The White Russian
Chapter six: Watchers
Fred hadn't expected a good night kiss or a nightcap, so he accepted the peck on the cheek. She had been right, Daphne had been on his mind all night. And she would be waiting.
"Go to her, Fred." She whispered softly in his ear. "Marry her. You'll never be truly happy till you do."
They had said the usual good nights and he had waited until she was safely inside before he turned on his heel and left. He expected and spotted the tail immediately after the first block. He planned on taking them on a scenic route around the quiet city but then suddenly the tail had made a 'U' turn, heading back the way they had come.
Red flags went up in Fred's mind...there was only one explanation for their actions. This wasn't the tail that had followed he and Anya to the restaurant; that 'U' turn was amateurish and told him they were observing Anya, not him. The red flags turned to flashing sirens.
Fred had learned over the years to trust his gut instincts and this was no exception. Even as he threw the car into a shrieking 'U' turn of his own he knew there would be a lot of explaining to do if he was wrong. He slowed as he passed the shiny black sedan; it was empty as he had feared.
Approaching the door, any thought of apologies was negated by a male scream of pain. He began to run, hoping the door wouldn't hold.
The door splintered upon impact to reveal Anya struggling with two men. Before either could react Fred leaped forward, pulling the nearest man away; using surprise as an advantage, he flung the man toward the closest wall. A sickening thud was heard as the man's head connected with the solid partition, the man crumbling in a heap of arms and legs. One down, Fred turned his attention to Anya's second assailant.
He held her as a shield, one arm around her neck, the other gripping her arm. Fred moved threateningly toward the two. Anya shoved her bottom back, hard, against her attacker. He bent over, grasping for air; Anya twisted away, tearing buttons in the process.
Fred's blows were unschooled, learned on the playground, but they were effective in driving the man backward. Anya had moved aside, grabbing a vase and holding it menacingly.
Catching his breath, the man made Fred back off but Anya was ready and brought the vase down on the aggressor's head. His eyes rolled back, only the whites showing.
"That was plan 'B'. Come on, Anya, unless you want to share bed time stories with these two."
"My blouse!" Anya tried to cover a deep valley of cleavage, soft, pale skin and white bra.
"You've just been attacked by two man and you're worried about me seeing your bra?"
"It's not my bra I'm concerned about!"
"Make it quick then. Don't take time to change, I don't want a second dance with these guys."
Seconds later he handed her a coat he'd removed from one of the men when she returned. He took her hand and they rushed toward the ruined door.
Xxx
Fred kept checking the rear view mirror for the tail he knew would be coming while Anya used the coat as protection against prying eyes as she changed her blouse. "What made you come back, Fred?"
"Women have their intuition, men have hunches. I guess it's close to the same thing." He activated the car phone, hitting a speed dial number. A very sleepy sounding voice answered.
"Shaggy, you awake?"
"I am now, what's up?"
"Listen closely, 30 slot right, z post, Alpha button, counter. Got it?"
"Got it. We'll be ready."
"Better have Velma wake Daphne, you might get a surprise if you try."
Shaggy snickered then hung up. The coded message was plain to Shaggy, that had been the play Fred called that ended his career as quarterback, blowing out his knee when a runaway train disguised as a linebacker had hit Fred. He had gotten the pass off, hitting the 'Alpha' receiver for a touchdown that won the game. Fred had spent the night in the hospital while the rest of the team celebrated the win.
It also told Shaggy a few other things on a more personal level. Fred was in trouble, he was bringing company, probably the Professor, which wasn't going to go over well with Daphne. "Velma...wake up...we have a lot of work to do."
"What was that about?" Anya threw the coat and torn blouse into the back seat, tucking her new blouse into her slacks.
"A message to my friends, they'll be waiting for us."
"Am I correct that it's Daphne that shared our dinner table?" She smiled, leaning back in her seat.
"I owe you an apology for that, Anya, but yes."
"No apology necessary. I'm actually a little jealous of her. Fred, a confession, I was going to invite you in for a nightcap but I'm not into sharing, if you get my drift. I wish I could effect a man like she has you. She must be quite a woman."
"Anya, that was the 'B' team that attacked you, any idea as to why?"
"None, I have no idea who they were or why their interest in me."
"We've got company. I think the 'A' team has taken the field." Fred dropped a gear, making a left turn that pushed Anya against the door.
Xxx
It was after midnight when they pulled into the carport at Velma's house and exited the car. They found the gang waiting.
"Anya, this is the gang." Fred made a sweeping gesture including everyone. "I wish we had time to visit but Anya was attacked and it won't take them long to figure out where we are."
"We're ready, Fred. We can leave anytime."
"Not quite, Shaggy dear. I have one more thing to do." Velma started toward the house.
"If you have in mind what I think you do, I may have an idea." Anya offered. "I'll need my blouse and that coat from the car, Fred."
'Blouse? Coat? Just what had Fred and that woman been up to after dinner?' Daphne stuck her lower lip in a full blown pout. Even at this distance she could tell the blouse had been ripped open—and she was rather pretty, if a bit older than Fred.
"I've got an old laptop set up, any unauthorized password and it shuts down." Velma explained once they were inside. "Anyone trying to enter the house with anything except a key will get a nasty surprise."
"I like the way this lady thinks." Velma announced when she and Anya rejoined the group.
"Are we ready now?" Fred asked. "It's time we disappeared. What were you and Anya up to, Velma?"
"You aren't the only one that can set a trap, remember, Fred?"
Xxx
It was three am when two men, dressed totally in black, approached the back door of the house. All was quiet as one man stood guard while the other took a set of burglar tools from his pocket, kneeling in front of the door. In less than a minute the door swung open and a silent alarm was received at the local police station.
The two split up, one doing a quick reconnaissance through the house, the other heading to the room used as a study.
"No one here, wonder where they went?" The one reported crisply. Both men looked at the laptop.
"Maybe that will tell us." The other sat at the desk, powering up the computer. "We've got their birth-dates and most people make the mistake of using that date as a password."
They were surprised when a virtual Velma appeared on the screen.
"You have entered an incorrect password. Self destruct sequence initiated." A countdown clock appeared starting at five minutes.
"Police!" an authoritative male voice yelled behind the two men. They turned to see two officers with drawn guns pointed at them. "On your knees, hands on top of your heads."
"Oh, crap!" One man muttered as he knelt on his knees, hands rising to cover his thinning hair.
"Chief!" A third officer came around the corner. "Look at what I found in one of the bedrooms."
"Where did you find my coat?" One man said in surprise then realized his mistake.
"Well, gentlemen, what do you say to a torn blouse and a gentleman's coat which you, sir, just identified as belonging to you. I am a friend of Velma Dinkley who owns this house. You're under arrest.
"Cuff 'em and book 'em Dan-no. Breaking and entering, trespassing...and kidnapping.
"My name isn't Dan-no, chief." One of the officers responded as he put handcuffs on the first man.
"I know that, I just like saying it."
The only sound was the virtual Velma's voice. "Three minutes, two minutes, fifty nine seconds, two minutes, fifty eight seconds...
TBC