Chapter 28 Roger
Chapter twenty-eight
Roger
It’s not until early this morning that Jerry sends us the information I requested, which is why much of last night was spent celebrating with Carter over his new parenthood status.
We had a few moments of reprieve and enjoyed every second of it.
Once the celebration died down, we also went over every detail of the case as we know it.
It was wishful thinking, but we didn’t come up with anything noteworthy or new.
The team is gathered around the dining room table, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when I walk in. I yawn and head straight for the coffee pot, which thankfully has a full carafe of freshly-brewed coffee. “Has anyone heard from Savannah yet? She was supposed to interview Carlos yesterday.”
Jaxon walks past me and grabs two mugs from the cabinet.
He slides one over to me. “Carlos’ little brother had something similar to a seizure yesterday and was rushed to the hospital.
Dr. Blackstone performed an emergency surgery for Bogart’s cardiac arrhythmia and had to implant a pediatric pacemaker.
From what Savannah told us, it was pretty bad. ”
“Who’s Bogart?” I ask.
Jaxon smiles. “Bogart is Carlos’ youngest brother, and they call him ‘Bogey’ for short.”
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask, concerned for the little guy.
“He’s recovering but should be up and about in a couple of weeks.
Suffice it to say that Carlos wasn’t in any condition to answer questions yesterday.
Savannah will try again, but she doesn’t think that Carlos will give us anything we can really use.
He’ll be able to tell us how often they picked up a delivery and the nature of said delivery, but not anything we can use to identify who hired him.
He told Leanna as much on the plane ride. ”
I hand Jaxon the pot so he can fill his mug and get his morning dose of caffeine before taking a seat at the table. There are papers spread all across the top, some with a few coffee stains. “Is this the information I asked for?”
“Sure is. Ask, and you shall receive,” Jessie quips. “Jerry retrieved the data, but Savannah pared it down for you. There’s a list of yearly memberships, monthly memberships, and guest passes from the gym. They offer a one-month guest pass for $50 and a one-week pass for $15.”
I set aside the lists containing the one-week passes and the yearly memberships to look at later, focusing my attention on the month-to-month option and 30-day guest passes.
Carter hands me another stack of papers.
“There are approximately 300 listings for rentals in Marathon and 50 within a one-mile radius of the gym. There are 15 that were rented out plus or minus a day of the Finnegans’ disappearance,” he says.
I spread out the four sheets of paper in front of me, my eyes darting back and forth. I have to squint to read the tiny letters. “I need my glasses.”
Jessie barks out a laugh, and Elijah nudges her. He hands me a single sheet of paper with large print. “There are only two rental listings where the rental agreement matches a membership agreement.”
I scowl at the group. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“Because it was cute to watch you go old school, manually comparing the two lists. I was waiting for you to ask for a pen or a highlighter because you forgot we have these amazing contraptions called ‘computers.’ All you have to do is input a set of search parameters, and voila!” Jessie jokes.
I refuse to partake in her banter at this hour since I haven’t even finished my first cup of coffee yet. I look at the sheet of paper and notice three matches. “You said there are two matches, but I see three. I may be older than all of you, but I haven’t forgotten how to count.”
Carter leans over to confirm my statement. He points to the last listing and says, “The third listing is an Airstream parked on the beach. It barely fits two people and isn’t exactly the kind of place where you can build a nuclear weapon. It doesn’t even have a water hookup.”
“It also doesn’t have internet or parking,” I say, waiting for the obvious to sink in. “If I was going to hide, I would want to be off the grid. Jaxon, can you pull up the listing for me?”
I take my coffee with me and follow Jaxon over to his computer.
He pulls up the website that has the listings and inputs the identifier.
When the picture pops up, he clicks on the amenities.
He whistles. “It’s actually quite posh for a tiny camper.
It does have a water hook-up and power, but you’re right that it doesn’t have internet capability. Do you really think this is it?”
A memory comes flooding back to me. “I do. Robert once told me that when he retired, he wanted to buy an Airstream and park it somewhere deep in the woods. He wanted a place he could go where he could ‘get away from it all.’ Robert was only partly kidding when he said it, but there was a wistfulness that hinted he would do it in a heartbeat if he had half the chance.”
Jessie comes up behind me and scrutinizes the picture. “It’s out in the open but at the edge of the campground and facing the beach. We wouldn’t be able to sneak up on them in broad daylight.”
“We don’t have to sneak up on them at all,” I say. “I plan to walk up and knock on the door.”
She huffs. “Not alone, you aren’t!”
Before I can argue with Jessie, a video call request flashes on the computer.
Jaxon hits the button to accept the call, and a few seconds later, Ethan’s face fills the screen.
I wave Carter and Elijah over to join us at the same time, Ethan says, “Gather everyone around. If anyone is still sleeping, wake them up now!”
“We’re all here,” I tell him. “What’s going on?”
Ben walks in and stands behind Ethan, leaning in so that his face is right next to Ethan’s. “Expect company. The plane is being refueled, and we’ll be at your location within six hours.”
