Chapter 21

After Karl had rolled out of bed, Ely thought about trying to go back to sleep, but the sound of the helicopter tracking back and forth was more than she felt she could ignore. Besides, they had gone to bed rather earlier than she was used to last night, so she’d actually had almost as much sleep as she normally would. Finally giving up on her attempt to doze off again, she sat up, stretched slowly, then looked over at Linda.

“Good morning, Linda. Did Keri sleep soundly?” she asked quietly.

Linda shrugged her shoulders and lifted a finger to her lips, gesturing at Keri who stirred for a few seconds, then sighed softly before relaxing again. Linda slipped out of the bed and came over to sit on the edge of the other bed near Ely.

“She seems to do that every few minutes. It’s as though she isn’t sleeping soundly,” she whispered. “I’m wondering if she’s remembering that bastard and what he did.”

“I wouldn’t know. Has she been like that all night?” Ely frowned.

“No, just for the last while. Actually she slept soundly enough that she snored most of the night.”

“Well, it may be the chopper that’s disturbing her then. We’re going to have to let her wake up soon anyway, either that or the doctor will have to start an IV drip, otherwise Keri is going to get dehydrated.”

“Oh, yeah, I never thought of that. Did you hear the doctor come in last night?”

“No, was she here?”

“Unh huh, she came in about two in the morning. Scared hell out of me when I woke up with her leaning over us, then she started to bawl me out for sleeping with Keri. I told her to fuck off, that Keri liked to be cuddled at night. She actually laughed at me, patted my arm and told me if it made Keri rest better it was just fine. She took Keri’s pulse, then gave her another injection and told me she’d see us this morning about eight or so.”

“Damn, I wish she’d have wakened me,” Ely sighed softly.

“Honey, you and Karl were so wrapped around each other, it would have been a puzzle to work out which shoulder to shake.”

Ely actually flushed and Linda sighed softly. “Don’t get upset, I know what it’s like. He’s like cuddling a big teddy bear, only he cuddles back.”

“I still don’t see why you’re not jealous,” Ely sighed. “Even if you and Keri are sort of partnered up. I mean, it’s just not the same.”

“Not too much ‘sort of’ about it,” Linda smiled. “Actually, I get more thrill out of a cuddle with Keri than I do out of sleeping with Karl. Now that’s saying a hell of a lot because I loved sleeping with him.”

“Sleeping, or...”

“Or!” Linda snorted. “And don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Ely smiled, then sighed. “Damn, I wish I could turn back the clock right now. I’d rather it was me that was laying there sedated rather than Keri. I should have been the one walking with Trudy.”

“Don’t blame yourself, but I know what you mean. I blame myself too,” Linda gave her a quick hug. “Now I’m gonna make a quick run to the bathroom, then it’s back to snuggle at her side for a bit longer.”

“Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee when I go downstairs? Karl will have put it on already.”

“Nope, I’ll wait. Maybe I’ll get lucky and doze for a while,” Linda smiled and slipped away to the bathroom.

Ely got out of bed and walked over to the other bed to take Keri’s hand, putting her fingers on her wrist. Her temperature felt normal and her heart beat was strong and steady. Ely stood up again as Linda returned, slipped into her clothing, then heading to the bathroom before going downstairs. The first thing she did down there was to glance over at the David, sleeping on the couch, and Mary-Beth, who was sleeping on a foldaway bed, then she checked on her father and Trudy. George was softly snoring and Trudy was sleeping soundly. After she’d done her rounds, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Carrying her coffee cup in one hand, she walked out onto the front porch. She hadn’t been outside since the military contingent had arrived, but she looked over the layout of their small encampment curiously, assuming that Karl was already there. Her eye was caught by the movement of the dish that swung slowly back and forth. She wondered about it for a second, then decided she’d ask Karl what it was for when he came back to the house. Her face twisted into a slight smile, he’d be up to his armpits in the technology that the military would be using, then she grinned to herself. Of course! She could see that the dish followed the helicopter’s travel, it was a radio link of some sort, probably a tv link for the infrared pictures Karl had mentioned. Yeah, Karl would be needed by the military right now, just to explain all the details of the area. He’d be over there for a while.

Sighing, she was going to turn and go back inside when Bruno’s thumping tail caught her attention.

