The Six Pack Club

Authors Notes:

Napoleon and Cassie return as man and wife in the third episode of my Napoleon Khoric series. As you may remember from their first adventure, ‘The Last Warrior’, Khoric is ex-FBI.  Since becoming a private investigator he’s avoided working with all the three letter government agencies like the plague, despite his past relationship with FBI Special Agent Cassandra Ebberhardt.  However, now that Cassie has retired from the FBI and the two are now equal partners, it seems Cassie’s past may have caught up with her.

     Cassie has received an urgent email from a longtime friend, Susan St. James. The two had attended the FBI academy together. Three years later, Susan was recruited by the CIA. After some discussion, Cassie talks Napoleon into driving from Montana to Minnesota to visit Susan at her parent’s home in Perry Cove to get the whole story.

     The second part of this story revolves around six boys, and a promise made by their parents; complete their junior year with a B average or better and receive two weeks of freedom, alone and unsupervised in the remote river wilderness of northern Minnesota.  They call themselves the Six Pack Club.

     Once they arrive at the St. James farm, Susan tells Cassie and Napoleon the whole story. One of her operatives, Lance Hawk, a native Chippewa Indian, has been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security but has come up missing. To make matters worse, he is in possession of something he stole from the Russians, although the Department of Homeland Security won’t tell the CIA what it is.

     In the meantime, Lance Hawk seeks the help of his brother Samuel and the both of them take shelter in Samuel’s cabin on the Chippewa Indian Reservation, which brings an unhappy Sheriff Lee Redhawk into the search.

     As the CIA and DHS argue over federal jurisdiction and local authorities work with tribal authorities, Redhawk takes matter into his own hands after one of his deputies is killed and Cassie and Susan are kidnapped by the Russians and held on an abandoned lake resort on the reservation.  While all this is going on the Six Pack Club, while on their own adventure, inadvertently become involved in a dangerous chase that threatens Khoric’s life.

PREVIEW

At 0730 hours, halfway through the hour long briefing, a woman from Susan St. James’s admin staff came in and handed her a note and then quietly left.  Trying not to disturb the others she slowly unfolded the note.  It was like all the air in the room had been sucked out, leaving her with one deep gasp.

     Sitting next to her was Aaron Driscoll, her Branch Chief and close friend/mentor.

     “Are you alright?” he whispered as he tried to read the note in her hand.

     Without a word Susan turned the note just enough so he could read it.

     Compromised! Meet me. 67951

     Five minutes later her agency issued iPhone vibrated as the small red light blinked.  Pushing another button on the back of the phone turned off the light and at the same time sent a precoded message to the caller. She sprinted to the elevators and took the first available one to the basement level.  Another short sprint took her to a set of double steel doors. To the side a retinal scanner’s red light glowed.  Lowering her head she peered into the scanner until a green light appeared and the door’s lock clicked.

     She followed a short hallway that led to a large room lit only by the lights of thirty large monitors hung on two walls.  Each analyst monitored two smaller monitors from their work stations.  Aaron Driscoll and Kara Black stood behind Abraham Abu, one of the analyst assigned to the CONUS Nuclear Threat Analysis (CNTA) team.  Both of his monitors displayed a sequence of garbled data.

     “What the hell happened?” Susan asked, taking a seat next to Abu as she stared at the monitors.  

     “I got an encrypted email from 67951 … Lance Hawk.  Someone broke into his assigned safe house last night.  Lance was on his personal secure network at the time.  The guy ordered him at gunpoint to open his agency network.  Long story short, Lance pretended to obey, but when he typed in a fake security code it triggered an alarm on his computer as well as the entire house.  It also locked down his workstation computer in here.  The flash of light and alarm startled the intruder long enough for Lance to pull his gun and dispatch the guy.”

     “Does Homeland know about this?” Driscoll asked.

