Chapter 11: Snipe Hunt

I have never known Kevin to be less than level-headed. He has always been the epitome of logic and reason. At the moment, he was none of the above. He paced his living room with clear agitation written all over his expression and posture. At first, he laughed when Sam presented her hypothesis and reasoning. Then he became defiant and so angry that Rachel even snapped at him. After reviewing her data meticulously, he became despondent and then angry once more, over a deep sense of betrayal.

We all sat quietly watching as he demonstrated the 7 steps of grieving in under 30 minutes. We were waiting for Sergeant Mercurio to arrive. After reviewing the data, it was Kevin who made the call and resumed pacing furiously. His energy made everyone in the room decidedly uncomfortable and we remained silent as he periodically ranted.

“I just can’t believe any of this!” he would snarl. “I donated money and volunteered on his campaign!” He tossed his hands into the air in anguish. “That son of a BITCH!”

“Honey please calm down,” Rachel pleaded. “None of this is worth your health.”

“How could I have been so naïve?”

“As of this moment only the three of us are even aware of his criminal behavior,” Sam offered silently.

At that moment the doorbell rang and I stepped over to get it since I was closest.

Allison stood beyond in her Smokey uniform. “Hello, Carter.” she greeted quietly as she doffed her cover and entered the living room. She nodded to Rachel and Kevin and then her eyes fell on the green-haired, pixie sitting cross-legged on the couch.

“Allison I’m sorry to drag you into this but we have uncovered a sizeable and credible threat that we need to address quickly if we are to prevent a major upheaval in the Capitol,” Kevin stated solemnly as he shook her hand. “Please have a seat.”

She decided to join Sam on the couch. “Tell her what you found.”

Kevin pointed to Sam. “You know her by reputation but until now have never met the renowned ‘Spyder’.”

Mercurio’s eyes became hard and she turned to regard the hacker. “We are going to talk.”

Sam only nodded and turned her attention back to Kevin.

“Sam has uncovered a nightmare scenario that has ramifications up the chain to the very Governor herself. She has systematically and irrefutably linked the traffickers from last summer to a multi-component criminal network in Florida, to our very own ex-Senator Albright.”

“His son was just murdered in an apparent retribution strike,” Allison nodded. “The investigation has gone nowhere.”

Kevin only nodded having no idea of our connection to that death. “These monsters are invisible and hide their tracks well.” He stopped and gestured at Sam again. “It was only through her brilliant pattern recognition that she even noticed that something was wrong. It was her cyber sleuthing that uncovered the entire plot and all of the players ... up to Quinten J Adams himself!”

Allison sat upright with a start. “The Lieutenant Governor?” she exclaimed. “Are you damn certain of your facts here Kevin?” she demanded in shock.

He nodded sadly, “I went over everything she brought and it is airtight. That’s why we wanted you here because you need to look at all of this with an open mind and your investigative acumen.” He nodded to Sam who uncrossed her legs and sat forward producing her tablet.

She moved closer to the trooper and began explaining everything she found and what she knew of the plot, the players, and the compromised undercover agents. After 15 minutes Allison abruptly held up her hand and stood. Her face was troubled and she paced back and forth several times before she stopped and looked from Kevin to Sam. “Okay ... this is white hot! Kevin, I’m relying on you here to assure me that what I saw is legitimate and valid. I don’t care if it won’t hold up in court — but if we have agents embedded and in imminent danger, I have to take this way up my chain of command immediately.”

Kevin nodded, “That is a call I recommend you make yesterday.”

“Can I step into your office for a moment?”

He nodded and escorted her to the door. He came back and sighed.

“Uh ... guys?” Sam suddenly asked as she stared at her tablet.

I moved to her side, “What is it, Sam?”

Her face looked pale. “Another string of code just transmitted from the SOC to Albright and back again, It’s like a military burst signal. Except I had an algorithm embedded in the nexus waiting for it. I just decrypted their code. They have been instructed to take the undercover agents to some codename location immediately and ‘plant them’.”

My guts turned to ice and I felt my mind shift as it sped up while everything around me slowed down.

“Sam, I need that location right now! Is there any way you can hack into them and trace their whereabouts or see where they are going?”

She was already tapping and drawing on her screen. “If they messaged him from a computer, I might be able to...” she got quiet as her fingers flew over the device, “but if they texted, which is more likely, I can...”

I stepped back and texted Trinity and Gil in a group message. I need you both in town ASAP. We are going tactical, bring your gear. Stay in touch, the situation is developing.

Sam was deep in concentration and I knew my pressuring her wouldn’t help so I walked into the kitchen and filled a glass of water. Rachel and Kevin followed me.

“What are you going to do Carter?” she asked me with a worried tone.

“I don’t know yet,” I replied. “But those agents may not have much time and I can act a lot quicker than Mercurio. She will have to explain her rationale, sell the threat to the powers that be, and get the bureaucratic wheels turning before a response can even begin.”