“Well, hello Bruno,” she greeted him as she walked over and bent down to pet his head. “And just how are you? I wonder if we should get Dr. Baker to have a look at you too, huh? I wonder what she’d think of that?”

Bruno didn’t seem to care. He was just happy to be getting attention from Ely.

Ely stood again, smiling at him. “And I used to think you were such a scary beast. You’re nothing but an old softy, aren’t you?”

Not getting any answer, but a tail wag and a lolling tongue, Ely paused to check that he still had both food and water, then went back inside the house. She was busying herself with picking up and sorting the dirty laundry from around the house when she heard the front door open and turned to see Karl coming back inside.

“Well, how soon are the soldiers going after the crooks?” she asked.

“I’d say a couple of them were moving in on them right now, but I really don’t know for sure,” Karl sighed. “I do know Dr. Baker prodded them to move a lot faster than I think they’d planned to move.”

“Oh, why is that?”

“She really doesn’t want to start Keri on that AZT stuff you were mentioning. It looks like I didn’t kill that bastard who attacked Keri. It seems he was hurt though and the doctor wants a blood sample from him to send for tests.”

“How did they figure out that the guy is alive?”

“The infrared scans. They show a guy lying down, not moving to hide when the chopper flew over, like the rest of the gang did. Lieutenant Springfield, thinks the raping bastard might have been wearing a bullet proof vest. Springfield and his buddy, Winchester, suddenly disappeared from the camp after I’d explained the pictures they got from the chopper, but I imagine they’ve only gone to get a blood sample.”

“Do you want to explain that? What do you mean when you say they ‘suddenly disappeared’?”

“Well as I said, I was explaining about the lay of the land to everyone. I’d told them how I’d get down the cliff if I was in good physical condition and Dr. Baker told everyone the time constraints she was under concerning Keri’s treatment. Once she’d explained that AZT wasn’t a gentle treatment and could affect Keri or her baby, Springfield and Winchester just seemed to evaporate. I was talking about what had happened and I guess everyone was concentrating on what I was saying, so they slipped away without orders or official permission. Now L-C Greene blames me for covering for them.”

“How can he do that?” she frowned. “Aren’t they the two you said you thought were in this semi-secret elite force?”

“Unh huh,” Karl nodded his head as he poured himself another cup of coffee. “In truth, Greene is partially right about my covering for them. When Springfield and Winchester took off, I noticed them go and it didn’t take a genius to figure out where they were going. However, I swear all I did was answer the questions that everyone was asking. It’s not like I intentionally set the situation up or anything.”

Ely just looked at him with a knowing smirk on her face. “Oh sure,” she snorted sarcastically. “And you didn’t draw out your answers longer than necessary or anything, knowing you could give your new friends a few minutes time to get away, huh?”

“All I did was politely answer a few questions,” Karl shrugged his shoulders. “For gosh sakes, they’re trained professionals, so they were just listening to me to get the background on the situation. I certainly wouldn’t expect them to listen if I’d been trying to tell them what I’d do if I was in their place.”

Springfield’s perspective of what had happened was slightly different from Karl’s. As he looked at L-C Greene’s face, then glanced around the tent, he realised all eyes were fixed on Karl. He was left with an opportunity that he could use to his advantage, so he moved away slowly. He’d seen Winchester leave just after Dr. Baker had mentioned the time frame she was fighting and knew he’d already be prepping the tools they’d need for the quick drop down into the gang’s camp. He shouldn’t have looked back, because it had always seemed to him that just the act of looking at someone can draw their attention, but as he stepped out the door, he glanced back at Karl. Sure as hell, Karl was looking right at him. The old bugger knew what was up and Springfield knew that he’d manage to hold the whole crew’s attention for a few minutes, not long, but long enough. Springfield just walked away shaking his head, did the old S.O.B. have this planned, or did he just adapt to things the instant they happened?

In a way, Springfield hated to bypass Greene’s authority, but damn it, for some reason he had a feeling that they had to act fast on this job. He had a hunch that Greene would dither around, but Springfield felt they should act now, not later. Those damn crooks might do something weird if Greene took too long before he let his crew get into action. Winchester must have felt that way too, maybe more than he had himself - after all, Winchester had reacted even faster than he did.

