A Missing Heartbeat

By John F Schultz

Unraveling a mystery, finding romance, and saving those he loves, while keeping national secrets, it's not an easy assignment, especially when you have a few secrets of your own.

Jack Swan finds himself back reunited with childhood friends with a shadowy profession. They operate a company contracting with the CIA to uncover threats to national security. The woman he thought of as the love of his life is not the person he envisioned her to be.  Jack discovers he's not the person he thought himself to be either.

"A Missing Heartbeat" explores what it means to put the past behind him and focus on what's important romantically, professionally, and personally, all while not getting killed in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Starry Night Publishing LLC
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201175177

John F Schultz

After graduating from a small (now defunct) liberal arts college in California, John spent three years living and working in Europe, trying to avoid being a responsible adult. It was also where he met his wife, Donna. He likes making friends with strangers and their dogs and tends to remember the dog's name but not their humans. When it is not -8° in Wyoming, you can find him in the mountains, prospecting for useless gems, taking photos, avoiding bears (except gummy bears), and asking, “where did I park the SUV?”

Book preview

PART 1

One

A Mid-Slumbers-Knights Scheme

C RAP, JACK SAID ROLLING over in his bed, didn’t I turn that damn thing off?

His eyes focused on the ringing cell phone beside his nightstand. Typically, when Jack Swan received a call at one thirty in the morning, it was a certain passive-aggressive employee he supervised calling with a question and hoping to interrupt his sleep. Tonight, that wasn’t the case.

On the cell phone screen’s harsh glow, Kathy O’Connell’s name shined white against the grey background. Am I dreaming? Kathy? He hadn’t seen her since high school, over ten years ago. He reached over, pressed the green phone icon on the face of his cell, Hello.

There was a long haunting silence, Jack, sorry to wake you.

Kathy? he asked, already knowing the answer.

Yeah, it’s me. Can we talk?

He heard in her voice a tonality, a cadence, an undercurrent chasing away any grogginess still lingering from his sudden awakening. The hairs on his neck stiffened. Is everything okay?

I can’t discuss it, not over the phone. It needs to be in person.

And why—

Jackie, it’s complicated. Kathy interrupted. You need to get out of there, now! I’ll explain later.

All right, when and where should we meet? he asked, hearing a swelling immediacy in her voice.

When must be now. Look outside your window. I’ve got a car waiting.

Jack rolled over and parted his bedroom curtains. Across the street sat a large black SUV with dark tinted windows. The headlights were off, but the running lights glowed red and reflected off the wet pavement, the exhaust spewing fumes into the cool night air.

He replaced the phone against his ear, Kathy?

The voice on the other end was gone. He pulled the phone away in time to see the screen turn black.

KATHY HUNG UP THE phone then looked over at her sister Kimberly. She was a year her senior but somehow always seemed to be five years older than Kathy. He sounds fine. I don’t think he has a clue to the trouble coming his way.

Kimberly nodded, Ya done good. You projected the right amount of urgency to get him to act, not enough to freak him out. We both know what it takes to disrupt his well-ordered life.

Kathy rolled her eyes, That’s for sure. Then again, he always needed to be the knight in shining armor, rescuing every damsel in distress. Kathy snapped her fingers, Remember what’s her name, Jill, Joan, back in high school?

Jill, yeah, the little bitch knew how to play him, Kimberly said. She was a whole lot of crazy wrapped inside a pretty little package. You came to his rescue. She paused, Why didn’t you explain what was going on to Jack and the situation he is in right now?

It’s more fun this way, she smiled. Colonel Hansen and Karin are there. He’s safe now.

You can be a bitch too you know, Kimberly said, shaking her head and smiling at her sister.

And that’s why you love me oh so much.

Kathy lay back in her office chair, feet on the desktop. Kimberly stood beside her. She reached down and grabbed a multipage document prepared by their family-owned company. The yellow cover of the report read Janissary Industries. The second line, Jack Attack, the third, classified information, distribution limited-need to know basis only.

