Jeff finds himself in Silicon Valley where he is asked to investigate claims by a gregarious Frenchman that his neural network electronic technology actually works. He meets up again with the enchanting Nancy, the FBI agent he had worked with in Atlanta where they fell in love while he was still married, and again in Washington DC Kathy puts romance back into Jeff’s life as he finds himself hounded by financially-desperate Europeans so determined to push their questionable technology―men so desperate that they will stop at nothing, even Jeff’s murder. The excitement will make the reader gasp, tragedy will make the reader cry, romance will make the reader sigh.
Chapter 27 of Silicon Gulch … The Frenchmen murdered Ted!
Friday 9:23 AM: Shadow
Jeff
can't remember Ted's last words! He goes to the team meeting that feels like a
funeral for Ted where Jeff tells them Ted has a daughter. Then Jeff remembers
Ted's last words that he fills in: your
stupid goddam crazy Frenchman!
If you enjoy this, please take time to LIKE this on Facebook!
- Chris Lamela
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Author contact: chris@chrislamela.com, 707-566-8790 PST---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday
9:23 AM: Shadow
"Wake up sleepy head."
Jeff opened his eyes to have his vision filled with Kathy's beautiful
face. The room was filled with morning light with drapes open.
"Good morning, want some coffee?"
He stretched looking down at his naked body laying outside the covers. "Oh
god, Kathy , that was wonderful."
"My god, you were an ox! I am going to be hobbling around for a
week!" she laughed standing up to bring the tray of food closer, pouring a
large cup of coffee.
"Black, please," he smiled, she handed him a large cup, steam
rising.
He glanced at the clock saying seven fifty-three, "What time did we
get to sleep?"
She laughed taking a sip of coffee, "I don't know, but it was
starting to get light outside."
"What is that food I smell?"
"Here," she lifted the shiny silver cover from the plate
handing it to him with an omelet and large sliced European-style sausages,
setting it on the bed next to him.
"I was really freaking out last night. Thank you. Seeing Ted…I
mean…you know. I haven't told you about my week. Can you believe that's not the
first time I was shot at this week?"
"Oh, Jeff, I knew it!" She gave a serious pout, "I knew
that when I saw that gun in your pocket."
"Yum!" he motioned for a fork, she passed one to him, he hoped
the subject at hand would fade.
"Hey mister, are you listening?" He turned to her. "I
have taken years―my whole life!―to find you, for you to find me. You only have
a few hours until your plane. You've got stay here in the room, hide out. I don't
want you going anywhere."
He set his fork down looking at her, "I just watched a good friend
of mine get his brains blown out last night. Ted was protecting me, he had me
pushed down so I was out of sight. He took that bullet for me. I am certain that bullet
was meant for me. Ted's last words were telling me who the shooter was,
that he had ID'd him with his night vision goggles while you and I were laying
naked together."
Tears welled in his eyes, she looked at him, her face melting to
compassion, he raised his head swirling his face to the ceiling turning to her,
"He said something, but what was it?" Shaking his head, "God, I
can't remember…I can't remember what he said…this is too much…too much…I can't
do this."
"Oh honey, come here," she leaned to him, taking him into her
arms.
"He was going to see his eleven year-old daughter for the first
time tomorrow," tears flowing down his face, "she will never see her
father. Ever."
"Yes, yes, I know. But I am so worried about you. I don't want you
to get hurt."
He reached for the tissue box on the nightstand pulling out a wad wiping
his face.
"I've got to go to this meeting at nine. I've got to be there. They
are counting on me," he laughed sniffing, "well me and Sherlock
Holmes, anyway. We have a plan and it will work. It worked in Atlanta
"What is your plan, can you tell me?"
"You won't understand, you'll think it's cruel."
"I can't think it's cruel if you need to do this, whatever it is. I
can't."
"Look," he started to stand, wobbly, she reached out to help
him, "I need a shower then I need to go. I will be with these people until
at least maybe one o'clock. I know you have work."
"I want to stay with you all day."
He stood in front of her, looking down at her sweet face, "They won't
let you. Look, I'll be safe. You've got to let me go."
She shook her head, "Okay, but only if I get to shower with you."
He smiled, "Yeah, I'd like that."
She stood pulling her nightgown over her head smiling at his
already-nakedness. They walked into the bathroom, showered together taking
turns to lather each other, soap each other's hair, kiss and hold each other enjoying
joyful nakedness together.
He stepped out, she turned off the water. He turned to her holding a towel
to her, drying her off, goochying her ass reaching playfully sucking on each
nipple of her sweet breasts.
She reached for the hair dryer, soon the bathroom was filled with a
noisy whir, he brushed his teeth, combing hair, swabbing his arm pits with
deodorant, stepping into the room pulling clothes down from the closet, walking
to his suitcase, put on his clothes.
