Chapter 14 – Brandi and Jinx
For the first time since arriving in Jersey, Mary quickly fell sound asleep. Marshall, still on guard, smiled smugly. He had worn her out. Marshal Marshall had made Inspector Shannon spent, satisfied, and satiated.
Like Marshall, Mary usually slept lightly when on duty. Even now, getting some serious shut eye, he could tell she sensed him, his movements. She trusted him enough to let herself get the rest, the deep REM sleep her body needed. But even asleep she was aware of him. He knew if he got up, she would know.
Maybe that was because his hand was firmly attached to her breast and his arm around her waist. Eventually Marshall slept too, trusting the marshals to intercept any attacks. Hours later he roused and unintentionally increased the pressure on his nighttime hug. Mary responded by covering the hand at her waist with her own. She was ready to doze back to slumber land when she heard a phone ring. She knew it was Marshall's because her phone would never play the Imperial March.
"Marshall, Marsh" she whispered harshly wriggling to turn in his arms. "Your phone, get your phone."
Marshall had been having a wonderful dream. It was the dream he had every night since meeting Mary. He dreamed that he was sleeping next to a hot blonde bombshell who was a kick ass marshal and a sharpshooter. She was running her hand over his chest, his naked chest. He wasn't going to let this dream go. Nu uh. But when she smacked his chest with the flat of her hand, his eyes flew open.
Mary felt bad when he 'ooofed' into her ear. This wasn't the way she preferred to wake him up. She was pretty sure it wasn't his either. Still her Doofus looked so sweetly befuddled. It wasn't a dream. Mixing dream and reality in his not quite awake state he could hardly believe his very best dream had come true.
"Your phone, numnutz, Get your phone." Marshall's body followed his brain into wakefulness. He rolled over grabbing for his phone on the nightstand. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound as if he had been awake on guard duty, "Marshall." Well he had been her back all night. Guarding it with his body.
"And good morning to you, Marshal Merritt." To Mary he sounded like his usual disgustingly cheerful morning self. How anyone could be awake before coffee was beyond her. "Anything to report?" he asked. Mary heard him acknowledge a quiet night. Good, no one tried to kill them in their sleep last night.
"Inspector Shannon isn't ready yet." He pointed to the bathroom and made a shooing motion. Damn Boy Scout. He wouldn't lie, so she had to make it true. She skedaddled to the bathroom before Marshall informed Merritt of her whereabouts.
Since they had showered last night, she saw no reason to repeat her ablutions this morning. She brushed her teeth, and went back to the room to get something to wear. Marshall was nowhere to be seen. Just in case her guards were going to check on her, she grabbed her clothes and went back to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Compared to most women, Mary required very little time to get ready for work. Marshall told her it was because she was gorgeous right out of the box, or in this case, out of the bed. Mary thought he was delusional, but it was a harmless delusion. It seemed to make him happy. As she checked the bathroom for stray items, she heard the door to the room open. She dropped the stuff she was holding and grabbed her Glock. For the second time this trip, she had Marshall in her sights. He was accompanied by the wondrous fragrance of coffee. She dropped her gun and inhaled deeply. "Oh God, I love you like an $8 whore."
"Come up in the world, have I? It used to be $2." Mary's extravagantly crass expressions made him laugh. She tossed expletives like candy from a piñata. His father may have tried to toughen him up, but his mother raised him to be polite and thoughtful. He seldom swore. He wondered where she had picked up her colorful analogies.
"Inflation," she grunted. "Stop with the Yoda speak." She focused on the tray in his hands. When she spotted the pastries she grabbed one and said "I might have to upgrade you again, cowboy. Mmmmm."
Marshall watched as Mary made love to the Danish. For a dyed in the wool cynic, her mood was quickly changed by a bit of flour and sugar. He compared the rapt look on her face now to the one he had seen in the shower last night. Nope, there was no comparison. He smirked. She did like him better.
As soon as the Danish disappeared, Mary got her gun and her badge, hooking them onto her belt. She sat on the bed and grabbed her ankle to attach her hold out weapon. Her voice was muffled by her leg. "I've got to see Jinx."
"As well you should. I think you'll be safe with your escort. You don't need me there." Marshall handed her a cup of coffee. She took a sip and savored it.
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. He swore he could hear her say, "I'll always need you," so he replied "Just as I will always need you." At that she gave him a strange look. "Am I talking out loud again when I don't think I am?"
