Surrept (29 page)

He is still recovering from the interrogation, but he is grateful that maybe they believe him, and he has a chance at communicating with the outside world soon.

He remembers reading about enemy combatants who were sequestered from attorney privileges and most of their other rights for years at Guantanamo. His hope came from the FBI agent Torres, who told him to hang in there. "If you're innocent Bloomfield, it will come out." The agent's eyes were sincere as he helped him out of the interrogation room by the military police. David drops to the floor, and places his feet on the bunk and begins a set of inverted pushups to maintain himself and his sanity. Solitary confinement and the segregation from other human contact will leave one with little hope.

In addition, he plans to hang on to that hope.

Two hours later Dana and Reggie have landed at the small airport in Bozeman and are walking to the rental car that Matt arranged at the private airport. They talk as they walk to the car.

"You were snoring like a big dog on that plane," Reggie says.

Dana laughs. "You lie. I don't snore."

"Like hell you don't. Oh yeah, I'm kicking back checking out the clouds, and I hear this rumbling so I think its thunder or something. Then I hear it again and look across the aisle and there's little Dana with her head all tilted back mouth wide open looking like you were ready to eat a goat." Reggie mimics the scene, opening his mouth wide while making sucking sounds with his throat.

Dana laughs and swings her purse to hit him.

Dana unlocks the car doors. She gets in, closes her door and pulls a file out of her bag. "I MapQuested the address from here to the property. It says its 9.6 miles to the gate at her parents' ranch property.

"The gate, what gate?"

She hands him the file. "Check out the satellite close up. You are the navigator; get us there, Sergeant Haynes, Mr. Military Man."

He checks out the map and the satellite photos. "Check this spread out. This place looks about eighty acres. Turn right out of here, then go to the next road and go left."

***

Adriana arrives at the ranch after dropping off her packages at the UPS store in the Town car. Her driver unloads the luggage and takes it in through the garage for her. She tips him five hundred dollars and he agrees to her terms that she was never in his car and he never heard of Marie Rampino or any place in Bozeman. She watches on the monitor in the kitchen as the car makes its way to the gate and leaves as the gate closes.

***

In Denver, Matt and Joe are concluding their meeting,

Joe says, "Just keep in mind; you have three liabilities in your plan. If you blow your play or approach to the government, you will fail if they do not believe in you. Also, things could go south for your clients in Montana, which as you know is risky enough. Moreover, if that happens, you can pretty much kiss your law career goodbye and face possible federal charges. I wish you all the luck in the world pal, but your ass is hanging way out in the wind on this one. This could seriously affect the reputation of this firm, and I will deny that we ever had this conversation if you blow it; but until then, the firm will reinforce your play."

Matt looks at his mentor, Joe. He looks like an older Clark Gable with his mustache and hair cut. "I know. Thanks again, Joe." Matt closes the door and walks down the hall going over his strategy in his mind. This has to work. It is all he has. He needs a shower, a fresh suit, just in case things pan out in Montana, and some food.

Dana and Reggie turn down the rural road where Adriana's ranch is, and they see the Town car leaving the gated driveway as Reggie verifies the address.

Dana says, "You think that was for her?"

Reggie writes down the Colorado plate, and looks as the car passes and sees no one in the back. "Yeah, a few times when we met, she used cars like that for hire."

Dana passes the driveway and pulls over down the road. "Let me see those satellite shots of the ranch."

"What are you thinking, Dana. Don't get stupid on me again girl, once was enough."

"We are just supposed to see if she is here and then wait for Matt's call right? Well, how are we going to determine she is here if we cannot see her from the road? She could stay in the house and we would never know for sure Reggie, which is not happening."

Reggie is going to try to prevent her from doing anything crazy. "We just saw a car for hire leave with Colorado plates and the timing is right for travel time. I could call her to see if she answers, but Mr. C. said I shouldn't use my phone the other day, so she thinks I'm dead or running scared."

"You have her number and never told me, that sucks Reggie. But even if she answers, she is not going to tell you where she is at; if she even answers seeing it's your number?"

Reggie dials on his phone.

"What are you doing?"

He responds, "I dialed star six seven first. It went right to voice mail." He sets his phone down on the console. "She ain't answering if she doesn't know who's calling."

"We need to see if there is a phone number for that house."

He looks at her. "She will not answer that either if she is laying low or doesn't know who it is."

She sees something in the rearview mirror and turns to look behind them. Reggie turns as well.

She says, "Looks like she's got company."

They watch the motor homes approach and signal to make a turn into the gated driveway. The gates open after a driver pushes the button on the intercom and the other one follows.

"Or she's getting ready to go on a long trip on the sly," Dana says.

Reggie watches as the gate closes and the motor homes move up to the house, which is barely visible from the road. "Maybe, but those motor homes where loaded real heavy. They rocked from side to side while making that turn, and they were hanging very low on the back. That means they're carrying a lot of people, and/or a lot of weight."

Reggie's phone rings, he looks to see who is calling. "Hey, Mr. C., What's going on? Yeah everything's cool. Okay, yeah, give us about fifteen minutes, later." He says to Dana, "Mr. C. wants us to call him from a landline as soon as possible."

Dana reaches for her jacket and puts it on. She pulls a pistol out of the pocket and chambers a round. Reggie is caught off guard as she jumps out of the car.

"You go make the call, and I'll hide out here and keep watch," she says. "I'm not losing her again. Go make the call." She disappears into the bushes across the road.

