A Friend in Need (Gift of the Ancients Book 3) Read online

  Hal turned on a computer screen and started tapping on the keyboard. He brought up what looked like feeds from video cameras that must be hidden in the halls. Looking over Hal’s shoulder, Hannah could see the prisoners being escorted, one at a time, from their cells, into the conference room. A platter of sandwiches was already laid out on the table, alongside a small stack of napkins and some bottles of water. There were no utensils, but then again, they didn’t really need them with sandwiches. Smart.

  They brought the first prisoner in, and he looked around suspiciously before his gaze landed on the sandwiches. He went to the table, pulled out a chair and started picking through the available sandwich choices. He was already eating when the door opened and the second prisoner was let in. The first man stopped eating to stare at his cohort.

  “Contestant number one is the guy who was driving the van. He appeared to be subordinate to contestant number two at the mall yesterday,” Carter said.

  “He stopped eating when number two entered,” Hal allowed. “I suspect we’ll see more subservient behavior, confirming your observations.”

  Sure enough, when the second man nodded, the first guy resumed eating. Number two, as Hal had called him, sauntered around the room, looking at everything before finally taking the only other chair and seating himself next to his fellow. He pulled the tray of sandwiches over in front of himself and made a few selections. The other man handed the newcomer a bottle of water, even opening it for him, like he was a servant.

  “Bingo,” Hal muttered. “You definitely read that right, Carter. Number one is the lackey. Number two is calling the shots.”

  “Unless they’re acting,” Hannah offered with a shrug.

  “Point taken, Sergeant,” Hal told her with a nod, “but Carter observed this dynamic even before the bad guys knew we were watching, so I’m betting we have it right.”

  Hannah nodded. They’d clearly dealt with prisoners, and evaluating people, a lot more than she had. She would watch and learn.

  “Now, if they would just start chatting,” Carter said, leaning forward to study the scene before them.

  Hal had turned on the microphones that had to be hidden in the other room and adjusted the volume even before the prisoners had been let inside. They could hear everything in the other room from the scraping of chairs against the floor to the surprisingly loud chewing as the men ate. Finally, they began to speak to each other, tentatively.

  “Here we go,” Carter murmured as he began to listen.

  Hannah sat back and watched. The language didn’t sound like anything she’d ever heard before, but Carter seemed to be making sense of it. He listened closely as the men began to speak more freely.

  “These guys aren’t foreign intelligence agents,” Carter said after a few minutes of watching the men through the one-way glass. “They’re members of a terrorist sleeper cell that was planted here years ago, and recently activated. They keep talking about the packages and how glad they are that they had finished wrapping them before the jackass from the government that’s paying them told them they had to watch the kiosk in the mall for the woman with the bad foot.”

  Hannah gasped, and Carter put his hand on her shoulder in a show of support.

  “So, they were definitely sent by someone else. A paymaster of some kind?” Hal asked.

  “Definitely. They’re stringers who were getting a stipend from a foreign government, but now that they’re actively planning a mission, they resent being pulled away from it to help the government that’s been paying their way all these years,” Carter commented, not looking away from the two men who were still talking in their rather unique dialect.

  “What’s their mission? Have they said?” Hal asked.

  “Not yet. Just the packages and wrapping them. Wait.” Carter listened closely for a moment. “Someone named Hamid is going to deliver the packages tomorrow morning, before the roads close for the festivities.” The men in the other room laughed, and it was an evil sound. “They’re joking about how much bigger the festivities are going to be than the stupid Americans think.”

  “Oh, no.” Hannah shook her head. “There’s a parade tomorrow. Right down Main Street in my town. To celebrate the little league team winning the state championship.”

  “That’s it.” Jeff spoke up from the doorway he must have opened moments before. “I was coming to tell you that Rosie and I were seeing explosions along a suburban street and lots of people lining the sidewalks. The bombs were stashed in flower pots along both sides of the road. Homemade bombs, full of shrapnel. Nails and ball bearings.”

