Missy Makes Mayhem (Missy the Werecat Book 5) (27 page)

She smiled inwardly, thinking if only they could see her wearing the expensive and very sexy black lingerie which Connie had obviously just purchased at Victoria’s Secret.  She hoped Mike would really appreciate seeing her in that, later on.  The rest of her outfit was demure enough, which only made her outrageous underwear seem that much naughtier somehow.

By the time they were all gathered at the conference table, Robert had some reports back from the FBI.  Each of the seventeen individuals Missy had identified was now being followed.  There were four more she had assigned names to who had not been there that day.  It was hoped that by following the ones they now had under surveillance, their associates would soon be identified.  Missy could then return and confirm whether all four of the missing guys -- Dumbo, Felix, Goofy and Pluto -- had been identified.

In addition, using facial recognition software to analyze each of the men as they’d come out of the warehouse, they now had actual names for ten of them.  Sylvester was actually Ahmad Sameer Parvis.  He’d been in the U.S. for four years and, due to some of his Muslim activities and associations, he was on the Homeland Security watch list.  However, there had not been any evidence until now to suggest he might be a terrorist.

Grumpy was confirmed as the taxi driver, Hiram Abdul-Washeed.  The other eight men were recent immigrants, with valid work visas, only they’d all come in through Canada by train, on different days and through different cities, one or two at a time.  The circumstances were still being investigated, since had these individuals attempted entrance by air, they never would have been granted a visa.  The apparent loophole in security procedures which they’d taken advantage of had most likely been learned about by WIJO from info leaked by the Homeland Security traitor.

All eight had managed to disappear shortly after entry, so there hadn’t been any known addresses for these individuals.  Now, thanks to the surveillance, their whereabouts were once again known and an investigation into all their activities and associates at those locations was being conducted.

As for the seven men yet to be identified, it was assumed they also had recently entered the U.S., probably using yet other loopholes which that traitor had allowed WIJO to discover.  Likewise, the explosives which Missy had described must have been obtained and transported using yet more data which the traitor had sold.  Even the suicide vests -- Missy had located where they were all stashed in yet another locked storeroom -- could only have gotten there thanks to that traitor’s help.

Drew, Les and Marsha were once again on the phone.  Drew said, “Now that we’ve got all these men under surveillance, we’re hoping to trace their phone calls.  Perhaps we’ll obtain further leads from whatever that turns up.”

Major Schermerhorn asked, “Have you heard anything from Team Twenty-Two?  Have they hit that training camp near Herat yet?”

Drew answered, “That’s planned for tonight and, with the time difference, it should actually be happening any time now.  Meanwhile, is everyone there all set for going to Chicago in the morning?  We can leave things in Philadelphia to the FBI and Homeland Security, for now.  They don’t know how we’ve managed identifying all these individuals but they don’t need to know that.  They’re very grateful we’ve done it for them and they’re getting all their resources fully engaged now, to monitor these guys.”

Robert said, “Missy will go back to the academy.  The rest of us are booked for a seven a.m. flight to Chicago.  We’ve managed to pack all the items selected by Millie and Oliver into four large trunks which we can take with us, no problem.  Were you able to arrange for the National Guard there to provide us with an aircraft?”

Drew replied, “Yes, another Black Hawk will be waiting at O’Hare Airport.”  He paused and then asked, “Missy?  Chicago is well beyond that five hundred mile radius of yours.  How will you get out there once they need you?”

“You’ll have to call me on my smartphone, since I won’t be in contact with Mike.”  Missy laughed.  “But, I’ve been all through the mountains in New York, back when I lived there as a cat.  So, I can teleport myself to a place I know of up there and then I’ll be less than five hundred miles from Mike.  No problem!”

Nov 21, 2019

Arvind Pancholi had watched the video Benedict had sent him.  And, once he’d done an internet search for the Cancun Cancan Girl, he’d been able to download several more.  Did he want to know her identity?  And, was he interested in the FBI’s psychic, who left Mexico the same time she did?  Three days later, the Axtell girl had somehow been rescued from wherever WIJO had been holding her.  Maybe it was all a coincidence, but Benedict hinted he had lots more info which suggested this girl and the psychic may have played a role in that.  What might WIJO be willing to pay?

Pancholi was very confident WIJO would be willing to pay a great deal.  Especially, if what he was suspicious about these two might be true.  Although Benedict had no awareness of the supernatural, he certainly did.  And, he’d quickly guessed the so-called psychic might actually be an air witch, a finder witch.  If so, the U.S. was using witches.  Yes, if he could provide WIJO with evidence of that, he’d be able to retire much, much sooner to that yacht he’d been dreaming about.  His plans for someday cruising the Mediterranean had suddenly become very realistic, with someday being maybe just a few short months away.

