Chameleons: A Spy Thriller

By Alfred Stone

FBI Special Agent Zane Tomlin was preparing to go on vacation when someone tried to kill his partner with a bomb. He puts his vacation on hold to track down the unknown suspect. He goes deep undercover as a jail inmate, as a trucker, and as a warehouse worker to search for the bombing suspect. He finds the suspect at a warehouse in Reno, Nevada. He also discovers information on a much heavier villain.

The heavy hitters from the Justice Department arrive in Sacramento to help form a plan to locate and arrest the head owner of Unified Transports. They know for certain he is supplying illegal weapons to a buyer who ships them to terrorists in the Middle East. They locate and corner the villain near Conroe, Texas, which leads to an exciting and surprising turn of events.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984565150

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

HELLO ZANE, SORRY to bother you, said Phil Zabranski, Zane’s boss at the bureau.

Hey, Phil, what’s up? No bother at all.

It’s about your partner Toby Perez. His house was just destroyed by a bomb a little while ago.

Damn, I can’t believe it! Is he okay?

He has a broken arm and some scrapes and bruises from what the paramedics and Sacramento PD reported so far.

How about his girlfriend? Is she all right?

Toby told the paramedics and Sacramento PD that he was alone in the house. Lucy was gone shopping at the time of the explosion.

Well, Phil, I’d like to go see him at the hospital. Toby’s a good friend as well as a great partner.

Why don’t you go see him tomorrow or Sunday? But okay it with the hospital first. I’m keeping him guarded for now to keep him safe from attack. I had just assigned him to be in charge of your cases, to do some of your workload while you’re on vacation.

He’s not going to be able to handle it now that he’s been injured, Zane said.

Right, I’m afraid you’ll have to postpone your vacation for now. We’ve got to find out who did this to Toby. We need your help on this.

Okay, Phil. It could be that Toby and I pissed off some of the mobsters we’ve been spying on in Vegas lately.

It’s sure possible, Zane. I doubt it’s a coincidence that this happened to Toby right now. Someone wanted him dead.

We’re damned sure going to find that someone, Phil, whoever it is.

I’m going to Toby’s place now. Crime Scene Investigation is there. Come see me Monday morning at headquarters. I’ll assign you another partner to help you on this case.

Okay, Phil, see you Monday morning.

Oh, Zane, one last thing. When you see Toby, ask him what he meant when he mumbled to the paramedics, ‘That bitch saved my life.’

Okay, Phil. I doubt he would talk about Lucy like that. He adores her and says she’s too good to be true. She did save him from his wild partying days though. Anyway, I’ll see you Monday, Phil. We’ll find out who tried to kill Toby and nail the bastard. Bye.

Zane hung up and immediately dialed the hospital. They approved him to visit Toby the next day, Saturday afternoon.

He then went into his garage and got into his Ford extended cab pickup. He used it for personal trips most of the time. The old black Trans-Am, he used in his work traveling. The bureau also provided him with other vehicles when special undercover needs arise. He backed his truck out of the garage and then closed the door with the remote. He was finally on his way to Irene’s place. He was anxious to see her, but he dreaded telling her the bad news about Toby and that their vacation would have to wait.

Zane was starting to wonder if he should get out of this undercover work. The hours could be demanding, but mostly, he hated the thought of Irene worrying about his safety. It could have been him in the hospital now instead of Toby Perez. He would discuss it with Irene sometime this weekend.

He turned his radio on and listened to country music as he drove through the heavy traffic, heading out of town. When Zane parked in front of Irene’s veterinary clinic, it was dusk. He saw a beautiful red-orange sun disappearing on the horizon to the west. Looking east, he saw a silhouette of the Sierra Nevada mountain range looming above the foothills. He inhaled the fresh air, detecting the smell of fresh-cut alfalfa from the nearby hayfields.

He went into the clinic and found Larry Dumont behind the counter in the reception/ pharmacy area.

Hello, Larry, is Irene here? I saw her truck out front.

Hi, Zane. Yeah, she’s in the back by the horse stalls. Larry pointed down the hall toward the back of the building.

Thanks, Larry, Zane said and headed down the hall.

Irene was as glad to see him as he was to see her, but she was busy with a quarter-horse mare she owned. She had shoulder-length plastic obstetrical gloves on her arms. Her right arm was deep inside the big bay mare’s uterus. The mare was in a narrow chute to prevent her from moving around much.