I’m glad we found out what we did when we did. Now we need to figure out who wanted to kidnap him, Kimberly said. She flipped through a twenty-page investigation. It had become dog-eared and no longer lay flat having been read and studied so many times.

Janissary Industries was a defense contractor, helping the US, private corporations, and a few other countries with their espionage and cyber warfare. Kathy and Kimberly were the latest generation of employees. Their father had founded the company in the ’60s as a contractor helping to fight the cold war. One of their current contracts was to look for possible cyber threats to federal computer systems. They had discovered their old friend Jack Swan had become a person of interest by party’s hostile to the US government. He worked as a data engineer and manager in the government’s Criminal Data Center, giving him access to criminal and suspected terrorists in the US and abroad. This database was where the FBI, CIA, NSA, and other law enforcement agencies shared information. He knew both its strengths and weaknesses and how to get around the system and manipulate facts and intelligence.

After intercepting an email with Jack Swan’s name in it, Janissary Industries monitored a few computer networks with questionable allegiances and using back-channels, discovered Jack had talents and skills useful in their family business too. Two hours before, a message had been intercepted by Janissary Industries indicated events were in motion to kidnap Jack. It was clear, a threat was imminent and now was the time to act. There was no choice but to rescue him and pull the trigger on an operation they humorously labeled, Jack Attack. Their once close friend was stumbling into a situation he was unequipped to handle.

Kathy tapped on her keyboard. The dual monitors on her desk sprang to life. The vehicle sent to retrieve Jack was equipped with cameras pointed in various directions. These vehicles were typically used to transport VIPs and were monitored in case of attack. It was company protocol to send them and a team in case of trouble. The main camera showed the front of Jack’s townhome. The images visible on the screens were vague shapes in the low light. Kathy boosted the camera sensitivity.

The sisters watched the images, anxious for a closer look at their friend. Two silhouettes emerged. The scene wasn’t clear enough to identify individuals, but they could tell neither were Hansen nor Karin.

JACK SHOOK HIS HEAD AS HE DRESSED. This wasn’t the Kathy he remembered. He recalled a relaxed, personable, and always talkative Kathy, full of information, sometimes too much information. Jack found her chattiness both exasperating and endearing. It was one of the quirks of her personality he loved and missed.

What does someone wear to— whatever you call this? His indecisiveness made him smile. It would have been the first question Kathy would have asked. Inside the closet, he found a pair of new jeans and a casual shirt.

A forty caliber, Sig two-two-nine, is an excellent choice for all occasions, he said aloud, returning to his nightstand. Reaching into the drawer he pulled out his pistol and holster and slid them onto his belt.

In the adjacent bathroom, he looked into the mirror. The face peering back at him wouldn’t be the same one Kathy remembered and he was a little disappointed. Small creases radiated from his eyes. He’d aged and felt much older than the last time they were together. His hair was still the same strawberry blond and eyes the same robin’s egg blue, but his smooth, innocent, adolescent face had disappeared, replaced by a man’s face.

If the previous version of Jack was the beta release, I’m not sure version 1.0 is an improvement, he said, shaking his head. He shaved and splashed cool water on his face, hoping for an upgrade, none came. He was stalling and knew it.

Saint James of Bond always looked his best, he laughed.

Who was he fooling, James Bond, him, never. He was a paranoid software engineer who kept a gun near his bed.

Walking down the hallway he grabbed the coat lying across the back of the couch, slipped it on, making sure it covered his pistol, and headed outside to whatever lay ahead. As he closed the front door behind him and the deadbolt found home, his sixth sense screamed out a warning, but by then it was too late.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? Have camera three fill the main screen, Kimberly ordered her sister. As she did, the door to Jack’s home opened, spilling onto the scene massive amounts of light. The picture bloomed into an unidentifiable field of white.

Switch to infrared, Kimberly yelled.

