Chapter 71

I was awakened the next morning by the phone. It was an almost hysterical Sally. She told me everything that had happened the night before, thinking it was all her fault. I finally got her calmed down and asked how Kat was doing. Sally told me that she had been up crying most of the night because I had gone away. When we got off the phone, I called my office and put out a BOLO for the truck with the rider to locate and report. Within the hour, all law enforcement in the tri-state area would have it. Then I had to run to the bathroom for my usual morning throw up. When I came back, I sat down and went over in my mind all that had happened the night before and my part in it. I felt ashamed that I had been so harsh with Kat, but as far as Myrna went, I didn't feel guilty about her leaving. Even though I had been under the assumption we had mended our fences, so to speak, this had been coming to a head for many years. I did harbor a certain amount of pride that Sally had stuck up for me when my own wife hadn't. That was what perplexed me the most. I knew she loved me as much as I loved her, but for her to act this way had me totally stumped. I thought back on our brief courtship and all we had said at the ceremony. I couldn't figure out why she would act the way she had and with no regard for my reaction. This was not the Kat I knew and fell in love with. I decided to head back to the house and see if, after having had time to think, Kat could shed some light on the way she had been acting.

I hadn't realized I had driven so far last night 'till I finally went outside and realized where I was. I decided to stop at Jeb's on the way back and discuss that radio and see if he knew what was going on. I was pulling into his parking lot when my cell went off. It was my office saying they had found the pickup I had put the BOLO on. It was in short term parking at the DC Regional Airport. I told them to have it towed back to my house and I wanted a passenger trace through the tower. I gave them Myrna's name and description and got out of the truck. When I went through the front door, one of the guys up front recognized me and waved me to the back where Jeb had his office. While walking to the back I was passed by a man that I thought looked familiar. I couldn't place from where so I didn't speak at his nod. I just nodded back and kept walking to the office. Looking in the office window, I noticed Jeb seemed to be snoozing and knocked on the door. He jerked and looked up and on seeing me, waved me in.

"Hey, Jon, what brings you all the way out here? Knowing you, it's probably something that's gonna give me gray hairs."

"Yeah, something has come to my attention I need to ask you about Jeb. It concerns the new church and its members."

I went on to tell him everything Jimmy had told me and asked a few more questions. The look of puzzlement on his face told me all I needed to know. He hadn't known about the radio and didn't know why the church would need it. He said he would call the elders in and find out what the thinking was behind its installation. He was of the same opinion I was, that the church here had broken away from the other compounds, so why would they need a powerful radio like that to keep in touch with them? We sat and hashed it back and forth for a few minutes, but neither of us could figure it out. I finally shook his hand and he promised he would be looking into it. I went back out and the same man I had passed earlier was in the front, looking through one of the displays. I could see his eyes following my every move from the reflection. When I stepped outside I ran to the right and ducked around the corner pulling the forty as I did. He came out within a few seconds and when he didn't see me he stood by the door with a look of confusion on his face. Then he pulled out a cell phone, and called someone. He talked for a few minutes before putting it away, then climbed into an old beat up Chevy at the end of the row where I was hiding. I quickly memorized the plate as he backed out and put it in my field of vision. When he pulled out of the lot headed for town, I came from behind the building and walked to my truck. I climbed in and sat reviewing what just happened for a few minutes, wondering what it was all about. I wrote the tag number down in the little book I always carried. Then I called in and had them run the tag. When the girl at the office came back on the line, what she told me set some alarms off.

"Marshal, that's an unregistered tag. We have a few of those we use ourselves. I would say this one is in use by the NSA because of the starting number. They have twelve of them and before the change of Directors, we used to let each other know the numbers. I don't know what's going on, but I would forward a report of this to your immediate supervisor."

I thanked her, saying I would certainly be doing that as soon as I got home. I drove to the house wondering why I would come to the attention of the NSA but had no clue. I decided I would file the report and then call Interpol and let them know too. I knew my Director there would not be happy about it, and would probably be on the phone to the NSA as soon as he got off with me. When I pulled in the drive of the house, I informed the guard that a tow truck would be bringing the pickup back and he was to drop it at the side of the house. I then went through the gate and parked in the garage. When I started walking toward the house with my bag, Timmy and Sally met me about halfway.

"Gampa, are we going to get our hair cut today like you promised?"

Sally just hugged me with tears in her eyes.

"I am so glad you decided to come home, Dad. Kat is inside and is still very upset. Please don't lose your temper with her today. She is already upset enough with all that's happened in the last twenty-four hours. Dad, I may be young, but I do know that she can still lose the babies if she is under too much stress. Please get her to calm down a little. Then later maybe we can all sit down and talk this whole thing out."

I just looked at her in shock and realized that for fourteen, she was too smart for her age. I did realize immediately that she was totally right and I had to get Kat to calm down and talk to me so we could get this worked out. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her or the babies because of me. I hadn't been mad at her in particular. The whole situation had ticked me off. Before I went in I turned to Timmy.

"Timmy, if we can go today we will, but I guarantee it will happen tomorrow. I have some adult things I need to handle and I don't know how long it's going to take me."

"Ok, Gampa, whatever you say. I will be out back playing with the dogs if you decide to go today."

I just smiled at him and that's when I saw the Frisbees they were both carrying. They took off again and I headed for the front door. I went in and set my bag down, and before I could turn around I had an armful of sobbing woman. I just stood and held her, feeling bad because I had hurt her. That hadn't been my intention but I had done it and now I felt like it was all my fault. We stood in the foyer for about ten minutes before she quit sobbing and finally quieted down enough for me to hand her my handkerchief. She blew her nose and tentatively smiled at me.

"Kat, darling, I think we need to sit down and have a heart to heart talk. Both of us are upset and we should have talked it out before it got to this point."

"I know, Jon, and I am so sorry for what's happened between us. Believe me when I say I never intended for it to go this far. Come into the kitchen and have some coffee while we try to work this out."

We went in and she fixed me a coffee and a glass of tea for herself. Then we sat at the counter and started talking. For the next two hours we hashed it back and forth slowly coming to the decision that we both had been manipulated by Myrna, but neither of us could figure out why she had done it and to what end. Then Kat said something that shocked me to the core and for some reason it all came together.