Using the same communications gear they had used to take down Yuri, Jack called Kathy. She answered the radio check, reporting no traffic had gone in or out of Citrus Drive. Light was fading quickly as Jack and Anita reached dry land. He still couldn’t figure how Anita led them to the exact place they had picked from the aerial images and topographical maps, in the fading light, no less.

He and his father had made a sport out of orienteering and recon training that required heavy emphasis on reading terrain, but Anita’s skills were awesome. After making their way through the cypress knees, Jack called a halt before entering the narrow fringe of loblolly pines. A few minutes later they were moving through the stand of pines bordering the east side of the trailer park. The going was much easier. The downside is anyone can move quietly in a pine grove, and there wasn’t much cover. Jack thought what the hell. Life is full of tradeoffs. Just don’t expect them to always be on your side.

He wanted to be in position to watch the Carlson trailer before the light was totally gone. He judged they needed about five more minutes. So far they had made no tentative moves. In combat, tentative moves could get you killed.

The plan was simple. Watch the trailer to see if the occupants were settled in for the night or moving about outside. If they were moving around outside, the action would be more complicated, especially if they were armed. Shoot first and sort out any problem later. These were not the type of people who deserved a chance. They knew they faced life imprisonment or execution. Carlson and Jones had nothing to lose by putting up a fight. Given a chance, they would fight.

Anita moved on ahead toward the trailer. She planned to slip up to the lean-to shed next to the trailer and plant a charge of C4 with a ten-minute fuse in the stack of fuel tins stored under the tarp and another under the trailer. If the terrorists were in the trailer, they probably wouldn’t be able to get out if the cans were filled with kerosene. They didn’t know yet where the fertilizer was stored. Perhaps it had already been mixed and was in the panel truck. In that case, the police and fire investigators would probably believe somehow the bomb makers had made a mistake while making the detonator and had died because of it.

Jack’s radio came to life with Anita’s voice as she told him, “I’ve reached the edge of the pine grove and can make out the trailer about 40 yards due west of my position. Do you have me?”

“No. Not yet. Stay put until I move up.”

“Roger that.”

Another five minutes and Jack moved to the edge of the pine grove. He saw Anita 20 yards to his right and said, “Okay, I have you. Move up closer.”

A patch of palmettos edged the cleared land around the trailer. Jack found a concealed position there and settled down to watch the trailer. Ten minutes passed and with the failing light, they shifted to night vision. Five minutes later Anita said, “I have movement at my two o’clock.”

Jack checked and said, “I have them. They are both out near the panel truck.”

Anita replied, “I think they will wait for darkness to load the panel truck with the fertilizer bomb. A mixing box, like cement workers use, sits right behind the truck.”

Jack came back, “I cannot see from my position. Will they have to move the truck tonight, or can it sit in the heat tomorrow?”

“That stuff is very stable. It could sit there for a week, but some of the fuel may evaporate if it gets too hot or sits too long. I don’t think they will move the truck tonight, but they might. Better tell Kathy to block Citrus Drive if they start to move.”

Jack replied, “They won’t be leaving. We are going to stop them. It’s too dangerous to have the truck bomb on the road. Too many variables if they get under way. Make a couple of C4 explosive packages with 15-minute detonators.”

“Roger that. Can do.”

Jack called Kathy and said, “Did you copy?”

“Yes, I copied and can set up the road block. Just give me the word.”

***

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. 

The next morning from their stake-out position along Route 17, Anita and Jack picked up surveillance of Norma and Stanley Jones as they left Citrus Drive at 11:00 with Stanley driving. Anita called Kathy and told her the coast was clear. After shopping in Fernandina Beach, Stanley and Norma stopped for lunch at the Palace Bar in downtown Fernandina. On the way home they stopped at the Radio Shack for 40 minutes. Anita could not see what they bought, but they came out with a number of plastic bags. Later at the Loews Store on A1A, they were observed buying 500 pounds of fertilizer in bags. After that stop they went directly to their trailer.

Jack used his cell to tell Kathy to go back to his house. The pickup truck was headed back to the trailer park. Kathy replied she had had a good look at the trailer and general area and, while casing the trailer, noted a number of red two-gallon cans marked with a yellow K in a lean-to on the end of the trailer. An old white Ford Panel truck without plates, sat in the back of the lot under some trees. The truck looked to be in running shape. Tire marks looked fairly new. There were no obvious signs of occupancy in more than half of the trailers.

Jack said, “Okay, we have enough. Meet you back at the house.”

Sitting around the small table in the study, surrounded by maps and computer prints of Kathy’s pictures, Jack said, “Anita, you’re our bomb expert. What’s going on in the trailer park?”

“You know damn well what’s going on. Our two senior citizen terrorists are making a fertilizer bomb or two.”

Jack asked, “What about the timing?”

“I don’t think they want all that fertilizer and kerosene sitting around. Too many people may notice it. I guess they will mix it today or tomorrow. The items from Radio Shack may be for some sort of a timing or remote detonation device. So we don’t have much time. I think these might be the ones who killed the Secretary of Commerce.”

Jack said, “We go tonight.”

