Sisters Without Mercy Ii: the Sheikh

By Clarence J. Moore

After thirty years, Brigadier General Carolyn McKenzie Marshall is retiring and leaving the US Army behind. Shes proud of her accomplishments, especially the formation and training of the first womens jump program in the army. Though looking forward to a new life in Hawaii, shes sad to leave her sisters behind, including her replacement, Col. Dora Aimsley. The two have been through a lot together.

But just three days into retirement, one of Carries past exploits comes back to haunt her and her fellow sisters. Ten years ago, the Sheikh managed to escape destruction when Dora blew up the building in which he and his cohorts were hiding. Now, the Sheikh has returned to exact revenge on Dora and the team who caused him to lose money and face.

The Sheikh means business. Even so, Dora foils his hijacking attempt on the Popes airplane, and the Sheikh retaliates by kidnapping Doras twin daughters and Carrie. Doras training kicks in and with the help of her fellow sisters tries to save her friend, her family, and herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475978841

Clarence J. Moore

Clarence J. Moore is a retired Navy medical technician originally from Baltimore, Maryland. When he retired from the Navy in Oxnard, California he and his wife, Delores Romero Bautista of Seville Spain (now deceased), decided to stay in the area. Clarence now lives in Inyokern, CA with his horses, chickens, dogs and cats; he is currently a Clinical Technician. Clarence and his wife were married for 43 years. He has three children and five grandchildren.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Acknowledgement

To my wife Loli whom I lost to cancer in January 2012.

CHAPTER ONE

At-ten-tion!

The roaring sound of hundreds of heels clicking together rang out on the parade ground as the units were called to attention. The band struck up John Phillip Sousa’s famous march, Stars and Stripes Forever, and the color guard stepped off to the beat of the music. There was a bit of wind on this fine morning and the young Ranger who had been given the honor of carrying the colors had her hands full. The flag was snapping to and fro as if it had a mind of its own. Brigadier General Carolyn McKenzie Marshall stood as straight as she ever had as the color guard passed in review before the platform. Carrie snapped a salute just as she had some thirty years ago when she first entered the Army. After spectacular service in Viet Nam in which she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the President of the United States offered Carrie a choice of assignment. She chose the Jump School at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. Carrie was allowed to set up the first women’s jump program in the U.S. Army. She stood there remembering the beginning. Remembering too, the reasons she and so many others had fought and died for their country as the units passed in review. Chill bumps broke out on her arms. Then she spied the women’s units she had trained. She was also thinking of the women who were sharing the platform with her today. Dora and Regina would be taking over from this day forward. Retirement was not something she looked forward to, but she knew that it comes to everyone sooner or later. It was time for her to move out. The Airborne had changed over the years. Her girls were now a part of the Rangers. She had trained a great bunch of women during her time, but none would ever measure up to Dora and Regina. They were among the finest soldiers to be found anywhere in the world—Black or White, male or female.

Carrie would be leaving today to take up residence in Hawaii. She had saved quite a bit of money during her stint in the Army. She had decided some years ago that she wanted to live where the warm breezes blew all year round and live out her remaining days in comfort. Carrie had bought a beachfront house sitting on an acre of land. It was all paid for, not too close to her neighbors, but not too far away as to be isolated. She knew that she would never be one of those so-called homebodies, but she did look forward to a new life just over the horizon. Her heart pounded with pride as the unit of her first command passed in review. Even those who were no longer in the service had been given special permission to participate in this retirement ceremony.

Eyes Right! All hands of the unit snapped to salute their former boss. She returned their salute in kind. Many of the women had tears in their eyes. Carrie was the woman who had sculpted them into the persons they were today. Words could not express the love shared by these women for Carrie and for each other. Her first command was very special and probably the best ever turned out. After all, Dora, Regina, Lydia, Elizabeth, Christine, Lola, Lil’Bits and others were members of that first unit. In her eyes, Dora was a descendent of the Greek gods, and would never be surpassed by anyone. In truth, Carrie thought of Dora as the daughter she never had. Racism between the two had never been a problem. Dora was one of the reasons Carrie could step down at this time. When Dora brought down the Cambridge Building against orders ten years ago, Carrie was certain that Dora would end up in jail. But the government had put her family in jeopardy. It was decided that morally and legally, they, the government, were at fault and that Dora was, at least morally, if not legally, within her rights to put an end to the people who had tried to murder her entire family.

