Part 9
Jed did not know how long he had been driving when he left the car to walk the last few miles to the cabin. The time increased by leaps and bounds, as he took some wrong turns and had to retrace his steps. He was determined not to give up. That would be like failing Abbey all over again. It grew pitch dark as he made his way along the winding road, only the lights of an occasional passing car illuminated his journey. And it got even darker, if that was possible, when he turned off the beaten path to hike up the steep, gravel lane that would take him the last of the way to the cabin. He had to keep his flashlight pointed at the ground to ensure that he didn't trip over something and he was scratched by tangled bushes and vines that he stumbled into. He put his hands in his pockets and in one he felt the ring. He squeezed it gently while praying for strength.
------
Leo was struggling with his conscience. He was not at all sure anymore that helping Jed had been the best idea. What if something happened? What if Jed got hurt? Then again, if Abbey really was gone, it would not matter what happened to Jed. Leo knew that's what Jed felt like now. With Abbey gone his life would have no meaning, no passion or pleasure. He hoped Jed would remember the girls. They were the only thing that could save Jed if Abbey truly was dead.
------
Ron had to talk to The President now, as he had waited for him to wake up as long as he could. He knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he opened it. Seeing that the President still was in bed, Ron moved inside to wake him. As he got closer, he got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was as familiar with the man in front of him as he was with himself and something was not right. The shape of the body was different, the breathing was different...something. He quickened his steps and saw right away what was wrong. Ron yelled into his wrist mike as he bolted for the door. "Crash The White House. CRASH IT! Does anyone have POTUS? Does anyone have POTUS?"
------
Dennis awoke with a start, floundering onto his back and staring up at the ring of agents, some with guns drawn, that had surrounded the bed. They had been caught.
------
Jed stopped to catch his breath as the cabin came into view, just a few meters away. It was cloaked in an uninhabitable darkness. There was no car outside. Had he been mistaken? Maybe this guy did not know he was being watched and had stayed at home. As he got closer he saw the dim light in one of the windows. The man was in there. He decided to approach the back. He moved slowly so as not to make a sound, not even to crunch a leaf under his feet. When he had rounded to the back side, he saw the cabin had a door there as well. He paused at the porch steps and listened for any sounds. Nothing. He pulled the file out of his pocket. He hoped he hadn't lost his touch. He never thought something his brother taught him as a joke when he was a kid would come in handy one day. At first he thought the lock wasn't going to budge, but as he tried harder, he heard a click and knew the door was unlocked. He offered a silent thanks, a nod to his brother and to whatever forces were helping him on this night. He slowly stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath, as he mentally prepared himself for the meeting that was about to take place. "This is for you, Abbey." He said in a whisper as he started to walk toward the light, knowing that what he had been looking for would be there.
------
Leo walked slowly down the hall toward the President's bedroom. He wanted to check on Dennis, to thank him again for his help. A multitude of scenarios played themselves in Leo's head. What was going on with Jed at this moment? He would give anything to know.
"Mr. McGarry!" Leo was brought out of his trance by the furious bellow of Ron Butterfield advancing at a full blown run on him from the other end of the hall.
"Ron." Leo got out his name before he realized he didn't have anything to say. It was obvious Ron knew and there was certainly no way to sugar-coat this.
"Do you know where the President is?"
"I want to explain..." Leo thought his only hope was to appeal to Ron's understanding of the love between Jed and Abbey. "Abbey and Jed...if Abbey is...I had to..."
"DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE PRESIDENT IS?"
Leo grimaced. "He's not here?"
This time his response was greeted by an angry glare from the usually unreadable agent. And the glare got even more pronounced as other agents, the ones leading Dennis away, passed them in the hall. "I need answers, Mr. McGarry. No matter what you and the President were trying to do, it's now time to level with me and let me straighten this out."
"He went after the doctor." Leo didn't have to say another word.
"Is he in your car?"
"Yes, but I can't tell you where he was going..." Leo took a step back at the expression that crossed Ron's face. "I mean I can't tell you where the President was going because he didn't tell me."
"IS HE IN YOUR CAR?" Ron was getting loud again.
"Yes."
Ron spun around and took off at a run, to take the elevator to the lower level of The White House.
"What are you going to do, Ron? How are you going to find him?" Leo shouted questions down the hall from his position behind the agent.
"GPS Unit in your car." Ron took a moment to answer in the elevator before he became stoically silent, not chastising Leo's involvement in this, but not in the mood for conversation either.
