The pilot raised and secured the staircase, “We’re cleared for takeoff, so,” before heading toward the cockpit, “buckle your seat belts. We’ll be flying to New Orleans...to drop you off first, Mr. Randall.”
While thanking the man, the passengers did as instructed and connected the two ends of their safety belts.
Randall laid his head on the seat, looked to the ceiling, and shot out a breath of air. “We made it...last leg of the journey.”
Sinking deeper into the chair’s padded leather backrest, Devlin let her shoulders slouch and closed her eyes. This feels good. The walk to the airstrip had taken more energy than she had expected. Her thoughts turned to her husband, her daughter, her father. Glancing at the backpack on the seat next to her, she plucked the mobile phone from an outside pocket and studied the device.
Randall watched her slide a thumb over the cell a few times. “You can’t. They could be monitoring your husband’s phone.”
With a single dip of her chin, she confirmed his assertion, tossed the black rectangle onto the seat, shut her eyes, and drew in a deep breath.
The Beechcraft jerked before rolling toward the runway.
“You just have to trust he’ll take care of your family.”
Devlin observed Randall. “I do trust him.” She looked out the window, as the King Air moved by another small aircraft. “But sometimes you just need to hear a voice...telling you...that everything’s all right.”
“Everything’s all right.”
She flicked her eyes toward him. “No offense, but...yours isn’t the voice I want to hear right now.”
He half smiled.
She went back to staring out the window.
Randall ogled her for a few moments. “You know,” he crossed his legs, “my Pops told me a story when I was a teenager...of what it was like being separated from his new bride—my grandmother—during the Korean War.”
Devlin faced him.
“The two got married the day before he shipped out to go overseas.” Randall shook his head at Devlin’s footwear. “Pops said he was lonely and homesick from day one of his enlistment. He missed his wife. He said he even thought about going AWOL...several times.”
Devlin recognized the term—absent without leave.
“He told me he made it through his deployment on dreams. He said even though he couldn’t see his wife, talk to her, or smell her perfume in the muddy foxholes of Korea...he could at least dream of coming home to those things.”
Devlin crossed her arms and tipped her head to one side.
Inwardly smiling, he regarded her. She’s so impatient. “Anyway, what I’m getting at is even though you can’t be with your family right now,” he held his hands outward, palms up, “because you’re in the muddy foxhole of whatever the hell this is,” he poked a finger at her, “just remember this...dreams are,” Randall pursed his lips and frowned, “dreams make us,” he wavered, “they...keep us...”
Devlin lolled her head to the other side, a faint grin appearing on her face.
He glanced down, “Dreams are,” before looking away, “crap.”
Her shoulders rocking, her chest shuddering, she fought to stifle her amusement. “Dreams are crap? Those are your words of encouragement?”
“No. I forgot where I was going with that.” He scowled. “Son-of-a—” uncrossing his legs, he shot forward in the chair and confronted her, “my point is...”
Arms folded, head down, pinching the bridge of her nose, Devlin laughed.
“...you’re,” seeing her expression, he fought to keep a straight face, “you’re going to find the S.O.B.’s that did this to you, put them in a cage, and be home with your loved ones in no time.”
Her laughter dropped to a chuckle. “Thank you for that. And, for the record, I knew what you were getting at.”
He threw himself against the backrest. “Well, at least one of us did.”
Devlin sniggered and looked out the window. A heartbeat later, she peeked at him, “So,” before gawking at another plane near the runway, “New Orleans, huh?”
Randall nodded twice. “Can’t wait.”
“You’re probably eager to get back to your agency...and get your name cleared of those made-up embezzlement charges.”
“That’s number one on my to-do list.” He joined her in watching the airport activities. “Then, I think I might head to Minnesota...spend a couple days fishing. There’s a cabin there. It’s been in my family for decades...huge pond out back...surrounded by trees...you can’t hear anything, except nature and the beating of your own heart.”
“Sounds nice,” she crossed her legs, leaned heavily on an armrest, and shifted weight to one hip, “restful even.”
“Oh, it will be.”
Ten seconds of them gaping at the world outside elapsed.
“I don’t suppose,” Devlin shifted her eyes toward him, “I could persuade you to postpone your vacation for a couple days, could I?”
Meeting her gaze, Randall turned up a corner of his mouth. “I thought you’d never ask. Okay, technically, you haven’t asked me, yet...but,” he waved a hand, “I won’t quibble.”
She grinned.
“When the plane’s in the air, I’ll inform the pilot we’re heading straight for Alexandria.” He poked his chin at her. “So what’s our first move going to be?”
She glanced at the floor before squinting at him. “The only move we have at this point.”
The Beechcraft lunged forward.
Randall gripped the armrests to keep from listing toward her.
Devlin let her body mold into the seat.
The engines roared.
“We’re,” she raised her voice, “going back to where this all started.”
Moments later, the nose of the plane lifted, and the aircraft left the runway.
∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞
.
Chapter 24
Park
4:56 p.m.
alexandria, virginia
Marshal Thorn reclined on the wooden bench, her golden retriever nestling between her knees to have its fur stroked. She indulged the animal. “Good boy. You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” As her fingers massaged the base of the pet’s ears, the dog cocked its head and groaned. “You like that, don’t you?” Thorn glanced around the area.
Outside of a lone jogger, and an elderly couple making a slow pass on the concrete footpath that circled the park’s perimeter, the grounds were deserted. Nightfall was a few hours away, but the sun was already low in the sky and shining through a gap in the trees.
Thorn leaned back and
