Chapter 63

I woke up just before dawn and got dressed without waking Tran by some miracle. I put the shoulder holsters on and the fifty on my belt. I put the extra mags in the vest I was wearing. I had bought it at a gun store and it was made fuller for the shoulder holsters. It had many inside pockets that fit all the mags perfectly. I went down to the kitchen and opened the shelter. I quickly got out several of the sixteens and about a dozen mags for each of them. I hid them around the house, up high where the girls wouldn't see them. I had been shown all these hiding places by Abe when I bought the cabin. I got my coffee and figured I would go out one of the hidden exits and do a little scouting to see what I could see. I left a note on the table for Tran, telling her I was outside and for her to keep everyone inside until I came back and to let nobody in whether she knew them or not. If it was someone she knew, she was just to tell them to come back when I was home.

I went to the big rug by the fireplace, pulled it back and raised the trapdoor under it. I reached in and flipped on the light switch. I remembered to grab the scrambled cell and lowered my self into the hole, pulling the rug back over the door as I lowered it. Abe had showed me how to do this too, to keep his little escape tunnels a secret. This one came out behind the hill the Russian had been on yesterday. The end was behind a small briar patch and you couldn't see it even if you were standing next to it when the door opened. I switched the lights off before I went out the small trap door, just in case the hill was still in shadow and the sun hadn't reached it yet. I didn't want any light showing as I went out. I went to the top of the small hill and sat down with the non reflective binoculars I was using and started scoping out the area. There was a small wind blowing but with the sun coming up I was comfortable. Where I was sitting I couldn't be seen from the chemical plant, but I had a bird's eye view of the cabin and all the area around it.

I had been looking around the area for about ten minutes when I caught a movement about a hundred yards in front of where I was sitting. I trained the binoculars on it then moved them to the side just a hair and waited to see if I saw it again. Sure enough the wind blew what looked like a strip of rag and then it hit me what I was looking at. Someone in a gilley suit was laying on the edge of the small bluff above the cabin. I knew from where he was laying all he could see clearly was the small meadow in front of the cabin and my unit. If someone would walk out of the house he would have a clear shot after they cleared the porch. I scanned across the meadow to the woods line and waited. I finally saw movement below the small gate that led to the woods. That's two I thought, as I looked for more. There was a third man near the top of my driveway behind the fallen tree. Those two had a clear shot of the porch and anyone who came out the front door. Well, its time to end this shit I thought. I crawled on my belly very slowly toward the man in front of me. He was so intent on watching the area below he never even heard me. I pulled one of the silenced Walthers and stuck it up against the back of his head. He froze, dropping the rifle he was holding. I saw it was a modified AK with a large scope on it. I shot him in the back of the head and moved on to work my way around the hill to come out behind the one by the tree. It took me about a half hour to get close enough to see that he was one of the ones in Wal-Mart that had also been arrested. How the hell had they gotten out I was wondering as I shot him twice in the head from about fifty feet. He went down without a sound and I started working around to get behind the other one at the small gate.

Since it was still green and there wasn't much dead foliage, I was able to move quickly but quietly. It still took me about fifteen minutes to work my way around behind him and then I still didn't have a clear shot with the Walther. Well, I might as well see how many more of them there are I thought as I pulled the fifty out. I shot him twice in the center of his back and moved to where I could see the woods line by the ponds. There was a man running for the far gate where we had caught the smuggler. I rested the fifty on a limb for a few seconds and shot him in the back. He went up off the ground about a foot before landing on his face, skidding in the grass. He didn't get up so I looked around to see if there were any more I could get a shot at. I didn't see any movement so I sat down to wait for a few minutes. I didn't want to give my position away. I was watching the pond area and caught movement. I raised the fifty but I recognized the Seal battle dress they were wearing. They had evidentially come up from the chemical plant at the sound of the shots. I put the binoculars up and saw Preacher was ahead of them, giving hand signals for them to fan out. I sat and waited until they were almost in view of the cabin and quietly spoke so I didn't spook them.

