The Ghost Ch. 01

Picking up the phone he called the new Special agent in charge in Dallas, asking for Morris Reynolds phone number. He figured what did he have to lose. He knew he had gone to work for a private agency, but had no idea it was run by Downey. Either way, maybe for old times' sake he would do him a favor.

**********

"Hey Mark, I found something on Courtney. Her real name is Makayla Smart, age twenty-eight, from Vegas. Looks like she is wanted in Vegas, Chicago, Louisville, and Indianapolis on prostitution, trafficking, drug dealing, and possession of a stolen handgun. She's made bail each time which is weird for someone like her. No family or anyone tied to her are listed."

Mark looked over Kelsey's shoulder, "That can't be right. Who bailed her out?"

She typed a few things in the computer, "Looks like it is a shell corporation out of El Paso, TX. go figure."

Mark went back to the laptop he was working on and started checking on any crime trends that were escalating around the country. Hacking into the FBI and Homeland Security systems allowed him to see the statistics. The numbers were increasing across the Midwest, but especially in areas between St. Louis and Indianapolis, and from Chicago to Memphis. He wondered what was the reason for the uptick of crime in these areas.

Scott had an algorithm program on the main server, so he forwarded all the info to it, hoping to find the constant factor. As he finished with what he was doing, he heard a vehicle coming up the driveway at the Robinsons. Peeking out the front window he noticed two vehicles passing the RV. One looked to be a Sheriff and the other was an unmarked vehicle.

Mark exited the RV, walking toward the house, with Kelsey looking from the RV. Lucille came out onto the front porch to greet the two officers. The men in the unmarked vehicle remained there. Mark maneuvered himself where he could hear what was being said but also watch the vehicle.

"Hello Mrs. Robinson, sorry to disturb you." said the younger deputy.

The older man, assuming he was the actual Sheriff of the county, "Stop with the pleasantries Jason. Lucille, we have a warrant to search this here premises. If you will excuse us, we will get this done and out of your way in no time."

Mark could tell that Mrs. Robinson looked like she was about to collapse from fear. "Hey Sheriff, mind if I look at that warrant?"

He turned and looked at Mark, "Who the hell are you? You have no right to be here."

Laughing Mark looked at the old man, and started to walk up the porch steps, "Who I am is not really the important thing here, but why I am here is definitely my business. I am the Robinsons personal bodyguard and private investigator. So, I will ask again, may I see the warrant?"

Mark heard the vehicle doors open and looked out of the corner of his eye as two burley men stepped out. He noticed they were in jeans and t-shirts, not the ordinary tactical gear for a standard warrant search. He heard another door from a distance and figured it was Kelsey getting out of the RV. The younger deputy handed Mark the warrant, not without the older Sheriff trying to stop him. As Mark read over the warrant, he noticed they were only supposed to be looking for Robbie, and not to go through any personal items.

He handed the document over to the Sheriff. "Do you mind if I tag along as you do your search. After all, we are looking for the same person." Mark walked over to Lucille, "Stay here, Kelsey has your back."

As the three men walked inside, he noticed the Sheriff did not have his hand on the butt of his gun, while the deputy seemed more anxious to be drawing his weapon. They walked throughout the house, checking behind doors, the attic, and basement with no sign of Robbie of course. Then they wanted to go to the barn, so Mark allowed it although he pointed out the warrant said the dwelling only.

As the three walked out of the barn, Mark noticed one of the men from the unmarked vehicle was on the porch talking to Lucille. "Who the fuck are these guys?" He asked the two men beside him.

The deputy answered, "They're FBI, they had IDs and badges, showed us this morning."

Mark quickly made his way toward the front porch, the man standing next to the car tried to stop him, but they didn't call him 'Tank' for nothing, as he pushed his way past the man to stand beside Lucille.

"Sir, I am asking you to stand down" Said the man who stood on the porch.

Mark stood in front of Lucille to protect her as he addressed the man. "I was FBI, and I'm not sure who you actually are, but bothering these people means you're bothering me. Your business is done here. Sheriff wouldn't you agree?"

The Sheriff had caught up to the action along with the younger deputy. "These are Federal officers, I can't just..."

Mark interrupted him, "Sheriff, they aren't who they say they are, now are you?"