Dora was reinstated, her record wiped clean. Both she and Regina had earned their present rank of Colonel. Regina was active duty. Dora would continue in her special ops—called on only when her special talents were needed.

Carrie’s thoughts returned to the present. None other than, General Raymond Anthony, her boss was delivering the parting speech at her retirement ceremony. She heard him speak glowingly of her Army career, the unit of women she had formed, and the fact that she had rose through the ranks, through hard work and perseverance to the rank of Brigadier General. What he did not mention was how closely they had worked together in their special ops programs. At one time, the General was one of the most feared men in the service. That didn’t mean that he carried no weight now, but as a general officer, one had to be more discrete. Carrie had always depended on him to help her protect her girls. Unknown to everyone except Carrie—this was a very sad day for General Anthony. He acknowledged her genius without saying exactly what he was feeling. But Carrie knew him well. She probably was the only person alive who could read his every mood.

At the conclusion of his speech, Carrie was called front and center to receive her final decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal from the General. Her command flag was removed from the pole, folded and presented to General Anthony who in turn presented it to Carrie. The flag had flown over the home of the 75th Rangers, her last duty station for several years. Applause and cheers rang out across the parade grounds. It was the end of a legend.

The crowd began dispersing, all except the girls in Carrie’s commands. They were all over her—hugs and kisses, hand shaking from everyone. This was a very emotional day for Carrie. She just wanted to head for the airport. At last, she was able to work her way over to Dora, who snapped a smart salute—then gathered her in her arms. They both had tears in their eyes.

I’m going to miss you, you know. Miss all of you. I don’t know how long it will be before I see you again, said Carrie.

Dora said, Don’t worry about it. I’m just a plane ride away. Dora stepped back so that others could say their good-byes. Finally, Carrie was escorted to the car that was taking her to the airport. She had asked to go alone. She took a last look around the base and gave a final salute to the folks watching her leave and climbed into the car. She took a deep breath to hold back the tears as the car swept through the gates. Carrie was on her way to begin a new life.

Dora was staying at Ft. Benning with Regina tonight, but she would be leaving first thing in the morning to get back to California and her family.

The two of them along with the other ‘sisters’ would spend most of the night gabbing. The girls were of two minds about Carrie retiring. They were happy for her. Happy—that she was finally putting the Army behind her and attempting to live a normal life. She had given much to her country and her loyalty had never been questioned. At Regina’s house, the girls went over and over the events of the past years. Finally, Regina turned to Dora and the others and told them Don’t worry. Carrie will be okay. She will do well at whatever she decides to do. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she doesn’t end up running for public office. You never know.

Now, let’s kick back and enjoy our Margaritas. I offer a toast—to Carrie.

Hear! Hear! said the ‘sisters’. Dora smiled. The girl will never change.

David lay in his empty bed, wishing that Dora were home. He missed her terribly when she was away, even if it was only for one night. He wished fervently that Dora would give up the military, but he knew she wouldn’t until she was ready. He had to admit, that in spite of the separations, they’d had a good life. He was fortunate to have finally gotten Dora to marry him. Then God smiled on him again when he gave them their beautiful twin girls. Destiny and Tiffany were very much like their mother and he knew he was blessed to have captured the heart of this beautiful lady. He also knew that Dora and her team members would be having a ball tonight. And he was right. The girls began challenging each other to Tequila shots. Regina warned them that they would be sorry in the morning, but they just laughed and kept on going. Then Elizabeth stood and offered a toast to General Carrie Marshall, the best boss anyone ever had—the ‘cat’s meow.’ The girls snapped to attention and yelled, To the General. This was only one of many toasts that continued throughout the evening.

Morning came fast. All around were the telltale signs of too much tequila on the faces of the ‘sisters.’ But headaches and hangovers notwithstanding, they all had to get back to work. Dora had a plane to catch. Regina chauffeured Dora to the airport. They hugged each other promising to talk later in the week. Dora boarded the plane for the three and a half-hour flight home and her family.