"You're a little late Preacher. Have your men collect the bodies and get off my land."

"Dammit Harry, you scared the hell out of me! I almost shot you. What the hell is going on and how did you get out here without us seeing you? I have an extra dozen cameras set up everywhere and we never saw you or anyone else on your land. How many of them are there Harry?"

"There were four, and one is the other Russian that was arrested yesterday that's supposed to be still in jail. There is a sniper in a gilley suit on top of the bluff, one by the fallen tree at the head of the driveway and one about a hundred yards to my left. The fourth one is down by the far gate. I told you and the Director I was going hunting, and neither one of you would like the results. This is only a start, Preacher. You have a mole in that chemical plant so you better start cleaning your own house."

"Harry, I can vouch for both teams at the plant. None of them are dirty."

"Whoever was on the cameras this morning had to have seen these men come in, because it took me less than twenty minutes to spot them with my binoculars. Someone on your team is playing both sides, Preacher. I suggest you better start checking personnel or I will have all of you reassigned before the day is over. I have known you for better than twenty years but in this case my family's safety is on the line, so friendships go out the door. Your choice to make, my friend. I will be calling the Director as soon as I have my coffee so you got that long to get these bodies out of here and start finding your mole."

He was saying something else but I just tuned him out as I walked to the cabin and let myself in the front door. I shut the alarm down, locked the door, and headed for the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee and do a little thinking. I had taken five lives in two days and I felt guilty until I thought about what they would have done if anyone had come out to the front porch to have their coffee, like we did a lot in the mornings. Someone knew our habits and since the only one who had been keeping tabs on the cabin was at the chemical plant, then the mole was there and was reporting to someone close by. I thought it was about time I took my little ride to the gulch to have a talk with a few of the people there. If there were strangers in that area, they would know about them. I felt sure they would tell me if I asked the right people. Since I hadn't been present for the selling of the casino that might be a good place to start.

If the new owners were foreigners then they would come under suspicion immediately. The restaurant had also been newly purchased so I would check with them too and meet the new owners. I could use my State Trooper ID, saying I was just doing a routine check on licenses. I hadn't heard back from Charley yet and wondered why he hadn't called me back. I got the cleaning kit and cleaned the guns and reloaded the mags while I had my first cup of coffee. I was seriously thinking about having Tran and the kids stay in the shelter until this was all over. I was so deep in thought I jumped when a pair of lips kissed me on the forehead. I saw it was Tran and she was smiling at me.

"You're supposed to sleep in bed not at the kitchen table my love. Good thing I wasn't a bad guy sneaking up on you."

"Hmm, I never made love to a bad guy before. I wonder who would be better, you or him?"

"Why me of course, I don't have stubble on my face."

We both got a laugh out of her comment as she sat down beside me at the table while having her morning tea. We sat and enjoyed the silence until I heard the sound of feet running upstairs.

"Well, the munchkins are up. There goes the neighborhood."

She looked at me and choked on the sip of tea she was in the process of taking. I just laughed at her as I went and got out the pancake mix and started making breakfast. She got up and set the table, pouring their milk and orange juice as I made pancakes. All three of them came clomping down the stairs and when they came into the kitchen, I almost dropped the batter on the floor at the sight that greeted me. Tran just started laughing at them. They all three had Simpson pajamas on and their slippers were big Homer heads that said "DOH", every step they took. They all plopped down at the table, wanting to know what was for breakfast as they were starving. I just shook my head as I set a big platter of pancakes down.

"Sandra, what time did Jimmy leave? I didn't see his Jeep this morning."

"He left about ten, Grandpa. He said he had to go to work this morning and he promised his aunt he would be home early."