As Springfield stepped into the tent where they’d stored most of their gear, Winchester already had the ropes and some gear laid out. His eyes lifted and questioned as he pointed at the big box that held their heavier weapons. Springfield shook his head. Instead he opened another small case and grinned as he tossed over a small package of oversized zip-lock ties.

“No Wet Work. Hand work only. Too much paperwork if they’re dead. We’ll just knock ‘em out and tie ‘em up. We can let the Navy boys lug ‘em out later.”

Winchester nodded and grinned. “Suits me, not much of a pencil pusher myself. Got a blood sample kit?”

“Pocket pack, half a dozen vials, colour coded, we can test ‘em all. I’ll get the big guy first.”

“Generous, giving me three to take care of.”

“You need the practise. But, I can help if you need it.”

“Unh huh, sure! Gloves?”

“Yeah, definitely! Who knows where they might have had their dicks. Ready?”

“Yup.”

One glance outside to be sure they were still in the clear and they were off at a fast paced trot. Springfield led the way, his mind churning away it always did when he was on a mission.

“The open cliff is a natural, Karl’s first mistake. Being so wide open the crooks won’t watch it as closely, saying it was ‘too open’ was a mistake any amateur would make. Or was it a mistake? Damn, would Karl have mentioned it last and looked directly at me if he ... No, he wouldn’t do that, or would he? Dammit, I am not going to give the old S.O.B. the satisfaction of asking either, but I guess that means I’ll never know for sure. Shit, now the old bugger has got me thinking like LeBeaux and Peacock, making him out to be ‘Mister Marvellous’ who can do no wrong.”

The short run down the field to the Arbutus tree wasn’t even far enough to get them fully loosened up. Still he knew both he and Winchester were ready by the time they reached the point they had mutually chosen without even asking each other. Springfield’s mind rattled on as he tied off a rope around a tree almost automatically, then moved to the edge of the small cliff, glancing down.

“Eighty-five, maybe ninety feet, damn near a straight drop, no loose rock, all we have to do is watch out for the edge. This is perfect, just don’t knock loose a clump of dirt or anything like that.”

Feeding the rope down quickly, he glanced over at Winchester. He needn’t have bothered, they’d worked together long enough that they were a team. Springfield raised his thumb and nodded.

“Over the edge, get set, bounce, drop, catch, let the legs take the pressure, easy does it. Now do it over again and don’t make any mistakes. This drop was easy. Not far down, just a few sets and ... ah, there’s the grass, one nice long step down ... Now easy does it. Hunker down low, leave the rope hanging, it’s well camouflaged against the rocks in this light. There goes Winchester, damn that man is good. Let’s see, remember that picture, orient to the stream behind me, the camp should be over ... there! Five seconds maybe and I can be into the first trees. There it is, small fire, rock reflector, shelter is a hunk of ratty tarp tied to the trees. Uh oh, the tarp is pinned against the rock face with poles, they’re just leaning, have to watch and not kick those around. Where is the guy we want? Ah, there, under that hunk of skungy old sailcloth. Damn, he is a big son-of-a-bitch!”

Springfield was walking on tip toes, moving slowly, but steadily. He eased under the tarp, bent forward, his hands reached out...

“Slip over to him slow and easy, don’t disturb him until my hands are around his neck ... gently ... gently, find that damn artery ... Aha, there it is, I feel his pulse ... Now, press hard ... hold for the count, one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three ... have to make sure he’s sound asleep...”

He heard a rustle, then a grunt, but kept his attention on his fingertips. He trusted his partner to handle the other three men easily. Instead his mind was on the big thug’s body.

“Ah, there we go, I felt him relax. Now, the most important thing is the blood sample. Let’s find an artery in your arm for this needle. We’ll give you the little bottle coded red. How’s that, you Russian bastard? Does that suit you? Too fucking bad if it doesn’t. Well, your blood’s nice and bright red too, what do you know? How much do they need, ten cc’s, fifteen? Aw shit, just let the little vial fill right up. Who cares if you wake up a little weak and a bit spaced out? You won’t mind will you. You’re gonna be lucky as it is ‘cause I’m gonna let you wake up at all, even if no one would blame me a bit if you didn’t.”