Ethan frowns. “Ten minutes ago, we received an encrypted email with a link to a file. We’re sending it to you now.”
As promised, the file comes through, and Jaxon immediately opens it.
The first thing we see are the documents Jerry downloaded from Robert Finnegan’s computer.
As Jaxon swipes through, we get to a set of photos that show groups of refugees.
There’s a picture of Sergio Alvarez taking a briefcase from a man, but it’s hard to make out his face. “Is that…?”
“Yes,” Ethan says. “The time stamp on the photo was yesterday morning.”
“Who sent the file?” I ask curtly, a mix of anger and disappointment in my tone.
“Agent Simms,” Ethan replies. “In his email, he explains his plan to get an admission. You’re not going to like it.”
I nearly push Jaxon out of the way as I reach for the mouse and click on the email. I was so focused on the attached file itself that I hadn’t bothered to read the written contents. “He plans on using Harper as bait.”
“It’s not a bad plan,” Ben says. “Harper’s a capable agent and knows how to handle herself in dicey situations. If anyone can get him to reveal his motives, it would be her.”
“She’s also my wife, and I have no intention of letting her go in alone!” I say, my voice rising in intensity.
“Breathe, Roger,” Ethan says calmly. “Harper isn’t alone. She has a team of agents guarding her back.”
“They aren’t me,” I mutter under my breath.
“They aren’t us,” Jessie says. “We’re all in this and with you every step of the way. Let’s go and provide Harper with some backup.”
Ethan grins. “As much as we all need a vacation, we aren’t coming down there to relax. Wait for the rest of us before you make a move, Roger. If you go in with guns blazing, it could ruin everything.”
I take a deep breath and whisper Exodus 14:14 to calm my nerves. “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
I glance around at the people who love and support me and who have become my family. “We have six hours to prepare and come up with a plan.”
We need all the help we can get, and I know exactly who we need to turn to get it.
I spend the next few hours with my head bowed in quiet contemplation on the back veranda of the beach house, talking with God and asking Him to protect Harper.
I ask for the strength to do what needs to be done, no matter how difficult it will be.
I pray for the protection of our team and the other agents that will be involved.
The sound of dogs barking, kids laughing, and waves crashing are a constant reminder of what’s at stake. We fight so that others can live in peace.
“The rest of our team landed and should be here in half an hour,” Jessie says, occupying the beach chair next to me.
“That’s good,” I reply.
Jessie remains quiet for several minutes before she asks, “You really do love her, don’t you?”
“With all my heart. Right now, I’m simply trying to figure out what kind of love that is. It feels like God made her special, just for me. But then doubt creeps in, and it feels wrong to love her.”
Jessie cocks her head to the side and stares at me intently. “Roger, when did you realize that you had feelings for Harper?”
I can tell her the exact day and time, but that’s not what she’s getting at. “At her college graduation. She was stunning, vibrant, and full of hope.”
“Not before? What about when she was 18, and you were attending her beauty pageants? Harper was stunning, vibrant, and full of hope then, too, wasn’t she?”
I shake my head. “She was, but I was there to support her as a friend. I didn’t see her in that way, not then.”
“Exactly!” Jessie exclaims. When my brows knit in confusion, she sighs.
“Roger, God didn’t open up your heart until it was the right time—a time when those feelings would be appropriate.
Even then, He still made you wait. He made Harper wait, too.
Back then, she wasn’t emotionally ready for a mature relationship. ”
“You don’t think it’s weird?” I ask.
“Who cares what I think, or anyone else for that matter? The relationship you have with Harper is between you, her, and God. You said that you feel that God made Harper for you, right? Then, accept the gift He’s given you.
The doubt you’re experiencing isn’t Him speaking to you.
That ‘slimy’ feeling is external because the doubt is coming from an external source.
If you’re still unsure when this is all over, pray about it. ”
“When did you become so wise, Jessie?”
“It’s my secret superpower,” she says, laughing. “Let’s go inside and gear up. We have a mission to accomplish.”
Half an hour later, the beach house is at full capacity with the entire Shining Knight team in attendance.
There are ten of us in total—Ethan, Ben, Carter, Patrick, Jerry, Savannah, Jessie, Elijah, Jaxon, and me.
We’re all kitted out in tactical gear, with an extra layer of ultra-light body armor underneath.
My phone chimes with the audible alert we have been waiting for. “Harper has activated her tracking device. It’s time to roll out.”
Ethan gets a text from Agent Simms informing him that there is a team in place waiting for us. We are to meet up with them and stand by until Harper gets a confession. Once that happens, we’re to move in and secure the area so that Simms can make the arrest.
“Do we have a visual?” Ben asks.
I shake my head. “Come on, Baby, turn on your camera,” I plead silently. As if she heard me, there’s a chirp as a dimly lit barn fills the screen. Not wasting any more time, we file into the two Suburbans that Ethan and Ben rented and do a quick comms check.
Just as we’re exiting the driveway, Robert Finnegan’s face fills the screen. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this, Harper. I never meant to get you involved.”