The man in front of Mark reaches for his wallet to pull out credentials. Mark looked at them and smiled. "Does that look fake to you sir? I will not warn you again to remove yourself from this area."

Mark looked out the corner of his eye toward Kelsey as she descended from the RV sporting her M1 rifle, and he was not armed. "What field office do you operate from?"

The man answered after a slight hesitation, "Washington, D.C."

In one swift motion, Mark kicked the man in front of him in the side of the knee disabling him, pulling the man's weapon and shielded Lucille. The second man started to pull his weapon, but Kelsey had her rifle pointed at his head. "Go ahead mister, my finger is itching for a workout."

The Sheriff and Deputy both pulled their handguns and pointed them at Mark. "Drop the gun, and we can solve this down at the station." The Sheriff calmly stated.

Mark looked at the man while he lowered his gun. "Sheriff, believe me, the FBI would never send someone from Washington for a small-town bank robbery when they have a field office in Indianapolis. Also, these clowns aren't in tactical gear, or wearing anything with the FBI on them. When I served warrants, I was to wear a t-shirt or polo with the word FBI on it and tactical pants, because you have to be ready for anything."

The Sheriff lowered his gun and looked over at the Deputy. "It was kind of strange they wanted us to do the warrant search when it is supposed to be the FBI leading the investigation."

"Deputy, put all three in custody, we'll check them out at the station." He looked over at Kelsey, "Ma'am, if you don't mind, I don't want to take you in too." She lowered her gun after taking the man's out of his holster and throwing it on the ground.

With Mark and the two men being put in zip ties, Kelsey joined Lucille on the porch. "He'll be fine Ma'am. He has been through a lot worse than this."

*********

Morris Reynolds listened to the voicemail, and was strangely amused. How could this pompous asshole want him to call? He never liked Morris when he was with the agency, and was the major reason he had left the job he loved. Getting up from his desk, he walked the hall to his bosses' office and knocked on the door.

Downey looked up and smiled, "Hey handsome, you don't have to knock, come on in."

"You know how I feel about those kinds of things here. I don't want to put the wrong kind of impression on others." He walked over and sat across from her.

She leaned forward, showing her cleavage, "I'm the boss, and if I want you to take me right here, right now, there is nothing anybody can do about it." She leaned back in her chair once again. "What's got you wound up this morning anyway?"

He chuckled, and slightly adjusted his growing erection in his pants. "I received a phone call, let it go to voicemail. You won't believe who reached out for help."

"What suspense. Just tell me or let me listen to the voicemail."

He put the phone on her desk, closed her door, and put the phone on speaker as he replayed the voicemail. "Morris, this is Jack Simmons. Please listen before you hang up. I know I did some things in Dallas that weren't right, and I can't undo them, but I really need your help. Please call me as soon as you receive this message at 703-555-xxxx."

"Well, what a surprise, that's a D.C. number, he must be moving up in the world." Downey chuckled under her breath.

"What do you think Maria? Should I call him back?"

She picked her phone up and turned it toward him, "If you don't I will. Please put it on speaker phone though, I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Smirking, Reynolds dialed the number leaving it on speaker. The phone picked up on the second ring. "Director Simmons office, how may I help you?"

"Director Simmons is expecting my call, my name is Morris Reynolds."

"Yes sir Mr. Reynolds, one moment please."

Reynolds looked at Maria with a smug look which she appreciated. "Morris, I was hoping you would call."

"I'm really surprised you called me to be blunt. Why kind of help you need from me?"

Simmons cleared his throat, "Are we on a secure line Morris?"

Both Downey and Reynolds furrowed their brows, "Of course Jack."

"What I'm about to tell you is very 'Top Secret' and if it leaks it is more than my head, it would be yours as well. While I was in Dallas, I did a very stupid thing and the cartel had evidence against me forcing me to overlook certain things." He sighed heavily before continuing. "Jeremy O'Brien is a friend of mine and the Director of the DEA in the Southwest. His daughter was kidnapped from college by the cartel about eight months ago. He has done absolutely everything they have asked but they will not return his daughter."

Maria spoke this time, "Sounds like you both have yourselves in quite a pickle."

"Ah Maria, should have known you would be close by. Listen, I know you both dislike me and you have every reason to. Honestly you are the only ones I actually trust."

