Chapter 34
34
“You’re leaving?”
Vivian stood at the bar, offering a strained smile toward Sally. “Just for a bit. I’m heading to Tanana to visit. I thought I’d like to see where I played as a child when my grandparents were still alive. I had planned on…uh…well, visiting sometime in the next few weeks, but it seems like this is a good time.”
“Preacher goin’ with you?”
Shaking her head at Iggie as he wiped down the bar, she said, “No. He’s got work to do right now. So…I just wanted to stop by and let you know I would be away.”
Sally walked over, pulling her into a hug as she softly said, “Honey, I’ve been working bars a long time…talked to a lot of people. And I get the feeling you and Logan are having a little spat.” As Vivian was about to protest, Sally squeezed her arms tighter and added, “But all couples have that. Lord knows Iggie has made me nuts over the years.”
She offered a watery smile as Sally continued, “But seeing the two of you together…now that’s love. He loves you, Vivian. So visit your grandparents’ place, but know that man is crazy about you. And then the next time you see him, you’ll jump right into his arms and forget about all this.”
“Thanks, Sally,” she said, giving a final hug before waving to Iggie and walking out into the sunlight. Climbing back into her car, she swallowed back the tears, knowing that Sally was wrong…she wouldn’t see Logan again.
“Are you okay?”
Logan held his phone to his ear, glad to have Landon’s voice on the other end. That was another new recent experience… knowing a team had his back.
“No, not really. Donald convinced me that she was in danger if I didn’t take care of everything. I was a fucking fool for agreeing. You didn’t uncover evidence that the neighbors suspected Vivian or me. I don’t see the situation as having a long-lasting threat against her, but how can I take that chance?”
“You can’t. You’ve got to do what you need to do, Logan. And we’re still working back here to make sure you and Vivian are safe. Cole is flying Casper and Sisco to you for backup. We’re monitoring the communication of the five terrorists involved, and so far, you’re good to go with what you need to do.”
“Yeah, right. Thanks, Landon. I have work to do, so I’ll let you know when the first step is complete.”
Disconnecting, he headed down the wooded path behind the house toward the shed. As he took one last look at the bare space, his heart ached. Grimacing, he knew he’d never had a problem focusing on a mission, and now, all he could think about was the mess he had made with Vivian.
With frustration pouring off him, he carefully destroyed the remaining contents of the shed, following the instructions he was given. He doused the shed with a special sulfuric acid compound before spraying it with water. It immediately began eating at the wood, a way to get rid of evidence and danger while not setting a fire that would alert others to what he was doing.
Walking back slowly toward the house, he tried to think of the next step, but the look on her face as she drove away filled his mind.
As he walked across the yard, a flash of light lit the sky, and an explosion rocked the ground. The roar and heat blasted him, and, reacting immediately, he threw himself down on the ground as flames shot into the air from beyond his house. Adrenaline pumping, he jumped up, running to the other side of his truck, halting at the sight. The Zamans’ house was completely engulfed in flames.
Within seconds, he realized they had destroyed their own home, which meant they’d left. How the fuckin’ hell did I miss this? Ignoring the blazing inferno, he raced inside to his computer, quickly searching the videos. His phone rang, and he hit connect as soon as he saw the caller ID.
“I’m fine,” he barked. “At my computer now. What the fuck do you see?”
“Sadie is on it,” Landon replied.
Goddammit! “Fuck! Akram and Farrah loaded the car with several boxes before driving away.” Observing the time stamp, he cursed again. “It was while I was at the shed finishing the cleanup.”
“I have Cory tracking their car?—”
“Landon, if they’ve destroyed the house, they took the tularemia with them to use somewhere. Tell Cory to stay on them?—”
The sound of a siren could be heard in the distance. “The firetrucks are approaching. I’m going back out to be seen as a spectator of his neighbor’s house.” Stepping onto the porch, he watched as the Ester Volunteer Fire Department rolled up in two fire trucks and an ambulance. He disconnected his call and jogged over to talk to them. Iggie climbed out of the first truck.
“Damn, Preacher,” Iggie called. “What the hell happened?”
“Got no idea,” he responded. “I was inside when the whole house shook. Thought the world was coming to an end.”
The firefighters immediately went to work, hooking up the hoses to the truck with the water tank that pulled in behind the ambulance. As the streams of water hit the flames and soaked the surrounding area to keep the fire from spreading, Iggie turned back to him. “No one could live through that,” he said.
“They weren’t there,” he said.
“Thank fuck,” Iggie responded, relieved. “You see ’em leave?”
“Earlier. Akram and Farrah both left. In fact, I was just packing up for a little trip myself when this happened.” Hoping that would satisfy Iggie’s possible curiosity, he turned to go back into the house to check with his Keepers to see if they could find out where Akram was headed.
Calling out orders to the crew, Iggie shifted his gaze back to him. “So Preacher. You heading to Tanana?”
Confused, he halted and turned back. “Tanana?”
“Thought you might be checking on Vivian.” Grinning, he added, “Figured you wouldn’t be able to stand not being with her for even one night. Sally was surprised when Vivian stopped by this morning to say she was taking a few days to visit where her grandparents used to live. We figured you two wouldn’t be able to be separated.” Turning back to oversee the dying flames, Iggie missed Logan’s anguished expression.
Five minutes later, he hurried inside to his computer with his radio earpiece bringing in the information coming from LSIMT.
“We’ve got their phone records. About the time the explosion occurred, Akram had sent a message to Rashad,” Frazier said.
“Does it give his location?”
“It says ‘testing in Tanana.’ That’s a small town. Perfect for trying out their bacteria contaminating water or food.”
