Fragmentation Page 18

  “Antonio, you look a little pale, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, just a little tired Maria, I’m okay.”

  “The police will not let us in the house yet.”

  “Yeah, that’s going to take a while. Another thing David, I want you to call Michael. He gave you his business card the other night at dinner. Let him know what happened here just as I told it. You are going to need his help and a better place to hide out. Maria, I’ll need your cell phone, I’m going to call in some bodyguards until we get through this.”

  “I want the rest of you to go back to the hotel. Vinnie, around noon you check back at our entrance gate and find out when you can get back in the house. Maria, it’s a mess in there. When the police are finished, there is this crime scene clean-up company that will take care of the damage. In the top drawer of my desk, there is a business card with their number. Have Vinnie give them a call and ask for Vick. He owes me a favor. Tell him you need them right away.”

  “All right Antonio, you rest now. I love you.”

  Chapter 45

  Raleigh, NC, Executive Mansion: Monday, June 25.

  Governor William Casey III was concluding a staff meeting in the Georgian room when his secretary, Georgia Barclay, stepped in and motioned for him. “Sir, it’s your cousin, Commander Camp, on line three for you.”

  “Thank you, Georgia, I’ll take it in my office in just a minute.” “Folks, this meeting is about finished. I’d like to thank you all for coming; I believe we have made some real progress today.”

  Governor Casey went to his office, closed the door and punched line three.

  “Robin, I trust you are abreast of our little situation? What do you have to report?”

  “Billy, we have serious problems. We have been unable to catch Albright and Gilmore. I don’t like that Gilmore girl; she is too crafty. She is also a damn helicopter pilot. I am thinking she might be more than she seems, perhaps an agent or something. Earlier this week we had a tip from one of our people working in the FBI office. We believed they were hiding at a place called Seneca Vineyards in upstate New York. Three of our best operatives went in to get them. All of a sudden, a wise guy came out of nowhere, pulled a gun and shot two of them, one we believe is dead. The other two got away, but he seriously wounded one of them before they took him out. The State Police are all over the place and I suppose the FBI will join them later today. We still don’t know where those two are.”

  “Where are our people now?”

  “They are in a small motel up in the town of Auburn, near Skaneateles, NY. We need medical help quickly or we will lose the other man.”

  “Don’t worry about him; we can’t afford to let anyone know where they are. If he dies, tell your other man to get out fast. He is expendable. They knew that when they took the job. Now, I expect you to get some good people up there to find those two troublemakers before it is too late. I am counting on you, Robin, don’t you let me down. This thing is getting out of hand fast and the consequences will affect our whole family.”

  “Yes Billy, I’ll take care of it.”

  Chapter 46

  Washington, DC, FBI Headquarters, Public Corruption Division, J. Edgar Hoover Building: Monday June 25, 9:00 AM.

  Supervising Agent Bruce Edwards, Agent Michael O’Donnell, Agent Miles and Administrative Assistant Catherine Balkunow sat in the second floor conference room of FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC.

  “Bruce, I apologize for the long list and the short notice. Were you able to find any information?”

  “Agents Calafato and Hurley are working on the list and I’ll get to that in a moment. Last night there was a break-in and shooting at Seneca Vineyards. We received a call this morning from David Albright. He was upset and said he tried to get in touch with you while you were on the road. Michael, your friend Tony Carbonara has been hospitalized with two gunshot wounds, not life threatening. A Bobby Vaccaro was killed along with one of the assailants. Bobby Vaccaro may have wounded another of the assailants before he went down. It appears there were three of them and they were looking for David and Colleen. We have people up there right now working with State and local police. We don’t have an I.D. on the dead assailant but he looks like a pro. He carried no identification but was well equipped with a silenced 9mm, a serious knife and state of the art communications equipment. Our star witnesses are safe for the time being but whoever is behind this knew where they were and will likely try again.”

  “Bruce, we have to get them to a safe house.”

  “I agree and we will get right on it. As far as the list goes, David Calafato has verified the order to scuttle the USS Morgan did come from Commander Robin Camp in the Defense Intelligence Office. Commander Camp heads up an elite covert commando group of Navy Seals that frequently work undercover. It is interesting to note that Commander Camp is also the first cousin of Governor William Casey, III. I also have no idea what Camp has to do with ordering a ship scuttled as a fish haven. Now, this is what started this whole mess: Apparently, over In the General Accounting Office, a Lieutenant JG Robert Calafano found out about the original order to scuttle. He calculated he could save the Department of the Navy approximately $875,000 by scrapping the ship instead of scuttling it. It appears he took it on upon himself to assign it to the DeCosta Scrap Yard for dismantling. Lieutenant Calafano is somewhat of an eager beaver. He was trying to make a name for himself by saving the Navy money. It now looks like he may have inadvertently let Commander Camp’s cat out of the bag.”

  “It all seems to tie in, but we still don’t know, what Commander Camp’s ‘cat’ is. Have you found out anything about the incident at the old Packer Marine Terminal?”

