Sheba's Gambit Page 4

  Staying low, he inched his way toward the first-floor balcony. He didn’t think there would be a guard, but there could be people who worked at night. When all was clear, he stepped on to the railing of the first floor. Then he shimmied up the support, grabbed a piece of gingerbread, and tugged on it to make sure it would hold his weight. Then he pulled himself up. Flipping up and on to the second floor balcony, landing lightly on one foot. There was a loud snore.

  He froze. His mind flashed back to a mission years ago, when a man had charged through the balcony doors, his huge hands closing around Slater’s neck. When he finally flung the man over the balcony railing, he’d had to abort the mission. His employer hadn’t been happy.

  The snore was repeated.

  “George. George! Turn over on your side. You’re going to wake the neighbors.”

  “Wha—what?”

  “Turn over on your side. You’re snoring.”

  Before she had finished speaking, he had stepped to the railing, hauling himself up to the third floor. He stood for a moment, until his heart slowed, then he shimmied up the post, landing on the fourth floor walkway.

  Silently, he slid into the shadows. When he got to 4407, he pulled a ski hat down on his shaved head. Using a special instrument, he listened to the door lock click. The light turned green. Silently, he pushed the handle until the door opened slightly. He listened to see if anyone had heard the sound, but all was quiet.

  He searched the unit quickly, then he moved to Sheba’s room. She was curled up facing the door, her arm around her nephew.

  His hand lightly touched his gun, but he remembered Nathan’s orders. Sometimes my brother-in-law is such a wimp.

  Sheba had unpacked. Everything was in order which made it easy to search. Nothing. There wasn’t a book in sight or in a drawer. He could feel his frustration build. Where the hell had she put those books.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, Braden came running into Sheba’s room. “Did you need something from my backpack?”

  “I haven’t touched your backpack. Why?” She said as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  All the stuff in my backpack was dumped out, all over the floor.

  Looking worried, Sheba hurried into the bathroom with Braden following her. She pulled open the cabinet door under the sink. The books were hidden under the pool towels.

  “That’s a funny place for books, Aunt Sheba,” Braden said.

  Sheba laughed. “It is. When I was a kid, your mom and Uncle Jim would hide my books. I got so I would read in the bathroom because I could lock the door. I hid my library books behind the toilet paper.”

  Braden giggled. “That’s funny.”

  “You’d better go finish your breakfast. I want to run down to the NSA office before we go back to Universal Studios.” She grinned, “Hey, it’s my turn to pick the rides and I want Harry Potter World. We get to ride on the Hogwarts Express. There are roller coasters and a castle.”

  He ran back to the table to finish his breakfast, while she took the books into her room. Carefully, she tied them to a fanny pack that she put on underneath an extra-large shirt.

  While he brushed his teeth, Sheba called the front desk for a taxi.

  Braden looked up at her. “Do you think he will come into our condo?”

  “I think he already did.” She said. “He didn’t find the books, but he might come back. If we take the books to NSA, I can send them to my office in Washington, then he won’t bother us anymore.”

  “How will he know that we don’t have the books?”

  “He must have followed us when we left Universal Studios or he wouldn’t know where we are staying. I think he will probably follow us to NSA. Once we are there I’ll show you the books. He will see them. When we come out it will be obvious that we don’t have them so he’ll leave us alone.”

  They walked down to the registration desk quickly, staying with a group of other tourists. While they were waiting inside for the taxi, a woman at the desk said, “Miss Bentley, a man left this book for you last night. He said you left it at Universal Studios.”

  Sheba took the book the woman was holding out. “That’s funny. I didn’t lose a book. Did he ask for my room number?”

  “He did, but it’s against policy to give it out without permission. I tried to call up to you, but no one answered.”

  So that’s how he got our room number, she thought. She looked at the woman. “This isn’t mine. If he comes back please give it back to him.” She paused, adding “Did he leave a name.”

  “No. I tried to ask him for it, but he didn’t seem to hear me.”