After a late lunch of curried soup and grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches, Anita and Kathy arranged images of the trailer park into a panorama of the target. The panorama clearly showed the trailer park area, the surrounding marsh and wood stands, primarily of loblolly pine. The panorama when coordinated with the map gave them all they needed to plan the mission.

Jack looked at Anita and said, “Kathy will drop us along Route 17 South near Citrus Drive. We’ll move cross-country to the trailer park.” Jack pointed to a small tidal stream running fifty yards east of the trailer park.

“I’m sure we can follow the edge of the marsh to within striking distance of the trailer park.”

Anita said, “I don’t know about you two, but I would like to have something other than my knife.”

Jack laughed and said, “My father always kept a small stock of explosives, communications equipment and weapons hidden in his house. Come with me. I’ll see if I can remember my dad’s directions.”

Jack led them over to a bookcase in the living room and said, “Watch this.”

Pressing a section of the center section, he swung the section out, exposing a door flush with the wall. Opening the door, he led Kathy and Anita into a four-foot deep space the entire length of the bookcase.

Anita said, “This is like a warrior’s toy shop. Look at this stuff.”

Jack said, “It’s a free store. Take what you’ll need.”

After inspecting the weapons and supplies, Anita selected four ounces of C4, night vision glasses, two compasses, flashlights and canteens. She liked the greater fire power of the Glocks but selected a .22 High Standard fitted with a noise suppressor. She said, “If you can shoot a handgun with accuracy, a hollow point .22 long rifle cartridge has enough stopping power. No need to carry a canon.”

Jack and Kathy picked .357 Dan Wesson revolvers, a revolver was much less likely to jam up if exposed to water and sand. Just after dusk Kathy dropped Jack and Anita along Route 17 South one hundred yards south of Citrus Drive. They pushed quickly through the palmettos, being careful not to get cut by the palmetto thorns or to leave any evidence of their passing.

The mosquitoes were out in full force. The repellant Jack smeared on his face, neck and hands seemed to attract every mosquito in the marsh. Anita used no repellant. She told Jack to suck it up, the mosquitoes here weren’t bad, and repellent always had a giveaway smell.

From time to time a blue heron or a giant egret would take off with its scolding, honking cry. For a time they were waist deep in the tidal creek. Moving in the water was much easier and quieter than dealing with high marsh grass and palmettos. Anita, in the point, slowed and angled sharply into the marsh grass. For the next ten minutes, it was heavy going through the high grass and knee deep water. Jack was good at orienteering but knew he was not in the same league with Anita. She seemed to have an uncanny sense of carrying a map in her head and knowing exactly where she was along the route. The water was cool with a strong marsh smell. The bottom, soft in places, still provided good footing.

Anita was slowing, picking her way through the marsh with Jack five paces behind her. Jack hissed to get her attention and pointed to a six-foot alligator less than 20 feet from them. Anita paled and stopped, breathing rapidly. Jack told her to relax. Let alone, alligators will avoid man unless some dumb tourists have been feeding them. He told her a story where a gator was so used to being fed that it knocked down a kitchen door when no dinner came out.

Anita said, “For Christ’s sake, shut up and let’s get out of here. I hate crawly reptile things.”

“Don’t worry, if he attacks, you can use the pop gun you’re carrying.”

Anita whispered, “I’ll use it on you, if I hear any more of your sick humor about reptiles.”

***

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. 

Anita took ten minutes to get settled into one of the first floor bedrooms and to get into her bathing suit. Kathy was already in the water unwinding after yesterday’s long drive and a restless night. She had a lot to think about. Her new job and very attractive boss made her wonder if she was ready for another relationship. Why was this sexy, intelligent and rich guy unattached? Was he attracted to her?

Anita arrived at poolside, gave Jack a hug, and said, “If this is how counter terrorists live and work, count me in. This place is gorgeous.”

Jack said, “My dad loved to come here, but the tranquility wore him down after about three weeks, and he had to move on. Now, go get a good swim. In about a half hour, we’ve some serious planning to do.”

Anita entered the pool without a splash and joined Kathy swimming laps. Kathy was sleek and swift in the water, but Anita, using a powerful freestyle stroke, easily overtook and passed Kathy. She moved through the water like a seal, almost no splash, yet she surged up and down the pool. Her flip turn was quick and elegant.

After getting a good workout and taking in some good old Southern sun rays, the two women joined Jack. The tall blonde athlete from a well-to-do Southern lifestyle and the shorter muscular woman from the soft coal area of Pennsylvania chatted and laughed as they toweled off and sat down in the cabana.

Anita said, “Okay, Boss, we’re here and ready. What and how’s this going down?”

Jack said, “Well, we told the FBI about a bombing cell in New York, and until it all plays out, we can’t send them any more leads. They wouldn’t pay any attention to a second report about a bomber who plans to set off a couple of bombs between the first and 15th of May in a different location. In fact, a second tip given to them may even weaken their interest in the first lead.

“If the police and the FBI find our first information accurate and they get the bombers, then we’ll have great credibility and can pass leads to them they will act on. So we deal with this Florida bomb cell and I mean kill them. There is no other way. We have to take this cell out, but leave enough evidence to help the local cops figure out these were bad people intent on mass murder. We need some more info on the Yulee cell.”

