Chapter 5

“What’s going on, sweetheart?” Beverly asked when Ryan stepped into the house.

“Something came up at work today,” Ryan said. “Ray and Agent Jackson should be here soon and I’ll explain it to all of you then.”

“Okay,” she said, a bit nervous. “I’ve got coffee going. It should be finished by the time they get here.” A few minutes later, the other two men arrived in Ray’s car. Ryan saw them arrive and waved them inside.

“Hey, Ray, how’s it going?” Beverly said when they came in.

“Hey, Beverly,” Ray responded. “This is Agent Jackson, Federal Homefront Security Task Force.”

“Mrs. Caldwell, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Thomas said. “Please, call me Thomas.”

“Pleasure to meet you as well, Thomas,” Beverly said. “I’ve got some coffee on. Would you fellas like some?”

“Please, Beverly,” Ray said. “Black would be fine.”

“Same for me, please,” Thomas said. Beverly went into the kitchen and poured them each a cup, then poured herself a cup. Ryan already had his coffee, so he grabbed Ray’s cup as Beverly carried hers and Thomas’ mug. Once back in the front room, they all sat down.

“Okay, why are we discussing this here?” Thomas asked.

“What I’m about to tell you stays between these walls, between the four of us. Deal?” Ryan asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Thomas said. Ray nodded his head in agreement.

“Alright. Beverly already knows most of this story, and I felt she needed to know about this as well,” Ryan said.

“Know about what, Ryan?” she asked, concerned.

“I’ll get to that,” Ryan said. He turned to the other two men. “Before I became the sheriff here, I spent some time – about 9 years or so – working as a private security consultant,” he told them.

“You mean, you were a mercenary,” Ray said. Ryan nodded his head.

“Yeah, something like that,” Ryan said.

“Wait a minute. You were a soldier of fortune? A hired gun?” Thomas asked, shocked.

“I prefer the term, professional soldier,” Ryan said. “But yes, I was a mercenary. That’s how I got this,” he added, pointing to his eye patch. “Beverly knows all about that. So did the commissioners when they hired me for this job.”

“What does that have to do with Ms. Garcia?” Ray asked.

“About 10 or 11 years ago, I was contacted by a man who was a minister in the Ecuadorian government at the time. His young daughter had been kidnapped by rogue guerrillas who crossed the border from Colombia. They nabbed her from where she was staying in Quito and took her back across the border. Her father was not only a minister, he was a successful businessman and these guerrillas figured he would help fund their little revolution.

“The Ecuadorian government wasn’t too keen on sending their military to rescue her. They were concerned such an act might spark a conflict with Colombia. And Mr. Garcia wasn’t too hot on waiting for the diplomats to secure her release. He knew that even if he paid, she would probably end up dead. So he contacted us.

“We took the job and went in. Finding them was pretty easy to do. We took them out and rescued the girl. That night, she came to me and, well, she spent the night with me. I won’t go into the details of that,” Ryan said.

“Thank you,” Beverly said. Ryan nodded his head.

“What’s the deal with the Combat Infantryman’s Badge?” Ray asked.

“You have to remember that I was not in a good place at that time,” Ryan said. “I still hurt from the betrayal I felt from my first wife and my daughter. Once upon a time, I thought about giving that badge to my daughter. When they betrayed me, though, they basically died to me. When Mr. Garcia told me about his daughter, I thought I would give it to her instead, assuming she survived her ordeal.

“I gave her that badge the next day when her father’s helicopter arrived to take her back. I never saw nor heard from her again. Until today,” Ryan said.

“You said she already trusts you,” Thomas said. “What makes you say that?”

“The fact that I saved her life 10 years ago for one,” Ryan said. “You heard what she said about that badge. I was frankly surprised she still carried it. I’ve heard that Ecuadorian women are known to be strong-minded, loyal and faithful to their life partners. It could be that she’s still carrying a torch from all those years ago.”

“After just one night?” Thomas asked.

“Put yourself in her shoes, Thomas,” Ryan said. “A young girl, maybe all of 19 years old, gets kidnapped, taken deep into the jungle in Colombia, tied to a tree, hungry, scared, not knowing if she’s going to be raped, killed or both. Then she gets a front-row seat to the most violence she’s probably ever seen in her young life. She saw a chance to thank the man who saved her and she took it. He reciprocates by giving her something that means a great deal to him. What do you think?”