  “What did he look like?” Sheba said.

  His head was shaved and he was dressed in black.”

  One of the concierges opened the door. “Your taxi is here.”

  “Let’s go, Braden.” She turned back to the woman, handing her the book. “I don’t want this. It doesn’t belong to me.”

  “Where are the books?” Braden asked when they were in the taxi.

  “I’m wearing them,” she said.

  “Huh?”

  “I have them around my waist under my shirt.”

  “Oh,” He said. He cocked his head. “That’s pretty smart.”

  “Thank you.” She said flippantly, relieved that her precious books would be safe.

  The taxi pulled up in front of NSA guard gate. As they got out, she said, “Stay close. I don’t know what the guy might do when he sees us go in here.”

  Braden nodded, his eyes anxious. When he got out of the cab, he took her hand. She paid the driver, then hurried across the sidewalk to the marine guard. She pulled out her ID, flipping it open for the guard who examined it closely. Then he looked down at Braden.

  “He’s eight. He doesn’t need ID.” She said firmly.

  “I’ll allow him in on your ID. He handed her a clipboard. “Sign here.”

  Once they had signed in, the guard handed them visitor passes. Once they were inside the gate, but while they were in full view of the street, she reached up under her shirt, feeling for the strap of the fanny pack. Both marines that had guarding the gate, instantly put their hands on their guns, going into defensive stance, one of the guards calling in on his radio. She looked up startled.

  “Sorry, guys. Braden and I have been attacked for these books. I was afraid that we’d be attacked again if he knew I had them with me so I’m letting them know that I’m leaving them here.”

  They kept their hands on their guns as she lifted her shirt to show them the books strapped to her back. “Braden, will you take the books when I undo the strap?”

  He grabbed hold of them as she pulled the buckle apart. When she took off the fanny pack and showed them that it was empty, they went back to their parade rest stance.

  She took the books from Braden, let the guards inspect them. They hurried up the steps. A marine opened the door for them. As they entered, NSA supervisor Phillip Havre, a tall, dignified grey haired man, met them in the hall. “What was that all about? You would have had more privacy in here.”

  “I didn’t want privacy. We were attacked for these books and our condo was searched. When we leave I want him to know that I left the books here.”

  “How were you going to show him that?” The man asked sardonically.

  “This way,” she said as she pulled a wide black belt from her pant pocket, wrapping it around her waist. She had a tiny waist. It was obvious that nothing was hidden around her middle.

  She held up the books. “I want to send these to my office in Washington, D. C.”

  He looked at her. “If you aren’t Grade 4. I can’t send them to you.”

  She frowned for a moment. “I’m grade 3 but you could send them to my boss, Alexandra Nagle. She’s grade 6. She’ll keep them until I get back.”

  He said, “You work for Alexandra Nagle. Then you must be in coding.”

  “I’m an analyst.” Sheba said briefly.

  “Yeah, she’s the best,�
� Braden said eagerly. “She can look at a mixed-up word in a puzzle and tell you what the word is.”

  Sheba looked embarrassed. “I’m not sure if it’s a talent or a curse, but I’m blessed with it.”

  Havre rocked back on his heels. “You said you are on vacation. Would you have time to look at an unusual telegram that came to us by mistake? At least, I think it came by mistake. It has several code words in it.”

  She looked at her watch. “Braden earned this trip. So far we haven’t been able to do much because of these books. I promised that we would do all the things he wants to do. I can’t break that promise.”

  He frowned. “If you want to come to my office, we’ll put these books in a pouch. The secure courier will be leaving in about fifteen minutes.”

  They followed Havre to his office where a big marine was putting documents into a Kevlar bag. “Matt, I have another item going. He put the books into a special rip-proof envelope. Then Sheba wrote Nagle’s address.

  Havre looked at her name, stroking his chin. Once the envelope was in the special bag, they watched as the bag was handcuffed to Matt’s wrist. He left the room followed by four armed escorts.

