put in place some retired FBI agents in each of
the towns and in Arden the retired agent would stay in Colville
which is just up the road from the sawmill town of
Arden.

Nancy took a flight from
North Bend to Portland connecting to Washington D.C. Billy stayed
at the house as Brad and Sujin flew to Seoul, South Korea. Brad had
his fingers crossed that nothing would happen until after the
holidays and maybe not until spring. He felt in his bones John was
holed up for the winter somewhere in the Cascade Mountains either
in Oregon or Washington.

Brad and Sujin spent a week
at her mother’s house and her mother and father were very happy to
hear a baby was coming. Sujin also had a chance to meet her client
about her photographer and made an appointment for next year
sometime. She was vague, but the guy knew what prima donnas artist
were like.

After Seoul they flew to
Palm Springs to have Christmas with Brad’s parents. It was a time
to relax and Brad and his father played a lot of golf with his
father’s friends who were thrilled to play golf with the famous
Brad Pratt. After the press conference he was a household name
spread across the globe and now he was doubly cautious of a hit man
looking to fatten his wallet from the bounty on his head. Rocky was
flown to Palm Springs ahead of them and was excited to see them.
Gwen said he spent most of his time staring at the front door
waiting for them. Phillip took him for walks every day and they
became attached to one another. His parents were sorry to see them
leave after Christmas and Brad promised them a pup from Sandy when
she had her litter. Before leaving Brad filled his father in on the
details and his father looked pleased as punch when they
left.

Back at the house the first
thing Brad and Sujin did was take the dogs for a run. It was a rare
occasion when both dogs went with them for a run. Billy was put on
alert and he watched the hidden cameras faithfully while they were
gone. It gave him a chance to smoke while no one was home. He
lighted an incense stick to cover the smell of his Marlboro and sat
back and enjoyed himself reading a book from the inventory of
John.

An hour later they came back
and Billy wanted to show something he found in a book he was
reading to Brad while Sujin was in the shower. Billy had a book on
flowers, but strangely the book was about the Flowers of Washington
State. There was one place in the book he showed Brad that was
about wild flowers near Mt. Rainier. They got a map out showing
towns around the base of the giant volcano. Sujin came out and Brad
left to wash the sweat off. Billy looked at the map and saw towns
such as Morton, Randle and Mossyrock. Billy thought about how these
towns might fit into Senior John’s plan. Two ‘M’s and one ‘R’ made
his head ache.

Later having dinner they
talked about the flowers and the small towns mentioned in the book
as grown in that particular area. Sujin pointed out that whatever
grew in that area probably grew in other areas as well. Besides,
she told them, ‘M’ and ‘R’ had no place in the message. Billy
wasn’t satisfied with that and spent the night on the computer with
his friends down south and back east. These computer jockeys no
matter the day or time, spent most waking hours trying to outdo the
other guy. Billy stayed with it and finally when the sun came up as
he smoked outside looking at the cloudy sky with the air much
warmer than before, felt a storm coming. And the storm that came
was both in the form of a fierce gale force cyclone and the Senior
Killer.