“And that same man saved her life a second time, ten years or so later,” Thomas said. “But she still worked for MMAS. It’s my job to take her in, at least question her.”

“I understand that,” Ryan said. “But as I’ve said, I have no probable cause to hold her. I have no evidence that indicates she committed a crime. Do you?”

“Not directly, no,” Thomas said. “But her association with known extremists makes her a suspect.”

“Guilt by association? Is that how you work?” Ryan asked.

“No, of course not,” Thomas said. “I still need to find out what I can from her.”

“I agree,” Ryan said. “We need to find out as much as we can. But we do it the right way. I need you to trust me on this. Follow my lead.”

“Alright, we’ll do it your way for now,” Thomas said after a few moments. The two men stood to leave. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Caldwell,” he told Beverly. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. After he left the house, Ray turned to Ryan.

“A real-life honest-to-God mercenary, huh?” he asked. Ryan nodded his head with a smile. “And the commissioners knew?” Again, Ryan nodded his head. “Well, that explains a lot. You’re certainly not like any lawman I’ve ever worked with. That’s for sure. I take it that’s how you lost your eye?”

“Yes,” Ryan said. “My last job, in fact.”

“Any other secrets you’re holding from me?” the big black man asked.

“Probably,” Ryan said with a smile. Ray laughed in response. “There’s some things you’re better off not knowing.”

“I hear ya,” Ray said. “Alright, I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”

“See ya, Ray,” Ryan said. That night in bed, Beverly turned to Ryan.

“Sweetheart, I want you to know it meant a lot that you were honest with me about this Mercedes woman,” she said.

“I figured you had a right to know about her. I probably should’ve told you about her earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t. I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you,” he said.

“I know, and I accept your apology. Is there something else I need to know about her?” she asked. “Do you think about her when you make love to me?”

“I haven’t thought about her since that day I picked you up on the road,” Ryan said. Beverly never forgot that day. On one hand, it was the worst day of her life – the sheriff had just come out and evicted her from the home she shared with her deceased husband. She had lost everything and was on her way to end her life. That’s when Ryan showed up. He took care of her problem with the bank and the two of them were inseparable from that point on.

“But you did think about her,” Beverly said. Ryan nodded his head.

“Almost every night, for about 10 years,” Ryan said quietly.

“You loved her, didn’t you?” Beverly asked.

“I guess a part of me did,” Ryan said. “She made me feel like a man at a time when I truly needed it. You know, there’s only been three women who have ever gotten to me like that. The first one betrayed me in the worst way possible. I only spent one night with the second, but the third...”

“Yes?” she asked. He turned and looked into Beverly’s eyes as he held her face.

“The third made me complete. I love her more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. And I intend to spend the rest of my life with her,” he said. Tears fell down Beverly’s face as she smiled at him.

“You mean that?” she asked.

“Oh yes,” he said, wiping the tears from her face.

“So, I’ve got nothing to be worried about?” she asked.

“No, nothing,” he said. “I’m madly in love with you, Beverly Caldwell. And you’re stuck with me for life.”

“I’m madly in love with you, Ryan,” she said. “It would kill me to lose you.”

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he said, holding her close.

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I met the woman who captured your heart in a single night,” she said.

“I personally don’t know if that would be wise, given what’s going on. But other than that, no. I wouldn’t mind at all,” he said.

“Good,” she said. “Maybe I’ll stop by after I finish my deliveries tomorrow.”

“I look forward to seeing you there,” he said.

“Now, make mad passionate love to me, husband. Show me how much you love your spring chicken,” she said, rubbing herself against him. He smiled and kissed her deeply, caressing her soft skin as he did so.

“Who the bloody hell could that be,” Allison Gatsby asked herself when she heard the knock at her door. She looked through the peephole and saw two women. She hesitated before opening the door. When she did, the two women entered without waiting to be invited. Allison closed the door, locking it before turning to her guests.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “You know this violates protocol.”

“We need to talk,” Veronica Hartley said. “I’m sure you know Victoria Harrison.”

“Yes, of course I do,” Allison said.

“Perhaps we should talk over tea,” Victoria said.

“Alright,” Allison said. “Come in, I’ll see to it. You sure you weren’t followed?”

