Cheyenne, Heather's first day as Senior Research Analyst
Heather entered the Chief of Staff's suite of offices at exactly nine o'clock ready to start her first day at her new job.
She walked over to the receptionist desk, "Hello, I'm Heather Lisinski."
"Miss Lisinski, we've been expecting you. Welcome to the Chief of Staff's office. My name is name is Cindy Jones."
"Please call me Heather."
"And I'm Cindy; I'll call Miss Wheeler to tell her you're here. She'll be showing you the ropes today and will introduce you to your staff."
Recalling the haughty woman from her first meeting with Thomas Valente, Heather thought sarcastically, ‘Oh great, I can't wait," but she replied cheerfully, "Thanks, Cindy."
The receptionist picked up the phone and called Miss Wheeler while Heather waited beside the desk.
When Cindy got off the phone, she informed Heather, "She'll be down in a few minutes. You can sit in the waiting area"
"Thanks, Cindy." Heather said before walking over to same area she had sat in yesterday. She sat on the couch and leaned forward to look through the magazines on the table in front or her. Among all the Time and Newsweek magazines she found a May 2006 issue of ‘Working Woman' magazine. She picked it up and began leafing through it until an article titled, ‘How to Survive Working in a Hostile Work Environment', caught her eye. She became engrossed in the article and was almost finished when she recognized the clicking of Tara Wheeler's heels on the floor as she walked down the hall and approached the waiting area. When Tara Wheeler stopped in front of her, Heather continued looking down at the magazine in her hands waiting to be acknowledged.
Tara stood in front of Heather with her hands on her hips and started tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. After a few minutes, Tara Wheeler cleared her throat trying to get Heather's attention. After another pause, Tara Wheeler sighed and rolled her eyes before saying, "Miss Lisinski, we don't have all day."
Heather than looked up from her magazine and said, "Well, hello, Miss Wheeler, I didn't realize you were there. I was just reading this interesting article on how to survive working in a hostile work environment."
Tara's foot suddenly stopped tapping the floor, she was stunned that Heather had the nerve to make such a comment to her. Remembering her meeting with Valente yesterday afternoon she decided it would be wise to refrain from making a comment and instead said impatiently, "I've been standing here for three minutes."
"Sorry about that. I didn't realize. Why didn't you say anything?" Heather said cheerfully as she stood up. "By the way, please call me Heather."
"Well, come on . . . let's get going. I don't have all day." Tara Wheeler replied brusquely.
To say that Tara Wheeler was not happy that Heather was working in the chief's office was an understatement. She had spent two hours yesterday afternoon in Chief Valente's office. He couldn't stop talking about how impressed he was with Heather Lisinki and how she was going to bring fresh ideas into the office. Then, he told Tara that Heather was to have direct access to him and to make sure she had his direct work line, a number only Tara and the president had. He then told Tara that he wanted her to make sure that Heather was comfortable in her new office and had everything she needed.
After that meeting, Tara Wheeler realized that Heather was a threat to the power and influence she held in this office. All the other staff didn't dare make a move to see Chief Valente without clearing it with her first and nothing reached his desk without it first being reviewed by her. Direct access to Chief Valente could only mean one thing...and she was planning to nip that in the bud as soon as possible.
Tara led Heather down the hall past Chief Valente's office and into a large room that had ten cubicles with an office and small conference room at one end. Eight of the cubicles were occupied. As they walked by them, Tara stopped at each one and introduced each Research Analyst to Heather.
When they entered the office, Tara explained in a demeaning manner, "This is your office. It's been stocked with the usual office supplies. Your log in and password into the government network are the same as you had before. You'll see a new menu when you log in, due to your change in security status. It's very intuitive, you should have no trouble."
Tara then turned around and took the few steps to the office door, shut it and turned back to Heather. She walked back over to Heather, looked her up and down, put her hands on her hips and practically sneered at her.
"Listen, Heather, I just want to give you some friendly advice."
‘Oh brother....I can't wait to hear this...'
"Chief Valente is talking very highly of you.....Let's put it this way, Chief Valente and I are very close, If you think that you, some ordinary girl off the street, can come in and ruin what we have together think again."
‘Eeewww! If she's saying what I think she's saying, she has nothing to worry about on that score. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.' Heather thought and then replied, "I can assure you that I'm just here for the job."
"I've heard that before. What do you think happened to the last person who had your job?" Tara replied menacingly.
"She moved on to bigger and better things?" Heather couldn't help but ask a little sarcastically as the two women engaged in contest of wills, each trying to stare the other down. Tara Wheeler, taken aback by Heather's assertiveness in response to her superior and threatening attitude, was the first to look away.
Heather motioned to Tara to take the visitor's chair. Once she was seated, Heather looked down at her and asked in a very business-like manner, "Now, do you think you we can get down to business?"
Tara spent the next two hours reviewing office policy and procedures. She told Heather that unlike all the other administrative staff who reported up to her she reported directly to Valente, a change that she was informed about yesterday afternoon.
"Look, Tara, I may call you that, right?" Heather asked in an assertive tone.
"Yes. I suppose." Tara replied beginning to feel a little intimidated by Heather.
