Chapter 2

The raid along the New Jersey line was a big overall success. Very few of the Mud Devils did not participate, and most were still in jail waiting arraignment by the District Attorney in Trenton, New Jersey. As far as anyone knew, Kathy Ray and Nick Manelli were killed and Roland "Swine" Swinney was wounded while charging down the men who shot his friends.

Once in the helicopter headed to Baltimore, the agents unzipped the body bags, letting Nick and Kathy out. They peeled each other's now exploded "wounds" off, and washed up some with some antiseptic wipes. Then the jackets would go to the "evidence" file at the FBI crime lab. To authenticate the evidence, the jackets would be cleaned, and then blood that had been drawn from each, was saturated around the "bullet holes".

"Where are we going?" Nick asked the agents assisting them with their clothes.

"Baltimore, for now." The woman agent answered. "There you get your new identities. Mike, since you were using an alias all the time anyway, you can go by your given name, and you can get your hair lightened back to brown, lose the moustache, and stop dying it black every month."

Then she turned to Kathy and said, "From now on you are Mary Jankowski. That should be easy to remember." Jankowski was her grandmother Louise's mother's name in the family, but nobody in Philadelphia knew her by anything but Ray.

"You have just become your third cousin, that died when she was eighteen months old." The agent continued, "and you will be a Cherry Cordial Bright Auburn, a redhead. You have time to shower and wash your hair in Baltimore."

She showed Mary (formerly Kathy) the sample picture. Mary said, "Now, that is hot looking! Will I get it styled too?"

"Yes when you leave Baltimore," the woman said, "You will have a professional 'makeover' on the plane, and a new set of luggage with the clothes that you picked out."

"When we get done with the two of you," the male agent said, "you could walk past FBI agents at the airport watching with your old pictures in their hands!"

He continued, "You won't get much sleep today since at 0800 you catch an agency 727 from Baltimore to Seattle with a stop in Minneapolis. It will be about a six hour flight, and arrive at about 11:20 local time. You will then be taken outside SeaTac Airport and brought back in to catch Alaska Airlines flight 67 at 1530 with one stop in Ketchikan and arrive in Sitka at 1804.

There Captain McHenry of the Alaska State Police Academy will meet you. From the moment you arrive in Seattle, you are residents of Alaska. They will give you your new ID and tickets on the flight to Seattle, including your Alaska drivers licenses."

The Helicopter touched down in a section of Baltimore Washington International Airport, where they were rushed inside under hooded parkas in the pre-dawn darkness. The two agents wished them luck, then went to refuel and help evacuate some of the injured from the raid gone bad up on the Eastern Shore.

Mike and Mary met another team of male and female agents. They were separated and brought their clean clothes they had packed prior to the operation. They both showered and washed their hair, and dressed in their casual clothes. Then they were each shown to a room with a bed that looked like it was Army surplus, because it was.

The male agent said, "You have time for about 90 minutes of sleep. I suggest you make the most of it."

They both collapsed on top of the beds in their clothes and fell asleep shortly thereafter. What seemed like immediately after they fell asleep, the female agent rapped on the door and told them to get moving. They washed their faces and went to find some coffee and donuts. They were then handed their personal things in carry on size duffel bags and two large garment bags. Mary had a new purse to carry her things in. The wallet contained $500 in cash, and a new Social Security Card and number, new Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards, and Alaska Airlines Frequent Flyer card.

The outer door opened and they were ushered into a government car and driven to a blue and white Boeing 727-100 and ushered up the stairway into the plane. "The cargo is on board," a female flight attendant/agent told the pilots, as the stairs were pulled away and they were directed to what looked like a beautician's cubicle with a pair of seats in each. The jet began to taxi, and Mike and Mary buckled in. A few minutes later, the pilot turned off the seat-belt light, and the leader of the crews assigned to them and another couple, said, "Let's get to work!"

Four hours later Kathy Ray ceased to exist and Mike looked like he was never even kin to a Nick Manelli. Mary had a new hairstyle, to go with her "Cherry Cordial" red hair. They had the start of a new wardrobe for both, and their new driver's licenses made on the plane. Just before they landed, each was given their plane tickets and itinerary.

The agent coaching Mary told her, "You will notice your new drivers license says you are 21. That is so you can go into the State Troopers with Mike. With your new hairstyle, you look like you are 21."

The other couple was to go to Portland, Oregon. He was a City Policeman in Easton, Maryland that had done the same thing as Mike and Mary. The woman with him was his wife, and not at all happy about having to undergo the move.

When the plane landed, it was met by two cabs; one for each couple to take them out of the airport the back way, and at five minute intervals come in through the main entrance. Once past the check in counter, they had about 3 hours and 15 minutes to eat before the flight and found a cafeteria near their gate. At 20 minutes till, they went to the gate just as they were about to call for boarding.

