The Hawker Series Volume Three by Randy Wayne White

Author:Randy Wayne White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2017-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

thirteen

“The Iraqis are behind the terrorist bombings that have killed seven families in the Washington area in the last eight weeks.”

James Hawker sat in a Jacuzzi in his posh hotel suite, hot water sudsing around his neck, a cold bottle of Tüborg in his left hand, the telephone in his right. The Jacuzzi was in a room walled with mirrors, and he saluted himself with the beer as he spoke.

“The Iraqis?” echoed the voice of Agent Lester Rehfuss. “It can’t be the Iraqis. Not the Iraqi Embassy, anyway.”

“What do you mean, ‘It can’t be’?”

“Because it can’t be the Iraqi Embassy, that’s why.”

Feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach, Hawker sank lower into the tub. “That’s what the guy told me, Lester. He told me he was fighting for the freedom of the Iraqi people.”

“The freedom of the Iraqi people, huh?”

“Yeah. The guy had a real way with words.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t lying?”

“How in the hell could I be sure of that? Do I look like a mind reader to you? Anyway, why are you so sure these bastards aren’t working out of the Iraqi Embassy?”

“Because we’ve had all the Mideastern embassies watched. Last night the terrorists were traveling in a stolen truck they had painted like a laundry delivery truck. And no such truck entered or exited the Iraqi Embassy.”

“Yeah? At what embassy was it seen?”

“At no embassy. There were no suspicious comings or goings from any of the embassies last night or the night before that. Of course, there are thousands of embassy employees in this town. They could be working out of a private residence. We can’t watch them all.”

“I’m starting to feel frustrated, Lester. And when I get frustrated, I get mad.”

“Maybe you’re spending too much time looking through that telescope of yours. By the way, how was that asteroid shower you were supposedly tracking?”

Sitting in the Jacuzzi, James Hawker remembered how he had driven safely away from the block where he had confronted the terrorists. He had returned to the park and set up his telescope once again. Then he inserted the low-power eyepiece and focused on the area of dark sky just above the trees to the west. At 4:30 A.M. the rim of sky turned a brilliant pulsating white, then orange, then yellow. The rumble that followed shook the earth and made the leaves of the trees rustle.

“The asteroid shower,” said Hawker, “was well worth the wait. It was great.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re among the very few who thinks so. I hate to say it, James-boy, but not everyone appreciates what you did last night.”

Hawker sat up stiffly in the whirlpool. “What?”

“You heard me. You committed the unpardonable crime of making sure the hostages lived. All of them—the woman, both children, and the husband too—”

“The husband? Hey, that’s good news. He’s going to make it, huh?”

“Looks like it. He’s in intensive care in guarded condition, but the prognosis is positive. But that’s not the point, Hawk. The point is, all four of those people saw you.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.