Chapter 13

The Task Force

Anna and Raylan each showered and dressed. She was surprised to hear he was headed to the federal courthouse, figuring he needed to go to Alexandria. "The courthouse is a big place. What are the odds?" she thought to herself and decided to have him come with her on the Metro, explaining she had a nearby appointment. She knew he didn't buy her career in real estate, but he didn't ask or seem interested. The poor man had other things on his mind.

When they reached their destination, she parted ways with him, giving him a ten minute head start to go through security. Once the coast was clear, she walked into the courthouse and entered a long line. "Damn, late again," she huffed to herself, glancing at her watch and stuck in the morning security logjam.

Anna finally made it to the conference room with no time to spare. All eyes were on her when she walked in late, interrupting a fellow agent's presentation.

"Agent Rulé," Assistant Director Goodall, said, seated near the back of the room. "How nice for you to grace us with your presence."

Anna looked over and across and suddenly locked eyes with Raylan Givens, seated to Goodall's left. She grimaced and shrugged her shoulders. She was busted. Raylan, on the other hand, had a very satisfied smile on his face. Suddenly, a lot of things made sense to him. And all the while, Karen Goodall watched this exchange take place.

The task force sat through hours of slides, presentations, and replays of key audio conversations over the past several weeks. Raylan was introduced to the team, and Goodall took special care to make sure her pet marshal was brought up to speed.

When they were allowed to take a break for lunch, Raylan sauntered over to Anna. "Agent Rulé," he grinned. "I must say, I never met a Feeb I liked . . . until I met you."

"Raylan," she felt a little flustered. "I don't blow my cover. Not even for you."

"No," he continued to smile. "I get it. And I must say, Adam is to be commended for keepin' your cover a secret."

"Yeah," she shrugged. "He knows how important it is."

"Marshal Givens!" Goodall shouted. "I need to see you. Now!"

"Whew," Anna exhaled. "What a bitch," she said under her breath.

"Karen?" Raylan shrugged. "She can be a bit much at times, but she's good at her job. I must say though, she's not herself. I'm tryin' to find out what the hell is goin' on with her."

"You know her personally?" Anna asked?

"In another life," he shrugged. "If ya' know what I mean."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Winona was quiet in the car and Adam didn't attempt conversation, letting her be alone with her thoughts. The route to Louisville from D.C. wound through Maryland farmland before entering the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. Winona got several texts from her sister during the morning, reporting that their father was stable, but still in Cardiac ICU.

"Are you hungry?" Adam pointed to the exit for Morgantown. "There's not much after this."

Winona shrugged. "I could eat, I guess. And I should feed Willa."

Adam pulled off, but instead of heading for the predictable row of chain restaurants, he drove a bit further. After glancing at his phone when they stopped for a red light, he made a right turn, and in a few moments, they were in the campus area for West Virginia University. A few blocks in, he pulled up to a small café. The sign read Athena. "Greek food is good for the soul," he said, giving Winona a smile.

Unfamiliar with Greek cuisine, Winona trusted Adam to order for her while she nursed Willa in the restroom. It wasn't the prospect of nursing in a public place, which she had done discretely a number of times, but nursing in front of Adam that sent her in search of privacy. When she returned to the booth, there was a plate of bread and olive tapenade along with a glass of iced tea waiting for her.

"I ordered you a Greek salad with olives and grilled chicken and some banana and apricots for Willa."

"Thank you. That sounds good," Winona said, sinking into the booth with a sigh. She settled Willa in the baby seat and took a sip of her iced tea. Her phone beeped with a text and she glanced down, anxious for more information from Gayle. But the text was from Raylan.

Anna is FBI. She's on the task force.

Winona looked up at Adam and chuckled. LOL. She typed back. Now I know you're related.

"What?" Adam asked, confused.

"Anna works for the FBI?" Winona shook her head, laughing again. "Could they be any more alike?" They spent the rest of lunch comparing notes on life with a LEO.

"Does Anna always have to sit facing the door whenever you're out anywhere?"

"Yes!" Adam said, nodding in agreement. "And half the time she's scanning the room, looking for God-knows-what instead of enjoying herself."

"I know! And every time I go anywhere, Raylan is always telling me what to watch for and how to be careful."

"It's even more annoying when your girlfriend does it."

"I bet. But she can't help it. It's something they are, not just something they do."

"Yeah." Adam sipped his tea. "For sure they're related."

"Oh, absolutely. That DNA test is only going to prove what we already know."

After lunch, Adam drove over the speed limit and they didn't stop again until they were just outside of Charleston to stretch their legs and calm a restless Willa. They got to Louisville a little after four in the afternoon and went straight to the hospital.

