October 23, 1977

 

The return trip to Tysons Corners in Virginia was even easier than trip up to Boston. The stress was gone. The operation had gone smoothly. Their adjustment to unforeseen events was nearly flawless. No one got hurt, not even the muggers. They will never know that they had flirted with death and escaped. During the entire fight, both Peter and Bernadette had weapons ready to fire in their hands.

Peter and Bernadette had quickly scanned the boxes of documents. They found nothing about a terrorist attack on the Old Executive Office building next to the White House and under White House Secret Service protection. Nor did they find anything about Soviet involvement. But Terry noted one of the wallets taken from the men on the floor contained an I.D. badge to the House of Representatives.

Peter talked to Frank at the CIA and told him the borrowed equipment and their take from O’Hara’s office were put in the same storage unit, and he and his team were leaving the area. Twenty minutes after his call they were in the Red Carpet Lounge waiting for their flight to Jacksonville to be called.

Terry said, ‘This anti-terrorist stuff is picking up. First class travel, luxury hotels, great food, and moments of action to escape the boredom of peaceful living.”

“Terry, God bless you, but I’m ready for a big chunk of peaceful living. It’s good to see you back. I was worried about you going up to Boston,” said Peter.

“So was I. I had lost my confidence in tight situations over my stupidity in getting shot and damn near killed. I’m over that now and feel good.”

“Amen. I was also more than worried. I wanted my Uncle Terry back. You know, the one who walked without fear.”

As their flight descended into Jacksonville Airport, Bernadette put her head on Peter’s shoulder and said, “Maybe the IRA threat can be put behind us now. What do you think?”

“Maybe so but let’s keep our guard up for a while longer. My enemies will never give up looking for me. But I think I have lost them for now.”

Bernadette pulled the Cadillac up two blocks from Terry’s condo. Terry had only light luggage and had drilled her into following a security protocol. “Never be so careless that someone watching this condo, which was also your address of record, could connect you to the Brandon house,” Terry had told her multiple times.

It bothered her that while Terry was going in to an empty house, she and Peter were going to a home that was filled with love, noise, and laughter with a few barks thrown in.