Hi, babe, Irene said, smiling at Zane. This old girl is having trouble here. The foal’s head is coming, but its front legs are bent back under its body. I’ve got to push its head back some so I can get its front legs coming out. Then it will come out okay.

Zane eased over and kissed her cheek even though her gloved arms looked gross, with slimy mucus on them. Irene wore her usual work attire—blue jeans, a western blouse, and boots. She looked great to Zane in any attire and even better without attire.

They would be later than planned to their dining date. Zane took this in stride since he had been raised on a cattle-and-horse ranch out in Central New Mexico. He was well aware of the various problems that arise with livestock in labor. He had helped a few mares and scores of cows to give birth when they’d had complications. These things happen.

Irene strained awhile at getting the front legs out from under the foal. She pushed the head back up the birth canal, and then she brought the front feet up over the pelvic bone of the mare. The nose then appeared as she pulled on the front legs. She then had her assistant Jeff help her pull on the foal’s legs each time the mare strained to expel it. After the shoulders were out, the foal slipped out fast. Jeff caught the foal’s neck and chest to prevent a hard landing. The colt was immediately shaking his head and blowing his nostrils free of mucus. His eyes were blinking; he saw his new world. Jeff and Irene lifted the foal, carried him to the middle of the adjacent stall, and set him down. It was a stud colt; he was a nice bay color, much like his dam.

The colt was trying to get up within a few minutes. He lost his balance and fell back down. After a few more tries, the colt was up on his feet, but he was wobbling to keep balanced.

Irene released the mare, letting her in with her colt. The mare nuzzled him and was licking him clean of fluid and mucus, while the colt was searching for her udder. He went to the mare’s flank; he ducked his head under her and soon found a teat. He suckled the life-sustaining milk.

Wow, the little shit sure didn’t waste any time finding a meal, Irene said. You know, I’ve witnessed hundreds of animal births, but it still seems like a miracle to me.

Jeff agreed with her, It is a miracle, Doc. Say, I’ll be glad to clean up and put the instruments away if you need to go now.

Yes, I do. Thanks, Jeff. Zane and I are going out to eat, so I need to go to the house and get ready to go.

Irene and Zane went into the office of the clinic long enough to tell Larry about the newborn stud colt.

I’m glad the colt and mare are okay, Larry said. I’m about done with the paperwork. I’ll lock up here when Jeff and I leave.

All right, Larry, Irene said. See you tomorrow. I’ll be here on call Sunday, so take off and don’t worry about anything.

Sounds good. You two enjoy your night.

Zane and Irene went outside, got into their vehicles, and then Zane followed her up the driveway to her house behind the clinic. When they entered her house, Irene headed toward her bedroom. I’m going to shower real quick, Zane. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.

All right, honey. And before we leave, I need to talk to you. Zane went into the kitchen, fixed himself a glass of iced tea, and then went to Irene’s bedroom to wait for her. He sat on the bed and sipped his tea as he waited.

Irene came into the room after drying off. She had a towel wrapped around herself, which she pulled off and tossed playfully at Zane. She stood there naked as a jaybird.

He caught the towel. Then his eyes explored her lean, beautiful body. He saw a very beautiful woman—five feet eight inches tall, long light brown hair, and large blue eyes.

The sight of her bare body got his heart pounding.

Irene read his thoughts and smiled. Now, Zane, get that off your mind. You know we’re already running late. Of course, after we get back home … She left the sentence unfinished.

Irene got dressed quickly as Zane drained his tea glass to cool himself off.

After she was fully dressed, she sat beside him on the edge of the bed. She hugged him, and they shared a long passionate kiss.

What is it you wanted to talk about, babe? she asked when the kiss was over.

I’m afraid I’ve got bad news. Toby Perez’s house was bombed today. Someone tried to kill him.

Oh no! Is he okay?

Yeah, he has a broken arm and some bruises is all. He’s lucky because the house was destroyed, the way Phil described it to me. He wants me to postpone our vacation now.

We’ve waited so long to get away together, but I guess we’ll just have to wait some more.

I’m glad you’re not too upset about it. Maybe it won’t take too long. Phil needs my help to find out who did this to Toby.

I know you want to get away together as much as I do. It’s not your fault. I just hope no one tries to get you, like they’ve done to Toby. I worry about you a lot.

Yeah, honey, that’s the bad part of my job. It’s high-risk.