Winona had texted Gayle, and her sister was waiting to guide them through the labyrinth of corridors to their father's room in ICU.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Adam. "Did you trade Raylan in on a younger model?"

"This is the guy I was telling you about," Winona said.

"The chef?" Gayle gave him a smile.

Winona nodded. "Among other things. He plays in a band, too. And he could moonlight as a D.C. tour guide or a great nanny. He's wonderful with Willa."

"They call them 'mannys'," Gayle informed her with a smirk. "They're all the rage with the horsey set here in Louisville."

"I just like kids," Adam said.

"Do you have any of your own?"

"Sore subject," Winona informed her sister.

"Why don't I take Willa for a little walk?" Adam suggested. "Give you some time alone with your family. I saw the way she looked at the fountain we passed on the way in, and I bet it's good for four or five minutes of entertainment."

"Do you mind?" Winona asked.

"Not at all."

Winona patted Willa's back. "Mama will be right back, Punkin'. Thanks," she said to Adam.

Adam left with Willa, and Gayle led Winona into their father's tiny room. He was sleeping, and the nurse was writing vitals on the chalkboard which already had dementia written on it in red, along with DNR, a doctor's name, and Gayle's phone number.

"His blood pressure and pulse are good right now," the nurse said. "He was very lucid this morning, too."

"He's been that way," Gayle said. "It's weird. He's a little confused, but he's only had one bad episode since the heart attack."

"What do the doctors say?"

Gayle paced in the narrow doorway. "Sometimes I think they don't know any more than we do. His heart is only functioning at 15%. They did a cath, and he has 95% blockage in three arteries. Without a bypass, he's in danger of another heart attack which he probably wouldn't survive." She grabbed Winona's hand. "You have to get him to change his mind."

Why? Winona thought. Still, she walked to the bed and took her father's hand. "Hey, Daddy, it's Winona."

His eyelids fluttered open and a smile curved the corners of his mouth. "Noni," he said. "How's that little grandbaby of mine?"

"Willa is good." She blinked back the tears. "Maybe we can sneak her in to see you."

"I'd like that." He breathed. "Gayle?"

"She stepped out for a minute."

"Good," her father said. "She's trying to get me to change my mind."

Winona pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat. "I know."

"But I won't. This is a blessing, Noni, a blessing." His eyes closed again, but his hand tightened around hers. He took a deep breath. "I'm not confused. I know what I'm doing."

"But Daddy, if you don't have the surgery..."

"I'm going to die." He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I may die sooner than I'd like. But I'll die knowing who I am and who you are. I'll die knowing my family is there. I won't be a drooling diaper-wearing zombie who doesn't even recognize his own face in the mirror."

Winona kept hold of her father's hand and didn't try to stop the tears.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

"Now that you've been briefed this morning, what do you know about the Arndt brothers?" Karen Goodall asked her marshal, after she ordered him away from Anna's earshot.

Raylan was astounded how she could turn the heat on and off, depending on her situation. In front of the task force, it was as if last night never happened. He was fine not to be dealing with that.

"The Arndt's reign of terror in Kentucky was before my time," Raylan recalled. "I'm familiar with the case, but there's been no more trouble outta them since I was assigned to Lexington. Have ya' talked to Art about this?"

"Yeah," she said. "About a week ago. "He said pretty much the same. Regardless, the chatter sounds like Leon Arndt is about to make a move."

"You all must have some idea of what this group is gonna do," Raylan stated, knowing this task force had the suspects under surveillance for almost a month.

Karen smiled. "As you so eloquently say, 'they like to blow shit up.' This group also doesn't care much for the well-being of black people."

"Or the Jews or Mexicans . . . the list can go on and on."

"We've kept close tabs on all the distributors of raw materials that could be used to make explosives," she stretched her arms over her head, her muscles cramped from sitting for so long. "Closer tabs than is standard procedure."

Raylan thought for a moment. "There could be another, less obvious way for Arndt to get his hands on explosives. I knew a powder man who worked for the mines," he shared.

"You think Leon Arndt would contact your powder man?"

"Not necessarily. He's not the only powder man in Kentucky. But he used to be in the Aryan Nation. I'll give Art a call. Maybe he could have Tim and Rachel go have a little chat with him and feel him out."

"We need to be careful on this," Goodall insisted. "The last thing we want to do is to tip our hand that the Arndts are under investigation."

"Ya' want me to go to Lexington and do the interview?" he asked. There was nothing he'd like better than to be closer to Winona and Willa.

"No," she smirked. "I want you here . . . where the action is."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Raylan used calling Art as an excuse to step out into the hallway, while Karen headed up the start of the afternoon session.