Kathy said, “We know now where they live and work. We have their license plate numbers and makes of all the cars. They have two cars, a green 1995 Chevy pickup truck with a Florida tag number BRG 609 and a beige Lincoln Town Car tag number CIT 295. DMV data support our information and confirm full names and addresses. Norma Carlson is the leader of the cell. Since she is 63 with no history I can find, she is probably an original member of the network. She owns a shabby antique/collectibles shop on route A1A in Yulee. The other member of the cell is her long-term lover or common-law husband named Stanley Jones. Jones does have a traceable history and was born in Athens, Georgia, in 1945. Jones served in the U.S. Army in the First Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He held the rating of a Spec 4 and was in several actions. I could not get access to his military records without attracting attention. Thanks to Yuri’s records and the internet we have quite a bit of information.

“The couple lives in a trailer park less than a mile south of A1A on U.S. 17. A narrow lane, Citrus Drive, turns east off 17 and winds back about a quarter of a mile to a trailer park with about forty trailers.”

Anita said, “What we need is some info on the terrain around the trailer and a good approach and escape plan.”

Kathy nodded her head and said, “Tomorrow we need to follow them for a few hours and get a look at their trailer. Some good maps would also help.”

Jack said, “We have maps in the study. Dad was a real map person. He had good maps wherever he lived. Tomorrow Anita and I will be one team, and Kathy you’ll be the second team. Your job is to check out their trailer and surrounding terrain. Take a lot of pictures.”

***

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. 

True to her word they crossed the bridge over the Inland Waterway to Amelia Island at 2:50 a.m. Another ten minutes, and they pulled up to the Amelia Island Plantation gate. Jack gave the guard his name and address and received a residence pass in return. He guided Kathy the short distance to the Brandon residence. Kathy followed the driveway around to the back and stopped in front of the three-car garage. All the outdoor lights were on, including the pool lights and the indoor sensor lights.

Kathy asked, “Are we alone?”

“No one’s here but us. The Vietnamese couple who make this place work don’t live here. I told them we were coming in late tonight, and they left the house ready for us.”

Kathy said, “I should have told you earlier during our true confessions period, one of my nearly uncontrollable passions is skinny dipping. Can you handle that?”

“Not only can I handle it, but I should have confessed the same thing. Hope you don’t mind Shadow joining us. He loves the pool and the swim would be good for him.”

They helped a wobbly Shadow out of the wagon. Shadow knew where he was and went directly to his favorite outdoor spot. Kathy didn’t bother to use the poolside dressing room. She was naked and in the pool before Jack had his shoes off. A few minutes later Jack joined her after dimming the outdoor and pool lights. Shadow was the last one in. Kathy swam toward Jack and Shadow, then did a clean surface dive, emerging right in front of Jack. She looked up at him, smiled, and put her arms around him. She thought, this guy even looks better with his clothes off.

His dark hair always managed to come partially down over his forehead. Kathy felt his green eyes looking deep into hers. She had watched him as he walked to the control box near the pool house to dim the lights. He moved with the power and grace of the big cat family.

Kathy quietly said, “I’m not ready to sleep with you yet, but I think your driver deserves a hug and a good kiss.”

Jack smiled and put his arms around her and pulled her gently against him. He felt her arms and legs go around his body. She ran her right hand over the bullet wound scar on the left side of his butt and said, “Where did you get that?”

As Jack started to answer, Kathy put her hand over his mouth and said, “Later,” and pulled his lips down to hers. The kiss grew. Kathy, feeling her desire growing out of control and noticing Jack’s arousal, gently pushed him away and said, “Whoa, big guy. I’ll come to you some night soon. For now I feel wonderful and very safe. And besides Shadow is watching us.”

Jack laughed and said, “He’s never seen anything like this before, and I hope he gets to many, many times.” Shadow had finished his dip and, despite his healing wound, was trying to shake off droplets of water.

Early the next morning, the United Airlines flight with Anita aboard landed at Jacksonville International Airport. Her rental, a white Cadillac CTS, awaited her. Forty minutes later she was approaching the Long Point gate on Amelia Plantation. Anita pressed the marked button on the remote Jack had given her, and the gate into the posh community swung open. The Brandon house was at the very end of Riverview Road.

Anita drove through the open gate and around the driveway. She was impressed with the privacy and setting provided by a high brick wall and perimeter plantings. The Brandon property was isolated on a spit of land projecting into the Amelia River. The house looked rather ostentatious from the outside. Anita thought, no matter, she could live here. Driving around back, the magnificent gardens, featuring low blooming azaleas around the swimming pool, came into view. She was lost in the magic of the setting until she heard Kathy yell, “Park your wheels and come on in. The water is great.”

***

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. 

Kathy cocked her eye at Jack and said, “Okay. Remember you asked for it. I had a good upbringing. No traumas of any kind. No family drama. We weren’t rich, but I don’t remember ever wanting for much. I have two brothers, one just a year older than I am. We were very close. He’s the one who was killed visiting the Twin Towers on September 11. That’s the reason I hate the Muslim terrorists so much. It is a war and I am ready to fight it. The other brother is two years younger and is not much for keeping in touch with family.

