Chapter 49

49

Shaw was inside the post office at the head of the staging room. Sitting on a desk with his four men on folding chairs in a loose circle in front of him they looked like hunters around a campfire.

This was a hunting party meetup all right, Shaw thought. Just between him and his fellow top-tier operators from the firm. The sort of meeting that needed a firmly closed door.

Behind Shaw on the Smart Board was a Google Earth view of the restaurant. Alongside that were photos from its website that gave them a feel for the interior layout, and at the bottom were the driver's license photos of Jodi Cushing and Colleen Doherty.

"Okay, gentlemen. I know I went over this briefly but as we are about to go in, I'm going to lay it all down again in detail. We are looking at an extraction of this subject here. Jodi Cushing, fifty, white, blonde female approximately 160 to 170 pounds."

"Health issues?" Tejada said.

Shaw watched as Tejada, a stocky light-skinned Hispanic from Texas who wore a goatee, spat chewing tobacco into a Dunkin' Donuts cup. A former Green Beret just like Shaw, he had worked with Tejada many times before. He was as solid as possible.

"None," Shaw said. "No health issues, but she isn't going to be winning any triathlons anytime soon like you, Tejada, so a light touch is in order to avoid any heart attacks or other problems."

Tejada nodded and spat.

"Inside the establishment," Shaw continued, "judging by the vehicles left in the parking lot, we estimate at least six but up to as many as twelve other occupants. These people are not hostile per se, but were caught inside when the lights went out. We can assume that they are, on the whole, mostly pretty scared and confused. But scared people can be quite dangerous, so be on your guard at all times."

Shaw scanned faces for any concerns and found none.

"We have to assume," he said, turning with the laser pointer, "that they have fortifications at the front door here and the back kitchen door here. That's why the plan is to come in with the BearCat here on Route 4 and turn their focus to here on the right."

He pointed the laser along the wall of the restaurant's banquet room.

"Then in a flanking move, we breach directly into the structure at this point here. Around the east side in the parking lot, we blast this wall down and it will be a straight line inside."

"What kind of structure? Wood frame?" Carpenter said as he sat idly flicking a Spyderco knife open and closed with his thumb.

"Wood frame and clapboard," Shaw said. "The building is over a hundred years old."

Carpenter nodded. Skinny and clean shaven with glasses, Carpenter, a former Army Ranger, looked studious, almost nerdy.

Looks could be deceiving, Shaw thought as he watched the oiled blade go snicker-snak.

"What kind of room is beyond the breach wall? The kitchen?" Tejada said.

"No, it's a banquet room so it should be empty. The gas line feed is actually on the other side of the building, so you don't have to worry about that."

"You hear that, Carpenter? Gas line?" Tejada said. "You make sure you Goldilocks that charge, four-eyes. As in make it just right. I don't need to wake up in hell tonight."

"On it," Carpenter said, nodding.

"Carpenter and Tejada," Shaw said, pointing at them, "you are the breach team. We are going in stealth so I want noise discipline at all times, radios on lowest setting and no talking. After I drive the BearCat into position at this corner, you are to go on my command."

They nodded.

"Azar, Shahu," Shaw said, turning to them, "you are the entry. Utilizing cover and moving quickly through the breached opening, you will enter in behind your ballistic shields to this door here. After opening it and deploying flash bangs, you will identify yourself loudly as FBI before entering the main area. There you will identify the main target here, Jodi Cushing, and bring her and any and all pocket litter back out the way you came."

"What kind of resistance can we expect?" Shahu said.

"Not much," Shaw said. "Maybe a concealed carry handgun. Two at the most. I spoke to the chief. He said the owner is some sort of anti-gun tree hugger type, so no shotgun under the counter here. Even so, of course we move by the book as usual, maintaining cover and concealment and stay well spaced to avoid any cross fire."

"Any threat from the subject herself?" said Azar.

"Probably not. But never say never, so go by SOP. You know the drill. Get control, pat down, handcuffs, the whole nine."

"Rules of engagement?" said Tejada.

"Besides not harming the target, there are none. You see a threat, neutralize it."

"Contingency plans?"

This came from Carpenter.

"Anything unexpected, you retreat the way you came in. I will be in the BearCat and move to you. If the subject moves or anything changes, I will have eyes on the front and side."

"We are sure this woman is in there?" Tejada said.

"We're sure."

That wasn't completely true, but Shaw was done playing games. It was his call.

"Wouldn't it be better to induce a ruse?" said Carpenter.

He had stabbed the desk with his knife and was cleaning his glasses now.

He was talking about smoking them out, Shaw knew. He wished. If it were up to him, he'd set the whole back of the structure aflame and watch them flee out the front like rats from a burning ship. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"Not in this case," Shaw said almost ruefully. "The risk to the subject is too great."

"When do we go?" asked Shahu, who was the shyer of his two Afghani kill dogs.

"Why, Shahu? You have a hot date or something?" Shaw said.

That made them laugh, loosened them up. Of course, it did. Shaw was a master at this. Some men were born to lead.

"Is this like déjà vu or what?" said Carpenter. "Am I the only one who thinks this feels just like an op back in Afghanistan?"

"Yeah," said Tejada, "except this staging area smells like stamp glue and farts instead of goat shit. I don't know which is worse."

Shaw checked his watch.

"We go in twenty, gentlemen," Shaw said, standing. "So, get your rear in gear."