Tanana? “Goddammit, that’s where Viv is heading!” He raced into the bedroom, grabbed his bag from the closet, and checked the content with hasty efficiency—weapons, Kevlar, ammunition, night vision goggles, and a variety of other necessities. Throwing in extra clothes, he hefted the bag on his shoulder before stalking back to gather his electronics. Seeing Sakari sitting on the floor, staring up at him with an accusing glare, he dropped his bags and raced to the closet, where he’d seen a cardboard box. With a few slices of his knife, he had poked air holes in the top and sides. Scooping the cat up, he placed her inside before securing the top. Grabbing some cat food, he thrust it into his duffel.
Three minutes later, he threw his hand up toward Iggie as he climbed into his truck. Tapping his earpiece, he said, “On my way to Tanana. Let Cole know of the different location to fly to. I can’t get Viv to answer. Have someone there see if they have any luck getting ahold of her.”
As he executed a three-point turn in the yard to leave, he passed the emergency vehicles still dealing with the Zamans’ destruction. With the cul-de-sac in the rearview mirror, he steeled his mind. You might have saved me the trouble of destroying your house and lab, assholes, but I’m coming for you.
Small. That was the only word Vivian could think to describe Tanana as she drove through. Why do things seem so much bigger when you’re a kid? She grinned as she spied the town sign listing the population as 308. Driving along the rough, partially paved roads, she passed stores, a few she remembered, some new, and some appearing to be long empty. A few restaurants. A bar. A couple of churches. And even a school, which she assumed housed kindergarten through high school in the one building.
Turning off the main street, she drove north for a mile, passing houses and a few subdivisions. The road was so familiar, she remembered summers of riding in the back of her grandfather’s pickup truck, bouncing as he hit the invariable potholes. Looking back, she wondered if he hit them just to see her bounce and giggle.
Finally, pulling up to the small house, she parked on the street. The wooden siding appeared to have been recently stained, and it was nice to see her grandmother’s flower gardens were still neatly tended. The plot of land next to the house had been wild, with trees flanking a meadow, but it now held a newer house. Looking up and down the street, she noted more houses, creating a neighborhood instead of just her grandparents’ house standing alone.
When she climbed out of her car, she heard children playing in the backyard and could see a woman hanging laundry on a line tied between two poles set in the ground. The woman looked up at her and smiled.
“Hello,” she called out as she walked up the front stone path. “I’m Vivian Sanders. I hope this doesn’t seem presumptuous to stop by… it’s just that my grandparents used to live here. My mom was born here, and I remember lots of summers spent here as well.”
A wide, welcoming smile greeted her warmly as the woman said, “Oh, the Panikaks were your grandparents? I knew them when I was younger. I’m Carly. It’s nice to meet you.” She jerked her head toward the house. “Would you like to see inside?”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all, come on.”
She followed Carly inside, immediately engulfed in memories. While the furniture was newer and the walls painted a different color, the house resonated with the images of her grandfather sitting in his comfy chair in front of the TV and her grandmother bustling in the kitchen.
Turning down an offer of tea, she said, “No, I really have to be going, but this”—she waved her hand around—“has meant so much to me.”
“Are you staying long?” Carly asked.
“I saw there’s a hotel in town.” Chuckling, she added, “It wasn’t there when I was a kid.”
“Oh, that horrible Men of Alaska show on TV that they filmed around here brought in tourists, and of course, the show’s crew needed somewhere to stay. So they tore down the cute little single-room cabins that had been here for so long and built a new hotel that could house so many more. I have a feeling they’ll have plenty of rooms now that the show is over. We still get tourists looking for the places the show exploited, but hey, it brought some money into the town.”
“Sounds good, I’ll check there. It was really nice to meet you. My grandparents loved this house, and it’s nice to see that it’s still housing a family.” Smiling at Carly, she thanked her for the chance to revisit her family home. Stepping out into the sunshine, she slid her sunglasses on her face as she walked to her car.
A helicopter flying overhead caught her attention, and she leaned her head back, shading her face with her hand at her forehead. The reminder of Logan was painful, but she battled through, determined not to shed another tear. She had shed enough of them on the hour-long drive to Tanana.
Climbing back into her car, she took one last look at her grandparents’ house and drove into town.
Stepping inside the warm interior of the Tanana Inn from the crowded parking lot, Vivian heaved a sigh, wondering if this stay was a bad idea. I’ve seen my grandparents’ house…maybe it’s time just to go back to Fairbanks and catch a flight home. The hotel was much busier than she anticipated, but seeing a large sign in the corner announcing a “ Men of Alaska Tour Weekend,” she grimaced, realizing the hotel might be full. Looking at her watch, she shook her head, knowing it was too late to arrange a flight today.
The desk clerk was on the phone but mouthed, “S orry, I’ll just be a minute.” She nodded and walked to one of the windows overlooking the parking lot. A shawl-draped head caught her attention, and as she moved to the left to have a better line of vision, she recognized Akram and Farrah.
Her breath left her lungs in a rush as she tried to think of why they were here. She could only come up with one reason terrorists working with a known bacterial agent would come to a tiny, nowhere town on a weekend with a hotel full of guests from all over— It can’t be good, no matter what they’re doing! Reaching her hand into her purse, she grabbed her phone, then realized it was her personal phone, still turned off. The burner phone with Logan’s number was back on the kitchen counter of the house in Ester, and she didn’t have his number.
Sucking in a deep breath, she knew whatever happened, it was up to her to stop them. Smiling at the receptionist who had just hung up the phone, she said, “I…uh…see a friend. I’ll be back.” Moving to the door, she watched as the Zamans got into their car and backed out of the parking lot. Hurrying out the door and down the steps, she jumped into her car and began to follow them from a distance.