“I was the tomboy of my crowd and maybe the pack leader. I was a good tennis player and won a couple of state tournaments in my early teens. I’ve always liked sports and need to keep active. I’m quite good in the water but not in Anita’s class. I won some events in high school which, by the way, was in Chapel Hill. When I graduated, I went to the University of North Carolina also in Chapel Hill, and majored in political science, languages, boys, pizza and beer. School work was easy. CIA contacted me through the head of my department my senior year and made me an offer. It sounded great and it was. Excellent training with a feeling of belonging to an organization that cared about me.

“If you were good and a bit lucky, good assignments and promotions came quickly. I was always good at languages, which helped me get posted to Russia and the Middle East. Work was everything and I loved it. Not much time or opportunity for long-term relationships.

“Romances were short and sweet. Not many people know this, but I was married once. It lasted six months and then I was out of there. I wasn’t about to have to fight the jerk I married every time he had a few drinks and wanted to prove his manhood. The last time I hurt him pretty badly. It was ugly. Anyway I got away. Not too much baggage and I still like to be around men rather than women.

“My father died while I was in Moscow, and two years later my mother was in the beginning phase of Alzheimer’s. When she worsened, I moved her to a full care facility in Richmond, Virginia. CIA was good enough to assign me to Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, so I could visit her nearly every weekend. Her care was taking most of my paycheck and a Headquarters tour for me was not the same as being an overseas operative. Too much red tape, wringing of hands over legal issues and far too much management from the Congressional Oversight Committees. Those people don’t understand what a war on terrorism means or what it takes to fight it. I was getting restless when the wonderful man, who runs the Counter Terrorism Center at CIA, told me he knew of a great job with an organization on the outside with good pay and a need for people like me and asked was I interested? Yes! Yes! I was interested. And when I met you and we talked about the job, I thought these kinds of opportunities are rare in life. I’m glad to be working with you and Anita. And thanks to you I have more than enough money to pay my mother’s medical expenses.

“My mother is now pretty far gone. The doctors tell me she will not live out this year. Mom hasn’t recognized me for over a year. To me, in one sense, she died a while ago. We were very close.”

Jack could see a few tears running down Kathy’s face, handed her a Kleenex, and said, “I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

“Nonsense, Jack Brandon! Talking is good for me. I seldom do it. I must feel very safe revealing my innermost secrets to you. Anyway what you heard is my story. I am challenged and happy working with you and Anita, who is a wonderful piece of work. I probably wouldn’t have stayed at the CIA. I clashed several times with the process people. I want to believe that you will keep me as part of this wonderful group of people. Oh, and I like my name and don’t like shortcuts like Kat. Okay?”

“Hey! So Kathy it is. Anyway I like your work. I’m glad you are here. As my father taught me, change is inevitable, and good leadership knows when to make the changes. Just between us, I’m not sure what or where we will be in five years. I want the Yuri network finished, one way or the other. Then we can regroup for the future.”

“Thanks for being so candid with me. Promise you’ll give me a long notice, if you don’t need me or want me around anymore.”

“You got it. I had two reasons for asking you to make this trip with me. I wanted to talk to you and get to know you better, and I wanted to checkout your widespread reputation as a driver.”

The radar detector chirped and a female voice said, “KU band detected.” Kathy braked hard to get down to seventy mph. “The sneak must be just around the next curve. Yep, there he is,” pointing to a squad car hidden near the top of a grassy bank. “My fuzz buster just saved you a bunch of money.”

A short time later Jack said, “Traveling at warp speed is tiring me out. Is it okay if I take a little nap?”

Kathy nodded her head. Focused on the road and impatiently scanning for the squad’s possible companion, she didn’t even notice Jack dropping off. They were just passing Savannah after eight hours of driving when Jack blinked and noted the speedometer was holding steady at just over 100 mph.

Seeing he was awake, she said, “Okay, sleepy head, how about buying your driver something to eat? Shadow is also awake and hungry. A decent truck stop is at the next exit open 24/7. We should be on Amelia Island by 3:00 a.m. unless you want to drive again.”

“Sure, it’s okay – if you can slow down to 60 before we hit the parking lot.”

“Coward.”

***

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. 

Two days later Jack and Kathy pulled out of the garage and headed south. Anita had some personal business to attend to and promised to fly down the next day. Some hours later as they were passing Rocky Mount, NC, on I-95 South, Kathy said, “ Pull into the next rest stop and let Shadow stretch and me use the ladies’ room.”

Jack said, “Good idea. You made a good choice. This little wagon moves along nicely.”

Kathy laughed and punched a button on the display unit showing Jack had averaged 52 miles an hour. She said, “At this rate it will take us two days.”

Partially to amuse herself but more to encourage Jack to pick up the speed, Kathy had read portions of the operating manual aloud. However, Jack wasn’t interested in making time, he’d been trying to find an opening to ask her if she had anyone in her life but couldn’t find the right moment. Maybe while they were walking Shadow.

Jack slowed and eased into a parking space at a North Carolina rest stop. Shadow was glad to get out. It was easier for him to get in and out of the lower BMW wagon than the old Cherokee.