Reynolds settled into the chair as he leaned back, "That's mighty nice of you Jack, but we don't trust you, so tell me why should we help?"

"Because if you help me, I'll pay you one hundred thousand now, and one hundred thousand when the job is done. Also, you won't be helping me, only O'Brien. I want you to get his daughter back."

Maria liked the sound of the money, but was skeptical as much as Morris was, asking, "Do you have an idea where they are keeping her?"

"Tejada had two places he would keep slaves as he called them. He had a house in El Paso, and a warehouse in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I could send you the coordinates to both if you are willing to investigate it and help me get his daughter back."

Reynolds looked at Maria and slightly nodded his head, she returned his nod affirming they would help. "Jack, I think we are in agreement that against our better judgement we will help O'Brien get his daughter back. Just so you know, we will not return his daughter if you screw us. Also, if we find this so-called evidence, will we be compensated for that?"

Jack Simmons thought for a second and replied, "To be honest, I don't care what happens to me, so don't go out of your way to find something for me. Help O'Brien and Jenny, his daughter. I'll send you the coordinates and her picture along with the transaction for the money as soon as you send me your info."

Maria spoke, "No problem Jack, I'll put my best people on it."

"For what it's worth, I appreciate this, I will never be able to repay you for the deed you're about to do." He hung up the phone and as Maria started typing the info to Simmons in an email, Reynolds stood and walked to the door.

"You're forgetting something," he turned around as she nodded toward his cell. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to assemble a team that I think will be good for this mission. I need to get my head wrapped around this; it feels like Deja vu."

Closing the door, Reynolds walked down the hallway to the training area. The organization had taken on a half dozen trained personnel. All but one was ex-military, with the one who wasn't an ex-Texas Ranger. Bobby was the main instructor and recruiter so each person had been carefully vetted. Reynolds observed for a minute until he found the three that would be joining him and Bobby on their mission.

***********

The Sheriff handed the Driver's License back to Mark. "Sorry Mr. Collins, I had to be sure. After you pointed those things out to me, I had a hunch as well. Who do you reckon these fellas are?"

Mark looked toward the computer screen showing the two faces with no information attached. "Could be anybody to be honest. I'd get with the FBI field office in Indianapolis and have them

investigate this. It's a Federal crime for what they did."

Jason, the Deputy asked Mark, "Why did you resign from the FBI Mr. Collins?"

Mark had one-word answer, "Politics." He stood and walked out of the station to a smiling Kelsey. "What the hell are you smiling at?"

She chuckled, "I've never wanted to be with someone who has been in jail before."

Shaking his head, "Get in the truck." As he drove back to the Robinsons' farm, he filled her in about the two men and how they were unknowns with no fingerprints in the system. He told her they were mercenaries or they were more of the recruits who had never been in trouble before.

"Why were they here threatening poor Mrs. Robinson?"

"They figure that if they scared her enough, she would give them something to find Robbie. They want to find him before the law does so they can shut him up like Becky's' old boyfriend."

"I'm glad we never told Lucille and Henry that we found Robbie. Hopefully he stays in the trailer, and keeps quiet." Kelsey then looked out the windshield taking in the countryside, admiring the view and wondering where Mark had grown up. She imagined him being the responsible son always helping around the farm, always being the dutiful son. She also imagined all the girls in a fifty-mile radius wanting him.

Her thoughts then wandered to meeting his sister. What did she mean when she said he finally did what he should have long ago, and he caused a lot of pain? She couldn't forget the anger and pain in her eyes as she said that. Mark hadn't shown Kelsey that he was uncaring or that hurt anyone intentionally. Something happened though in the past to make his sister despise him so much.

"Kelsey?" Mark grabbed her leg, shaking her. "Kelsey we're here, you ok?"

Shaking her head off the cobwebs she smiled at him, "Yeah just lost in my thoughts."

They checked in on Robbie, and the guy was still sleeping. It seemed he hadn't slept for days, being on the run. They closed and locked the trailer, headed toward the house. When they entered, they found Lucille crying at the breakfast nook with Henry sitting beside her.

"Mrs. Robinson, what's wrong, what happened now?" Mark asked as he sat across from them. Kelsey remained standing behind Mark, her hand on his shoulder.