Carrie arrived at her new home on the island of Kauai. She still wasn’t sure retirement had a place in her life as yet. She had salted away a lot of money over the years from both her military pay and various investments and she was a self-made woman. Using the Airborne as a cover, she had managed to infiltrate what was possibly the largest most sophisticated crime syndicate in the world and help bring it down. Dora and her team had played a big part in the decimation of the ring. Indeed, Dora had blown up most of the bosses in the Cambridge Building some ten years ago. Carrie had walked a fine line between good and evil in order to win the confidence of the bosses. They knew her as a killing machine; a hard-nosed woman who had trained other women to be just as hard-nosed as herself. They all believed they had recruited an extraordinary Army turn coat. Some of the bosses trusted her, some of them didn’t. They were the wise ones.

Carrie worked behind the scenes for a few years to get the dirt on this organization. When the time was right, she brought Dora and her ‘sisters’ into the action without them knowing what it was all about. But the plan went awry when the bosses decided to involve Dora’s family in their plot. Dora was known to her teammates as the ‘wrath’ of Mother Nature. Getting her on your case was the last thing you would want to do. However, the deed was done and many men lost their lives and a whole lot of money. Most of it was spirited out to the world hunger organizations. The few remaining bosses were never able to recoup that money and the hunger organizations never found out where it had come from, nor did they care.

Carrie decided to leave the unpacking until later. She donned a bathing suit to go sit in the sun for a while. She made a few phone calls to let her friends in Hawaii and on the mainland, letting them know that she had arrived safely. The conversations all followed the same line. What were her plans now that she had retired? Carrie felt that her retirement would be short-lived. Sitting around enjoying the sun day after day was not her style. She thought about opening a jump school. She figured she could get a few of the women who were no longer in the service to come in with her. Maybe even a couple of the guys would be interested. However, unknown to her, these plans would have to take a back seat to the whirlwind that was coming her way.

On the third day of her retirement, Carrie was sitting out on the lanai in back of her house. She loved her new home. She had always enjoyed every moment she could spend here since she had purchased it. Which she had thought at one it wasn’t often enough. But now she could enjoy it unconditionally, until she decided she was tired of her own company. It was a shame that the special delivery she was about to receive would upset all that peace and tranquility.

The ringing doorbell started Carrie mumbling to herself—wondering who it could be. She wasn’t expecting anyone. As she made her way through the sliding door, she saw the delivery truck in the driveway. It was a FedEx truck so she hurried to the door. Smiling, Carrie opened the door and greeted the young man who told her he had a letter for Brigadier General Carolyn Marshall.

That’s me, said Carrie.

The young man smiled and asked her to sign his clipboard, which she did. He handed over the letter, said ‘goodbye,’ got into his truck and drove away. Carrie headed back to the lanai with the letter. She noticed it was from Lisbon, Portugal. That set her wondering. Carrie had few friends in Portugal, mostly enemies. She checked the outside packaging to make sure it wasn’t a letter bomb. Then she slowly opened the outer packaging to get to the letter inside. The envelope was blank. She opened it just as carefully and the color drained from her face as she read its contents. It read, It is time to pay the piper. You betrayed the trust of those who had taken you in and given you everything. You will die and so will the members of the team involved in that ill-fated journey to Mexico. I will see you die a thousand times before I put you out of your misery. I suggest you say your prayers and prepare to meet your maker. You needn’t be too sad; you will have plenty of company. Your girls will not be far behind.

Carrie read and reread the letter. Although it was unsigned, she had a pretty good idea who had sent it. She had never forgotten the note that she had found shoved in her pocket all those years ago at LAX when she and the ‘sisters’ were seeing Dora and David off on their honeymoon. The note indicated that the Sheikh was still alive. She had been extremely worried at the time that he would exact his revenge on Dora while she was on her honeymoon. But, after that one threat, the Sheikh just disappeared. He had been quiet for years. Another had supposedly taken his place, but without the clout that the Sheikh had. She was quite certain that this was his work. She wondered why he’d taken so long to get back at her. Though, once she had made General, killing her could have caused an even bigger stink. Relations between the Arabic nations and the United States would have become more strained then ever. It was a tenuous relationship at best.

