Chapter 25
The Recruitment
Jack, Dolly, George and Cindy watched the buses leave with some interest but decided not to follow them as they were tired and had other pressing things to do. As they were walking back to their cars Special Agent Melanie Sanders intercepted them.
“Agent Sanders,” Jack said recognizing her from their earlier meeting.
She nodded. “Hi. I wonder if I might speak with all of you for a few moments.”
“Sure,” Jack said, “but we’ve been out of town for a few days so we probably won’t be of much help to you.”
“Well, it’s not about the explosion. Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”
They agreed and went to a diner down the road. When they’d been seated around two tables pulled together, Agent Sanders took a deep breath.
“This is off the record. I’m officially on vacation,” she advised.
“Okay,” Jack acknowledged warily. “Our lips are sealed.”
“The FBI has been pulled off the three murder investigations and told to stay away from the Bat Mountain Site. As you can imagine the Director isn’t pleased with this development.”
“I can imagine,” Jack said. “Did they say why?”
“No. And you all know as well as anyone that there is something very wrong with the situation at the Bat Mountain Site.”
Dolly laughed. “You got that right, honey.”
“So, we can’t just step away as the President, the CIA, and General Thornton would like us to do. We have a responsibility to make sure the American people are safe from any domestic threat. Then again, we have to follow orders so we can’t officially continue our investigations. In other words I can’t be found anywhere near the Bat Mountain Site. I’m taking a chance coming here today.”
“So, how can we help?” Jack asked. “You’re assessment of the situation at the Bat Mountain Site is right on. The Army has no understanding or control over the situation. If somebody with a brain and a little common sense isn’t put in charge soon, I’m afraid there is going to be a major catastrophe there.”
“Yes. That’s my assessment too. So, I’m going to propose something to all of you that is highly irregular, but the only viable option I can come up with at the moment.”
“Okay. We’re listening.”
“We have to figure out what this Bat Mountain phenomenon is. It’s obviously not a traditional uplift as they take hundreds of years and the geology of the region doesn’t support it anyway. It’s rising way too fast and acting with purpose so it can’t be a chemical reaction either. What we fear is that it is a weapon that the military has developed but is out of control.”
“A weapon?” George asked. “Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that. . . . You’re right it’s not geological. I figured that out the first few days I was out there. A natural chemical reaction is out of the question too, since there are no chemicals in the area that would react in this fashion. But, a chemical weapon makes more sense, although I can’t for the life of me figure out how it would work.”
“Well, it’s just a theory. Anyway, I have a lot of work to do, but I’m hampered by the fact that I don’t have access to the Bat Mountain Site, any of the witnesses, or the evidence that’s been collected. Also, since the FBI isn’t supposed to be investigating the murders, I can’t be seen anywhere in Inyo County.”
“So, what are you asking?” Jack pressed.
“You guys, for whatever reason, are investigating the Bat Mountain Site on your own. I’m not sure what your motivations are, curiosity, self-preservation, or scientific discovery, but I have no doubt they are good reasons. And I must compliment you on your results. You’ve done better than my partner and I and we have had the full resources of the bureau behind us. So, I’m proposing that we join forces and figure out what’s going on.”
“Amen to that,” Dolly said.
“How would our partnership work,” Jack asked curiously.
“We brainstorm together and decide what needs to be done. You all will have to do any leg work with witnesses or investigation at the site itself, but I can provide the resources of the FBI to back up our efforts.”
“Where will you operate from?” George asked.
“I’m not sure. A motel, maybe.”
“You could, but I have a better idea. I could set you up at the college as an assistant. That way you’d have an office, communications access and a laboratory where we could study any specimens we might get our hands on.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Agent Sanders said excitedly. “And I hope we can get our hands on a specimen soon. It’s hard to figure out what we’re dealing with without a sample to study.”
“I’ve got a specimen,” Jack advised.
“You do?” Agent Sanders asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, I picked it up this morning from the rubble of Deputy Hanson’s home.”
“Where is it now?” she asked.
“In a secluded place where it can’t kill anyone.”
Agent Sanders laughed. “Good. Will you take me to see it?”
“Sure, but it’s too late today. I’ll have to take you there in the morning.”
“Okay, that will give us time to plan our strategy and make assignments.”
“What about our jobs?” Dolly asked. “I’ve got to work to make a living.”
Agent Sanders nodded. “Of course, I have a budget so I can reimburse you for any out of pocket expenses or loss of income.”
Dolly’s eyes lit up. “Excellent. Did you hear that, Cindy?”
Cindy laughed. “Yes, I did. Sounds good to me.”
After coming to a tentative agreement, they talked for over an hour comparing notes. Jack filled Agent Sanders in on what they’d learned over the weekend and they discussed what each could do over the next few days to advance the investigation. After the meeting Sanders called her supervisor to report in for the day. She told him she felt good about her amateur sleuths and that they were all intelligent, resourceful and eager to find out the secrets of the Bat Mountain Site. He said he was glad she had gotten a good start and that much was riding on her and her team. She assured him they’d uncover the truth but she could only pray that whatever the truth turned out to be would be something they could handle.
“Oh. Before you go, you need to know something?” Joe advised.
“What’s that?”
“You know the evidence you checked into the FBI Evidence Warehouse the other day?”
“Yeah. The rocks, a sledge hammer and a broken hack saw,” she recalled.
“Well, the rocks look like they’ve been tampered with.”
“What do you mean?”
“Captain Winslow of the Army Criminal Investigations Command came over to take possession of everything and he compared the rocks to the photos that were taken at the crime scene and they looked markedly different.”
“Huh. How could that happen?”
“I don’t know. There’s no record of anyone accessing the evidence. In fact, the evidence bags were still sealed.”
“Maybe it’s a temperature variation. It’s much cooler in the evidence warehouse than it is outside.”
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine a thirty degree temperature variation would cause the rock to change color and shape.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Alright. Call me tomorrow,” Joe said and hung up.
Agent Sanders stared at the telephone feeling a bit depressed. Every day it seemed like the mystery of the Bat Mountain Site deepened. Instead of finding answers, so far all they’d done was uncover new questions. She just wished the CIA and the Army would open up to them. Together they’d have a much better shot at containing the situation. She wondered what they were hiding and how many more would die to protect their secrets.