What really convinced him of all this was the girl.  Watching her move in these videos, he just knew she wasn’t human.  Whatever she was, he couldn’t say for certain, but she had to be a supernatural in order to perform the way she had.  And, Benedict said he could identify her.  If so, he could probably find out just what sort of supernatural she might be.  And, once WIJO understood witches and supernaturals were not only real, but that the U.S. had used them to embarrass them?

Oh, yes!

The big question now was how much did Benedict want for these files of his?  Because, rather than negotiate in behalf of his client, he intended to purchase all this for himself.  He had accumulated a small fortune over the years and, if he could use that to pay Benedict?  Then, he was positive he could turn around and parlay that investment into a very large fortune.  A very large fortune, indeed!

-----

Tracy had just returned to her room after her morning shower and, moments later, she sensed Missy was suddenly there.  Sure enough, with her characteristic energy pulse, her roommate reappeared in the next instant, over on own her bed and looking quite pleased with herself.  Pleased and … very, very happy.

“Are you glad to be back?  Or, are you this happy because of all the fun you just had?”

Missy giggled and said, “A little of both, I guess.  Everything went really well; the good guys are now watching the bad guys in Philadelphia while our friends are on their way to Chicago where they’ll invite me for yet more fun and, hopefully … after that?  We’ll get to finish things here in New York, keeping America safe, all before Thanksgiving vacation.”

“And, while doing all your secret spy stuff, you’ll still somehow take all your mid-terms, play soccer on Saturday, yadda-yadda-yadda.  Okay.  What about Mike?  Isn’t he missing exams?”

“Yes, but he’ll be able to make them all up, no problem.  He enjoys being part of all this secret spy stuff, you know.  Besides …”

Tracy laughed, saying, “Besides he’s getting all this
extra
time with you.  You did manage some Missy and Mike time, right?”

“Oh, well … he got to watch me eat
three
large steaks.  Does that count?”

“So that explains it!  No wonder you look so happy.  Mike scored a hat trick, giving you those three steaks, huh?  I know how your voracious animal appetite must have needed that.”  Joking aside, Tracy did know how hungry Missy would get after expending so much energy.  Even though Missy could now draw a tremendous amount of energy from her surroundings, her Shifting still always required her to use some of her own unique energy as well.

Missy giggled, realizing she was probably exuding all this happiness which Tracy had apparently noticed because of more than just Mike’s hat trick with the steaks.  Mike had scored a different hat trick, satisfying yet another of her animal appetites in their bedroom, once he’d seen her in that bra and panties Connie had picked out for her.  He’d been doing that a lot lately, as a matter of fact.  Not that she was counting or keeping score or anything but … hey?  Sometimes … having such an attentive lover made a girl feel
really
happy!

-----

Edward Collinsworth reported in down at the FBI’s field office in Philadelphia where he was joining several others who, like himself, had been brought there for this latest crisis.  While he was from the FBI’s Organized Crime Division rather than Counterterrorism, this threat to the Thanksgiving Day parades had the highest priority and he’d been sent down from Boston to help.

Due to the FBI having better facilities, their field office was being used.  However, Homeland Security actually had the lead for this task force.  The main conference room had been set up as a sort of war room, with several monitors in use all along two walls.  On a third wall, a projector was displaying aerial photographs showing a section of the city with some warehouses on a big screen.  And, next to that was a large whiteboard with several portrait photos attached.

There were already at least two dozen task force members in the room, most sitting down at the end facing these photos.  After grabbing a cup of coffee and taking a seat, Collinsworth watched as the room filled up with several more members while he waited for the briefing which was about to begin.  He recognized the warehouses and the men in the photos from the files he’d been provided with the night before.

Soon enough, two official looking men walked up front and, after a few preliminary words welcoming everyone, they got things started. The first to speak was Leonard Garman, the senior FBI representative at the Philly office.  He explained the other man up there with him was Jonathan Pritchard from Homeland Security and that Jonathan would be the one in charge.  Garman then quickly updated them on where things stood with all the surveillance teams, both those out at the target warehouse as well as those watching the men in the photos.  Then he deferred to Pritchard for a further update.