He was using the needle like a nurse would, but more bluntly, not worrying about causing bruises or pain. Then he slipped the vial into it’s little protective case and shifted his position.

“Now, I should tie you up, then go help Winchester. Aww now why should I spoil his fun? Instead let’s roll this guy over and have a look, just to see exactly where Karl clocked you. Well, well, dead center, right where he said and just like I thought, you’re wearing a vest. Tsk, tsk, it didn’t help much did it? Oh, what’s this, an imbedded slug, caught in the vest? Better get that out of there, just in case. Since this is a Navy operation, we can’t leave little bits of civvy street evidence behind, can we?”

Reaching into a pocket he slipped out a multi-tool and twisted a lump of metal free of the matted material, causing the big lug to move slightly. Dropping both the tool and the lump back in his pocket, he studied the man before him for a few seconds.

“Hmm, I wonder, did you fall and bust your nose too? Looks like you musta. Ohho, what’s that, blood and pad of cloth on your shoulder? Unh huh, same on the back, so the slug went right through. The old bugger got you twice huh? Too bad he didn’t gut shoot you, give you some real misery like you did those women of Karl’s. But a guy like you, never gets what you deserve do they? Well Karl gave you a little owwy for being a brutal ass-hole, didn’t he? Made you suffer a little? Like I said, too bad it wasn’t more.”

Moving rapidly now, he pulled zip-locks from another pocket and went back to work.

“Oh well, enough gloating about what an old crippled backwoodsman can do to a red army dropout. Oops, have to be careful of thoughts like that, back at the centre they’d say I was prejudiced. Tuck that arm down tight, now roll you on your side, other arm. Love these zip-lock plasti-cuffs, put ‘em on nice and tight, and keep you out of trouble. Aw, what the hell, you’re such a big boy, let’s double ‘em up to be safe ... after all, we’ve got lots and the government gives ‘em to us to use, don’t they?”

He grinned as he bent over again.

“There, see, the second tie didn’t take long, did it? Now since you’re laying on your side so nice, let’s see those feet. Left one first, there we are, fold it tight against your ass and a little push! That’s it, right there. I can tie it to your left wrist that way. Now the right...”

He sat up and his expression looked like he was ready to wipe his hands of a dirty, but satisfying job.

“There we go. One turkey, all dressed and ready for the oven. Aw what the hell, lots of these ties left, lets just zap those ankles together too,”

Then he sighed and bent forward once more.

“Now just in case you wake up, how about I stuff a hunk of your shirt sleeve into your mouth, a couple of zip-ties will hold that.”

“Don’t use all the ties, I need a few more over there,” Winchester said quietly as he came up.

“You got the others?”

“Got two of ‘em, one musta gone into hiding somewhere. The one guy’s still awake, seems he’s goin’ through withdrawal, lotsa drug tracks on his arms. Seems upset about us sneakin’ in here so quiet.”

“Well, I guess we can just forget the runaway for now, unless he comes back this way,” Springfield said. “Let the Navy boys take care of him. We’ve gotta leave them have some fun too.”

“Yeah, I s’pose. This guy get hit where you figured the old guy shot him.”

“Yup, dead center, damn good shot. I’m gonna take the doc his blood sample right away. How many of these do you need for the other guys?” Springfield asked, holding out the sampling kit.

“Three. That’s cause I figured two samples from the druggy though. Why doncha do the same fer this guy?”

“Good idea, take four, the other guy may show up. I’ll make another withdrawal here.” Springfield chuckled almost maliciously, jabbing the needle roughly into the trussed man’s bare arm again. “I suppose I might as well take ‘em all up top to the doc at once, huh?”

“Yup,” Winchester agreed. “You want names on these samples, if I can get ‘em?”

“Good idea. I wonder if this guy carries ID?”

He turned back to his prisoner and eyed his comatose body.

“Now, who are you anyway?” he said sotto voce. “Are you carrying ID?”

He began to rudely pat his hands over the areas where he would have expected the man to carry a wallet. “Oh yeah, there we are, nice big fat wallet in your hip pocket and since your body’s bent so nicely, I bet it slips right out doesn’t it?”

