True to her estimate, Kathy gave them a meeting place a half-block uptown from their location inside the park. Anita met her while Jack stayed out of sight in the park. Minutes later, after Jack worked the new sweater over his bandaged arm and draped the new raincoat over his shoulders, they were in the rental car headed back to the Cadillac SUV in the Best Western parking lot. Kathy dropped Jack and Anita in the parking lot next to their SUV and left to turn in the rental. Anita’s skill with a pressure bandage had kept any blood from getting on the rental’s upholstery. The bloodstained raincoat was rolled up and put in the back of the Cadillac.

When Kathy returned in a taxi, she got behind the wheel of the Cadillac with Jack and Anita in the backseat. After examining Jack’s wound, Anita opened her travelling first aid kit and said, “Jack you’re going to get about 15 grade ‘A’ field stitches by one of the best. It’ll hurt some, so I’ll deaden the area a bit before I clean it and sew it up. And Kathy, I need a smooth ride back here. How did this happen anyway?”

Jack said, “My knife-fighting instructors all told me taking on a skilled person with a knife was no problem, as long as I accepted I would get cut in the process. They were right.”

“But what happened to Olsen? I wish I could have had a clear shot at him.”

“I think my palm heel smash to his chest pushed his sternum into his heart. I hit him hard.”

“Good! A guy comes at you with a knife, you put him down as hard as you can. Served the bastard right! Fucking people think they can run around our country setting bombs off don’t deserve one damned bit of sympathy! Kathy, keep your eyes on the road. I’ll fix your guy up almost as good as new.”

Jack admired the deftness of Anita’s hands. She was stitching up his arm with precise even stitches while damning the world of terrorism with angry passion. With Kathy trying hard to stay within the speed limit, they headed for Route 95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

By the time Kathy wheeled onto the turnpike, Jack was dozing. Anita leaned on the back of the front seat and said, “Can you believe Jack? He is one tough quiet guy. I never heard of anyone killing a skilled knife fighter with one blow to the chest!”

After midnight Kathy parked the SUV at the cabin. Seated in the cabin with a Jack Black on the rocks in his good hand, Jack was fighting the urge to take a pain killer. Anita leaned over and told him, “Don’t fight it. You’ll heal faster if your body doesn’t have to fight the pain. Take the pills.”

Kathy said, “Thank you. I’ve been telling him it’s okay to take pain pills since we got back here.”

Anita took Jack by his good arm and said, “First, we are going to have a look at his cut. Kathy, bring him to the kitchen. I think he’s going to need his bandage changed. It’s spotting through the gauze.”

After the old bandage was removed, Anita examined the wound and said, “Hmm, I hope you don’t mind scars because you are going to have a nice one. Once it changes from the angry red to a healed white color, it won’t be too noticeable. How about you, Kathy? Do you still want these damaged goods?”

Kathy gave Anita a funny look and asked, “Have I been that obvious?”

Anita laughed and said, “You both have. Both of you are being so damn careful to act like nothing is going on here. Hey, girl, do you think I was born yesterday?”

“I made Jack promise not to fuss over me when our jobs became difficult. Now, I think I’ll stop worrying about him. This guy is one fantastic fighter. He put Olsen down hard and quick. My mother told me to have nothing to do with men over 40 who were not limping or carrying scars. Jack has both, and he’s only 31. Once in a while he favors a bad football knee and now he has two scars, counting the bullet wound on his butt.

“Anita, I’ll never be able thank you enough for taking charge and fixing Jack up so well. So, yes, I’ll take this package of damaged goods and be thankful. Where did you learn those medical skills? I don’t think any emergency room would have done any better.”

“Hey, I’m better than any emergency room with a wound not calling for serious surgery. People die in emergency rooms. I’ve never lost a patient, although it’s been close a couple of times. In the Rangers and Special Forces one of my specialties was medical treatment of battlefield wounds when it was impossible or difficult to immediately medevac. Basically I had to learn how to stabilize wounded soldiers to buy time until they could be lifted to a field medical facility.”

Buy “Justice Beyond Law” on Amazon, as well as the rest of the Jack Brandon series and other books by Barry Kelly, a former CIA agent and adviser to President Reagan.