"I just want to clear the air. I'm not after your job and I have no desire to get ‘close' to Chief Valente as you put it. I just want to do the best job I can. I won't get in your way and you won't get in my way, okay?"
"Well, it seems like we want the same thing. We'll try it your way for now, if it doesn't work out...."
"I can assure you that it will work out. Truce?" Heather said interrupting Tara before standing and holding out her hand.
"Truce," Tara said as she took her hand.
"Well, I'd better start reviewing the personnel files of my staff. I'd like to meet with each of them this afternoon."
"Yes and I have a meeting with Chief Valente in twenty minutes. Oh, I just remembered the chief wants to have a lunch meeting with you tomorrow. I sent you a meeting request. One other thing, you'll no longer be volunteering at Camp Cheyenne, Chief Valente's orders. HR is sending a memo to the camp saying you've been released from your obligation."
"What?" Trying to maintain a professional demeanor, not wanting to make Tara aware of just how upset she was about this news. "I was told yesterday that it wasn't required for staff from this office to volunteer but that you still had the option to do so."
"That's true, but in your case, the chief says your job will require you here five days a week. He had me draw up the memo to HR yesterday telling them that you won't be volunteering during the week any longer."
Swallowing her disappointment, she put a tight smile on her lips and replied. "Thanks for letting me know. I better let you go so you can get ready for your meeting."
"Okay, if you need anything let me know." Tara said and then turned and walked out of the office.
Heather was not happy that she could no longer volunteer at the camp on Wednesdays. It was the one thing that kept her going before Jake had arrived and she had been happy finally teaching again.
‘The children are counting on me being there...what about Maureen...she's going to be there early expecting to help with the class. I'll send an email to the school coordinator and let her know. Oh well, it's probably for the best with Constantino out there looking for me.'
She took a minute to sit back in her chair and think about her meeting with Tara. She had thought that she had done a good job of turning the tables on her but only time would tell. Tara had told her that she was ‘close' to Valente and warned her off him.
‘It makes me cringe to think that he could be attracted to me. I don't see how it's even possible . . . after all, Tara and I look nothing alike.'
Like most women in the post bomb world, Heather wore no make-up, as their own personal supplies were depleted or hoarded away for special occasions. Also, she followed the standard dress code for these days where acceptable business attire was anything from khakis to jeans that weren't worn or torn and any type of shirt except for tee shirts.
In contrast, Tara overdressed. A suit with a tight fitting jacket and skirt appeared to be her uniform of choice. Yesterday's was pin stripe and today's was a solid navy blue. As a matter of fact, the only other person she saw in a suit since she arrived in Cheyenne was Chief Valente.
Tara had blond hair which obviously wasn't her natural color as her brown roots could be seen along the part in her hair. Her makeup was overdone. Both days Heather had seen her, she had worn foundation that was two shades darker than her skin tone, bright red lipstick, dark blue eye shadow, thick eyeliner and her mascara was clumped on her eyelashes. Underneath her make-up, she had a tired worn face with wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth. Although she appeared older, Heather guessed that Tara was in her mid-thirties.
Heather stirred herself out of her thoughts and sent meeting requests for her first one-to-one meetings to each of the eight analysts that reported into her. All eight meetings were schedule for that afternoon. She then opened the first of eight personnel folders that were sitting on the desk to prepare for her meetings. Time went quickly by and before she knew it, it was time for lunch. As she was walking into the capitol cafeteria, she ran into Secretary Sheridan who asked if she wanted to join him for lunch. Happy to see a friendly face, Heather quickly agreed.
Secretary Sheridan started the conversation after they went through the cafeteria line and sat down at one of the tables next the window on the far side of the room.
"Heather, how is your first day going?"
"Secretary Sheridan, it's going okay. My first impression is that there's a completely different work culture in the chief of staff's office than yours."
"Yes, every manager has their own style of doing things. By the way, you're not working for me any longer so please call me Matt."
Heather graciously accepted Secretary Sheridan's request, "Thank you, Matt. I have to say the work environment doesn't feel as inviting as the one in your office. This afternoon I'm having my first one-to-one meetings with my staff. It should be interesting to hear what they have to say."
"It should be, but don't expect to change things over night. An open work environment is difficult to achieve. First, you need to gain the respect and trust of your staff. It's going to take some time."
"I know, baby steps...."
"That's right...but I know you can do it."
"Thanks," Heather said, smiling at the compliment. "So how are things in the Office of Reconstruction?"
"Twice as busy as yesterday when you still worked there. The other analysts are swamped trying to pick up the slack. I have interviews for your replacement scheduled for this afternoon." Matt Sheridan then looked at his watch and continued, "As a matter of fact, my first one is in twenty minutes. I hate to cut our lunch short, but I better run. Same time next week?"
"That would be nice, Secretary.... I mean Matt. I'll meet you by the entrance to the cafeteria if that will that work for you."
"Sounds good. It was nice seeing you today."
"You, too." Heather responded as Matthew Sheridan turned and headed out of the cafeteria.
Heather finished her lunch and arrived back at her office just in time for her first one-to-one meeting.