I hate that part, she said and stood up. We’ve been over this before though. We’re both in the careers that we’re talented to do. We may just have to accept that . . . and be careful, of course. I’ll finish getting ready so we can go eat supper.

Zane wondered if that was the answer to his recent turmoil. She seemed so strong and calm about his dangerous job, but she did worry. She’d said she worried. He would give it a lot more thought . . . and some prayer. That’s what his parents always told him to do when faced with deciding a big issue.

They drove to Sacramento and had a nice meal of steak and seafood. Irene was in good spirits in spite of learning that their vacation was on hold. Zane told her he would visit Toby the next day in the hospital. He then brought up the subject of their wedding plans.

We should get our wedding date settled soon so our families can arrange to come.

We’ve talked about setting it up for Saturday, March 11, which seems like the best day to me, she said. I talked to my parents about it. They said it would work for them.

I think the eleventh will be fine then. My parents and my brother are flexible. They have a good neighbor to check on the ranch while they’re here for the wedding. They have hired hands that can handle the ranch work. My sister Alisa said she can get time off from her nursing job. I just have to let her know the wedding date so she can tell the hospital when she needs off.

Let’s plan on the eleventh then. We can let them know soon.

Zane nodded. "Now we just have all the other details of the wedding to decide." He then finished the last of his dessert that the waitress had brought out.

My mom can help up with some of the details. She helped my sister last year with her wedding, Irene said.

We can use her help. There are a lot of details to cover that I don’t know much about. Zane patted his stuffed belly.

That was a great meal, babe, Irene said as she pushed her empty dessert dish away from herself. I’m ready to go whenever you are.

I enjoyed it too. Excellent. Zane picked up the check. Let’s go.

When they returned to Irene’s place, Irene went to her bedroom to put on something more comfortable.

Zane turned on the TV in the living room to catch the news. They showed a brief clip of Toby’s house. The front part of the house was nothing but rubble. The back half of the house was standing, but a lot of damage there too. Most of the house was destroyed. Zane was suddenly filled with shock and anger.

The reporter did not mention Toby’s name but said, This was the home of an FBI agent. No suspects at this time in the bombing. More details when made available.

A clip about a Gulf Coast hurricane was then shown. It had destroyed several cities in that region. The death toll was assumed to be high, in the hundreds at least.

Irene had been standing next to Zane’s chair a few minutes when she touched his shoulder and said, I’m going to bed now, babe.

Zane clicked off the TV. I’ll join you. He went and brushed his teeth in the hall bathroom, where he kept some personal hygiene items, then joined her in the bedroom.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back on her elbows. Her silk robe was open in front, showing her bare perky breasts. She stared at him, smiling. Would you care for some more dessert now, sir?

Yes, ma’am. The peach pie a la mode was great, but I want anything else you’d care to dish out.

He sat beside her on the bed and kissed her neck. He then slipped his hand over one bare breast, feeling her nipple with his fingertips. He did the same with her other breast.

Her nipples were firmer now. He then put his lips to her nipples, and she sighed lightly as he did. She reached to unzip his pants. He helped her as they removed everything he was wearing. He stood in front of her, naked. She moved her hands over his body and kissed him all over his body as well. She removed her robe, and they lay down together on the bed. They enjoyed each other for quite some time. After they had been lost in passion and climaxed together, they relaxed and held each other until they fell asleep.

CHAPTER 2

Z ANE OPENED HIS eyes at 6:40 a.m. Irene was not there beside him. He smelled the nice aroma of bacon frying, so he got up and went to the kitchen. Irene had been up awhile; she was at the stove, frying bacon and eggs. Mr. Coffee was sputtering on the counter. Zane went to Irene and hugged her from behind while she flipped the bacon over with a fork. He kissed her cheek then whispered in her ear, Good morning, honey.

Morning, sleepyhead, she said cheerfully. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.

Okay, I’m going to shower and get dressed real quick.

I’d shower with you, but I’ve already showered. Plus, the bacon would burn up. She winked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

It sure is great to be here with you, especially since I’ve been away on assignments so much. I need to get moved over here. We’d see each other more that way.

Why don’t you go ahead and start moving things over as soon as you get the time?

Sounds like a plan, Dr. Hargis. I’ll do it as soon as possible. He headed to the shower.

Be right back, he said over his shoulder when he was halfway across the room.