Kevin nodded. “You can follow Sam’s data without all that nonsense. How can we help?”

“I need you to protect Sam,” I said. “Even if you have to sneak her away. I know Allison wants to interrogate her but I need her focused on the crisis at hand. This whole thing is about to get really ugly.”

Sam wandered into the kitchen. “I tagged the phone that sent the encryption. We are in luck because it is a satellite phone and will always have a signal. They are currently in Jericho County near Sedona.”

I was already heading for the front door. “Keep me posted!” I called as I stepped out and strode towards my truck. I was behind the wheel and pulling onto the street when Mercurio dashed out of the house and stepped in front of me. When I braked hard, she ran up to my door. I rolled down the window and gazed at her. “Allison, I’ve got to run with this. I know you have protocols and regulations to...”

“Fuck that!” she nearly screamed, “I’m coming with you. Let me get my gear.” She ran back to her Expedition and opened the back gate. When she returned, she was carrying a huge black bag and an assault rifle. She piled into the passenger side and tossed the bag at her feet. “Go!”

I sighed and pulled away from the curb heading back into town. I placed a call with verbal commands and Trinity answered.

“Gil just got here and we are heading out of the canyon now,” she said.

“Head for Sedona. Sam will update us as soon as she can. This is the situation...” I briefly explained what we knew about the SOC and the compromised agents and summarized my brief analysis of the situation. “The group is either already together or they are contacting the specific players and recalling them to some predetermined area. They will convince the agents that they are going to a training session or a mission. Sons of Change like to execute their enemies by firing squad so they will have three or four shooters and a person to record it. They will pick a spot that is rural but offers enough light to make for a good show. I expect it to be wooded or in some abandoned Barn or industrial complex.

“It is unlikely that they are already organized for this because they prefer to keep their members spread out. So, we have maybe 2 to 3 hours before we have to go loud. For now, haul ass!”

“Copy that,” Gil’s voice spoke in the cab.

“Just how did you come up with all of that malarky?” Mercurio asked.

“I spent time in Level 1 with El Générale himself,” I replied, “He liked to brag. I like to listen.”

She glanced at my dash but made no comment at my speed which exceeded 130 mph. She pulled out her cell phone and tapped a contact. “This is Delta One Niner, please connect me to the watch Sergeant,” she said softly.

My phone was clipped into a dashboard holder where I could see and reach it. Sam texted me that several SOC players had been contacted and were being recalled to a location that she was linking to my navigation system. I reached over and touched the map Icon and it began zipping across the screen until a blinking crosshair appeared with a circle around it. Then the map panned out until it included my location. We were 1 hour and 42 minutes away. The farthest player was over 2 hours away. Another yellow circle cursor appeared showing the location of the satellite phone that was used to message Albright or Davis.

“Jesus Christ!” Allison exclaimed as she watched the dots slowly converge. “How the fuck can she do that?”

“By any means necessary,” I replied, “I’m sure she is violating at least a dozen laws and statutes at the moment.”

She remained silent once more but I could feel the conflict raging through her.

“If we save those agents, I will forget I ever saw or heard of her,” she conceded.

I shook my head, “If we fail it will not be because of her. You will forget about her regardless.”

She turned to look at me as if I were out of my mind.

“Allison, I can only put it to you like this. Sam is one of a kind and she is on our side. She is a good person and if you give her reason to vanish, I will help her, and we lose an incredible asset.”

She didn’t answer me but I sensed her resignation on the issue. I called Trinity and updated her and Gil. I could hear the noise of her open cockpit and the racing engine. “Got it,” she shouted over the noise. “We will be there in 65 minutes.”

Damn! She was flying!

“So what part are Gil and Trinity playing in all this? Back-up?”

I chuckled. “If they get there first, we will be backing them up.”

“I have analyzed the geographical area within 100 kilometers of the congregation point,” Sam said over my Bluetooth, “There are four areas that meet very loose criteria for your kill space.”

“Talk to me, Goose,” I replied behind the wheel.

“I am sending them to your Navigator as white diamonds. Number one, an abandoned warehouse, it popped up on my enlarged digital map, “Number two, an overgrown Union cemetery, number three, is a closed gravel pit, and number four, a closed civil air patrol runway with 3 old hangars.”

“Eliminate one and four,” I said confidently. “Sons of Change are huge fans of the confederacy and fly the flag as their symbol. I can see them executing federal agents in a cemetery full of ‘traitors’.” I touched the map and expanded it until only the two diamonds filled the screen. “Send Gil and Trinity to that exit marked 110 off the 18. That’s roughly 10 to 15 minutes either way.”

Allison opened her gear bag and began removing body armor and tactical gear. She tossed her campaign hat into the back and strapped on a black Kevlar vest and helmet. After performing a comms check she dialed a number and began relaying information to someone in the State Bureau of Investigation.