Three hours later, she was reviewing the notes she had taken during her meetings. She had asked open ended questions and the replies that she had received had led her to believe that their former manager micro-managed. Rather than coaching the staff as they tried to resolve their issues, Heather's predecessor had either told the analysts exactly what to do or took it over for them. She also concluded that there was little exchange of ideas among the staff and that there was little to no collaboration to complete projects. They were all surprised when she told them that before she left today she was scheduling their first staff meeting for the next afternoon so they could review with one another the research projects they were working on.
By the time Heather prepared an agenda and sent out a meeting request for tomorrow's staff meeting, it was 5:30 and time to meet Jake at the bus stop outside the capitol.
Cheyenne, Camp Cheyenne - the search for Constantino begins
At the capitol that morning Jake wished Heather good luck on her first day at her new job and then kissed her good-bye before going to the safe house to pick up the equipment that Hawkins, Chavez and he would need in their search for Constantino.
Hawkins and Chavez were waiting just outside the gates of the camp when Jake arrived.
"Chavez, Hawkins," Jake said by way of a greeting.
"Jake," replied the two men in unison.
Jake put the duffel bag he was carrying on the ground and stooped down and opened the bag. He reached in and handed both Hawkins and Chavez a gun and a silencer. He then pulled a silencer for himself and put it in his jacket pocket. The last thing he pulled out were two of the satellite phones that Hawkins had brought from Jericho.
"You have the gun you took with you the other day?" Chavez asked.
"Yeah," Jake replied as he gave Hawkins and Chavez each a phone before folding up the now empty duffel bag and hiding it a nearby pile of rocks and returning to the two men.
"You go with Chavez, Jake. He doesn't know what Constantino looks like. If you see anything, call me. I'll do likewise." Hawkins instructed Jake.
"Sure . . . are we meeting back at the safe house tonight? Jake asked.
"No. Hawkins and I figured we'd stay here tonight. We need to deal with Constantino. He's delaying the mission."
"So we'll meet up here same time tomorrow?"
Chavez nodded his head before saying, "Hawkins and I already set up the routes for today. Let's get going."
"Later." Hawkins said before turning and walking away.
"We're going that way." Chavez said as he pointed in the direction of the commissary.
They walked a few minutes before Chavez asked, "So how's it going with Heather?
"Just fine," Jake said wondering what Chavez was getting at.
"You know you're a lucky man . . . if you hadn't come to town, I would..."
"You'd what?" Jake interrupted angrily.
"Let's just say that I might have a chance with Heather if you weren't here."
"Well, you're right about that. You sure as hell don't have a chance with her now."
Chavez laughed at the expression on Jake's face before replying, "I know, I know. Even a blind man could see you make her happy. I can accept that, but, Jake, just make sure she stays happy because the minute she isn't, she's fair game.
Jake's immediate reaction was to lash out at Chavez, but that thought was quickly over shadowed by his realization of just how lucky he was that he had received Heather's letter when he did. He simply nodded his head and continued walking.
Chavez could tell by the subdued look on Jake's face that he had made his point. .
"Let's get going, Jake, we have a lot of ground to cover."
* * * * * *
After leaving Jake and Chavez at the camp gate, Hawkins started walking the route that he and Chavez had laid out earlier that day. While keeping his eyes peeled for Constantino, he thought back on his life before and after the bombs.
Hawkin's mother had raised him and his older sister by herself in a three room apartment in New York City. He never met his father; he had left right before Hawkins was born. When his mother wasn't instilling in him and his sister the importance of doing well in school, she was out working two jobs to provide for them. Her insistence that her children do well in school had paid off. In his senior year of high school he was offered a full scholarship at American University where he studied international relations.
He first met Darcy in his junior year when she was dating his roommate. She was a freshman at George Washington University where she was studying public policy and administration. She had come from a privileged background. Her father was a three star general, a career soldier who had worked himself up through the ranks.
When he graduated, Hawkins hadn't been sure what he wanted to do with his life, so he joined the army where he opted for special ops training. After his two year stint in the army was up, he joined the CIA as a Paramilitary Operations Officer where he specialized in clandestine operations.
He became reacquainted with Darcy when he had attended a military reception she was at with her father. She had just finished her undergraduate degree and had been accepted in the graduate program at George Washington. Their first date was the following week and six months later they were talking about marriage. They had just set a date for the following year when Darcy had become pregnant. Their wedding date was moved up and they were married nine months after their first date.
Six months after they married, Allison had been born and Hawkins had asked for and received a transfer from clandestine operations to training operations where he trained CIA operatives at "The Farm". Those years were happy ones for his family. He had no trouble giving up his undercover life in order to be around for his family. They meant the world to him and little Allison had tightly wrapped him around her little finger. Three years after Allison was born, Darcy had gone back to school and completed her graduate degree in public policy. After finishing school, she accepted a position with the largest lobbying firm in Washington D.C. In 1998, after Darcy was firmly established in her career, they had their second child, a boy, whom they called Sam.
In 2003, he was approached by his former superior in clandestine operations. The DIA and CIA were putting together a highly classified anti-terrorist task force and wanted him to be a part of it. He accepted with the understanding that it would involve minimal travel and when it did, it would not be for extended periods of time. It was on this task force where he first met Victor Miller and Joe Chavez.
Later that year, twenty-five high nuclear devices on their way to Oak Ridge from the Soviet Union were stolen and the Department of Homeland Security set up a task force to investigate the theft. Both the DIA and CIA called in favors to get Victor Miller and himself assigned to the team.