Reggie slides over and reaches to close the door the crazy-ass little blonde left open. He heads for a pay phone as he watches in the mirror.

Adriana comes out of the garage as the motor homes pull up. She walks over to the door of a motor home. She has a pistol tucked in her jeans just in case. The driver opens the door and she steps up slowly. The body odor is apparent, there are about thirty-five men and women crammed in this one.

She addresses the driver. "You can empty your waste over there. There is a septic hook up and fresh water as well if you need it. Keep everyone inside."

The Middle Eastern driver looks at her in her tight jeans with admiration. "How long before we leave, and when do we get paid if I may ask?"

"You will be departing in about twenty or thirty minutes. We need to be there by two-thirty, and I will pay you when we arrive so you can get on your way."

The driver pulls over to the septic station as Adriana enters the other motor home. The driver is much younger than she and is leering at her like a wolf in heat.

She repeats herself to the young driver and scans the eyes of the people crammed in tight quarters. She wonders about their journey since the drivers picked them up at various destinations across the country. Whoever this Ahmed person is, he is brilliant in his planning. She exits the motor home and walks around behind them.

She notices that one is registered in California, and the other is from Florida. She wonders where they made their rendezvous. She hears a beeping sound coming from the kitchen and rushes inside to answer the intercom at the gate and check the closed-circuit monitor.

Dana is watching a white van at the gate from the bushes. It has the name of a Middle Eastern market in Denver on it. The driver is young but she cannot see all of his face as he leans out to the intercom on the other side.

Adriana looks at the monitor and sees the van with the young driver. "Yes? Who's there?"

Dana hears Adriana's voice. Her heart races as she realizes that the bitch is there.

"I am Ahmed. You are expecting me?"

"Drive in and up to the house."

The gate opens, the van pulls in and the gate closes. Dana was tempted to try to follow the van in but she knows now that the bitch is just a few hundred feet from her. Where is Reggie?

Adriana comes out to greet Ahmed. "So you are Ahmed? I am Adriana." She presses herself against the young genius to plant a seed as she kisses him on both cheeks.

Ahmed, distracted by his desires as her scent lingers, asks, "Do you know of me?"

She smiles. "Of course I do. The professor and I are great friends, and I am yours to serve you and get you home. I will be traveling with you to make sure you get to your guide, who will take you through Canada to the private airport. Your funds have been wired to the account discussed with the professor. You will be home by this time tomorrow. Please come in Ahmed." She feels his eyes on her ass as she walks ahead of him. "We leave right away. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

He responds to the beautiful woman knowing that she could not possibly be a practicing Muslim. "I ate just a few minutes ago. Some water would be okay."

She pulls a bottle from the refrigerator and hands it to him. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She rushes to the bathroom in the master bedroom. She has not had a chance to use the bathroom since she arrived at the ranch.

Adriana stands up and looks at herself in the mirror, realizing what she was about to do to those people in the motor homes and Ahmed. She rationalizes it by recognizing that they too are murderers. Adriana removes a plastic bag from a box she keeps under the sink. She pulls a clump of hair by the roots out of her head, and places them in the bag.

She cuts herself with a cuticle knife in the hand and allows the blood to run into the bag over the hair. Adriana then scrapes the skin on her arm so that dry skin falls into the bag. She places a band-aid on the cut. Satisfied she has produced enough DNA, she seals the bag for use later in the tunnel. She has retrieved heroin and immigrants there on several occasions and knows it well. She shoves the bag deeply into her pocket. She adjusts her hair in the mirror.

She returns to the kitchen noting that this is the last time she will be in her family home. The whole world will now be her home, and she plans to see all of it.

Adriana returns to the kitchen where Ahmed is finishing his water. "We leave in about fifteen minutes, do you need anything else?"

He stares at her incredible beauty. "I am anxious to get off this continent and be back home."

She asks, "Is it all right if I travel with you in your van?"

He assumes she is traveling out of the country as well.

"Sure no problem, you can ride with me."

She gathers her stuff and he helps her load her luggage into the van.

Reggie pulls up and Dana jumps in the car.

Dana asks, "What took you so long, a white delivery van came, and it was from some market in Denver, and then guess what?"

"What happened?"

"I heard Adriana's voice over the intercom at the gate; she's definitely in the house, for sure," Dana said. "So what happened with Matt, what did he say?"

Reggie says, "He is on his way over to the U.S. attorney's office for a meeting with the U.S. attorney and the FBI and the DEA as well. He also said that they were going to contact the U.S. attorney general in Washington D.C. while they are there, if possible. This thing is much bigger than we think Dana, this some real shit we are in girl."

Dana looks at him and quietly replies, "They have David somewhere, and I thought he was somehow involved, and now we know why." "What did he say we should do now?"

Reggie shakes his head distrustful as to how she will react.

"He said to keep watch on this location but not to do anything to bring attention to ourselves. He said that the calvary would probably be coming right away, and to call him if there is any activity, or if we verify that she is there. And not to say anything if we are scooped up by the feds until he speaks with us. Was there any more activity other than the van?"

Dana says, "Scooped up? That is not happening. Come on, let's find a way in there before the calvary comes. We'll look like idiots if she is gone by the time they arrive."

Reggie pulls out his phone and dials.

"Hold up girl. We need to let Mr. C. know we have verified she is here and have eyes on her now. We got action."

The gate opens and the van exits with the motor homes following, Dana and Reggie see Adriana Pucci sitting in the van's passenger seat as it turns out of the driveway.

Dana blurts out, "That's her in the van."