Landing Gear Down

By Hudson Brown

Graham Stone is a young detective with the Memphis Police Department and is assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force. Graham is part of an elite unit of crime fighters who are given the toughest tasks and pursue the most notorious criminals in the city. As a result of this, Graham finds himself in the challenge of a lifetime and his drive and determination to succeed is pushed to the limit.

Graham is faced with a well-funded and ruthless adversary and must rely on his instincts and training to solve one of the most terrifying crimes in the history of the US. Along the way, Graham meets and falls in love with his soulmate, demonstrates how much he cares about his friends and colleagues, and wrestles with major career decisions, all while pushing himself like never before chasing a terrorist who is determined to successfully pull off the most destructive attack in America's history. It is a pursuit and challenge that test his mental, physical, and emotional capabilities like nothing he has ever faced.

It will take teamwork, selflessness, and a little luck for Graham and his fellow officers to save the day. Join Graham on this exciting adventure as he races against time to save the love of his life and as many people as possible from this evil plan. It is an emotional and action-packed thriller that will keep you guessing at every turn of the page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781645315483

Book preview

1

It was a cold February day as Graham Stone strolled into the Racquet Club in Memphis, Tennessee. He was an hour early for a meeting he had with Pierre LaSalle, the tournament organizer, and as always, he was carrying his black duffle bag. He scanned the parking lot on his way in and made a mental note of all the vehicles and their occupants, if any. There were a few snow flurries, but an otherwise beautiful afternoon.

His first stop was to the vendor’s station where, for the past several years, Ms. Howell had sold various souvenirs to the spectators. She was always one of the first to arrive and was meticulous in her display. Her vendor station was at the entrance of the arena, and she looked forward to his daily visit. She often asked him what was in the bag, but he would just smile and try to change the subject.

He placed the bag under a table and, with his daily wink, asked her to keep an eye on it for him. He then checked the dressing room for anything out of the ordinary and made the walk from the dressing room to the tennis court.

The velvet ropes that lined the walk were in perfect order and added an elegant touch to the quaint and fan-friendly tournament. He walked out onto center court and checked the lighting and exits to make sure they were all in order. The court was very accessible to the public, but it could be viewed as a security nightmare. Graham went and stood in the various locations where he would station other security and made sure that anyone attempting to run onto the court could be stopped before reaching the players.

There had always been security placed directly behind where the players sat during intermissions, but he considered doubling those efforts for this special occasion. He looked at the luxury boxes where the high-priced seats were and noted where all the television cameras would be placed. He glanced down at his watch and noticed that he was now five minutes late for his meeting.

Graham saw Pierre LaSalle through the glass door before he knocked and could tell that he was on the phone. These meetings never went well, because Pierre thought that there was plenty of security, and any more would damage the reputation and integrity of the tournament. To complicate matters, Pierre liked to give Graham a hard time, because he knew how seriously Graham considered security. For the past five years, Graham had requested tighter security measures for this tournament, and this year, there were additional factors that would play into that request.

Graham tapped lightly on the door, and as Pierre swiveled around in the chair, he waved him into the room and carried on with his phone conversation. Pierre made no attempt to hide the fact that he was gay, and it was obvious that Graham was listening to part of a conversation from a homosexual suitor. Pierre wrapped up his conversation and said, You’re early. Obviously, Graham was not the only one in the building whose duties had caused him to lose track of time.

I know. Graham replied. I do not have to tell you that this is a very big day. Did the city get back to you about the extra uniform officers I requested?

One thing at a time, Graham. Pierre had a very distinct accent and made light of the security requests every year. Every year, you come in here and request additional security for no reason. Have you lost faith in your guys to adequately perform their duties?

My guys come through every year, but does the name Salima Muslimah mean anything to you? You are aware that her father is the Israeli ambassador to Pakistan and she is very outspoken about the oppression of Arab women. To say her stance is frowned upon by much of the Arab world would be a gross understatement.

Politics? Pierre sneered. Politics is not your cup of tea, Graham. All you and your guys need to do is keep kids from handing their autograph pens to the players to and from the court and keep lovestruck high school kids from becoming a distraction while the young ladies are playing. That is why we make a sizeable donation to your frat house every year. Speaking of which, I am extremely disappointed to know that we will not be working together in the future. It has been brought to my attention that you will graduate in May and do not plan on organizing the security anymore. That is a pity. I always looked forward to seeing you in that bright yellow shirt. It does you justice, you know?

