Let’s see … hmm. “‘I’ve been having a really bad day.’ No, that’s just stupid.”
He was trying to compose a report to Patterson at HQ, and had started the e-mail five times, but was growing increasingly frustrated. Finally, he picked up the phone and called instead.
When Dawn put him through, he said, “William, I’ve had enough.”
“Uh, hello to you too, Rick. What do you mean by ‘enough’?”
“I’ve had enough getting slapped around by circumstances. Most times, I’m smarter than I look, but this hasn’t been one of those times … until now, I hope. I'm a field agent: you pay me for knowing how to make things go smoothly. This has not been going smoothly, and that’s gotta change.”
“Now Rick, I know you’re upset, but take it easy...” Patterson began.
“Upset? You haven’t seen me ‘upset’ in a long time.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. Take some time to calm down before you do something stupid.”
“It’s about time I started using what I know … I'm going to make some calls.”
“Rick, promise me you won’t do anything rash.”
“I promise nothing except that I'm through being pushed around.”
Patterson sighed. “Okay, son, I understand – I really do. What do you need from me?”
“I need you to mail something to me. You’ve got my address at the hotel, yes? Then all I need is understanding. Understanding, and a little more time.”
“You’ve got them both, for as long as I can manage it. And I’ll have that box in the mail to you, this afternoon.”
“Okay, just make sure you use one of my return address labels so it’s me, mailing the box to myself. Thanks, William. I’ll be in touch, but it may be a couple of days before I get back to you.”
Rick started to set his cell phone aside, but saw there was a voicemail waiting. He dialed the number to retrieve the message.
“Rick? Rick? It’s Rebecca … oh please I hope you’re there I can’t talk very long. I'm in a car or van or something and it’s dark oh please I hope you…”
Breathing harder, he replayed the message several times, but there wasn’t anything else. Rick pulled out Detective Stellar’s business card. Telling the detective about the call, Rick said, “Yes, it’s her voice. She was talking really softly, but it’s her. … What? Oh. It was left at 4:57 this morning. The battery was dead when I got up, so it never rang, and I just … Sure, I’ll bring it by your office. … When? Sure.”
When he got to the lobby, he saw it was snowing thickly, the only word that seemed descriptive enough. In fact, he could barely see his SUV, parked 25 feet away.
He needed to see the detective, find a secure landline to make some calls, and locate some supplies that he thought he’d need, but this snow …
What the heck, he decided. It’s only snow. How tough can it be?
* * * * *
After the police made a digital copy of Rebecca’s voice message, they gave him back his phone. Leaving the police station, Rick was immediately aware how hard it was snowing, and the wind was increasing. Visibility was worse than fog. The snow, which had been descending diagonally, seemed now to be moving sideways. If it’s going sideways, how does it get on the ground? he wondered. I guess only the bottom layer gets stuck – the rest must keep on going. He grinned at himself, and decided he’d missed just enough sleep to be silly. Unfortunately, he thought, that means I'm just tired enough to make mistakes.
The snow on his truck was six inches thick on the driver’s side and roof, but nearly bare on the windward side. He climbed in the passenger door, slid across to the driver’s seat and turned on the radio to hear the announcer say, “The National Weather Service in Anchorage has issued a heavy snow advisory until 3 p.m. tomorrow for Anchorage, Girdwood, and the Mat-Su Valley. The earlier winter storm advisory continues until midnight tonight. A heavy snow advisory means that conditions are favorable for heavy, deep snow and snowdrifts, blowing and drifting snow, with high winds resulting in poor visibility. Heaviest accumulations are expected on the east side of town, the Upper Hillside, and along Turnagain Arm. At this time, travel is discouraged. Stay tuned for further …”
It was dark enough to require headlights, due to the heavy overcast and snowfall, so he flipped those on and pulled out of the parking lot. Traffic was light, and he could only see a few tracks in the snow. Not a good sign, at all.
The cell phone started playing his favorite tune. He thumbed the green button and said, “Yeah, Rick here.”
“Rick, this is Hatch.” Wayne Hatcher was Rick’s oldest buddy, going back to his first duty station in the Navy. They’d met infrequently through the years, but always making a point to keep in touch.
“Hatch! You salty old son of a seadog, how ya doing?”
“Better than you, Maxwell. What’s this I hear about you getting in a jam in the wilderness, somewhere?”
“It’s not wilderness, old man. I’m in Anchorage.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the Aleutians? What’s the matter, old man - Adak too intense for you?”
“Adak’s easy, son; the day I can’t handle some Adak weather is the day I’ll retire. But never mind that. Where are you, these days?”
Hatch’s voice grew serious. “I’m in Pensacola, but on my way to the airport. When Dawn called me, I dropped everything, man. On my way to you.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Rick said. “You’re sweet on her, aren’t you?”
“Man, you have been out of the loop for awhile. Me and Dawn are gonna get hitched, dude.”
“You, hitched? That sounds like a joke. Say it ain’t so, Hatch.”
“Serious as a heart attack, buddy. Hey, she told me you’ve got a new girl up there, too.”
It was Rick’s turn to be sober. “Yeah, I do. She’s special, Hatch, and that’s the problem. I’ve run into something I need your help with, and … well, I don’t want to say any more over the phone. You never know who’s listening.”
Hatch swore. “Sorry for the salty language, man, but that’s just not right.”
“Hatch, when a guy like you can swear for three solid minutes without repeating yourself, that’s not cussing - it’s an art form.”
They both laughed. Hatch said, “I’ll be there on American flight 6758, tomorrow evening, flying in from Seattle. It was the best I could do on short notice. Anything special you want me to bring?”
“Bring your ‘magic’ box, Hatch. I think we’re going to need your, ah, specialty.”
“That was the first thing I packed, man. See ya tomorrow.”
* * * * *
The snowstorm was getting gloomier, but Rick’s outlook had brightened immeasurably. Knowing that Wayne Hatcher was on his way was the best news he’d had in a while. Hatch had started his Navy years as a Radioman, then transitioned to Electronic Technician. He remained the finest “gadget guru” with whom Rick had worked, over the years.
Rick was lost in thought for a few minutes, then realized with a start that he was lost, in earnest. He’d been on 5th Avenue, and this should be C Street. Why isn’t it C Street? he wondered. Driving slowly, almost at a crawl as the snow continued to fall heavily, he’d obviously missed a turn somewhere. Visibility was very poor, and he’d had to hop out to clear the sides of the windshield, as well as the wipers and headlights, a couple of times.
The street signs were completely packed with snow, so he pulled to one side & used his snow brush to reach up and clear off a sign at the next intersection. He’d overshot the hotel, and would have to circle the block due to the one-way streets.
There were no other vehicles moving, anywhere; in fact, he hadn’t seen another car in quite some time. The snow was so thick now that he considered parking, and walking the block or so back to the hotel, but decided it would be harder to see with snow in his eyes. As bad as the wind-driven snow was, at least in the SUV he had wipers and headlights.
He finally pulled into the lot. The force of the wind made it hard for him to open the driver’s door, and nearly bowled him over when he stepped away from the truck. As he regained his balance, his eye was attracted by a furtive movement to the side. It was hard to see, so he took a step in that direction. As he did, a dark figure darted across the alley opening and down the sidewalk, walking quickly in spite of the snow.
Rick briefly considered following, but the foul weather changed his mind. “How tough can it be”, I thought. This place keeps surprising me. Right now, he was more interested in a cup of something hot. But while he waited at the café counter, all he could think about was Rebecca.
To be continued ...
Copyright 2011 - all rights reserved.
1 comment:
This keeps getting better and better.
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