Sitting on the bed he listened, the hair dryer stopped. She emerged in
her pristine nakedness, he felt the rise between his legs again, glancing back
to the clock frowning that it was hopeless that they could have sex again with
him being able make it to the other hotel in twenty-three minutes.
Soon she was dressed sitting on the bed next to him. She turned to him
with a determined face, "Okay, I'm going to let you do what you need to do
today. But if you get hurt I will kill you! And if you get killed I will
resurrect you from the grave so I can
kill you again! Got it?"
He reached his hand to her
making a big exaggerated handshake both declaring, "Deal!"
He realized he didn't have a car, that it was left at Kathy's house, "I
don't have a car! How am I going to get to the other hotel?"
"The man outside said he will take us to my house in…" she
looked back at the clock, "three minutes."
He smiled, "Impressive. Very impressive."
"Hey, I've got to look out for my man!" they both laughed, he
felt a warm flush at her words my man.
Five minutes later they were in a black Crown Vic, ten minutes after
that Jeff was standing at his car with Kathy
next to him.
He looked at where the street lamp had been seeing only the cement
mount, the leaning pole was gone. There was no sign of window glass or anything
in the street. It was like nothing happened.
Jeff turned around to where the shooter must have been, but saw only a
willow tree near one of the townhouse buildings. It was like nobody had ever been
there.
"Well," he turned to her, "I guess this is it for now."
She leaned forward to kiss him, "Don't worry, you will see me very
soon. Very soon. There is no way I'm letting you walk out of my life."
He shook his head, "There's no way I will."
She leaned to kiss him, "Okay sweetie, call me this afternoon,"
turning to walk down the driveway toward her townhouse.
"Kathy !" she turned
around, "I love you!"
"I love you too!" She
blew him a kiss turning back.
"Kathy !"
She turned back around, "What?"
Pointing to his bare wrist, "My watch, it's on your nightstand!"
She waved without a word turning back.
He looked down at his watch-less wrist, shrugged. Digging out his car
keys he was soon heading back to the Embassy Suites hotel.
Jeff made it to the top floor of the hotel walking into the ops room. The
room was packed with people, elbow-to-elbow amid a low murmur of voices. Jeff
walked through to the conference room habitually glancing to his wrist where he
was so used to wearing his watch that it felt like he still had it on. He
smiled to himself that it felt like that with his wedding ring months after he
quit wearing it, he glanced at his bare ring finger, suddenly wondered if he
would ever wear another wedding ring again.
If last night was a sign, he was pretty sure that he would wear another
wedding ring.
He came into the room glancing around to see all chairs filled, not a
single sound except for a sniffle. He watched Yvonne raise a tissue to her
nose.
The room felt like a funeral parlor.
Jeff's usual chair was open, he sat down quietly.
Silence filled the room except for Yvonne's occasional sniffle.
Finally Arnie turned to Jeff, "So Jeff, you're okay."
Jeff nodded.
"Look I know it was traumatic, but can you tell us what happened?
Take your time, think it through and tell us every tiny detail. Do not leave a
single detail out." He turned to Yvonne, "I'm sorry to do this, but
we need your help here."
She glanced to Arnie, changed hands with her tissue in her left hand, pen
raised in her right.
"Well, first Ted and I talked about if he should even go with me. I
mean I was going to see a woman, a date. I wasn't sure it was necessary, I mean
Nancy L.A.
Jeff looked around the room at
all the eyes in rapt attention.
"So we drove to a store, a Safeway store on…I can't remember the street…a
president, yes, Washington street Monroe
"I spoke to her after this all happened," Nancy
Jeff smiled back to her with thanks
for not going into the details! "Anyway, I parked my car, Ted followed
behind me, driving slowly behind me. I went inside. That was at six o'clock
exactly."
"What time did you come back out?" a question came.
"Ted said that he got off at three so I told him that I would be
out before then so he could follow me back to my hotel."
"So what time did you come out?" Arnie asked.
"It was about ten, maybe eight before three to be precise."
"And then?"
"The lane that Kathy's townhouse is on is faced mostly with garages.
You can see maybe only twenty feet of building around each side of the garages
on the two-story townhouses, on the one-story units the garage takes up the whole
front side of the unit. So I walked along Kathy's garage. I came to the lane,
looked to my right and three garages down on the other side I was sure I saw
someone standing near the garage, but he pulled back. But I did get a glimpse
of him. I looked the other way, toward the dead-end of the lane seeing Ted's
car. The headlights went on and he drove quickly up to me, the window was down
when he got to me."
"Which window was down?"
"The front passenger window. So Ted leaned over yelling at me to
get in. I looked back down the lane when he told me to get in again. So I did.
He reached over, grabbed behind my neck telling me to get down pushing me down
so hard I bumped my chin on my knee. He had really strong arms, pushed me
straight down. Then he said something…hold on."
Jeff put his fingers to his forehead recollecting, "He said…wait…something
like that I wouldn't believe who it was. Then he said something like, yeah, he
said 'It's your stupid godammed crazy' and then he was shot."
