Elk River
The car sped down the highway, taking Brandi and Jinx farther from Albuquerque. They weren't sure where they were going or what exactly was going to happen next but they kept quiet. Brandi go the feeling her mother just needed the silence to get over the shock. The car came to an abrupt halt and Liv turned around in her seat.
"We're here." Brandi looked out the window to see a barren stretch of land.
"Where is here exactly?"
"Air field under the auspices of the federal government. You get a private jet to where you're going. You'll be met by Marshals when you land. They'll explain the agreement in more detail as well as the rules of the program."
"Oh…what about the trial and stuff? Like…what happens with that?"
"I'll be in contact with the Marshals. They'll get you where you need to be to testify." Brandi just nodded as she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed from the SUV. Jinx watched her daughter get out of the car and followed suit as if she were some sort of drone. They were led to a small jet on an airstrip a few feet away, their suitcases being pulled along behind them.
"Good luck." Liv couldn't help but pull Brandi into a firm hug.
"Thanks." With that, Brandi and Jinx boarded the jet, getting situated as the pilot shut the cabin door and began to taxi out onto the runway. Jinx looked around and spotted the bar on the right side of the plane. She reached in and found a tiny bottle of vodka. She uncorked it and tossed the contents back in one gulp.
"Mom…take it easy, ok."
"Don't tell me to take it easy. One daughter gets arrested for drugs and the other turns out to be some double agent…don't tell me to take it easy."
"Mary isn't a double agent, Mom…she just works for the government." They fell silent as the jet lifted off from the ground. Brandi watched the ground get smaller as they rose higher into the air until it was only a blur through the layer of clouds.
"Where are we going?" Jinx asked after several drinks.
"I don't know. They didn't tell us."
"I need another drink."
"No, Mom you've had enough. Just…sit down." After a slight struggle, Brandi managed to subdue her mother enough to get the seatbelt on. Another ten minutes passed before Brandi noticed her mother had dozed off.
"She's got the right idea." Brandi rested her head against the window pane and closed her eyes, trying to sleep. She was exhausted from not sleeping the night before. The plane's tugging motion through the air lulled her to sleep.
Back in New Mexico, Mary sat in the kitchen, looking around. The house felt empty already, like when she'd first bought it. She let out a sigh as she ran a hand over the counter. She knew she had done the right thing by not going with Brandi. She hoped her mother could at least provide some stability for her sister. Mary was about to head upstairs to try and clear out the two now unoccupied rooms when a knock resounded on the front door. She came down the two steps she'd gone up to answer it.
"What do you want?" Bobby D stood on the other side of the threshold.
"I wanted to apologize." Mary cleared her throat, shoving one hand into her pants pocket.
"Come in." He stepped through the doorframe and followed Mary to the living room. She pushed a few pages of the newspaper off the couch to allow him to sit down.
"So why are you really here? If you're looking for Brandi, she's gone."
"I meant what I just said, Mary. I wanted to apologize for tearing your house apart."
"Yeah well you're lucky I'm not suing the department." He gave a small laugh.
"So…let me guess, you can't tell me where your sister is."
"No. I can't. So don't even go there, ok. It's out of your jurisdiction."
"Alright. I get it. I should probably go. If there's anything I can do…just give me a call."
"Yeah…ok." She watched him walk out of her house and let out a soft groan. As she sat there, a thought popped into her head. What was she going to tell Raphael? He would not doubt ask questions when Brandi and Jinx weren't around anymore. She shook her head. She couldn't worry about that now.
Several hours later, the jet landed in a remote air strip, much like the one they'd taken off from. As predicted, two US Marshals were waiting with a car when Brandi and Jinx disembarked. They gathered their belongings and climbed into the back seat.
"Welcome to Elk River," one of the Marshals said.
"Uh…what state are we in?" Brandi asked.
"Minnesota."
"Do people actually live here?" Jinx scoffed.
"They probably say that about Albuquerque too, Mom." The Marshal driving the car laughed at her comment.
"We'll be getting you ladies settled once we go over the rules of the program and explain your obligations."
"Can we get something to eat first? I kind of haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
"We'll see what we can find at the office."
The drive to headquarters took a little over thirty minutes from the airstrip and Brandi could see that her mother was getting anxious. She knew she needed food before she started to go nuts. They car pulled into a spot in front of a large brick building and the two Marshals led Brandi and Jinx inside. Their luggage remained in the car as one of the Marshals went in search of food while they took seats in a small room. Two large bound files sat on the table in front of the other Marshal.
"I'm Marshal Greene and that's my partner, Marshal Townsend," he said, extending a hand. Brandi and Jinx shook his hand gingerly as his partner returned with some bagels and coffee.
"It's all we had on hand right now. I hope it's ok."
"It's fine. Thanks." Marshal Townsend took a seat across from Brandi and opened the large file.
"So…what's this?"
"These are the rules of the Federal Witness Protection Program." Brandi's eyes widened.
"That's…a lot of rules." Townsend gave Brandi a nod, pointing to the food.
"Why don't you eat first? We can explain the rules once you've got something in your system." Jinx happily reached for a bagel and a cup of coffee. It would help to sober her up from the plane ride.
A short time later, Townsend and Greene had launched into the mountain of WITSEC rules. Brandi and Jinx just listened carefully as every item in the packet was read and explained in detail.
"The witness may not hold a job in any profession he or she has previously held."
"That won't be a problem…never had a job anyway," Brandi muttered.
"Upon entering the program, the witness will cease all communication with family, friends, associates and acquaintances from his or her past."
"We already heard that one. My-" Jinx began but Brandi cut her off.
"Mom, be quiet and let them finish." Jinx just sipped her coffee.
"Your inclusion in the Federal Witness Protection Program is contingent upon fulfilling your obligation to testify." Brandi nodded.
"Is that it?" Marshal Greene nodded, taking a pen out of his jacket pocket. He handed it to Brandi and she signed the last page o the packet before handing the pen to her mother.
"So what now?" Jinx asked.
"We're going to get you settled. We've compiled your new identities. If you're going to be successful in the program, you're going to need to learn your identities and stick to them." A brief silence filled the room as Brandi and Jinx finished their bagels and coffee.
"Come on, I'll drive you over to your new apartment. It's not far." Brandi and Jinx left the room.
"I'll bring the back stories over once they're settled," Greene informed his partner.
"See you in a few."
Brandi and Jinx found themselves back in the car, driving down a fairly empty road. As Marshal Townsend pulled up to a stop light, Brandi leaned forward.
"So…how many people live here? Like…it's not some little hick town is it?" The woman in the driver seat let out a slow breath.
"We've got a little over twenty two thousand residents in the area. It's not big but it's not so small. And we are definitely not a hick town. Doubt you'd like people calling New Mexico full of hicks." Brandi looked away in embarrassment as Townsend accelerated the vehicle through the light. Ten minutes more and they pulled into a multi-story apartment complex. This time, Jinx and Brandi retrieved their suitcases and walked up to the third floor and down to the end of the hallway. Marshal Townsend rifled in her pocket for the keys and unlocked the door.
"Here you go, home sweet home." Brandi and Jinx walked around, inspecting the two bedroom apartment. It would do.