     “I would have to assume they do,” St. James replied, “however, we’ve had no contact with them since Lance was assigned to their task force.  He’s under their complete control now.  We don’t have any idea what his mission is.”

     “My first concern is how this guy got Hawk’s code sequence and most importantly, how the hell did he get into that house.  It’s a virtual SCIF (Secret Compartmented Information Facility), with our most advanced security system.  Until we figure that out I have no choice but to call him in for his own safety.”

                                                            ******

It was initially established as a sanctuary, a place to escape to after school and on weekends once their chores were done. The rules were simple; no one would be in charge; all members had equal say; a democracy of sorts.  When disagreements did arise, a bout of arm wrestling or Indian leg wrestling generally settled things.  Adults and girls were strictly forbidden … a show of independence.  That limited the club membership to just the six … hence the name ‘The Six Pack Club’.

    Six boys, coming of age in their sixteenth year, looking to prove themselves as men.  To accomplish this all the parents had reluctantly come to an agreement.  The reward for good grades was freedom … freedom for two weeks … on their own … no supervision.  No electronic devices.  The boys referred to it as a quest to prove their manhood; the ultimate challenge.  They’d dreamed about this trip for several months, each with their own expectations and fears.  At one time or another they had all fallen asleep in their warm sleeping bags during weekend camping trips while listening to the distant howling of timber wolves, only to be awakened on crisp, cold mornings by the cry of a loon. 

     “Aren’t you guys a little scared about going out there … alone … for two weeks?” Ernie Crocker asked out of the blue.

     “Are you turning pussy on us now, Ernie?” Jack McComb harped.

     “No, I’m not turning pussy you ass, it’s just that we’re going a long way this time … for a long time.  We have to go through the Hemlock Valley and the Limestone Bog.  There’s some pretty creepy stories about those places.” They had all heard the stories of Big Foot sightings conjured up over the years … and so had their mothers.

     “Yeah, we know. That’s why we’re going.” Lonnie Schimidt jumped up and grabbed a Crossman BB gun that hung in a place of honor on the clubhouse wall.  “I wish I could bring my dad’s rifle. I’d like a crack at a Big Foot.”  He brought the BB gun to his shoulder as if he was going to shoot. “POW, POW, got the hairy bastard!”

     “Yeah, and now that you got him what the hell are you going to do with him?” Freddy Hastings teased.

     “Skin him and hang his hide in here on the wall.”
     Everyone laughed except Ernie.  “That’s not funny, Lonnie,” he scolded.  “All this talk about Big Foot is making me nervous.  Besides, you know damn well there’s no such thing.”

     “The hell there isn’t,” Jack protested.

     “Says who?” Freddy shook his head, knowing another one of Jack’s stories was to follow.

     “My uncle Carl, that’s who.  He said he saw one up at Moose Lake, big as God damn life.  He even talked to it.”
     “Ahhh, that’s bullshit and you know it, Jack,” Eric St. James chortled. “How many beers did he drink before this apparition appeared before him?”
     “He wasn’t drunk … he was dead serious. Uncle Carl said a whole family of them live up there in the Hemlock Valley.”

     “Jesus Christ … a whole family!” The color began to drain from Ernie’s face.

     “Yeah,” Jack began to grin as they all realized he was bullshitting them.  “There was Papa Big Foot, Mama Big Foot, and all the baby Big Foots,” he snorted and laughed. “And you should get a load of Mama Big Foot; she’s got tits out to here!” Jack cupped his hands and held them about a foot from his chest.

     “That’s some pretty big tits,” Eric laughed. “Pretty hairy too.”

     “That don’t matter to me,” Jack retorted, “Tits are tits, that’s all I’m saying.”

     They all broke down in raucous laughter.  Even Ernie seemed a little relieved.

                                                            ******

Deputy Sergeant Virginia Brooks and Sheriff Sonny Trask walked into the Perry Cove Police Station. Mary Crawford, the receptionist, didn’t say a word.  She had a look of disgust on her face and just nodded towards Trask’s office.

