Justification For Killing (35 page)

“
Anhur, you son of a gun,”
said Sam Lin softly as he and Si Lei bowed their heads. Only the
three of them realized they knew each other.

The UFO began slowly to
move across the snow-covered ice blowing clear a runway as it
gently floated across the frozen lake. Its large size created a
clear path in the snow at least 150 feet wide. So clear, Captain
Hunter could see the rays of the sun reflecting off the blue of the
frozen ice crystals beneath. It proceeded down the length of the
lake for a few thousand yards before lifting from the icy surface.
It then shot off and at an incredible speed disappearing in a flash
over the distant horizon. Captain Hunter later would say the
craft’s speed surely must have approached 2,000 to 2,500 miles per
hour. He said it was faster than any military jet he had ever
seen.

“
Okay, Don, start through
the checklist, get all the systems set. We’re getting ready to see
if this sucker will fly again.”

“
What? We’re going to try
to takeoff from this frozen lake?”

“
Nope! We’re not going to
try - we are going to DO IT! Get ready Mr. Walker, we’re going
flying. I don’t know who they are or where they came from, but
obviously they were here to rescue us. We didn’t survive a near
collision, a crash landing and fifty below temperatures, on our
good looks. I have the feeling all our flight systems will
work.”

Speaking into the
intercom,
“Ladies and gentlemen, please
replace all your tray tables and return you seats to an upright and
locked position. Flight attendants prepare the cabin for takeoff -
we’re getting ready to put this bird back into the air!”

A tremendous roar shook
the windows of the plane; everyone was clapping, and at the same
time yelling, “We’re leaving!”

Captain Hunter turning to
Mr. Walker, “Switch on the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).”

“
Roger, APU
engaged.”

“
Open the APU Bleed Air
Valve.”

“
Roger, APU Bleed Air
Valve open.”

“
Open the Central
Pneumatic System valves.”

“
Roger, CPS Valves
open.”

“
Release APU Bleed across
turbines.”

“
Roger, turbines beginning
to turn.”

“
Once the oxygen
percentage reaches fifty per-cent in the combustion chambers we
will introduce fuel.”

“
Roger, fuel control
switches engaged.”

“
Okay, Mr. Walker - the
moment has arrived - auto ignition - one, two, three...”

Before the Captain
could say ‘four’ the engines began to turn over. At first they were
slow and shook violently. Captain Hunter thought, must have been a
lot of snow still in those GE-90 turbofan beasts. A couple of
seconds and the rpms on the engines began to increase, and the
shaking subsided. The rpms continued to increase. They were
beginning to roar.
That sounds
good,
thought Captain
Hunter.

Reaching over to the
center console, the Captain pushed the throttles forward, about a
third power at first. The engines seemed to be operating flawlessly
- their roaring scream increased smoothly to a deafening whine. The
engines were warming up, so was the air blowing into the interior
of the passenger compartment. “Heat! Heat! Thank you Captain!”
Someone yelled from the back.

“
Release the brakes Mr.
Walker.”

“
Release the brakes? What
brakes... we never used any brakes!”

“
Okay, well... well, Mr.
Walker,” the Captain said pushing the throttles wide open, “Keep
your fingers crossed. Let’s go!”

Chapter
Twenty-Six

LONNIE JOE AND
ROCKY

“
Krista!
Krista! Get in here! The Captain yelled into his Personal
Communicator. Catching himself, “Krista, would you
please
come into my
office!”

Without answering she,
hearing the tone in his voice, leaped from her chair and hurried
into his inner office. Throwing his door open, she saw the Captain
sitting at his desk. Cigar smoke permeated the whole room. It
appeared he was on his third or fourth one, and it wasn’t even ten
in the morning.

“
Land sakes! What in the
devil are you yelling about Captain?”