You have known for quite some time that I am a fifth-year senior, and if my job did not require so much time, I would have graduated by now, Graham replied. I will greatly miss the everyday encounters with my fraternity brothers and working this tournament, but it is time for me to move on. Which brings me back to my original question—what have you heard from the city regarding my request for additional police officers to work inside the club?

All of those cop uniforms around can be distracting, Pierre said with a wink, if you know what I mean. Besides, we have used your fraternity for eleven years and have not ever had one security concern. I am fully confident—

You never even passed my request on to the city, did you? Graham interrupted. Let me tell you something, God forbid something goes wrong today. I will not allow you to place blame on me and my fraternity brothers. I have documented these requests for five years and believe that the public would find it very interesting to know that a fraternity from The University of Memphis guards the biggest sporting event in this city every year. You are ultimately responsible for the safety of these players and the fans, and one would think that you would take these matters more seriously.

Don’t you even begin to threaten me. I don’t care who you are, Pierre shot back. I know how much your precious fraternity and its members mean to you and I know how much the donations from this club for your services mean to the survival of your chapter. You graduate in a few months, and I doubt the board of directors will be as easily persuaded by some drunk frat boy replacement, even if he is handpicked by you. It has been a blessing to have you, a free police officer who brings in his frat buddies for next to nothing, but next year will be a different story. Other security agencies are making offers as we speak, and we don’t have to worry about their people stealing our beer after hours. It won’t be the same without you, but ride off into the sunset, Graham. Just know that your services will be missed.

Graham turned to exit the room.

Oh, one more thing, Pierre added, I saw one of your yellow shirts in the bar last night talking to a much older member of the club. It seems as if the young man was trying his hardest to go home with her. The problem is—and I am certainly not a trained observer—however, I would bet one of my rather large paychecks that he was not of age. It would be extremely disappointing to the members of this club if we were to lose our liquor license and we would not be able to serve them a mimosa after their tennis lessons in the mornings. What do you think? I would have asked him to leave, only he was the cutest thing, and I could not take my eyes off him. Pierre lit a cigarette.

I’ll take care of it, Graham replied. Is the matter resolved as far as you are concerned?

Oh, certainly, Pierre added. Don’t be too hard on the lad. I know how much those guys respect you. Finally, you will be happy to know that I have arranged for you to have six armed security officers on hand. They will be at your 4:00 p.m. meeting in the security office. My only request is that you do not station them inside the confines of the court. I know they are not Memphis’ finest, but do be hospitable to them. I have seen you upset, and it is not a pretty sight. Congratulations, let us celebrate! This is Sunday, and that means the finals! The place is a sell-out, and Salima Muslimah can win her first tournament ever! ESPN will be carrying the match, and this is the most successful tourney we have ever had!

Graham opened the door and turned to Pierre LaSalle and said, After the tournament is over and all the players are safely out of the Racquet Club, I’ll celebrate…with my friends.

Graham left the meeting, exhausted. This was a tough time of year for any college senior, with midterms fast approaching; but Graham, however, was not the everyday college senior. He worked as a full-time Memphis police officer at night and went to school full-time during the day. He was a senior majoring in Finance and was unsure what his future held after graduation. Not to mention the fact that Graham was head of security for a major tennis event from which revenues helped support the growing costs of running a fraternity house. There was a meticulous schedule that had to be made and rotated around the class schedule of more than one hundred men, of which at least sixty were required to man the necessary posts. The tournament lasted a week, and while Graham took a vacation from the police department, he was not afforded that luxury from his class schedule. With this being his last semester, he had responsibilities at school that took up most of his nighttime.

The River Invitational was an ATP sponsored event that was shown on national television and was a huge publicity vehicle for the city. Over ten years ago, when the event was first brought to Memphis, organizers were looking for a way to cut costs. Someone came up with the idea of contacting a local college fraternity and having their members pose as security, and in return, a donation would be made to their chapter. The event began to grow, and organizers began to look at other security measures. That is where then freshman Graham Stone came in. He was working for the police department in a civilian capacity but had numerous contacts inside local law enforcement. His father was a high-ranking police official and pulled some strings to allow Memphis police officers to work traffic enforcement outside the venue.

He met with the board of directors of the event, and with a charm and persuasion that few people his age possessed, he was able to convince them to keep the fraternity on as the sole security agency. He even negotiated a higher donation to his chapter. This was perfect for the tournament’s board of directors because they felt they were providing a service to the local university while getting security for next to nothing. They also had a history of providing an atmosphere unlike any other on the ATP tour. They reveled in the fact that there were not armed guards all over the arena, and the only security concerns in the past had been overzealous fans trying to get autographs while players made their way to and from the court. Not to mention the 120-man fraternity that loved the idea.

