Chapter 38

 

 

When I wake up in the morning, I have my first surprise of the day. It’s pouring out and the wind is stirring up all kinds of loose junk on the ground and blowing shingles off the surrounding buildings. According to the weather forecast, this storm was not to come on shore but continue moving north and stay at sea until it got around Connecticut somewhere.

 

There’s no way Janet can take off in in this kind of weather even if we’d be flying in the other direction once we got airborne. Trying to get above the storm in a small plane would just be too risky. The commercial airlines will probably be flying, so Don will have to deal with the hassle of getting a seat on a flight that will get him to Raleigh in time for him to be in on the Crusader’s take down at the airport.

 

Janet and I will have to hold down the fort here in D.C. There’s no way Uncle Sam will spring for commercial airfare for the both of us since we really don’t have to be there. The cost of Janet’s rental and other related expenses wouldn’t have been a problem because it was justifiable for Don to incur that expense and we tagging along wouldn’t have added any expense.

 

Janet and I could spring for the commercial airfare, assuming we could get a seat on a flight that was within our time frame, or we could drive down and meet Don at the Raleigh FBI office, but I don’t want to be in on the finale that bad. Janet might consider it since she really wants to have a front row seat when the cuffs are put on Aldrich and the paper might reimburse her for any airfare expenses since her being there would give the paper a distinct advantage over the competition and put a feather in their cap for all to see plus give them a wonderful opportunity to toot their horn in commercials for quite a while.

 

I hop into the shower where I sometimes do my best thinking and try to convince myself to go to Raleigh on my own dime and time, but I can’t do it. After I finish my morning ablutions and have some cereal and juice to stoke my metabolic furnace, I head into the office.

 

The traffic is a mess as some of the streets are flooded due to clogged street drains and impatient drivers are making things worse as they tailgate and cutoff other drivers so they can avoid being chewed out by their bosses for not leaving home early enough to ensure they would get to work on time. Add a few fender benders into the mix and you have to contend with traffic snarls no matter what route you take.

 

When I finally get to my office it’s a little after nine and the place is empty. It looks like I’m not the only one who got stuck in traffic. After making a pot of coffee and booting up my computer, I lean back in my chair and stare at my list of tasks I’ve inputted to be addressed today and start mentally editing the list since I won’t be going to Raleigh this afternoon. I’m a few minutes into this when Janet calls.

 

“Are you and Don still good to go this afternoon?”

 

“Janet, what planet are you calling from? It’s pouring buckets. The plane will be floating down the runway. You’ll never get it off the ground and would be nuttier than Aldrich to try.”

 

“I just got the latest weather report and this storm will be nothing but a drizzle with the winds in the zero to 5 miles per hour range by two this afternoon. We’ll be fine.”

 

“The last weather forecast I heard turned out to be fairy tale. This storm was supposed to blow right on by us and stay out in the Atlantic. There’s a lot of room for improvement as far as their accuracy is concerned, so I don’t rely on them. I just try to be prepared for whatever weather shows up and deal with it as it comes. If I were Don, I would be trying to make a reservation on a commercial flight.”

 

“Well, I’ve cleared my calendar for this afternoon because the weather folks’ track record with me is very good and I’ll be airborne a few minutes after two. If you guys aren’t there, I’ll leave without you. I’ve got a meeting to attend so I’ve got to go now. I don’t mind flying solo. I do it all the time. However, I’m not too keen on going into the main terminal to hide myself somewhere close by the United Airlines ticket counter without someone watching my back. My bodyguard won’t be with me. I’d also feel better if I had someone advising me on what I should and shouldn’t do when I arrive at the airport. I hope you guys will be with me. Bye.”

 

As soon as I hang up from talking with Janet my phone rings again. This time it’s Don.

 

“It’s great weather for ducks and fish, but terrible for small planes. I’ve made a reservation to fly commercially and my flight leaves at 11:45. I’ll do my best to give you a blow-by-blow as things unfold in Raleigh.”

 

“I just spoke with Janet and she says the latest weather report is calling for drizzle and calm winds by two this afternoon. She’s planning on going whether or not we’re with her.”

 

“I listened to the same forecast, but they’ve misread this storm once already and I don’t want to take the chance the forecasters are misreading it again. I know this Crusader better than my counterparts in Raleigh and think there will be less chance of a foul up if I’m there from the time Mrs. Aldrich is scheduled to arrive at the train station in Raleigh.”

 

I’m not surprised that Don has the same concern that I have and it makes perfect sense for him to be doing what he’s doing. I say, “I may see you there. I may not. I think I’ll plan on meeting Janet at Dulles just in case the forecasters are right this time around.”