Art chuckled. "So Karen Goodall recruited you to her task force as punishment. Hell, I guess it could have been worse."

"I don't see how," Raylan complained. "Her bein' amorous in front of Winona was not a pretty sight."

"Why is it that only you get yourself in situations like this?" Art chucked again.

Raylan said, "Winona's father had a heart attack. That's why she was there. It really wasn't funny."

"I'm sorry to hear about her father," Art immediately changed his tone. "If she needs anything while you're in DC, you tell her to call me, you hear?"

"Thanks, Art. I will."

"Did you find your sister?" Art asked, curious.

"You're not gonna believe this," Raylan began. "She's with the FBI. And she just so happens to be on this same task force I was assigned to."

"No shit!" Art exclaimed. "Small world." Then, he chuckled again. "Ha! You might have a Feeb in the family?"

"We'll see," Raylan tried to cut into Art's good time, at his expense. "We sent the DNA test off today. Should hear somethin' soon."

"So, bottom line, Karen wants us to question Boyd Crowder without tipping her hand?" Art put on his Chief hat and got down to business.

"That's right," he said.

"I think I'll have Tim bring Boyd here, to the office, for a little chat," Art said. "I have no interest in going to Harlan."

"Sounds like a plan," Raylan said. He liked the idea of Art handling the questioning himself. Art was a pro, had lots of experience. Not that Tim and Rachel weren't professional and competent. This case was too big for the Lexington office to make mistake.

"Tell Karen not to worry about a thing," Art sounded confident. "I'll call her just as soon as I've met with Crowder."

"Okay," Raylan said. "I'll tell her."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Winona found Gayle staring out the window to the parking lot below, her arms crossed tightly over her body. "Did you talk to him?"

Stepping up beside her, Winona touched her fingers to the glass. "Um hmm."

"Well?"

Winona knew her sister wasn't going to like what she was saying, and she braced herself. "I think we have to let him make this choice." She held her breath.

"I knew you'd see it his way." Gayle kept looking out at the blue Kentucky sky.

"It's his life. He's the one who's going through this, and he seems lucid to me." She slipped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "I don't want to lose him, either," she said. "You know that."

Gayle leaned in, and the two sisters stood like that until Adam returned, carrying a sleeping Willa.

"She passed out about fifteen minutes ago," he told Winona. "How's your dad?"

Winona took the baby, settling her in the carrier perched on the table by the window. "He's stable."

"For now," Gayle added.

Winona gave Adam a sad smile. "I'm sorry you're stuck in the middle of this."

"It's okay, I'm fine," he assured her. "Do you ladies want me to go pick you up something to eat?"

Gayle shook her head. "I really need to go see my boys. Wade was going to pick up something on his way to his mother's to get them. The past two nights I didn't get home until after they were asleep."

"How old are your boys?"

Happy for the distraction, Gayle pulled out her phone and brought up pictures of the boys, showing off. "My oldest, Davis is five. He's named for Daddy. And this is Kyle, he's almost three."

Adam appeared genuinely interested as she scrolled through her photos. Adam appeared genuinely interested as she scrolled through her photos. "This one reminds me of my nephew, Mason," he said, pointing to Davis. "He's six."

"Adam has four sisters," Winona said.

"And eight nieces and two nephews," he offered.

"Wow." Gayle shook her head. "I bet Christmas is wild."

He laughed. "Yep. It is. I love it. Anna, well, she was a little taken aback by it. Her family is a lot smaller. And quieter."

The three of them huddled together talking in the corner of the lounge as Gayle continued to show Adam pictures of the boys. Winona kept one eye on Willa, but the baby was sleeping contentedly. This was late for her nap. She'd need to wake her for some dinner soon, or it would be a long night.

"Excuse me."

Gayle and Winona both turned to face a dark-haired man in blue scrubs. He was younger than either of them. "Dr. Schuler," Gayle said. "This is my sister, Winona."

The doctor held out his hand. "I'm Max Schuler, your father's cardiologist," he said. "I just looked in on your father. Let's have a seat over here."

Adam picked up Willa's carrier and sat on the other side of the room, giving them some privacy.

"I'm very concerned," the doctor said. "I know that Mr. Reeves has decided against surgery, but without it. . ." He sighed. "His heart is weak. I'm already seeing signs of stress on the part that is working." Pulling out a file he carried, he glanced down. "I've spoken with your father's doctor and psychologist, and they both agree that with his diagnosis of early onset dementia, it would be appropriate for you to invoke the medical power of attorney." He slid a paper to Gayle. "It's in your name."

Winona stopped breathing. She looked up at her sister, stunned. After the conversation she'd just had with her father, she sat there in disbelief of this turn of events.

(To be continued . . .)