“
Krista... that
sun-of-a-gun downstairs in the laboratory has to be taken care of.
I don’t how and I don’t know when but he’s got to get his. You know
he tried to kill me? Kill me, I tell you. Me! Me! He tried to kill
me!” The Captain said storming around his office, flailing his arms
into the air and speaking almost incoherently.

“
Calm down Captain... just
calm yourself. Tell me what you want me to do about Mr. Rousseau.
We know people... you want to have him hurt, maimed, killed? Which
one? Just tell me which way to go, and I’ll set the plans in
motion.”

“
Right! By-ned your right
Krissy, but which... but which... now that’s a good question? Well
I cannot answer right now, what I need to find out is what does
this have to do with SCAR. I know he has been with us from the
beginning, and I have known for years he thought he should have
been included as a SCAR founder, but I do not believe that would be
enough to make him a killer. He must have another reason. He surely
must have had some prior involvement with us, or some of the things
we deal with. This we must find out. You know I had already sent
Sam Lin and Si Lei to Bangkok to do some background digging on him,
but I just returned from Spook and Tinker’s home. They took the
news of the boys plane crash hard... hard... I tell you, and I
don’t blame them. I’m taking it hard too. Something has to be
done... I mean I’ve got to get that guy. If it hadn’t been for
Rousseau I would not have assigned the investigative mission to
Bangkok to Sam Lin and Si Lei... those two would still be alive
today!!! Alive, I tell you... alive... Rousseau killed them... if
it had not been for him Sam Lin and Si Lei would still be alive.
I’ve got to get Ryan Rousseau. He did all but commit the murder
himself. You hear me Krista – he is a murderer!”

“
Yes I hear you Captain,
please put the Cutty Sark bottle down, I believe you have had
enough Scotch, we need to talk. What do you want me to
do?”

“
I don’t know Krista, but
I know a couple of guys who can help us find out and take care of
the problem if you understand what I mean. I had intended to send
them to Bangkok to help in the Rousseau investigation, but now
Bangkok will be Sam Lin and Si Lei’s mission alone.”

“
But who Captain? Who are
they?”

“
Krista, get me the two
people I need, and have them report to me ASAP. Tell them I needed
them yesterday, that’s how quick they should endeavor to get
here.”

“
Okay, Captain, right
away... one small question though?

“
What,” asked the Captain,
frustrated?

“
Who? Who are the two
people you want me to get?”

“
Why, Lonnie Joe and
Rocky! That’s who!” He replied.

Krista knew exactly who
they were. Lonnie Joe was Dr. Lonnie Joe Wheeler, and Rocky (as he
preferred) was Jacque Jolliet.

Gabby was the only one who
could call him Jacque... and she pronounced Jacque in the style of
the French. Not Jack as an American would do. Jacque loved the way
she pronounced his name, letting the word roll off her tongue ever
so silky.

He and Gabby had been an
item while working together in Egypt, but the timing wasn’t right
for them. They might have become more than an item had Gabrielle
not been called back home from Egypt, and Jacque had not been sent
on another assignment to Iraq.

Gabby had to return home
after hearing Bud, Forrest and Olive Marie had been reported lost
on the downed plane destined for Mexico City.

At the mention of Jacque,
Krista could not contain her excitement any longer. She knew how
much he meant to her daughter Gabrielle. They had not seen each
other since their separation in Egypt. It had been a long year with
Rocky gone to the warzone of Iraq.

“
Gabrielle, Hon you will never in a thousand years guess who
is being re-called back to SCAR Headquarters for re-assignment to a
new mission,”
Krista said excitedly to
Gabby on the telephone.

“
Come on Mom, you know I
don’t like these guessing game... just tell me, who?”

“
Hold your breath -
Jacque... Jacque Jollett! Your Grandpa has a mission for him. The
Captain is pulling him out of Iraq and returning him to Washington.
I am trying to locate him at this very minute, but I just couldn’t
wait to tell you the news. I have tried all his contacts, but he is
off the radar, in fact, it is possible he is on his way home as we
speak. In fact, his year assignment was up last month. He may have
left on his own. I don’t want to worry you, but something could
have happened to him.

