CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The truck tires kicked up sand as it stopped at the motel, and Ed rushed in Attwood's room. "Your old boss's planning to kill Tom. We know how to get there. Hurry we haven't much time."
"Good I'll get my car." He held his nose as Carl entered, putting the keys in his pocket. . "You two need a bath. You stink." He rummaged through the desk, taking a revolver and several bullets. .
"Ed, you've got to get out of those things. I'll need a wash and a shave," said Carl who went into the washroom. A few minutes he emerged, clean shaven, and his hair neatly trimmed. "There's some makeup remover in the brown jar. It'll sting. Also some clean clothes. The water's still hot by the way. Meanwhile we'll get the ammunition and the weapons."
Ed finished removing his makeup, hearing the commotion outside. Ray wanted to get his wife and son and take them to Enrique's house which was located in Area 51 and then they would rescue Tom. However, Sloan knew that if they did that, it would be too late. The kidnappers would have killed Tom and buried his body in a pit, covered it with lime, or dissolved it in acid. There were many ways to get rid of a body.
"Listen," she said, "Ray, you can't even contact your family until Tom's free and clear and if you get them first, Enrique will have to keep his son home as well and I doubt that Alexandro is the type I'd trust by himself. He'd probably invite a few friends over."
Tate came out, just as the boy Alexandro came over to his father's car and dropped in the passenger seat. He played with the radio and then just sat there waiting for the others.
Carl was looking for someone. A few minutes later, a jeep drove up, and the corporal who drove it let out a Marine officer. He had medium brown hair, and blue eyes, large boned and in obvious good shape. The Captain talked with him for a while and then the jeep drove away.
"What's that about?" asked Attwood who was getting into his car.
"I told my cousin where they've got Tom. He's got several Marines in the area. They'll cut off anyone who tries to escape and we need him to identify the stolen items."
"But what is his name? He seems familiar." Attwood thought of an incident when he first was an intern in the CIA. He smarted when he thought of some prankster putting signs saying "Restricted Security Personnel Only." on all the restrooms. He had seen some boys there, guests of one of the operatives, part of the "Know your Government and When you grow up, join the CIA" routine. He remembered because the staff did not do any sensitive work that day and someone put a map of 1940s Europe and the location of OSA (the predecessors of the CIA) and other reference material on a large table near the entrance.
"I told you why not." Carl got in besides Alexandro who did not mind sitting in the middle.
"That's a very well behaved young man," said Ray.
"Yes," said Sloan, but she still had misgivings. She got in the back of van already stocked with the necessary medical equipment. Ed got in the front. He would drive. After all, he and Carl knew the way.
So they started off, Carl and Enrique in front, their car settling towards the back. Ed and Sloan followed, Ray in his car, and then Attwood in the back. Carl cut through the desert at a speed that was hard to follow, but no one minded, they had to get Tom before nightfall.
"I think there's someone following us," said Ray, looking behind him.
"Limousine Lady's entourage?" asked Ed though his radio phone.
"I don't know. Attwood, do you recognize any of them?"
"Well whoever they are, they aren't the type and they're driving rather reckless, almost like Dominants. Can we go any faster?"
"We can't speed up without damaging the equipment and Carl's ahead of us."
The other cars still kept on their tale. It was as if they were linked like an invisible rubber band. When Attwood's group swerved, the others did the same. Both sets of vehicles, traveled along the dusty route, past the Indian cemetery, until the second group disappeared.
They were now near the place where Tom was held captive, a former mine once used by the military. The cave nearby had been enlarged, a false floor put on it, and a door inserted into part of the cave. You had to press the correct part of the walls to open it and only in a certain manner.
Carl got out his side of the car, and went to the trunk where he proceeded to take out an M16, a rifle, and loaded his pocket with several rounds of ammunition. Meanwhile, Enrique took a box from the back, almost hidden beneath a large pile of newspapers. As for Alexandro, he got out and started to look around.
"Don't go far," said his father, "and if anyone comes near, we're looking for snakes." He threw the boy a stick with a hope to further the illusion.
"Yes father." The boy left walking in an ambulatory fashion, noticing the lizard on the ground, the blue sky, and seeing the man in the uniform. "Seen any rattler's nests around here? It's for my school project..."
That was the last thing he said. The man raised his rifle and fired point blank. Alexandro never heard his father shout, "Alexandro!"