It was difficult to believe that this curly wolf was, again, back in her life. Would he attempt to make good his threats? Of course he would. She would have to watch her step from now on. Carrie knew that he was quite capable of following through on his threats. She would have to be very much on her guard. Life had been good to Carrie. She intended to die of old age, laying in the sun, and drinking Margaritas. First, she would have to see if the letter could be traced. The origin of the letter would possibly shed some light on what’s going on. Secondly, Carrie was not so ‘over the hill’ that she couldn’t launch a counter offensive before he or they could get started. Carrie had retired from her position in the Army, but not so her killer instinct. She went into the house and pulled out the various weapons she had collected over the years as souvenirs of her wars. Weapons that were always kept in mint condition and ready for battle.

She laughed as she went about her arms check. This was the most fun she’d had in years. Being in logistics most of her later years in the Army, she didn’t get to play very often. She kept her arsenal just because it was a part of her life. Now, here she was preparing to do battle yet again. Out loud, she said, Whoever you are, you’ve got to bring ass to get ass. I intend to take good care of mine. You better be prepared to take good care of yours.

Carrie stopped in her tracks as a thought flashed through her mind. The Team. She wondered if any of them had received a similar letter. Should she wait to contact the girls until she determine if the letter was authentic or just a very bad joke? Panic was not part of her anatomy. She would think it through first, than act. She laid the letter on the table next to her bed and went about her business as if nothing had happened. However, that ill-fated trip to Mexico stayed uppermost in her mind. She was the one that set-up the sting operation on that island that included her girls, the Navy Seals, and the 101st Airborne undercover of the US and Mexico in training maneuvers. The bosses were able to escape the island, but all the mercenaries were killed or captured. Trouble was the bosses didn’t go far enough. They went back to their headquarters, including the Sheikh. Dora blew up the building. In fact she almost blew up her husband-to-be. David, who was being held captive, unknown to Dora, just managed to escape as Dora pushed the plunger—demolishing the building. The more Carrie thought about it, she became pretty certain that her girls, especially Dora and Regina, would be at the top of the list behind her. Yeah, Carrie thought, I better check this out in a hurry. And she was right to do so. The man who wanted her dead also knew the type of woman he was dealing with so he decided to throw a few spanners into her downfall. If they worked fine, if not, she would live to suffer the death of the damned.

David and the kids were waiting for Dora at the baggage pickup. Dora’s smile, as she came down the escalator did not quite reach her eyes. She had a look on her face that had David worried. He looked at her and asked was there something he should know about? She smiled, kissed him and said, No. Why do you ask?

I don’t know. You have that look. The one that says ‘beware’. You know what I’m talking about, responded David.

No, baby. Everything is fine. But Dora knew that she was lying as she spoke. She was famous for the warning she received at the back of her neck—and that early warning system was on full alert. Something was going down around her. She didn’t know what. She tried to make David feel at ease, but he was no fool. Dora was very aware that there was danger around her, and she didn’t want to alarm him. But David knew his woman. She could smell a dead dog long before it died. David kept his eye on her and pulled his girls close. This was LA and anything was possible. He definitely didn’t want his babies hurt. David told Dora to go on out to the car. It’s parked right out in front of the main entrance to the terminal. Dora chuckled, Yeah! All of you cops are just alike. If an ordinary Joe stopped out there too long, his car would be towed away by now—Right?

You are absolutely correct. We can’t have people ignoring the law. Now get your butt out to the car, will you? Thank you very much.