When they were ready to leave, Kathy held out her hand for the keys and said, “My turn.” By the time they merged onto I-95, she was cruising at 80 and adjusting her fuzz buster. After getting a feel for the traffic, she upped the speed to 90. Grinning at Jack, she said, “I really love to drive fast cars. It relaxes me. Now tell me about Shadow.”

Jack laughed, “There is a short answer and a long one. If you bear with me, I’ll give you the long one.”

“Good. I’m really interested. Give me the full treatment.”

“Okay. You asked for it. Shadow is a Bouvier. The breed was developed in Belgium and France as herding dogs and to pull small one-man carts loaded with produce, such as milk cans. Bouviers were heavily involved in both world wars and very nearly exterminated by the Germans. The U.K. and later the U.S. played a big role in bringing back the breed.

“Since then the dogs have been used as police dogs, herding dogs, personal assistance dogs and just plain pets. The Bouvier has always been enthusiastic about working alongside his owner. So a lot of what you see Shadow doing, he just does.

“He’s been through watchdog training, but I’ve not made a concentrated effort to train him. I believe beyond a few basic commands, overtraining can take the sense of freedom and spontaneity from the dog and fundamentally change the relationship. Shadow seems to know what I want from him and tries to give just that. I try to be aware of what he is communicating to me and act accordingly. In a sense we own each other. Shadow is incredibly stoic. In fact, the breed is known for that.

“One day while charging through a brush pile in hot pursuit of a squirrel, he ran a sharp end of a broken branch from a downed pine tree deep into his chest. Beyond a yelp and a gathering of his strength, he walked home with me. When I examined him more closely at home, I saw the deep hole in his chest. The vet said another half-inch to the left and the branch would have penetrated his heart. That’s why I’m sure Shadow will recover from his gunshot wound. He’s one tough guy. That’s the long answer.”

While Jack had been talking, Kathy was reading between the lines. Kathy liked the character she saw emerging. From her standpoint, Jack was telling her as much about himself as he was about Shadow. Here was a guy who didn’t even want to dominate or micro-manage his dog. He communicates better with his dog than most people do with their families.

Kathy became aware Jack had stopped talking and was looking at her and waiting for a response. She looked over and said, “That was not such a long answer, but I understand you and Shadow a lot better. I’ve some other questions. Some personal, if that’s okay.”

“It’s okay, if I get equal time. You go first.”

“A woman wonders when she meets an attractive man in his early thirties who is not in some sort of relationship with a woman. Did you give up on us girls after your divorce? Or is there someone nobody knows about out there?”

“Hey, you cut right to the chase don’t you? But fair enough. I’ve been separated for more than a year now and divorced for several months. People talk about friendly divorces, but mine was not. It was a nasty process. As much as I tried to keep things civil, it didn’t work. I wasn’t happy in the marriage but was trying to make it work. Marsha was the one who wanted out. She had grown up in a family with money and was quite comfortable financially before she married me. She resented having to live on my salary as a police officer in a large city.

“I wanted kids and she didn’t. She couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and decided to leave me for a richer man. She never suspected my father was very wealthy. Like the rest of our marriage, the bedroom was not a happy place. I never strayed, but it was getting increasingly hard not to. So I didn’t fight the divorce. I ended up with Shadow, who disliked Marsha from day one, my books, our very modest house and all the bills.

“I may have given you too much information, but that is the story in condensed form.”

Kathy’s last question was about Jack’s love life. She laughed when Jack replied, “Love life! What is that?”

“Now, it is my turn. Tell me the Kathy Grayson story.”

***

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. 

Three days later, the Brandon letter about the New York bomb cell, mailed from a busy camera-free location in Baltimore, arrived at its destination, Maryland State Police Headquarters, ATTN: Deputy Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Terrell. LtCol Terrell, the officer-in-charge of the Maryland State Police Counter-Terrorist Task Force, sat at his desk drinking his first office coffee of the day, savoring what he hoped would be a routine day allowing him to attack his damn inbox. His hope shattered when Alicia walked in with his morning mail.

Rather than drop his mail on top of the overflowing inbox, as was her custom, Alicia handed him an envelope and said, “Colonel Terrell, I think you should look at this one.”

“And why should I do that? You screen my mail. Tell me about it.”

“No, you should read this one yourself. I think it may be too important for a simple ‘we will look into it’ note.”

“Okay. Okay. Give to me!” Terrell took the letter with the attached envelope and leaned back in his chair with his feet on the desk to read the letter his usually unflappable assistant thought he should see right away. Thirty seconds later he yelled out to Alicia to call the superintendent and tell him he was on his way to his office.

After reading the letter, the superintendent asked his deputy what he thought. Terrell said, “I can’t believe it! How could this guy know about the weapons we found, that a total of four shots had been fired from the weapons, identified the rifles, told us the positions of the bodies and that one was wearing glasses? No one outside of us and the Bureau knows all that. And how about the data on this so-called New York cell and their plan to explode two car bombs between the first and the fifteenth of May? He has given us the names, addresses and descriptions of the bombers. I know one thing. We cannot sit on this. It has got to go to the Bureau right now. Hell, it’s already the twenty-eighth of April.”