“
You mean he could be...
could be... dead?” Asked Gabby.

“
No! No, I don’t to worry
you, but yes it is a possibility, but let’s not think about that,
I’m sure he is okay. He could be here any time now... Gabby...?
Gabby are you there?”

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

COMING HOME

Hanging up her phone
while her Mother was still talking, Gabby’s mind raced after
listening to the news that her fabulous Jacque was coming home.
“Coming home, coming home,” she said over and over as if not truly
believing what she had just heard was true. She stared at the
telephone, not quite grasping the reality of the
conversation.
Is he hurt, maybe even dead?
No, I’m not going to think that way... he is finally coming
home,
she thought.

“
Oh shoot!” she said out
loud. She had stepped from the bathtub when the phone rang, now she
was standing, dripping water into a large puddle on the
floor.

Leaving the telephone she
hurriedly walked followed by a trail of wet footprints, across the
tile floor back to the bath where she hurriedly dried her body with
a huge, fluffy, white bath towel. She couldn’t believe it had been
thirteen months, twelve days and five hours since Jacque left for
his assignment to Iraq, but who was counting. She wrapped the towel
snuggly around her body and tucked in the loose end.

Both Jacque and she worked
for the exclusively, small group of SCAR archeologists known as the
‘Bone Seekers’. After their last assignment together he left Gabby
in Egypt for the war-torn country of Iraq. He had been assigned to
investigate an ancient burial plot in Iraq, a site uncovered during
one of America’s numerous bombing attacks. Gabby had been notified
of the death of her two brothers and only sister on the Mexico
flight and had been recalled to the U.S.

On her return to the U.S.
and the subsequent discovery her family had not been killed she
found an apartment - just a one bedroom, den and combined
kitchen/dining area, but it had an enormous fifth floor window, a
window which allowed for a panoramic view of the Washington
skyline. From this wall size window, could be seen the National
Mall and the distant Potomac River; these were breath-taking as the
evening sun began to drop below the distant western horizon,
especially the 555-foot marble obelisk as it cast its shadow across
the stunning reflecting pool. To Gabby the shadow appeared as a
giant finger pointing toward the Capitol building.

Her mind was rushing full
tilt as she returned from the confines of the bathroom and again
walked barefoot across the cold tiles onto the soft carpet of her
living room, the towel still snuggly wrapped around her body. She
sat down on the sofa, leaned back against a cushion, and mused
about Jacque and his return.

She was in her den,
eyes shut, the recessed lights were dimmed to a soft glow, the
atmosphere was perfect for Jacque’s arrival. A mellow mix of soft
Glenn Miller swing and Miles Davis jazz drifted across the room
from the stereo in the corner, but a long time had passed since
they parted, and she wasn’t sure how he would feel about her. Had
he found someone else after Egypt?
No,
she thought...
he has been in Iraq for the whole time, who was
he going to meet?
The archeological dig
was in a section of the far northeastern Iraqi desert close to the
border of Turkey. A region sparsely populated with a religion
forbidding any premarital contact with the opposite sex and marital
infidelity would result in instant death for both parties, if
caught. Courtship was forbidden, and marriages were pre-arranged.
She knew Jacque had the reputation of a ladies’ man, but courting a
woman in this area surely wasn’t worth getting killed
over.

Opening her eyes, she
arose from the couch entered her dressing room, and selected her
nicest outfit. She slipped on a pair of black five-inch stilettos.
Shoes so high she was afraid she might not be able to walk in
them.

She knew she looked
stunning, but as a woman will do, she had to see for herself. A
door-length mirror covered the back of the bathroom door. Standing
in front admiring herself, she knew she was breathtaking. Turing to
the right then the left, perfect, there was nothing more she could
do. Nothing more she could put on would add to her enchanting
look.