  “Not on my watch,” Hal muttered darkly, then turned to Jeeves. “We need to confirm the location with a landmark or something.”

  “There was an old white church, like something you see in New England, and a triangle of land with a statue,” Jeff said without hesitation.

  Hannah got out her phone and started tapping furiously, then turned the phone to face the guys. “This statue?” she asked.

  Jeff nodded. “That’s the one.”

  “That’s my hometown,” she confirmed. “The statue was put up twenty years ago. A donation to the town by a world-renowned artist who was born there. It’s one of a kind.”

  “All right, that’s enough for me,” Hal stated, rising from where he’d been leaning on the corner of a desk. “Let’s call in our intel. We’ll stop this attack before it has a chance to start.”

  The room started emptying out, leaving Carter sitting at the table, still listening intently.

  “There has to be something more we can do,” Hannah said, worrying about the situation.

  “Hal will report it, don’t worry. These guys won’t get away with anything,” Carter said, his attention still on the men on the other side of the glass.

  Hannah didn’t like the casual attitude. People were in danger. Real danger. Why wasn’t anybody doing anything about it?

  *

  At dinner that night, Hal sat next to Hannah, Carter on her other side. She was worried enough about tomorrow to have tried to call Lulu but hadn’t been able to get through to her friend. In fact, Hannah’s cell phone wasn’t working at all out here on the island, no matter where she was. She’d tried every spot she knew in the building and even taken a short walk outside to the beach, but she had no bars. No signal. No way to warn her friend.

  And the casual attitude of the men really bothered her. If they weren’t going to do something, then Hannah was going to have to find a way to do it herself. Nascent plans were percolating in her mind, but she wasn’t sure if she’d have to act.

  “Good work today with the prisoners,” Hal complimented Carter, who sat on Hannah’s other side, as they ate dinner. “We’ll try the same trick again, tomorrow and see what else we can learn.”

  “Tomorrow?” Hannah asked, trying to hide her concern. “What about the parade?”

  “We’ve given the intel to local police and the feds,” Hal told her. “They gave me assurances that they would act to neutralize the threat and capture the last member—or members—of the terrorist cell.”

  “So, that’s it? You just pass along the information and hope they get it right?” Hannah couldn’t help the anger in her words, though she tried hard to bite it back.

  “I understand how you feel, Sergeant,” Hal told her patiently, “but as you know, we’re not able to work officially on U.S. soil. A little thing called the Constitution prevents us from acting directly.”

  “That didn’t seem to stop you from acting in the mall,” she muttered. “Either time.”

  “Point taken.” Hal accepted the hit. “But, in the normal course of events, we can’t act with any official sanction. Both times we were in the mall, we were off-duty and acting as civilians, though I grant you, there’s a fine line there that may have been crossed a bit. Suffice to say, we’re not going to do it again. At least, not on purpose. And running an op to stop the terrorist plot against the parade route would be just a bit too deliberate and wa
y out of bounds. We’ve been warned off and ordered to hand this over to the local authorities, and I have done so. I’m no happier about it than you, but that’s the way it has to be.”

  Unable to eat any more, Hannah stood. “I understand, Captain, though you’ll have to forgive me for not liking anything of what you’ve just said. Please excuse me. I’ve had a long day, and I’m going to retire.”

  She couldn’t look at Carter, lest he guess what she had in mind. She could feel his gaze drawing her like a magnet, but she had to be strong. If she looked at him, she’d never go through with her half-formed plan, but she just kept thinking of Lulu. She knew for a fact that Lulu was going to be at the parade because her nephew was marching in it. For both their sakes, Hannah had to act. She had to at least try.

  Carter stood to go after Hannah, but Rose motioned for him to sit. “Let me,” she told Carter. “We’ve foreseen a bit of what this is about. I need to talk to her anyway. Jeff will fill you in on the rest.”

