Chapter 21 – Mole Hunting
Jules rolled over for what had to be the thousandth time since she laid down in an attempt to get some sleep. The last few days had been nothing but stressful with Sadie and Ed being taken, then Sam went missing. The only bright spot was when Sadie was returned to her, unharmed. Jules pulled Sam's pillow close and inhaled his scent. She missed Sam.
"Daddy!" Sadie cried from her room down the hall.
Jules bolted from her room, grabbing one of Sam's shirts on the way out the door, and went straight to her daughter.
"Sadie. Sadie, sweetheart wake up. You're having a bad dream." Jules crawled into Sadie's bed and pulled her close to her.
Sadie rolled into her mother's arms and lay her head on Jules' chest as she sobbed.
"I want Daddy!" Sadie cried as she snuggled closer to Jules.
"I know, Baby. I want Daddy too." Jules wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tight.
"Is he coming home soon?"
"I sure hope so, baby." Jules stroked Sadie's hair, something that always comforted her little girl. "You know that Uncle Matt and Daddy's Unit are doing everything they can to find Daddy and Uncle Ed. And Uncle Greg and Mommy's Team are doing everything that they can to help. If anyone can find your Daddy it's those men."
"I was so scared, Mommy. I thought they were going to kill Daddy."
"Oh, Princess." Jules held Sadie close for a long time as her daughter cried.
After several minutes Jules remembered what she had grabbed on the way out of her room.
"Hey, Sadie. Look at mommy for a minute." Jules pulled back a bit and tucked Sadie's hair behind her ear as her daughter looked up at her. "Do you want to know what Mommy does when she is really missing Daddy?"
Sadie nodded her head as she sniffled.
"When Mommy is really missing Daddy she grabs Daddy's pillow, the one on our bed that still smells like him. I hold that pillow very close and close my eyes and imagine that I'm holding Daddy. That I am giving him a hug." Jules pulled the shirt she had brought with her up to where Sadie could see it. "I was thinking that maybe if you had something that smelled like Daddy it would help you miss him a little bit less too. Maybe help you not to worry about him so much."
Sadie slowly reached out and took the shirt from Jules, burying her nose in it.
"It does smell like Daddy!" Sadie exclaimed as her eyes rounded.
"Why don't we get your big teddy bear, the one Daddy got you for your birthday, and see if Daddy's shirt fits on it," Jules suggested with a raised eyebrow.
Sadie jumped out of her bed and quickly found the large, fuzzy, brown teddy bear that Sam had given to Sadie for her last birthday. Well, he had Jules buy it and put his name on it since he had been deployed still. Mother and daughter worked together to get the shirt on the bear.
"Now, let Mommy snuggle with you, and you snuggle with the bear." Jules shifted down more into the bead so Sadie could snuggle up and go to sleep.
"Mommy, will you stay with me?" Sadie pleaded as she looked over her shoulder at her mother.
"All night, baby girl," Jules answered with a smile and a kiss to Sadie's forehead. "I love you, Sadie bug."
Suzie wiped a lone tear from her cheek as she gazed at the mother and daughter snuggled up with a stuffed bear.
"Matt will bring him home," Winnie whispered as she smiled at Jules and Sadie.
Both women had witnessed the exchange between the two. They were thankful that Jules found a way to comfort Sadie, and herself in the process.
"Do you think they'll sleep all night?" Winnie asked as Suzie slowly closed Sadie's bedroom door.
"Yes. With Jules there and Sam's shirt in her arms, I think they will both sleep like a rock. They just miss Sam." Suzie turned to head downstairs.
"Like you miss Matt, Mrs. Taylor." Winnie couldn't help the huge grin.
"You know, that has a nice ring to it. Mrs. Taylor." Suzie quickly became lost in thought.
"It suits you." Winnie went to the coffee pot to refill her mug. "You know, I think your husband kinda likes the sound of it too."
"You know, I never realized how amazing it would feel to have a husband, to be a Mrs. Its … well … indescribable." Suzie sighed as she sank to one of the barstools at the kitchen island.
"You know, I wouldn't know. But I can tell that you simply love being married. Matt does too. You both are very lucky." Winnie joined Suzie on a bar stool.
"So are Sam, Jules, and Sadie." Suzie gazed down into her steaming coffee. "I hope Matt and I have children. I don't want to wait."
"Children are a blessing from God. Or so my grandmother always said." Winnie smirked. "I think my mother disagreed with her on occasion."
"I'm assuming you were a handful?"
"That would be an understatement. Although, I think mom and dad are proud of me. They supported my dream of joining Special Forces from day one. I can still remember the look of pride on their faces when I earned my tan beret."
"I don't know what we would do without you, Winnie. I'm glad you're here."
"Nowhere else I'd rather be."
The two women sat in silence for a long time, each simply enjoying the quiet and hot coffee. After some time Suzie went off to bed and Winnie moved to the living room to keep watch until morning. Both women were ready for the Unit to find Ed and Sam. Only then could Jules and Sadie return to a normal life. Well, as normal as they could anyway.
SRU Headquarters
"Any luck, Spike?" Lou asked as he set a fresh coffee from Timmies next to his best friend.
"Nothing." Spike almost growled. He reached for the steaming beverage, his eyes never leaving his computer screen. "I've checked out the cruise employees, the airline crew, even the baggage people from both places and nothing yet. I honestly don't know where to even start looking next."
"Okay, so you said you've checked out the employees of the cruise line. Anything even remotely off with any of them?" Lew asked as he dropped to the chair next to Spike.
"Nothing. A few gamblers, one with a house about to foreclose, but nothing out of the ordinary." Spike answered as he finally tore his eyes away from the screen.