“Whoa! Carrying lots of cash aren’t you? Mostly Yankee dollars too. Drug money, I bet, which means it goes into government coffers and pays my wages for catching crooks like you, don’t you think that’s fitting?” he grinned as he flipped open the wallet. “Ah, here we are, Dimitri Karpichov. So they were right, you are a Russian huh? Well, let’s just put this wallet back. I wouldn’t want to be suspected of short circuiting the process of getting paid. I’ll wait to get your money legally, in the form of a check from the government as my wages.”

He backed out of the shelter and stood up slowly. He should warn Gatling that one of the smugglers was still on the loose and that they’d broken up their camp. He pulled the special scrambled cell phone from an inner pocket, hitting redial as he brought it to his ear. “Gatling? We’re down at the smuggler’s camp ... Winchester and I ... Yeah, we got three out of four, but one’s loose and running, keep an eye out, okay ... Right, down the cliff, no problem ... They ain’t going nowhere, all of them are plasti-cuffed ... I’m going back up the cliff with some blood samples, I’ll tell Greene and company ... Yeah, the Navy should be there in a while ... Okay, gimme a buzz if anything happens.”

He paused and looked around, what a messy camp! “These guys are pigs; just look at the fucking mess. Come to think of it, I just insulted old Karl’s pigs, they’re cleaner. Oh well, better help Winchester drag the other two over here, stuff ‘em all in a pile under the tarp. Wouldn’t want ‘em to catch a cold or anything.”

He chuckled to himself as he walked away from the shelter; he’d have to use that line on Winchester, he’d appreciate the joke. Maybe he’d even tell him the one about the pigs too.

Half an hour later, Springfield walked back into the military camp with one rope looped over his shoulder and the vials of blood in the special pack in his shirt pocket. Winchester had stayed below to just make sure none of the ‘gentlemen’ left the scene.

Dr. Baker was getting ready to go to the house to visit her three patients when she heard the sound of two loud voices coming her way. Carrying her medical bag in readiness, she stepped outside to see Springfield striding toward her with a big grin on his face. Meanwhile L-C Greene was haranguing him for acting without direct orders from his provisional superior officer, even though it was a task that he would have been assigned.

“Lieutenant Commander Greene, might I break into your conversation,” she interrupted.

“Oh,” L-C Greene paused. “Yes, Lieutenant, what is it?”

“Springfield, did you get that blood sample from the rapist?” she demanded, turning to face him directly.

“Yes Ma’am, there are two samples of his blood in here,” he handed her a small plastic case. “We didn’t want to go off half cocked, so we took a blood sample from each of ‘em. Actually, we got two samples from the guy that had been shot and two from a guy who was in the throes of drug withdrawal. They’re colour coded, the red coded one and the black one are from the rapist, the blue and green ones are from the druggy and the other one’s yellow. Trouble is we’re short one sample, one guy is still running free.”

“Thank you, Springfield. I’m really only interested in the rapist’s blood sample for now. Are you certain it’s the right man?”

“He was the right size and he matches the description. On top of that he’d been shot right where ol’ Karl said he’d shot the bastard, that’s really all the proof I need,” he grinned. “His name is Karpichov, K-A-R-P-I-C-H-O-V, Dimitri Karpichov and I’m willing to bet there’s an Interpol file on him a mile thick, if anyone wants to check.”

“Lieutenant Commander Greene, would you get that chopper here now, please. He’s to fly these blood samples to the nearest working blood lab and have them tested for all communicable diseases. I’ll make out the paper work while we’re waiting for him to land,” the doctor said sharply.

“But we need to find that fourth fugitive now and...”

“Sir, this is a medical emergency. I need the chopper NOW!” It wasn’t often Dr. Baker lost her temper, but at the moment she knew she was close. When it looked as if Greene was still going to balk at her demand, she forced herself to take a deep breath before she spoke. “Our mission here was to protect these people from further harm, capture the smugglers if we possibly could, and to provide relief to the sick and wounded. This blood represents the possibility of a major immune system threat to the woman who was attacked. I need that test done as soon as possible to protect one of my charges and to keep her from the possibility of further harm.”

“You could just put her on AZT even if it was temporary, while we finish our survey...”

