One Shot @ Retirement: A Macy Cooper Mystery, page 17
“Who are you working for now?”
“Sorry, can’t tell you that.”
“Okay, then, how did you fake your death?”
“Pete, he’s a buddy of mine, and I blew up a Humvee with a couple of Taliban we’d caught the day before. We dressed them in our uniforms, our tags, well, you know the drill.”
“But the DNA tests?”
“Yeah, well I’ve got, or I should say, had friends at Langley who switched the samples for us. Made it look like we’d been killed. That was the only way we could go completely undercover.”
“Had friends?”
“Yeah, one of them, a man named Milton, turned on us. He disappeared shortly after I got back to the States. I’m waiting for him now. If you come across him first, save him for me.”
Macy nodded, then thought for a moment. “Where’s Pete?”
Sam looked down, and in a flat monotone voice, mumbled, “He’s dead.”
“How? What happened?”
“Classified.”
Macy hated the word, ‘classified.’ She’d heard it so often from Aaron, even placing a loaded gun to his head once when he wouldn’t give her information. She smiled, remembering his response. He laughed, cussed at her in his usual fashion, and made some obscene gestures at her. At the time, he had no fear of her, but that changed after Syria. Macy shook away the thought and returned to Sam. “Where’s the shipment now?”
Sam thought for a moment, apparently contemplating whether to share that piece of information. “On its way to its final destination.”
“Which is?” Macy shook her head as Sam stared at her. She knew it was something he would not, could not, divulge. “Okay, then, let me ask you this. Are you going after it?”
A large grin spread across his face. “Of course! I’m going to get those motherfuckers if it’s the last thing I do. They’ve ruined too many lives, mine included!”
Suddenly the door to the warehouse opened. Macy and Sam both drew their weapons and peeked over the balcony to see a man enter through the doorway.
The man, dressed in a black raincoat and hat, looked around and took a few more steps into the empty warehouse. “Ms. Cooper,” he shouted, his voice echoing. “Are you in here?”
“Who’s Ms. Cooper?”
“That would be me,” Macy sighed heavily.
“How many aliases do you have?” Sam chuckled.
“More than you can imagine,” she replied. “Allison knows me as Macy Cooper.”
“And the guy below?”
Macy whispered to Sam. “That’s Simon Crow, Landen’s lead detective. He’s the one who decided your mother’s death was an accident.”
“Simon Crow,” Sam grumbled in disgust. “How in the hell did he know you were here? Did he follow you?”
“No one followed me, except maybe you.”
“Nah, I didn’t follow you. I got here right after the shipment left. And I was able to get the drop on you,” he stated proudly.
“Ms. Cooper, I know you’re here,” came another shout.
Sam pulled a suppressor from inside his jacket and began to attach it to his gun.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked.
“If he didn’t follow you then he found this place and knows too much.”
“No,” Macy pushed Sam’s hand holding the gun downward. “He’s a good man and we might need him.”
“For what? And what’s this ‘we’? That son-of-a-bitch….”
Macy stared at him for a moment, “We both want Esther’s killer, and he can help me get him. You’re going after the arms and whoever is responsible.”
Sam lowered his gun. “Alright, I’ll go with you on this one. But so help me, if he gets in my way, I’ll take him out.”
“He won’t. Leave it to me. Stay back and I’ll get him out of here and find out what he knows. How can I get word to you?”
“I’ll contact you again in a few days. I have something else to take care of in the meantime.”
Macy gave Sam her address. She fastened her jacket to cover her gun. “Detective Crow,” she shouted.
The detective looked up to see Macy leaning over the balcony. “Why Ms. Cooper, you are here. I saw your SUV down by the tracks….”
“Apparently so. I’ll be right down.”
Sam had scooted backwards and knelt, shielded by the pallets. As Macy walked past him, he grabbed her leg momentarily stopping her. “Don’t tell Ally I’m alive.”
“I won’t. But you’ll have to someday and she’s going to be very cross with you.”
“Someday,” he whispered.
Macy made her way down the metal staircase to the detective waiting below.
“Ms. Cooper, I do declare, you never cease to amaze me! Why on earth would you be in a place like this?”
“I might ask you the same question,” she said.
“I’ll ask the questions here,” he commanded, pursing his lips.
“As always,” she replied, smiling. “I assume you’ve reopened the Esther Grant case?”
“Ms. Cooper, what am I going to do with you?” he asked, shaking his head.
Macy smiled as she walked towards the door, the detective following her.
Outside, Crow broached the subject once more. “Ms. Cooper, I need an explanation. Why are you here?”
Macy stopped and turned to face him. “I had a lead on Esther’s killer and wanted to check it out.”
“A lead? What sort of lead?”
“I received a call from a woman who said if I wanted to know who killed Esther Grant, I should meet her here.” This of course was a lie, but then why not keep the good detective guessing?
Crow, briefly taken aback, paused before asking, “Why would any woman call to have you meet her here?” He stared at Macy and then nodded. “I see. You’re pulling my leg. There was no call, no woman….”
