By the next day his smooth talking was getting to her. He had put several chinks in her armor and planted seeds of doubt in just the right places. By the second night, she had cuddled on the couch with him as they watched movies together. What was she thinking?!
This was all too much for her conscious to bear. She sat at her desk staring at the computer code on the screen in front of her, but none of it made any sense. She couldn’t focus on her work because thoughts of the weekend kept trampling over anything else she tried to focus on. She decided that when she got home today, Ed had to go.
**********
Gabe was also having trouble focusing on his work. He’d had a great time with Monica on their dates these past two weekends. He should be excited about their budding relationship. He was definitely infatuated with her and cared about her. His excitement was overshadowed however. Just like Monica, his soul was also overridden with guilt. He couldn’t believe he had actually got McCoskey fired. He didn’t mean for it to go that far. When he took the tick from the lab and planted it at Sally’s house, he only meant to get Ed away from Monica. When he planted the video file on Ed’s computer, he hadn’t stopped to think it all the way through. His jealousy over Ed and Monica paying attention to each other had blurred his sense of reason. Now that it was all said and done, he couldn’t believe how out of hand it had become.
He wished he could take it all back, but the situation was way beyond that now. He had destroyed a man’s life and now he would have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. It was eating at his soul and it felt worse than anything he had ever experienced.
**********
“What’s up Jillian?” Monica said as she walked into Jillian’s office and closed the door.
“Hey chick. Where have you been hiding all day?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Just busy I guess.” Monica tried to sound convincing.
Jillian asked, “How was your weekend?”
“It was okay.” Monica looked down at the floor. “Actually it wasn’t okay. Something is terribly wrong.”
Jillian’s face became instantly concerned. She got up from her desk and went around to the other side where Monica was standing. She ushered her to a chair and took the chair next to her. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
Monica couldn’t hold it in any longer. She started sobbing. Jillian put her arms around her friend and Monica cried uncontrollably on her shoulder. “I…I’m…a…ter...rible…person,” she blurted between sobs.
“No you’re not, honey,” Jillian smoother her hair and tried to comfort her friend. “No you’re not. You are a wonderful person.”
A few minutes later Monica began to regain her composure a bit. Jillian took her by the shoulders and held her at arms length. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Monica looked back at her with despair in her eyes. “I don’t think I can tell you,” she said. “But I have to talk to someone. This is killing me!”
Jillian assured her. “You can tell me anything honey. I’m here for you.”
Monica looked at her for a few long seconds as if deciding what to do. Finally she said, “Can we go out for a drink this evening? I’ll talk to you about it then.”
“Sure, how about seven o’clock? I’ve got a dentist appointment at four.”
“That’s fine,” said Monica.
“I’ll cancel my appointment if you want me to.”
“No, seven will be fine.” Then Monica’s voice took on a determined tone. “I’ve got something I’ve got to do right after work anyway.”
**********
Her cry on Jillian’s shoulder and her decision to talk about the situation relieved some of the strain inside her. During her drive home Monica was surprised to find that some of her guilt was being replaced by another emotion. She expected to be nervous about her impending encounter with Ed. She found that emotion to be strangely absent as well. In their place she felt anger. She had a determination about her and she became resolute as she turned onto her street. Ed had to go and that was that! She was taking back her life and setting this situation right! End of story.
His car was not in the driveway, but that didn’t surprise her. He had been parking on the next street over so nobody would know he was there.
She opened the door to an empty house. The blankets were folded up neatly at the end of the couch. All the dishes were washed in the kitchen. Everything was neat and orderly. On the table was a note. Her anger dissipated a bit as she read it. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation. Please forgive me. I’ll find another place to stay.
**********
Monica already had a table when Jillian walked in at seven o’clock. She stood up and the two friends hugged each other. Jillian noted that she looked a little bit better than she had the last time she saw her.
After the waitress brought their drinks Jillian said, “Okay, so tell me what’s going on.”
Monica started at the beginning and spilled her guts. She was surprised how good it felt to get it out in the open. When she was about half-way through her story, her phone rang. “Gabe,” she said looking at the display on her phone. She started to hit the button to silence the ring instead of answering it, but at the last second, thought better of it. Flipping the phone open she said, “Hello.”
“Monica, my mother has been kidnapped!”
Chapter 44
November, year 4.
“We’re going back in,” the seal team commander said gravely to his men.
Red listened intently as the commander briefed them.
“Naval Intelligence has analyzed the photographs we took inside the dry dock. They’ve determined the Iranians are building a nuclear submarine. Iran has been turning its nose up for years while they’ve continued to work on their nuclear enrichment program. They claim it’s all for peaceful purposes, but nobody believes that line of bull. All attempts at sanctions by the United States and the United Nations have failed. It is believed they are dangerously close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. This submarine confirms our suspicions they are getting close. What better delivery vehicle than a nuclear submarine.”