Marshall was a bit confused himself. Did she speak those words? He rewound the film reel in his mind. "Hmmm. No, I don't think you did."
Now Mary became more agitated. "Then how in the hell did you know what I was thinking?" This man, her thoughts stuttered, this man had her number, understood her, like no one else ever had. What did that mean? It both scared and comforted her.
With his own coffee warming his hands, Marshall sat beside her on the bed, and pondered her question. "I don't know, Sunshine. Shared psychic symmetry? Telepathy? Face it Mare, even before we met, those dreams we shared showed that we are linked, connected. This is just more of the same."
Mary scrunched up her face, examining his face as if he were some rare bauble or a disgusting bug. "Huh," was her definitive response. He was hoping for the rare gem.
A rap on the door interrupted her study of him. Too bad, he thought. She looked she might kiss me. Marshall sighed, checked for any clothing malfunctions and opened the door. Marshals Hobbs and Merritt had come to report and escort them.
The marshals had not heard of any tips from the gangs, or the mob enforcers regarding Mary or Jinx. Marshall called Chief Varney. The Chief and Detective Ruiz had few new developments they didn't want to discuss over the phone. Marshall needed to be there to see how the new pieces fit. He needed to download the files from Stan too. But Mary needed to see her mother.
Much to Mary's disgust, her guards decided to do the entire protective detail thing. Once again a black SUV would be their transport. Marshall was dropped off at the Annex first. Tweedle dee and Tweedle dumber drove into the delivery entrance of the hospital and covered her as she left the black SUV. With a marshal in front and one behind, Mary felt like the blonde filling in a bland sandwich.
Mary checked in with the guard outside Jinx's room. Peeking in the door she was glad to see Jinx awake and sitting up. It took her a while to figure out what was different. Mary saw a woman with pretty features, an attractive mop of dark hair, and bright eyes. Jinx is sober. Mary could see what Jinx must have looked like when she was young.
Strolling into the room, Mary made her presence known as gently as she could. Her usual stomp had become a quiet shuffle. "Hey Mom, how are you doing?" Empathy had never been Mary's long suite, but she wanted Jinx to know she was truly interested. Deputy Merritt entered the room with Mary. Hobbs joined the deputy in the hall. Mary wasn't thrilled to have an audience for their reunion.
"Mary?" Jinx knew Mary was working and hadn't expected to see her so soon again. "Who's your friend?" she gestured to the marshal looking out the window.
Mary needed to down play the guard, but Jinx motioned her close and whispered "There was a man dressed just like him right outside my door all night. I could hardly sleep."
"I know Mom." How did she tell the woman that she might still be in danger without having her flip out? How do you tell your mother that armed marshals were deemed necessary for their safety?
"Mom, you were taken against your will, kidnapped. They want you to feel safe, so you can rest and heal." Jinx wouldn't know the drill. If Mary made it sound like having a guard was what always happened, maybe, just maybe, Jinx could accept and move on. Mary devoutly hoped so.
But Jinx wasn't fooled. She had connected the dots faster than Mary hoped. "You mean they think someone might try to kidnap me again!" Her voice squeaked on 'again.'
This was just the discussion Mary did not want to have. Jinx didn't need to be wound up or have her fear ratcheted up. She could do that without being kidnapped. Mary needed to stop the Jinx drama train at the station.
"You know mom, all that alcohol they made you drink . . ." Mary hoped to get Jinx to focus on her health. It would be helpful if she could remember something about her captors.
Jinx wasn't dissuaded. She wanted to let her daughter know just how awful it was. "It wasn't even decent whisky. I tell you that rotgut made me sick." Jinx grabbed the stiff hospital sheets and thin cover and pulled them toward her. "My stomach feels as if it were turned inside out and scrubbed with a stiff brush."
Mary winced at Jinx's description, but this was the segue she was hoping for.
"I know Mom; I know it made you sick. The doctors are working to clear all that stuff out of you, give your body a fresh start. You need to be patient while they get your stomach fixed up. Just do what they tell you." She wanted to give her mother hope so she would hang on and see the treatment through.
"Why am I hooked up to all this?" Jinx gestured to the IV tree next to the bed and the wire leading to the heart monitor above her head.
Marshall had explained the purpose of the equipment. All Mary could remember were garden hoses, and water running through the hose, rinsing away the build up in a pipe. Maybe that would do. It was as close to the truth she could get without her doctor speak interpreter.