When he told Darcy that his assignment to the Homeland Security task force would require him to go deep undercover, she had taken the children and left him. He was a difficult time for him. He missed his family. They had been the center of his life for thirteen years.
It didn't take long for his mission to consume every waking hour of his time. His was tasked to infiltrate one of the groups of terrorist cells that they suspected would use the stolen nuclear devices to carry out a large scale attack against the United States. Sarah Mason had joined the team a couple of weeks after him. She became his handler and after six months she had also become his lover.
Two days before the bombs were to go off, he got his assignment. He was to drive one of the bombs to Columbus, Ohio, wire it and set the timer to go off in forty-eight hours. He knew he couldn't be responsible for the death and destruction that would result if that bomb went off. He decided to get his family and go to Jericho, the rally point, where Chavez, Miller and he were to meet up after the bombs. Two months prior, the rally point had been decided giving Hawkins a chance to buy a house and furnish it with the things his family would need.
He knew he would have a hard time convincing Darcy to willingly go with him. He also knew that she wouldn't let him take the children. The day they had left for Jericho, he picked up both Sam and Allison up from school. Then he found Darcy and told her that she could either come with him or stay but he was taking the children. Darcy at first refused to get in the truck but when she saw how upset and scared Allison and Sam were she had relented.
He knew that Darcy was angry with him the first weeks after the bombs went off. He also knew how difficult it was for Allison and Sam to get their story straight regarding their move to Jericho. He tried to be patient with both of them but sometimes his frustration got the better of him. His fear for the safety of his family that was the cause of this frustration . . . he had one of the bombs in his possession and he knew that whoever was responsible for the attacks was going to come for it. Despite everything, even Darcy's continuing resentment toward him, he was happy to be with his family again. As time went on, he slowly began to gain the trust of his children again.
In the meantime, he had continued communications with Joe Chavez, via his lap top. He had informed Chavez about Sarah Mason's arrival in Jericho and his suspicion that Valente had been somehow involved in the terrorist attacks. From Chavez, he learned that their mission to find out who was responsible for the bombs was still active. Chavez also told him that he was not coming to Jericho and that he was staying in Cheyenne to investigate the possibility that someone in the new government may have been involved in the attacks. They both agreed to continue their investigations, keeping each other informed about what they found out.
He had felt that he was getting his marriage slowly back on track when Sarah arrived in town. Darcy had left him the day Sarah threatened to take Sam and Allison had been forced to shoot her in order to save him.
Throughout it all, Darcy, Allison and Sam, remained loyal to him. Darcy could have done serious damage if she didn't maintain their cover story. The fact that Darcy didn't reveal the truth about Sarah's death kept him going. Maybe just maybe there was still something there and somehow, some way they would be able to get their relationship back on track.
Then New Bern started its mortar attack on Jericho. That day Darcy met up with him on the street. He wanted her to take the kids and run but she refused. Instead she said, "Let's go home." It was at that moment he realized that things were going to work out.
The turning point for their reconciliation came later that day. He opened up to Darcy about his involvement in the task force and told her what he knew about the attacks. He had always wanted to protect her, keep her safe. That day he realized that in trying to protect her he had not given her the means to protect herself if something had happened to him. In their discussions she proved herself to be a valuable sounding board and he found that her logical mind had been able to draw conclusions that he himself, hadn't even thought of.
He missed Sam and Allison and especially missed Darcy. He couldn't wait to complete the mission and get back home to his family.
Hawkins was jolted from his memories by the sight of a man standing on the outskirts of a group across the street.
‘Constantino!'
Although he was sure that Constantino had not seen him when he was in New Bern, he still kept his distance as he followed him. When it became obvious to Hawkins that Constantino was leaving the camp, he raised Chavez on the phone and told him to meet him at the camp's gates.
At the gate, Chavez joined Hawkins. "That's him over there," Hawkins said as he pointed out Constantino at the bus stop.
"Looks like he's headed into town."
"Where's Jake?"
"He left about a half hour ago to pick Heather up at the capitol."
"Just as well he's not with us. Let's go. There's the bus coming now."
Hawkins and Chavez took a spot at the end of the line of people waiting to get on to the bus.
When they got on the bus, they found a seat a few rows behind Constantino. Twenty minutes and three stops later, they followed him off the bus.
An hour later, they saw two men approach Constantino. Hawkins pointed out the Ravenwood patches on their jacket sleeves.
"Those are Ravenwood operatives. It looks like something is going down."
"Yep. If they take off, I want you to follow them . . . see if they lead you to their headquarters. We'll meet up at the safe house tomorrow evening, as planned."
Hawkins nodded his head in agreement.
* * * * * *
Constantino saw the two men approach him and recognized them as two of the Ravenwood goons that worked for Goetz.
He gave the two men a cold hard stare and he addressed them heatedly, "I'm not going back with you. You can just forget it." The pitch of his voice rose as he said the following words. "I want my revenge! You can't stop me!"
"Calm down, man! We're not here to take you in. We're here to help,"
"What do you want then?"
"Goetz said you might need this," the taller of the two men told him as he handed him a sack.