Once the plane took off they managed to get nearly two hours sleep before the jet landed in Ketchikan. While they waited for the plane to re-board they walked through the end of the terminal and back, just to stretch their legs. When they arrived in Sitka, and Capt. McHenry met them, Mary recognized him from the academy brochure. He carried an Alaska State Trooper Parka for each, and mittens.

"It's five below zero outside," Capt. McHenry said. "You will need these. The wind chill is around minus forty!"

Mike asked, "Where are we going?"

"The barracks at the State Police Academy," Capt. McHenry answered against the wind as they climbed into the Suburban with big snow tires. Once inside they didn't have to shout over the biting wind.

"You will be here for three weeks before we post you to Fairbanks for your winter survival training." Capt. McHenry told them. "Sort of a familiarization and acclimatization period."

"Where will we be assigned?" asked Mary.

"Pretty much every part of the state," Capt. McHenry replied. "We need two officers at Cordova, on the coast at the moment. Unlike on the outside, or Lower 48, people don't take summer vacations; they take winter vacations and go somewhere warmer. At first you may be moving around a lot covering for those troopers on vacation."

"That will familiarize you with the different duty posts," Capt. McHenry said. "You get to know the people you will be calling in to help you, and be called in to help."

"How do we get around," Mike asked.

"Department of Public Safety aircraft or helicopter when you can fly, snowmobile or dogsled when you can't, air taxi, or commuter flights if need be. Up here, it seems as though every third person is a pilot. In the summer months possibly on horseback into remote areas." Capt. McHenry explained. "The next two weeks you will learn snowmobile operation, be introduced to the dogsled, and learn survival skills that can save your life. When you go on to Fairbanks, you will go through a new Winter Survival School, so we don't lose you when we send you into the bush."

He continued, "On March 1, I believe you take over the McGrath outpost for four weeks. Then you will rotate to St. Mary's for another four weeks. After St. Mary's you will probably be working Cantwell, Talkeetna, or Palmer on the Parks Highway. By July 1^st we should have you an assigned station for a year or two. However, in an emergency you may be sent anywhere from Ketchikan in the far south panhandle, to Barrow on the North Slope, or as far west as Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians."

"As you recall from your own experience with your family last summer, Mary," Capt. McHenry added. "You may have to go into the bush to investigate a crime, an accident, or a death of any sort, where the possibility of a crime exists."

Shortly the vehicle pulled up in front of the State Trooper Barracks and they went inside. The Duty Officer snapped to attention when the Captain entered and saluted. Capt. McHenry returned his salute and then explained, "In the major cities we do maintain a stricter regimen than in the Bush. Important state officials are less likely to drop into some place like Coldfoot or Aniak unannounced than they are here at the Academy, Anchorage or Juneau, the State Capitol."

They walked down the hall to another office and a sergeant rose to his feet. "Sergeant Johansen," Capt. McHenry introduced them, "These are the newest Alaska State Troopers, Mike Donnelly, and Mary Jankowski."

Johansen extended his big hand in greeting, "Welcome to the 'frozen section' of the US," he said. "Follow me to your quarters for the next three weeks. Dinner is at 1830 (6:30) and breakfast will be at 0630. You can have the rest of the night as your own, to explore our little 'True Crime Library', meet some of your fellow troopers, or get some sleep. Knowing what you will be doing the next three weeks I recommend sleep when you can get it. If you have questions, other than the restrooms, which are at the end of the hall, feel free to ask. Here are your quarters." Then the three Troopers walked back to the front.

Mary looked at Mike and said, "Did we join the State Troopers, get drafted into the Marines, or actually die and go to Hell?"

"All of the above, I think." Mike answered, as he looked at a map of Alaska with the Trooper Stations marked with numbered pushpins. "Damn, we aren't even close to the farthest north station!"

"How did we get this assignment?" Mary asked, "And the other couple got Oregon?"

"From what I can gather," Mike answered, "the rest of your family is up here, and you wanted to be nearby. As for me, I requested to be with you wherever you went."

"That was sweet of you Mike," she replied. "I'm glad you did."

"I just hope we don't have to go through a psychiatric evaluation," he said, "or I'm toast! To think I could be in Tucson, Arizona right now doing Border Security."

They entered a lounge area where the news was on, and for the first time learned of the extent of their success in the raid. They had seized 6 of the 8 trailers and most of the dope. Their own operation was the most efficient with 100% of the participants arrested and the drugs recovered with just three casualties, only one real one. That is when they learned Swine was wanted for that rape and murder in Georgia. Mary winced at the thought of being that close to a murderer.

They looked at each other and Mike said, "Talk about cutting it close!"

It was because of Mary getting Mike inside the Mud Devils that he had gained such good intelligence. This enabled the teams to completely contain the 60 odd bikers, and recover all of the drugs. However, since Nick and Kathy were now dead, there could be no commendations. Their promotion was the waiver of all but the most essential training, which they had at the other academy, and their immediate assignment to the Alaska State Police, which they did find out, paid far better than the Philadelphia PD.