 

“Okay. Bye.”

 

Since there’s now no need for me to rework my agenda for today, I start in on the list. I address the first item on the list and then I get my second unpleasant surprise of the day. The door to my office bursts open and standing in the doorway is the Crusader pointing a gun with a silencer at my head.

 

I dive for cover behind an empty desk adjacent to mine, reaching for my gun in my ankle holster as I’m heading for the floor. I don’t remember hitting it. The last thing I do remember until now is wondering where in hell my bodyguard was.

 

Opening my eyes, I see that I’m surrounded by my bodyguard, Felicity, Bob and Shirley, all with looks of deep concern about my well-being on their faces. When I try to sit up, my body guard won’t let me. “It’s best if you lie still until the paramedics get here.”

 

“What are you talking about? Other than having a headache, I feel fine. I must have cracked my head on the desk or the floor hard enough to knock myself out.”

 

Felicity says, “Chet, you’ve been shot in the head. It looks like the bullet put a deep crease in your scalp, but it doesn’t look like it did any damage to your skull. I’m no doctor though and there’s a lot of blood.”

 

Looking down at my shirt I see it’s soaked with blood and suddenly I don’t feel so fine anymore. “Where’s the Crusader? It was him that shot me.”

 

The bodyguard, Frank something or other says, “I know, Mr. Dawson. I saw him a fraction of a second before he squeezed the trigger. He must have heard me coming down the hall at the same time he was pulling the trigger and the distraction probably spoiled his aim. The man can move and he was in the stairwell before I could get a shot off. I chased after him, but the soles of my shoes were wet and I slipped on the stairs and took a header. By the time I recovered he was gone.

 

“If it hadn’t been for this damn weather, he never would have made it to your office door. We got separated in the demolition derby outside and I got involved in a minor accident with a numbskull that didn’t look where he was going. I’m sorry, sir.”

 

“Forget about it. You have nothing to be sorry for except maybe that knot on your forehead. It must be a souvenir from your fall down the stairs.”

 

At that moment the paramedics arrive and they proceed to check us both out. Frank is told his bump on the head doesn’t look serious enough to warrant a ride to the emergency room and I’m told that I am a lucky fellow to only have to get some stitches. One of them says. “You’ve got a pretty deep gash, so you’ll be parting your hair on the other side of your head for a while until the stitches come out. The doctor is also probably going to recommend that you be checked for any signs of a concussion.”

 

“I’ll probably pass on the concussion tests. I’ve had my bell rung harder than this and no damage was done.”

 

“Suit yourself, but an injury like this is nothing to take lightly.”

 

As the medics are rolling me out of the office on a stretcher I tell Felicity to call Don and Janet and fill them in on what has happened and tell them where these guys are taking me. “They can call me on my cell. I don’t know where this leaves us as far as Raleigh is concerned.”

 

After I’m stitched up in the emergency room I head for the waiting room to call a cab and get a pleasant surprise for a change. Janet’s waiting for me. “I see Felicity reached you.”

 

“Yeah, she told me what happened and where you were taken to get patched up and I thought I’d pick you up so you wouldn’t have to ride in a filthy taxi and answer a bunch of questions from a nosy cab driver. Instead, you can sit back and relax in my car while I drive you home or back to your office and you can answer a lot of nosy questions from a reporter.”

 

I laugh, it hurts and I wince with the pain, but I still feel good because she’s here. “Thanks for coming. Let’s get out of here. I hate hospitals. A lot of people die in them. We have some urgent decisions to make and I think it’s best if we discuss them someplace more private.”

 

“Where do you want me to take you, home, your office, Disney World, where?”

 

“Don’t make me laugh. When I do it feels like someone’s hitting me in the head with a hammer. Take me home. I won’t get any work done in the office. Thinking about my close call and my splitting headache will keep distracting me. The doctor gave me some pills for the pain, but I don’t want to take them unless the pain becomes unbearable. Pain killers sometimes mess with your brain.”

 

“Okay, home it is.”

 

As we pull into the underground parking garage, I glance at my watch and see it’s a little past noon. If Felicity wasn’t able to reach him, Don’s probably in the air headed for Raleigh. As I open the door and let Janet enter first I see that her face is filled with worry. Hoping to chase some of it away I quip, “Welcome to Dawson’s Den. What happens here stays here as is evident by the empty Chinese food containers on the counter in the kitchen and the empty pizza box on the coffee table. It’s a little messy right now, but I give you my unconditional guarantee that there’s nothing in here that will bite you except maybe for me if you let your guard down.”