Constantino grabbed the sack from the man, turned and started walking in the direction he was heading in before he was stopped.
The taller of the two men looked down at shorter man and said, "Come on, let's get out of here."
* * * * * *
Hawkins motioned to Chavez that he was going to take off before he sprinted down the street after the Ravenwood operatives. Chavez followed Constantino for a few yards and watched as he stopped, held up the sack and slowly open it with both hands.
Constantino looked down into the sack the Ravenwood men had given him spotting a gun, a set keys and a copy of the picture of Heather that he had been showing around. He pulled the picture out and noticed an address written on.
‘About time I caught a break. I can finally get to her . . . get my revenge . . . she'll be sorry she ever laid eyes on me . . . . I can't wait to see the look on her face. . . I'll make sure of she pays for what she did!'
His mind was so full of the opportunity of exacting his revenge that he didn't even consider the possibility that it could be a set up and that he might be walking into a trap.
* * * * * *
Constantino led Chavez into a residential neighborhood that he was not too familiar with and watched as Constantino walked up to the entrance of a building. Chavez took a quick look around and recognized the bus stop where he had met Heather to take her to the park for dinner and then looked back at the building Constantino was walking up to.
‘Shit!' Chavez thought as he remembered that Heather said her apartment building was right behind the stop . . . the very building where Constantino was standing at the entrance. He raced to catch up to Constantino and managed to hide in the shadow of the entrance way as Constantino opened the sack and pulled out a set of keys, unlocked the door and entered the building. Chavez quickly jumped from his spot and grabbed the door before it could shut and lock again.
When he went into the building, he didn't see Constantino. He went to the bank of mailboxes just inside the door. When he found the name Heather Lisinski on a mailbox labeled 4C, he knew where Constantino was heading. He pulled the gun and silencer out of his pocket, attached the silencer to the gun and quickly walked down the hall and into the stairwell.
* * * * * *
Constantino was walking down the third floor hallway.
‘I'm so close now . . . I can taste the revenge . . . it's all because of her... I can't wait to see the look on her face . . . let's see 4C . . . ahhh...here it is.'
Constantino put his ear to the door and when he didn't hear any sounds he opened the sack, took out the gun and keys, and threw it on the floor. He then unlocked and slowly opened the door.
He heard a woman's voice say, "I'm going to get a drink of water, I'll be right back." He jumped behind the large chair in the living room just as the hall light was turned on. He peeked around the chair and saw Heather go into the kitchen.
Heather walked into the kitchen, took a glass out of the cabinet, turned on the tap and filled her glass with cold water.
In the meantime, Constantino had crawled to the kitchen entranceway and was standing right outside it with his back pressed against the wall between the kitchen and dining room.
He heard the tap go off and turned into the kitchen just as Heather was turning around with her glass of water.
He watched as the shock registered on her face.
"Going somewhere, Miss Lisinski?"
Heather dropped the glass she was holding and it shattered when it hit the tile floor.
Jake heard the glass breaking in the kitchen and got out of bed. As he stepped out of the bedroom, he called, "Heather, are you alright?"
At the sound of Jake's voice, Constantino grabbed Heather, pushed her in front of him and pointed his gun at her head. He then turned himself around so he could see who walking down the hallway.
"Well, well, if it isn't Jake Green. How convenient! I can kill two birds with one gun." He laughed maniacally at his own joke. His voice then turned serious as he sneered, "Back off or she's dead."
Jake froze in the spot he was standing but he wasn't about to let Constantino take away another person that he loved.
"Let her go! She didn't do anything to you!"
"She ruined everything for me! She brought the army! I could have won the war if it wasn't for them. She owes me."
"You got that wrong," Jake said trying to draw Constantino's attention away from Heather. "If anything, you owe us, for what you did to my family . . . my father."
Constantino laughed, "You deserved what you got . . . your family . . . the high and mighty Greens of Jericho . . .and Johnston he was the worst of you all . . . always spouting off about how great Jericho was . . . pretending to be a friend then stabbing you in the back...."
Jake became angrier with every statement Constantino made against his family, but he could see his tactic was having the desired effect. Constantino was beginning to lose it.
"My father was a great man. He loved his town and his family." Jake said emotionally in a loud voice.
Constantino started laughing and loosened his hold on Heather, "Believe what you want Jake. I went on those hunting trips with Johnston. He told me what he really thought about his family . . . "
Heather took the opportunity to raise her foot and stomp it down on the instep of Constantino's foot. As he cried out in pain, he dropped his hold on Heather and she ran toward Jake.
Constantino turned his gun towards Heather's retreating form.
Jake tackled Heather to the floor and covered her body with his. As he lifted his head he saw Constantino fall to the floor. He turned his head and saw Chavez in the doorway lowering his gun to his side.
Jake picked himself off of the floor and helped Heather stand. Facing her, he placed both his hands on each of her shoulders, "Will you be okay for a minute?"
Heather was in shock over everything that had just happened and could only nod her head. He then led her over to one of the chairs in the dining room and helped her sit down before walking to Chavez and taking his gun. He then turned and walked up to Constantino. He used his foot to turn him over and pointed the gun at his chest.