     “You want me to wait out here?” Brooks asked.

     “No. Come with me. I want you privy to anything that goes on in there,” Trask acknowledged.

     Without another word Brooks followed Trask into his office where two black suits greeted them; one seated in Sonny’s chair, the other on the sofa along the wall.

     “Gentlemen, make yourself right at home … please.” The tone of his voice brought the man sitting in his chair to his feet.  Trask and Brooks met them in the center of the room where they shook hands. 

     “Agent Lawrence Mayfield; this is Agent Craig Morris.”

     “FBI?” Trask sounded surprised.

     “No.” The two agents flashed their credentials. “Homeland Security.”

     Brooks’ eyes turned ice cold.  “I thought I smelled a rat.”

     “What the hell does that mean” Mayfield responded tersely.

     “I was working on an undercover assignment with your people six years ago.  You were looking for an individual who used to live here.  You claimed he was stealing secrets from the company he worked for and selling them to the Chinese. You used me to help interrogate his parents. It turns out your so called intelligence was inaccurate to say the least.”

     Mayfield didn’t react.

     “Okay, introductions are over with,” Trask cut in, interrupting the potential for hostilities.  “What’s your business here this time?”

     “We’re looking for someone.” Mayfield reluctantly admitted.

     “Again!” Trask retorted angrily.  “You know, for a small town like ours, you guys seem unusually obsessed with our citizenry for some strange reason.  Who is it this time?”

     “Lance Hawk.”

                                                            ******

After the first day on the river:

     “The current’s pretty slow here,” Freddy said. “If we’re going to make it to the cabin we need to pick up the pace.”

     “What’s your damn hurry?” Jack blurted out. “We got another three hours before sunset.”
      Freddy seemed surprised by Jack’s sudden outburst. “It’s another two hours to Jasper Ponds and then we have to set up camp and catch our supper.  I don’t want to do all that in the dark.”

     Jack didn’t respond, instead he dug his oar into the water and he and Eric paddled away.  Eric shrugged his shoulders as he looked back at Freddy and Ernie.

     “Damn, what’s got into him?” Ernie said to Freddy as they sat together in their canoe watching Eric and Jack paddle ahead.

     “Ahhh, he’s just being Jack,” Freddy grumbled.  “Just because he’s the oldest he thinks he’s the boss.”

     Eric and Jack took the lead, Jack heavy on the paddle as if trying to distance himself from the others.

     “You know you’re going to ruin this for everyone,” Eric scolded sharply, but got no response as Jack paddled even faster. “Slow down damn it and quit being such an ass for once.”

     “Who you calling an ass?” Jack turned from his position in the bow.

     “I don’t see anyone else in this canoe … do you?”

     “Sorry,” Jack seemed to calm down.  “I guess I’m a little jealous of Freddy, that’s all.”

     “Jealous … of what?”

     “Him and his dad … they’re always doing things together … you know, like hunting and fishing, and those extended trips they go on.  I wish my dad would … Hell, never mind.  I guess things are just the way they are.  Ain’t nothing I can do to change it.”
     Eric knew the McComb family had had its problems over the years and at times Jack’s father had gotten drunk and stormed out of the house after getting into a fight with his mother.  He couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.

     “Hey, do me a favor … just between the two of us,” Eric suggested. “Forget about life at home. We’re on a quest, like we talked about. If we make a mistake out here it will affect all of us. Don’t be the rotten apple in the barrel Jack. Promise me that.”
     “What made you so smart, St. James?” Jack grinned.

     “Smarts have nothing to do with it, man. It’s all common sense and a will to survive.  This is only the first day for Christ sake. If we start getting on each other now, we’ll never make it through the first week, and I sure as hell don’t want to go back and tell my dad we didn’t have what it takes to make it.”
     Jack pursed his lips and nodded.  “Yeah, I can just hear my old man now, “the boy ain’t got no balls.”