The superintendent said, “I agree. Call the head of the FBI task force and tell him we are coming right over, with a hot terrorist lead.”

So far no one had done anything to protect the letter or envelope for later forensic analysis, just as Kathy and Jack had hoped.

After the story about the hillside killings a few days before, there hadn’t been anything new in the media. This morning, however, the spokesperson for the Maryland State Police said they had been told by someone working in the restaurant about a white Jeep station wagon parked at the bottom of the lot about the time the police believed the activity took place. The police spokesperson asked the public to come forward with any information regarding the station wagon reported to be a 200l or 02 model seen anywhere in the general area of the shooting about 6:00 p.m. on Monday the 15th of April.

After the morning news anchor had moved on to other news, Jack said, “That’s the advantage large official organizations have in solving a crime. They have the resources to pick any number of loose strands and start the unraveling process. The Jeep will be a dead end because we took steps to keep any of the cars from being traced back to us. To quote my Dad, ‘no detail is too small for attention. Do not overlook any parts of your execution plan.’ Authorities can recover from mistakes. We cannot.”

Jack asked Kathy and Anita if they saw any loose ends.

Anita said, “The honest answer is I don’t know. I’m satisfied with our precautions at the restaurant. The Tilghman Island operation has the potential for more loose ends. We had a boat, a marina docking and the chance of a bystander reporting some of the action at the Morgan Marina, but our precautions were pretty good. All bills were paid in cash. All IDs were in various aliases. No brass was left on the scene. By the time all the firemen and police and gawkers walked all over the area, it is unlikely any footprints could be cast. It has not yet been designated a crime scene. When the Maryland cops identify the two dead shooters as Morgans from Tilghman Island, the Marina will be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Every day that goes by without identification is in our favor. You and I came back to the Zodiac through the marsh grass at the marina on a dead run. Footprints in soft soil are always a possibility. The boots we wore are long gone. In this business it is always dangerous to believe you are home free. In this case, I feel we are okay.”

***

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. 

The evening TV news carried more detailed media coverage of the hillside shooting. The story also played as a secondary story on the front page of several newspapers. The coverage noted the unsolved mystery of the killing near the Fisherman’s Inn in Maryland had a number of disturbing aspects. The dead men still had not been identified. A preliminary DNA analysis indicated two of the men were members of the same family. Most likely they were father and son. Although both rifles had been fired, the bullet from one of the bodies at the crime scene did not come from either weapon. The police had not released any information on the type of weapons carried by the men or what they were doing on the hillside behind the restaurant.

A source close to the investigation told the Sun the police had found a place where a vehicle had been parked off a little-used Great Falls Park fire road. Some casts of footprints had been collected from the site. The report of a vehicle hidden nearby led to speculation a third party may have been involved. The police have no idea regarding a possible motive for the bizarre shooting. Nevertheless, a beefed up Task Force has been formed to investigate a number of recent shootings in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area to see if any ties exist between the killings, starting with the shooting of Representative Cohen.

That same evening with everybody gathered in front of the late night news, the anchor said, “According to an AP wire flash San Francisco Mayor Carol Richland has just been killed by an unseen shooter as she was leaving a homeless shelter. We have no other information, except she was shot multiple times and died on her way to the hospital. Richland was well liked and had been expected to win a second term. A police spokeswoman promised a news conference at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Coast Time.”

Everyone looked surprised. Kathy looked at Jack and said, “That mission was not on Yuri’s DVD, but it has to be someplace in Yuri’s records.”

She went to get her notebook and to go through Yuri’s DVDs and hard drives again to see if they contained any more surprises. Kathy worked all night searching through Yuri’s records. It was almost morning when she discovered a hidden file on the C-drive containing Yuri’s recent instructions to his network. She also found a way into his email account and a history of postings to an obscure web page. She printed her new findings, making copies for Jack and Anita. She thought more secrets could be in Yuri’s material, but what she found today meant they had to change their priorities and timetable.

After a two-hour sleep, Kathy rolled out of bed and, after showering and washing her hair, joined Jack and Anita in the breakfast nook. Jack thought, this lady looks great in her blue warm-up suit. She enjoys living on the edge. The morning sun glinted when it struck her blonde streaked hair.

She noticed Jack looking at her, smiled and said, “Hey, how about some decent coffee? It’s too damn early for a gin and tonic. A couple of scrambled would hit the spot. I worked all night on the Yuri records.”

Kathy thought Jack’s smile was intoxicating. She had a “drunken attack” when Jack smiled at her. She thought, God, I hope it doesn’t show.

“Okay, you got it. But your news better be good.”

“Urgent it is. Good it’s not.” Jack put a steaming cup of Oren’s Columbia Roast in front of her and said, “Talk.”

“Thanks. Here goes. Late last night I had a couple of insights and found a way into Yuri’s email and a hidden file on his hard drive. I was looking for anything that might add to what we know about his mission planning and scheduling.

“According to what I found, nothing changed in the mission for the ‘Primus’ cell in New York.”

