The Shadow of Mudflap (A Foxtrot Team Novel #1) (7 page)

She glanced around the table, but most everyone looked as confused as she felt as she took her seat.

Daniel began, “We’ve had several developments over the last twenty-four hours and we have our analysts trying to connect the dots, but right now things are very sketchy. First, there was an attempt on the life of the firefighter who’s currently in a coma from the cotton gin fire. We don’t know if the two things are related or not, but we’re moving forward on the assumption that they are since the fire was the first incident tying ALT to the current situation.”

He turned toward Shanae. “His partner, Mudflap Davidson, was there when the attempt was made and is the entire reason why the attempt was thwarted. He has paramedic training and realized his partner was poisoned via his IV. Mudflap also saw the person who administered the drug and he is still at large, so I need you to watch for any threats. His life could also be in danger.”

Daniel pushed a button and a police sketch flickered on the screen of the assailant.

A ball of dread built in the pit of Shanae’s stomach. She didn’t like the idea of Mudflap in danger. She hadn’t seen him since their date, but that hadn’t kept her from constantly thinking and obsessing about him and where their night might have gone if she hadn’t been called into work.

“To increase the complications in this case, we have an additional situation. Yesterday morning the head coach of the Texas Tech football program suddenly resigned. He’s been receiving threats from an undisclosed group. He’s been extremely uncooperative with authorities on what exactly those threats entailed, stating he won’t risk the safety of his family. It’s believed he wouldn’t have reported any of it, but he doesn’t want to have to pay the millions of dollars he’ll need to break his contract with Texas Tech. We can’t make him talk, but something or someone has sent this guy running scared to the point where he’s just destroyed an extremely lucrative career. Combined with the increase in terrorist chatter, we’re thinking the incidents are related.”

Murmurs around the table increased. Living in Lubbock, they all lived and breathed Texas Tech football, especially this season. It was simply the way of life out here, even for transplants. To say this was a surprise was putting it mildly. Shanae had only lived here three months and was surprised at how stunned she felt. She couldn’t imagine how much the true locals must be reeling.

Quirk asked the question they were all thinking. “Who did Tech name as interim coach?”

Daniel took a deep breath. “There wasn’t an interim coach named. They’ve already hired their permanent replacement, TC Davidson.”

“Mudflap’s brother?” Shanae wondered why this hadn’t occurred to her. Just the other day they’d been talking about the fact that TC wanted a university football program to coach in Texas. Immediately, she wondered about Mudflap’s reaction to today’s developments. Would he be excited to have his big brother as the coach in a town that practically worshipped at the altar of football?

He gave a sharp nod. “And the Department of Homeland Security believes the threat has become great enough that as of this morning, Lift EMS is the new ambulance and paramedic contractor for the Texas Tech football program so that LiFT will be able to provide national security. Boys and girls, if there is activity in the stadium or training field we are there to provide both security and medical services. Keep your eyes and ears open. Loss of life, especially civilian, is unacceptable.”

And Mudflap’s brother was right in the heart of it which put Mudflap at risk, too. A rock settled into the pit of her stomach. They had to get this case solved quickly.

Halftime Texting

Shanae
: I have two cookies: one is a snickerdoodle, one is a chocolate chip.

Mudflap
: Okay, that’s just mean when I haven’t eaten lunch yet.

Shanae
: It’s a test. If I offer you one, which one do you take?

Mudflap
: You’re testing me?

Shanae
: Yes, now answer the question.

Mudflap
: I’d take the snickerdoodle.

Shanae
: Good answer, but why?

Mudflap
: I have sisters. I know better than to get between a girl and her chocolate.

Mudflap
: Did I pass?

Shanae
: With flying colors.

Pause…

Mudflap
: You weren’t just teasing about the cookies, right? I really am hungry.

Mudflap

Even with all the craziness at his house, Mudflap made it to the fire station with five minutes to spare before his shift started. He still couldn’t believe his brother was the new head coach of the Texas Tech football team. It didn’t appear like the hits were going to stop anytime soon since the captain hollered at him as soon as he cleared the front door.