Kathy was already typing in the command before the sentence left her lips. A moment later they were viewing the image as a radiated heat signature. It was impossible to identify individuals in the IR mode. Chaos filled the screen as images flickered, a monochromatic game of flashlight tag.

AS JACK CLOSED AND LOCKED THE DOOR, the confusing evening changed into complete mayhem. He heard footsteps approaching from his right. Two figures, a man, and a woman were running in his direction. He looked the other way. Two men, one younger and smaller, the other older and intimidating were sprinting his way. The younger carried a cloth, the older a gun.

The first to arrive was the man with the rag. Jack turned away, but the assailant managed to place the cloth over Jack’s mouth and face. A sweet odor permeated from the cloth and Jack imagined it to be synthetic chloroform. Drowsiness set in. As he turned his head down and saw the mugger’s leg between his, Jack lifted his foot, smashing it on the attacker’s shoe. The man screamed and slipped back. The second to arrive was the man on his left. Someone grabbed Jack’s arm and twisted it behind Jack’s back, all the while pushing him into the closed door. With his right arm still free, Jack swung, connecting with someone behind him. He wrestled his limb free and grabbed his gun. Jack turned to see the assailant with the rag running. On the ground lay the older man. He heard footsteps retreating in the other direction. In the fog from the chloroform, a woman’s voice broke through, Attack, attack.

Why was she shouting attack? Jack’s hands shook as he pointed his gun at the older man on the ground. He felt sick but managed to keep his stomach in check.

He inhaled the crisp night air. The scrambled scene in his brain began falling into comprehensible order. The woman’s voice changed from a low drone to English. She was yelling Jack, not attack. He turned. She stood ten feet from him, her gun flat in the palm of her outstretched hand. He watched her place it lightly onto the ground.

Kathy sent us, she said.

Then why the hell did you assault me? Jack took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind from the chloroform and adrenalin and to make sense of what happened. All the while keeping his pistol aimed at the older man on the ground.

We were rescuing you, asshole, the big man said.

Asshole, who calls someone an asshole with a gun pointed at them? He replayed the scene back in his mind. Four people came at him, two from each direction. He’d swung, striking the older man who was now on the ground. The woman had grabbed one of the men who then broke free and ran. The other escaped when he saw he was alone and outnumbered. These two were chasing the muggers, not helping in the assaults he realized. He let his gun arm fall to his side. All three heard an engine start and looked over to the street. They watched the assailant’s car drive away.

The woman stepped forward hand extended. Karin, Karin Sabir, she said, her voice heavy with an accent he couldn’t identify.

Jack slipped the gun back into his belt, hand still shaking, Jack Swan. He took her outstretched hand. Her grip was solid but feminine. Jack turned to help the older man to his feet.

He refused the help.

Sorry, Jack said, motioning toward his face and bloody nose.

And this is Colonel Edward Hansen, Karin said then leaned into Jack. He was runner up for the Attila the Hun award for congeniality three years in a row.

If Hansen heard her comment, he chose to ignore it as he got to his feet. The other two looked at one another, smiling at the joke with their eyes.

Let’s get you out of here, she said.

They walked to the vehicle. Jack noticed Karin on high alert, scanning the surroundings, making sure they were alone. Jack climbed into the back seat, Karin the drivers, and Hansen took shotgun. As they pulled away from the curb, Hansen lifted the microphone on the vehicle’s radio, Code, twenty, Swan residence, code twenty-one, leaving now.

Ten-Four, replied a disembodied voice.

Hansen returned the radio mic to its holder, grabbed a laptop stuffed beside the center console, and started typing.

When everyone looked situated, Jack blurted out, Who were those guys?

Hansen released a grunt. It doesn’t matter who they were. That’s the wrong damn question. They said you were smart. It was one of the reasons—.

One of the reasons what?

Just sit back, wait, and enjoy the ride, Hansen ordered.

Okay, then what’s the right question? Jack asked.