Participation was easy to come by this time of the year. Few college freshmen had the opportunity to escort some of the most beautiful female athletes on the planet from their dressing room to the court and back and stand at center court of a nationally televised tennis event. Many of the guys would sneak into the exclusive club for drinks late at night, and there was an ever-running bet to see if anyone could escort one of the players to the annual party after the tournament. It had never been done, but almost everyone had a story of how they were probably the closest one to ever pulling it off.

The day after Graham turned twenty-one, he was forced to sit out of college for a year while he attended the Memphis Police Academy. He graduated from the academy and returned to school soon after to finish his degree; all of this while trying to remain an active member of a college fraternity and fulfilling his obligation to the tennis tournament. He was well-respected among his fraternity brothers and was known as one of the up-and-coming officers in the city.

He patrolled a notorious section of the city and had been recognized by his superiors on numerous occasions for his outstanding efforts. He had earned the respect and support of his fellow officers and was looked upon as someone who could easily follow in his father’s footsteps, right up the proverbial chain-of-command ladder.

Graham was naturally fit; he was over six feet tall and a stocky two hundred and fifteen pounds. He demanded and received respect from criminals he encountered on the street but had an amiable personality away from the job that everyone responded to. He was the guy that everyone wanted to be around. He did not have a girlfriend, because he did not have time for one, and probably would not have been one to settle down had he the time. Instead, he liked to date and was seen at numerous social functions across the city when his schedule permitted.

It was now 3:00 p.m., and Graham stood outside the venue, scanning the parking lot. The tournament began at 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening to the public at 5:00. Graham’s best friend and second-in-command (if you will), Conner Balin, was walking across the parking lot to help arrange some last-minute security measures.

What do you think? Conner asked. Is it going to snow?

Are you kidding me? This is Memphis, Graham replied, It only snows at Graceland, and that is when Elvis is performing an outside concert.

Yeah, so how did it go with Pierre? Conner continued.

Pretty much the same, as usual. He tried to piss me off a couple of times and then told me that if you need a date to the party tonight, he was available. Graham opened the door for his friend as Conner walked in.

Aren’t you going to miss this? Conner asked as they walked down the hallway toward the press conference area.

What do you think? Graham replied.

I know you, I know the satisfaction that you get out of doing this, and I bet that you will miss it a lot, Conner assumed.

Conner, you don’t know me at all, do you? Graham replied with a smile.

2

It was approaching time for the meeting that always preceded the opening match of the day. This was something that Graham was well used to, and he knew that this was the last time he would address the security detail that he had worked so hard to put into effect. While this was a lot of fun to everyone else involved, including Pierre, Graham took it very seriously. He had worked on the route that the players would take, he designated places for everyone to stand to minimize the possibility of players being assaulted by a fan, he had positioned Memphis police officers at both ends of the street to totally stop traffic flow or to help extract players if necessary, and he had borrowed two brand-new Buick Lucernes each year to be driven by someone in case an extraction needed to take place (although the people at Buick were told that they were for basic parking lot patrol and marketing of their newest vehicle).

Knowing that the members of the fraternity were well-practiced gave Graham some peace of mind. He always felt bad about being so strict on the guys and never wanted to abuse the respect that they had always given him. Everyone knew the importance of this event every year, and it was truly amazing to see how a group of fun-loving guys could pull together and behave so professionally. No one outside of the event could have ever guessed that the security team was comprised of college fraternity men.

Class usually dictated the role that the members played. Freshmen were almost always placed outside the venue, sophomores were usually required to man the parade route, and upperclassmen would take care of the escorting. Radios were provided, and the members who would be inside the venues wore earpieces. Occasionally, during down time, the guys would begin to play on their radios by keying the mic and holding it up to a radio speaker or commenting about an attractive female that had been spotted in the gift shop; but no horseplay was allowed during the transfer of players, a rule that everyone understood and no one dared to challenge.

Graham headed to the security office and was met by Conner outside the door. Conner wanted to tell Graham how much his leadership and friendship had meant to this assignment, but emotions got in the way. It has been quite an experience working with you on this. Everyone is here, and the PowerPoint presentation is ready for you. Oh, and by the way, the security guards are here, and you are going to be disappointed when you see them.

What about the police officers, are they here yet? Graham asked.

They are here and they keep making comments under their breath about the security guards, Conner answered.