The pained expression that Heather saw in Jake's face as he was walking toward Constantino jolted her out of her shock. She knew that Jake was thinking of his family and her heart went out to him for the pain he must be feeling. She called "Jake, Jake. . . "
Jake slowly turned his head toward Heather.
"Jake, he's dead. He's never going to hurt your family again."
Jake gently nodded his head. He then walked over to Chavez handed him the gun and said, "I wished it could have been me and not you." He then turned and walked back to Heather and squatted down in front of her. He put a hand on either side of her face and sighed, "Oh Babe." Heather looked into his eyes and saw not only the pain and concern in his eyes but something else. Something she was not sure she could name. She wrapped his arms around his neck just as he was sliding his around her waist. He stood up, bringing her with him, and pulled her into a tight hug.
After a couple of minutes, Chavez cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt you two, but we have to clean this up."
Heather was embarrassed when she realized that someone had witnessed her tender moment with Jake. She pulled back from the hug and rested her forehead against Jake's and whispered, "You need to help Joe." She then raised her head, unwrapped her arms from around Jake's neck and stepped back. Jake turned and looked at Chavez and the body lying on the floor. His eyes became hard as anger started to course through his body.
He stalked over to Chavez and said angrily, "How could you let this happen? How could you let him within a quarter of a mile of her?"
"Jake, we wanted to nab him and bring him in for questioning. I had no idea he was heading here until it was too late."
"Questioning? You let him come this close to her so you could nab him for questioning? How could you say what you said to me this morning and do this without any consideration to her safety?" Jake argued loudly.
"Listen . . . I've only been in this neighborhood once or twice. I didn't realize we were so close. By the time I got to the building and realized it was Heather's, it was too late."
"I'm only going to say this once . . . don't ever risk the life of someone I love again . . . "Jake stopped short, realizing what he had just said and looked at Heather. She was staring at him with wide eyes. Tears were streaking her face and she had a slight smile on her face.
Jake turned back to Chavez and said, "Give me a minute."
He walked over to Heather and put his arm around her and guided her back into the bedroom. When they were in the room, Jake shut the door and then pulled Heather into a hug.
"Jake, is it true?" Heather whispered into Jake's shoulder.
"Yes, it's true. I didn't want you to find out that way, I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you. It's true. I love you, Babe. More than I can ever tell you."
At Jake's words, Heather fell apart. She buried her face in Jake's shoulder and started sobbing.
Jake gently stroked his hands up and down Heather's back trying to offer her some measure of comfort.
Jake held her until her sobs subsided. When Heather lifted her head Jake caught her eyes with his. He saw his love for her mirrored in her own. He gave her a slight smile before saying, ""Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for ... "
The comment had the desired effect, Heather laughed through her tears. "Sorry, Jake...it's all been too much."
"I know Babe, don't worry. We'll get through it. Come on, let's get you too bed, okay?"
"Okay," Heather said as she walked over to the bed and pulled down the covers. Once she was settled, Jake walked over, sat on the bed and tucked the sheet and blanket around her. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
He got up and went to open the bedroom door.
Heather sat up in bed and called softly to Jake. "I love you too."
Jake turned and smiled at Heather as he watched her lay back down and pull the covers over her. He walked over to the bed again and bent down and tucked her in again. He gave her another kiss before walking out the door and back into the living room.
When he walked out Chavez said, "I called Hawkins. He'll be here in ten. How is she?"
"Okay for now."
"Some declaration you made tonight . . ."
Jake gave him a cold stare, "I want to know how this all came down."
Chavez raised his arms in surrender and told Jake how they had found Constantino at the camp and followed him here. He told how him how he and Hawkins had watched as some Ravenwood operatives stopped Constantino and gave him a sack and how Hawkins had followed the Ravenwood men, trying to find their base of operations.
". . . Like I said before, by the time I got here it was too late. He was using a key to get into the building."
"How the hell did he have a key?"
"This probably explains it," Hawkins said as he walked into the apartment carrying the sack that Constantino had dropped on the floor.
Hawkins walked over to the kitchen tabled and turned the sack upside down. The only thing that fell out of the sack was a picture of Heather with her address written on it.
"Well now we know how he knew where she lived. The keys and gun must have also been in the sack." Chavez said.
Hawkins then went over to the body and began searching the pockets of Constantino's jacket and jeans. He walked over and deposited what he found on the kitchen table, all except for a picture he was holding.
He laid the picture he had in his hand next to the picture that fell out of the sack.
"It's the same picture!" Jake exclaimed.
"Yes it is. Ravenwood must have given him this picture of Heather, too." Chavez said.
"This proves that Ravenwood was connected to Constantino." Jake said.
Chavez and Hawkins nodded in agreement before Chavez said, "But we'll need more solid proof then this."
"I have something that might help get the proof we need." Hawkins said
"What's that?" Jake asked.
"The location of the Ravenwood headquarters in Cheyenne. We'll talk more at the safe house tomorrow evening. Let's get this cleaned up. We'll take the gun and the pictures back to the safe house and spend the night there. Jake, you take the keys. You might be able to use them."
The three men then proceeded to clean everything that Constantino had touched. They wrapped the body in the carpet that Constantino had fallen on when Chavez shot him.
"Tomorrow we'll go to Ravenwood headquarters and have a look around. Jake, meet us at the safe house after you drop Heather off."
