The Alberta Connection Page 9

  “His parents moved to Tucson, Arizona, the day after we graduated from high school. Two days later, I applied at the University of Arizona and got a full ride scholarship. Brian had to go to a community college for a year before they let him into the U of A.

  “We graduated pretty high in criminal justice and were both accepted into the FBI. We specified we wanted to be together, but they put us on two different coasts for almost two years. He was sent to Georgia, and I was sent to San Diego. When they opened the Joint Border Task Force to FBI agents, we applied independently. We didn’t tell anyone that we were a pair and kept it quiet for about a year.”

  Tanya paused, stood, and walked from the office. Ryce considered his options and decided this was a good time to visit the men’s room. When he returned to his office, Tanya was applying makeup. Ryce thought she would be removing everything again when she cleaned up a second round of tears.

  “I was trying to make a baby all four years in college, doing anything I could do to get pregnant. Nothing worked. Then we were apart. When we got back together, I started trying to get pregnant again. I wanted his babies.

  “A few months before you came to train the agents, he had been tested, and they said he was sterile. I was not going to have a baby made by Brian. We talked about adopting. Then we talked about finding an artificial insemination program. We finally decided to steal a kid off the street. He just got more and more distant.

  “One day after we split up, I was cleaning out the closet, and found some letters. They were from a woman I had never heard about, someone he had a relationship with when he was in Atlanta. She didn’t want any children and had asked him to have a vasectomy. He got one. They had broken up just before he applied to the JBTF.

  “He couldn’t make babies with me because he got his tubes tied, not because he was actually sterile.”

  She started crying again, and grabbed a tissue. All of the makeup she had carefully applied was removed.

  “He got a call at the office about a year after we moved in together. He would never tell me what the call was about or who it was from. I checked his phone records and got a name. It wasn’t until after we broke up that I chased down the name. The call was from the Atlanta office of the FBI. I made a call to the number and asked about the name I had. I effectively pieced together the facts that I had. The woman he had tied his tubes for had been killed in a shoot out. She was also FBI. By that time, Brian and I were not talking.

  “Before I met you, I had decided I was never going to get married, and I was never going to have babies. The night after your first kiss, I sat down and wrote out some baby names based on the letters in your first name. Did you know, if we need a boy’s name, there are not a lot of names that start with a ‘Y’?”

  She reached over, pulled Ryce close, and gave him a long, wet kiss. “Honey, I am really glad that you came to Montana.”

  After Tanya left his office, Ryce sat for several minutes and then doodled some questions for which he wanted answers.

  Who was Samantha Tanner, and what authorization had she been given in the Joint Border Task Force? Did Ryce have authorization to lead a team to the cabin to verify what had happened to the two officers from the Browning PD? Why had Samantha organized activities that were not even necessary? Were the two Browning officers still alive? What was on the laptops stolen from Browning PD?

  Ryce’s first email was to John. Ryce outlined the two emails he had gotten from Matt, and asked if John could find out more about the Samantha from his vast pool of contacts.

  As soon as Ryce pressed the send button, he checked his contact list, and composed an email to Dexter Reynolds, the head of the Canadian branch of the JBTF. Did Dexter have anyone he could send to watch the Canadian end of the trail? Ryce included that he hoped the thieves who stole the laptops from the Browning PD had not yet crossed the border. Unfortunately, Ryce could provide no information about the thieves -- he did not even know how many were involved.

  As Ryce continued writing his emails, the doodle list on his desk continued to grow. What was on the Browning laptops that was worth stealing? Ryce decided he should send an email to the Browning PD. Were the two missing officers the only ones with laptop access, and therefore, laptop knowledge?

  After sending the email to Dexter, Ryce started to write an email to O2. Ryce thought a light strike force team with six heavily armed members would be sufficient to check on the Browning PD officers. The team could drive the Great Falls Suburban and camp trailer to the lake and park in the campground. Two of the team could remain at the lake for support, while the remaining four could follow the trail to the border. Or, to wherever the Browning PD officers were found. If they were found. Ryce planned to lead the pursuit team.