  “What happens next?” Braden asked.

  Havre said, “We have a helicopter pad on the roof. He will board a special helicopter where he will be flown to the Washington office. They will send the packages to their destinations by secure methods. Washington is a distribution point for the East Coast.”

  “Cool,” Braden said.

  Havre looked at Sheba thoughtfully. “Miss Bentley, could I talk to you in private?”

  “Sure. Braden would you please wait here. I won’t be gone for more than a couple of minutes.”

  She followed Havre from the room to a small conference room across the hall. After he carefully shut the door. “Miss Bentley, that message we received had your name in it. I think it might be wise for you to cut short your vacation.”

  Sheba shook her head. “No. I promised Braden. I won’t break that promise

  “Well then, I think I should send a marine with you as protection.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Sheba protested. “We’ll be okay, now that I don’t have the books anymore. Braden leaves tomorrow. It’s important that we finish our vacation.”

  He frowned. “I have a bad feeling about this. Would you accept an escort if he was dressed in normal clothes and acted like a friend?”

  “I guess that would be okay. I’m sure that you are taking this way too seriously.”

  He picked up the phone, pressing a button. “Marshall, get into civilian clothes. I want you for escort duty in ten minutes.”

  He turned back to Sheba, “I think you will like Lt. Marshall. He’s about your age. He seems to get along well with everyone. He can make sure that you are safe.”

  “I still don’t think we need protection,” Sheba protested. “We don’t have anything he wants now.”

  “You may not have the books with you, but you still have them. If the message concerns you, both of you could be in big trouble. If you won’t have Lt. Marshall, I feel like I need to contact Ms. Nagle.”

  “Please don’t do that. We’d be happy to have Lt. Marshall. I just hope he can keep up with an eight year old boy.”

  There was a tap at the door. “Come in,” Havre called.

  A big, blond man, dressed in a navy polo shirt and tan cargo pants, entered the room. Even in civilian clothes he looked military. But, Sheba thought, he looks like he’d be fun to be around. It might make it more fun for Braden who tended to worry about things.

  “I’ll call for a diplomatic car to take you to Universal Studios.”

  Marshall said, “We can take my car since we want to stay low key. It’s in the parking garage. I have a parking pass and season pass to all the parks.” He looked down at Sheba, “I have a lot of family. They like going to the parks when they come to visit.”

  Sheba called Braden. “We’re ready to leave. This is Lt. Marshall. He’s going to go with us as a security precaution, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Do you have a fast pass?”

  Marshall nodded solemnly. “I can get one.”

  Braden frowned. “Not like ours. Ours was given to us by a security cop.”

  Sheba laughed. “I’ll bet we can get one for him. I think Mr. Jacobs would be glad to know that we have an escort. He wasn’t really happy with the problems we caused him yesterday.”

  Havre said, “I’ll call Universal Studios. I think a request from our office will expedite matters.

  “Let’s go then, buddy,” Marshall said, rubbing his hand over Braden’s crew cut. “Have you been on the Transformers ride? It’s my favorite.”

  Braden grinned, “Mine, too, but it’s her turn to pick the rides. She wants to go to Harry Potter World.” He lowered his voice, “It’s from a book so it’s probably boring.”

  Marshall took Braden’s hand leading him toward an elevator. He winked at Sheba, “Well, I read the whole set. I didn’t think it was boring. It’s about witches, wizards and dragons. And the rides are really cool. You get chased by a dragon on one of them. I’ll bet you’ll like them and,” he added in a loud whisper, “We can go on the Transformers ride this afternoon.”

  As they got into Marshall’s red Mustang convertible, Braden said, “Wow, what a cool car.”

  “Glad you like it, buddy.”

  He turned on the car, lowered the top, then roared up the ramp, pausing at the guard station to show his ID. Once through the gate, he turned left. Braden was grinning in delight.

  When they pulled up at a stop light, Marshall said, “Braden act like you are looking around, then look at the man in the car behind us. Does he look familiar?”