  “Agent Hurley is looking into that. The witness only gave his name as Seaman Mike P. Agent Hurley found, at the time of the incident, there were only two people fitting that name and rank on the base: Seaman Mike B. Pendowski and a Seaman Apprentice Michael P. Rivera. It is unlikely that a Navel seaman would misstate his rank. The first interview will be with Seaman Pendowski as soon as Agent Hurley can locate him.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He is on leave and may have gone home to his family in Colorado. Hurley is checking with them.”

  “Agent Miles, where are we on that sample of metal from the USS Morgan?”

  “The sample is at our forensic lab and we should have information back in a few hours. I gave it to Dr. Stickler last night as soon as I got in.”

  “Good, his report should be interesting. Michael, I want you to work on getting David and Colleen to one of our safe houses down here, the sooner the better.”

  Chapter 47

  Defense Intelligence Agency: Monday June 25, 9:30AM.

  Commander Robin Camp was wrestling with a difficult problem. The personnel they used in tracking Colleen and David were from a very special commando unit of the Navy Seals. Even though they were under his command, he had gone out on a limb using them for this operation. His cousin, Governor Casey promised Robin a great many things once he became President, but he had just told him to let an operative die and forget him. This is not something a Navy Seal does; they always bring their men back. He now found himself caught in the middle of his cousin’s bid for the White House and his duty as a Naval Commander.

  “Miss Benford, will you ask Chief Petty Officer Doyles to report to me immediately?”

  “Yes, Commander Camp.”

  Camp lit a cigarette and sat at his desk. He leaned back and thought. “I have two problems; those two kids and a wounded comrade. I believe the wounded comrade comes first. It has to be that way even though Billy said to let him die.”

  “Sir, it’s Doyles, did you want to see me?”

  “Yes, come in. I have just spoken with Governor Casey and he has put me in somewhat of a bind. As you know, we lost one of our men at the Seneca Vineyards fiasco and th
ey seriously wounded another. It is just possible he will not make it unless he gets immediate medical attention. Governor Casey wants us to abandon him without medical help and get the other operative out so as not to throw any suspicion back to us. As unit commander, I cannot do that; we always take care of our own.”

  “Sir, if I may, we could get a chopper with medical help there pretty quick.”

  “I’m afraid that would be just too obvious. We have to find a more subtle way of getting him help. Do we have a civilian doctor nearby who could get there quickly?”

  “Let me check sir, I believe we have someone in that area we could use.”

  Chief Petty Officer Doyles went back to check his computer and returned several minutes later.

  “Sir, there is a Dr. T. Murphy in New Hampshire. He is about a hundred and twenty miles away and could be there in a little over two hours.”

  “T. Murphy, what the hell does the T stand for, Doyles?”

  “His name is Thompson Sir, Dr. Thompson Murphy.”

  “Does he have a way to transport our man?”

  “Yes, Sir, he will be in a private unmarked ambulance with a driver. We can trust them as they both are on our payroll.”

  “Very good, Doyles, proceed with that. When you are finished, I suggest we start looking into how we can eliminate the girl and her boyfriend once and for all.”

  “Yes Sir!”

  “Another thing, have we found out who called the FBI on the incident at the Packer Marine Terminal a couple of years ago?”

  “We are very close, Sir, it will be taken care of.”

  Chapter 48

  Skaneateles, NY, Sherwood Inn: Tuesday June 26.

  Vinnie just returned from his trip to Seneca Vineyards and he joined everyone in the pub room for lunch.

  “It looks like you should able to return to the house sometime after 2:00 PM. I called Crime Scene Clean-Up, the company Tony suggested and they will be there with a full crew. They said it would take about two hours. They also want someone there to see the damage to the house and furnishings before they start. Maria, if you like, I can do that while you are at the hospital.”

  “Vinnie that would be very thoughtful. It would spare me seeing the place where Bobby died; I would rather not know where it actually happened.”

  “I’ll do that and when they are done, I’ll call you.”

  They ordered a light lunch. Outside, the view of the lake was beautiful but to Colleen, the darkening clouds on the horizon made it look foreboding.

  In their room, Colleen confided to David, “We have to leave this area, they know where we are.”

  “I agree, but where can we go? They know where we are every time we attempt to hide.”

  “David, how much money do we have?

  “A little over $2,200, not a lot, but enough for now, I guess.”

  “What about the money Tony gave you?”

  “I almost forgot there is still almost $400 of that left giving us over $2,600.

  “I was thinking, only Tony knew where we were when we were at John Paul’s house in Georgia. That was because he put a tracking device on the chopper and threw the Government’s out the window over North Carolina. We would have access to his jeep, they don’t know about that. J.P.’s house is the only place they haven’t located. I think we should go back there and not tell a soul where we are headed.”

  “Can you find that place again?”

  “Yes, I left a track on the GPS. All I have to do is follow back the same route.”

  “We will need fuel.”

  “We can pay cash for it. I think we should leave as soon as possible. Vinnie can top off the tanks for us here so we can get to New Jersey. The Senator has fuel at his house. We can fill up there and go to that small airport in Summit Point, WV. We would refuel at Hendersonville, NC, then, on to Lake Burton.”

  “We’ll have to tell Vinnie what we are up to.”