Karin, what’s the right question Mr. Jack here should be asking? You ought to know if you’re expecting to advance in this company and not stay in Personal Protective Services your whole career. Hansen’s sneering eyes stared at her, challenging her to answer correctly. There was a moment of silence.

Yeah, I figured as much. He shook his head in disgust then continued typing on his laptop.

Runner up, he should’ve won the Attila the Hun congeniality award with a clean sweep every year, Jack said to himself.

When they reached the end of the street, a police cruiser glided up behind them and switched on its emergency beacons. The strobing red and blue lights reflected off the rain-covered streets causing the night to explode into a carnival of colors.

Gotta love the neighborhood watch, Jack quipped, hoping to irritate Hansen. Karin lifted the radio’s microphone and said something Jack couldn’t hear. He was more than a little surprised when they kept driving, never slowing. The flashing lights ceased, and Jack twisted backward just in time to see the police cruiser dropping behind and turn down a side street.

Gotta love the neighborhood watch, a’ Jackie boy, chuckled Hansen.

They drove in silence, Hansen typing away and Karin watching the road.

So where are we going? Jack asked cheerfully.

Ms. O’Connell didn’t tell you? Hansen asked.

Jack shook his head.

Then I guess you’ll need to wait and find out once we get there. Sit back, relax, and shut the hell up.

Jack studied the Colonel. He filled the bucket seat of the SUV and made it look cramped and uncomfortable. He seemed like a man who had always worn a Marine crewcut, short on the top, shorter on the sides, nothing touching the ears. His hair was a mousy brown, and in front of his ears, a hint of grey had begun to surface. Dark jeans, a black shirt, a body armor vest, and a dusky bomber jacket adorned his broad frame.

His other companion, Karin, wore the same outfit but was everything he was not. Her soft voice and soft brown eyes projected a calmness. She was much younger than the colonel, maybe twenty-five he guessed. Hansen was an M-1 battle tank, she an F-22 tactical stealth fighter.

Jack inventoried his transportation. This was no ordinary SUV. This was a vehicle for people needing protection. He tapped on the window, the sound echoing back wasn’t from ordinary glass. On the dashboard, a series of lights flashed. He recognized the unit as a computer modem. Colonel Hansen was communicating through a satellite link. Jack saw a beacon keeping track of their position and a digital radio for encrypted communications. Other gadgets he couldn’t begin to guess their purpose. Between the two front seats was a small video monitor. He watched the screen cycle through a series of cameras located at various points inside and outside the car. Jack assumed these fed a satellite and was available for others to observe. Forward and rear pointing cameras locked on the license plates of nearby vehicles. A wireframe materialized around the plates, followed by information regarding the car’s owner and registration. They have to be communicating with a mainframe computer somewhere. One of the inside cameras pointed at Jack and he located the device in the headliner. Jack studied it a moment and realized the camera’s lens was rotating, changing focus.

Hi Mom, he said and waved into the camera.

Karin giggled.

You’re a smartass, aren’t you? Hansen said, looking over at his partner. Without uttering a word, he dressed her down for laughing, ordering her to keep silent.

KIMBERLY PACED BACK AND FORTH. Those two thugs shouldn’t have been able to get within fifty feet of Jack, she growled, her feet tapping as she marched behind Kathy’s desk. If Hansen is the best we have, we need to reevaluate him, our training, and our procedures.

But everyone’s Okay, Kathy pleaded, trying in vain to calm her sister. Kathy’s relaxed attitude caused her sister’s to grow more agitated.

Kimberly was upset with the team, but even more upset with herself. She knew Jack was in danger and had waited too damn long. Maybe if she was more honest with her old friend. Maybe Hansen was the wrong man for the job. Maybe, maybe, maybe, the list went on as she replayed events back. This was another calamity in a series of crises in their company and in her personal life. Kimberly O’Connell had never been one to lack self-assurance, but in the last few months, she had been losing confidence in herself, on both a professional and personal level. She was in charge of the operation, and it had teetered on the edge of disaster.