After breakfast, they were sitting in the living room, enjoying coffee and conversation, when Zane’s cell phone rang.

Hello, Zane, said Phil in his unique monotone voice when Zane answered the call.

Hi, Phil. How are you?

Fine, I’m fine.

I’m planning to go look at Toby’s house shortly. Did you all find any helpful evidence there?

No, not really. Forensics found traces of plastic explosives, so we know what they used. They also found footprints in the front yard, but they could be any one’s. Doesn’t seem like much to go on so far.

I’ll go over there and look around this morning. I’ll also question the neighbors to see if they know anything. I guess the forensic people are done at the scene.

Yes, they’re done. The scene is still taped off for now though. Lucy wants to go in there and see what she can salvage. I told her to wait another day until we’re done for sure. She did get the dog out of the yard though.

Yeah, that’s old Zelda. Toby’s had her for years. Zane leaned back on the sofa.

I’m going to help Toby and Lucy with some rent money for six months or so. The explosion must be related to Toby working for the bureau, so it’s only right.

I’m glad to hear you’re going to help them. They’ll sure need it.

Besides that, I’ve also just decided to send Toby down to the Mexican border area for a while. That’ll get him away from here. Plus, we’ve got some kidnappings to solve down there. Toby speaks Spanish, and that may help to investigate the cases down there. He’ll be undercover, of course. Anyway, Zane, that’s the reason I called. When you visit Toby today, tell him all about this for me, please.

All right, Phil, I will. And I’ll see you Monday morning at headquarters.

Yes, see you then, Zane. Bye. Phil hung up.

Zane told Irene, I’ve got to go, honey. I’ve got to go by Toby’s place and question his neighbors about the explosion.

All right, babe. Are you coming back here later?

Yeah, honey. I’ll be back this afternoon.

They stood up. Zane hugged her and kissed her. Bye, honey. Love you.

I love you too. Have a good day, Irene said.

Zane kissed her again. He then went on out the front door to his truck.

Zane drove to Toby’s house and parked. There wasn’t much left of it. The entire front half of the house was demolished. The back wall, some interior walls, and parts of the roof were all that remained. Yellow crime scene tape was stretched all the way around the house. Zane couldn’t believe Toby had survived; the place was rubble. The explosives had obviously been placed at the northwest corner of the house where Toby’s room used to be. Now there was a huge hole in the ground where that corner of the house had been.

It was hard for Zane to believe that someone had set the explosives in broad daylight. But they must have, he thought, since the explosion was late in the afternoon.

Zane’s thoughts troubled him. This was a brazen, cold-blooded person or people who had done this. This kind of lowlife needed to be behind bars as soon as possible. Zane was determined to find out who had done this. He examined the scene for quite some time, not finding much. He saw only rubble, debris, and dust all over the place. He did find where forensics had cast the footprints on the front lawn—in a damp area by the sidewalk. The prints looked as if large work boots had been worn by the person leaving the tracks. He’d find out more from the crime-scene investigation team on this later at headquarters.

Toby’s house was in a cul-de-sac in a nice middle-class neighborhood of Sacramento. As he looked around at the other homes in the large cul-de-sac, he saw an elderly woman in her front yard. She was pruning some hedges near the front door of the house. Zane decided to go ask her if she had seen anything the day before. As he walked up the driveway to approach her, a boy came out of the open garage door, pushing a lawn mower. Zane showed his badge to the woman and introduced himself with one of his alias names.

Hello, ma’am. I’m Agent Jackson with the FBI.

I’m Mrs. Halverson, she said as she smiled and wiped her forehead with the back of the cotton glove on her hand. Glad to meet you, Mr. Jackson. This is my grandson Timmy. She pointed to the kid with the mower.

Zane nodded a hello to Timmy then turned back to face the woman. I’d like to ask you a few questions about the explosion yesterday, if you don’t mind.

Sure, Mr. Jackson, she said. But we were gone when it happened. We went to the fair yesterday. We came home near midnight. The bomb squad was just leaving the scene, and they told us it was safe. No more explosives were found at all.

Have you noticed anything strange or suspicious around Mr. Perez’s house at all?

No, can’t say that I have.

Timmy left the mower and joined them quickly. I saw a cool car drive by the house real slow a few days ago. It was a black Dodge Viper—real cool car! Is that suspicious? Excuse me for interrupting, he said, realizing he had.