“Of course not,” Veronica said. Allison nodded her head and called for her servant boy.

“Boy! Tea! Three cups. Now! Snap to it!” she commanded, slapping her hands.

“I see you’re still training your latest pet,” Veronica said.

“Yes,” Allison said. “He’s a bit slow on the uptake, but he at least knows how to pour a halfway decent cup of tea.” A young man wearing only a loincloth came into the room with a tray that held three cups and a matching tea pot. He set the tray on the table in front of the women. Victoria looked at him with disgust.

“Get your filthy eyeballs off of me, creature,” she barked. The boy looked down, his face turning red.

“I apologize, Mistress,” the boy said.

“Back to your cage,” Allison said. “And don’t come out unless I call.”

“Yes, Mistress,” the boy said before scampering off. Victoria looked at Allison, a sly smile on her face.

“A loincloth? Seriously?” she asked. Allison shrugged her shoulders and poured the hot tea into the cups.

“I thought about keeping him au naturel, but I couldn’t bear to look at his tiny little prick all day,” Allison said. “So I chose a loincloth.” The other two women giggled at that. “So, what brings you here?”

“The situation in Texas has become somewhat unsettling,” Victoria said. “It seems your little experiment in control has not worked out as well as you thought.”

“That’s the thing about experiments,” Allison said. “We learn what works and what doesn’t.”

“Exactly,” Victoria said. “Surely you know that if you beat a dog often enough, eventually it will turn and bite back.”

“This was more than just an experiment, Victoria. You know that,” Allison said.

“Yes. It was, as I recall, a diversion. Something to distract the authorities. Make them think they captured the new leader of the sisterhood. Isn’t that right?” Victoria asked.

“Something like that, yes,” Allison said.

“You sent the signal to Higgins and the Rodgers woman, right?” Veronica asked.

“That’s right,” Allison said.

“But they’re still alive, aren’t they? In fact, they just had their arraignment,” Veronica said.

“Yes. It seems the authorities there know about the implants,” Allison said.

“What about the contractor you sent to get intel? We’re still waiting to hear back from her. She’s already missed two check-ins,” Veronica said. “You know what happens if she misses the third scheduled check-in.”

“I’m very well aware of what happens,” Allison said. “I created that protocol, remember?”

“That’s right. You did,” Victoria said. “Which brings me to the real reason I’m here, Allison.”

“And that is?” Allison asked.

“The old way simply isn’t working,” Victoria said. “Mona Larsen and her two sisters acted too fast. Reached too high and expected far too much too soon. They tried to push the issue before the public was ready to accept the new order. People have died as a result.

“The Sisterhood of The New Way is not just a new name for a new world order, it’s an acceptance that the old ways do not work. We need to be more subtle. There is nothing subtle about a whip and a strap-on dildo being shoved up someone’s arse.

“Thanks to the old ways, we now have two American agents embedded in our security services. And two of our people are embedded in theirs. The two governments, along with others around the world, are now watching for anything they can blame on the old organization,” Victoria said.

“Do you think we should send in a team to eliminate Higgins and her contractors?” Allison asked.

“Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said?” Victoria asked. “Of course not. The District Attorney prosecuting them is pushing for the death penalty. Let the state do our dirty work for us. The best thing we can do is wash our hands of the lot. I think that for the time being it would be best if you restrict yourself to what you do best. Research and development. No more experiments. At least for now.”

“Alright,” Allison said. She knew that Victoria could be as hard as Mona if the situation warranted it, so she backed off.

“I think we have taken up enough of your time, Allison,” Victoria said, placing her teacup on the small table. “I will be in touch later.”

“Very well,” Allison said as she stood with the other two women.

“Thank you for the tea. It was ... delightful,” Victoria said. “A loincloth,” she added with a snicker. “I’ll have to remember that. Good day.”

“Good day,” Allison said as she escorted the women to her front door. She closed and locked the door, then checked her watch. It was nearly time for Mercedes to check in. If she missed this time...

8:30 am, Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Ryan had just finished his morning ritual and called Deputy Sanders to his office. The younger man tapped on his door just as he set his coffee cup down.

“How is our guest, Deputy?” he asked.

“Doing just fine, Sheriff,” Sanders said. “She just finished breakfast.”

“Good,” Ryan said. “Everything go okay last night?”