  Carter sat, unhappily, and waited for Jeff to speak. All eyes were turned on the clairvoyant among them, as they waited for his report. Rose followed after Hannah, and Carter hoped Rose would be able to calm Hannah down. She’d been so angry. Rightfully so. She’d hidden it well, but not from him. He knew her too well, by this point. He could see the way she was holding back her anger.

  “Rose and I have been debating how much to tell you all. We both agree, we’re at a very tricky juncture,” Jeff told them, frowning. “If one of us goes off half-cocked, there’ll be hell to pay.” Everyone looked at Carter.

  He wanted to growl. “I won’t allow Hannah to be put in more danger.”

  “And that’s part of the problem,” Jeff confirmed. “She’s got a pivotal role to play, and we have to let her play it.”

  “I don’t like the way that sounds,” Hal interjected. “Are you saying we have to let her become involved in the terrorist take-down? I have explicit orders against our unit having anything to do with tomorrow’s activities. There will be feds and local law enforcement all over the place. We couldn’t act, even if we wanted to. No way our unit would go unnoticed.”

  “Which is why we can’t all go,” Jeff confirmed. “But Hannah can. And Carter can follow. That’s it. Just a couple out to help their friend. No official action. Nothing to hide from the locals, if you do things right, Carter.” Jeff gave him a knowing look. “But the hard part for you is that you can’t tell her. She has to act on her own, and we have to get out of her way. Let her set up the events that will need to unfold in a precise manner.”

  “I hate it when you talk in riddles,” Carter growled at his friend. “And I hate it even more that you sound like you want me to let Hannah walk, knowingly, into the middle of a terrorist attack.”

  Jeff shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s exactly what we’re asking you to do.”

  The we brought Carter up short. “You both saw this? Not just you?”

  Jeff nodded. “Rosie and I both saw it. We discussed it before we came in for dinner and arrived at this plan of action. I can’t tell you more than I already have.”

  “I don’t like this at all,” Carter muttered.

  “Your objection is noted,” Hal said, eyeing Jeff and Carter with a sly look. “But, since the desert, have you ever known Jeeves to steer any of us wrong?” Hal had a point. “I think we’re all going to have to trust him on this.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hannah was fuming as she walked down the hall to her room. She had reached her door by the time Rose caught up with her. Hannah had known the other woman followed but hadn’t wanted to pause too close to the mess hall. She didn’t want to give Carter an opportunity to try to stop her.

  He hadn’t come after her. Part of her was angry that he hadn’t even tried, while another part of her was glad because she didn’t think she’d be able to carry out her plans with him watching. Those plans were half-formed, at best, but she had been taught the value of thinking strategically. She tried to never go into a situation without having thought through as many of the possible outcomes as she could. Up to and including possible exit strategies.

  “I know what you’re going to do.” Rose’s voice came from behind Hannah as she paused at the door to her room. “I really am clairvoyant. The Madam Pythia routine was for real,” Rose told her. “It’s why Jeff sought me out. It’s why I was targeted.”

  At this, Hannah turned to look at Rose. “Targeted?”

  “That day at the mall. I was the one the gunman was following. I’m the one that led the gunman to the team. Jeff had come to warn me, almost too late,” Rose revealed. “I had agreed to meet him for coffee at the mall café. That’s where the enemy caught up with us both. Apparently, the enemies of the unit had been watching me, as a conduit to Jeff. He has the same ability I do.” Rose shrugged. “Well, similar. I’ve that had it all my life. Jeff is still learning his abilities and limitations. So far, he seems to be limited to seeing only the future, while I can sometimes see the past.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Hannah wanted to know. Now that she had decided upon a course of action, she didn’t want to stand around talking. No matter how interesting the topic.

  “So you’ll know that you weren’t the only one in the crosshairs. Casey didn’t come to be here via an easy path, either,” Rose revealed. “We’re here because we want to be here. With our men.” Rose shifted her weight to lean against the wall next to Hannah’s door. “We gave up the outside world, for now, until this situation can be resolved. And, before you ask, I have foreseen that it will be resolved, but the path is tricky, and long-term. Everything has to go right in order for the best possible outcome. And part of that is happening, right here, right now.”

