Three days later, Jay and McCoy stood in line with hundreds of police officers to pay their respects at the local funeral home. Bill Shannon was very popular and well-liked. The police fraternity was here to honor him and support the wife and three young children he left behind.
As they walked in, McCoy whispered to Jay, “Marty said he was a great cop. It’s a real shame.”
“I should have been on the beach,” Jay said. “I didn’t have a family.”
McCoy put his arm around his friend’s shoulder, “You couldn’t know Jay.”
Jay winced as pain shot down his right arm, but he didn’t say a word.
“I need to get back to the office. I’m meeting with some agents from the FBI and Secret Service. I’ll be back tomorrow for the funeral. I understand Marty is hosting a mercy meal at the Portuguese Veterans Club. Will you be there?”
“Yes. I have to bring a new television for the bar.”
As he walked in, Jay thought about the past funerals he attended. General Andrew’s at Arlington National Cemetery. Michael Goddard’s in London. When would it end?
Inside the funeral home, Jay greeted Bill’s wife. Her six-year-old son played a video game while her eight-year-old daughter held her hand tightly. The baby, eight weeks old, was at home with a relative.
Jay knelt next to the open casket. He said a prayer and looked at Bill’s pale skin. He could see the stitches covering the bullet hole in his temple. Otherwise, Bill looked normal. Jay vowed to avenge his death.
The next morning, St. Patrick’s church was filled. Jay and Jessie were lucky to find a pew in the last row. Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. Jay turned to see McCoy standing behind him. Next to him were several familiar faces. Ones Jay hadn’t seen for over a year. Gia Khalil stood next to McCoy. She placed her hand on Jay’s shoulder, then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Standing next to Gia were CJ, Madman, and Gunny Mack. Natalie Choi stared ahead without looking at Jay. He could feel her pain and anger without her saying a word. Behind them stood Michelle Goddard.
McCoy brought the entire Infinity Squad to Falmouth.
“Who are those people?” Jessie asked Jay.
“Good friends. No, terrific friends.”
After the funeral, Jay drove to the Portuguese Veterans Club. They had tables set up with food and several kegs of beer.
“Jessie, go ahead and get some food,” Jay said as he double-parked outside the bar entrance. “I have some business to take care of in the hall.”
McCoy joined Jay as he opened the back of the Jeep.
“Thanks for helping out,” Jay said. “I can’t carry the TV with one good leg.”
Without saying a word, McCoy removed the large, flat box and carried it into the bar.
“You are great,” Sal said to Jay as they walked through the door. He walked around the bar to help McCoy with the TV. “I heard about what you did to save the Bishop. Too bad about Billy though, he was a great guy.”
“Thanks, Sal. Nice work with the bottle of Jack. The doctor removed the stitches yesterday.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t leave me a choice. You were out of control.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. It was a tough day.”
“Hey, don’t worry, kid. We all have those days. I nearly burned my house down when I got laid off from the shoe factory in Fall River. My wife wanted to take the kids and go back to the Azores.”
“Let me help you put this up,” McCoy said.
“Don’t worry about it now,” Sal said. “I’ll get a couple of the guys to help me. Join your family and buddies. No matter what happens, Jay, you’re always welcome here.”
“Thanks, Sal. You’re the best.”
Jay went back outside, where he saw Michelle talking on her cell phone. He thought she looked fantastic and couldn’t believe she was here with the guys in Falmouth.
“Hey McCoy, I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”
Jay straightened his tie as he waited for her to finish her call. He admired how striking she looked in her black pantsuit. What a difference since the last time he saw her in Pakistan.
“Hey, Michelle,” Jay said. “It’s nice to see you.”
“Jay!” She walked right over to him and hugged him. “I can’t believe you’re here. We went nuts looking for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“McCoy didn’t tell you? Natalie flew back to Norfolk without you. She thought you would come on a later flight, but you never arrived. “Where did you go?”