Dora took the girls by the hand and started for the exit. Her neck still had that telltale itch. God! She wished the itch would either go away or tell her what was going on. She kept scanning the terminal as she and the twins headed for the doors. David was standing by the conveyor belt waiting for Dora’s bag to appear. People were pushing to get through to the belt as they saw their luggage come around. He was taking a good look at everyone around him. David had learned never to ignore Dora’s feelings. He would be careful. Dora and the twins were almost to the door when she noticed an attendant was checking the baggage tickets to make sure the right people had picked up the right bags. She told the girls that they would have to wait for daddy because she had the baggage claim check. There was a commotion at the exit. The man in front of her was arguing with the attendant because he had lost his claim check. As Dora got closer, she saw that the bag was very similar to hers. She bent to take a closer look and saw that the bag had her claim number. She told the girls to stay at the door and not to move. Dora went racing back to the conveyor belt to David. She yelled his name again and again, but he couldn’t hear her. David was walking toward the chute where the bags came out and reached for what he thought was Dora’s bag. She screamed his name again just as he reached over and pulled the bag from the belt. David picked up the bag and became airborne. The bag had exploded and David had taken the full blast square in the chest and the mid-section. The twins saw it all and screamed Daddy. Dora never stopped running until she reached David. He wasn’t breathing. She immediately started CPR. By this time, airport security had reached the area. Dora hollered, Get an ambulance. People were running and screaming trying to get out of the airport. The man who had been arguing with the baggage attendant pushed through the exit, ran out the door, and jumped into a car that sped up to the front door. The twins held each other, but stayed put. They had been told what to do in an emergency—if ever in trouble, they were to stay together in the safest place, and she would find them. Dora was still trying to resuscitate David but he was not responding. One of the airport security men realized that David was wearing a bulletproof vest. Dora wasn’t getting enough pressure on his chest because of it. He had a tough time making Dora understand what he was talking about. David was in one piece because the vest had helped to withstand the blast. The security guard pulled it off and continued the CPR until the paramedics came in and took over. They entubated him and decided to use the paddles. Two hundred watts. Three hundred watts. David still wasn’t responding. A cardiac surgeon came over and offered his help. Both Dora and paramedics said, okay. He asked for an inter-cardiac needle and administered a drug directly to the heart. He told the paramedics what drugs he wanted via the IV. Once all the drugs had been administered, the doctor requested the paddles again.

Dora looked across the room at her kids. They were doing exactly as they had been told. She wanted to go to them, but she couldn’t leave David’s side.

The doctor hit David again, and then there was the sound of a heartbeat. The doctor said, Come on man, you can do it. Dora was saying, Come on baby, come on baby. The heartbeat was getting stronger and the paramedic was reading the blood pressure, pulse and respirations. David started coughing because he was breathing on his own and trying to rid himself of the tube. The doctored ordered the tube removed. He turned to Dora and said, Miss, I think he’s going to be all right. Dora hugged him and thanked him. And she thanked the paramedics, too.

The police were all over the place by now trying to figure out what had happened. David was placed on the gurney and taken out to the waiting ambulance. Dora went to the girls, hugging them and reassuring them that their daddy was going to be all right. The girls were crying and holding on to each other. They wanted to know why the bag blew up. She told them to be quiet for now. That she would explain later. An officer came over to question her, but Dora told him that he would have to follow her to the hospital if he wanted to talk to her. She and the girls went out to the car. Another officer came over to offer his help. At first, Dora told him no, too. Then immediately changed her mind when she spotted a car parked several cars down from hers. Wait. There is something you can do. If that white sedan parked about six cars down pulls out right behind me, would you pull it over and run its plates. I’m not sure but it looks like the same car the man jumped in that had my case. He may have set the bomb. The officer stepped back with a salute to Dora to spot the car she was talking about. Another officer came through the door with the suitcase the man had dropped at the attendant’s gate when he ran out. He placed the suitcase on the front seat saying, I hope your husband will be okay. Dora thanked him and pulled out into the traffic. Just as expected, the car pulled out right behind her. Had she been alone, Dora would have taken them on, but she wouldn’t chance it with her girls in the car.

As she had requested, the police pulled the car over. At the hospital, David was still in the emergency room. Tests were being run, but so far, there didn’t seem to be any internal damage. His vest had saved him from that. Shock from the blast had caused David to go into cardiac arrest. The attending physician told Dora that she should be thankful he was wearing a vest and it had actually worked. Otherwise, the internal damage could have been so severe he wouldn’t have regained consciousness. Your husband is a very lucky man. Whoever set that charge knew what he was doing. It was a shaped charge and it was only suppose to hit him and no one else. Very professional I would say. Dora had been thinking along the same line. But wondered how the doctor knew that. He saw the question on her face. I was with a MASH unit. I saw a lot of different wounds. If that bomb had gone off in his face, David would be dead. We’re going to keep him here in ICU to monitor him closely. We need to see if any real damage has been done to his heart. I’ll keep you posted. And he hurried off again as his beeper sounded.