    They both laughed as they waited for the others to catch up.

                                                            ******

I have always been in favor of the CIA taking care of their own, and had done my best to stay out of their way, but being a Native American I also understood the possible repercussions should they get involved with tribal laws on the Chippewa Indian Reservation. Before I knew it I was suddenly involved in this mysterious search for Lance Hawk, and I wasn’t too happy about it.

     We arrived at the reservation around eleven thirty. When we walked into the police station Deputy Luke Stonewalker escorted us into the sheriff’s office.

     Sheriff Lee Redhawk sat behind his desk, his dark eyes glaring as the four of us walked in.  He wasn’t a particularly large man, but he looked muscular and could probably take on any man, of any size, if it came to that.  His black hair was short, almost military like, which surprised me.  He wore a black tie, his tan uniform was pressed crisp and his badge was polished clean.

     Four chairs had been lined up in front of his desk; obviously he’d been expecting us.  We all took a seat before any words were spoken.  Redhawk took his time as he seemed to be assessing each of us before getting to the business at hand.

     “I inquired with a friend of mine at the agency last night,” he began.  “I wanted to know what rights they had, if any, here on my reservation.  According to my friend,” he paused, “they have none. So, my next question is; what the hell are you doing here Miss St. James, and who are these people you have brought with you?”

     Susan straightened and took a deep breath. “You’re right; I have no right to be here without your permission.  For that I apologize.  This is Napoleon Khoric and his wife Cassandra.  Cassie and I used to work together when we were both with the FBI.  Napoleon is also a former Special Agent, but he and Cassie are now private investigators.

     “Khoric … I’ve heard that name before,” Redhawk pondered.

     “I’m sure you have, but don’t believe everything you’ve read about me.  I’m only here as a friend.”

     “And you probably thought being another Native American you could somehow influence me … is that it?”

     “Something like that, although I’m having second thoughts about that right now. I don’t want to step on any toes here Sheriff.  Susan only wants to locate Hawk, that’s all.  If he’s in trouble I’d assume you’d do what you can to help a member of your tribe, but that’s your call.”

     Redhawk leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, his face tilted towards the ceiling. “I still have strong feelings for Lance, but I need assurances from the Agency and the FBI, or whatever damn government entity is involved, that they stay the hell off my reservation. Can you promise me that?”

     “Yes I can,” Susan gave her promise.”

     “Good. Then you find Lance and get the hell out of my hair … the sooner the better.”

                                                            ******

It was dangerous to leave the bodies where they’d soon be discovered, so Samuel Hawk started his SUV and, one by one, retrieved the bodies of each intruder and took them to a remote location where they would be buried later.

     His location, now compromised, presented a new problem however.  He had no idea who they were, or how they found this place, but he had a good idea. It took the remainder of the night and early morning to complete the task of removing the three bodies and then hiking back to confiscate the ATV they’d left behind.  Once completed, he retrieved his cell phone and sent a text.

    ‘ALL CLEAR’

     The sounds of footsteps on the front porch alerted Samuel and in the time it took to blink, his Glock was pointed towards the door.

     “Don’t shoot,” a voice warned.

     Samuel lowered his weapon.  “Come on in Lance.”

     Lance Hawk opened the door and stepped inside.  “How many?” he asked, staring around the room.

     “Four … one got away.”

     “Damn, you must be slipping in your old age.” Samuel was two years older than Lance.

     “Yeah … I guess.” Samuel holstered his weapon.  “What do you want to do now?”

    Lance had shown up at the cabin after calling Samuel the day before and leaving a coded message only the two of them could decipher.

     “I’m not sure,” Lance turned and looked out the window.  “I still can’t figure out how these guys are tracking me.  I removed the chip from my leg, which now leaves my team blind as to my whereabouts.”

     “I have an idea about that.” Samuel walked over to the cupboard and retrieved a small crowbar and then walked into the bedroom where he pried up one of the floorboards and lifted out a small metal box containing what looked like a square computer disk Lance had brought with him.

