Wake Up Call
Nancy woke late the next morning to the phone ringing. She looked at the clock and practically sprang out of bed, 10 am! She never slept that late. She reached over and picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"Nancy, thank goodness you're alright," Maggie's voice sounded concerned.
"Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?" Nancy asked distractedly, looking again at the clock and going over her plan for the day in her head.
"Amy told us about the case you're working on, it sounds dangerous Nancy," Maggie's tone was admonishing, which just served to irritate Nancy, "I've even heard of Grant Kennedy, the man is trouble with a capital 'T.'"
"Thank you for your astute assessment, Professor Hill," Nancy said irritably, then immediately felt sorry, Maggie was just expressing concern about her safety, no reason to take her bad mood out on her.
"Listen Maggie, I promise, I'll be careful, and I'm keeping Riley appraised of what I'm doing. Honestly, it's no different than any other case." Nancy tone was now conciliatory and she hoped she hadn't hurt Maggie's feelings.
Maggie sighed, "Have I told you lately how much I dislike your profession, Nancy?"
Nancy smiled, Maggie never changed, "Yes, I believe you mentioned it a few short days ago," Nancy was thinking of a time about three weeks earlier when a not very flattering picture of her had ended up on the front page of the Langley Gazette.
Truth be told, she'd just gotten caught in the middle of a brawl between her operative and a suspect. Besides, the guy had ended up being guilty, and had looked a lot worse than her in the end. Unfortunately, she had gotten a black eye out of the deal, which had only finally totally disappeared a few days ago. Maggie hadn't let a day of that black eye go by without 'mentioning' how much she disliked Nancy's chosen profession.
"I just think that you need to be reminded periodically that your presence in the office is just as important, perhaps more important, then in the field."
"But, Maggie," Nancy said innocently, "There's no jazz in the office!"
"Hannibal and I are going to have a talk when he gets home!" Maggie said severely.
Nancy laughed, "Never fear, Mags, I'm always careful." Boy was that becoming a litany or what, Nancy thought.
"I've got a bunch of stuff on my plate today, is there anything you girls desperately need while I'm out?" Nancy asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"No, you stocked us up pretty well yesterday, we should be good," Maggie said, "But we'll be looking forward to seeing you for supper this evening. I won't take no for an answer, Mama says we've got to make sure you eat."
"No promises, Maggie, I'm not sure when I'll get home," Nancy said, "I'll call if it's too late to come over."
Another Round
Nancy showered and dressed in record time, and then made two phone calls. First she called Riley, to check on the office schedule for the day, and tell him that if she came in it would only be briefly, and it would be later in the day.
Then she called to check on Blanche, and see if she had heard or remembered anything. No such luck. Nancy assured her, once again with more confidence than she felt, that she was making steady progress and they would find them soon.
She grabbed a quick breakfast at the golden arches on her way over to Jasmine's apartment. She decided to try pressing Claus for more information. Something had to be up there, how had he known that Terra was Jasmine's kid? He knew more than he was letting on, and Nancy intended to find out what.
She parked in front of the apartment and headed up the stairs, walking straight to 305 and pounding on the door. It was the same routine as the previous day, and soon Claus was looking out at her around the chain, with Nancy's boot wedged in the gap to ensure unimpeded conversation.
"Well if it isn't sweet cheeks, decided to take me up on my offer, huh?" He leered at her.
Nancy tried a conciliatory tactic, "Listen, I haven't had any luck finding Jazz, you wouldn't happen to have names of any friends that I could check with or any other information that would help?" she gave him her most dazzling smile.
"You wouldn't happen to have another 20 to grease the wheels in my head, would you?" His smile was mocking.
Nancy pulled a 20 out, and held it out of reach. His hand shot out to grab it, but Nancy shook her head, "Uh-uh, information first, then you can have the money."
"Well, if you're gonna be that way, the price just went up to 50 bucks."
Nancy pulled out another 20, "That's all the grease I've got." She said.
He considered for a moment, then relented, "Alright, you wanna know what I heard. I heard Jazz owed a lot of people a lot of money – and if what she owes me is any indication I'm bettin' she dug herself a deep hole."
"Like what people did she owe money?"
"Like drug dealers, ring leaders, crime bosses, like them kind of people – you know, the dangerous kind."
"People like Trigger McGill and Grant Kennedy?" Nancy coaxed.
"Man, you gotta death wish snooping 'round after those guys. I ain't givin' any names, but I bet Jazz owed all kinds of people money."
"What was the money for?"
"How the hell should I know, she didn't tell me," He held out his hand, "Now give me my grease, that's all you're gettin'."
Nancy handed him the money and allowed the door to close. Not terribly helpful, though it could be another piece of the puzzle. If Jazz owed a lot of people a lot of money, she might have gotten desperate. Desperate enough for what, though. Desperate enough to star in a nudey film? And it still got back to, what did it have to do with Terra? Hopefully not what Nancy was thinking.
Her next stop was the Wild Boar. She saw Clare outside and decided to touch base with her, to see if she had learned anything new since they had last talked. Clare looked scared when she saw Nancy, and waved her away, "Lady, get lost, I ain't interested in no queer whoring," Out of the side of her mouth she whispered, "Take off, I don't want nobody knowin' I'm talking to you."