  Braden pointed at the McDonalds, then he looked behind them.

  “Kind of. The girl who saw the man push Aunt Sheba said that the man had a shaved head and squeenchy eyes just like that man does.”

  When Sheba turned to look, the man pulled down his cap. He suddenly flipped an illegal U-turn right in front of a patrol car. He floored the gas pedal leaving the patrol car in the dust.

  When the light turned, Marshall drove on. He shook his head. “That cop will never catch him. He’s got the reflexes of a cat and he was prepared for anything. He didn’t want you to recognize him, that’s for sure.”

  Sheba nodded. “I think I’m really glad that you’re with us. He didn’t look like he was a nice guy.”

  “From what I could see of him which wasn’t much, he looked ex-commando. There are a lot of them for hire. You think he was after some books you bought yesterday?”

  Sheba nodded. “It has to be that. We’ve been in Florida for nearly a week. Nothing happened until I bought those books.

  When they got to the Universal Studios parking lot, Lt. Jacobs was waiting for them. He motioned for them to park in a restricted lot that was gated.

  “Nice car,” he said as Marshall, Sheba, Braden got out of the car.

  “It’s cool and it goes really fast.”

  Jacobs laughed, “I’ll bet it does.” He handed Marshall his special pass. Then he looked at Sheba, our lockers were broken into last night. You didn’t leave anything there, did you?

  “No. I took the books home with me.

  Braden said, “Our Condo was broken into last night, but they didn’t get the books.”

  Sheba shook head. “I sent my books to my office in D. C. I’m hoping that he will realize that I don’t have them anymore. Lt. Marshall is here to help us enjoy the rest of our vacation.”

  Braden said. “Can we go the Potter World now so we can go on Transformers this afternoon?”

  ********

  That evening as they left the park, Marshall said, “Mr. Havre had your things moved to one of the guest suites at NSA. He thinks you’ll be safer.

  When Marshall stopped the car, Sheba opened the door. Braden climbed out, yawning.

  When Sheba saw the yawn she said, “It’s been a long day. We ne
ed to get you to bed since you’ll be going to London tomorrow morning.”

  He looked up at her. “I don’t want to go to London. Can’t I stay with you?”

  “But sweetie, you’ll like London. It’ll be a real adventure.”

  He looked really sad. “They’ll laugh at my freckles and make fun of the scars on my head.”

  Sheba looked up at Marshall, trying to hold back the tears.

  Marshall knelt down so he was face to face with Braden. “If anyone makes fun of your scars, you tell them that those scars are badges of bravery. Few people are tough enough to have the kind of surgery that leaves those scars. I’m a Marine, but I wouldn’t want that surgery. I’m a brave man, but you are braver.”

  Braden looked up at him, “Do you really mean that or are you just being nice?”

  Marshall frowned. “Do I look nice?”

  Braden giggled. “Well sometimes but not right now. Now you look like a Marine.”

  “I’m not being nice. I’m being truthful. Marines don’t lie even when they are being nice.” He touched the freckles on Braden’s nose, then he touched the freckles on his nose. “My grandmother says that freckles are angel kisses. Angels only kiss special people.”

  Chapter 8

  Braden frowned, then said, “I still don’t want to go to London. I want to stay with you.”

  “Well, you can’t because your mother has custody of you. We have to go along with what she wants.”

  When Braden opened his mouth to argue, she added, “Right now, it’s time for bed. It’s been a big day. Even brave Marines need sleep.”

  The security guard said, “Their rooms are on the third floor in suite 302.”

  Marshall said, “I’ll show them where it is. Has their stuff arrived?”

  The guard nodded. “Ms. Bentley, Mr. Havre would like you try do decode that message once Braden is in bed.”

  “Sure. I’ll be down in thirty minutes or so. This young man needs a shower before he gets into bed.”

  “I don’t think they are in a huge hurry. The message might not even be important, but anything the analysts can’t decode worries them.