The Colonel Vs. the Parson's Boogie Man
Colonel Casey had volunteered to be a scapegoat in a sting operation to catch a drug Lord by the name of El Llarono, who has been terrorizing his new friend, Pastor Annie Coburn.
Chapter 4
"Lt., I must say I am impressed with your law enforcement officers here in this town. They were instrumental in catching Jackson when he tried to escape from the helicopter. I expect Jackson will be monitored throughout the night?" Major Chad Shelton drew the Sig out, and expertly checked the cartridge to make sure the gun was full. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow at the small gun, but his expression changed to awe when Shelton began to add a silencer and scope.
"Nice weapon you have there, Major." the policeman nonchalantly moved in to take a closer look, as Shelton checked the safety and then passed it butt first to the cop. "Yeah," Chad muttered and looked closely at the cop's face, "it's brand new in the N.S.A., much smaller to conceal then a Glock, but it's fire power and accuracy are amazing." The cop was fascinated by the weapon, and he tested the weight of the pistol.
"Mmm, much lighter than I would have thought. Well, here, Major, thanks. We could always use more firepower against someone like Jackson back there in the cell." The lieutenant signaled with his head toward "Jackson"'s cell, but then he passed the gun back to Shelton.
"Well, Lt., it will probably be a few years before this baby hits the streets for civilian law use, but I will make sure your force gets the first shipment. My thanks for helping me out." Shelton grinned and stuck his hand out, once the Sig was placed back in his waist band holster. The Lt. brightened up at the statement and shook Shelton's hand thoroughly.
"Just doing my job, sir." The Lt. grinned heartedly and slapped Chad on the shoulder. Chad tried not to grunt at the invasion of his body space, so he withdrew his wallet and passed a business card to the Lt. "I saw a hotel on the way here. If you have any trouble with Jackson, call me on the cell listed there, Lt."
"Here, let me send one of my officers with you to help you get settled in". The Lt. was about to call one of the men who had manhandled Casey earlier, but Chad waved him off.
"No, no, the hotel is just down the street, and after today I need to get some walking in." Shelton grabbed his duffel bag and before the cop could interfere any more, Chad left swiftly through the front door and strolled down the street toward the hotel. As he left the station, he nodded slightly as the Parson as she was leaving the police station parking lot with her friend. He withdrew his cell, and speed dialed Charles Bartowski's phone.
"Yo, Major!" the asset's voice was chipper, and Shelton growled loudly over the phone.
"Casey, that's not you, is it?" Chuck stammered as the voice over his cell was so like his handler.
"Bartowski, you moron. Of course not. Casey got the short straw and he's locked up in the cell. Pastor gave him the drug and we should hear from the O.I.C. within thirty minutes. Does the name Lt. Richard Fletcher ring any bells?" Shelton glanced back at the police station, and he could see the Lt. calling someone on the police headquarter phone.
"Fletcher...Fletch.."Chuck's voice faded and then came back on very excited. "Major, he's El Llarono's inside contact. I just accessed his file, and he has been selling artillery to and from 'The Boogie Man' this last year."
"I thought so. He seemed mighty interested in John's personalized Sig and I think I got him hooked into contacting me for further models. Good work, Chuck. How far out are you from here?"
As he asked, a silver BMW slowly drove past him, and Chuck's face was plastered up to the glass. Gleefully, the nerd waved but Shelton turned his back to him and seemed to look up into the sky.
"Walker, tell your boyfriend to not blow my cover!" Shelton growled, and proceeded down the street. He flicked off the phone and strolled confidently up to the hotel to check in and wait on the call from the police station.
"I tell you, Sarah, that man is just like Casey, a big, tall, bully!" Chuck looked a little hurt, but brightened when they reached their destination. He hopped out of his passenger side, and helped Sarah out of the driver's seat. They walked into the real estate office, his arm around her waist, and her hips were swaying extra hard to the nearest male real estate agent.
"Well, may I help you?" The agent asked the nice, young, and rich couple in front of them. Bartowski reached his hand out cheerfully, and shook the agent's hand briskly.
"Carmichael, Charles Carmichael, and this beautiful angel is my darling wife, Sonya. Say hi to the nice man, sweetheart." Sarah gazed with big eyes at the man, and smiled widely. She extended her hand, and giggled loudly. The man's eyes grew large at this woman, and he seemed to preen a little in front of her before he sat down.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael, how may I be of assistance today?" He smiled widely at Sarah but turned his attention back to Chuck, who assumed a comfortable position on the chair in front of the agent's desk.
