Chapter 32: Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Jake didn’t notice the phone falling to the bed. He fought a wave of panic, followed by a wave of nausea. He looked over at Shannon who was watching with concern.

“Shannon, please, make me calm.”

He knew he sounded pathetic but couldn’t bring himself to care. Instantly, he was back in control, his mind sharp, determined to do what was needed. He put the phone back to his ear.

“We’ll get through this, Alice. Tell me what happened.”

“We almost had him, Jake. We followed Greenlee to his home earlier in the evening. We waited until 11:00 and then started our approach. He lives in a big house on a large plot. We parked nearby and were crossing the lawn. Ellen went first. She insisted that we maintain one hundred foot spacing.”

“She would. That’s a lesson she learned from Boris. Go on.”

“She was almost to the building. She had just detected Greenlee. He was awake at the far end of the house from us. She wanted to get a few feet closer so that she could read him clearly. That’s when everything went wrong.”

“How?”

“First floodlights came on and an alarm went off. We were both illuminated out on the lawn. Ellen was especially obvious. She was in the open right in front of the house. That’s when a mind reader attacked her.”

“A mind reader? Do you mean Greenlee?”

“No, Jake, a different one. A second one, a woman. I only noticed her when she attacked Ellen. She was in a second-story bedroom just above where Ellen was standing.”

“Attacked how?”

“I didn’t catch exactly what happened. I just saw Ellen collapse to the ground. Something triggered the control you installed in us. She went completely unconscious. I could tell she was still alive. Her mind was still functioning but all the higher functions shut off.”

“Then what happened?”

Alice hesitated. “Then I ran away.” She began to cry. “I didn’t know what was going on. I was scared. I ran away from the house to a stand of trees. I watched from there. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not blaming you, love. In fact, you probably did the only sensible thing. You were confronted by two telepaths. Now pull yourself together and tell me what happened next.”

“A bunch of people came out of the house and surrounded Ellen.”

“A bunch? How many?”

“Maybe five or six. A couple of them picked her up and carried her into the house. I called Carol and told her what happened. Carol insisted I call you directly.”

“Carol’s a smart girl.”

“She said to tell you that the plane with Jan and Nina was due to land here at 11:30. What should I do, Jake?”

“Are you safe now?”

“I think so. I’m still in the trees, about two hundred feet from the house. I’m out of sight and out of range. I don’t think they know I’m here. At least none of them seemed to be looking around for me when they came out for Ellen.”

Jake checked the time. It was midnight.

“Okay, here’s what you do. Keep watch from where you are now. Don’t go any closer. Get on the phone to Jan. I don’t know if she has landed yet but keep trying. Tell her what happened. Tell her that she’s in charge for now. We’re going to bring in reinforcements. I want Boris to take charge when he gets there. Shannon and I are coming, too, as soon as I hang up here. Do you understand your orders?”

“Yes, Jake.”

“Are you going to be okay until we get there?”

“I think so. I’m just so sorry.”

“I don’t see how this is your fault, love. Don’t put yourself at risk. Keep watch if you can but wait for the cavalry.”

“Yes, Jake.”

“I’m going to hang up now and get things moving. I’ll call back soon.”

Jake disconnected and then rang Boris. Boris was asleep but he came fully alert quickly. Jake relayed what Alice had said.

“We’ve got to rescue Ellen as fast as we can,” Jake said. “I want you in charge of the rescue, Boris. As of this moment, it’s your operation.”

“Then I want at least four troops. Steady people with strong skills. That means you, for one.”

“Jan and Julie were already flying from Cleveland to assist Ellen and Alice. They are probably there on the ground already.”

“Good. Jan will be one. You’re two. I want you to drive there immediately. Driving has got to be faster than flying. New York is only a hundred miles away from Philadelphia. Take a taxi if you have to. I want you there by two a.m.”

“Will do,” Jake said.

He glanced at Shannon who was already on it, reaching for her cell phone. Jake doubted that their driver would be pleased to drive them to Philadelphia at midnight.

“I’ll be the third operator,” Boris said. “If there are no problems with traffic I’ll be there at two or maybe shortly afterward. Leanne would make a good fourth, but she’s too far away to get there in time. Kara would be pretty good but she’s not as aggressive as I’d like for this kind of mission. How has Shannon done for you?”

“She’s been brave, smart, and calm. She’d make a good fourth.”

“I’m not surprised. Shannon it is. We’ll have Julie and Kara for backup. Now get moving. I’ll call from the road and let you know how things stand.”

Jake hung up. Shannon was arguing with their driver.

Tell him I’ll give him a thousand dollars if we are in Philadelphia by two, he sent her.