Here Kathy took a long drink of her coffee and announced, “Here comes the scary news: it is not on the DVD but on the hidden file on the hard drive. The Yulee, Florida cell’s mission has changed from the version in the DVD. Apparently Yuri decided to move up the bombing mission time schedule for the bomber cell in Yulee, Florida, to match the bombing mission in New York City. He instructed “Crystal,” the leader of the cell, to carry out two large bombings in Florida between the first and fifteenth of May. Today is the 25th of April. Not a lot of time for us. I think he first recorded his operational information onto a hidden file on his C-drive and then transferred it to a DVD when he had the time. No matter how well you hide stuff on your hard drive, someone will find it with enough time. Yuri was too much of a pro to carry incriminating information around with him on his notebook.

“The killing of the San Francisco mayor was the work of his San Francisco cell. And here is the really bad part. He identified you and your father and sent the information, including your pictures, to what looks like an al-Qaeda web page asking for help in dealing with these dangerous people. He sent this information three weeks ago after raiding your father’s mailbox. I couldn’t get anything else out of the website.”

“Okay!” Jack said, looking across the table at Kathy. “We can’t stay here anymore. I believe we should immediately set up in our house on Amelia Island. If you and Anita agree, we can drive down with Shadow, and we can use the Florida house as our headquarters. I can handle any estate requirements by fax or messenger service.

“No way can Lee Jensen find us the proper place to live up here with enough security and space for us to run our activities in less than a couple of months. And we can’t stay in this apartment long term. It might be known to the terrorists and it’s too small. Also, I told Lee to find me a builder and an architect to build a house on the burned site of my dad’s old home. The noise and activity will drive us all crazy. You and Anita can move in with me. I don’t see any down side.”

Anita said, “Let’s do it. When do we move?”

Jack replied, “Very soon. We don’t need to take any weapons from here. Every house my dad owned has a cache of basic weapons. I’ve never seen them, but I do know how to find and open the hidden compartments. I think there’s enough in the Florida house for us. I’ll contact a moving company and put the safes and some of our stuff in storage. Florida, here we come.”

***

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. 

After lunch, Anita and Kathy stayed in the kitchen talking. Jack came into the kitchen and said, “I checked the wire services and the eastern shore papers. They contained a news item about an exploding propane tank causing a fire. Three people died in the explosion and fire. Their identities are being withheld until positive identification can be made. I also checked on the progress of the Maryland State Police investigation of the three dead bodies at the Fisherman’s Inn. The latest bulletin said the men had been armed and apparently had fired their weapons. The weapons are now undergoing ballistics analysis. More information will be given to the media as the investigation moves along.”

Anita said, “Obviously, they must suspect something other than an ordinary case of three guys shooting each other. At least one of my shots was not a through and through, and they probably will find at least one of our slugs from the bodies and discover it was not fired by the weapons the men held. Then the investigation will move to a higher level. If, and I say if, those weapons are matched with any of the recent sniper hits, this investigation will be taken over by the Feds and splashed all over prime time TV and front pages.”

Jack said, “Well, we’ve done the best we can do with the Jason cell. Let’s move on to the New York Bomber cell. I’ve got some ideas I want you to hear.

“I’m worried we have so much going on requiring our 24/7 attention that we are going to get tired and make mistakes. Look at the problem in New York. We don’t have the resources to take down the cell in one quick strike, but we have a near perfect tip to give to the cops or FBI. The problem is we have no credibility, and tips like this one might be sat on for too long. We have nearly complete data on the New York cell. We know who they are and where they are. We even know what they plan to do and a time frame for their action. From my experience on the police force, our information seems to be a slam dunk for any law enforcement organization. We need to give them some hard information they can quickly and easily check.”

Kathy replied, “Yeah, okay. But data from unknown sources have about a 90 percent chance of being filed away until it is too late. We have to give them something not only solid but attention-getting. I think we should go over the data we have on Jason Inc. and see if we can give them anything without revealing our participation in the Fisherman’s Inn or Tilghman Island action.”

Jack added, “I think we have to include some information that will immediately get their attention. Believe me, they would just as soon investigate us as some vague unknown terrorist organization. Let’s review what we know that the FBI does not, or they know but haven’t released to the media. The more detail the better. The Feebies get off on detail.”

Anita replied, “Okay, we know the IDs of the two dead guys on the hillside. We know where they lived. We know what kind of weapons they carried, and both the Steyr-Mannlicher SSG-69 and the VAL Silent Sniper were fired twice. These are rather esoteric weapons for general use in the U.S. Both are sound suppression weapons ideal for urban sniping.”

Jack said, “Good, we can include information about the weapons as an attention getter. Nothing about these weapons was revealed in the media. I also suspect these weapons were used on other sniper kills. If the Feds make ballistics match with other murders, the proverbial shit will hit the fan. The media will be all over the story. I don’t see how putting the data about the weapons in our message to the FBI could possibly lead back to us.”

Jack continued, “I see the transmission of information to the Bureau being more of a problem than the actual information itself. There are two aspects to the problem. The data itself could not be traced back to us, but the physical aspects of how we get the information to the Bureau could be. A mistake and a fingerprint, a drop of sweat or saliva recovered from the message and the trail to us begins. A phone message can be traced to the site of the call, taped and be gone over by a forensics team including voice print analysis. Accent, education level and sometimes even ethnic groups can be distinguished.”