Nancy relented, and veered back to head into the Wild Boar.
Presidential Meeting
Nancy wandered in and sat on a stool at the far end of the bar. It was late morning, and there were only a few people scattered around the tables. Justin came over with a smile, "Gonna become a regular?" he asked, his tone friendly.
"Just until I find Jazz and Terra," Nancy said, "I don't usually spend a lot of time hanging out in bars."
Justin leaned on the bar across from her, "Too bad, you sure do brighten up the scenery around here. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Sure, I'll take a coke." Nancy said.
"Anything in it?" He coaxed.
"Oh alright, I'll be daring and take a lemon wedge in it," Nancy grinned.
"Ladies choice – you got it." He returned a moment later with her coke and resumed leaning on the bar.
"So, have you heard anything that might give me a line on Jazz or her daughter?" Nancy asked hopefully.
"Well, I asked around, quiet like, last night . . ." Justin's voice trailed off and he straightened as the door to the bar opened.
Grant Kennedy was not physically remarkable, but his presence was palpable. He walked up to the bar, two stools down from Nancy, "Justin, get me a vodka tonic," he turned and looked at Nancy, indicating her glass, "And get the lady another of whatever she's drinking," he added off-handedly.
Nancy smiled, "No thank you, I believe I've had enough." She said pointedly.
Kennedy turned and leaned on the bar, facing Nancy, a smug smile firmly in place, "Nancy Murdock, it is such a pleasure to meet you."
Nancy smiled, "If you think I'm impressed that you know my name, think again. I've left cards everywhere I've gone in the last 24 hours – here you want one of your own," she offered a card, which he took.
"Yes, you have been making a bit of a nuisance of yourself. Who is it you're looking for?" He feigned ignorance, though Nancy had no doubt that he knew perfectly well who she was looking for.
"She's been askin' after Jazz, Mr. President," Justin said deferentially. Nancy sighed mentally, he'd obviously be no help where Kennedy was concerned. The bar was beginning to feel decidedly closed in.
"Jazz's Mom is worried about her," Nancy said, deliberately neglecting to mention Terra.
"She's worried about Jazz, well isn't that nice, a Mother worried about her long lost daughter. Blanche hasn't given a damn about her daughter in the last 4 years, why should she start now." He was baiting her, but Nancy didn't rise.
"You know, Ms. Murdock, it would be a shame if something were to happen to a pretty young woman such as yourself. This is a very dangerous neighborhood." Kennedy drained his drink and stepped away from the bar.
"Is that a threat, Mr. Kennedy?" Nancy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why of course not, simply a concerned citizen providing a general warning about a dangerous neighborhood to an apparently naïve young woman." He smiled like a barracuda.
"Oh, I just wanted to be clear on that," Nancy smiled innocently, "Just for the record, I'm not nearly as naïve as I appear. It never pays to underestimate your opponent."
His smile disappeared, and when Kennedy spoke his voice was low and dangerous, "You're playing in the big boy's playground now little girl, make sure you aren't in over your head." He turned and stalked out of the bar.
Nancy let out her breath, which she had just realized she was holding. Well, Kennedy was obviously involved. That made things very interesting, and very tricky.
She turned back to Justin, "So, you were saying that you talked to a few people last night, what did you find out."
Justin looked at her and shook his head, "No way, sweety. If Mr. President doesn't want you finding Jazz, I ain't helping. That would be just asking for trouble."
Nancy stood and threw a couple of dollars on the bar, "Guess you left your backbone in your other t-shirt. Thanks for the coke, anyway."
Justin just glared at Nancy's retreating back.
Help from Friends
Nancy decided she needed the comfort of a familiar face, and a nice secure location, so she went to see Joe at the station. At the front desk the officer told her he was out - apparently gone home for lunch. So she headed over to the Martin house.
Trixie and Joe were eating when Nancy arrived and invited her in to join them. They visited for awhile about nothing in particular. Then, as Trixie began to clean up the lunch dishes, Nancy gave Joe a rundown on what she'd managed to find out about Trigger and asked if he was aware of any porn being made in the area, or who she could talk to to find out about it.
"Legit porn, or black market stuff?" Joe asked, only half-jokingly.
"Probably the black market, but I'll take what I can get at this point. Who should I talk to?"
"Brett Katt is still your man, he'll be on top of the most recent news, especially if it involves Trigger McGill."
Joe looked at Nancy, his expression very sober, "Does this involve McGill and Kennedy?" he asked.
Nancy nodded, "Yea, I'm certain now that they're both involved, I'm just not sure how all the pieces fit together yet."
Truth was, Nancy was getting a fuzzy picture of what was going on, and she didn't like the look of it at all, especially not if Terra had been sucked into it.
Kid Stuff
Nancy used Joe's phone to call Brett and make an appointment to meet him. He wasn't available until 3, so Nancy decided to take another drive past Trigger's house, just to while away the time. Trigger's car was still in the drive, and the house looked pretty dead. Trigger and his girlfriends were probably sleeping off a killer hangover. Nancy did a once around the block to confirm that there was no action, then headed over to Kennedy's estate, which was in a decidedly nicer section of town.