Mary explained what she knew and tried to put a positive spin on it. "They didn't have to pump your stomach. That would have been rough. You were pretty empty by the time you got here. The IV is giving you fluids. Alcohol dehydrates you, takes the water out of your system."
"I know what dehydrated means," with asperity. "I'm not an idiot." Some of her spark was returning. While it was a good sign for Jinx's recovery, Mary hoped it wouldn't make the woman more difficult to deal with.
"Of course you're not, Mom. That's why you can take advantage of the spring cleaning they're giving your body. You're getting a fresh start. How do you feel about that?" Mary hoped her mother would take her comments at face value. She did want the best for her mother. Jinx often went for quick superficial fixes and avoided dealing with long term solutions that addressed the real cause.
Jinx seemed nonplussed by the idea. She looked straight ahead, ignoring Mary and the marshal by the window. Good, thought Mary. She's actually considering it.
"You're already through the painful part –getting the booze out of your system. Let your body heal. Give it a try Mom. For me, for Brandi, but mostly for yourself."
Jinx briefly smiled and looked at her older daughter. "A healthy glow is always attractive. Heavens knows, I'm not getting any younger. I've tried everything else and really can't afford those expensive treatments." She rambled on for a few minutes, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of stuff guaranteed to restore a youthful look. Mary tuned out and checked out the deputies guarding the room.
Eventually Jinx ran out of beauty tips and realized someone was missing. "Where is Brandi? Where's my baby? Why isn't she here?" Mary didn't want to worry her mother even more. Realizing Brandi had been in hiding would stir their pot of troubles. Mary had been looking out into the hall when she saw a blonde head and heard a commotion.
"She's my Mom. I need to see her. You have no right. . . "
Mary to the door and grabbed Brandi by the hand. She looked the guard in the eye assuring him, "She's with me. She's my sister." Huh, I'm actually willing to acknowledge that fact to law enforcement. The thought brought a wry smile to her lips.
Released by the guard, Brandi wailed and dove for Jinx. Mary rolled her eyes, and grabbed Brandi around the waist to keep her from landing on Jinx's sore body. Mary always figured her sister had gotten a double dose of drama because Mary had gotten none. Her life as a marshal had plenty. She didn't need to manufacture it herself.
Surprises involving Brandi weren't usually this pleasant. "Brandi, how did you get here?" Mary managed to blurt it out before Jinx could ask.
"Marshall called." Ah Doofus. Looking out for us, even when you aren't here. The tearful reunion of the Shannon women continued under the careful watch of three marshals. Brandi assured Mary that she could stay with Jinx. Since Brandi was there for Jinx, and a guard was there for the two women, Mary felt OK leaving the hospital.
At the Annex, Marshall had been glued to his borrowed computer after leaving Mary. He had just begun to decipher the results of his latest data mining since he didn't see the files Stan had promised to send. He was figuring out what to do next when his burner phone rang. Looking to see if anyone noticed, he turned away from the bull pen and answered. "Stan, why are you using this phone?"
Instead of explaining Stan asked, "Can you talk?"
"Sure, give me a minute." Marshall switched his computer screen to an innocuous spread sheet and entered the conference room. "What's up?"
"There's a leak."
Marshall rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know," his tone reflected the disgust he felt at the lack of new information. Why would Stan call on the burner to tell him the obvious? Stan was many things, but he wasn't stupid.
"Eleanor shows it coming from the Jersey marshals." That was new and very much undesirable information. Marshall ran his hand over his face, rubbing his forehead, trying to ease the pain of this new complication. "You should have those files, now. Read them and get rid of any trace on the machine you're using."
This was serious. Deadly serious. If the marshal's office was involved, their circle of those in the know would shrink to Mary, Stan, Eleanor and him. That meant the resources they could tap would shrink too. "We'll talk soon." Stan hung up without saying good bye.
Marshall met with Chief Varney and Detective Ruiz. They discussed the new leads batting around several theories of how the new information connected to the old. He spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon running threat assessments, searching for known associates of Paddy O'Connor, everything Chief Varney would expect him to do. Mary joined him in late afternoon. He got her away from the bull pen and prying eyes. When he pushed her into a janitorial storage closet, Mary put her arms around his neck and pulled his head down. She had just begun a passionate assault on his mouth when Marshall broke the suction of the kiss. Mary couldn't understand his reluctance and wondered if he had gotten tired of her already.
"Mary," he grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. "Look, there's nothing I would like better than to spend the afternoon here exploring every nook and cranny of your anatomy. Stan called. Stan called my burner phone."
