Chapter 57

We had just landed back in Florida when Sean walked into the hangar with a big smile on his face.

"What are you so happy about?"

"The divers just faxed the pictures of the men who were aboard the boat you guys blew up and guess what?"

"Well gee there Sherlock, should I be able to read your mind?"

Sandra started giggling and Sean gave her a smile before he got around to answering me.

"The lawyer and his client were on that tug, Harry. Needless to say you two should be able to go home as soon as it hits the news. We already gave a press release. Too bad though because I could get used to hitching rides on those fighters. Man, are they fast and sweet to ride in. I left an hour after you and still beat you back. How about you two staying here tonight and then we will fly you back to Columbus tomorrow? We also can fly you to Reno if you want."

"Ok Sean, the contract's off, but what have you and the Director done about the leak. It had to come from your or his office. Wait a minute! I know where it came from Sean. I want a cell now, preferably my own."

"All of your stuff is still locked up in storage Harry. Here, use mine it's clean."

"No, I don't want you to be associated with this at all, Sean. I'll use the pay phone outside the terminal."

"Harry, if you figured out where the leak is I want to know. This is a matter of pride to me and I hate a traitor in my own ranks. I promise I will do it in such a way it can't be traced back to me or you."

"Sandra honey, why don't you take a little nap while me and Sherlock have a little talk. We'll be right outside if you need me for anything."

"Ok grandpa, don't be too hard on Sherlock. Don't forget he is still young and learning."

Sean stuck his tongue out at her and she started giggling at him. Then it hit me just how young he really was to be in such a responsible position.

We went into the hanger and I told him my suspicions and got an angry stare when I was done.

"No frickin way Harry. Oh I'll check it out, but if you're wrong I will expect an immediate apology."

"If I am wrong Sean, then you know I'm man enough to be the first to apologize to you and to him. I don't think I am though."

"It will take a couple of hours so order pizzas for you and the shrimp. I can't believe she called me Sherlock."

I laughed as I went back inside and found she was sound asleep on the couch. I figured she needed it with all that had happened today. I closed the blinds to the office and sat in the desk chair to watch over her. I had to take the fifty off as it was just too uncomfortable in this chair. I put it on the desk by my hand and sat back thinking about Mark. I knew he still loved his wife, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that he would put Sandra in danger like that. Me, I could take care of myself but she was a babe in the woods. How the hell do I handle this one? I sat for about three hours racking my brain on what to do and it all came back to his love for his wife. I knew about that and while I could sympathize, I still couldn't forgive him for putting Sandra in the middle of it. Then I thought of how he would have taken her death and knew he would be deeply hurt and his girls would be even more devastated.

I felt sorry for them and even though I was pissed at Mark I still loved the two of them like they were my own. If Mark and I became enemies then they would be caught in the middle of it all. This time I decided I would sit down and talk it over with Sandra. Maybe she had a perspective on it that I had missed. Then it hit me that I was depending on her to help me! That brought a whole new set of shocks to me. I had someone who was smarter than I was to bounce ideas off of instead of just wading in and damn the consequences. I had someone besides myself to talk to and she would always have me to talk to about her problems. I was thinking it was a good feeling when Sean knocked on the door and stuck his head in motioning me to come out of the office.

I went out slipping the fifty under my belt.

"Harry you were right. I can't believe it. We would never have known except when he used the radio he forgot to change the channel back to the normal one he used. The operator marked it down in his book and we were able to trace it to Sonora. I checked and she didn't know a thing about it. Before they could get her gun away from her, she almost shot him. The SEALs said she made them proud with all the new language they learned from her. Harry, I trained him and worked side by side with him for five years until he got married and they got posted down there. They were there for more than five years and this was the first sign of any trouble with anyone we sent down there. Why would he do it Harry? I just don't understand it at all. They had it made and they were able to bank their checks because everything was free for them. I'm sorry Harry for putting you and Sandra in danger. If something had happened to her I could never forgive myself. I thought you would be safe there."

"Calm down Sean, will you? It's not your fault. There's no way you could have known. If it eases your mind any the only way I was able to figure it out was because he supposedly set the claymores as he was coming back to the house. But, they were all electronic signal controlled and he never threw the switch when he came to the secure room. The dogs were still running loose when he came in. May had whistled them in but he let them back out when he opened the door. I started thinking about it when Sandra made the comment that she would miss the dogs as we were getting off the plane."

"I just talked to the Director and he is going to make an example of him and he will probably spend the rest of his life in prison. As soon as Sandra wakes up I have transportation arranged for you and her to go to a hotel. There are several clothing stores nearby where you both can get some new clothes if you want. Two men will be with you at all times until this story hits the national news. I will have the Special Forces at the chemical plant sweep your property before you get home. Not saying there is anything there but it's a just in case type of thing. I have some worse news that I just found out, Harry."

"Will this wait, Sean? I think I have heard enough bad news today to last me for several months. Besides, I want to get Sandra settled back home so she can start playing again. She has hated not being able to play her music for the last month. I must admit I miss it myself. I just want to get her back to a semi normal life again. I want to spend time with her at our home doing normal things."

"I can understand that Harry, because my wife has already reminded me that I have a months vacation coming and she has already had me put in for the whole month. She wants to rent an RV and travel with the girls out west. I think I need the time with my family too. It's been a long time since we have spent more than a few days together, and I think it will do us all good to be with each other."

"Grandpa, I'm hungry and I need a shower. Can we please get to someplace where I can have the creature comforts that I deserve? Tell Sherlock we need a room and food."

Sean got a shocked look on his face then rolled his eyes. I busted out laughing at his next comment.

"She did it again Harry."

He got on his phone and called for our ride as I walked back into the office laughing. Sandra hugged me and whispered; "he looks like a Sherlock grandpa, and I think he's funny."