The GPS Unit. They hadn't thought of that. It was a blessing and a curse. The unit could locate the car if there was a problem, but it could also cause Ron to get to Jed before he could carry out his mission.
------
Jed crept quietly through the door and tiptoed close enough to the young man sitting in the chair, reading, that he could have reached out and touched him. He braced himself for whatever was ahead. "Hello, Richard."
Richard jumped up from his chair and spun around, the book jiggling in his hands. It could not be! He watched in a trance as the figure stepped closer. It WAS him.
"What's the matter? Didn't expect to see me?" Jed grinned. He was enjoying the shocked look on Richard's face immensely. "You mess with my family, you mess with me."
Richard swallowed. "How did you get here? Your agents.."
Jed did not give Richard a chance to finish. "Since you clearly do not understand, let me spell it out for you. Anyone messes with any part of my family, then nothing stands in my way. Nothing!"
Richard swallowed again, hard. "A little too late, would you not say?" He was beginning to find himself in the situation.
Jed did not even blink, but his insides were on fire. "Very smart. I'll have to give you that. A tiny chip in my neck." He saw Richard had not expected that. "Oh yes, we found it." He took a deep breath. "Rather, Abbey found it." Jed did not miss the reaction on his adversary's face at the mention of Abbey's name. Suddenly it dawned on him. "My God, you were after Abbey."
Richard collected himself. "So? You think just because you are The President everyone has to be plotting to get to you?" He threw the book down on the chair and smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you were the only one I could think of who could get close to her without any questions asked."
------
Ron exited the elevator and hit the door at a fast run. "You got it?"
An agent's head jerked up from his computer. "We got it, sir!"
"Where's he headed?"
"He's not moving."
"Are you sure?" Ron's eyes roamed over the screen, trying to process all the data at once.
"The car has been stationary since we located it."
"Can you be certain of that?"
"Yes, sir. We get data from three satellites and the unit configures longitude, latitude, and altitude. Because we get continuous feed from the GPS Unit, we can confirm that it is not mobile."
"Why would he just be sitting there?" Ron stared at the numbers filling the computer screen, as they poured in from Leo's car.
"Could he have been in an accident?" Leo began to panic. "What if he's hurt?"
The agent manning the computer tried to speak reassuringly. "An accident is highly unlikely, Mr. McGarry. The unit would have informed us if the airbags had been deployed."
"Do you have an exact location?"
"Yes, sir." The agent handed Ron a print out and map detailing all the information they had.
"We're on our way." Ron made it out the door in three large steps and began to jog for the door leading to the waiting SUV.
"I'm going with you." Ron heard a voice call out to him.
He glanced back over his shoulder to see Leo McGarry doing the best he could to keep up with a tall, athletic agent.
"Mr. McGarry, you need to stay here where we can keep you safe." Ron didn't miss a step.
"Do you think I care about my own safety? My best friend could be in trouble and I'm going with you." Leo caught up with Ron, as he opened the door to the SUV.
"Mr. McGarry, listen to me." Ron paused for just a moment and surveyed the panting man. "I know that you are as anxious as we are to reach the President, but I can't allow you to go with us. If something has happened, your place is here and you know it."
Leo froze. "I have to be there with him. I allowed this to happen. It's my fault..."
"You have to be here. You have to keep things running smoothly until we see what we're dealing with. I'll contact you as soon as I know anything." With that Ron climbed into the SUV and it sped toward the main road before Leo could say another word.
------
Jed fought hard to remain calm, as he stared at Richard. "Why? Why Abbey?"
Richard smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Everything about the man that stood before Jed seemed evil.
When he received no answer, Richard walked over to the table to pour up a shot of Bourbon. "Want one?" He held out a glass to Jed.
Jed did not move. As Richard downed the shot and filled another, Jed let his eyes roam over the photos on the bookshelf behind Richard. His eyes were drawn to one photo and fixated there. It seemed familiar. Suddenly he realized, it was a photo of Abbey. He wondered why this man would have a photo of his wife. Suddenly another thought crossed his mind, one that made his heart skip a beat. Was it possible? He hoped he was wrong, but why else would this man go to such lengths to get to Abbey? This was not some unknown man who was stalking her. This man had worked with her. Abbey had several times commented on how smart he was, how caring he was with his patients. He was so smart he had even been able to move up in school, completing classes in half the time it took the other students. No. Abbey often gushed about doctors she liked, but had she not talked about this guy a little more lovingly than the others? Could it be possible? Jed felt cold all over. Could it be possible that Abbey and this man... Could there have been more between them than just work and friendship?
TBC.....