She quickly shifted from romantic to rational. "What? Why would he do that?" Marshall let her stew on that fact. She didn't disappoint. "Something's wrong. Something bad," she concluded, checking his expression for clues.
Marshall nodded in agreement. "Eleanor found that the leak that led the gang to the container port came from here."
"Here? As in here here?" She removed one hand from Marshall and pointed to the floor. He could see her hackles rising, her senses alert. Just when she had begun to feel safe.
"Yes. The leak came from this building."
"There are other divisions here, Special Ops, Asset Seizure. Could it be one of them?" Mary rationalized.
"That's true," he agreed. "I can fine tune the data, even trace it to a single phone line, but I can't do it here."
"We could go back to the hotel. Claim we're still tired." She looked at him cagily. "We are tired, aren't we?" Her tone of voice left no doubt she was referring to the actions that had made them tired last night.
Marshall thought she looked more sultry than tired, but objected. "We can't do anything that makes them suspicious."
She removed her remaining hand from around his neck and agreed. "So, business as usual?"
"Yeah. I can load whatever I find onto my flash drive and wipe any of the data I've gathered from the hard drive. Once I sever the connection to my computer in Albuquerque, it will be difficult to track what I've done. But I'll need another computer. You don't have a 'friend' like the used car guy who specializes in computer hardware, do you Sunshine?"
Mary looked thoughtful, but said. "Nope, I'm coming up empty."
"We could go back to the hospital," Mary suggested. "That would be expected. Jinx will be released soon. We have to find a place for her and Brandi. Knowing what we know now, I don't want the Jersey marshals in on it."
Marshall was secretly thrilled by her use of 'we.' It had taken him months to make her understand that they were stronger, smarter, and more likely to succeed when they worked together. "Yeah, that wouldn't draw the wrong kind of attention." Marshall agreed.
"We'd better get out of here before we're missed." Marshall peeked out the slightly opened door and eased out of the closet. Signaling Mary that the coast was clear, she followed him.
They had lunch delivered to the lobby, unwilling to chance the cafeteria. Even before they knew the leak had originated in the Annex, the quality of the cafeteria food was desperation time only. They went to the break room and decided bottled water from the vending machine was probably safe. Marshall inspected the bottles and took a tentative sip before giving the OK.
"Brandi's with Jinx. Thank you for that." Mary mumbled around her gyro. Sour cream slid down her hand and Marshall watched as she licked it off her fingers. She couldn't resist the opportunity and slowly licked each finger, finally putting one in her mouth and sucking on it. He's too easy!
"Da nada." He said around his food. He shifted his gaze away from her, trying to ignore her wanton display. If only other parts of his body would obey.
They finished lunch, and spent another hour running through threat assessments and leads—everything already shared with the Jersey marshals. This time they focused on the information obtained from the Jersey marshals. What was true? What might be disinformation? Everything Marshall had worked on the last few days was copied to his flash drive. Then Marshall severed the link to his computer in Albuquerque. He wiped everything he had done on the borrowed computer. Then he did it again, and set a program to wipe it the next time this computer was turned on. Three times was the charm.
Before leaving Mary and Marshall went to Varney's office and thanked him again for his help. Mary seemed a little off to Marshall. Given what she knew now, she couldn't be as friendly to the Chief. Mary usually avoided the touchy feely stuff, so Marshall hoped the Chief didn't notice. Marshall shook his hand and said that Stan had called. They were due back in ABQ soon. He didn't want the Jersey marshals looking for them if they had to disappear.
Merritt and Hobbs drove them to the hospital. Brandi and Jinx fell all over Marshall, thanking him for the rescue and for keeping Mary safe. Marshall demurred that he was one of many, but they didn't buy it. Marshall excused himself to give the women time to visit. Instead of heading for the restrooms, he sat next to one of the guards in the hallway. He quizzed him on activity at the hospital, got his name, and thanked him. Then he headed for hospital security.
The security officer for the hospital was former agent, a surprisingly high caliber of protection for a hospital. Caleb, the security director, explained his wife was a doctor here. After 9-11 he felt she would be safer if he were protecting her, and the hospital. "Most people think it's the convenience of working at the same place, and my former employment isn't generally known. It's important to me to have her close." Marshall knew exactly how the man felt.
Back at Jinx's room, arrangements had to be made for Brandi – a different place to stay. Avoiding her usual routine, and looking for another job. He noticed Mary was quiet, and drew her out of the circle of her family.