That’s okay, Zane said. It’s very important that I know everything that could help us find out who did this to Mr. Perez. Did you see the driver of the car, Timmy?

Not too good, the windows were real dark. It was a man driving. I could see that much.

When did you see the car?

It was Wednesday after school, about three thirty in the afternoon. I was riding my bike home when I saw the car near Mr. Perez’s house going really slow.

Is there anything else about the car that you remember?

Yeah, it didn’t have California plates on it. It had Nevada plates. I remember that for sure.

Zane handed Mrs. Halverson a card for the FBI headquarters. Mrs. Halverson, please call us if you think of anything else that may help us. Is there anyone else in your family that may have seen anything helpful?

No, Timmy and I live alone here, she said. My husband, my daughter, and my son-in-law were all killed in a terrible car wreck about five years ago. A big semitruck ran a red light and hit their car at about seventy miles an hour. They all died instantly. The truck driver was hurt but not seriously.

Zane was shocked by this. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.

You couldn’t have known, she said, choking back tears. We still miss them, of course, but we’re coping—Timmy and I are. We take one day at a time.

Thanks for talking to me, Mrs. Halverson, Timmy. You may be questioned by other agents or police officers. They’ll be questioning everyone in the neighborhood most likely. Well, take care. Bye now.

It was nice meeting you, sir, said Mrs. Halverson. I hope you find who did this to Mr. Perez. Be careful.

See ya, Mr. Jackson. Good luck catchin’ them, Timmy said and then began checking the mower’s gas and oil.

Zane went back across the cul-de-sac and got into his truck. He sat there awhile, thinking . . . trying to understand some of life’s ironies. Why do some good people have such bad things happen to them, while some lowlife terrible people seem to prosper and do well? Bad things happened here to Toby and Lucy, while the evil perpetrator gets away. It’s not right. It’s not fair. Eventually though, he knew each person would be rewarded justly for their deeds, good or bad. What goes around comes around. It just seemed as if it too so long at times to get justice. He thought now of the speeding, careless truck driver who robbed Timmy and Mrs. Halverson of their loved ones, their family. Timmy was probably six or seven when he lost both parents, Zane figured, and had to go through his life without them now. Was the truck driver drunk or on drugs at the time? Did he get a short prison sentence? Was he maybe already out on parole, enjoying life and family, while Mrs. Halverson pined for her husband, daughter, and son-in-law for the rest of her life? As he sat there, thinking about all these things, he became even more determined to find the person or people responsible for trying to kill Toby. His duty was to bring to justice these people who broke the laws of the United States. He was part of the huge justice system that stopped people who harmed others.

He thought now of the Viper with Nevada plates. He and Toby had been in Vegas, investigating mob activities for quite a while now. They had arrested a loan shark who was also making counterfeit currency bills. They had been undercover though. How could Toby’s identity be known? Zane thought it was about time to go back to Vegas; the Chameleon had work to do.

Zane got out of his truck again and went to several more homes nearby to question them.

No one seemed to have seen anything suspicious or helpful at all. The last person he questioned was an old man named Dominick Carpenter. He was still upset by the explosion.

Several families are staying away from their homes today, Mr. Jackson. They’re terrified because of the explosion yesterday. I’m scared myself. This has always been such a quiet neighborhood too. This seems like a bad nightmare.

Zane nodded. It’s understandable that everyone’s shaken up under the circumstances, but the bomb squad has checked the whole neighborhood thoroughly and found nothing to worry about.

We’re just so shocked by the destruction. I never dreamed something like this would happen here in our neighborhood.

I don’t believe you’re in any danger, Mr. Carpenter. Toby’s place was their target. Someone tried to get rid of him, and he’s going to relocate somewhere else when he gets out of the hospital.

As Zane was talking, a Sacramento police car pulled up to the curb in front of Carpenter’s house and parked. Zane recognized the cop as he got out of the car and stood to his six-foot-eight-inch height. It was Sgt. Warren Andrews, a huge black man built like an NFL lineman.

Hello, Zane, Warren said as he stepped up on the front porch and extended his right hand.

Zane shook his hand. Hi, Warren. This is Mr. Carpenter. We were just discussing the explosion over there at Toby’s house.

Warren shook hands with Carpenter. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Carpenter.

Nice meeting you, Officer, Carpenter replied.

Warren turned back to Zane. "I saw your truck at Toby’s