Henry looked up, "We just had a visit from Courtney, she said that her friends found Robbie and were going to kill him if we didn't sign the farm over to them."

"They don't have Robbie Sir." Kelsey said firmly.

"Little miss, now how do you know that? Are you willing to bet my sons' life on it?"

Mark quickly asked, "When are they supposed to be back?"

Lucille said between sobs, "Tomorrow afternoon is all she told us. Nothing concrete."

Mark looked at Henry, "How soon can the two of you pack just some essentials and be ready to leave?"

Lucille had stopped crying and was dabbing her eyes. "I'm not leaving my home Mark. We built this to what it is now, and I'm not letting some punks run us off." Henry patted her back trying to comfort her.

"Ma'am, Lucille," This was the first time Mark had addressed her other than Mrs. Robinson. "With all due respect, I know exactly what this place means to you and your family. I am willing to lay down my life to protect it. I need you to be safe and out of harm's way so I can do what I do best without worrying about you."

"Where would we go?"

"I'll call Lorrie, and Scott can send one of his companies' private jets down here and send you to their home for a few days. If you don't like that, I'll put you in a hotel somewhere safe."

"Lucille, we haven't been to her house in quite some time. I think Mark's idea is a good one." He looked over at Mark and never waited for Lucille's acknowledgement. "Give us about thirty minutes and we'll be ready."

"Great, Kelsey will drive you to the Putnam County airport. It shouldn't be but a few hours for the plane to be here. I'll make the arrangements now."

He picked up his phone and they made their way up the stairs. He told Scott what was going on and his plan for the time being. Scott agreed and said the plane would be leaving as soon as it fueled. Then he turned to Kelsey, "Get Robbie, take him with you but hide him in the back. Tell him to keep his mouth shut. When you get to the airport, make sure they get on that plane with no complications. On your way back, go to this address," He handed her a piece of paper with an address on it, near where they were located. "Tell the owner that you are friends of the Lawsons and this is a favor from Larry Lawson."

Her eyes went wide, "Who's...?"

"Don't Kelsey, just please do this. I have some things I need to set up around here for Courtney and her friends."

Walking away from Kelsey, she noticed a determination in him that he hadn't shown. He was protecting the Robinsons' almost like his own parents. She wondered if Larry Lawson was his dads' name, or maybe it was someone else in the family. She unlocked the trailer and told Robbie to hurry and get into the private section of the Suburban, and pulled it closer to the door to wait on his parents. She told him to remain silent because they had no idea, he was with them.

After Kelsey had left, Mark had collected most of the items he needed from the RV. He headed into the barn to prepare. Grabbing boards and nails, some rope, hammer, and a couple of wolf traps from the barn, Mark set out to make sure he gave a proper welcome.

*********

March 5th - 4 am

Four men and one woman in tactical gear were on their way to El Paso Texas, their mission, to rescue a young woman who had been kidnapped by the Tejada cartel. Robbins drove the SUV while Reynolds was in his frequent spot, the passenger seat with his nose in the laptop. All of them had been briefed, and while they felt they were well trained, this would be the first for them working as a team.

Nerves had been replaced by focus, as Reynolds described the buildings of the two places they were going to hit. He told each person what their job and action would be, giving them the information electronically on their tablets. Robbins already knew as he was the one who helped Reynolds develop the entire mission.

The mix of talent in the vehicle was astounding, as they had a former Navy SEAL, an ex-Army Ranger, and a former US Marine Recon Officer. All had been in combat situations, and all were smart. People that Downey liked, but more so, who Bobby liked.

They were just about two hours from El Paso, and Reynolds told them to study the plan again and maybe get a nap in. When they were close, they would stop and do another weapons check and get ready before arriving at the house.

*************

8 am

Kelsey pulled into the driveway of the address Mark gave her and was amazed at the spread in front of her. The house wasn't as big as the Robinsons' and was only a ranch type home, but it had three different large barns and several other out buildings. She noticed cows and horses, and farm machinery in the rear of one of the barns.

She pulled up next to the house and told Robbie to stay there in the truck as she stepped out and walked to the door. It looked like nobody was home, but she knocked anyway. Footsteps were heard coming toward the door. Opening the door was an older woman around fifty or older, "May I help you miss?"