"Whatcha thinking?" He knew there was something.
"I'm thinking they might be better off at my place."
"In Albuquerque?" he asked. Marshall knew Mary had celebrated the lack of family drama in Albuquerque. It said a lot that she was willing to bring them with her to keep them safe despite the chaos they created in her own life. Protection was her job and they needed protecting. What a way to bring the job home.
"Yeah. I'm usually at your place. It's just sitting empty. Stan could beef up the security."
Marshall dragged out his response, still thinking. "Yeeessss. Security would need improving, but if we booked the airline seats ourselves, there would still be a trail." Marshall looked out the window, considering options. "Let me work on that."
Mary asked Merritt to give them some time alone. She assured him that with her and Marshall in the room, his charges were safe. Merritt reluctantly joined Hobbs and the guard in the corridor.
Taking his burner phone to the window, Marshall punched in a familiar number. "Dad? It's Marshall. I need a favor."
Marshall rejoined the group as Mary was quietly making her case that Jinx and Brandi should stay with her. Jinx was ready to be released today, earlier than they had thought. Brandi was still scared. "If you're going to go it needs to be now, today."
Marshall agreed. "It would be safer that way. I can make arrangements to get you both out of Jersey today."
"You can?" Mary looked at him. Who in the hell did he call?
Jinx and Brandi looked at each other, trembled and nodded. "I need something to wear," Jinx pleaded. "They took mine."
"I'll get you some traveling clothes Mom. Brandi, you good?"
"I have what I took to Joanna's. Some of it might fit you, Mom." Both women were stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Look," Mary got their attention. "No one and I mean no one can know where you are going. Don't tell the nurses the doctor or the guard." Looking to Marshall for confirmation she said, "We'll have a different set of guards take you to Albuquerque." Marshall nodded and went to the window to call his Dad.
"Here's the key to my place. People from my work will meet you there. They should use the word 'biscuit' when they introduce themselves. If they don't – run."
"Mary, you're scaring us," Jinx complained.
"You should be scared Mom. These guys play for keeps."
"How soon can they be here?" Mary's question was directed at Marshall. "Two hours. We'll stay till the new detail shows up. When they leave, we leave for the hotel. The guard here will have received orders to turn over Jinx and Brandi to the new set of marshals."
When the new security detail showed up, Mary noticed that one looked a lot like Marshall. Similar build, complexion and hair color. Mary nudged Marshall and mouthed, "Relative?" Marshall nodded.
"These marshals will escort you to Mary's place. No need for a biscuit." Mary looked at him, eyebrow raised. She trusted him.
Which is how Brandi and Jinx Shannon got to Albuquerque on a JPATS flight.
Marshals Merritt and Hobbs once again in tow, Marshall and Mary went back to the hotel room. By the time Marshall got word the flight had safely departed, his stomach growled for dinner. Mary handed him the room service menu. "Starving you, are we?"
"Now who's doing Yoda speak?" he smirked.
Mary had noticeably relaxed once her mother and sister were in the air. Actually, he had seen her body unclench when she figured out who was accompanying them. Mary hadn't met any of Marshall's family but she knew his father and brothers were marshals. If they was anything like Marshall, she knew her family was safe as houses.
Back at the room she flopped on the bed and put her arm over her eyes. Marshall snuggled close to her and whispered, "Get packed. We may need to leave with very little notice." She turned and put her arm around his neck, drawing him close, shifting to lie on her side. "What has Doofus done?" Her voice was soft. Ever since Marshall had told her the source of the leak, she watched what she said around her protection detail.
The knock on the door came an hour after room service. Mary and Marshall had demolished dinner and Mary was eyeing the mini bar when she heard it. Marshall checked the peephole and opened the door.
"Stan!" Mary exclaimed. She had never greeted a boss so warmly. But Stan wasn't just any boss. Stan had a laptop tucked under his arm, and regretted not being able to hug Mary. He's never had the nerve before. She had never been in the mood to accept a hug from him before.
"Get your bags," he ordered. "I sent your guard to the lobby. We're going out the back way."
Stan led them to a different service stairway than they had used when entering the hotel. When they got out to the street, Mary was gleeful to see the restorod they had purchased from Larry. Stan handed her the keys. Marshall rode shotgun while Stan, the laptop and their bags were in the back. Mary was unable to squeal the tires pulling out from the curb because of the ice on the road. Marshall thought that was a good thing. They didn't need to attract attention.