Pritchard explained how each of their suspects had now been quietly checked out and, except for the two known as Ahmad Sameer Parvis and Hiram Abdul-Washeed, very little had been learned.  The others had apparently all arrived only recently, were not employed anywhere, paid cash for the rooms they’d rented and had been coming and going without anyone really noticing just what activities they were involved in.  Since they were not there in accordance with the work visas which they’d used to gain entrance into the country, they could be picked up and deported at any time.

Parvis, however, was quite a different story.  He had somehow acquired several rental properties which were all located in the poorest areas, making him pretty much a slum landlord.  And, he also managed the warehouse property for a corporation which was still being researched.  It wasn’t yet clear where his money had originally come from for any of this.

Abdul-Washeed was a cab driver but little else was known about his activities.  He and Parvis both had valid green cards.

They had learned, however, that both Parvis and Abdul-Washeed were members of the same mosque.  Names for some possible associates of theirs had been identified, who also attended that mosque.  These individuals would also be placed under surveillance but, so far, only two of them had been located.  A lot had been accomplished but there was a lot more which still needed to be done; it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet since they’d obtained all this Intel concerning their suspect terrorist group.

One member in the audience raised her hand and asked, “What can you tell us about where all this Intel is coming from?  I mean, having fifteen guys show up here who somehow got work visas to enter the U.S. but then aren’t where they’re supposed to be and aren’t working … that’s very suspicious.  But, what do we have that says these guys are planning to bomb any parade?”

Pritchard looked over at Garman and said, “Leonard, you probably should answer this one.  After all, it was the FBI who brought all of this to our attention yesterday, right?”  He had been placed in charge of this Philly task force with very little information concerning what evidence had led them there, but he didn’t want his agency to appear ignorant.  His boss had emphasized how important it was for him to run a good show, making Homeland Security look good, especially after that recent traitor of theirs had caused them so much shame and embarrassment.

Garman said, “That’s right.  Robert Ulrey, who heads up one of our Divisions, was able to find this warehouse with members from his team.  And, with help from one of our government’s special agencies, the presence of explosives was confirmed inside that warehouse along with a number of suicide vests.  Based on the report provided by the CIA last week, it’s believed all these recent arrivals have come here to blow themselves up at our parade.  Since that report says there are attacks planned at
three
parades, we’re holding off making any arrests here just yet.”

Hearing Robert Ulrey’s name being mentioned, Collinsworth raised his hand.  When Garman acknowledged him with a nod, he asked, “Isn’t Ulrey heading up that new
Psychic
Division?  Is that how they found this warehouse?”

“Well, it’s all pretty hush-hush.  Robert didn’t say, exactly.  And, he wouldn’t tell me how that government agency was able to confirm the explosives and the vests.  That’s supposedly something which can’t be revealed due to National Security.”  Garman had not been very happy when not only Ulrey, but others higher up in his chain of command had all said the same thing, quoting him the standard “need-to-know-only” bullshit.

Pritchard was only now hearing this explanation about any Psychic Division being involved.  “Wait, wait … say again how we know we’re watching the right guys?”  He did not like being blindsided by this.  His focus had been all about these seventeen suspects, who all certainly looked guilty as hell.  He hadn’t realized the evidence they were running with might not be solid and ironclad.  “What exactly does the FBI have showing explosives are in that warehouse?”

Garman had not been pleased about Homeland Security being placed in charge and now, seeing Pritchard attempting to throw the FBI under the bus, he replied testily saying, “As I explained, that was confirmed by one of our government’s special agencies, not the FBI.  Look, we’re only authorized to watch and investigate these guys, so it doesn’t really matter what evidence we have.  We’re not supposed to make any arrests so we don’t need to draw any warrants just yet.”

This lack of any unified leadership was quickly causing some obvious dissention amongst the rest of the task force members.  Collinsworth was already regretting having said anything.  With Robert Ulrey originally being from the Boston office, he was concerned his own Division up there might now catch some flak.  He could already see how various sides were being taken, some by the FBI, some by Homeland Security, and some by representatives from other agencies.

Pritchard also noticed how his task force was now starting to disintegrate, right there in front of him, and -- worried how that might make his agency look -- he made a decision which would later cause him some deep regret.  He yelled for everyone to sit back down and listen up.  Then he announced, “We’re not gonna just stand around with our thumbs up our ass, playing second fiddle while waiting for some psychics or special agencies to tell us how to do our jobs!  We have the important task of protecting the City of Brotherly Love down here and that’s what we’re gonna do.  Now, there’ll be no more pussyfooting around …”  Glancing over at Garman and trying to be diplomatic, he continued, saying, “Leonard and I have assignments for each of you.  Let’s get out there and get whatever we need in order to be ready to arrest these guys.”