Chapter 4: Watched

Day 4

Sandi

"Can I help you?" I asked, after I took a sip of my milk.

"Are you Sandi Bedford?" the man asked me.

"Yes, I am. What do you want?" I said as I set my glass down.

"Special Agent Richard Hanson, FBI. I would like to ask you some questions about some large purchases you have been making," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean the forty thousand dollar bill you ran up at Sam's club. The twenty thousand dollar bill at Wal-Mart and the two hundred thousand dollar bill at the car dealerships," he replied.

"I don't see it as any of your business; but if you must know, William and I are going to be setting up a cabin, up in the mountains. We will spend all winter alone there. It's going to be our honeymoon," I said.

"And where is this cabin?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," I snapped at him.

"Look you can cooperate with us or you can play hardball, and even your uncle won't be able to dig you out," he said.

"Look, I really don't know what you mean. Now either charge us with a crime, or let us finish our breakfast!" I snapped.

I watched him sit across from us. I could see the anger was boiling just under the surface on the man's face. I pulled out my cell phone and speed-dialed my uncle's number.

"Please, just don't call anyone. Look, let me explain what's going on," he asked.

"Ok, you have five minutes," I said, closing the phone.

"It started three weeks ago in Nevada. An entire house was demolished with five people inside by a F-5 tornado. We found their bodies, or what we thought were their bodies. What tipped us off about them, were the large purchases they had made. Then a few days later, it happened again up in Northern Nevada. Two men vanished, and all the vehicles and equipment, they had bought, as well. We were moving in to arrest them because of this," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. It showed two men, a woman and a body.

"That was taken by a Predator recon aircraft," he said and pointed at each person, he identified them, "This is Mike Sampson and Walter Brakes. This is Muqtada Ahmadinejad, a commander in the Al-Qaeda network. He murdered mister Brakes son in Iraq."

"And who is this?" I asked pointing at the woman.

"We don't know, but in the color photos, she is silver. Why this is, we don't know. We do know this," he said as he pulled out two more photos.

I looked at the first picture, it was a clear field, and the second had two motor homes and dozens of trailers loaded down. Looking up at him, I asked, "So first you have an empty field, and then one filed with vehicles."

"No, it's the other way around. This was taken at the same time as the picture with the body. The second was taken the next morning and all the trailers, the motor homes, were gone, along with all the SWAT vehicles that we were moving in to arrest them. Also taken, was all the equipment that we were carrying with us. Our vests, guns, computers, and clothes, were gone when we woke up in the nude the next morning. We want answers on who is doing this, and why," he said.

"Interesting, but I don't think it has anything to do with us," I said.

"It may have everything to do to you, and National Security. If these aliens are kidnapping humans, what else are they doing? Please, if they are contacting you, let us know. Here is my card if you change your mind," he said and slid a card across to us and picked up the photos.

I watched him leave us, and was about to say something to William, when Nancy grabbed my hand, and I looked at her, she shook her head no. With a confused look on my face, I shut my mouth, and she nodded her head.

"Let's finish eating, and blow this Popsicle stand," Nancy said.

We spent the next ten minutes eating, and then we went to the counter and paid our bill. As I handed my card to the woman, I looked around us and watched as two men got up from their booth and came over to the register as the woman handed me my Capital One card back. I signed my name, but I was watching the two men, spotted what I wanted to know so I put my card away and turned to the men, and said, "Stop following us, or my next call is to my uncle, and he will call your boss."

They didn't say anything to us, and just handed the waitress their bill and a twenty.

I was fuming as I took William's arm and we walked out to Nancy's car and climbed in. I helped William in, and I climbed in as the two men came out and walked over to a black sedan and climbed in. I was about to say something when Nancy floored the pedal and the four door Regal shot out of the parking lot and we raced down the road to the light. I watched in the mirror as three cars pulled out and chased after us.

Nancy didn't even stop for the red light, we shot through an opening between two semis and raced for the next light where she took a left turn and drove another half mile before she pulled into a alley. Slamming on the brakes, we jumped out, and searched under the car and found three transmitters. I yanked them off and we climbed back into the car and took off. Turning out of the alley, we pulled up to a light and ahead of us was a semi.

I jumped out, went to the trailer and pressed the transmitters to the bumper. I then ran back to the car and climbed into the vehicle. I fastened my seatbelt as Nancy turned left again, and I watched as the semi headed for the highway. "Bye-bye, assholes," I said with a giggle.

"You're bad girl, but it got the fuzz off of us. Now what's next on the shopping list?" Nancy asked.

"Sam's Club," I said, and we drove to the warehouse and went inside.

The fifty-foot trailer was sitting there with the new rack on top. The welders were adding the rack to the top of the snowmobile trailer, as we walked over to the truck. I watched as Richie was directing the men to unload everything onto the dock. Walking over, I hugged him, and kissed his cheek. He swept me up in a hug, and I giggled.

"Thanks, Richie," I said as I released the big man. Richie Albert stood six foot six inches and weighed almost three hundred pounds. All of it muscle. He was a former NFL offensive lineman that played for the Washington Redskins.

"Hiya, little one. Heard you have been having trouble," Richie asked as he released me.

"Yes, also the Feds are after us, they think we know something about a murder in Nevada that happened several weeks ago. Here's his card, can you have Uncle John look into it. Also, can you get me another one of those trailers with the same configuration?" I asked.

"With the rack on top?" he asked.

"Yes, I want several deep freezers in it as well," I said.

"OK, I know where one is," he replied.

"Good, just let me know where to send the payment," I said as I kissed him.

"Ok, now what are you going to go buy? You have enough shit here for an army," he said as he waved his arm around.

"I know. I will need help, but not today. Tomorrow we will be sorting. We are off to Sam's to pick up a load of stuff. When we get back, can you help us put it in the freezer?" I asked.

"You know I will. See you soon," he said and turned to his men.

We drove across town to Sam's club, and backed up to the dock. We opened the tailgate and then knocked on the door and were let in. The manager was there as we walked in. He showed me the list of frozen foods they had ready.

I said, "Load her up, we will be back."

We went into the store, and grabbed two of the large flat carts. I followed Nancy as she went through the store like a tornado. We filled each cart four times, and took it back to the door. Poor William was left out of the loop, because he couldn't see to help. We left him up at the food court, with his brail laptop reading a book, while we shopped. One thing Nancy grabbed, was stuff I didn't think of: miniature sewing kits, boxes of steak knives, small hammers, and other tools that she said could be used as trade items. Then she loaded boxes of silverware, a dozen boxes of paper cups and plates. She cleaned them out of plastic water bottles, large bottles of cooking oil, every roll of hamburger, seal-o-matics, with the sealing bags, canisters to store food in, and garbage bags that the store had.