Kennedy lived in a gated community with several guarded entrances, requiring a key card or special identification to get in. Nancy drove around the exterior of the community, checking each of the entrances and making notes on their locations before heading back to the station for her 3 o'clock meeting with Brett.
At the station, Nancy talked to the officer at the main desk said she was there to see Detective Katt in Vice. She was signed in, given a visitor badge and directed to his desk on the second floor, he was expecting her. When she arrived on the second floor, she entered a large room, and saw Brett motioning to her from the far corner.
"Hey, there," He said as Nancy walked up to his desk, "Have a seat here for a minute, I have a call to finish up, then we'll find an empty interview room and talk."
Nancy noticed the phone in his hand and obediently sat, waiting for him to finish his call.
His telephone call was obviously business, and he finished it up in short order. Hanging up, Brett turned to her with a more formal greeting, "Hello, Nancy, long time, no see. Can I get you something to drink?"
Nancy smiled, "Nothing for me, thanks. How have you been Brett?"
"Fine, fine – well if I can't get you anything, why don't we find a quieter place where we can talk," he turned and looked through a stack of files on his desk, muttering to himself about not being able to find anything. He pulled out one thick file then turned to a detective at an adjacent desk, "Hey Carlisle, where's the KP file I had out – did you take it?"
Carlisle lifted a stack of files, sifting through much as Brett had just done then held out another fat file, "Here it is, ended up on my desk with the Parsons file. Sorry."
Brett took the two files and stood, "Right this way, there should be an interview room open somewhere down the hall."
Once in the interview room, they took seats at a bare wooden table, and Nancy pulled out her notebook and pen. Brett dropped the two thick files on the table and closed the door before taking his seat.
"So, Joe says your interested in Trigger McGill and black market porn – lovely combo, I must say," he was speaking off-handedly, but his eyes were sharp, and he was watching Nancy intently.
"I have a hunch that there might be a link between McGill, the porn market, and a missing persons case I'm working on," Nancy said, then as if in afterthought, "Grant Kennedy may be involved, too."
Brett raised his eyebrows, "And who's the missing person?"
Nancy shook her head, "Can't say, Brett – I was just hoping for a line to follow. I'm hitting dead ends everywhere I look."
Brett sighed, "Well, if McGill and Mr. President are involved, I'd place my bets on kiddie porn – which is why I brought this file. I'm not sure there's anything here that can help you, and I can't really show you the file. But, I can drop a few names of people that might have more information . . ."
He opened the KP file and flipped through, providing some general background information as he searched, "Kennedy has never been directly connected to the kiddie porn market, but I have reliable sources that tell me he's really in to it. Ahhh, here we go . . . this lady has starred in some pretty hard core stuff herself, though she tells me she never does anything illegal," Brett snorted, "Of course none of them do. Names Brandy Bush, here's her last known address. Sorry, no phone number."
Nancy took note of the name and address, "Has she been helpful in the past?"
Brett looked at Nancy with a grin, "Not exactly, but then I've always gotten the impression she doesn't like men. I was hoping you might have more luck with her."
Nancy chuckled, shaking her head, "In other words, 'good luck.' Anything better to offer?"
Brett shuffled some more papers, "This guy, Randy James, has been known to do some filming, though I've never heard him working with Trigger. Anyways, he might be able to give you an idea where to start. He likes to talk, may not have anything direct, but he's an easy mark and can give you some good general information on the porn market itself."
Nancy obediently marked down the name and address, again no phone number, so far all Brett had given her looked like duds.
"What about people directly involved with Trigger – I'm pretty certain this trail starts with him, I just can't seem to get any further."
Brett opened the second file, flipping pages slowly, "Trigger's been in to a little of everything, though, here again, he's never been brought up on porn charges. He's almost as slippery as Kennedy, though with a lot less style."
He stopped and appeared to scrutinize a sheet, then flipped back to the KP file, turning a few pages before a grim smile appeared on his face. He turned the two top sheets around for Nancy to look at, "I thought I remembered a connection, though I have to admit, it's been awhile since I perused Trigger's file. Penny Turner has turned up in a couple of black market films just recently, and I've been meaning to go back and see where I'd heard that name before. Here it is," he indicated the page from Trigger's file, "Apparently an old flame of Trigger's. No contact information, I think she's wanted for questioning, but you know with the lack of warm bodies to chase things down, she's probably pretty safe from us."
The sheet from Trigger's file had a poor quality black and white photo of Penny Turner attached to it. Nancy didn't react, but her heart rate went up several bpm – she couldn't be sure, but that sure did look like Clare.
Nancy dutifully wrote down Penny Turner's name and asked if she could have a copy of the picture, which Brett provided.
Nancy stood when Brett returned from making the copy, "Thanks for the help Brett, I don't want to take anymore of your time. I know you're busy."
"Nancy, I'm sure Joe's already warned you, but I don't think you can hear it too often, 'be careful.' McGill by himself is bad enough, but if Kennedy is directly involved, that's bad news."
Nancy smiled and took his hand, shaking it formally, "Thanks for the warning – I'll be fine. I'm always careful!"
Brett held her hand a bit longer than professional courtesy dictated, his smile warm, as he let go he said teasingly, "You know if you ever get tired of that fly boy husband of yours . . ."