Let’s see how Jack reacts when he arrives, Kathy said and headed to the door. Kimberly followed.

They were heading to the Security Control Center. It was the SCC’s job to provide internal security and monitor the perimeter of the Janissary compound.

Few employees were working this shift, they passed only three. Each had a similarly mixed reaction to the two women. There was a welcoming smile for one and a respectful nod to the other like they were passing their favorite teacher and the school principal walking together.

Kimberly knew people liked Kathy more than her, but being popular, being safe, and efficient didn’t necessarily go hand in hand and she didn’t care.

Anger echoed in each footfall of Kimberly’s stride. Kathy had fallen a few paces behind.

Slow it down a little will you, Kathy said. He’s still twenty minutes away.

Kimberly’s pace never changed.

It’ll be fun to see Jack, Kathy said.

Kimberly slowed to a normal walking speed, letting her sister catch up to her.

Until now, I hadn’t realized how much I missed him, Kathy added.

Me too, Kimberly said, the anticipation of their reunion breaking her foul mood. His, ‘hi mom’ irked Hansen, she laughed. The Colonel is accustomed to people being afraid of him. Jack isn’t. It must drive Hansen crazy.

Jack got the jump on him too, Kathy said. It’s fun to see Hansen lose, at least occasionally.

The two arrived at Security Control Center located at the intersection of four major hallways. There were doors at ninety-degree angles. This allowed the security team to deploy with speed to any location, anywhere in the compound where a conflict might occur. On the walls were screens used to monitor the various locations throughout the buildings and the perimeter. In the center was a spherical console forming a 300-degree arc. Operators sat at the various stations monitoring the campus. It was a very impressive setup and the pride of the security team.

The sisters were still both laughing as they entered, the employees’ facial expressions changed to surprise. They were expecting the usual brimstone and fire Kimberly. Instead, here was Kimberly, laughing and joking. Has Hansen’s vehicle returned yet? she asked.

Not yet. They’re approximately fifteen minutes out, said the operator.

Thanks, Kimberly said and slapped the surprised technician on the back. Kimberly was aware of her reputation. She took pleasure in not meeting people’s expectations and throwing them off balance. Predictability is overrated. This lightened her mood even more.

JACK LEANED BACK AND CAUGHT KARIN’S eye in the rearview mirror. Thank you, he mouthed. He knew below those coffee-colored eyes grew a sympathetic smile.

He studied his two escorts. Hansen’s neck appeared to be short, an illusion due to his broad shoulders. His soviet-era weightlifting physique advertised, don’t screw with me. He sat straight and rigid as he typed, each keystroke tapped out exacting, at precise intervals, like the boots of soldiers marching on a parade ground. There was no backspacing, no cut, and no paste. He was a man who moved in one direction. Jack was positive this man had an elite military background, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, Special Forces of some type. His tone and demeanor told Jack this man gave orders not followed them. He possessed no diplomatic skills and didn’t give a damn. Everything about him said business. He imagined his business involved protecting certain people and hurting others.

The other companion, Karin, was in her mid to late-twenties, young and fit. There was a light happiness to her, a stark contrast to Hansen’s pessimistic heaviness. Then again, a rabid junkyard dog would seem happier in contrast to Hansen. She spoke with an accent Jack couldn’t place. She kept her cool when Jack had a gun pointed at her partner. He was sure this wasn’t her first time in an ambush or under fire.

For the remainder of the trip, no one spoke. Jack knew Hansen wouldn’t answer his questions and he didn’t want to get Karin into trouble with a person he perceived as her superior. He wanted more answers, but their source wouldn’t be through these two bodyguards. Bodyguards, was that what these two were?

The black SUV exited the freeway at an industrial section of the city. At the front gate of a former high-tech campus, they stopped. The barricade opened and the SUV drove to the end of a building, turned a corner, and stopped at a loading dock. There were structures surrounding the perimeter, shielding it from anyone on the street. An alarm on the console sounded. The warning signal caught Jack’s attention. One of the cameras locked on a nearby guard. Below the warning was an illustration of an H&K submachine gun.