“As far as I know, everything went fine. She does seem to be a bit nervous, though,” Sanders said.

“I’m sure she’s a bit nervous, being placed in protective custody,” Ryan said.

“Maybe, but I don’t know,” Sanders said. “If there’s nothing else, Sheriff, I need to head out, make my rounds.”

“Sure, go ahead, Deputy. Thank you,” Ryan said. His phone buzzed after Sanders left. He saw it was a call from Ron.

“What’s up, Ron?” he asked when he answered the call.

“Been going through the stuff we got from Ms. Garcia’s motel room, Sheriff. Not much to look at, really. Just some clothing, toiletries, a cell phone and a tablet,” Ron said. “A message came through on her phone just a few minutes ago.”

“What did it say?” Ryan asked.

“It read, ‘your services are no longer required,’ and it was sent from ‘AG.’ I thought you might like to know,” Ron said.

“Thank you,” Ryan said. “Bring that and the tablet. Meet me in Interview Room 1.”

“Will do,” Ron said. Ryan called Ray and Thomas to tell them what Ron just reported, then called to have Mercedes brought to the interview room. He met Ray and Thomas outside the room.

“Remember what I said yesterday,” Ryan told them. Ray and Thomas nodded their heads. They entered the interview room and saw Ron standing with the phone and the tablet. Mercedes sat at the table and looked very nervous.

“Good morning, Mercedes,” Ryan said. “I hope you got a good night’s sleep.”

“Good morning, Ryan,” she said. “I slept well, thank you.”

“I hope breakfast was satisfactory. I know the food here probably isn’t quite as good as you’re used to,” he said with a smile. She smiled back.

“It was ... adequate,” she said. “I’ve had worse. But thank you for asking.”

“I heard that you got a message on your phone just a bit ago,” Ryan said. Ron handed him the phone and he put it in front of her. “Go ahead. Open it up. Read it out to us, if you would, please.” She opened her message app and read the last text, the blood draining from her face. She slapped herself on the side of her neck after she read the message, then realized what happened.

“It seems you’ve been thrown under the bus,” Ryan said.

“I missed three consecutive scheduled check-in times,” she said quietly. “Protocol says that if a contractor misses three consecutive check-ins, the assumption is that the contractor is either dead or captured. This ensures the former.” A grim smile crossed her face.

“What’s so funny?” Ryan asked.

“There was a line in one of your movies I saw once. Something about assumptions being the mother of all fuck-ups,” she said. “I told AG that once. I don’t think she was amused.” Ryan chuckled at that.

“I’ve seen that movie. A couple of times, actually,” Ryan said. “There’s more truth in that statement than most people realize. Tell me, did that poison capsule we took out of you have one of those chip things in it?” She shook her head.

“No. My implant predated the chips,” she said. “It seems you really have saved my life yet again. How can I repay you for that?” she asked quietly.

“Not like you did last time,” Ryan said, causing her to smile.

“As much pleasure as it would give me, I’m sure your wife wouldn’t like that very much,” she said.

“No, she wouldn’t,” Ryan said. “In fact, she’d like to see you while you’re still here.”

“What?” Thomas asked. Ryan held up his hand to quiet the federal agent.

“I would like very much to meet the woman who won your heart,” Mercedes said.

“In the meantime, I’d like you tell me what happened to you, Mercedes,” Ryan said. “After all, you’re no longer employed and I doubt they’d be willing to give you a good reference.”

“After you rescued me, I went back to university and finished my studies,” she said. “I met a man – Roberto – and we were together for a couple of years. It was wonderful at first, but then he became overbearing and demanding. I tried to accommodate him, but it was simply too much. When I caught him with another woman, I ended the relationship.

“After I graduated, Papa introduced me to another man – Ernesto. He wanted me to marry him, and I tried to accommodate him. Ernesto was much older and much more demanding than Roberto. Eventually, he became abusive. He ... hurt me ... more than once. I told Papa, but he didn’t seem to care.

“I finally had enough and fled Ecuador for the United States. I had hoped to find you, but no one knew where you were. I met a woman at a club and was recruited into MMAS,” she said.

“Do you know the name of the woman who recruited you?” Thomas asked.

“Her name was Pat Witherspoon,” Mercedes said. “I told her my story and she promised that no man would ever hurt or abuse me again. She set me up for special training.”