Nancy felt the color rise in her cheeks, "It's not nice to hit on a married lady . . . besides, I'm pretty attached to the fly boy."
Brett opened the door for her, and sighed exaggeratedly, "Some guys have all the luck."
"You know me better than that, Brett – I'd think you'd be feeling sorry for him!" Nancy chuckled and waved at him as she moved down the hall. She practically skipped out to the car after dropping her visitor badge at the front desk, this was the most promising lead yet. Time to find Clare and have a heart to heart!
Pakse and Beyond
When they landed outside of Pakse, at a small military base, Hannibal ordered the Team to flake. He needed to check in with General Stockwell, and make a pitch for moving up the schedule. It was very early morning, though with the schedule they'd been keeping, the days were pretty much running together, making it a challenge to keep track of the time zone, let alone the actual time.
About 4 hours later, Hannibal headed in to the barracks-style building where the Team had been bedded down. All three members of his Team were flaked out as ordered, and Hannibal dropped onto an empty bunk to get a couple of hours of shut eye before they headed in to the final leg of the mission.
Two hours later, as ordered, the Team received a wake up call. As they all rolled out of bed, Hannibal lit a cigar, "Let's go get some breakfast, and then I'll fill you in on my conversation with the General."
Breakfast was a silent affair. Afterwards, they all followed Hannibal into a make-shift briefing room, "I've talked to the General, and he's agreed, we're going to move up the schedule."
Face looked at Hannibal in surprise, "By how much?"
"We strike this afternoon," Hannibal said, looking for his men's reactions.
"In broad daylight, Hannibal? That's suicide!" BA looked incredulous.
Murdock was less quick to jump to conclusions, "What exactly do you and Stockwell have in store for us?" he sounded very skeptical.
Hannibal's eye gleamed, which made all three of them groan, "We're the bait – Chang is royally ticked off, and if he gets us in his sights, he'll get reckless. The sooner we show our faces in 'Nam the better – while he's still stinging over the Cambodia deal."
"Stockwell will have three Abel Teams here by late morning. We go in wired, so they know when we've got Chang in sight, and then we close the door on General Chang and his operation once and for all."
Hannibal looked around the room at his men, Face was the first to break the silence, "The BAIT? Why do we have to be the BAIT? Let the Abels play that game!
Hannibal sighed, "Now Face, be reasonable, we've been the high profile group all along. Chang thinks we're orchestrating the whole thing. We've been the planned bait from the beginning."
"Sounds great, Colonel, except for one thing. If Chang gets his hands on us, he's gonna kill us!" Murdock didn't look any happier than Face about the plan.
"Naw," Hannibal said dismissively, "The bad guys always wanna gloat when they catch the good guys. That's their undoing. Besides, the Abels will be right behind us. Come on guys, it's the only way we're gonna get Chang himself. Otherwise he gets away, and the past two months were for nothing."
"So we're s'posed to trust Stockwell's men to get us out?" BA was shaking his head.
Hannibal took his cigar out of his mouth and stood with his arms crossed, looking at them sternly, "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're Stockwell's men, and 'yes', the Abels will have our backside. They have throughout this operation. Who do you think has been laying all the ground work? This plan will work."
Face, BA, and Murdock stood looking anywhere but at the Hannibal. They were uncomfortably aware that their commanding officer was not very happy with them at the moment.
This time Murdock broke the silence, "When do we leave?"
Hannibal looked at each man in turn, and when he saw acceptance on all three faces, he stuck the cigar between his teeth and grinned, "1300 sharp. We'll be going by chopper from here, supposedly in stealth mode. The plan is to be seen in Hanoi. We'll be wired before we leave."
Hannibal passed each of them a file of information, "Murdock, the flight maps are in the next room. The file contains all of the information that we currently have on General Chang's compound – memorize it. We meet with the other three teams that will be backing us up at 1100, here. You're dismissed until then."
1100 came around quickly. The briefing took almost an hour, after which the Team were wired with sophisticated tracking and signaling devices, including backups. Before they knew it they were packing up to go. Murdock ran his last pre-flight and they were lifting off. The other three teams had left approximately 30 minutes earlier, to get into position. Once the Team sent the signal that Chang was in sight, the Abels should be able to respond in fairly short order. Now they just had to get captured.
Penny Turner
Nancy decided to drop by the shelter on her way to the Boar, on the off chance that Clare might be there. She had had a message from Father Jebadiah, and this would give her a chance to pick up whatever tidbits of information he might have to offer.
At the shelter she parked about a block away and walked up the street. The sleet had given way to some scattered snow flurries, though nothing had really accumulated. Absolutely no sign of spring, yet. Nancy was just glad it wasn't sleeting anymore.
Father Jebadiah waved at Nancy as soon as she walked through the door, and handed his ladle to the volunteer standing next to him. Wiping his hands on his apron, he walked up to Nancy like an old friend and steered her to a back room that served as the shelter office.
"Well, I'm afraid that the other volunteers that night weren't much help. Most of them don't even remember seeing Jasmine. However, Jeremy, one of the younger members of our volunteer group, whom I suspect is rather sweet on Jasmine, said he also remembered her coming in, and that she had seemed nervous. He felt that her nervousness stemmed from something other than needing a fix."