“Believe what you want Detective, but if you’ve figured out anything about me you know I am most determined.”
Crow seemed exasperated and looked at the ground, silent.
“Now sir, why are you here?” she asked.
“Very well, if you must know.” He took a deep breath. “The sheriff’s office received a call that there was someone prowling about down here. They saw your vehicle and ran the plates. I sort of… have your vehicle flagged in the system and it says to call me if a law enforcement agency finds your vehicle.”
“I’m under surveillance?” Macy asked irritably.
“No, ma’am, you’re not. But your vehicle is.”
“Detective, that makes no sense.”
“You have to look at it from my perspective. As you have pointed out I did a background check on you some time ago. Everything looks like you’re on the up and up, but it was a little too perfect. I’ve got no reason to investigate further, you’ve committed no crime and you’re not under suspicion for anything other than being, shall we say, a little on the stubborn side. So basically, I can’t touch you. But your vehicle on the other hand….”
“My vehicle?”
“It does have three speeding tickets, paid of course, but enough to warrant a flag.” Crow smiled, seemingly proud of his reasoning. “Does that satisfy you?”
“Now who’s pulling whose leg?” she stated, grinning. “It’s really stretching it, but I admire your tenacity.” Macy thought for a moment, “Detective, would you care to have lunch?”
He smiled. “You paying?”
“Sure, but I didn’t know you could be bought!”
Crow growled.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Macy decided she would get nowhere with Simon Crow, the detective, but perhaps if she could speak to Simon Crow, the man, the father, perhaps then she could find out more information or at least gain a little trust.
They sat opposite each other at a nice little deli a few miles from the warehouses, their sandwiches and drinks having been brought over by an attractive young waitress. Crow paid the girl no attention whatsoever and Macy couldn’t help but think how different he was from Aaron.
“So, how are the kids?” she began.
Crow took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed. “They’re fine. We went through a bout of the flu last month but everyone’s pretty much recovered.”
“That’s good,” Macy replied. “How’s your wife? Did you two have a good anniversary?”
Crow nearly choked on the bite of food he had taken. He swallowed hard and took several gulps of his drink. “How did you know we celebrated our anniversary?” He stared long and hard at Macy. “Did you have me checked out as well?”
“Now Detective, how could I do that?” She smiled. “The last time I saw you at the restaurant, you had an anniversary card sticking out of your pocket and I heard Sal ask you if you wanted a special wine for the occasion. I merely assumed…”
“You assumed correctly, Ms. Cooper.” He sounded a little perturbed at being caught off guard.
“Macy, Detective… why can you not call me Macy? We’re both residents of Landen and probably have a lot more in common than you might expect. Don’t you think we should be on a first name basis?”
He looked at her intently. “Very well Ms. Cooper, I mean Macy. But only while I’m off the clock.”
“Have it your way Detective. Are you working right now?”
He shook his head, wiped his mouth with the napkin.
“Then may I call you Simon?”
Crow sat back and let out a puff. Then he relaxed. “Agreed.”
While driving home, Macy felt content with her day. First, she’d found out that Sam was alive, which was an extraordinary feeling and not one she had experienced too often in her life. She knew she had to be careful and not mention this to Allison. Second, her lunch with Crow had gone well. Although she hadn’t learned anything out of the ordinary from him, she knew she’d made great strides in convincing him they could be more civil to each other.
The only thing bothering her at this point was why or how Crow had located her at the warehouse. His story of flagging her vehicle seemed preposterous, but this wasn’t the first time he had fed her a bill of goods. Usually, she was a good judge of character, and she didn’t get any strange vibes from him, but then again, she could be wrong.
She pulled further into her driveway than she normally did, reaching a flat piece of pavement towards the back of the house. Retrieving a blanket from the back of her SUV, she pushed it under the vehicle the best she could, trying to flatten it out. She lay down on the concrete and rolled under with only her legs sticking out.
“What are you doing Macy?”
Macy looked to her side seeing Allison’s head upside down. “I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Do you have a leak?”
Macy scooted out from under the vehicle and sat up. “Nope.”
“What’s that in your hand?”
“That my dear is a GPS tracking device.” Macy held up a small flat plastic box and turned it over to inspect it.
“Someone’s been following you!” Allison exclaimed, backing up.
“Uh-huh. I think I know who, but I’m not sure why.”
“Macy, who would want to track you? Or are they following me?”
“Not sure yet, but we’ll find out,” she replied reassuringly. She slid back under the SUV and re-attached the mechanism.
Allison bent down once more; her voice pitch rising. “You’re putting it back?”
“Yep.”
“Why? Whoever put it there will be able to follow us. They’ll know our every move,” Allison uttered, her breath catching.
Macy returned from under the vehicle and pulled out the blanket. “Exactly. We’ll leave it there for now. We may be able to use it to our advantage and if not, we can at least have some fun.”
“How can we do that?”
“I have some ideas. Trust me.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Three days later, a knock came at the backdoor. It was early evening and Macy had dropped Allison off at work. No one ever came in the back, so she opened the drawer of the hall table, pulled out her .38, and tucked it inside her waistband under her shirt. She turned on the back-porch light and after peering outside to see who it was quickly opened the door. “Sam!”
