Page 78 of Shadowed Agenda
“Shadow Defense?” a tall black man asked. He was about their age and dressed in an Oak Lake PD uniform.
“Pavlo Barislov, Drake Reeves, and Finlay Giammarino,” Pavlo said.
“Captain Jake Brownlee. Call me Jake. We’re pretty informal around here. Only the newbies call me Captain. We’ve set up in the kitchen.” He locked the door behind them and ushered them into the kitchen. A stocky woman in her early twenties, dressed in the same navy uniform as the Captain, was holding a pair of binoculars. Her attention was fixed on Mackenzie’s place.
An older red-headed man in a sports jacket had been working on a laptop at the kitchen table. He got up and held out his hand. “Detective Seamus O’Brien. Everyone calls me Red. Shirley is the one who has been our eyes on the place. The angel making coffee is Clara, Karlee’s sister.” The woman in her late seventies smiled. “She let us in. Karlee and her husband live here year-round. They’re on vacation in Europe.”
Pavlo introduced everyone again.
“Have you been able to spot our men?”
“They’ve been propped up against a wall in the dining room. Both are unconscious and still alive. No gunshot wounds are visible. We believe they were baited and left the car. Our guess is the guys struck them with a pistol butt. One of them moved his head, and Shirley saw blood on the wall,” Jake said, rubbing his hand across his chin.
“Captain, they’re finishing their second beer,” Shirley said, not moving from her post. She sat cross-legged on the counter in front of a kitchen window.
“We need to get rolling before they’re wasted,” Jake said. “It must have been quite the ride from New York. The two men started drinking as soon as they arrived. The third one joined in after making a call.”
“He was letting whoever is calling the shots know Emmeline is back at the cottage,” Pavlo said.
“It’s what we figure. The alarm system isn’t on. It’s the only thing in our favor. We’re guessing she told the men she kept it off because the kids kept tripping it. Mackenzie is a smart woman. I think she’s trying to make our access to the house easier,” the Captain said, his expression grim. “Your team members at the Senator’s house are in place and are waiting for Ms. Christenson to arrive. I’ve got three men backing them up. One is our K9 specialist. We’re not the only ones watching the place.”
“FBI?” Pavlo raised his eyebrows. “They’re aware of the threat to the Senator.”
“They usually travel in twos. This guy is alone. The car is a rental,” Jake said. “We didn’t want to tip him off that we’d seen him. My K9 officer got into his running gear and took his dog for a run in the cul-de-sac. He noticed the guy kept looking at his watch.”
“He’s waiting for Regan. The accident changed the timeline for her arrival,” Drake pointed out.
“That’s what my officer thought. We’re treating the guy as a suspect and observing him for now. Your agent in charge agreed with my officer’s assessment. Talia isn’t what they expected.” He shook his head and grinned.
“She used her tactical knife to cut off the legs of her jeans to make a pair of booty shorts, added a tight t-shirt knotted, and put her hair in a ponytail. She passed herself off as a sixteen-year-old taking a shortcut to meet a boy her parents didn’t like,” Red laughed.
“While she was begging them not to tell her parents what she was up to, she placed an audio bug in the suit jacket pockets of the three security guards watching the property and another in a sunroom window. It’s where she suspects Mrs. Aster will meet with Ms. Christenson. All bugs are transmitting clearly.” Jake’s grin turned into a wide smile.
“That sounds like Talia,” Pavlo chuckled. She never let them down, and he had to believe she wouldn’t this time. Talia would handle whatever was about to go down. Pavlo needed to focus on the men drinking in Mackenzie’s kitchen.
“What does she normally do?” Red asked.
“Sniper. Best we have,” Drake said.
“That would explain her choice of weapon and why she’s now sitting in a tree,” Red said. “I’ve pulled up the floor plan for Mackenzie’s place.”
Pavlo and Drake moved to the kitchen table.
“Shirley has a direct view into the kitchen and dining room,” Red said and pointed to the floor plan on the laptop. “The main floor is an open concept. Ceiling-to-floor windows run the length of the house, facing the lake. The kitchen and dining area is here.” The cursor circled the southwest corner of the floor plan. “There’s a picture window facing us. It’s given Shirley a clear view of the three men.”
“Thank you,” Pavlo said as Clara handed him a cup of coffee. He took an appreciative sip. Red was right. The woman was an angel. “Bottom line. We can see clearly into the home from the front, but they can see us just as clearly.”
“Sums it up,” Jake said as he sipped his coffee.
“Who have you got to back us up besides you and Red?” Drake asked.
“Two of my officers are watching the back of the place. The guy fishing out in front…” The captain paused and pointed out the window. “He was off today and hoped to get in some fishing. I don’t think this is what he expected. He’s our sniper. Rifle is on the floor of the boat. He’s wearing Kevlar under the life jacket. He’ll move closer to shore when we give him the word.”
“Any idea of where Mackenzie and the kids are?” Pavlo asked. He wanted to make sure they weren’t around if there was a firefight.
“The kids’ rooms are on the second floor facing us. From what I can tell, Mackenzie has laid her three down for a nap, and they’re asleep,” Shirley said, and they all turned to her. “I don’t need audio to know what happened. Emmeline was hysterical when they brought her into the house. The other three joined in. The men were shouting at her to make the kids shut up. You ever had four kids crying at the same time?”
“I’m happy to say no,” Drake replied.