Father Jebadiah took a deep breath, "Of course, Jeremy may just have been wishful thinking, but he said he thought, from what Jasmine said to him that she was afraid that someone was going to hurt her and her daughter. He mentioned, hmm, let me see, was it Roy Rogers? That doesn't sound right. I had him make a note of it here somewhere," he began shuffling through piles of bills and receipts on the desk.
"Might it have been Trigger?" Nancy prompted.
Father snapped his fingers, "That was it – Roy Roger's horse. Does that mean anything to you?"
Nancy nodded, "It confirms some other information that I received. Jazz was doing some work for a man named Trigger McGill, and I've heard that she misplaced a package and he became angry with her. Sounds like he may have threatened not only her, but also Terra. That would explain why she showed up at Blanche's and took Terra with her – maybe trying to protect her, though I don't see how."
"Can you give me Jeremy's phone number – I'd really like to talk to him some more about what Jazz said to him that night."
As they'd been talking, Father had continued to sift through the contents of the desk, and came up with an "Ah-hah, here it is. Jeremy wrote down everything he could remember about his conversation with Jasmine. And at the bottom he put his name and phone number in case you needed anything else. I also believe he'll be working tomorrow, if you have a chance to stop by" He handed the paper over to Nancy and she tucked it into her purse.
Next she pulled out the picture of Penny Turner, "Father, do you know this woman?"
Father Jebadiah looked at the picture and nodded, handing it back, "Of course, that's Penelope. A member of the oldest profession, if you know what I mean," he said with a knowing nod, that Nancy found rather comical.
"She comes in periodically to warm up between, ummm, clients. And of course to get sustenance. She's really quite a nice girl," Nancy had a feeling that Father Jebadiah would have said Medusa was 'really a nice girl once you get to know her.'
"I believe she was in here yesterday when you were here," Father added, looking at Nancy quizzically, "didn't you get to talk to her?"
Nancy shook her head, "No, was she wearing a pink tube top with leopard skin stirrups and a long pink fur coat?"
"So you did see her," he nodded appreciatively, "I'll bet it pays to be observant in your line of work. I bet you remember what everyone was wearing." He looked at her like the kid waiting for the magician to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
Nancy smiled, "No, but you have to admit that Cl-uh Penelope's attire was pretty distinctive."
She stood and held out her hand, "Thank you so much for all of your help Father. I really should be going. It's getting late, and I still have a couple stops to make."
He smiled warmly, "Any time. And if you need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to ask."
Out at the car, Nancy started it warming up then pulled the sheet from Jeremy out and read through it. It provided little more detail than the Father had given her, with a couple of exceptions. Jasmine had told Jeremy that she owed Trigger a lot of money, which was in keeping with what Claus had said. Jasmine had also told Jeremy that there was someone who had offered to help, and she was going to take him up on it. She hadn't told him who her benefactor was, but now Nancy had to wonder if Jasmine and Terra were in trouble, or just in hiding. But if just in hiding, why not contact Blanche and tell her they were alright? Things still didn't add up.
She made a few notes in her notebook, and then headed down the street to the Wild Boar.
At the Boar, sure enough, Clare, aka Penny, was standing outside in the cold. Nancy drove by slowly, catching Clare's eye and nodding to indicate that she should meet her around the corner. Nancy pulled up a block and into a deserted alley and sat to wait.
Clare pulled open the door about five minutes later, "Crank up the heat on this baby, I'm freezing."
Nancy obliged then turned in her seat so she was facing Clare, "So, Penny," she said pointedly, "Is there anything that you'd like to tell me?"
Clare/Penny looked at her, and shrugged, "I figgered you was a smart girl. How'd you figure out who I was?"
Nancy sighed, "Did you know you're wanted for questioning in connection with a black market porn scam?"
"Really? Now that would explain why I didn't give you my real name wouldn't it?" she asked scathingly, "Listen sweet heart, don't act all high and mighty with me. I was just trying to help out a friend."
"Help out a friend, or get an old boyfriend in trouble?" Nancy asked, "I don't know whether to believe a word you've told me about Trigger and Jasmine." That was a lie, but Nancy was hoping it would loosen Penny's tongue.
"Everything I tol' you was the honest god's truth. Jazz is a friend. I'm the one set her up working with Trigger in the firs' place," Penny rubbed her hands together and hunkered into her coat, looking small and pitiful.
"Alright, so you set Jazz up with this sweet deal. I have information that says he threatened not only Jazz, but Terra, too. Something besides just a lost package went wrong for him to be so hot on both of them. There's something you're not telling me."
Penny stared out the window blindly for a few minutes, and Nancy let her sit and stew while she warmed up. Finally she looked at Nancy and tears were glistening in her eyes, "It was all a set up," she said miserably, "I was hoping that if I fed you enough information you'd figure it out and get them out of there." She began sobbing and Nancy reached into the back seat and held a beaten tissue box out for Penny.
"Out of where, Penny," Nancy asked gently.
"Kennedy has them," Penny said after blowing her nose, "You see that was the plan all along. Trigger threatens Jazz and Terra, then Kennedy is there to 'protect' them from Trigger. Once he has both, he planned to get Jazz torqued on coke then use both of them in some movie."