  The two men in the trailer could also keep an eye on the trail going to the hog’s back and warn the pursuit team if someone was following. Ryce remembered some early warning devices he used in Afghanistan could cover a large area. A couple telephone calls should get a few of them delivered in a hurry.

  Ryce finished writing his emails shortly before it was time to leave the offices for the day. He looked at his doodle list. An email had been sent to John, O2, Dexter, the Browning PD, David Bolt, and Matt. All Ryce could do now was wait for answers. He walked to Tanya’s office, took her hand, and walked toward the elevators. As he entered the elevator, Ryce realized he was very hungry. Doodling seemed to take a lot of energy.

  When Ryce and Tanya arrived at the chow hall, John walked over and followed them through the serving line.

  As he picked up a tray, John chuckled. “OK, I forgot to get dessert.”

  After placing a slice of lemon meringue pie on his tray, John looked at Ryce.

  “I got your email about Samantha Tanner. I have shuffled it up the chain of command. So far, no reply from anyone. I also have a website address for you. The audio device the FBI installed on the Mercedes transmits a burst of compressed audio every ten minutes. The website expands the burst so it is understandable. You can either download the converted audio file to your laptops or listen directly from the website. I will send you an email when I get back to my laptop.”

  Ryce placed his tray on the table, sat down, glanced at Tanya, and then looked at John.

  “Some of the people working with Tanya have been able to get some video from the security cameras. They have confirmed the ones who stole the laptops did not develop the Renault 1CV.”

  Several people at the table had very confused looks on their faces.

  John chuckled. “If you are a car history buff, the 1CV was the first Renault built by the Renault brothers between 1898 and 1903. If you are not a car history buff, you just learned something new. So who won the bet on the stop for this evening?”

  Ryce smiled. Nothing was sacred at the Pendergast Ranch.

  He grinned. “Tanya and a couple of her friends. Twenty-two dollars were split three ways.”

  Tanya held up her $7.33 and Ryce’s $4.00 from Diane’s breakfast stop. “This is almost better than a casino.”

  As Ryce and Tanya walked out of the chow hall, John accompanied them to the door.

  “I have received inquiries from Homeland Security about how you are doing. As far as I am concerned, you are exceeding the expectations of everyone. Keep up the good work.”

  Tanya gave Ryce a glance of new respect, and slid her arms around his waist. “You have certainly exceeded my expectations. I hope you don’t mind that I expect more.”

  Chapter 16

  Ryce’s cell phone started playing “Hotel California” four hours before it was supposed to play “Rock Around The Clock.” That indicated he had a call and it was not the alarm going off. Ryce began to resent the call ringer and alarm tones he had installed after Tanya had tampered with his cell phone. It was 3:00 AM.

  Ryce reached over, picked up the cell phone, looked at the caller ID, and said, “Matt, I hope you have a really good reason for this call.”

  “Ryce, I do. I don’t car
e who you have to wake up, but you need to get Samantha Tanner out of the boss’s chair. She has killed two more of my people.”

  Ryce sat up in bed. “What happened?”

  Matt paused. “She flew out to the Great Falls office two days ago and told us we had to assault the cabin for payback for killing our two agents. Then she told us we could do it with eight people. I told her about the group you watched get taken out. She said they were obviously inferior to the Great Falls unit. When I asked if she had cleared it up the chain of command, she told me it was authorized by the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security. She gave me a name and a telephone number. I feel like a fool for not calling the number.”

  Ryce pulled a legal pad and a pen off the nightstand and asked for the name and number. When Ryce finished scribbling the information, Matt continued.

  “We went in an hour after sunset last night with night vision. No moon, and as dark as the inside of a black trash bag. This time, they had some exploding trees that took out Monty Wilson and Grant Dent. I managed to get four more of my men shot up trying to pull those two out.