That resolved the dispute expeditiously. They were assured that the car would be waiting for them in front of the hotel in 15 minutes.

They had just gotten on the New Jersey Turnpike when Albert Bacon called.

“I just got some news you might be interested in,” he said. “Philadelphia just called me. His evening’s been upset by an unknown telepath skulking around his estate. She’s apparently been well conditioned because she went catatonic when he captured her.”

“Our operation there went bad,” Jake said. “She was surprised by a second telepath. I thought that was against the rules.”

“Obeying the law has always been optional for those who make or enforce it, at least as long as it is done discreetly.”

“What about you? Do you have any mind readers in your organization?”

“God, no. The very thought gives me the creeps. Telepaths make bad partners and dangerous slaves, even if they happen to be occasionally useful like this one was for Greenlee.”

“What’s Greenlee’s plan for the mind reader?”

“He didn’t say. He’ll probably dispose of her when he’s finished trying to get information. I hope she’s not that important to you. Greenlee is cruel, even for a telepath.”

“Thanks for the report,” Jake said, grateful for the calm that kept a tight cap over the hysteria that wanted to break through. “I owe you one.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but we both know it’s not true.” Bacon rang off.

Jake reached over for Shannon’s hand.

“Thanks,” she said.

“For what?”

“Telling Boris that I was brave.”

“I just call ‘em like I see ‘em. But you know something? If I had realized that you were so good at this I would have assigned you to go with Jan and kept Julie with me. And then I would have been in big trouble because you were the one who talked me out of going into Bacon’s office building. It’s funny how it all works out.”

“I hope it works out with Ellen.”

“I do, too. Thanks for helping me deal with the panic. I think I was about to go to pieces.”

“Yes, you were. But you have a special relationship with Ellen. It’s understandable. I’m worried to death about her, too, especially with what Bacon said about Greenlee.”

“Do you want me to adjust you, too?”

“No, I’m coping. And I don’t want to leave you this way longer than necessary either. I’m glad that it’s helping you to handle the circumstances, but you’re not the same Jake that I love, that we all love.”

“You’re a gem, you know? I’m glad you’re with me.”

Shannon leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. “You really had me going with the illusion of the mugger. The thought of him cutting off my fingers was delicious.”

They rode quietly for a while. They were almost to Allentown when Boris called.

“Report,” he said.

“We’re on schedule.”

“I’m about 15 minutes behind you. Give Alice a call when you get close. Her car is parked a block east of Greenlee’s house. It’s a quiet, upscale residential area. Don’t give anyone a reason to call the police. Call Carol if you need directions. Any questions?”

“No, sir. I’ve got it. I’ve got some intelligence.”

“Oh? From the highway in New Jersey?”

Jake relayed his conversation with Bacon.

“That tips the balance. Greenlee will have had Ellen for more than two hours by the time we get there. We have to extract her as soon as possible. We’ll get the operation underway within ten minutes of when I get there. Have Shannon in the right frame of mind.”

Boris disconnected. Jake smiled grimly. Boris was as good as telling him to have his own mind in the right place, too.

Alice was tearful, apologetic and clingy when Jake arrived.

“Alice, love,” he said as she clutched him tightly, “I’d love to be the one consoling you, but it’s not going to be necessary. We’re going to have Ellen out of there very soon. This night is going to have a happy ending.”

Jake paid off his driver and dismissed him to return to New York.

Jan gave Jake a somber hug. Julie clutched him hard. They had taken a taxi from the airport and had been there for two hours.

They got into Alice and Ellen’s car, a Cadillac. Jake asked the driver to give them some privacy in the car so they could talk.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a black man. I can’t just stand around in a neighborhood like this.”

Jake adjusted him to be calm and obedient, but he also took his concerns seriously. The car was parked halfway down the block, in front of a large home. There were probably seven different houses that he could see from the car. More importantly, there were seven houses from which they could be observed.

Jake got out of the car and walked the length of the sidewalk, past all the houses that had a direct view of them. Then he turned around and did the same thing across the street. In one house he found an elderly woman who wasn’t sleeping well. She had noticed their car and seen people in dark clothing moving about. The car was upscale enough but all the activity was out of place. She was considering calling the police. Jake calmed her and sent her to bed where she was about to have the best night’s rest she had had in years.

Jake got in the back seat of the car and put his arms around Alice, who was fighting a losing battle to keep from crying. Jake calmed her as Shannon had done to him.

“I want everyone here to know that I don’t blame Alice for what happened to Ellen. She did what she should have done. We’re just about to go in there and bring Ellen out. If Alice hadn’t done what she did, Greenlee might have both of them and we wouldn’t know what had happened. That would have been a disaster.”