Chapter 149

"Ms Stone, we need to talk," the old man said.

"Do we now?" I asked.

"We know you setup an ambush for those pirates. It's the only thing that makes any sense." he said.

"You know, you should watch what you eat and get to the gym. You are going to have a heart attack or a stroke, if you don't take better care of your body. What are you fifty or sixty pounds over weight?" I said it, just to see what his reaction would be.

"True, I should probably take better care of myself. I'll keep that in mind, but for now let's get back to your problem." he suggested.

"I don't have a problem. Well I do, I have asked to see my lawyer and you haven't produced her. Or even allowed me to contact her." I said.

"We are in a secure site. Access is very tightly controlled." the older man said.

"How about a phone call?" I asked. Surely a phone call is permissible?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not," he replied.

"Oh, how does that work? The not allowing me to talk to my lawyer, while you question me thing." I asked.

"It works like this, nothing you say to me can ever be used in court against you." he said.

"Ah and how is it going with that beach front building lot in Arizona you have for sale," I asked weakly. "Look I need sleep. If want me to talk to you, get my lawyer on the phone. But wait a few hours, I need a nap." I was asleep before he left the room.

They came in and woke me two hours later. Jen was on the phone which he handed me. "Jen is that you?"

"Of course it's me," She didn't sound just right.

"So how does the preacher like it?" I asked.

"You know how?" she said.

"Humor me," I demanded.

"He likes it doggy," she said.

"I have no idea who you are lady, but nice try." I pushed the end button. "Now that was your last chance. Either bring on the water board or send me home. I am an American Citizen and there are people with resources, who know you have me. You can hide me for a few days and I can refuse to talk under anything but torture. Now do you really want to do that. There is a TV crew out there somewhere with images of me being loaded onto a navy chopper.

How do you think the Navy Chief of staff is going to like being interviewed every day on TV. So if you want information, there are two ways to get it. Get my lawyer and cut a real deal or torture me. Either way you can't stall these guys long, they love a conspiracy. It makes such great TV.

He looked at me and smiled. "They said, the reason we couldn't hang that murder shit on you, was that you were fucking smart. You aren't just a smart ass, you are really smart. So give me an hour to find your lawyer. It is the middle of the night in the states. Meanwhile I'm going to have them take you to the military hospital in Germany. From there you will head to the states in a couple of days. Maybe we can get our business taken care of while you are in Germany."

"How does that work, the transfer, I mean? Are you going to shoot me up again, then put me in an ambulance and drive me across the base?" I asked it with a smile.

"What gave it away?' he asked.

"Nothing, but if you never intended to really torture me, why bother with the trip to a black site. you had to think, I'm just a woman and I would be pretty gullible, " I said smiling.

"Then there is no since wasting the drugs," he said with a smile.

"Of course there is. I sleep really well with them, except for the occasional bad dream. You could leave that part out." I said

He smiled shook his head and left the room. I had to smile to myself. I had guessed it purely by accident. They gave me a lot more credit than I deserved.

I enjoyed the ride over in the back of a civilian ambulance. I had been in a large private home, which they obviously used as a safe house. It probably had just enough of a medical look to fool me and most other people. Maybe a couple of nurses to give shot and keep an eye on recovering minor injuries. Yes I considered mine to be a minor injury.

Once I arrived at the real hospital, there were people there to roll me to a private room. An hour later Gwen and Morris showed up. It was like 8PM local time. It would be two in the morning in the states. Jen would have been in bed at least two hours. I had no idea, if the so called intelligence people wanted to wake her or not. I should have warned them that it would be a really bad idea. But what the hell, I didn't owe them anything.

"We have been looking all over for you. At first no one knew where you where, then you just popped up." Gwen said. Then she asked., "Where have you been?"

"You wouldn't believe me, if I told you. So you have another of those microphone capsules? Mine went missing, when they took all my clothes." I said.

"Yes, I have a half dozen of them." With that Gwen fished one out of her bag. I'm sure she knew that I needed one, since I hadn't be transmitting.

"I got to tell you that those shots on the boat during the attack would make Hollywood directors green with envy. That stuff has Pulitzer all over it." Morris said.

"Now personally I don't give a crap what you do with it, but it does belong to the TV network. At the very least it belongs to Mike and Gwen. I don't think it will have the same punch, if you show it on the ten o'clock news first. But that isn't my call." I was beginning to dislike Morris again. Mike would have picked up a rifle and maybe kept me from taking that slug. Morris had been content to hide and shoot his footage. I knew that is what reality TV was about, but next time I might just show the bad guys where he was hiding.