     “I think the answer to your problem might be right here in this energy chip you stole from the Russians.”
     “What … you mean you think it’s possible these guys are tracking me through that energy chip?”

     “Yeah, that’s actually what I’m thinking.”

     Lance followed Samuel into the computer room.  Sitting in a chair Samuel connected an external probe to a power supply and turned it on.  Sweeping it over the energy chip it began to chirp.

     “Yeah, just what I thought; they’re not tracking you, brother, they’re tracking this energy chip.” Samuel held up the energy chip to the light. “Hard to believe this little thing has enough power to run almost any electric motor of any size and never has to be recharged.  No wonder the Russians want it back.”

                                                            ******

Susan made an encrypted call to Langley and talked to her boss Aaron Driscoll.  The news was troubling.  Not only were both the DHS and CIA looking for Lance Hawk, it appeared the Russians were too … something to do with a piece of equipment he presumably stole from them.

So, the ball was in St. James’s court. Find Lance Hawk by any means necessary and get him and anything in his possession back to Langley as soon as possible.

     Since I was still remaining neutral, Buck St. James and I had taken the day off to go fishing, while Cassie and Susan had planned on meeting up with Deputy Luke Stonewalker on the Res in hopes of meeting up with Samuel and Luke at the cabin.  Susan was feeling uneasy and having second thoughts about bringing her troubles home with her.

     “Damn, she pounded the steering wheel of her rented SUV.  “I should never have come out to the farm.  Now I got Mom and Dad all worried, not to mention you and Napoleon.”

     “Well, I for one am glad you at least called me,” Cassie countered.  “I know Napoleon has reservations about getting involved with government matters, but that doesn’t mean he won’t go out of his way to help a friend if the need arises.  He’s just cautious, that’s all.”

     The old dirt road was remote and seldom used. When they reached the turn-off, Deputy Stonewalker was there waiting for them.  Susan was surprised to see he was dressed in civilian clothes.

     “I’ll drive,” was all he said.  Cassie could sense he was troubled about something.

     “I’m doing this to help Lance, Susan,” Stonewalker confessed rather bluntly.  “I talked with Samuel last night and he admitted Lance is at the cabin but he will not be there when we get there.  The two of them have to figure out a few things first.”
      The news was troubling to Cassie. ‘Maybe Napoleon was right; this was none of our concern’, she thought.

     The vehicle soon came to a stop.  “We will have to walk from here.”
     After all their gear was gathered they were about to hike to the cabin when Susan suddenly stopped and turned to them. Along the way she had told them about why Lance was in hiding and that the Russians were also looking for him because of something he was in possession of.  The news didn’t set well with Stonewalker.

     “Are you telling me these Russians may know Lance is staying at the cabin?”

     “If they are able to track him somehow … then yes, it’s a possibility.”

    Cassie was about to say something when the first shot rang out; a bullet striking Susan in the right shoulder, knocking her to the ground.  A second shot missed Cassie’s head by just inches, lodging in a tree next to her, the tree bark scraping her face.  Stonewalker was not so lucky.  A bullet penetrated his head about his right ear.  He was dead before he hit the ground.

    Before Cassie could draw her weapon three men emerged from the trees, assault rifles pointed at Susan lying on the ground and Cassie kneeling next to her.

     “Do not speak,” a voice ordered, obviously Russian.  “Do as you are told and nothing will happen to you.”

     “What about …?”

     A hard jolt to the back of her neck knocked Cassie face-down onto the gravel as a wave of nausea churned her stomach. She heard Susan moan before she passed out.

                                                            ******

Agents Mayfield and Brown arrived at the Chippewa Police Station shortly before Sheriff Redhawk, Samuel and Khoric arrived from the crime scene where Deputy Stonewalker had been killed.  Redhawk spoke first.