In the meantime, the guys in the car that Dora had asked the cop to detain at LAX, decided that they didn’t want to be held up any longer. The officer ran the driver’s registration and tags. The car had just been reported stolen. The hoods knew the moment the cop had something on them. The officer called for back up before starting back to the car. The driver floored the pedal and took off knocking the officer to the ground. They couldn’t afford to wait around. There were warrants out for them in three states. If caught, they would be going away for a long time. Car chases were not unusual on the streets of LA. These guys figured that they could outrun the police, but they couldn’t outrun the radio. There are always choppers in the air and police from every county would join in the chase. The fate of these men would be no different; it was just a matter of time.

Dora watched the whole thing as it developed on the TV at the hospital. News teams loved this kind of drama. It was what they termed ‘breaking news’. Dora hoped these guys would be caught alive. She needed to talk to them. Dead men can’t talk and Dora was looking for answers. She would love to talk to them for a few minutes—without witnesses. She had forgotten more about making people talk then the police ever knew. They needed to feel pain if, in fact, they were the ones who hurt David.

Dora called home to bring her mother—Hope, up-to-date. She asked her to come get the children because she wouldn’t be leaving the hospital until she was sure David was going to be all right. Once she was certain David would survive, she would go about finding the person or persons who had pulled this stunt and why. This matter would not be left to the police. They had hurt one of her family members—again. Years ago, the bosses went after Dora, big time. They tried to blow up her mother and brother and when that didn’t work, they kidnapped them and took them to an island in Mexico. That was the reason Dora blew up their headquarters. But that was ten years ago, she didn’t know what this latest attack was all about.

Although it hadn’t been said, it was apparent that someone was out to get her. That was her suitcase not David’s that had been switched. Someone wanted her dead and she had to find him or her, or them before they tried again.

Dora watched the ending of the chase on the TV. She hoped the cops would have some information by the time she left the hospital. David was responding favorably to the treatment and the doctors were pretty sure he was out of danger.

Hope picked up the girls and was given a police escort home to ensure their safety. After all, this was the captain’s family. They would receive VIP treatment all the way. The girls were still pretty upset about what had taken place. Reporters were all over the outside of the house, but the police hustled the family right into the house, thus, preventing any opportunity for questions.

Drama surrounded the men who had been taken to police headquarters. A very high priced lawyer was standing by to get them out of jail. If that wasn’t possible, to assure them counsel as long as they kept their mouths shut.

Back at the hospital, David had regained consciousness. He smiled as soon as Dora walked through the door. She asked him, What’s so funny? He replied, If you wanted to get rid of me, you could have picked a nicer way to do it. He started to chuckle and cough at the same time. Dora laughed, but she didn’t think he was funny. She leaned over to kiss him and he gritted his teeth in pain. She jumped back when she realized that she was hurting him. David’s ribs hurt, none were broken but he was plenty bruised.

The phone rang and Dora answered it. She was surprised to hear Carrie on the other end of the line.

Carrie had called the house and Hope had told her what had happened to David and how to contact her. They talked for a few minutes and then Carrie told Dora to get to a secure phone as soon as she could. Dora agreed and hung up. Telling Dora to get to a secure phone meant that Carrie knew something about what had happened. Carrie may be out of the service, but she wasn’t out of the loop. Under her breath, Dora promised herself that she would get to the bottom of this mess.

Carrie drove into town to do some grocery shopping. She kept checking her rearview mirror to see if anyone was following her, but didn’t pick up on anything out of the ordinary. She completed her chores and returned home to find a sign on her door with one word written on it—‘BOOM’. Carrie checked out the perimeter of the house first. Once she was satisfied that there were no triggers outside, she checked the doors. Finding nothing, she made her way into the house. She constantly scanned the house as she moved through it. Carrie wanted to get to her firearms. She was angry with herself for not taking a firearm with her when she left the house. She retrieved a Glock 9 millimeter from a compartment in the fireplace and continued her search of the house. She was fairly confident that there was no one in the house. She just wanted to be sure.

Carrie sat down and examined the note. She wondered, Why is this person playing cat and mouse with me? Oh well, at least I can find out who left the note on the door. No one knew that she had a 24/7 surveillance system. Looking at the tape from the time she had left the house until her return, she saw the person who had ‘come a’ visiting. Shaking her head in disbelief, she recognized the FedEx guy who had brought her the letter. How could a man be so dumb?

First, I’ve got to find out who he is? And then I need to find out whom he’s working for, mused Carrie to herself. The next time he returns here, he will learn that he is messing with the wrong lady.