“Good to see you again. Sorry about coming in this way but I know your neighbor across the street keeps track of all the comings and goings in the neighborhood.”
“Well, someone has to make sure we behave,” Macy chuckled. “Come on in.”
“I saw you take Allison somewhere so I thought this would be a good time for us to talk.”
“She’s working at Sal’s, so she’ll be gone for several hours. Have you had dinner? Or can I fix you some coffee?”
“Dinner. My God, I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in months.”
“It’ll be warm-ups if that’s okay.”
“Not a problem.”
Macy motioned Sam to sit at the kitchen island. She retrieved several beers from the refrigerator, kept one for herself and gave the rest to Sam. She selected a couple of covered dishes and placed them on the counter. “I hope baked chicken and mashed potatoes are to your liking.” She proceeded to stack the food on a microwavable plate and heat it.
Sam downed the beer and opened another. “Sounds wonderful. I see you’re armed.”
“Oh.” Macy looked down at the slight bulge at her waist and took the gun from her pants and laid it on the counter. “You can’t be too careful when someone comes to your back door.”
Once the food was heated, she placed it in front of her guest and watched as he devoured the plate of chicken, potatoes, green beans, and biscuits with gravy.
Sam moaned in ecstasy. “This is wonderful… you can’t imagine what it’s like having to eat on the run all the time. Umm, you’re a great cook!”
“I am a great cook, but I can’t take credit for the food. Your daughter fixed this for her boyfriend yesterday.”
Sam immediately stopped eating, his face becoming stern. “Ally has a boyfriend? Who is he? Is he treating her okay? Do I need to do something?”
Macy laughed. “His name is Derik Nelson, and he lives across the street next to Gloria. He’s sweet and very good to her. In fact, he’s probably the one who needs protecting. Allison can be a handful and she’s been more of the pursuer.”
“Sounds like her mother,” he mumbled with his mouth full.
“I couldn’t speak to that. But Derik respects Allison and is most protective.”
“You sure? Ally’s the most important thing in my life and I’d come out of hiding if it meant protecting her.”
“You don’t have to worry. I had a brief talk with Derik a few weeks ago and I think he got the idea that he would be in serious danger if he ever did anything to hurt her.”
“Thanks.” Sam took the last swallow of beer.
“You ready for dessert?”
“You’ve got dessert? You bet!”
Macy cut Sam a large piece of chocolate cake and placed it in front of him. “Coffee or milk?”
“Coffee please.” Once more Sam downed the food until he couldn’t eat another bite. “I can’t tell you how wonderful that was. All I’ve done for the past six months is travel and hide. It’s usually fast food, power bars, or go hungry.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll pack up the remainder of the food and you can take it with you.”
A huge smile spread across his face. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” And this was followed by an unusually loud burp. “I’m not used to good food I guess,” he said lightly.
Macy chuckled. “How did you ever survive in a sniper’s hide?”
“I was a lot younger then,” Sam said, burping once more.
Both laughed.
While Sam went to the bathroom, Macy washed dishes and packed up the remaining food.
“A clean bathroom,” he said reentering the kitchen and tucking his shirt back in his pants. “Boy, what a luxury!”
Macy stared at him briefly. He was taller than she remembered, more like 6’2”, nearly a foot taller than she. Allison probably got her height from him, she thought. He carried himself well, strong, and confident, yet quiet and unassuming, good characteristics for a sniper.
“Oh, I think I know what you’ve been going through. I’ve been on a few missions myself.”
“I’m sure you have. How long were you in the business?”
“Nearly 30 years.”
“You’ve got quite a reputation in the sniper world. Any of it true?”
“Depends on who you talk to I guess.”
“I’ve heard you have 60 confirmed kills,” he continued.
“Why is everyone so interested in how many kills I’ve made?” she grumbled. “It’s always the first question I’m asked.”
“Sorry,” he said meekly.
“I didn’t mean to bite your head off. I guess it’s like one salesman asking another,” and in a deep gruff voice imitating a man, she continued, “how many sales did you make today?” Macy sighed. “And it’s 62.”
Sam returned to the kitchen stool. “Can I have another cup of coffee?”
“Sure.” Macy poured two cups, one for each of them. “Do you want to talk here in the kitchen or go in the living room?”
“This is good. No one to look in the windows and it’s an easy egress.” Sam glanced towards the backdoor.
Macy sat opposite him. “Where do you want to start?”
“I guess at the beginning, but there’re still things I can’t divulge at this time. You understand, don’t you?”
Macy nodded, understanding the need for confidentiality. “How about I tell you how I think it unfolded and you correct me or fill in the gaps.”
“Sounds good.”
Macy leaned back and collected her thoughts. “I think it started about three years ago. You were called to Washington to meet with a clandestine group either out of the State Department or the CIA.”
“Actually, it reports to two different agencies, neither one you mentioned, and is called CORE, spelled C-O-R-E,” Sam replied.
“Haven’t heard of it. What is it?”