 

This gets a smile, but the worry is still plastered all over her face. “Chet, why would Aldrich go to the trouble of thinking up a way for him and his wife to flee somewhere, get his wife to go along with his plan and then not follow through? It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

“I’ve been thinking about that and I don’t believe he’d do that to his wife. I’ve been trying to put myself in Aldrich’s place and this is what I think is going on. Aldrich’s killing frenzy has been abated somewhat lately due to the spotlight we’ve put on him through the mass media. There’s a good chance he thought that this development might cause us to lower our guards a little which might give him an opening big enough to settle some more scores, me being one of them, despite what he said in the letter he sent to his wife about being satisfied with what he’s accomplished to date. He zeroed in on me and when he didn’t see anyone watching my back he figured it was his chance to make me pay for my part in making his vendetta more difficult and he took it. He’d still have enough time to drive to Raleigh if he left immediately after he shot me. One thing I’m very grateful for is the weather prevented my staff from being there when he showed up. He probably would have shot them all.”

 

“So you’re thinking that Aldrich is sticking with his plan and is on his way to Raleigh now.”

 

“I do. I don’t think he’d leave his wife in the lurch.”

 

“So, does this mean you’ll be flying with me to Raleigh?”

 

Looking out the window I see that it is just lightly drizzling out and the wind has died down considerably. “Well, well. The weathermen finally got one right. Yeah, I’ll tag along. I can enjoy this headache anywhere and I’ll be praying all the way that I’ll get the chance to settle the score with this loony.”

 

“Have you got anything in the fridge that’s still safe to eat?

 

“Hey, I’m a little messy, but I am house broken and don’t leave food to rot in the fridge. If you rummage around in there you should find sandwich fixings, some prepackaged salads, frozen pot pies and TV dinners, some eggs and there might still be some frozen veggies, hotdogs and hamburger meat in there somewhere as well. There’s also water, soda, juice and beer in there. I maintain the typical bachelor’s larder because if I’m in the mood for anything fancy I go out to eat. Help yourself.”

 

“Do you want me to fix you anything?”

 

“No thanks. I’m not hungry, but I’ll have a bottle of water.”

 

While she’s in the kitchen, Don calls me on my cell. “Felicity called me while I was boarding and told me what happened. This is the first chance I’ve had to see how you are doing. I’m thirty thousand feet up in the air and the sun is shining up here. What’s the weather like down there?”

 

“Good enough for Janet to get her rental bird in the air.”

 

“Are you feeling well enough to join her?”

 

“I’m ambulatory and that’s all that matters. I owe this sucker, Don, and if I get the chance I’m going to put him out of his misery for good.”

 

“Hey, wait a minute, Chet. I’m letting you be a part of all this only as an observer because of how instrumental you’ve been in helping us put an end to the Crusader’s vendetta. I don’t need another vigilante, you hear me.”

 

“I hear you. I’m just saying if I’m in the right place at the right time and he tries to takes a shot at me, he’s going down for the count and he isn’t going to get up.”

 

Letting out a soft groan he says, “I’ll meet you at the FBI office in Raleigh. Do you know where that is?”

 

“Felicity got the address for me.”

 

“Okay, bye.” Click.

 

When Janet returns from the kitchen she asks, “I heard you talking to Don. Did he catch his flight or did he cancel it when he heard about Aldrich still being here from Felicity?”

 

“He called me from the plane. He wanted to know how I was doing and what the weather was like here. I told him we’d be flying down like we planned from the start and he said he’d meet us at the FBI office in Raleigh. Since he’s on the plane, I’m guessing he also thinks Aldrich will show. He didn’t bring the subject up though and neither did I.”

 

Janet has made a sandwich for herself and garnished it with some bread and butter pickles that I forgot I had and brought two bottles of water for us to drink. Looking at her watch she says, “We have twenty-five minutes to bask in this domestic bliss and then we have to head out. I found some peanuts in your pantry. You want some?”

 

“I’ll pass. It’ll probably hurt like hell if I try to chew something like that. It even hurts when I blink.”

 

“You wouldn’t by any chance be looking for sympathy and some motherly caresses are you?”

 

“Well, motherly wasn’t what I had in mind.”

 

“Dawson, your timing sucks. Drink up if it doesn’t hurt too much to swallow so we can head out. I don’t know what the traffic will be like going to the airport.”

 

I’d have laughed but it hurt too much and it would have been a waste of pain because there would be no sympathy and soothing caresses forthcoming. I’ve definitely got to work on my timing.