Anita said, “Jack, you just scared the hell out of me. You are the law enforcement here. Can we send some information to the FBI without getting caught?”

“Yes. We should be able to rough out something in a couple of hours.”

Anita said talking about the FBI made her head hurt, and she was going out for a run.

The next morning Jack and Kathy sat over a breakfast of Belgian waffles and melon. Anita was out walking Shadow before going to a local gym.

Thinking over the FBI problem, Kathy said, “We agreed to tell the police about the weapons. That’s the least threatening to us and would be a powerful statement of credibility for our other information on the New York cell. Now we have to figure out how to send the information to the FBI.”

Jack said, “Agreed, but the real problem is how to get it to the FBI without their crack forensic labs finding something to start them backwards on the trail to us. How about this, instead? We do not send it directly to the FBI. We send it instead to the Maryland State Police, a much smaller and less paranoid organization. A letter mailed to a high ranking state police officer would have a high probability of actually getting to him. By sending it to an office or home, the letter will be handled by more people, and by the time it is subjected to top forensic lab techs, the letter will be so contaminated it will be hard to even start a work back investigation targeted at finding the sender. The information will be so startling, the state police will almost immediately push it up the chain to Homeland Security or more likely take it directly to the FBI.

“The preparation of the letter and the purchase of the paper, envelope and stamp have to be done as you would work a project in a laboratory white room. No fingerprints, no DNA, mailed from outside this area, and dropped in a busy mail collection box in a large metropolitan area with no camera coverage. Everything is handled with gloves and printed on a printer we’ll destroy as soon as the letter is mailed.”

Kathy nodded and said, “Go for it.”

***

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. 

The next morning Kathy heard a breaking news story and called in the others. The big screen TV was tuned to the Fox News Channel. The Maryland State Police were investigating the deaths of three men found in a wooded area near the Fisherman’s Inn. The restaurant was across the road from a popular entrance to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Park. According to the police briefing, the three unidentified men had been dead for more than a week. Two firearms had been recovered. More information would be forthcoming as the investigation progressed. The TV coverage then switched to a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

Jack said, “The ballistics work on those rifles will almost certainly match a weapon used in some of the recent sniper killings. Their fingerprints and DNA will probably not be on file. The van and motorcycle are long gone, stolen off the street in Anacostia. Cars stolen down there are stolen for good and may become part of an illegal car rental business owning nothing and with no overhead.

“But if the Feds find out those weapons were used in cross-state border killings, they will leave no stones unturned. A task force will be turned loose. If any weapons in the Tilghman Island house survived the fire, they will be sent to ballistics. If they find a match, a top forensic team will rework the house, visitor lists from the hotels, visiting boats in marinas, and all the police and fire reports associated with the fire.”

Anita said, “If the Feds get hot on this terrorist network, it may make it easier to give them leads and watch what happens. While I want Yuri’s entire network, I don’t mind some help from the Feds. After all, they do have a license for this sort of action. The Tilghman Island cell could have killed many more people before they were caught, if ever. While we’re on a roll, what’s next?”

Kathy said, “I’ve something to add from studying Yuri’s list of assets and assigned missions. Five cells, located in Tilghman Island, Maryland, Yulee, Florida, San Francisco, Charleston and New York. I believe the Tilghman cell is responsible for the deaths of Representative Cohen and the mayors of Leesburg and Richmond.”

Kathy went on to say, “Yuri’s mission assignments were at times very specific, as with Representative Cohen and the Secretary of Commerce. Mostly his assignments were generic, leaving a lot of initiative to the doers. He instructed Jason to kill four mayors in a 30-day period, preferably with only a five-day gap between kills. With the death of Jason and his cell, I don’t believe we have to worry about the local mayors. I think the New York City cell is now the biggest danger. Yuri tasked them to set two car bombs anywhere in the downtown metropolitan area between May first and the 15th.”

Jack asked what she knew about the capabilities of the New York cell. Kathy thought for a moment and said, “According to Yuri’s records four people belong in this cell. One is a trained bomber, according to the DVD. This same man is also Yuri’s primary contact, code named Primus. His real name or, more accurately, his permanent alias, is Joseph David Olsen. He is 64 years old.

“Yuri’s files indicate he co-opted original KGB sleeper agents who recruited others over the years. According to Yuri’s files, all of these original sleeper or illegal KGB agents still believe they are working for the Russian intelligence service. We have Olsen’s description, personality traits, family status and address. As long as Yuri’s files are up to date, we should be able to set up this cell for an FBI bust.”

Focusing on Kathy’s response, Jack had to wonder why this very attractive woman was without a significant other. She was never moody or defensive in the give and take during operational discussions. When he looked into her eyes, he could tell someone very bright and full of sparkle lives in there. Kathy could jump from one subject to the next and never miss a beat. Her dress code seemed to favor the fewer garments, the better. Left to her own devices, Jack was sure she would be on some warm beach in a bikini, sporting a stunning tan and holding a gin and tonic in a frosted glass. Jack knew from Frank she needed money. She had a sick mother in a very expensive care facility. Jack’s musing was brought to an end when Kathy told him she wanted to keep digging through Yuri’s DVDs and computer for any more information on the New York cell.

***

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.