  “I don’t know who you know, but you gotta make a call. She told me when we got back twenty minutes ago that she was going to bring me up on dereliction of duty charges.”

  Ryce let out an expletive. “I will make some calls. Have you heard if she has tried to screw with the Billings office?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  Ryce reach over to Tanya, shook her awake, and then spoke into his cell again. “Ok, pull everyone out of the Great Falls office. I think I can get an airplane in there to pick you up. Go find a hole near the airport. Use a landline to call me when you have everyone safe.

  “I will call Kenny in the Billings office. I don’t want anyone answering their cell phones. In fact, pull the batteries out of them. If she can’t find you, she can’t get you killed. Remember -- only use a landline when you get everyone to the airport.”

  Ryce flipped his cell phone shut, and turned to Tanya. “Start calling everyone you know from the Billings office. Tell them to become invisible. I am pulling every JBTF agent out of Montana.

  “Samantha Tanner has done it again. She got two more people killed. I already told you about Brian and Wes. Monty Wilson and Grant Dent were killed in an assault on the cabin last night. I need to talk to John.”

  Ryce checked his cell phone clock. It was 3:25 AM. He kissed Tanya and then found a speed dial number.

  When John answered, Ryce apologized for the early hour and then explained what had happened in Great Falls. John replied that he would do his best to have the JBTF agents pulled out of Montana.

  The first item on John’s list was which Pendergast aircraft he should send to Great Falls. Pendergast Holdings owned a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which could carry fifty passengers, and a Gulfstream G650, which could carry fifteen people. The BBJ was in Boise, undergoing a 250-hour overhaul. John preferred sending the BBJ to make one flight to Great Falls and then to Billings. The alternative was to fly to Great Falls, return to Idaho, and then make another round trip flight to Billings.

  John’s first call was to the repair facility at the Boise airport. As he dialed the number, John said a short prayer that someone would answer his call at 4:00 AM. Much to John’s relief, the BBJ could be turned back over to Pendergast Holdings as soon as a flight crew arrived at the airport. John’s second call was to Phil.

  John also called a contact at the Homeland Security office and informed them that Samantha Tanner had turned rogue. FBI agents in Great Falls and Seattle were instructed to apprehend Samantha, if they could find her. Apprehending Samantha might become a very big problem. No one had seen her since she had been observed screaming at Matt in the parking lot of the Great Falls office.

  Tanya had taken her shower a few minutes after she finished calling the last of the Billings agents. At 6:30 AM., Ryce was still sitting on the edge of the bed when she walked back into the bedroom. Totally without clothing. Ryce smiled. Tanya would look good in a hurricane.

  Ryce shook his finger at her, mouthed the words “You started without me,” and walked into the bathroom. As he was adjusting the water, he felt her arms go around his waist.

  She pulled his lips to hers, and then said, “I can start over.”

  When Ryce and Tanya walked into the research center at 7:20 AM, ten people that Ryce had never seen before were sitting with his JBTF agents. One of them walked over, and explained that John had asked Doug to send them over from the Holdings offices to provide any assistance needed. Doug’s people had contacts that Ryce might need to utilize for the Montana extraction.

  At 11:00 AM, John walked into the research center.

  When he saw Ryce, John walked over and said, “Follow me.”

  The two walked into Ryce’s office. John turned and closed the door.

  “I have made a couple calls, and Samantha Tanner is on every BOLO we can generate.”

  John laughed. “How did Be On (the) Look Out For become a BOLO? If we are going to use shorthand, LOF is a better acronym. Did you ever meet her?”

  Ryce shook his head “no.”

  John took a small notebook out of his pocket and flipped it open. “She worked her way up to the #3 spot at the FBI and then did a lateral transfer to Homeland Security. She ended up at the interim #2 spot in the JBTF.

  “The next part of this conversation does not leave this room.

  “Homeland Security has been watching Samantha for several weeks.