     “Just so you know …,” he paused to compose himself. “I just lost one of my deputies … and a very close friend.”

     At first I thought he was going to be sick. “Are you alright Sheriff?” I asked, leaning over quietly to ask.

     “Yes.  Sorry about this.”

     Redhawk was glaring intensely at Mayfield in particular as he explained what they had discovered at the ambush site, and what they fear had happened to St. James and Cassie.

     “I’m fed up with your government agents bringing your troubles to my house.  Deputy Stonewalker was going out of his way to help your people … and this man’s wife,” he nodded in my direction.  “I don’t know exactly what they were doing on the reservation, but I am sure Samuel here will be more than willing to explain … if not, he and his brother Lance can join your agent Claire Watson in my jail, until someone can convince me there will be no more damn secrets or trouble.”

     The news of the death of Deputy Stonewalker and the abduction of Susan St. James and Cassandra Ebberhardt came as a shock to agents Mayfield and Brown.

     “I can’t tell you what Lance Hawk and Susan St. James are working on,” Mayfield expounded, doing his best to stay calm and collected, but failing miserably.  “All we can tell you is we know they are still here on the reservation so if you give us access and time to conduct an investigation, I’m sure we can find them and Lance and take them back with us.”

     “Not on my reservation you won’t!” Redhawk made that perfectly clear. “However, you are right about one thing … they are here on the reservation, and from this point on, me and my deputies will conduct our own investigation and rescue.  Samuel and Mr. Khoric here have volunteered to help … haven’t you, Samuel? Khoric?

                                                            ******

The Six Pack Club had found the old forest service cabin they had planned on staying at occupied by Samuel and Lance Hawk. Samuel was gone but Lance had invited them to spend the night camped in the backyard.

     Outside, a fire was going and Lance could hear their voices and laughter.  It brought back memories of when he and Samuel used to camp and fish along the same river with their friends … their blood-brothers, a pact they had sworn to each other that would last forever.

     The clouds overhead had begun to turn crimson as the sun set below the horizon.  Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded inside the cabin.  Immediately recognizing the nature of the alarm, Lance went to the computer room to check the security monitors. The remote sensor a mile from the cabin along the two-track that led to the cabin had been triggered.  Two men on ATVs had just arrived at the trailhead and were preparing to mount an attack on the cabin from the west. Having no doubt the intruders had more men approaching from the south trailhead, Lance ran outside to warn the boys.

     “I don’t want you guys to panic but you have to leave now.”

     “Why … what’s the matter, Lance?” Eric asked fearfully.

     “I’m about to have some unwanted visitors.  I want you all to take the trail leading to the caves to the north.  It’s only about a mile from here.  Do you guys have flashlights?”

     “Yeah, we each brought one,” Freddy replied.

     “Good.  Go get them.”

     Jack quickly rose to his feet.  “What about our canoes and our gear?”
     “You’ll have to leave them here for now, but don’t worry, I’ll watch over them.”

     “What about you?” Eric exclaimed.

     “I’ll be alright.  You guys just follow that trail.  You’ll have all you need in the cave.  When I’m done here, I’ll come and get you, but it probably won’t be until morning.”

     “We should stay and help,” Freddy argued.  “There’s six of us, we could …”
     “No arguments guys,” Lance ordered sternly.  “These guys are armed and they mean business.  You need to leave NOW, and don’t stop until you get there.  I’ll let someone else know where you’re at in case I can’t make it.  By no means are you to leave the cave until someone comes for you. And no matter what you hear, do not come back here … you got that?”

                                                            ******

This is as far as I can take you.  Sheriff Redhawk is on the warpath, not only against the CIA but the Russians as well as he and his deputies make plans to rescue Cassie and Susan. Lance is soon up to his neck in Russians again, and with the help of Khoric and the Six Pack, they end up in hot pursuit of a Russian general who has regained possession of the energy chip and is headed downriver as a major storm brews in hopes of escaping to freedom.