Jake turned to Chavez, "We need to finish the conversation we started earlier. I need a better explanation as to why you let him get so close to Heather."
Hawkins stepped in, "We'll talk more about it tomorrow evening. Heather will be there and she should hear it too."
Jake nodded his head and then Hawkins asked, "How is she by the way?"
"She's resting now."
"We're going now. You go back to her, Jake. I'm sure she needs you."
Chavez and Hawkins picked up the carpet and walked out of the apartment.
When Jake walked into the bedroom, Heather was curled on her side with her back to him. He climbed in bed, curled up against her and wrapped his arm around her. Heather took his hand and held it to her heart and murmured sleepily. "I love you, Jake Green"
Jake smiled and whispered before kissing the top of her head, "I love you Heather Lisinski."
* * * * * *
Hawkins and Chavez had just disposed of the body and were two blocks away from the safe house where they decided they would spend the rest of the night.
"I have to say that your matchmaking scheme was a success. When Jake was ranting at me about what happened tonight, he let the ‘L' word slipped out. He didn't mean to say it but that look they gave each other spoke volumes. I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall when he took her into the bedroom. Good job, partner!"
"Well, I try!"
Both men laughed as the continued to walk down the street.
Jericho, the same night
Darcy was in the town hall meeting chamber setting up the refreshment table for the meeting that night when Eric walked in.
"Hey, Darcy, how's it going?"
"Oh, hi, Eric, I'm almost done here, just give me a minute."
Eric took that minute and walked the length of the refreshment table looking at the variety of food that lay on the table. There were vegetables and dip and unexpectedly, cookies, cake and fresh fruit. At the far end of the table sat two large coffee urns. Darcy finished laying out the last plate of cookies and turned to Eric.
"Quite a spread you put out here."
"Yes it is, isn't it? A truck delivered it to the office this morning. Everyone's in for a real treat tonight."
"They sure are. So how's the new job going?"
"It's good. I'm still in the process of setting up the filing system and learning their proprietary accounting software. It's been interesting so far. I think it will take another week or so before I understand everything."
"Sounds like it's going good. Just be careful, okay? Watch your back."
"Oh, I will. I'm just glad to be doing something to get to the bottom of all this."
"I can understand that. Mom isn't going to make it to the meeting tonight. She traded shifts with someone at the med center who wanted to come to the meeting. She wanted me to tell you that she misses you at the center and looks forward to seeing you tomorrow night for our call."
"Well, I miss being at the med center, too. I'm planning on stopping there on Saturday to visit with everyone."
Eric walked over to the window. "Well, here comes Gray with one of the agents now. If I don't talk to you later, Mom and I will be over tomorrow at the same time as last week."
"Why don't you come over a little earlier and we'll have dinner together before the call?"
"I can't. I need to help Mary at Bailey's but I'll tell Mom. I'm sure she'd like to catch up."
"That would be great. I'll see you later, Eric."
"Bye," Eric said as he was walking out the door.
A half hour later, the meeting chamber was full and Gray took the podium.
"Quiet, please. Quiet." Gray said loudly into the microphone. "I need some quiet here."
Once Gray had the attention of the crowd, he continued, "I'd like to introduce Jim O'Leary. He's an agent from RJ Land and Management. He has a proposal that will benefit both the town and the local farmers. Let's give him our full attention. There'll be a short question and answer session after he speaks followed by refreshments." Gray turned and motioned for Jim O'Leary to take the podium as he stepped back.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Jim O'Leary and I work for RJ Land and Management. Our mission is to do everything we can to help the citizens of the Western States to recover from the greatest crime of in history. Things are hard now but, with a little help, you'll get back on your feet. You will recover. We are a strong nation and we will recover! We will recover!" He repeated the last phrase three more times each time was louder than the last. The crowd was soon taken in and began chanting, "We will recover! We will recover!"
After a few minutes, Jim O'Leary held up both his hands trying to get the crowd to quiet down. Soon, Gray joined Jim O'Leary at the podium and took the microphone. "People, people . . . please. Mr. O'Leary is not finished. Quiet down, please."
Once the crowd had settled down again, Jim O'Leary continued. "RJ Land and Management can help you recover. We offer services to farm owners that will help get you back on your feet. Our services include, but are not limited to, farm equipment rental, management, consultant and labor services, and discounted seeds and livestock. If there is something you need, we can provide it. All you need to do is ask. There are different service levels and each one will be offered at a thirty percent discount for those who sign on by the end of the week. On top of all this, we have a standing guarantee that we will buy any crops and livestock that are on our approved list from farmers who purchase our services.
In the back of the room, Stanley snorted, turned his head and leaned down to Mimi and muttered, "What's a consultant gonna tell me? 'It's time to plant'? Ooohh! 'Now it's time to harvest'? Thanks, I think I've got that covered."
Jim O'Leary waited a minute to let the noise of the crowd die down before asking into the microphone, "Does anyone have any questions?" He then looked at the hands raised in the air and pointed to one of the famers in the third row.
Eric, who was standing by with the microphone, walked over to the farmer who had stood up and handed him the microphone. "Most of us lost all our money when the bombs went off. Can we still get services if we want them?"