“What kind of training?” Ryan asked.

“All kinds. I learned languages, guns, fighting, all kinds of things she said I would need to know in the final struggle against patriarchy,” she said.

“And what did you do after this training?” Ryan asked.

“I was what you might call a verifier ... a private investigator,” she said. “I would verify claims of infidelity made by the company’s clients. Once I had proof, I would turn it over to the client. What they did with it afterward was up to them.”

“Were you aware of what might happen after you provided this proof?” Ryan asked.

“I knew something bad might happen to the cheating spouse, but I didn’t know exactly what,” she said. “It was not my place to know, and I knew better than to ask.” Ryan looked at Thomas before continuing.

“Did you ever participate in this punishment?” Thomas asked. She shook her head.

“No, never,” she said. “The company and the clients used other contractors for that. There was a period of time the company went dark. It was during this time that I heard from AG.”

“Do you know who this AG person is?” Ryan asked.

“Her name is Allison Gatsby,” Mercedes said. “I don’t know where she is located, but I know it’s not in the United States.”

“And you began working for Allison Gatsby?”

“Yes, doing pretty much the same thing as I did for the old organization,” she said.

“Is she the one who sent you here?” Ryan asked. Mercedes nodded her head.

“Yes,” she said.

“Did you know anything about what happened to Commissioner Higgins?” Ryan asked.

“I know what I saw in the news. I also know that AG was using Mrs. Higgins for some kind of experiment in control,” Mercedes said. “I warned her but she didn’t listen. She knew nothing about this place or the people who live here. She pushed Higgins too hard, too fast.” Ryan took the tablet from Ron and set it on the table in front of her.

“Can you give us access to this?” Ryan asked.

“I would not turn that on yet, if I were you,” she suggested.

“Why is that?” Ryan asked.

“A destructive payload will be downloaded to the MAC address associated with the tablet as soon as it connects to the Internet,” she said. “That’s part of Allison’s upgraded protocol.” Ryan looked at Ron.

“MAC address?” Ryan asked.

“Yes. Every network adapter has its own unique address,” Ron said. “That includes the wireless adapters on tablets and cell phones. It’s hard-coded into the adapter by the manufacturer.”

“Can you do something to disable Internet access on this?” Ryan asked.

“It’ll take me a bit, but I think I can do that,” Ron said. He handed the tablet to Ron.

“Get to it,” Ryan said.

“On it,” Ron said, leaving the room with the tablet. Ryan turned back to Mercedes.

“Mercedes, this federal officer works with the task force that was formed to take down your MMAS,” he told her. “Would you be willing to answer all of his questions?”

“You’re with the Homefront Security Task Force?” she asked.

“Yes, I am, Ms. Garcia,” he said. “You know about us?”

“Please, call me Mercedes,” she said. “I know of your task force. And yes, I’ll be more than happy to help you in any way that I can to bring these mother cunts down.” Ryan smiled and nodded his head. He looked at Thomas.

“Happy?” he asked.

“Very much so,” Thomas said. “Thank you, Mercedes.”

“You are welcome,” she said. “By the way, do you know an Oscar Warren?”

“I’ve heard of Special Agent Warren, but I’ve never met the man personally,” Thomas said. “Why?” She smiled.

“He was one of MMAS’ main targets,” she said. “He was the biggest pain in their collective asses.” Thomas smiled.

“So I’ve heard,” he said. Ryan’s phone buzzed, so he pulled it out and read the message he just received. He sent a reply and turned to Mercedes.

“Looks like you have a visitor,” he said. Everyone looked at him, surprised. “It’s alright, it’s just Beverly. She wants to meet you. Are you up to that?” Mercedes smiled.

“I would love to meet her,” she said. A few minutes later, they heard a tap on the door. Ray opened the door and let Beverly in. Ryan stood up and introduced the two women, then motioned for everyone else to leave and go to the observation room next door.

“Are you sure this is wise?” Thomas asked.

“No, but what the hell,” Ryan said. Beverly sat down in the seat Ryan vacated as the men left the room.

“What do you think?” Ryan asked Thomas when they got into the observation room.

“She would be a tremendous asset,” Thomas said. “I’d like to take her someplace safe, though. I have a feeling that once this Gatsby knows she still alive, she’s going to send someone here to take her out.”

