Retribution by Michael Byars Lewis

Author:Michael Byars Lewis [Lewis, Michael Byars]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: suspense, thriller, Military
ISBN: 9780991476442
Google: z1e-ugEACAAJ
Amazon: B07CHPNY91
Publisher: SATCOM Publishing
Published: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

14

June 6, 1994

* * *

The sun’s reflection highlighted the numerous scratches on the outside of the weather-beaten bubble. Jason sat in the nose bubble, peering through the worn, yellowed plexiglass. Despite its flaws, it was still the best view aside from the pilot’s seats. He was still disturbed, yet unsure why. The uneasiness wasn’t from the uncomfortable seats, and it wasn’t due to turbulence. The initial bounces they’d experienced went away as they’d entered their holding pattern earlier. The discomfort he felt was from the strange financier. Philip Ashford gave him a funny feeling, and not “funny” in the humorous context.

He crawled out of the seat in the nose of the plane and through the tunnel underneath the two pilots. They both grinned at him. Harry had a big dip of Skoal in his bottom lip and spit into a bottle. Bill chewed on an unlit cigar, no doubt reminiscing about the “good old days.” It was cramped quarters in the cockpit, but even more so in the back. Jason unplugged his headset, slid past Ashford, and crawled toward the tail bubble. The bags had shifted, and a glint of daylight pierced the heavy plastic into the fuselage.

Jason moved the bags, one over the other, to reach the back of the bomber. As he picked up a smaller one, a pile of booklets fell to the floor. The zipper was undone, and with closer inspection, he found it broken. He gathered the spilled contents and realized it was the program for today's ceremony. After he replaced the booklets in the bag, he kept one and wedged himself in the tail bubble. He found the comm panel and plugged his headset in.

This booklet was no small project. It cost some cash to make this. More importantly, it listed every activity taking place today, in England and France, and was written in both languages. Page after page described the different aircraft participating in the ceremony and their relation to D-Day. What intrigued him most, however, was the schedule and list of dignitaries. He skimmed through until he reached the biography of Colonel Dandre Gaudet.

Jason read the bio, and at the bottom, he found what he thought tied everything together. Colonel Gaudet had recently returned to France following his command of a small group of the French forces participating in the non-combatant evacuation of western citizens from the war-torn streets of Rwanda.

It made sense now. Gaudet was in command of a unit while Ashford and his family were in Rwanda. Was he the man to blame? Ashford seemed to think so. He hated the man.

Jason ran everything over in his mind. Ashford objected vehemently when Jason was brought onboard the trip. Why? He was just another body. Certainly, cost wasn’t a factor. Bill said having three of them would get the plane home two days earlier, saving money. No one in the other aircraft or at the ceremonies would know he was in here. So why the problem?

Crawling back toward his seat, Jason grabbed the newspaper and scrambled back to the tail bubble.

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