"Now, Mr..." Chuck peered at the nameplate and grinned widely, "Mr. Otis Preminger, is that right? Mr. Preminger, we just love your little town and my darling wife here, just fell in love with it, and wants to buy a home here right today." Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand, and kissed it loudly, as she giggled again, in a high pitch squeal.
The real estate agent promptly gulped and stuttered, "to...today, Mr. Carmichael?" He patted his tie down nervously, and then grabbed a notepad.
"Money, I say, money is no object, is it, Sonya, sweetie. Now, you tell this nice man what kind of house you want. Go ahead, sweetie." Chuck laid another full kiss on Sarah's mouth, and groaned as he pulled away, half pretending and half not. She giggled again and then looked innocently at Mr. Preminger.
"Well, Mr. Otis, may I call you that?" Sarah drawled her voice out, and grinned at the poor man, who nodded enthusiastically. "Mr Otis, I need 5 bedrooms, large master suite, completely redone daylight basement, and a run for my poochikans. Is there any thing else I left out, Chuckwuckie?" Sarah turned her big eyes onto her "husband" who barely kept his laughter under control.
"Now, Sonya, sweetie, don't you remember we want a good neighborhood, maybe near a church. That's pretty safe around here, don't you think, Mr. Preminger?" Chuck knew Sarah had the man totally wrapped around her little finger, when the man was just about drooling all over his notepad.
"Church? Wha? Oh, church building. Yes, I do think I have such a home like that" Mr. Otis Preminger typed a few sentences on the computer keyboard and brought up a beautiful, spacious home for them to see.
"I don't know, Chuckwuckie, that seems so little." Sarah pretended to bite her fingernails, as she checked the address of the house. Mr. Otis typed quickly some more, and when the next home came up, it was only one block from El Llarono's drug home near Pastor's Annie's church building.
"Oh, Mr. Otis...that's it." Sarah jumped up and down, and leaned over to kiss the real estate agent's cheek. He became flustered, his face beet red, and he looked down at the screen. Chuck glanced at Sarah and nodded swiftly.
"Now, Mr. Preminger, when my little lady says she wants something, I give it to her. How much is that lovely piece of real estate?"
Mr. Otis stared at the screen and gulped again. "Um, Mr. Carmichael, it is currently on the market for 1.5 million, but I am sure..." Chuck interrupted him and shouted. "SOLD!" All the other real estate agents looked up at the outburst and Chuck stood and shook the man's hand, whose mouth was opening and shutting like a beached fish.
"Now, Mr. Preminger, you just sit right down, and draw up the contract, and the Mrs. and I will get a cashier's check for the amount from the local bank, is that all right?" The man nodded numbly, and Chuck rapped his desk twice.
"Right-o! Chop, chop, man, get the contract drawn up!" Chuck ordered and then settled back in his seat. Sarah was chewing bubble gum, and kept clapping her hands until the man rushed off into the back room to print up the contract. Chuck slipped a wire tap on the phone, and Sarah dialed Shelton.
"Why, daddy," Sarah drawled, "you'd never guess what Chuckwuckie did for me today?" She heard Shelton snort on the phone, but she chose to ignore it. "Yes, he just bought me a 1.5 million dollar home today." She pulled the cell away from her ear, as she heard Shelton explode with several choice cuss words at the horrific amount the Federal Government was going to have to pay out. Chuck grinned and said quietly, "Yep, Casey's flesh and blood! Same language!"
Mr. Preminger had returned with the paperwork, and after several signatures, the house was officially sold to Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Sonya Carmichael for 1.5 million dollars. The couple left and drove the BMW down to the local bank, where a cashier's check was already made out for the amount Shelton has told the officials to write. When they came back they presented the check with a flourish to Mr. Preminger who kept shaking their hands until Chuck finally had to physically pull away. Sarah once again kissed the man on the cheek, and the happy couple left the real estate agent in a daze.
Sarah once again called Chad, and told him what had passed. She then asked if the agent had made any calls from his desk. Shelton confirmed that the man had called the lieutenant at the police station.
Sarah giggled, and then asked seriously, "Anything from John yet?"
"Not yet, Walker. Wait, call's coming in. Hold on." Shelton beeped the cell over, and sure enough the lieutenant's voice was screaming over the phone.
"Major, you have got to get back here on the double." The cop was yelling over the noise of several pieces of furniture breaking.
"Good Lord, man, what's happening?" Shelton had an idea the pill that the Pastor had given Casey was beginning to work, but he waited as the cop ranted.