“Why give her a medication that may be unnecessary, medication which could actually damage her health, or the health of her unborn child? We’re talking about a pregnant woman here, for Christ sake!” Springfield broke in. “All your chopper is finding now is more damn cats. Hell, we’ve even caught all but one of your smugglers and with him, it’s only a matter of time. Which reminds me, Winchester is all alone now, guarding three prisoners, at least one of whom has proven himself to be dangerous, shouldn’t you be getting your men off to assist him?”

“But arrange to get the chopper here first,” Dr. Baker added. “I’m going to fill out the forms for the tests that need to be done.”

“All right, I’ll get the copter to make one more swing in over the lowland area as he comes back. That way we’ll get at least get one more try to get a heat trace on the man Springfield lost,” L-C Greene snarled. “You’ll need to have your shipment ready in about five minutes.”

He walked off, ramrod straight and without a backward glance.

“Well! Son of a bitch,” Springfield said disgustedly. “Now it seems that I’ve lost a fugitive.”

“You stepped on his toes and he’s career military,” Dr. Baker frowned. “What else did you expect? He was bound to find a way to cover his ass, even if he had to use both hands to do it. If he can make it look like you might have screwed up at the same time, he will.”

She turned on her heel and walked back into her tent to fill out the forms she needed to send with the blood samples. She heaved a hearty sigh as she signed them, glad that she would soon know whether she’d have to put Keri on medication or not. Springfield had given her a little extra time, but she hoped she didn’t need it. She could only hope that the testing of the blood would start immediately after the lab got it. A few minutes later, she was running across the goat pasture to give the chopper pilot her package.

“Here you go,” she shouted up at him over the sound of the idling engine. “I need you to get this to a med. lab as quickly as you can. Then I need the results back quickly too, so please ask them to hurry. There’s a note inside to tell them which samples to do first and what I need to know. Okay?”

“Yes Ma’am. L-C Greene said this had top priority. There’s a med. lab in Duncan, which is only a few minutes away. They’re already gearing up to do your test. I’m in radio contact with the Police there and they’ve made arrangements with the lab. Do you want me to have them radio the results back here, directly to Peacock?”

“Please. If you would, that would be marvellous.”

“Okay Ma’am, will do. You’d best get back. I’m lifting off, PDQ.”

He wasn’t kidding, Dr. Baker had hardly gotten out from under his rotor blades when she felt the blast of air as the pilot revved his engine and lifted. The wind surge almost blew her off her feet. By the time she had caught her balance and had turned to watch him, the chopper was lifting rapidly and had already swung around to aim its nose toward Duncan. Reflexively, she looked at her watch, 07:49 and she’d said she would be at the house to ‘make her rounds’ at 08:00. She smiled, not worried that Springfield and company had interfered with her schedule. In no more than six or eight hours, she was certain she’d know what treatment she was going to follow with Keri.

“Damn, I hope that bastard is clean,” she sighed to herself as she returned to her tent to pick up her medical bag before heading to the house.

After seeing the meals that were served while he was talking to L-C Greene and his crew, Karl wanted real scrambled eggs and home made bread for his toast. When he explained why to Ely, she broke into delighted laughter for a moment. She couldn’t help it, the idea of making scrambled eggs from a package of premixed eggs somehow struck her as funny, but Karl’s reaction tickled her even more. Yet as she started to prepare his meal, she felt slightly guilty to be laughing while her sister was upstairs, in pain from the brutal treatment she’d received. What was even more upsetting was the fact that she might be infected with a killer virus. To her surprise, Karl instantly understood her rapidly shifting mood when she explained her feelings to him a few moments later.

“I feel a lot the same way, but there are other feelings that bother me worse right now,” he sighed. “I can’t explain it, but now I feel sorry that I didn’t kill that raping bastard. Another part of me feels elated that he was still alive to give that blood sample. That will last until I know that the blood tests on him are conclusive, but by then I hope the Navy has him off the island. If I see him after that, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”

“Have you told anyone that, L-C Greene, or this guy, Springfield?”

“No, I suppose I should.”

“After breakfast,” she sighed softly. “You aren’t really comfortable with the Navy being here are you?”

“With Greene? No, I’m not really comfortable, but I trust him to a certain point. My problem is that I can’t get a handle on the way he thinks and because of that I mistrust him in some ways. Springfield is a different story, he’s a good man.”

“From what you tell me of Springfield, I think he is something of a rebel. I’m surprised he’s in the service at all.”