  She did not have authorization to request that Matt put observers on the cabin and certainly not for the assault. She actually didn’t have authorization to fly to Great Falls. She was told that you will be taking over in a few weeks, and she should just sit in DC and push papers around her desk.

  “Phil has everyone from Great Falls in the BBJ, but they are still looking for two of the Billings agents. Phil said that Kenny Haslet and Sally Grimes were no-shows when he landed in Billings. I included O2 and four of his SEALs with the pickup flight. They are out looking for Kenny and Sally. That part doesn’t leave this room, either.

  “I want you to proceed as if nothing is a problem. I don’t want anyone to know anything.”

  Ryce shook his head “OK,” and then the two walked back to the research center. Ryce wanted to say something to Tanya about Sally not showing up at the airport, but John had been very clear. Ryce was not to say anything to anyone. Even to Tanya.

  Sally was Tanya’s best friend. When Tanya was not with Ryce, she was almost always with Sally. Ryce thought for a moment. He might know where Sally and Kenny were located.

  When Ryce retired from the U.S. Army, he had returned to Billings and had purchased the house where he had grown up. He would have paid almost anything for it, but years of neglect had reduced the price to almost less than his mother had paid over twenty years earlier. Ryce purchased the house for $15,000 cash.

  The house was in an older part of Billings, one of many forgotten rundown homes on a forgotten rundown street. Every spare moment Ryce found, he repaired or upgraded the house. When Tanya moved in, the house was the most elegant on his street.

  Ryce had been buying adjacent homes on the block as investment properties. One evening, Tanya told him that her best friend, Sally, had split from her live-in boyfriend and needed a place to stay. Ryce had just completed the purchase of a two-bedroom cottage directly behind his home. He suggested that Sally might like to live there. And since she was Tanya’s friend, Sally could live there rent-free.

  Ryce pulled out his cell phone. Was it possible that Samantha could know that Sally was living on Ryce’s property? Ryce hoped that Kenny and Sally were hiding out at Ryce’s house.

  Sally answered on the first ring. “Tanya, we are OK.”

  “Sally, this is Ryce, not Tanya. Listen carefully. I am sending some SEALs over to pick you up. Is Kenny there?”

  Sally replied that he was.

  “OK, are you armed?”

  Sally responded th
at they had handguns and M4s.

  Ryce laughed. “OK, please don’t shoot my SEAL friends. I will give them this number. They will call and let it ring twice when they get on your porch.”

  He paused. “I was using the closet in the spare bedroom to store flak jackets. Make sure you and Kenny have one on when you leave the house. I’ll see you in Idaho.”

  Ryce made another call to Phil with the address of his house and the telephone number. Phil promised to relay the message to O2. As soon as Kenny and Sally were on the aircraft, Ryce would receive a call.

  The retrieval of Kenny and Sally took ninety minutes. Phil was laughing so hard he could barely report that he had Kenny and Sally on the aircraft. When O2 was coordinating transportation at the Billings airport, he had run into another former member of his SEAL team. The team member was assigned to an Army National Guard unit stationed at the airport.

  The Guard unit had provided O2 with six of its members and three Hummers. One of the Hummers had a .50 CAL machinegun mounted in a turret on the roof. O2 reported that they had no problems driving around Billings.

  Ryce had taken the call in his office with Doug and Mark listening on the speaker. Doug had started laughing so hard he almost fell off of his chair.

  “If you were surrounded by blind midgets in the middle of the Sahara Desert, one of them will be someone O2 has served with in the SEALs.”

  Chapter 17

  The return flight from Billings to Pendergast Field landed at 5:30 PM. Ryce watched as twenty-five Montana JBTF agents departed the aircraft with almost no luggage. Everyone had departed Montana with no warning. John informed the group that they would be escorted to the Ranch tack and clothing shop to stock up on immediate necessities.

  When Sally walked down the boarding stairs, she was attacked by Tanya. They hugged and cried for a few minutes and then Sally found Ryce.