  “You mean the parade situation?” Hannah was intrigued by what Rose might have seen.

  Rose nodded. “Most importantly, your response to it.”

  Hannah debated internally. She would not reveal her plans to anyone at this point, but something about the look in Rose’s eyes told her she might not have to actually say anything. Rose saw the future. If Hannah believed that, it would be easy to also believe that Rose knew what Hannah intended to do.

  “I hope you’re not going to try to stop me,” Hannah said in a low voice.

  Rose straightened from her leaning position. “Far from it.”

  “Then, what?” Hannah turned fully toward the other woman to meet her gaze.

  “I’m going to help you get off the island.” Rose shocked Hannah with that pronouncement. “Thing is, you need to be at that parade. I’ve seen that much. The whole unit can’t be there, but you can. I believe your presence will help unravel the entire terrorist cell, if all goes as I have foreseen. Sometimes, it doesn’t.” Rose made a face full of consternation. “We each just have to do the best we can. And, Hannah, your best is very, very good. I’ve seen it, and the rest of the guys will realize it soon enough.”

  “I’m not sure whether to thank you for your confidence in me or run away screaming,” Hannah admitted with a small grin.

  “Well, let’s work on the running away part. There’s a small window of opportunity to get you off the island, and you need to take it. Want anything from your room?” Rose asked, all business, suddenly.

  “Not really. Just the dark hoodie, I guess, and my purse,” Hannah replied.

  “Get them, now. I’ll be back in a minute. Wait here for me,” Rose said, already walking down the hall toward the room she shared with Jeff.

  Hannah went into her room and got her stuff, looking around to see if there was anything else she didn’t want to leave behind, but she knew she had to travel light, and most of the stuff in the room had been given to her out of the storeroom here on the base. She had her belongings and was out in the hall again, in time to meet Rose, who was just emerging from her own room, down the hall.

  Rose beckoned her over and hefted a dark knapsack. “I took the liberty of packing some things for you. Jeff helped,” she explained
, handing the small bag to Rose. “Just some equipment we thought you might need.”

  “Thanks,” Hannah replied, wondering what they could possibly have packed for her, but there was no time to check it right now. She’d look later, when she was across the water and back on Long Island.

  “Now, the kitchen staff will probably be ready to go soon. They take the garbage with them, and it gets ferried across the water for disposal on Long Island a few times every week. Tonight’s the night. Jeff and I have set aside an empty dumpster, just for you. Get inside, they roll you aboard the boat and carry you across. You get out on the other side and go on your way. Just be sure you get out as soon as you’re back on land, or you’ll has a very uncomfortable trip to the dump.” Rose giggled, and Hannah had the scary feeling that the other woman wasn’t taking this seriously enough.

  Hannah hadn’t been on the island long enough to really learn its rhythms, but she had made note of the few things she had observed. One of those things had been the kitchen staff going about their business. Hannah suspected Rose was right about the trash schedule. It was a reasonable way to get off the island, without too much fuss.

  Hannah nodded at Rose. “Thanks for your help with this.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Rose said, serious once again. “You’ve got a difficult task ahead of you. Don’t fail.”

  “I don’t plan to,” Hannah assured the other woman.

  They crept outside to where the trash bins were kept. Rose acted as lookout while a last of the kitchen garbage was loaded into a dumpster. The staff member went back inside for a moment, and Rose gestured urgently to Hannah.

  “Now’s your chance,” Rose urged. “The blue one on the end. It’s only half-full, and its paper recycling. Nothing too gross.”

  “Thank heaven for small mercies,” Hannah quipped before making her way toward the big blue dumpster at the end of the row, Rose at her side, helping.

  They opened the large hinged lid together. Rose held it while Hannah jumped inside. Before Rose replaced the lid, she apparently had one last thing to say.