Sean hollered out our ride was here. We went out the door into a withering hail of gunfire. I pushed Sandra back inside and tipped the metal desk over and got behind it with her. I pulled the fifty and waited to see who would come through the door while wondering if Sean was ok. I heard a few more shots then sirens coming in the distance. The door was partially ajar so I told Sandra to stay right there handing her one of the Walther twenty-twos. I had taught her to shoot them on the island, plinking at cans we had set up on the far end of the island. I crawled to the door and looked out seeing nothing but glass everywhere. I pulled myself further out where I could see a little better and Sean was lying next to the wall in a pool of blood. I reached out and felt his neck and he had a good strong pulse. From where I was it looked like he had been hit in the leg and shoulder.

I grabbed his collar and drug him into the office behind the desk where I checked him a little better. Neither wound was life threatening but he was losing blood and I had to stop this or he would bleed out before help came. I tore my t-shirt off and tied it around his leg then tied his tie around his shoulder. I looked over at Sandra and to my surprise she was watching the door while I took care of Sean. I heard the crunch of glass outside the door and motioned Sandra down. I waited then saw the barrel of a gun come into sight. I didn't figure he was a friendly or he would have sung out already. I aimed the fifty where his body should be and pulled the trigger twice. He fell flat before the last boom had dissipated. I waited to see if anyone else showed up but the sirens were so close I didn't think they would stay around, if there was anyone else out there. I got Sean's cell and called the Director, and told him what happened. He said he would handle it and that I was to stay where I was. I took Sean's badge out and got ready for the locals to come storming in. I took the Walther back from Sandra and holstered it.

Sure enough the locals came in pointing guns everywhere and I yelled out I was FBI and had an officer down. The lead man took one look at the badge and called for the ambulance attendants to come in.

"Sir, I know you are armed, please slide it out until we get to the bottom of this, please?"

I slid the fifty out in plain sight and watched as he holstered his weapon.

"Are there any other wounded in here sir?"

"No, but there was a driver in the car that was coming to pick us up. The man out there is one of the shooters. He was the only one I saw but I counted three different automatic weapons firing. You might want to have your men check the other buildings close to this one. They can't have gone far and I didn't hear any vehicles leaving."

He got on his radio and had his people shut down all the gates and ordered them to search all the buildings. He also warned them that the shooters were armed with automatic weapons. I heard a chopper coming in and it landed on the tarmac in front of the hangar where we were. I heard the challenge to the occupants and they all identified themselves as U.S. Marshals. Three came in and immediately spread out in a defensive position between me and the locals.

"Mr. Hanson, I am Marshal Teague. We were sent by the Director to guard you and your granddaughter. If there is any doubt of our identity I was told to have you call the Director."

"No offense Marshal but I plan on doing just that."

I made the call and was given a description of all three of them that matched them, and also what they were wearing down to the sock color. I stood up and watched as Sean was loaded onto a stretcher.

"I want life flight called for him right now. He has lost a lot of blood."

"He is one of us and I made the call as we were coming in. I can hear their chopper coming as we speak, Mr. Hanson."

"Call me Harry, Marshal, and we will be going to the hospital when we leave here. I want my gun back also."

He went out to the local in charge, and a few words were exchanged and he came back in and handed me the fifty, which I reloaded then holstered. We walked out with the stretcher and I watched as it was loaded on the life flight chopper. When they took off, I looked around and saw a sheet-covered form lying next to a black Crown Vic. I felt sorry that the driver hadn't made it, and made a note to send a large flower arrangement to his funeral. I heard gunfire again and pulled Sandra down beside me. I had the fifty in my hand without even realizing I had drawn it. The Marshals formed a circle around us with their guns drawn also. The gunfire died off and I heard there were two bad guys down, and also an officer was hit but only grazed. I let out a sigh of relief at the news that while another one of the good guys had been hit, he was ok.

"Marshal, I want to know who these guys were and how they knew we were here. I also want our transport shadowed by a gun ship from the local base."

"I really don't think that's necessary Harry."

"I do and if you won't make the call then I will and I guarantee I will get what I want. Let's come to a quick understanding here and now. I am taking charge of our safety from this point on. You follow my orders or get the hell out of here and I will make my own arrangements. Your choice Marshal. I want to get to the hospital to check on my friend and I don't have time for any bureaucratic bullshit."

"Sorry Harry, but even you don't have that kind of pull. Now get in the chopper so we can get you both out of here."

I didn't say another word but got on the phone and called the Director and went off on him. He listened to me for a few minutes then told me to shut up and calm down, and to put that dumb ass Marshal on the phone. I handed him the phone and walked away taking Sandra with me. I climbed into the Crown Vic and fastened the seat belt on Sandra then started the engine and pulled out. I went through the exit gate about ninety holding my badge in plain sight. The cop on the gate just waved me through. I headed in the same direction as the life flight chopper. I knew there had to be a hospital close by where they had taken him. I got on the radio and identified myself to the dispatch and asked which hospital Sean had been taken to. They came back in a few minutes with the information and directions on how to get there. I turned the lights and siren on and floored it. This had the big interceptor engine and I was flying as I headed to the hospital. I looked over at Sandra figuring she would be scared to death, but she had a grin from ear to ear as we flew down the highway. I saw the sign for the hospital exit and went down the ramp, and barely slowed as we went through the light. I went down the street about four blocks and saw the sign for the emergency room. When we pulled up, I parked in a reserved spot and we jumped out and went inside to the desk. I flashed the badge again and was told they had just taken him to surgery. We got on an elevator and rode up to the surgery waiting room. There were vending machines and Sandra asked for some money so she could get a soda and some chips. I gave her all the change and ones I had. I sat down after checking in at the desk and Sandra came over with soda and chips for us to snack on while we waited.