I just breathed a sigh of relief to myself. That meant he had left before the men had showed up because I doubted very much that they had came in during the night. None of them were dressed to spend a night outside. I was going to have to talk to him and explain the danger to him right now, and see if I could keep him away for a few days. I knew this would be over in a week or so, as soon as we found the weapons and the missing slugs. Since Preacher had those maps and plats, I hoped he was keeping them locked up, not laying out where everyone could see them. I also decided we would have the DOT start checking all cargo in this county on the big rigs coming in and out. We could order this under the auspice of Homeland Security and it would be done on every vehicle. I still had to call the Director and report on this morning's doings. I wanted to run a few other ideas by him that had come to me. I sat down and ate with my family. I had just reached for another pancake when a loud beeping started. The girls were all looking around trying to figure out what the noise was. I got up and slid the panel back next to the stove so I could look at the cameras. There was a Blackhawk helicopter landing on the small flat area to the side of the cabin. I hit the zoom on the camera as they landed and when the Director climbed out, I hit the reset button on the alarm. He was walking to the cabin with three men on all sides of him. I went to meet him at the front door and opened it just as he raised his hand to knock.

"You're welcome to come in sir but your men stay outside. The less people who know the layout in here the better."

He turned to his men and told them to wait outside and stepped in. I locked the door behind him and showed him to the kitchen. He recognized Sandra immediately and spoke to her politely. I introduced him to Dina and Dana and he gave them a big smile, telling them his name. They both giggled when he did that for some reason. I asked if he wanted coffee.

"Thank you Harry, and maybe if you have enough I'll have some of those pancakes too. I haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet because I have been hopping around since I got your call."

I then introduced him to Tran as she got up to make him some fresh pancakes. When I told him we were getting married next week he congratulated both of us sincerely. I told the girls to finish and go get dressed and watch a movie until the adults were done talking. I didn't want them listening in on our conversation because I already knew Tran was going to be mad about my little adventure this morning. I hadn't told her about it yet. Tran and I sat and sipped our drinks while he ate three pancakes before setting back in the chair sipping his coffee.

"Harry, do you know a General George Brown?"

"I used to have a man by that name as the General when I was in the Army. Why?"

"He is now the President's liaison to the military and when I reported what had happened here this morning, he busted up laughing. It took him five minutes before he got himself under control enough to explain his actions to the President and me. Seems that he remembers you very well. Tran, did you know your husband-to-be never failed in a mission the whole time he was in Viet Nam, and only lost one man the whole time he headed up Special Ops?"

"I have known Harry for over twenty years Director, and nothing he does now or then surprises me. He is very good at about anything he does. That's why I love him so much."

"Harry, the four you took out this morning were all on the tapes we confiscated yesterday. The two who were supposed to be locked in the brig at Nellis were set free less than two hours after they were locked up by the Colonel in charge of the brig there. He has now disappeared too and is AWOL from the Air Force. Harry, I think we found out who has been tipping them off about your movements. He is not a Seal Team member but is an officer in charge of the enlisted men at the chemical plant. He is being held under guard until we can talk to him. You were pretty hard on Preacher this morning, Harry. He is almost as worried about your family as you are. According to his second he has taken this personal because he failed you and your family. His XO says Preacher is madder than he has ever seen him. He recognized the man in the gilley suit as a shooter that killed one of his men about a year ago while he was on a mission here in the states. I talked to the Russian ambassador this morning and they have accounted for the three slugs they thought were missing. That's one load off but we still need to find those missing weapons. What I can't figure out is why they think you know where they are located?"

"I don't think that's it at all. I think they are worried I will find them before they do so they want to take me out before I do find them. They made a big mistake there because unlike them, I will shoot any of them I see on sight. They have to wait for the right circumstances so they don't have witnesses but I don't and won't hesitate to shoot on sight. If it was just me, I would act as bait to pull them out in the open but I have three kids and a woman I love to take care of now. I won't play games with them Director, so if you or the powers that be can't accept that then I will give you my ID and do it on my own."