Jim O'Leary nodded reassuringly to the crowd and spoke into the microphone, "We know how important our services are to landowners, especially in this time of great need. Considering the times, we offer generous credit terms and any amounts due us can be paid back when your crops come in or when you sell your livestock."
This reply generated more buzz in the audience. After a few minutes, Jim O'Leary spoke into the microphone. "Who else has a question?"
There were a number of townspeople at the meeting who didn't own a farm, one of them raised their hand and Eric handed him the microphone.
"How do the non-farmers benefit from this?"
Jim O'Leary cleared his throat before responding, "I'm glad you asked that question. The whole town benefits indirectly. Incentives are offered to the town and include but are not limited to gas to power the generator and medical supplies. I've had a number of meetings with your mayor and we've drawn up a list of what this town needs. Your incentives will be chosen from that list. The level of incentives the town will receive is tied directly to the revenue generated from services provided to the people of this town. In addition, bonus incentives will be granted to the town if at least one third of the farmers sign up for services tonight. "
"Is there anything else that would benefit the non-farmer directly?"
"As a matter of fact, there is. We provide labor services. While we have a pool of human resources that we can draw from to provide these services, we give priority to workers from the town where services are provided. Now, are there any other questions?"
Jim O'Leary spent the next twenty minutes answering questions before concluding the meeting by pointing to the sign up table where Darcy sat with a pile of brochures and a stack of contracts.
After the meeting was adjourned, Stanley met up with Eric at the refreshment table.
"Hey Stanley, what do you think?" Eric asked.
"I don't trust ‘em as far as I can throw ‘em." Stanley stated a matter-of-factly
"Me either. What do you say we go try and talk to the farmers lining up at the sign up table out of signing anything tonight? You can remind them that I'm a lawyer and I can represent them. I can make sure they get a fair deal but in order to do that, I'll need some time to review the contract."
"Sounds like a plan, man." Stanley grinned and then said, "Looks like we have some competition. Just look at Gray working the crowd."
Eric nodded his head, "Well, we better go see what we can do. I'll meet up with you after the meeting."
Over the next hour, both Eric and Stanley did their best to convince the farmers to look before they leaped while Gray went around trying to convince the farmers to sign up for services that very night.
Despite Eric's and Stanley's best efforts, by the end of the night, RJ Land and Management met their target. One third of the farmers living outside of Jericho had signed up for services provided by RJ Land and Management.
Stanley, Mimi and Bonnie met Eric outside of town hall. Both Mimi and Bonnie were holding two plates of refreshments covered with napkins in their hands. Eric looked at the plates the women were holding and raised his eyebrows.
At his expression Mimi said, "Aw, come on. They aren't all for us. We're going to go drop two of the plates off at the med center. One is for your Mom to take home and the other is for the staff."
Eric smiled at her and then asked, "And the other two?"
"Well, there for us! I just loved the chocolate cake; it has chocolate chips in it. I can't remember the last time I had it. This plate is full of slices of the chocolate cake and the one Bonnie is keeping has chocolate chip cookies, her favorite!" She then turned to Bonnie and said as she was motioning with her head, "Come on, Bonnie. Let's go."
As they were walking away, Stanley shook his head and said, "You gotta love her!"
Eric chuckled and then asked, "So, Stanley, what was the general feeling from the farmers?"
"Well, while I was able to convince most I talked to not to leap into anything, most are on board with the idea. I asked them to give you a chance to review the contracts before they sign anything. They agreed to wait a couple of days but I think they're gonna sign."
Eric nodded his head, "I'll be able to look at the contract tomorrow. The following day if you're on board we can go visit the farmers who didn't sign up tonight. How do you feel about coming to town tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, I'll go with you the day after tomorrow. Why do you want me in town tomorrow?"
"I'd like you to be there when we talk to Jake. You can't say anything, but Hawkins gave us access to a satellite phone. Mom and I go to Hawkins' house once a week to talk to them. Tomorrow's the night, around seven, if you can make it."
"I'll be there. Any news about Heather yet?"
"Yeah, she's fine. Jake met up with her the day after he got to Cheyenne."
"Well, let's hope he doesn't make the same mistake twice."
"I don't think you have to worry about that! He's staying with her."
"Well, that's just about the smartest thing I think Jake's done in all the years I've known him." Stanley said then laughed.
"Yeah, I have to agree. Well, I better get going."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Bye." Eric said and then walked away.
Stanley turned, started walking in the opposite direction, and then he stopped short and turned and started walking toward the town hall. "Eric," he called and then a little louder, "Eric."
Eric heard him the second time, turned and waited for Stanley to catch up to him.
"I forgot to tell you something. Do you remember when I told you about Jay Kent? He's the one who bought the farm next to mine. Well, last week, I was driving by and saw that he had put a fence around his property and I ask myself, why would anyone do that? Then, yesterday I was in the fields and saw two vans pull in front of the house and saw about twenty men and women getting out with their gear. My gut is telling me something fishy is going on there."
‘Well, you could be right. I don't have time to talk about it now, but my inclination is to deal with one problem at a time. Let's talk more tomorrow night, okay?
"Sure Eric, see ya tomorrow."
"Good night, Stanley."
They then both turned and went their separate ways.