Wow, this system recognizes weapons signatures and warned us. Jack said looking closely at the image, impressive.

The SUV stopped. This is too surreal, Jack thought as they exited the vehicle. Karin, Hansen, and Jack walked a short distance to a staircase on one side of the loading dock. Jack smiled at a sentry dressed in the G-man special, a black suit, white shirt, dark blue tie, and black shoes. The guards looked like characters out of a spy movie and Jack couldn’t help but smile. Nice suit.

The guard remained silent. A quick flickering of his eyes was the only reaction to his comment.

You guys are the most antisocial group I’ve ever met, Jack said. "Ever read the book, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence…’ he looked to his companions, Karin gave a suppressed smile.

No, I guess not. Jack used humor as a coping mechanism. It was his go-to response when stressed.

The muscles in Jack’s back and shoulders tightened with each step. The breaths he took were short and shallow. I need to relax and keep calm, and slowed his breathing. The door buzzed, a latch clicked, and the three stepped inside. They stood waiting but for what?

Jack began questioning them again. Neither answered nor looked at him.

KIMBERLY AND KATHY watched Jack’s arrival with eager curiosity. This person who had been so much a part of their lives had vanished. Now, a decade later, he’d returned. I wonder if he missed us as much as I missed him?" Kimberly wondered. She was surprised at her own sentimentality. What was it that drove him away?

When he left, a void opened. The O’Connell girls never had a brother, and he filled the empty brother vacuum. Before Jack entered their lives, they were fine. Having Jack made their lives more interesting. Both had gone to him on a few occasions for a man’s perspective. He was happy to help, and they were there for him too.

Kimberly graduated a year before Jack and Kathy. She figured that Kathy and Jack had some type of falling out. Her sister was not the most sensitive of souls. Kimberly had been away at college and missed graduation. When she came back that summer and asked about Jack, Kathy had simply shrugged. She figured one day he would show up. She had school and studies and a boyfriend and before she knew it ten years had passed without a word.

What do you suppose is going through his mind? Kathy asked her sister, breaking Kimberly out of her daydream.

From the look on his face, he’s one confused dude, probably a little stressed too. Look how seriously he glances back and forth between Colonel Hansen and Karin. Kimberly turned to her sister, Why don’t I go alone and welcome Jack. I want to have a few words with Mr. Edward Hansen too.

When Kimberly added the salutation of Mr. or Ms. followed by their full name, the next meeting with this person wasn’t going to be a pleasant one.

Okay, agreed. I’ll wait to meet Jack and head to the interrogation room, Kathy said.

Good, replied Kimberly, knowing the real reason her sister agreed to wait. She avoided confrontations whenever she could.

Kimberly wanted to surprise her old friend. He knew nothing of her involvement in the evening’s events. Tossing him one more curveball and seeing his reaction might be amusing. She also knew once he and Kathy got chattering, her and Jack’s time together would be over. These few minutes alone would be all the time she would be able to spend with him for a while.

Her two personal assistants arrived. Both were on call 24/7. When Kimberly O’Connell called, you answered, no matter what the hour. Kimberly stood, motioning for Tomas and Connie, and a member of the security staff to accompany her. Kimberly’s undergraduate degree was in business marketing. She knew the importance of first impressions and wanted to show off a little too. If her personal life was in the crapper, she was going to compensate with her professional life, or at least make it look better than it was at present. Yes, it was for Jack’s sake, but for hers too. She needed a booster shot of self-esteem.

THE CLOP OF WOMAN’S HEELS echoed down the hall. Jack listened carefully. The softer footsteps of men’s shoes were also in the mix. There were at least three and perhaps four people heading in his direction. The woman’s pace sounded deliberate and purposeful with a beat of anger woven into their harmonies. The stride belonged to someone in authority, someone who possessed a take no prisoners attitude. Whoever she was, she must be coming from a side hallway, not the one