“We didn’t think they had the technology to build a nuclear sub. Apparently they don’t quite have it figured out yet. They photos would seem to indicate their construction and design are fairly inferior and in the experimental stage.”
“The powers that be have decided we cannot allow this to happen. We’ve been ordered to destroy submarine and dry-dock.”
The team spent the next several hours briefing and planning for the mission. It was decided they would transit to the dry dock in the same manner as before. They would place small explosives on each of the 8 columns that supported the shelter. Additionally they would place explosives at three different points along the submarine’s hull. This would be the most dangerous part of the mission because it would create the most exposure and possibility of being detected by the Iranian guards.
It had been more than a week since their first mission to the dry-dock, so there was no longer a new moon to provide total darkness. Since they would go in at night, there was little chance of detection from the surface, but they liked to use a new moon when possible. When embarking on dangerous missions it was always best to stack every possible odd in their favor.
At zero-one hundred Red and five other SEALs once again entered the converted missile tube, flooded the tube, and equalized the pressure. Exiting the sub via the top of the missile tube they opened the second dry deck shelter riding piggy-back behind the Florida’s sail and winched out the SDV mini-sub.
Just like before they transited the harbor without incident and tied up the SDV to the same position under the pier about 150 yards from the dry-dock shelter.
Two of the men remained with the SDV. Red and three other SEALs made the same swim they had made a week earlier. This time they were weighted down with explosiv
e devices and would swim away to a much different outcome. Their presence would not remain a secret, but by the time the explosives detonated Red and his team would be long gone. The timers would be set with a sufficient delay to allow the SEALs to transit back to the Florida.
Each of the men had their own mission. Red swam to the first pillar which supported the dry-dock shelter and began installing the first explosive device. Two of the SEALs took positions under the deck on either side of the shelter just like they had on the previous mission. From these vantage points they could monitor both sides of the shelter for any problems topside. Each of them had their MP-5’s at the ready as they smoothly broke the surface from the shadows underneath the deck. The fourth SEAL had the most dangerous mission of all. He would attach explosives to three different locations on the submarine. This would require him to actually come out of the water where he would be vulnerable to detection.
Red had just completed installation of the first explosive device. He carefully set the timer and armed the device. After completing this he swam to the next support column to repeat the procedure.
Topside things were getting a bit more hairy. The two SEALS in the shadows under the decks remained at the ready as they observed every activity in the facility. So far everything appeared normal. The fourth SEAL swam to submarine and carefully climbed onto the structure that supported it. He crouched and looked around to ensure he hadn’t been detected. He attached the first explosive device and was about to set the timer when a shout sounded out quickly followed by a burst of gunfire. Bullets ricocheted off the metal surfaces all around him. The two SEAL’s under the deck immediately returned fire to all hostiles with their MP-5’s. They took out the guard who had first spotted their teammate and opened fire. Throughout the shelter there was chaos as the other guards tried to figure out what had happened.
The SEAL on the submarine structure slipped back into the water and all three descended quickly to gather Red and make their getaway. As they swam back to the SDV mini-sub they began noticing boat traffic zigzagging on the surface overhead. The SDV was powered up and ready to go. They boarded and held on tight as they silently made their getaway at six knots. Behind them they heard the first depth charges detonating as the boats overhead attempted to attack the intruders. Thanks to the Special Delivery Vehicle they were using, they were already well past the point where the depth charges were being deployed.
Back on the Florida the men debriefed and discussed what went wrong and how it might be avoided in the future. They had all had close calls with danger many times in the past, so the feeling of how close they came to getting killed was no stranger to any of them. As it turned out, the first explosive device Red had installed was the only one that they were able to arm. It detonated on schedule after they returned to the Florida, but since it only damaged one of the eight support columns, the structure remained sound. The next attempt would be much more difficult.
Orders came down that there would not be another underwater attack at this time. The Florida descended to 400 feet and headed back out of the Straight of Hormuz through the Gulf of Oman and journeyed silently back to Pearl Harbor.
Chapter 45
November, year 4.
Monica and Jillian arrived at Gabe’s house to find him and Tracy in a frenzy. The police were there taking statements and attempting to figure out the situation.
“What happened?” asked Jillian when they arrived.
Gabe filled them in. “I came home from work and nobody was home. This really wasn’t unusual so I didn’t think much about it. I got a beer from the fridge and sat down to watch TV. Tracy came home about an hour later and found a note on the kitchen table. It was type written and only had one sentence in the center of the page. It said, "I have your mother.”
“It’s a nightmare!” said Tracy. “These things are only supposed to happen in the movies. Who would want to take our mother?” Tracy looked like she had aged ten years in the past hour and a half.