“It’s a long story,” Jay said. “I was recruited for a private security job. “What have you been doing?”
“Trying to run Goddard Aviation. But I’m spending more time fighting with Kathleen Amejian.”
“Fighting over what?”
“My father’s business empire. What else? Kathleen claims she is Matthew’s heir apparent and deserves his share of the family business. He made her President of GNN. But she wants everything, including the financial and transportation businesses. And she wants me out as President of Goddard Aviation. I’ve spent more time in court than flying.”
“That’s ridiculous. Kathleen can’t kick you out, can she?”
“No, but she can make my job bloody difficult. She’s threatening to ruin our reputation. Chase away our clients. That woman will do anything for power. She has no shame.”
“Michelle, I want to hear more, but I also want to see the rest of the Infinity Squad. Can we get together later?”
“Yes, of course. Why don’t you stop by the house I am renting. It is a charming cottage in Falmouth Heights. I’ll text you the address. Invite your friends. I’m going there now to get some work done. Running an international business isn’t all fun and games. Cheers.”
Jay expected her to give him a quick peck on the cheek. But Michelle surprised him when she kissed him on the lips. Then turned and walked towards her limousine.
Michelle intrigued Jay. She was the daughter of Matthew Goddard, once one of the richest men in the world. He raised her with a silver spoon. Unlike many children of upper-class gentry in England, she didn’t live on her trust fund. Instead, Michelle joined the Royal Air Force, becoming the first British woman to fly combat missions in Afghanistan.
After she left the military, she worked for her father’s transportation business. She built it into the largest private aviation operation in Europe. She bought the best jets and hired quality pilots and crews. She even donated helicopters and planes to volunteer mountain rescue teams.
Jay met Michelle when she flew rescue missions for the Infinity Squad. She was heartbroken when her brother died in Pakistan. The last time Jay saw her was at Michael’s funeral.
Jay found Marty behind a folding table handing out sandwiches and plastic cups of beer to the police officers milling about. McCoy was hanging with the rest of the Infinity Squad members. Jay grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water then approached his friends.
“Where’s the beer, Chief?” CJ said.
“It’s too early for me. Plus, I’m trying to cut back. Drinking is hazardous to my health. Has anybody seen Natalie?”
“She left right after the funeral,” Madman said. “Something about getting back before her next shift.”
“Did she say anything? You know, about Bahrain.”
“No,” CJ said. “It was the first time any of us saw her since the night of the trial. Since you disappeared.”
“Damn,” Jay said. “I wanted to talk to her. Try to explain and tell her I am sorry.”
“Looks a bit late for that now,” McCoy said.
The cottage turned out to be a five-bedroom, three-story mansion in Falmouth Heights. Located on a bluff, it offered breathtaking views of the ocean. Jay remembered riding his bike by the house when he was a kid and fantasizing about what it would be like to live here. Now he knew.
The first floor was open and simple. The best feature being the wraparound porch. Most of the bedrooms were on the second floor, and the third floor consisted of a single master suite.
When Jay arrived, Michelle sat at the kitchen table with several of her staff members. She greeted Jay and asked him and his friends to wait on the porch. There was a cooler with beer and several bags of chips. Michelle knew how to entertain.
Jay didn’t mind. It gave him a chance to catch up. He learned Gunny Mack was now with the FBI, and Natalie worked with the Secret Service. CJ and Madman were back home in New Hampshire. Gia left the Jordanian intelligence service and lives with her daughter and brother in Amman. He also learned Antonio taught mountain climbing and snowboarding in Interlaken, Switzerland.
McCoy sat down in a rocking chair next to Jay and cracked open a beer.
“You did good, Chief,” McCoy said as he stared out at the ocean. “You saved the Bishop’s life. You did your job. You can’t blame yourself for Billy’s death. It’s time to move on.”
“How do you move on? He left behind three little kids. Every time I see his wife at the supermarket or in the bank, I’m going to feel responsible for his death.”
