Well, three. Penny occasionally stepped outside to contact her crew stationed at Teterboro. What was taking them so long? Lieutenant Starkey, who’d lived in Annapolis, guessed, to avoid being spotted, Mrs. Walker might’ve stayed clear of I-95 and took meandering Route 301 over the Bay Bridge and through Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
“Come on, out with it,” Anne whispered to her new husband/partner who’d been fidgeting and moaning.
Whispered reply, “It’s probably nothing, I just—have you spoken with Jake lately?”
“What? A little. He didn’t say much at the ceremony, and that business with the rings.”
Now awake, Richard sighed. “He’s got a friend. One of the cooks. You know, a friend?”
“Oh? That’s nice. About time, too. He works hard all day and up half the night recording the plants, which native, and which are alien, and I – “
“No, no, that’s not it. I saw them holding hands! Matter of fact—yes, he was with the boys last night, right here.” The whisper had a growl. “We have to do something—say something. I mean, you don’t think he—our son?”
The last was loud enough to waken the other occupants and chuckles echoed around the stuffy interior of the Jeep. “This isn’t funny! It’s not!” Which only served to amp up the giggles.
“Is it Magritte you’re talking about,” said Penny yawning.
“So that’s his name?” said Richard worriedly, but then, “Magritte? Isn’t he . . . ?”
“Our chef, yes, and it’s his daughter and her name is Nicole. Lives in Paris with the mother, here for the summer with the father. Sixteen, very sweet, long dark hair.”
“Long dark—I never saw it—she was always wearing that big white stove-pipe thingy—“
Real laughter exploded in the chilled car until Penny put her hand up as her mobile phone chirped. It was Starkey.
The Chrysler wagon was spotted driving through the gates of the small Airport. It didn’t pause but bounced across the grassy field to stop beside the Cessna 280, preparing to unload. It was quite a surprise for Mrs. Walker to find not her husband but Starkey in the pilot’s seat. She actually tried to run off – into the arms of the MPs.
“Daddy! Daddy!” The boys, both under seven, were on Walker’s lap, one telling him of his soccer scores, the other how far he’d progressed in math. His wife, a pert bleached blonde with love-handles and a too-quick false smile, sat facing him. Prior to their arrival, Clark had the restraints removed so as not to frighten the kids. The fifty corpsmen had been dismissed.
Only Clark, now in battle fatigues with a side-arm, was inside to horse trade with his former adjutant. He gave him a choice: it was the family with him when it blows or he spills the beans. Silence. The news that the commune was not rigged came minutes before, when he stood to hug his wife. He’d whispered desperately, “Honey, no matter what, you and the boys have to get down those big stairs before five, hear me?”
“You wouldn’t—you couldn’t!” Walker responded to the general. It didn’t take long for the colonel to see reason. Clark had started towards the air-lock doors when, “Wait!”
Clark turned but did not approach the family. Instead, he took Walker to the far end of the dome and grabbed two chairs. When they were seated, Walker, nervously hyper-ventilating, blurted out, “The boys – they’re just four and six—you’re practically their grandfather!”
“There were thirty or so children that you were prepared to sacrifice—“
“No—no. I only rigged the dome to blow, not the commune.”
“But if we hadn’t figured out your plans, and found you, in less than three hours the dome would erupt, sending steel and heavy glass plates crashing down as a two hundred and forty people came rushing up in their pajamas trying to get out. How many would be crushed, how many feet sliced to ribbons? You and your family will remain here and get the full effect of your expertise at five o’clock.”
Walker, gulping to catch his breath, murmured, “All right.”
In less than a half hour the entire plot, plan and exercise was spelled out, with names and dates and the action dubbed ‘Jersey One.” The family was released and the MPs handcuffed Walker to be taken to Fort Dix and held for further questioning. Clark, following the revealing and shocking account, walked to the car but did not stop. His mind was abuzz with thoughts.
“Richard, quickly rolling down the window, called out, “What did Walker say?”
“No time!” returned the tall man who was heading up in the direction of the cabin.
“I would say since Walker’s being arrested,” Penny guessed, “the works. Also apparently, it’s sufficiently important for Clark to get on the horn and pull rank. It’ll be a while, methinks. Go back to sleep.”
The women did, one of them snoring, but not Richard. His heavy sighs finally produced one from Anne and she whispered, “What—what?”
“Nothing, go back to – well, imagine, shy Jake having a girl friend. Do you think they--?”