"What about their travel records?" Rollie suggested from his normal chair on the other side of the conference room table.
"Nothing off there either. A few have taken a vacation out of the country but no one went anywhere even close to the middle east."
"Okay, what about the airline crew. You checked both the departure and arrival gate crew?" Wordy chimed in as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yes. Nothing off there either. And before you ask I already checked their travel records. They're clean."
"Who else would have known that Sadie was traveling that day then?" Rollie wondered aloud.
"Taxicab?" Lew offered.
A few quick keystrokes from Spike before he looked up again. "They used private transportation. Nothing off about his bank records or travel history."
"What about his cell phone or e-mail?" Wordy leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.
Silence enveloped the room as Spike worked. Only a few minutes later he had an answer.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few steamy texts with his wife." Spike drew in a deep breath. "I guess I could check the communication for everyone like I did bank records and travel logs but that will take me several more hours. Maybe even days."
"I don't think that's necessary," Greg said softly as he entered the room. He had just finished updating Commander Holleran on the situation. "Have you looked into the security detail that was sent with Mrs. Braddock and Sadie on the cruise?"
"Um, no." Spike's fingers flew across the keyboard once again.
After several minutes of Spike working and not offering any info, Greg decided they needed a break. "Wordy, Rollie, why don't you two go get us some food. Whatever you want. General Braddock has decided to provide anything we need while we are assisting with the search including food."
Rollie's brows rose. He had never even met General Braddock and he liked him already.
Two hours later the conference room table was strewn with empty takeout containers, and surrounded by four worried SRU officers. Spike had yet to eat, drink anything other than his coffee, or even look away from his computer. He had been typing furiously the entire time.
"Okay, Boss. I don't have anything on the protection detail for the cruise."
Greg stood and strode to the window as he thought for a long minute. Turning back to the Team he shared his thoughts.
"Okay, so here's what we have. Spike has looked into every employee of the cruise line and airline that would have known about Sadie's travel plans. He has looked into the protection detail assigned during Sadie's vacation. So far we haven't found anything. So let's think for a minute. If it wasn't anyone along her route of travel then it had to be someone else, someone who was privy to every move Sadie made."
"General Braddock and his staff would surely know. He would have to coordinate protection detail for his wife and Sadie." Rollie sat straighter and stretched his back.
"We knew," Wordy added. "We knew her travel plans because Jules shared them with us, and had to clear time off with you, Boss."
"I'm going to ask you straight up right now and if anyone is not truthful with me I will end your career forever." Greg drew in a deep breath. He hated even having to ask, but it needed to be done. "Did any of you speak with anyone outside the Team or Sam's Unit about Sadie's travel plans?"
"Are you asking if any of us ratted them out?" Spike's brows drew together. "I thought you trusted us, Boss."
"I do trust you, completely and without reservation. What I'm asking is if anyone spoke about Sadie and her travel plans outside of the Team or in a public place. Someone could have overheard the conversation."
Everyone in the room shook their heads that no, they didn't speak of the plans outside of the Team.
"Wouldn't matter anyway. Her travel plans changed at the last minute when Jules called and asked if Ed could pick Sadie up from the airport." Lew pointed out.
"That's right. Jules called last minute to say she was stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it in time. Boss, you then asked Ed if he could pick her up. He left and went straight to the airport." Spike thought hard for a moment. "Could one of our phones be bugged?"
"Can you check?"
"Yeah." Spike began typing away on his computer. "The bug would emit a radio frequency to whoever is listening in."
"Can you also check to see if there are any bugs either here in the Barn, or in the old SRU building JTF2 used?" Lew was afraid SRU HQ had been compromised.
"Yeah, give me a few."
While Spike worked the rest of the Team cleared away the trash and brought in fresh mugs of coffee. It wouldn't be as good as a Double Double from Timmy's but it would do for now.
"Nothing. No sign of bugging devices in any of our phones, Jules, Winnie, Suzie, or the Unit. Although, they could have phones we don't know about." Spike shared.
"Okay, so that leaves just one thing." Greg ran his hands through his hair and over his face. "If there is a mole it would have to be someone that overheard my conversation with Ed."
"Yeah, so? We already know it's none of us." Spike pointed out.
"Have you looked into Sam's Unit?"
"Are you suggesting that one of the guys in Sam's Unit, one of the men he trusts with his life, could have ratted him out?" Wordy knew that was what Greg was saying, but it seemed so out in left field that he couldn't believe it would be true.
"There is a mole, somewhere. Sam's JTF2 Unit is the only place we haven't looked." Greg knew it was a crazy idea, but he had to look at this from every angle.
"I'll check them out." Spike began his searches.
Rollie, Wordy, Greg, and Lew all paced while Spike worked. None of them wanted to believe that one of Sam's Unit was responsible, but they were running out of options.
"HOLY SHIT!"
Everyone's attention turned to Spike as he uttered the exclamation, forcefully propelled himself away from the table, and had a look of horror on his face.
"Spike?" Greg asked carefully as he approached his techie.
"Boss." Spike swallowed hard and turned his wide eyes to Greg before pointing at his screen. "You need to see that."
Greg's brows furrowed as he moved to stand in front of the computer screen so he could look at whatever had freaked out Spike.
"What is it, Spike?" Lew knelt down in front of his best friend.
Spike just shook his head no.
"Did you find the mole?" Rollie came closer to look over Greg's shoulder at the results.
Spike nodded his head in answer. Yeah, I found the mole alright.
As Greg read the results his gut clenched. When he noted whose bank records he was looking at his full mug of coffee slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor. This is not good… not good at all!
AN: Maybe I should forget my bunker and just move to Mars...or Pluto. Please don't send Sam after me with his rifle! Leave me a reivew instead :D