Nancy sat back against the door of the car, the window crank digging into her back, "Jasmine would never allow him to use Terra that way, no matter how bad a mother she is," Nancy said quietly.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Penny said, "Kennedy is very charming and he can be real persuasive, trust me I know."
"The films that you were in recently, did Kennedy produce those, too?"
"Yea, like I said, he's real persuasive. He's also a real pervert. You see the ones he releases on the market are tame compared to the private ones he makes for personal use. I think he gets off on seeing himself on film."
Penny's tongue had definitely loosened, "I 'member when I was with Trig, he used to say that Kennedy's sexual kinks were going to get him in trouble some day. But he's real careful about who he chooses for his personal movies. I think he's had his eye on Jazz for some time, she's an awful pretty girl. And when he found out she had a daughter, well that clinched it. Mr. President always gets what he wants."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to repeat this for the police?" Nancy asked hopefully.
"Do I look like I have a death wish – hell no! Why do you think I told you, so you could take care of it."
"Do you know where Kennedy has them?"
"Probably in that fancy estate o' his. The cops cried wolf so many times, no judge'll grant a search warrant for the place. 'Sides, he's got all kinds of hidden rooms and shit like that. Even if the cops got in, they'd never find anything."
Nancy sighed heavily, this was sounding rather hopeless. She couldn't even get in the gated community without a security card, let alone into Kennedy's estate. And even then, it sounded like even finding Jasmine and Terra on the estate could be a major challenge.
Penny started to fidget, "Listen, I gotta get back on my corner before anyone notices I'm gone. Please, get Jazz and Terra away from that nut." And with that she jumped out of the car and headed back down the street.
'Just get them away from the nut, no problem,' Nancy thought as she put the car in reverse and backed out onto the street five minutes later.
She headed away from the Boar. It was almost 5:30, and she did want to stop by the office before heading to Amy's for supper.
At the office, Nancy was relieved to find Riley still in. She brought him up to speed on Jazz and Terra's case and asked if he had any ideas.
"Yea, forget it. You're asking for trouble getting involved in this, Nan. Tell the cops what you know and let them handle it."
"If the cops get involved, Jazz and Terra are as good as dead," Nancy said, shaking her head, "You know how Kennedy operates, no witnesses. He hasn't stayed out of jail this long by being sloppy."
"He's been sloppy enough that you're on to him," Riley countered.
"Maybe, but he doesn't see me as a real threat," Nancy said, "The cops are another matter entirely."
"He sees you as enough of a threat to try and scare you off."
Nancy wrinkled her nose, "That was really old school crap, too. Seemed out of character. I wonder why he bothered with me at all, especially personally. I'd have thought he'd send one of his thugs, like Trigger. Why dirty his own hands?"
"Maybe he likes you," Riley said snidely.
"Maybe," Nancy said thoughtfully, "I could use that to my advantage. He obviously doesn't see me as much of a threat, maybe I could get him to invite me into his home." She looked at Riley with a suggestive smile.
Riley's expression was turning to alarm, "Now you're starting to scare me. That's just plain stupid. What are you going to do once you're inside, stick your finger in your pocket and say 'Stick 'em up and hand over the woman and child'?"
Nancy sat back, deflated. Riley was right, what would she do once she was inside. She'd have to work on that part of the plan.
Vietnam
They landed without incident just outside of Hanoi, proper, and headed into town, dressed in native clothing to make it look like they were trying to blend in. They headed straight for the Bank of Hanoi. Hannibal ranged his men around the bank and then headed inside to transact some business.
One by one, the Team was picked off and hauled into the back of a waiting truck. When Hannibal came out, he scanned up and down the street, looking for Face and BA, who were supposed to be covering the front. As he stood there, the truck pulled to the curb and hands reached out and pulled Hannibal in. No one on the street seemed to notice.
At Chang's compound, they were split up, each locked into a separate cell.
Face sat down on the floor and began to draw haphazard circle in the dirt. All there was to do now was wait, and he'd had lots of practice at that. He looked up and scanned the interior of the cell. Things hadn't changed much in the intervening years. 'Still no amenities. You'd think by now they'd have valet service.' Face thought with a grim smile, then went back to drawing pictures in the dirt . . . and listening.
BA slammed himself against the closed door and growled at the guard that looked in through the grate over the window. He crossed his arms and paced like a caged cat. He'd never been good at the waiting game, had no patience for it. He hoped Chang showed up soon – he'd personally rip his head off with his bear hands.
Murdock slouched against the wall of his cell hugging himself. This was way to close to the past, and he was starting to feel a little unglued. Damn Hannibal and his plans, anyway. He wanted to be home with Nancy. So he used a trick that had always helped him hold it together, though this time the wife at least was real. He closed his eyes and imagined he was home with Nancy and a new baby. Playing fetch with the dogs off the back porch. A nice, sunny, relaxing day at home. He felt himself relax.
