Echo #2
“No, they’re not going to start it. It’s coming regardless of the group’s wish that it wouldn’t. They’re poised to survive it and to throw in with the right side. They’ll fight like hell to defeat the enemy,” Brandon said, further confusing everyone.
“Ask him about the injuries Valerie and Tom treat at that warehouse,” Burke said.
Burke and Tessman listened as Wilson asked.
“Mostly training injuries,” Brandon said.
“How do you train?” Wilson asked, now shifting his questions, including Brandon Ellison in that group.
“You do know what’s going down in this country, don’t you?”
“Enlighten us,” Wilson said.
“The drugs, the deranged human trafficking, other crimes committed by gangs, unchecked violence,” Brandon said. “We train by combating some of that shit, righting wrongs.”
“Across all three states?” Wilson asked.
“Yeah, in major cities mostly, they’re fucking cesspools.”
“Ask him what kinds of numbers we’re talking about that make up this group?” Burke said.
Wilson conveyed the question.
“Only the top generals know the overall numbers. They’re broken into cells with limited knowledge of the other cells’ identities or missions.”
“Is your dad one of these generals?” Wilson asked.
“Yeah,” Brandon admitted after a few quiet moments where everyone had pretty much figured out that his silence had answered for him.
“Can we get off at the next exit?” Valerie asked as the two vehicles passed a sign indicating the next exit was a mile ahead. “I have to use the bathroom.”
They were heading south on I-43 toward Milwaukee. The next exit was Wisconsin Highway 147 and the town of Maribel.
“There’s a gas station plaza right off the exit,” Valerie added. “It won’t take long. Please, I really have to pee.”
“I could go too,” Stacy chimed in.
“Yeah, me too,” Brandon said.
Burke saw the turn signal activate on the white SUV in front of him. He flicked his turn signal on and followed them off the interstate. He pulled to a stop beside the white SUV in the parking lot of the gas station and mini-mart.
Stepping out of the car, Burke inhaled the crisp air as he glanced around the area.
There were a few cars by the pumps and a few more near their vehicles, to the side of the building, which was more of a parking area.
He chuckled as the door to the white SUV opened and the four people from the back seat spilled out into the parking lot like the proverbial clown car emptying out.
“That had to be uncomfortable,” he said to Tom and Valerie, who got out on the side of the car closest to him.
“It was. But good thing none of us are obese,” Tom said. The two of them stepped toward the building.
“Hold up until we’re all out of the cars so we can escort you in,” Burke said.
Through the car window, he could see Wilson had his phone pressed to his ear.
His comms must have been set to not transmit, as his voice didn’t come through comms even though his lips moved.
Rogers was just opening his door. Burke stepped to the front of the vehicles, in front of Stacy and Brandon. Valerie and Tom followed him.
“Taco will wait here,” Rogers said.
“We stay together in the store,” Burke told them. He led them around the corner to the door. Rogers and Tessman brought up the rear. When they reached the bathrooms at the back of the little convenience store, Burke noticed that Stacy had her purse. “I’ll take that,” he said, reaching to take it.
She pulled it more tightly to herself. “Why?”
“Is your phone in there?”
Stacy groaned an exasperated sigh. She reached in and took her phone out and handed it to Burke. Then she and Valerie pushed through into the ladies’ room as Tom and Brandon went into the men’s room, followed by Rogers. Burke and Tessman waited in the hallway.
“You weren’t worried about Valerie having a phone?” Tessman asked, his voice quiet.
“I don’t suspect she’s in contact with the group. Something about Stacy bothers me.” He also spoke in a hushed tone.
“Something about this whole case bothers me,” Tessman said.
“A friend is the last person I’d pull into this mess. But Valerie pulled Stacy into it, putting her in grave danger. Why?”
“Something tells me we’re not going to get those answers. Maybe the FBI will after we turn them over. I, for one, am glad they’ll no longer be our problem in a little over an hour.”
Wilson’s voice came through their comms. “When we load up to continue, Handsome and Moe, you two take Stacy with you and go hard at her.”
“Roger that,” Burke transmitted. “All good on your call?”
“Affirmative. I called our stop into Ops and touched bases with Smith. Ellison’s prints came back to him. He’s also got a record in Minneapolis: a weapons charge, B and E, assault. No prosecutions. All charges dismissed.”