“What are the police saying?” asked Monica.
“They don’t have much to go on. There were no signs of forced entry and no signs of a struggle. That note is really the only clue.”
Monica had forgotten all of her problems from earlier. Somehow they didn’t seem so significant in comparison to the situation at hand. Her analytical mind was in overdrive. “Have you tried calling her cell phone?”
“Yes. It rang upstairs. Her phone was still on her dresser.”
“Did she work today?”
“No. She was scheduled to work tonight.”
“Did you call her boss to see if anything strange has happened lately at work? Maybe a customer that has been hanging around or stalking her?”
“The police sent a unit over to the restaurant awhile ago. They are probably there now.”
“Has she mentioned anything out of the ordinary lately? Perhaps a strange encounter with a man or a boyfriend?”
“No. Nothing. I don’t think she’s dated anyone for the past several months.”
“Was the note typed on a typewriter or printed from a computer?”
“What difference would that make?” asked Tracy.
“If it was typed on a typewriter the police might be able to determine if the kidnapper was right handed or left handed. People usually strike the keys slightly harder with their dominant hand so the letters appear a tad darker.”
Gabe said, “I’m not sure. I didn’t think to look for that. The police have the letter now. They took it into evidence.”
“Is her car still here?”
“Yes.”
The line of questioning went on and on. Monica fired questions in rapid succession as her brain processed the situation.
Jillian asked, “Do you guys want to come stay at my house tonight?”
Gabe and Tracy both shook their head at the same time. Gabe said, “We need to stay home in case the kidnapper tries to call us.”
“We can stay here with you,” Monica offered. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Gabe thought for a minute and then said, “No, you guys go on home. I’m exhausted. I’m going to try to get some sleep after the police leave.”
The police didn’t finish gathering evidence until almost midnight. Gabe and Tracy were both exhausted. They stumbled upstairs, brushed their teeth and headed for their bedrooms. Gabe pulled back his covers and fluffed his pillow. When he moved his pillow a tiny piece of paper was folded up under it. Opening the piece of paper he read the only four words typed on it, I want the tick!
Chapter 46
January, year 5.
A week went by, then two, and then four. Still no word from the kidnappers. Everyone at BioTech was on pins and needles about the note found under Gabe’s pillow. They collectively agreed that this piece of information should be withheld from the police. That the tick even existed was not public knowledge and it needed to stay that way. If the police found out about it, there would be no way to contain the secret.
Gabe wasn’t so sure he agreed with this decision. After all, it was his mother. If disclosing it to the police would help get her back safe, then he thought they should give up the information. Jamie pointed out to him that this knowledge would not help the police find her. Deep down Gabe knew Jamie was right.
As if the company was not already in disarray, Dan had a bicycle accident and broke his arm. The doctor said it was just a fracture, but he would be in a plaster cast for the next eight weeks. Fortunately this really didn’t affect his ability to carry out his responsibilities in the company.
They all sat around the conference table. Spirits were low. It had been four weeks since Gabe’s mother had been taken and still there had been no word from the kidnappers.
Sally said, “The only people who know about the tick are the client, Ed McCoskey, and the people sitting in this room. It seems unlikely our client would
take this course of action. That only leaves Ed.”
Jamie said, “It’s possible someone at one of our sister companies has figured it out.”
“I don’t think so,” Dan was quick to respond. “We’ve been very careful all along not to let anyone have too many pieces to the puzzle. I don’t think any of them have a clue what they’ve been working on.”
Sally asked, “Has anyone seen Ed?”
Jillian stole a quick glance at Monica and saw her looking down at her hands. Ever so slowly and quietly Monica said, “I have.”
The cat was out of the bag. Her betrayal had become public knowledge. Sally would hate her. She spent the next few minutes telling them the details about Ed showing up at her house and spending the weekend.
“When is the last time you saw him?” asked Sally.
“That weekend I just told you about,” said Monica quickly. “I haven’t seen him since that weekend. I swear!”
“Has he tried to contact you?”
“No. I haven’t heard a word from him since that weekend. Based on the note he left me, it appears to me he came to his senses and was genuinely sorry for putting me in a compromising situation.”
“That was the same day Gabe’s mom turned up missing,” pointed out Dan. They had all been thinking it, but Dan said it first. “It seems convenient that he was trying to get back into your good graces and then on the day Gabe’s mother gets kidnapped, our friend Ed just disappears off the face of the earth.”
Gabe’s cell phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number and hit the button to silence the ring. A minute later it rang again. Same number. He decided to pick it up this time. “Hello?”
The female voice on the other end was in near hysterics. “Gabe, I managed to find a cell phone, but the battery only has one bar left. Help me!”