“Well, I’d prefer a nice place consistent with your community stature and all. How about Ringo’s?”
“Okay, Ringo’s will be great. It’s a nice dive, and very quiet. When ... say seven tonight?”
“Okay, see you there. ‘Lookin’ forward to it kiddo.”
Although they were both very tired, sleep did not come easy to either news lady that night. Arthur Simms could not have slept even if he’d been off duty. He’d been in love with Joanna since high school.
***
The walker found his pace about the time he got south of the Spokane River via the Post Falls bridge. He turned west along the river. Idaho was easy, but when he hit the scrub country west of the state line he left the river and chose to stay on or close to country ranch roads. They afforded the greatest protection due to hedge rows and because of the kind of people who chose to live away from cities. He stopped several times to enjoy the views that Idaho and Washington granted. He was in no hurry.
He thought a lot about Jen and Ike. He knew they felt no pain, but the needlessness shook him still; even after all the carnage he’d seen in Vietnam and Iraq. He really didn’t think the government had gotten so adrift. Once they realized there were only two DNA types among what was left of Ike Larson’s home, they would be looking for him in all the transportation terminals in both states, and probably Montana.
Twice during the day, he had company from other hikers or just kids walking the roads to friend’s homes. He found them to be informative and pleasant. One had heard of a gas explosion in Coeur d’Alene that killed at least two people. The information heartened him ... the perpetrators must still be looking for the evidence. He walked on, planning as best he could, his crossing of I-90 and his approach to the airport. He had to get back to Salt Lake before they caught up with him. He needed to retrieve Linda’s letter.
Toward evening the walker was walking, the Press ladies were stirring and thinking, the FBI was attempting to determine what caused the explosion in Coeur d’Alene and the DHS was searching through the rubble and keeping the FBI out. It was a terrorist situation after all, and the DHS had control; complete control. The entire neighborhood within a one quarter mile radius from the rubble that used to be a beautiful home was evacuated in the interest of national security. A platoon of DHS personnel with metal detectors and plastic bags were supposedly combing the area.
A mortuary van was stationed outside the rubble, but no driver was waiting. A front loader and a dump truck were parked in the front yard. Two tents were pitched on the neighboring yard, and yellow tape was across every neighborhood road and path, warning encroachers of possible radioactive dangers. Local police and National Guard vehicles blocked every approach. Elevated portable flood lights were installed around the rubble and refrigerators were hauled in for preserving any remains. A mobile thirty kilowatt generator was parked in the street and was being tested for night duty. All was getting established for a long haul investigation. The bigger and more complicated it looked, the more could be perpetrated.
Despite all the rumors about the explosion, Arthur Simms could only think about Jo Pinks. He hadn’t even been on a real date since his messy divorce, and now he was going to meet the love of his life. All Joanna Pinks could think about was, “What the hell went down last night and why ... why?”
19.
Charles Able received a phone call from Roland Franks. Franks hadn’t exhausted all his Intel sources or methods, but he needed to inform the president of what he suspected so the President would be forearmed. The President seemed to be a bit testy, and said he’d already been briefed.
“Mr. President I just wanted to inform you of the explosion in Coeur d’Alene, and that I believe one of my agents was in the home. I recommend you stay abreast of the situation, because eventually there are going to be lots of questions about this explosion and the incidents surrounding it.”
“Roland, are you sure you’re not jealous the DHS has this situation under control? Like I said, Steve Northfield briefed me this morning right after it happened. He and I are both aware of the situation. He says one of your agents had gone rogue. What do you think?”
“Mr. President, my agent did not go rogue. He’d finished the assignment and was waiting on another.”
“Don’t you mean ‘she’ Roland? I hear she was a plant with one of the militia groups and actually ended up helping the terrorist escape. I think she may have ‘gone over’. The explosion was probably due to a miscalculation with high explosives. They may have even been constructing a ‘dirty’ nuclear bomb. You miscalculated on this one Roland.”
“Mr. President, please keep your radar up on this one. It isn’t going to be simple. If I find anything new on my end, I’ll inform you.”
“You turn it over to Steven Northfield, Roland. I put his agency in charge. It’s really important you stay in the chain of command on this one and keep your eyes and ears open. Thanks for your info. Say hello to the wife.” The President hung up.
Roland Franks could not believe his ears. He murmured, “The wife ... the wife?” Charles Able was definitely a part of this debacle, or he’d been told perfect lies. He hung his head, rubbed his temples and allowed himself a WTF moment. After he pulled himself together, he called his National Security Branch Chief, Tom Mitchell. It was time to cover his ass.
20.
Martha Matley was arranging her night goggles, camoflage outfit and tape recorder when Joanna Pinks called, “Hi kid. You wanna poke around in the damage zone while I go try to wring every ounce of information out of old Arty Simms?”
“Funny you should call. I was just arranging my cammie outfit to go out on the town. Yeah, make sure you get all the info you can. I know you have a soft spot for Chief Simms. ‘You wanna meet later at the office to discuss what we know, and compare notes? That’s assuming you don‘t go to his place after dinner and wring something else.”
“Give me a break! I love him, but I don’t ‘love’ him. I think he’s still crazy about me though, and I’ll use him if I have to. I’m feeling there’s one hell of a story here. See you about ten tonight? Is that okay? You be careful out there. Don’t get caught with a camera. I might never hear from you again.”
“Okay, I’ll be careful. See you about ten at the office.”
***
In Montana, Ralph Lazenby was stirring things up locally, claiming his “wife” had been kidnapped. When he refused to contact the police or FBI, most astute people realized there may be something amiss. About half of them thought he may have done away with her or she may have run off with the walker. When two FBI agents arrived and questioned Ridge Parker and his family, everyone suspected the worse. Duncan briefed all who would listen.
Despite misinformation and rumor, Duncan had a good grasp on the situation. He believed the explosion in Coeur d’Alene was purposeful and probably took the life of the walker and Isadora. He, Julie and their mom and Dad had a lengthy discussion regarding the walker and Isadora. Through inference and intuition, the ladies understood there was more to Isadora than met the eye.
Duncan’s logic also led him to believe Isadora rescued the walker. The walker was not the type to pick up a stray woman. Julie assumed they were headed toward Idaho, so the explosion seemed to fit. She was afraid for the walker’s life and desperately hoped he and Isadora were not intimately connected. Ridge and Altrise hoped for the best and assured the young ones the walker and Isadora were attracted to each other and probably would pop up again together in another patriot group. Duncan and Julie talked privately. Certain their parents were not attuned to the situation; they decided to make some calls. She called the newspapers first.
Duncan