The men’s room door swung open, and Rogers followed the two men out. Brandon was looking more with it now, all traces of being drugged gone.
“Do either of you need to hit the head before we go?” Rogers asked them.
Both Burke and Tessman shook their heads. Brandon Ellison began to step away. Burke grabbed him by the arm. “I said, we all stay together.”
“I want to get a drink and something to eat.”
“I’ll go with him,” Tessman said.
The two men stepped away. It was a few minutes before the ladies’ room door opened and Valerie and Stacy came out. Burke could see that Tessman and Brandon were at the checkout.
“Coming out,” Burke transmitted.
“Roger,” Wilson replied.
They all exited together and walked around to the side of the building. The three men from Shepherd Security kept their heads on the swivel. At the cars, the four from the warehouse all attempted to get back into the same vehicle again.
Burke opened his back door. “It’ll be more comfortable,” he said to Stacy.
“That’s fine,” she said, attempting to get into the white SUV behind Valerie, who’d slid towards the middle upon entering.
Burke took hold of her arm and halted her. “I have to insist.” He pushed her into the open doorway of the agency SUV. Brandon was behind her. “You too,” Burke said to him. Brandon climbed in beside Stacy.
“Hey, wait,” Valerie argued.
Burke didn’t speak to her. He just closed the door to the white SUV.
Then he slid behind the wheel and turned the engine over as he hit the lock button, which locked the back doors so that even the passengers couldn’t open the doors.
Others called them child locks. Shepherd Security called them detainee locks.
The two cars pulled out of the gas station and then took the on-ramp back onto the highway.
“Stacy, did you know exactly what you were getting into when you agreed to help Valerie and Tom at the warehouse?” Burke asked.
“Valerie has been my best friend since college,” Stacy said. “We were roommates. I was probably the only person she ever told she’d given birth to Brandon when she was fifteen. And when he contacted her a few years ago, she told me about that too.”
Stacy went quiet. Tessman turned in his seat to gaze back at her and saw a look exchanged between Stacy and Brandon. “What was that?” he asked.
“Stacy got dragged into helping by accident,” Brandon said. “And since she was already involved, my father made sure she stayed involved. Valerie doesn’t know. She thinks Stacy helped because of their friendship.”
“How’d he do that?” Tessman asked.
“My husband is in the prepper group. It started innocently enough, a conversation with Mark Ellison and what he said made sense to Peter, my husband,” Stacy said.
“But that group is separate from the militia group. They’re somewhat intertwined with some members being in both groups, but not all of them are. ”
“Do Valerie and Tom know your husband is in the group?”
“They know he’s a prepper, but they don’t know the extent of the connection he has to Mark,” Stacy said.
“So you did tell them Brandon was there,” Tessman charged.
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t interfere with what Valerie and Tom were trying to do, to get Brandon away from Mark and get him back in touch with Jessica. I supported her getting away from Mark, too.” Her gaze went to Brandon. “Sorry, Brandon, but your father’s a dangerous lunatic.”
“You’re a card-carrying member of the group, in it up to your fucking eyeballs, Brandon,” Burke said. “Something tells me Valerie doesn’t know to what extent. I’ve seen your arrest record.”
“I was raised in it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get out,” Brandon said.
“Well, this is your chance. You have to come clean to the Feds we’re going to turn you over to,” Burke said.
“Did either of you recognize any of the men back at the warehouse?” Tessman asked. “Or the blue van?”
The two in the back seat exchanged another stare. “Yeah, they were from a group out of Green Bay. I recognized the blue van. The guy who owns it is a hardcore member,” Brandon said.
“He and the blue van have been at the warehouse a few times,” Stacy added.
“Give us his name and anything you know about him right now,” Burke barked.
“Guy Peterman. He lives in a little brick ranch in an old neighborhood a couple of blocks from Lambeau Field.”
“What’s the name of the street?” Burke pushed.
“I don’t know, but you can see the lettering on the stadium from his yard.”
“I’ll call it in. Did you hear all that, Taco?” Burke asked.
“Yeah,” Wilson replied. “It sounds like he has enough info to bring a lot of the group down if he tells the FBI everything he knows.”
Burke’s eyes flickered to his rearview mirror and Brandon Ellison. The question was, did he really want out?