“Do you have someplace you can take her?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, it’s a secure base. Complete with a reinforced Marine battalion,” Thomas said. “I’ll need to speak with my superiors first, though.”

“Of course,” Ryan said. Thomas pulled out his phone as he left the room.

“The DA is gonna want a statement from her. He may even want her to testify. You know that, right?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, I figured that,” Ryan said. “Give him a call if you would. Let him take his statement. We’ll need to talk to him about having her testify in open court. I’m sure he can find a way to get her testimony without exposing her to danger.”

“Got it,” Ray said before he left the room. Ryan turned back to the observation window and watched the two women talk. They seemed to be getting along rather well. Too well, perhaps. Somehow, even with the volume turned all the way down, he suspected they were talking about him.

“No wonder my ears are burning,” he thought.

The women were still talking and giggling when Marvin came into the observation room. Ryan looked up when he heard the door open.

“What’s going on in there?” Marvin asked.

“Two girls talking about whatever it is girls talk about,” Ryan said. “Don’t worry, it’s all being recorded. So far, they’re just swapping stories, makeup tips and, well, stories about me.”

“Ah. You sure that’s wise, Sheriff?” Marvin asked.

“I admit it’s unorthodox, but under the circumstances, I wanted Ms. Garcia to feel as comfortable as possible,” Ryan said. “The more she trusts us, the more cooperative she’ll be.”

“I hope you’re right,” Marvin said. “Well, let’s get this done, shall we?” They left the observation room and walked back into the interview room.

“Mercedes, this is District Attorney Marvin Olmstead,” Ryan said. “He’s here to take your statement.”

“Oh, okay,” Mercedes said, standing up. Beverly stood with her. “Beverly, it was so nice talking with you. I’m glad I finally got to meet you.”

“I’m glad, too,” Beverly said. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

“I would like that very much,” Mercedes told her. “Take care of him, okay?”

“I will,” Beverly said. They hugged each other for a few moments before Marvin sat down. Beverly walked out, giving Ryan a mysterious smile as she left. Ryan followed her out into the hallway.

“I trust you had a good visit,” he said.

“It was very nice,” she said. “Don’t worry, we only talked about you maybe 80 percent of the time.”

“I felt my ears burning,” he said. “You know everything said in that room is recorded, right?”

“I figured that,” she said.

“But I promise not to invade your privacy. I’ll pull the recording,” he said.

“Thank you. I appreciate that. I’ve got to get back to my chickens. I’ll see you when you get home. Love you,” she said, giving him a kiss.

“Love you too,” he said, returning her kiss. He returned to the interview room and listened as Mercedes answered Marvin’s questions. His ears caught the back and forth between them, but his mind was on the conversation between Beverly and Mercedes. Finally, Marvin finished and turned to Ryan.

“I think we got everything we need, Sheriff,” Marvin said. He turned back to Mercedes. “Would you be willing to testify to this in court?” Ryan spoke up before Mercedes could answer.

“Is there any way she can do that securely?” he asked.

“I’ll have to clear that with the judge, but given the circumstances, I think something can be arranged,” Marvin answered.

“Good. Please do what you can,” Ryan said.

“Alright,” Marvin said.

“Will that work for you?” Ryan asked Mercedes.

“Yes, that will work,” she said.

“I’ll get on it,” Marvin said before leaving. Ryan turned to Mercedes.

“You ready to go back? It’s already past lunch time, but if you’re hungry, I think I can get the kitchen to rustle up some grub,” Ryan said.

“Something light would be fine,” she said. “Thank you.” He walked her to the small room where she spent the previous night. Before walking inside, she turned to face him.

“You’re a very fortunate man, Ryan,” she said. “Beverly is a wonderful woman and I can tell the two of you love each other very much. Take care of her, please.”

“I will,” Ryan said. She smiled and went into her room. Ryan turned to the deputy running that section and “requested” a light lunch for her.

“I’ll take care of it, Sheriff,” the female deputy said. Thomas met Ryan when he returned to his office.

“I spoke with my superiors,” Thomas said. “They agreed to let her stay at Fort Apache.”

“Fort Apache?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, that’s the name of our secure base,” Thomas said. “They’re sending an aircraft here to pick her up. The flight will be here tomorrow morning. I’ll escort her back east.”