Hannibal paced agitatedly. If he was any judge of human nature, Chang would be headed to the compound right now to gloat over the capture of the A-team. Then they could spring the trap. He walked to the door and looked out in the hall. He couldn't see the rest of his team, but he was sure they were nearby. Hopefully the rest of the teams were in place and ready to move. He didn't want to take any chances. Murdock was right, Chang was going to want them dead. The window of opportunity to spring the trap without anyone getting hurt was going to be narrow. He'd known this going in, they all had. But it was a risk that could have a big payoff.
Besides, they would get through this. They always did.
A Evening Off
Nancy got to Amy's for supper around 6:30. She judiciously decided to leave her gun in the car while she went in. No need to alarm Maggie or Mama needlessly.
Dinner was uneventful, and Nancy managed to keep the conversation away from the subject of Jasmine and Terra. Amy was feeling well enough to come down to the table to eat, and seemed grateful just to get out of the bedroom. There still was no word from the Team, and Nancy made a mental note to slap her Uncle the next time she saw him. She hated not know what was going on – especially for this long.
After dinner they sat down in the living room and Amy coaxed Nancy into playing a few songs on the piano. Nancy obliged, and soon had them joining her in some old favorites.
Then Nancy helped Maggie make some hot chocolate and popcorn, and they sat around and watched the late classics on TV, laughing and giggling like a bunch of school girls. At about 11, Nancy begged out, but promised to stop by the next morning.
The evening had been relaxing, and Nancy decided that maybe that had been what she needed to clear her head. She decided to get a good night's sleep and start fresh in the morning. Maybe an idea of how to resolve this situation would come to her.
A Different Perspective
Paul Baldwin walked into Kennedy's office with some trepidation. Mr. President was not going to be happy about this latest development, and he hated being the bearer of bad news.
Without looking up, Kennedy acknowledged Baldwin's presence, "What is it, Paul – I'm very busy."
"We have a bit of a problem, sir," Paul said nervously, "Penny Turner was seen talking with Nancy Murdock late this afternoon."
Kennedy looked up, his eyes flashing, "She has been nothing but a liability since McGill brought her into the picture," he made a dismissive gesture, "Tell him it's his problem, and I expect him to make it go away – tonight."
"Yes, sir," Paul hesitated.
"Is there something more?" Kennedy looked up, clearly he thought the matter was settled.
"It's about Ms. Murdock . . . she's been all over asking about Jasmine and Terra."
"I know that, Paul, you're wasting my time . . ." Kennedy looked at his assistant impatiently.
"Well, she talked to that Father at the shelter, and one of the volunteers that Jazz was friendly with. I don't know what she found out, but between them and Penny, she must have gotten wind of where Jasmine and Terra are. She's been seen snooping around the community perimeter. I think she may suspect that Jasmine and Terra are here. We really need to finish that particular little project, sir." Paul hated Kennedy's pet projects, particularly where women and girls were concerned. They tended to be perverted. The killing and drugs were one thing, but the kinky stuff really turned his stomach.
Kennedy looked impatient, "So . . ."
"She's getting too close, sir. And she has connections at the police, the Bureau. She makes me nervous."
Kennedy sat back in his chair, an amused look on his face as he considered his assistant, "Ms. Murdock does present a rather fascinating quandary, doesn't she. What did you find out about her that has you so antsy, Paul."
Kennedy knew his assistant could dig up information on anyone. He had been an early entrant into the computer revolution, as well as having connections at several information bureaus. Well connected to dig up dirt on people, that was why Kennedy kept him around.
Paul pulled out his notepad and began in a clinical tone, "Born Nancy Clay, raised in the Chicago area. Undergrad in human psych. Started Law School but dropped out after three semesters," he stopped and looked up at Kennedy, "which is odd because she was at the top of her class . . ."
Kennedy nodded, "Go on."
Paul looked back down at his notes, found his place, and continued, "Attended the FBI Academy. Again, top marks, but she didn't join the Bureau. She started working for Adams Investigations about six years ago – offices located just off 4th and Broad. Met and married her husband two years ago. They live just outside of Langley."
"And the husband?" Kennedy pressed.
Paul shrugged, "I only just started checking him out," he admitted, "Name's HM Murdock. Moved to the area about three years ago. He's a Vietnam vet, a pilot, decorated. Works part time at the local airfield as a mechanic, but seems to be out of town quite a bit – in fact he's not around right now. I haven't found anything else out about his employment, he might be working for her uncle, that would probably explain the absences from home."
Paul stopped and took a breath. Kennedy was nodding his head, "Anything on him before he moved to the area?"
"Last place of residence I could find was the VA Hospital in Brentwood, just outside of LA. He was in the psychiatric ward."
"Interesting twist, what's his military record look like?"
"Didn't get too far there yet. He was in Air Command, then Special Forces. I didn't find a lot of detail, but then, with those special forces guys you often have to get hold of the higher security files to really get to the meat."
"Fine, back to Nancy – any family? You mentioned an uncle . . ."
Paul flipped another page, "Father, Carl Clay, lawyer, still lives and works in Chicago. Mother, Ruby Stockwell Clay, killed when Nancy was quite young. Uncle, Hunt Stockwell, owns and operates Stockwell Enterprises, a foreign affairs think tank. No other immediate family for either of them, though Nancy has been spending quite a bit of time at a friend's home lately. Name's Peck, Amy Peck. Her husband and Nancy's husband apparently served together in 'Nam – again, I haven't really dug into the military records."