The truck tires kicked up sand as it stopped at the motel, and Ed rushed in Attwood's room. "Your old boss's planning to kill Tom. We know how to get there. Hurry we haven't much time."
"Good I'll get my car." He held his nose as Carl entered, putting the keys in his pocket. . "You two need a bath. You stink." He rummaged through the desk, taking a revolver and several bullets. .
"Ed, you've got to get out of those things. I'll need a wash and a shave," said Carl who went into the washroom. A few minutes he emerged, clean shaven, and his hair neatly trimmed. "There's some makeup remover in the brown jar. It'll sting. Also some clean clothes. The water's still hot by the way. Meanwhile we'll get the ammunition and the weapons."
Ed finished removing his makeup, hearing the commotion outside. Ray wanted to get his wife and son and take them to Enrique's house which was located in Area 51 and then they would rescue Tom. However, Sloan knew that if they did that, it would be too late. The kidnappers would have killed Tom and buried his body in a pit, covered it with lime, or dissolved it in acid. There were many ways to get rid of a body.
"Listen," she said, "Ray, you can't even contact your family until Tom's free and clear and if you get them first, Enrique will have to keep his son home as well and I doubt that Alexandro is the type I'd trust by himself. He'd probably invite a few friends over."
Tate came out, just as the boy Alexandro came over to his father's car and dropped in the passenger seat. He played with the radio and then just sat there waiting for the others.
Carl was looking for someone. A few minutes later, a jeep drove up, and the corporal who drove it let out a Marine officer. He had medium brown hair, and blue eyes, large boned and in obvious good shape. The Captain talked with him for a while and then the jeep drove away.
"What's that about?" asked Attwood who was getting into his car.
"I told my cousin where they've got Tom. He's got several Marines in the area. They'll cut off anyone who tries to escape and we need him to identify the stolen items."
"But what is his name? He seems familiar." Attwood thought of an incident when he first was an intern in the CIA. He smarted when he thought of some prankster putting signs saying "Restricted Security Personnel Only." on all the restrooms. He had seen some boys there, guests of one of the operatives, part of the "Know your Government and When you grow up, join the CIA" routine. He remembered because the staff did not do any sensitive work that day and someone put a map of 1940s Europe and the location of OSA (the predecessors of the CIA) and other reference material on a large table near the entrance.
"I told you why not." Carl got in besides Alexandro who did not mind sitting in the middle.
"That's a very well behaved young man," said Ray.
"Yes," said Sloan, but she still had misgivings. She got in the back of van already stocked with the necessary medical equipment. Ed got in the front. He would drive. After all, he and Carl knew the way.
So they started off, Carl and Enrique in front, their car settling towards the back. Ed and Sloan followed, Ray in his car, and then Attwood in the back. Carl cut through the desert at a speed that was hard to follow, but no one minded, they had to get Tom before nightfall.
"I think there's someone following us," said Ray, looking behind him.
"Limousine Lady's entourage?" asked Ed though his radio phone.
"I don't know. Attwood, do you recognize any of them?"
"Well whoever they are, they aren't the type and they're driving rather reckless, almost like Dominants. Can we go any faster?"
"We can't speed up without damaging the equipment and Carl's ahead of us."
The other cars still kept on their tale. It was as if they were linked like an invisible rubber band. When Attwood's group swerved, the others did the same. Both sets of vehicles, traveled along the dusty route, past the Indian cemetery, until the second group disappeared.
They were now near the place where Tom was held captive, a former mine once used by the military. The cave nearby had been enlarged, a false floor put on it, and a door inserted into part of the cave. You had to press the correct part of the walls to open it and only in a certain manner.
Carl got out his side of the car, and went to the trunk where he proceeded to take out an M16, a rifle, and loaded his pocket with several rounds of ammunition. Meanwhile, Enrique took a box from the back, almost hidden beneath a large pile of newspapers. As for Alexandro, he got out and started to look around.
"Don't go far," said his father, "and if anyone comes near, we're looking for snakes." He threw the boy a stick with a hope to further the illusion.
"Yes father." The boy left walking in an ambulatory fashion, noticing the lizard on the ground, the blue sky, and seeing the man in the uniform. "Seen any rattler's nests around here? It's for my school project..."
That was the last thing he said. The man raised his rifle and fired point blank. Alexandro never heard his father shout, "Alexandro!"