Dora was urged to go home and get some rest. The doctors assured her that David was going to be all right and that they would take care of any discomfiture he had. She left after determining that a guard would be outside his door at all times. Though she was one hundred percent certain the bomb was meant for her, she wasn’t taking any chances. Dora had told David that she was going home, but that wasn’t the truth. Dora headed for the police station. She wanted to know if the cops had been able to get the men to talk. Upon entering the station, the sergeant on duty hurried over to ask about David. He also asked if there was anything he could do? Dora said, If you can give me anything positive about the guys you picked up, I would be grateful. Otherwise, I would like to have a few minutes alone with them. I just want to ask them some questions.

The sergeant was a very close friend of David’s and he knew a little of the history behind Dora. He was a witness to the last time Dora had taken the law into her own hands. Those who had seen what this lady was capable of didn’t talk about it. They just kept it to themselves. The officer who made the arrest walked into the room and saw Dora talking to the sergeant. He made his way over to her and they talked for a few minutes. He told Dora that that the only thing he could get out of ‘those guys was how they were contacted and where they were told to pick up the bag. According to them, they never saw the face of the man who handed them the bag nor did they know who hired them. The officer said they would continue to hold them and even if they couldn’t prove anything here, they would eventually be extradited to the States that had outstanding warrants against them.

The airport tapes are also on the way here with a staff member who can ID known workers.

Dora smiled. You seem to have everything under control. The young man blushed. He wasn’t used to getting such praise. Dora said, Goodbye and left the station. She needed to get home. Carrie’s telling her to get to a secure phone meant danger. She needed to find out if Carrie could shed some light on this mess. It would be easier to clear up once she knew who the players were. They had tried to kill her and had almost killed her husband. Had not David told them to go on ahead, her children too, would have been in danger. Somebody was going to pay. No questions asked.

At the car, Dora checked to see if she’d had any unwanted visitors around it. Once satisfied that the car was untouched, she made her way home as fast as the speed limits would allow.

The girls were playing on the front porch when Dora pulled into the driveway. At least they had recovered from the scene at the airport. Although she was in a hurry to get to her phone, she stopped long enough to hug both girls and assure them that their father was going to be all right. She went into the house to speak to her mother and then continued up to her bedroom.

Carrie grabbed up the phone on the first ring. She had been waiting as patiently as possible for the call. She sighed with relief when the phone rang. Dora started right in with the questions. Carrie told her what she knew so far.

I received a letter I think you’ll be interested in. I believe it’s from an old friend of yours—the Sheikh. Dora had a flashback to the day she’d brought down the Cambridge Building. How did that snake survive that explosion? And why, after all these years was he showing up in their lives again? What could he possibly gain by trying to hurt any of them now?

Carrie said, I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. There are definite signs that it’s him.

Okay. Keep me posted and for God’s sake as well mine, watch your back.

Will do. You do the same. They hung up. Dora sat thinking for some little time. Once she had gathered her thoughts and made a decision, she went to the kitchen to speak with her mother. Hope listened to all she had to say with out responding. Instead, she was concentrating on a piece of paper that she was holding in her hand. Dora walked over to her with a questioning look.

What’s the problem?

Hope merely handed her the paper and looked at her daughter with fear in her eyes. Dora read it and asked, Where did you find this?

It was hanging on the car door when I went out to drive to the hospital to pick up the kids.

Dora thought, these people are very bold and that could be their downfall. She would bury each and every one of them after shoving their threats down their throats.

Carrie had asked Dora to get in touch with the other members of the team to see if any of them had received any notes or threats. The point being that one of them might be killed before they came after either of them again. Those members still on active duty would be hard targets, but those who had retired, and those who had families and were trying to lead normal lives were fair game. They wouldn’t be ready for what might be coming their way. The girls were good at what they did, but most had probably lost some of the natural instinct—the edge, that would be needed to stay alive. They no longer lived in the world of kill or be killed. But Dora had a more immediate concern and she wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with it. These people were hitting too close to home and her mother and children were right in the middle. She needed to get to the bottom of this mess as quickly as possible before something happened to any one of them. Hope walked over to Dora and hugged her from behind. She said, "It can’t be that bad. Do you really think that