"Listen, Fletcher, don't let him out of the cell until I get there. I think I know what is happening. Send a car for me, now." Shelton grabbed the Sig, checked the chamber to make sure the dummy bullet was in there, and rushed out the door to meet the squad call. He beeped Sarah back, updating her, and clicked off just as the police cruiser screeched into the hotel's parking lot. He jumped in, and by the time they rushed into the back of the station, Casey was in full rage, his body sweating profusely, his blue eyes almost black, his pupils dilated, his chest heaving. He swung around when Shelton entered the room and tried his best to reach from him.
"You...you s.o.b." Casey screamed, flinging himself at the bars. The intensity of Casey's rage was a little startling to Chad, and as he fixed his eyes on his brother, he saw that John was teetering on losing his sanity.
"Jackson, stand down." Shelton shouted, full military voice. Casey stopped the rampage, and gasped, swaying heavily as he tried to see his brother through his sweat. Suddenly, the Colonel grabbed his belly, and doubled over, as the stomach cramp ramped up. "God, help me..." Casey groaned, and laid himself in a fetal position on the cool cement. Shelton cautiously took the keys from the lieutenant
hand, and opened the door wide enough for only him to enter. He drew the Sig and the red spotter light appeared on John's back.
"Jackson, stand down." The major ordered again, as he watched Casey shiver uncontrollably. With the Sig still on his brother, he motioned for the cop to enter the cell, and thew him the cuffs. "Now, Fletcher." The major ordered, but before the cop could get close, Casey reared up one last time, and tried to attack Chad. Shelton threw his entire weight onto John's chest and push him into the cement wall at the back of the jail. "No,no,no,no," Shelton repeated, his Sig was directly over John's left shoulder and he growled deeply, pushing his left arm against John's throat. "I will shoot you, Jackson. I will shoot you." Casey was turning red, trying his hardest to get Chad to release his forearm off Casey's throat. He suddenly looked up at Chad, and a flash of recognition registered in his feverish eyes. Then he groaned loudly and went limp, clutching at his belly again. Chad released him, and Casey slid down the wall to the floor, writhing uncontrollably in front of Chad. Shelton grabbed Casey's arm, and pulled up the sleeve. There on Casey's arm, were dozens of red track marks. Chad ripped Casey's shirt open and examined under his arm pits. There again track marks were seen, and Shelton grumbled a curse word. He stood and hauled off and kicked Casey in the ribs, and Casey bent his body back to deflect the kick. Unfortunately, Chad had miscalculated his foot, and Casey screamed out as his right kidney was bruised. Fletcher grabbed Shelton's arm and yelled to get his attention.
"God, what are you doing, Major?"
"He's a filthy junkie. Those are heroin needle marks, and who knows what else he is coming off of. There's no way I can transport him in this condition." Chad was breathing laboriously also, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He tried to haul off to kick his brother again, but Fletcher stopped him.
"Major, I think I can help your prisoner there. We just need to get him to a squad car." Fletcher eyed the raging Major sternly, until Chad nodded his agreement. They reached down and pulled Casey up, and Chad noticed the raging fever his brother's body was emitting. Casey could not look up at him, and he barely could move his feet, so the two of them moved slowly through the station to the car in the back. They dumped Casey into the back of the car, and Fletcher took the wheel. As the lieutenant drove, Shelton glanced in the back seat at his brother, who continued to moan softly and jerk convulsively. Sure enough, the squad car drove up to the back door of the house at the edge of the church's property. Fletcher turned his body to Chad and spoke low.
"I will be back, Major. You stay here with him." He jerked his thumb at Casey and stepped out of the car. Chad got just a glimpse of El Llarono at the back door, and he swiveled his body so that the Latin Disciple would not see his face. He spoke loudly for Casey's benefit, who was struggling in the back seat to control the shivering.
"It's him, John. El Llarono, the Crying Man. Fletcher's buying some stuff off of him."
"Chad..." Casey moaned low, as his stomach continued to spasm. "What was in that pill? Lord, have mercy..." he prayed softly, and tried to pull himself up.
Shelton watched Casey sit up and he was amazed at the strength of will he saw in his older brother. "'Don't let them inject you, John, for real. It will kill you. You are going through withdrawals, and the med was a pretty strong sedative."
"Feels like a bunch of glass ripping my gut up." Casey moaned again and doubled over, his arms wrapped tight around his abdomen.
"Hang in there bro. I'm sorry about the kidney." Chad was softening as he watched his brother suffer, but then he laughed when Casey looked him right in the eye and threatened; "you and me, will be working how to pull your kicks for the next sis weeks, bro!" Casey spat out the last word, and then he turned toward the back door.
"Oh, Lord," Casey exclaimed and dunked down into the back seat below the window. Chad spun around and asked "what?" and then he saw whom Casey had seen: Alexi Volkoff.
Please don't let The Colonel's and my tummy be upset, leave a review and some Pepto Bismo!