They began to walk into the room when Graham hesitated and turned to Conner and said, I could not have done this all these years without your help. Thanks.

That, my friend, is what it’s all about, Conner responded.

As they entered the room, the noise from the sixty-five members of the fraternity was getting loud. Graham looked to the right of the room and saw the poorest excuse for security officers he had ever seen. Every one of them appeared to be eligible for social security, and the ones that were not grossly overweight were paper-thin. Graham tried not to laugh as he glanced at Conner but now realized why Pierre wanted them placed outside the court area.

The crowd began to settle as Graham approached the podium. All the guys were wearing the customary long-sleeve yellow shirts and black or navy pants. Graham began to address them when he was interrupted.

You have got to be kidding me! This is what we have been waiting for? one of the security guards explained as he stood up. It is bad enough that they send me here to babysit a bunch of high school kids, but if they think that I am going to take orders from one, then they don’t know me very well.

He looked at the other security guards who were nodding in approval, and then he looked at the police officers in the room and said, I know these guys are not going to take orders from you. I am surprised that they have not bent one of you over their knee and spanked the shit out of you already. I have been a security guard longer than you have been alive, and there is not a thing that you can tell me about security.

A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned toward Graham. Many people were wondering if it was what was said to Graham or if it was the fact that the oldest most out of shape person in the room was so disrespectful without having any idea that he was indeed insulting a police officer and someone who had thus far perfected the security of a very important event. At any rate, everyone knew Graham would not take this kind of outburst.

What is your name? Graham calmly asked as he approached the security guard. You could feel the tension in the room.

I do not have to tell you my name, son. What’s your name?

The security guard barely got the words out of his mouth when Graham shouted, What’s your name?

My name is Buddy Ford, why do you ask? the guard sheepishly asked.

Well, Buddy Ford, let me introduce myself to you. I am Officer Graham Stone of the Memphis Police Department. I have been named Officer of the Month for the West Precinct two times, one of which I was named Officer of the Month for the entire city. I am a member of the Crisis Intervention Team, I have worked with the Organized Crimes Unit, and I have arrested more people in one night than you will in your entire career—a career that you have already stated is longer than my life. I also happen to be a senior at The University of Memphis and will be graduating in May. Lastly, I am also a proud member of the fraternity that you see here and would put any one of these guys up against you in the Security Guard Olympics, because I do not believe that you could guard the snow cone machine at the local K-Mart. Now, if you interrupt my security briefing one more time, I will take you out back and beat the wrinkles out of your fat ass! Do you hear me?

Yes, yes, sir, the guard meekly answered.

Now before you sit down— Graham paused.

Yes? asked Buddy.

Zip up your zipper, Graham said.

The room erupted into laughter as the red-faced security guard zipped up and sheepishly sat down.

That’s enough, Graham said as he took control of the meeting. First things first. Pierre told me that he saw one of you in the bar last night trying to pick up a member of the club. He will be here in two minutes to identify who it was. Whoever it was, I need you to excuse yourself from this meeting before he comes in and singles you out. I do not want anyone getting in trouble before tonight gets underway. I assure you that you will not be in trouble from me. I just do not want to give the Frenchman anything else to bitch about, and I assured him that there was no way it was any of you. No one will be in trouble from me. After a long awkward pause and everyone looking around, two freshmen stood up and attempted to exit the room.

Mike and Hunter—I should have known. Graham said. LaSalle told me there was only one, but I should have known that it was the two of you. You never go anywhere without the other and it takes the two of you to play solitaire. Pierre is not coming in here to single you out, but since you were so willing to identify yourselves, let me suggest that if you are going to be in the bar drinking, please remove your security shirt and make sure that there is no one watching you. I do not have to remind you that you are both underage, and a little discretion would be wise.

Everyone started laughing as the two embarrassed freshmen sat down.

Don’t worry about it, Conner added, the same thing has happened to just about all of us.

As you all know, this is Sunday, and the finals are a few hours away, so get your game faces on. Graham proceeded. It will be a sold-out venue, and I will need each one of you to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Does anyone—besides the new security guards—need to go over the extraction routine? I need to know, because if there are any questions, let’s go over them now.

A hand went up from one of the other security guards. What’s your question? Graham asked.

What do you mean by extraction routine? asked the thinnest of the guards.

"I will meet with you all after the meeting to fill you in on your responsibilities, but in the event of an extraction, the people that will be involved already know what to do. If there is a major security breach, I will call on you to help with crowd control and the apprehension of any prisoners.