  “I know and he is very loyal to Tony, but I think we can convince him we want to leave so there will be no more problems for Tony and Maria.”

  Maria knocked on their door. “You can head back to the house now. Will you please take Vinnie back with you? I’m going to be at the hospital for a while this afternoon. I will come home after the clean up is complete.”

  “Thank you, Maria. We’re almost ready to go.”

  On the ride to Seneca Vineyards, Colleen and David explained their plan to Vinnie. Eventually he agreed it was their best option and he would help them with the chopper.

  The police were still guarding the gate but let them in. They dropped Vinnie off at the hangar and headed to the house. The police were gone from the house, but would keep a guard posted at the gate for several more days. Crime Scene Clean-Up was just finishing. One of Tony’s workers was supervising the work and said hello as they went up to their room.

  “Oh David, when will this all be over? It’s like we are living in a nightmare!”

  “Soon, I hope. Let’s get packed and be on our way.”

  They loaded their bags in the Hummer and went to the hanger. The Jet Ranger sat on the pad as Vinnie topped off its tanks.

  “I have mixed emotions about this. Tony would want me to go with you. At least, tell me where you are going?”

  “Vinnie, we have caused enough trouble for Tony. We will be all right.”

  “Okay, be careful and good luck.”

  Colleen completed her preflight and they lifted off a little after 2:30 PM. There were dirty grey clouds in the sky as she followed the track on the GPS back toward Morristown Airport. About 4:30 PM, Colleen added a waypoint to Normandy Beach, NJ and by five; they were landing at the Senator’s house.

  “We will stay here tonight and use a boat to go to dinner. David, you will have to help me refuel the aircraft.”

  Chapter 49

  Skaneateles, NY, Shady Rest Motel: Tuesday, June 26.

  Motel Manager, Carl Hopkins was comforting one of the maids. She had burst into the office minutes before in hysterics, crying about a murder in unit number six.

  “I thought I noticed blood on the sidewalk outside the door the other day,” she sobbed. When I knocked on the door to make up the room a man answered and said, ‘Come back tomorrow,’ so when I came there today, there was no answer. I knocked several times and used my passkey to open the door. That’s when I found it.”

  “What did you find, Sarah?”

  “A body and blood. There was a lot of blood on the bed and the towels were covered with blood. There was blood in the sink and on the floor. That man was killed in there Mr. Hopkins, I know it!”

  Carl Hopkins checked the register and found the entry he was looking for. Unit number six, was rented to Mr. Howard Hardy from Falls Church, VA. It was on Sunday, June 24 at 6:15 PM. He had a late model green Chevrolet Suburban with VA license number NSA 2459. Mr. Hardy paid cash for two days in advance.

  “I remember that guy, tall and very athletic looking; he was wearing a green shirt and what looked like fatigue pants. He said he was with the antique boat club.”

  “Sarah, is the unit open?”

  “Yes, Mr. Hopkins, I’m afraid I just ran out when I saw it.”

  “Wait here. I want to have a look, I’ll be right back.”

  Carl realized the person in the bed was still alive. As he ran back to the office he noticed there was no sign of the Chevrolet Suburban.

  “Sarah, I’m calling 911. You better wait here, I’m sure they will want to talk with you when they get here!”

  Chapter 50

  Normandy Beach NJ: Tuesday, June 26.

  After they serviced the aircraft. Colleen took the keys and opened the door to the Land’s house. We will have to stay here because Roger and his family are probably at my parents’ house. David carried in only a small
bag leaving the rest of their luggage in the aircraft.

  “We can take the Senator’s Boston Whaler to Murphy’s Bar for dinner. Its part of a marina and will be busy this time of year. We’ll just blend in. The hamburgers are good and they also have great soups and cold beer.”

  After freshening up, they headed to the boat, uncovered it and left for dinner.

  “Colleen, we are being watched.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a neighbor.”

  Hitting David in the ribs, Colleen replied, “David don’t do that.

  “Oh, hello Mrs. Bender, we were just going out to dinner.”

  “Where is the Senator, dear?”

  “They will be in later tomorrow.”

  “Didn’t he come in the helicopter?”

  “No, I flew it here for him. Goodbye Mrs. Bender, we’re late for dinner.”

  “Oh…Oh my, isn’t that something?”

  Colleen started the motor before Mrs. Bender could ask any more questions. David untied the lines and pushed the boat away from the dock. Fifteen minutes later they were pulling into Murphy’s Marina. Colleen tied up at the transient dock.

  Murphy’s Marina had a tired and somewhat seedy look about it as if decades ago it had somehow missed the trend in new marina designs. Murphy’s was still owned and operated by the original family that built it in the early fifties. Today, it was evident they were no longer spending a lot of money on the place. The docks were uneven from ice during the winter, derelict boats filled a portion of the marina’s parking area and a rusting gas sign squeaked as it swung in the light breeze over the end of the dock. Still, the restaurant was busy, music flowed out the door and conversation boomed inside. In spite of its looks, it was a popular watering hole with the local population. A couple was just leaving a small table in the rear so David led Colleen to it.