They finished their meal with light conversation about San Francisco’s professional teams. Mac was a NBA Warriors fan. The senator enjoyed Giants baseball. They walked through the parking lot, said their good-byes, and left in separate cars.
Mac noted a black SUV with a hefty front bumper parked near the Presidio’s entrance. He recognized the SUV’s two men from earlier in the day, but he couldn’t place them. The SUV pulled away from the curb and began following his car. He evoked Juan’s ‘watch your back’ warning. He detoured exiting Golden Gate Park to the west. The road looped by the beachside, Cliff House restaurant with its large parking lot.
Mac made a quick turn off the main road into the Cliffside parking lot. He cruised through the lot, past the front valet area to another smaller, more secluded parking area south of the restaurant. He parked his 1962 Burgundy Jaguar Mark II, on the cliff’s edge facing the ocean. He scanned the parking lot for the black SUV. Not seeing it, he got out of the car and walked around to the edge admiring the view and taking some long, deep breaths of the ocean’s heady scent.
He walked a few cars over from his car to get a different view of the surfers off the point. Today the north swell brought in six to nine foot waves. The bigger waves separated the beginners from the experienced surfers, he mused. He recalled learning to surf in American Samoa with his beautiful Kitiona in her tiny bikini guiding his every move.
A loud smash, crushing sound interrupted his daydream. He felt his legs bend to the bumper of a Toyota sedan behind him. His off balanced body moved towards the edge of the cliff. “Hey!” he yelled. Much to his panic he turned to see the black SUV’s, huge bumper pushing the Toyota recklessly forward. Only inches separated him between the Toyota and the guard rail.
His athletic instincts kicked in. He jumped on top of the Toyota’s hood, ran over the roof and onto the hood of the black SUV. He glanced at the driver and passenger and kept running onto the roof. He hopped to the car on the left just as the Toyota was pushed through the ornamental, wooden guard rail.
Mac landed on the ground between two cars over from the SUV. He pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed 911. By the time the 911 operator answered, the SUV had backed out and rushed off spitting gravel in its wake.
Mac stared in awe at the open parking space and the Toyota at the bottom of the cliff. While waiting for the police to respond, a tourist pulled into the vacated Toyota space. Mac thought of calling Juan to thank him for the warning. Then he looked at his watch. He’d wait to talk with him in a few hours. But he felt bound to warn Kitiona.
He opened his ‘moodmeNOW’ phone app. He chose the ‘serious’ icon. He typed, ‘Someone just tried to run me off the road. BE CAREFUL.’ After sending this message, he felt compelled to call her and explained the ‘serious’ message.
Chapter 16
Carol and Kitiona sat on the Lincoln Memorial steps overlooking DC’s famous ‘Reflecting Pool’. The sun accented the ripples on the long, foot-deep pool before them. Carol said, “I never get tired of this view. Sometimes I’ll come here for lunch. People visit from all over the world. Your imagination can run wild just people watching.”
Kitiona told Carol of her first seeing the Reflecting Pool. “The first time I saw this Reflecting Pool was in the Forest Gump movie.” Grinning she continued, “Forest – Jenny – Forest – Jenny. That’s such a romantic scene. It touched me. I love that movie.”
After a reflecting moment, Kitiona continued. "I can't believe I'm here." Her mind pictured her humble childhood and running on the secluded beaches of American Samoa. "Now I'm sitting in the center of the free world. The same sun sparkling on this Reflecting Pool is glistening on our island’s beaches.”
Carol, still soaking in the Washington DC awe, proclaimed "This place grows on you. Unfortunately, so do the bizarre politics. The politicians with their powerful egos and shifting loyalties govern our country like a bunch of third graders."
Kitiona smiled. "I'm enjoying my stay, egos and all." Knowing her shopping visit ended soon, she said, "I don't know how to thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Mac and I should visit together. Then we can double date."
Carol's phone rang. "Speaking of the other half of my date, it's Carl.” She answered her phone and listened intently. "Wait a second. I'm putting you on speaker. Kitiona is sitting with me. We’re at the Reflecting Pool."
Carl Grandson, editor in charge of Washington's most widely read political blog, 'Under DC’s Rug' had important information. He proceeded to tell them about the Florida election machines' rider to the Clean Plastic Bill. "You mentioned that your Foundation was taking on a client investigating election fraud in Florida. Well, this could be a connection to the people behind any possible fraud. I'll investigate who sponsored this rider. Keep me in the loop if your ground troops dig up any dirt. Enjoy the view. Later!"
Kitiona laughed. “Are we the ground troops?"
Carol answered, "Yeah, I guess so. We’re the ground troops in our fantastically fashioned, Jimmy Choo pumps!"
Kitiona’s phone rang. “It’s Mac,” she said, all hands and arms, hurrying to answer it. Her delighted face swiftly turned serious. “OK, we’re on our way to Carol’s house now. Video talk with you soon, ok?”
“Hey,” Carol remarked with a questioning face. “I let you in on Carl’s and my conversation. You shut me out of yours!”
Kitiona said, “Sorry. Mac was attacked by some guys in a black SUV. He’s ok, but wants us to be careful. He says we should go home and wait for the Foundation’s meeting. Mac wouldn’t be warning us for nothing. Let’s go.”
They walked tentatively to their car as if bad guys were around every corner. Kitiona’s father had taught her observation tricks in potentially serious situations like this one. He was ex-military. As part of their upbringing, Kitiona and her younger brother were subjected to his weekly boot camp training sessions. She loved learning the tricks that helped him come home safely from Vietnam. She especially liked shooting at the range with him.
Their car was parked in the corner of an underground parking structure. As they approached Carol’s red Jeep Wrangler, she screamed "A huge rat!” and ran away from the car.
A concerned Kitiona strained to see what upset Carol. They both felt on edge after Mac’s call. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye next to the left front tire. She bent over to investigate. She recognized the object as a baby rabbit, not a large rat. While picking up the rabbit she noticed a red wire dangling from the side of the car's engine area.
At first relieved, Kitiona heightened her alert status. She showed Carol the rabbit with her hands extended. With her eyes and a slight shake of her head, she cautioned Carol. “Let’s take this rabbit to the park.”
Sensing something wrong while walking to the park, Carol asked, “What’s up?”
Kitiona answered, “I saw a red wire dangling from the side of your Jeep’s engine. It might be a bomb. We should have someone look at it.”
Carol exhaled a long breath. “That’s an antenna for my alarm system. Carl had it installed when we first started dating. He’s paranoid. He works with sensitive information and crazy informants. He says this alarm system alerts us when someone tampers with my car. He doesn’t want me to get blown to pieces, mob style, anytime in the future.” She showed Kitiona the car alarm app on her phone. It read clear with a green background.
Relieved, Carol and Kitiona turned the rabbit loose in the park. It hopped towards the tall grass as they smiled walking back to Carol’s car.
Carol's Georgetown townhouse was located a few miles from the U.S. Capitol Building. She and Kitiona settled in for the afternoon. Their day of sightseeing, shopping, lunch and bomb scares wore them out.