the world , and Reed wouldn’t be needed once that happened.
God help us all.
Chapter 8
“Are you ready to jump?” the chopper pilot said , as Peacock steadied herself. “We’re at 2,300 feet, ground speed 130 mph, you’re good to go.”
“Looks like crops and fields down there.”
“We’re over Harperdean now. Don’t fret. There’s a hospital eight kilometers northeast.”
“Ha, ha, President Monroe isn’t looking for publicity now is he.”
“I’ll pick you up where you land in three hours, no more, no less.”
“Got it.”
Peacock checked her watch and her compass and tumbled out of the chopper. She pulled the cord at 1600 feet and floated serenely toward the ground. She wished she could hit a pause button and stay suspended above the earth forever, but that was not to be. Her feet touched down at seven p.m. on a clear April evening. Her position sat four-tenths of a kilometer to the southwest of Reed’s home. She ditched her chute and jumpsuit, strapped her weapon belt around her waist, and headed for a footpath that ran northeast. If she had the time when she returned, she’d bury her equipment.
Dusk brought with it a chilly breeze. The scent of fertilizer and fresh cut grass seemed strangely familiar. Three glances at her compass and fifteen minutes later , she topped a hill and glimpsed Reed’s house. A sudden shiver filled her. Memories of racing through a tunnel, an explosion, and the communications device in her head malfunctioning flooded in on her. She knew the layout of this house.
The only difference between the Lasswade home and this one was the seclusion element. Here the woods were thinner and the approach open. Nowhere could she hide. She sat down on the top of the hill and ran possible scenarios in her mind. There was one vehicle and no garage. He had to be home.
The British were no longer America’s allies. There would be no friendly release if she were caught.
“Any signs of life inside?” she asked command.
“Satellite’s been watching the house for ten hours. There have been two deliveries and no one has come outside.”
“All right, I’m ahead of schedule. I’m going to observe for a few minutes. Then I’m going to walk down and pay Mr. Reed a visit.”
“You’re just going to wander up?”
“I’m dressed in jeans. My weapons are inside my belt. No one’s going to tip Reed off. As far as he knows, this place is a secret. Besides, if I wait until dark, I might miss my ride home and have to hitch my way to London.”
“You’ll be in the open.”
She didn’t answer. There was a set of windows along both the floors on the east side of the house. If she backed down the hill, walked over to the path going around the left side of the hill, and followed the path down to the house, she’d appear to be a native on a walk.
No sense wasting time if she wanted to see her son. This was the way to earn that right. Five minutes later, she executed her plan and moved down to the house in full sight of anyone who might be looking. There was no movement by a window, no sound, only the chirping of birds and the rustling of the trees in the wind.
She reached the steps and rang the bell, wondering why she knew she was safe. There was no answer, not a movement or a light on. She checked the door again for a bomb. There could be a trigger weapon readied if she opened the door. She tried the knob and the door creaked open as she rolled sideways off the porch. Nothing happened.
Peacock rose and slipped inside. She heard someone say. “Who did Pendleton send?”
The voice came from upstairs. “I’m not armed. Is that you Van Meer? You would be my choice.”
Peacock’s eyes adjusted to the dim light. She slipped up the stairs, pulled out her gun, and flipped on the lights as she entered Reed’s communications lab. A man sat facing away from her.
“Are you Thomas Reed?”
His hand twitched. “And you must be Laverna Smythe Pendleton. So the Americans got here
God help us all.
Chapter 8
“Are you ready to jump?” the chopper pilot said , as Peacock steadied herself. “We’re at 2,300 feet, ground speed 130 mph, you’re good to go.”
“Looks like crops and fields down there.”
“We’re over Harperdean now. Don’t fret. There’s a hospital eight kilometers northeast.”
“Ha, ha, President Monroe isn’t looking for publicity now is he.”
“I’ll pick you up where you land in three hours, no more, no less.”
“Got it.”
Peacock checked her watch and her compass and tumbled out of the chopper. She pulled the cord at 1600 feet and floated serenely toward the ground. She wished she could hit a pause button and stay suspended above the earth forever, but that was not to be. Her feet touched down at seven p.m. on a clear April evening. Her position sat four-tenths of a kilometer to the southwest of Reed’s home. She ditched her chute and jumpsuit, strapped her weapon belt around her waist, and headed for a footpath that ran northeast. If she had the time when she returned, she’d bury her equipment.
Dusk brought with it a chilly breeze. The scent of fertilizer and fresh cut grass seemed strangely familiar. Three glances at her compass and fifteen minutes later , she topped a hill and glimpsed Reed’s house. A sudden shiver filled her. Memories of racing through a tunnel, an explosion, and the communications device in her head malfunctioning flooded in on her. She knew the layout of this house.
The only difference between the Lasswade home and this one was the seclusion element. Here the woods were thinner and the approach open. Nowhere could she hide. She sat down on the top of the hill and ran possible scenarios in her mind. There was one vehicle and no garage. He had to be home.
The British were no longer America’s allies. There would be no friendly release if she were caught.
“Any signs of life inside?” she asked command.
“Satellite’s been watching the house for ten hours. There have been two deliveries and no one has come outside.”
“All right, I’m ahead of schedule. I’m going to observe for a few minutes. Then I’m going to walk down and pay Mr. Reed a visit.”
“You’re just going to wander up?”
“I’m dressed in jeans. My weapons are inside my belt. No one’s going to tip Reed off. As far as he knows, this place is a secret. Besides, if I wait until dark, I might miss my ride home and have to hitch my way to London.”
“You’ll be in the open.”
She didn’t answer. There was a set of windows along both the floors on the east side of the house. If she backed down the hill, walked over to the path going around the left side of the hill, and followed the path down to the house, she’d appear to be a native on a walk.
No sense wasting time if she wanted to see her son. This was the way to earn that right. Five minutes later, she executed her plan and moved down to the house in full sight of anyone who might be looking. There was no movement by a window, no sound, only the chirping of birds and the rustling of the trees in the wind.
She reached the steps and rang the bell, wondering why she knew she was safe. There was no answer, not a movement or a light on. She checked the door again for a bomb. There could be a trigger weapon readied if she opened the door. She tried the knob and the door creaked open as she rolled sideways off the porch. Nothing happened.
Peacock rose and slipped inside. She heard someone say. “Who did Pendleton send?”
The voice came from upstairs. “I’m not armed. Is that you Van Meer? You would be my choice.”
Peacock’s eyes adjusted to the dim light. She slipped up the stairs, pulled out her gun, and flipped on the lights as she entered Reed’s communications lab. A man sat facing away from her.
“Are you Thomas Reed?”
His hand twitched. “And you must be Laverna Smythe Pendleton. So the Americans got here
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