Congratulations, Jason Sharp and Mike Smiley, both sophomores. You will be Rover 1 and Rover 2 respectively. As you know, each of you will be driving the new Buicks around the parking lot, looking for anything out of the ordinary, and will be escorting the players from here to the hotel after the tournament—no drinking and driving! If we need to extract the players, you will be driving them out of here in a hurry with the assistance of the police officers stationed at both ends of the street. I do not need to remind you how important this position is, so accept this responsibility as an honor and conduct yourselves appropriately. Plus, the cars that you will be driving are very expensive. Be careful, your parents do not want to get a bill from Buick because you backed into one of the club members’ Mercedes, Graham added.

I will be calling on the entire junior class to man the ‘parade route,’ and you cannot let anyone reach out with autograph materials or grab any of the players. We have plenty of guys here to adequately maintain a secure march to and from the dressing room and with television cameras everywhere, make sure that you are conducting yourselves in a professional manner. No one wants to be on SportsCenter with their finger up their nose. I will now introduce you to tonight’s players, although by the turnout tonight, I can tell that they need no introduction, Graham said.

This drew suggestive whistles and hollers from the men who, up until now, had not been very attentive.

Graham went over to the computer and turned on the PowerPoint presentation. This was something that he prepared before the tournament with a picture of every player and a brief bio. He could easily pull up players and assign them an escort team. Without further ado, twenty-one-year-old Natasha Poltika.

As Graham put her picture on the screen, the room filled with more suggestive whistles and hollers.

She’s from Yugoslavia and is currently ranked seventh in the world. This is her second final of the year, and she won a major last year. She will be escorted by Conner and his team, and they already know who they are. And last, but certainly not least, Salima Muslimah from Israel.

When Graham put her picture on the screen, the room erupted. Salima Muslimah was much more than a pretty face; however, her natural beauty could not be ignored by anyone. Her father, Adham Muslimah, was the Israeli ambassador to Pakistan and was a huge advocate of women’s rights in the Middle East, a cause that he championed with his daughter. Salima’s mother had been assassinated while making a speech on women’s rights when her daughter was very young.

Salima created a lot of publicity everywhere she went, and it was reported that she never went anywhere without her own security force. She insisted she be treated exactly as the other players while she was on tour. As it turns out, the security force Graham was expecting to meet at the beginning of the tournament was nonexistent. She traveled with an assistant, her sister, and her tennis coach.

Okay, okay, that’s enough, Graham interrupted the mayhem.

We’ve noticed you making some eye contact with Salima! shouted one of the seniors from the front row. Is there something going on that we need to know about?

Let’s just say that I am extremely interested in keeping her alive and healthy, Graham said with a grin. Now back to work. Salima will be escorted by myself, Ryan, Steve, and Phil. I cannot stress enough how monumental this event is. Salima Muslimah is playing in her first final, and there will be a ton of media coverage. Not to mention the political importance of her visit to begin with. We should all accept this as a challenge and an honor and take this more seriously than tournaments we have done together in the past to ensure the safety of both remaining players. Having said that, Graham continued, "this is the last time I will be heading this event, and I cannot promise the future of our involvement in this tournament. I would like to say, in all sincerity, that it has been a privilege to work with each of you and your predecessors over the past five years. I know that I have not been easy to deal with at times, but your professionalism and respect have not gone unnoticed.

I will be available to lend assistance in the future, if we are fortunate enough to keep the tournament, but I will not be heading security anymore. Regardless of what the future holds, I am proud of your efforts, and assuming this is our last hurrah, let’s end on a flawless note. Everyone, see Conner for your specific assignments, and I would like to see the security guards outside the room for a brief meeting. Thanks to my fellow Memphis police officers in attendance, we appreciate your efforts outside, and thanks to all of you for your hard work this week. There will be a very brief meeting in here following tonight’s festivities, so everyone, come back here immediately so we can go from the River Invitational to the annual River Invitation Party. Dismissed.

The crowd again cheered, and as the gentlemen filed in line in front of Conner for their assignments, they were all talking about the party that always followed the tournament.

Conner gave Graham a pat on the shoulder as Graham headed outside to brief the new security guards. All four of the Memphis police officers that walked by Graham made some sort of comment regarding the outburst by the head security guard, and one of them even asked Graham if he should arrest him. Graham laughed it off and began to fill in the guards.

Listen, now that we know that we are all professionals, let’s forget what happened back there and move on, Graham began. "I need each of you to be on the lookout for