“Marty and I agreed, we can’t use part-time cops. We need to hire professionals like you. We’re fighting against an enemy as brutal as the Taliban.”
“I swear that guy on the beach was the same guy who raped Olivia. He was tough and in shape. Plus, he knew how to fight. He had to be in Special Ops.”
“Security cameras caught Olivia leaving the dinner with a Canadian professor visiting the Institute, but nobody has seen him since the night of the assault. The Bishop’s attack is classified as a domestic terrorist event, so the FBI is now involved. We have an all-points bulletin out across New England.”
“We have to find this guy before he hurts or kills somebody else,” McCoy said.
“I agree,” Jay said. “Especially since his target appears to be me. Excuse me, guys, I need a few minutes alone.”
Jay strolled across the street and took a rickety wooden staircase down the bluff to the water’s edge. A light breeze stirred up small waves that broke gently against the rocky shore. Jay walked along the quiet beach and gazed across the water at Martha’s Vineyard. The cool sea air helped him think straight as he pondered his future. Jay felt terrible about Bill’s death. He signed up for a part-time job, not a military-style mission. Bill wasn’t expecting to be ambushed, and he didn’t know anything about his adversaries. Jay should never have put him in such a situation, and he should have learned more about the mission. He needed more intelligence about his customers and their threats. He also required special operators, not part-time cops with minimal combat experience.
He heard footsteps coming down the staircase and saw McCoy trying to sneak up on him. Some things never changed. Despite his size and new government job, McCoy was still a kid at heart. Jay played along with him and acted surprised.
“Hey Chief, we need to talk about the business. Are you ready to get more involved?”
“I thought I was involved. I completed our first assignment, attended our first funeral, and even destroyed our first vehicle. I’m not sure I’m ready to work as a security guard, never mind run a business.”
“You were our team leader on the Infinity Squad. You made life and death decisions every day.”
“No, that was General Andrew’s job. I followed orders.”
“But Jay, you ran the team. You planned the operations and got us out of some hairy situations. I’m talking about hiring a few security team members and training them. Then going out and drumming up some business. Bishop Ramirez wants to know if you’ll be his regular bodyguard.”
“Let me think about it, okay?” Jay said. “I need to head home. It’s been a long day.”
“Sure, I understand. But don’t wait too long. The phone in the office hasn’t stopped ringing. Marty wants you to contact people as soon as possible.”
Jay and McCoy returned to the cottage in time to say goodbye to his friends. Michelle waited for him by the front door.
“I thought you left without saying goodbye,” Michelle said with a slight frown on her face. “You are welcome to stay or come back later. My staff has gone out, and I was hoping to spend more one-on-one time with you.”
Jay should have said yes. He always liked Michelle. And he never knew what she saw in him. But tonight wasn’t the night.
“Thanks, Michelle,” Jay said as he hugged her. “I need some quiet time. I have some decisions to make.”
“I understand,” Michelle said. “I’m going back to New York in the morning. You have my number. I’m always available. You know. To talk.”
Jay smiled, “Don’t worry. I’ll take you up on that invitation sometime in the future. Just not tonight.”
As Jay drove back to his mother’s home, his phone rang. He peeked at the caller ID and saw Olivia’s name. He contemplated whether to answer the phone or not. It had been a month since she went to San Diego, and they spoke only a few times. He didn’t answer. He pulled into his mother’s driveway and played the voicemail.
Hi, Jay. It’s Olivia. How are you? I wanted to run something by you. The Director of the Scripps Institute needs a Director of Security. You could stay with me. I have a beautiful apartment on the ocean in La Jolla. Let me know one way or the other. Jay, I miss you. Call me.
Jay thought for a second. Her offer intrigued him. He loved San Diego, having spent a lot of time there while stationed with Seal Team Six. He returned the call but got her voicemail. He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t leave a message.