When he stepped into the office, he immediately snapped to attention at the sight of the Army colonel standing beside his captain. Old habits didn’t die.

The man murmured a quiet, “At ease,” and Mudflap’s muscles loosened.

His captain grinned, “Damn, Davidson, why don’t you snap to like that for me?”

A chagrined smile spread across his face. “Sorry, Captain. The Army spent a lot of time training that into me. It’s just automatic.”

Mudflap looked curiously at the colonel waiting patiently to the side of the captain’s desk. All the insignia on his uniform was unfamiliar with the exception of the colonel’s rank.

The fire captain made the introductions. “This is Colonel Barr.”

The man stepped forward and reached his hand out to shake Mudflap’s hand.

The captain continued, “And this is Mudflap Davidson.”

Mudflap shook his hand and gave a slight nod with his respectful, “Sir.”

“He needs to talk to you. Come in and sit down and I’ll leave you to it,” the captain instructed, as he strode toward the doorway.

When the door clicked behind him, Mudflap turned back toward the colonel who had made himself at home at the captain’s desk.

The colonel opened a file which sat before him on the desk. “Mr. Davidson, our records show you served as a sniper with the Army for eight years, and you were highly decorated before your honorable discharge.”

Mudflap simply nodded trying to figure out what was going on here.

“I’ve been sent here by the Department of Defense to recruit your help on a tenuous situation we’ve had come up here in Lubbock. You’ve been chosen for this job because of your exceptional record, skills, and your unique standing within the Lubbock community. This is a sensitive situation and anything I tell you about it needs to be held in the strictest of confidence.”

Again, Mudflap just nodded, becoming more confused and concerned about what the colonel was building up to.

“We’ve discussed the situation with the Lubbock Fire Department and they’ve agreed to allow you to take a paid leave of absence while you work this issue for us. That’s assuming you agree to the job, which is where we’re at right now. I can’t tell you more until I have your agreement to work for us.” The colonel looked to Mudflap for some sort of response.

Different scenarios barreled through Mudflap’s head about what could be happening in Lubbock that would cause the Department of Defense to come to
him
for help. He just didn’t see anything as a possibility, but the colonel waited for his answer. “Of course, I’ll do whatever I can to help, but I’m sorry, sir, I’m just not seeing what I’m needed for here.”

The colonel nodded. “That’s to be expected, son. You aren’t supposed to know anything yet. You’re scheduled for a briefing with our intel guys in thirty minutes. Gather your gear and we’ll head out.”

Mudflap began to leave the office, but then had another thought. “Sir, the crew will want to know where I’m going. What do I tell them?”

“Right now, your crew is in the conference room with the captain so no one will see you leave with me. Your cover story will be explained to you at the briefing.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Mudflap and the colonel drove up to the gatehouse in front of a non-descript building out at the airport. It was a single building, but had a high, lethal-looking security fence all the way around it. The gate guard wasn’t dressed in a military uniform, but he had an unmistakable military bearing. The colonel showed credentials that Mudflap assumed covered both of them and the guard waved them into the compound.

Mudflap quietly followed the colonel as they entered the building, watching everything, hoping for a clue about what was happening. Inside, it seemed like a normal military office, but there was a higher than normal percentage of men and women in civilian dress. He had to wonder how many of them were actually military in civilian clothing. The few personnel he spotted in uniform were wearing the same strange patches the colonel wore. Mudflap couldn’t tell what branch of the Army the colonel worked for, but it certainly wasn’t one he’d ever heard of before.

They came to a closed doorway where the colonel placed his palm on a reader. He then turned to Mudflap. “They already have you coded into the system, so just do the same thing.”

Threads of apprehension spread down Mudflap’s spine. What the hell was going on here to require this kind of technology and security?