He gripped the table with his hands trying to fight back tears, Nancy
"I was down, doubled over, little pieces of glass flicked on me then
Ted went limp laying on the steering wheel, the horn started blaring. The car
was still going, I looked up just in time to see the car hit the light pole. I
didn't have my seatbelt on so I slid into the dash, smashed my forehead on the
dashboard. I called to him. Twice, I think. I pulled at him and he flopped
toward me caught by his seat belt, the horn stopped honking. His face was
covered in blood. I opened the door and rolled out onto the ground. I saw some
man a few garages down come out yelling something, I don't remember, maybe what
was going on. Then an agent comes up, another one runs off into the dark, I
guess looking for the shooter. I pointed to Ted, the man looked into the car, saw
Ted, he picked me up."
He stopped taking a deep breath, "Give me a second." Nancy
"So he calls someone and while he is on the phone Kathy came up to me, she had heard all the commotion
and the agent puts Nancy
"Wow," Arnie sat back. "Jeff, I am so sorry for calling you a trouble magnet." He shook his head,
"I really got that wrong. You are the monster
trouble magnet!" There was no laughter in the room.
"But there is a loose end here with Ted." Jeff looked to Arnie
and Nancy. "Ted found out yesterday that he is a father."
All eyes rose to Jeff with this news.
"A father?" Nancy
"Yeah, he had met a woman in college. They were together for three
years. Ted went off to FBI academy and she never told him because she didn't
want to pressure him, to make him give up his…his dream."
"A father," Arnie mused stroking his chin, "Ted, a
father."
"Yes, and he was so excited because he was going to meet his
daughter. Tomorrow. He had breakfast yesterday with, wait, what was her name?
Mary. Mary Lindstrom. Right, same last name as one of my favorite teachers in
grade school. Anyway, I think she lives in Pleasanton
"Oh jesus," Nancy
Arnie shrugged, "I guess it's my turn in the pickle barrel. I'll go
this afternoon."
"I think he called her from his cell phone, so her number should be
in the memory."
"Thanks Jeff. That was really thoughtful that you let us know about
this."
Arnie stood up, "Okay people, we all could use ten minutes, be back
here in ten, we have work to do."
The room emptied, Nancy Kathy
I think it is?"
He nodded sheepishly.
"The one who tried to poison you." she said incredulously.
"She didn't really try to
poison me."
"The one you snuck up to see at the hotel in DC?"
He nodded blushing.
"And she's the one I've been smelling on you all week?"
"Smelling on me?"
"Jeff, I'm a woman. Yes, we can smell these things." She
smiled shaking her head, "Jesus Jeff, for a man who has just about every
woman around dropping her drawers for you, you have to go pick this one."
He thought to himself, that's not
smelling, that's those woman's electric radar eyes!
"Yes. Yes I did. I did pick her." He looked to her with a
determined frown, "Nancy
He shook his head, "Sorry Nancy, not working. She is amazing. I met
her Monday night when I didn't know about any of this. It was magnetic! There's
a reason why she was in my hotel room in DC. Why I went back up to see her
again that night. We are very attracted to
each other. And we have fallen in love."
"And she spent the whole night with you in your hotel? Last night?"
"Yes, well most of the whole night."
"Jeff, whole night means commitment.
That's just how it works. Are you ready for that?"
"Yes I am. I need it right
now."
People started filtering back into the room, "Look Jeff, this
afternoon, two. We'll go someplace where we won't be interrupted. Maybe your
hotel room."
"How about the Pepper Mill?"
"You're right, the last thing we need to do is be around a bed
together, huh?"
Jeff was suddenly struck that he didn't
want to be around a bed with this woman!
My god! I've really fallen for Kathy !
Arnie walked in, immediately turned to the room, everyone sitting down, "Okay
people, we have a case still in front of us. We have two perps that we need to
deal with." He turned to Nancy and Jeff, "You guys want to give us
some briefing on yesterday?"
"NO!" Jeff jumped up.
The room turned to him startled.
"I want to talk about what happened last night. This morning.
Whatever."
"Jeff, you already described it. What more is there to say?"
"Ted's words, he was giving us a clue. He knew the shooter!"
Arnie looked to Jeff in trusting wonder sitting down.
"His words, it's your stupid godammed
crazy. I couldn't remember it before when I was talking to…" shaking
his head, "but that doesn't matter. I know the last word he never spoke.
He said those words earlier when we were figuring out if he would come along
with me! We sat in his car, I repeated it back to him."
Petrified silence filled the room.
He looked to her, around to the
faces starved for that one word.
"That last word he didn't say. I saw the shadow, I know the shape
of the person I saw. I know the person he was going to name."
"Who? What was the word he was going to say?"
"Frenchman!"
NOW READ THE NEXT EXCITING CHAPTER OF
SILICON GULCH!
If you enjoy this, please take time to LIKE this on Facebook!
No comments:
Post a Comment