Kennedy steepled his hands and swiveled in his chair, looking out across the estate lawn reflectively. Nancy Murdock had been a bit of a distraction lately. Normally, he would have dismissed her meddling without a second thought, but something about the woman made him take a second look. She didn't scare easily that much was certain. She knew who he was, but didn't seem impressed, and that in itself he found intriguing. Perhaps she was worth moving up the time table on his little project with Jasmine and Terra. She'd make an interesting addition to the mix.
Kennedy nodded his head, as if coming to a decision, "I'll take care of Ms. Murdock, personally."
Paul looked visibly alarmed, "Sir, with all due respect, she's got connection at the FBI, the police, her husband was special forces – don't you think it would be better to distance yourself from this little, er, problem." Paul understood the necessity of getting rid of Nancy Murdock, he just couldn't see why Kennedy wanted to handle it himself, "Let McGill take care of it." He recommended.
Kennedy looked at him, his eyes narrowed, "Are you questioning my judgment, Paul?"
Paul ran his tongue over suddenly dry lips, "Certainly not, it just seems risky to get involved yourself if it isn't necessary."
"This young woman deserves special attention, Paul. And I intend to give it to her. Don't worry, we won't move until it's safe. I have plans for Ms. Murdock – she's so anxious to find Jasmine and Terra, then let's oblige her.
"In preparation, make sure that we have evidence of Trigger's involvement in Ms. Turner's untimely death this evening. I believe it may be time for McGill to make the ultimate sacrifice for his leader." Kennedy smiled smugly, then bent back to his work, Paul was obviously dismissed.
Paul nodded to the top of Kennedy's head and went out the door to take care of business. He hoped he never was called to make that sacrifice, but then with Kennedy, nothing was sacred.
No More Chang
Hannibal heard the order, bellowed across the compound in Vietnamese, and recognized the voice immediately, Chang, "I want all the American pigs out here, now!"
Hannibal hit the signal device on his watch, and knew that right now each of his men were probably doing the same. From the sounds of it, that window of opportunity was going to be very narrow, Chang sounded really ticked off. Steps pounded down the hallway, and Hannibal's cell door was yanked open.
He looked brightly at the soldiers standing there, "What took you guys so long?" he quipped, before being doubled over by the butt of a gun to his gut. His hands were bound roughly behind him. Then a soldier came on either side and dragged him out of the cell bodily.
Hannibal looked around surreptitiously as he was dragged out into the yard, and shoved to the ground on his knees, the muzzle of a gun held roughly along the side of his face. Chang was standing by a jeep, conferring with two other, lower ranking officers, and he looked livid. BA, Face and Murdock, were each dragged out, as he had been, and lined up with him.
Murdock looked decidedly cheerful considering the current situation, which worried Hannibal a bit. He had been concerned about exposing Murdock to the POW camp again, that was when they had lost him last time. But Murdock turned and looked at Hannibal and winked, "Looks like we're the guests of honor, Colonel, and I think the rest of the party's here." He said brightly. Hannibal allowed his eyes to rove around, wondering what Murdock had seen.
Chang stalked over and backhanded Murdock across the face, "Perhaps you do not recall prisoner protocol here, Captain. Let me remind you – speak only when spoken to."
Murdock licked his cracked lip, "Ahhh, and here I thought we were having a happy reunion."
Chang snapped his head at the soldier behind Murdock, and the butt of the gun came down heavily on his shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
"You never did play fair, Chang," Hannibal said.
Chang walked over, looking very smug, "Colonel Smith, this time, you and your men will not get away," Chang leaned down and got in Hannibal's face, "You will watch, as I kill each one of your men – and then I will kill you."
Hannibal grinned at him, "Give it your best shot."
Chang stepped in front of Hannibal a few feet and motioned to one of the soldiers. Murdock was hauled to his feet and dragged over to where General Chang stood. Chang looked at Hannibal and said with a sickly grin, "Say goodbye to your pilot, Colonel."
With ceremony, Chang pulled out his revolver and cocked it, lifting it over his head. At that point, a shot rang out, and the revolver flew out of his hand. Chang pulled his hand into his chest, as blood began pouring out of a fresh wound.
It took him only a few seconds to realize what was happening, "Kill them, kill them all!" he shouted frantically, only to watch as each of the soldiers standing over the Team went down. Chang turned to flee towards the jeep, but Hannibal saw and yelled, "Murdock!"
Murdock swung his legs around and caught Chang right at the knees, bringing him down with a thud. The place was pandemonium for a few minutes, with the Team pretty much helpless in the center of it still bound.
Finally, Jeff Kent, Abel 9, came over with a knife and proceeded to cut the Team's bonds, "Waited long enough, didn't you Jeff?" Hannibal asked acidly, "I was beginning to think I was going to be short a pilot."
Jeff grinned, "We wouldn't let anything happen to Murdock," he said lightly, "We're all afraid of Nancy."
Soon they had the entire compound rounded up, Hannibal turned to Face, who held out a cigar. Hannibal took it and Face lit it for him with a flourish. Hannibal turned and surveyed Chang and his men, all bound and ready for the authorities. His eyes twinkled, "I love it when a plan comes together."