He placed his hand in the spot and watched as a light scanned him. The reader flashed green and the door slid open. They stepped through it, but appeared to be entering just another level of security. This was some sort of anteroom, complete with a uniformed and heavily-armed military policeman and video cameras in all four corners of the small sterile room.

The MP nodded toward the colonel, but stepped toward Mudflap. “Sir, I need any electronic devices or weapons you may have on your person.” The MP shoved toward him an open plastic bag with Mudflap’s information written on the outside of it.

Mudflap raised an eyebrow in question, but the MP didn’t seem inclined to say anything more. So he fished into his pocket for his cell phone and pocket knife and placed them in the bag.

The MP pushed a button on the wall and a hidden compartment slid out. He placed the bag into it and then it slid back into the wall. Once closed, Mudflap couldn’t see a single indication of where that door was on the wall. It was completely disguised.

The MP again stepped toward Mudflap. “Now, sir, I’ll need to pat you down.”

These guys were serious about their security. Mudflap gave a sharp nod and met the colonel’s stoic gaze while the MP made quick work of his search. Mudflap couldn’t get a feel off the colonel at all, besides the obvious fact that whatever they were doing here in Lubbock, it wasn’t a joke.

Finally, they were through all the security and the back door of the small room slid open to reveal a bustling military war room. Here, everyone was in military dress, again with the same insignia and patches Mudflap didn’t recognize. The colonel directed him to a conference room where four other men sat around a large conference table. “Have a seat, Mr. Davidson.”

Mudflap sat down and set to studying the new military insignia. The colonel stood at the front of the room and noticed his perusal. “As you’ve noticed, we work within a different branch of the Army. As of right now, so do you. But for all intents and purposes, the men and office you see here don’t actually exist. This is a black operation, as black as they get within the military. We report directly to the Pentagon, not the Army, but no one from our government will ever verify the fact that we even exist. Now, I’ll let the team fill you in on why we need your help.”

A young corporal stood up and cued the visual slide show through his computer. “The last couple of months we’ve seen increased chatter showing there’s an imminent threat to a target in Lubbock. We’ve had a hard time figuring out exactly what that target is, but this week new information came to light. It appears the threat has something to do with the Texas Tech football program.”

Mudflap’s stomach dropped to his feet. What exactly had TC stepped into when he stepped into the head coach’s position? Was this why Coach Porter quit?

The young soldier continued, “For many years, we’ve worried about a football game, either pro or college, becoming the target for a terrorist group. We now feel that’s what’s being planned here.”

The colonel took over here. “This is why we want you, Mr. Davidson. You have a sniper’s eye. You’re observant. You have a tie to the new coach. You’re also a paramedic, trained and qualified. No one will question as to why you’re on the field. Officially, you’re a new part of Coach Davidson’s staff. You’ve been hired on to work as a team trainer on the sideline. If the team is in the stadium then so are you. Unofficially, you work for us. We want you to use those skills honed by your days as a sniper, watching everything. Your job is to keep your eyes and ears open to any and all suspicious activity and report it.”

Mudflap was stunned. His thoughts immediately flew to Kyle, who bled out at his side in Afghanistan. They wanted him to be the one to protect TC and the team? He looked around the room at the expectant faces of the men surrounding him. “Does TC know about this? What the hell do you expect me to do if I see something suspicious?”

“Coach Davidson is aware of the basics of the situation and cooperating fully. He hasn’t been informed about your position in this, although we have a meeting with him this afternoon to change that. He’s not being informed to the same level that you are. He’s on a need-to-know basis only, so you are not to discuss specifics with him, ever. Today, you’ll spend the day with Corporal Timms.” He nodded toward the young corporal. “He’ll explain your chain of command, authority, and will arm you with a weapon and body armor.”

Weapon and body armor? Shit, when did West Texas football become a war zone?

* * *

By the time Mudflap made it home, TC was sitting in the kitchen, drinking a beer, staring off into space, and looking as stressed as Mudflap felt.