Chapter 1

Precarious was not the word Brad Pratt was thinking about. Stupid might be more like it. A roaring sound in his ears both from the sea and the wind made him think of being out here on a day like today; and the salt air and spray from the waves crashing into the rock, sent the pungent smell of the sea into his nose like someone using an inhaler for an allergy. It was a November afternoon with the tide coming in and hanging by his fingertips onto the rock wall of a sea stack proving he still had it after all this time. His mate, lying flat on the top of the rock, coal back hair flying in the wind stared at him through equally colored eyes without expression. His hands were numbing up and what footholds he had were not going to last long if he didn’t move. Up was the only way to go; down was to be thrashed against the rock from the pounding waves coming through the narrow gap into a bowl like cove from which he foolishly decided to prove he could climb the vertical wall without the use of pitons or such useless things. His ego always got the best of him and this time was no exception. He glanced down at the angry sea stirred up by the coming storms known as the Pineapple Express during this time of year in the Pacific Northwest.

Sweat dripped into his eyes and looking up again he saw a small smile raise her brown cheeks implying, what now big boy? You got yourself in this mess and now you get yourself out of it. Her grin pissed him off and with renewed determination he spied a finger hold and moved up a foot closer to the top. His heart pounding but his breathing normal he methodically made a plan and scampered to the top rolling over on his back as both his dog and his mate climbed on top of him while he let out a crazy laugh. He was soaked to the skin from first jumping into the water from the top at slack tide and from the spray from the waves crashing into the wall as he began his accent to prove he could still do it.

Lying on his back with Sujin on top of him brought back the nightmares that plagued him since Afghanistan. He lay wounded in a small cave completely delirious from the infection in his leg. To keep him quiet she lay on top of him with her hand over his mouth as the sounds of the Taliban crossed the rocky mountain trail. If found, she didn’t want to think about what they would do to the both of them; stories of captured enemy made her shudder and move her knife in her other hand closer to his jugular vein. First she would cut him and then herself if discovered. Sounds of rocks rolling down the mountain as they walked by; little conversation was heard, mostly just an occasional grunting as someone slipped on the narrow trail and more than one had met his Allah on such trails in the rugged mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He was still moaning from the fever, but the howling wind masked his sounds as all was quiet except the wind. She waited a few minutes more to make sure all was clear. His moaning stopped as he fell into a deep sleep. She crawled to the small opening cautiously to peer out and see if they had left a trailer behind as they usually did with mountains full of caves. She sniffed the wind and lay waiting for the next thirty minutes or so before she crawled back to check on the wounded American soldier. There was nothing on his person to say who he was. However, she could tell by his uniform and haircut he was American. Where did he come from and when she found him lying face down on the rocky trail she thought he was dead. Listening for a heartbeat through his back she heard the steady beat of a heart that was strong and regular, albeit fast. He was not small and it took all her strength and effort to drag him to a cave just large enough for a body to fit the opening. He must have sensed someone helping him as once she stood him up the pain of his leg must have brought him around, he used his hands and arms to drag himself into the cave only to pass out again as she followed him in. Going through his pack and pockets she found some meds. Totally unfamiliar with the names written on the meds, she discovered some packs with antibiotic written on them.

Part of her originally mission to Pakistan was for humanitarian reasons. The basics of first aid she knew, and quickly she opened the pack and shot him in his white butt with the injection. Next she looked at his wound in his thigh. The bullet had missed the femur and passed through the muscle and exited cleanly. He’d administered first aid to himself and had stopped the bleeding. She wondered how far he had traveled since being wounded. The old bandage she removed was smelly and caked with dried blood. From her pack she took some precious water and washed the wound. Applied a new bandage from his store of meds and waited for him to regain consciousness.

Coming back to the present she rolled off him and he sat up with a grin on his thin lips and a satisfied look from his deep blue eyes. From the first time she looked into his eyes she saw the look of intelligence and quickly learned how fast they could change to a look of a killer. At present his eyes had the warm look of a man in love with everything that was him and with him. They stood up and went down the south side of Fish Rock and along the ledge leading to the seashore. The eastern edge of the rock pathway at high tide was under water. Stuck on the rock at high tide was a six hour wait. Swimming was not an option as a strong rip tide made swimming a deadly hazard.

Walking in front with Sujin just behind him and his dog already on the beach sitting by a man who was scratching his ears, Brad Pratt knew trouble was in the making as he stepped onto the beach. Looking first at the tall man and then to the sky he took stock of the weather. The wind out of the southwest and heavy clouds promised a night of stormy weather on the southern coast of Oregon. He felt a chill and it wasn’t from the storm as he knew his expertise was needed once more. Each time he promised his mate it would be the last one. But she knew as long as he was able he would put himself in harm’s way to do his duty for his nation. He came from a long line of military career men and it was natural for him to follow in their footsteps.

He took a deep breath of the heavy salty air and walked boldly to the man standing with his back to the wind with one hand in his Burberry and the other on the dog’s head. His slacks had a crease still sharp with the pants legs rolled up with boots on gave him the look of a sinister mob man in Chicago watching his men take the stealing accountant out onto Lake Michigan for a nightly swim with cement shoes. His medium white hair blew in the wind like wisps of angel hair. As they approached Steve Lewis he never broke his stoic expression but turned and they all walked down the hard packed beach where it turned to soft sand too far from the high tide mark, past Devils Kitchen and up the trail to the bluff where he had his beach house.

His other dog, the mate to his male German shepherd stood guard at the perimeter of his southern property boundary. No private individual could own the beach next to the ocean, but by special permission he was granted a quarter acre on the bluff overlooking the ocean. As they topped the trail to the house, Sujin took from her pocket a remote and clicked the button much like an electronic key for your car releasing the lock and security. Literally the only way you could sneak into the property would be from the air and it would be a rare day indeed for a parachutist to land with wind blowing most every day of the year. The security was necessary as he had a bounty on his head from Al-Queda. Before he and Sujin had left Asia, he finished up the job he was assigned. Intel had determined a base camp for hundreds of trainees based deep in the mountains needed eliminating. With a GPS it was Colonel Brad Pratt’s job to pin point the location for strategic bombing. He couldn’t have accomplished it without Sujin’s help.

The rain began as they made their way to the unusual and unique beach house that looked more like a World War Two bunker than a house. It was in fact an earth house half underground and half above perfectly round with bullet proof windows encased in an I-beam steel construction. The whole structure of the house was built on steel I-beams as was the roof where one inch steel plates were covered by cedar shakes. Split cedar siding gave the natural weathered look as the whole structure blending in nicely with the environment. A fort might be a better description of the house, but no way was Brad going to not protect him and his family against an intruder. The grounds were heat censored and most of the time at least one of the dogs were on guard outside. They were trained not to attack, but to warn the occupants of the house someone was coming. A push button located in various locations around the house where the dogs could use their nose to push an alert button if unwanted beach combers chanced by.

Making their way down the stairs through the front steel door programmed for his and Sujin’s eye sprung open upon recognition. The female, Sandy stayed outside and Rocky the male came in with the master and his guest.

Not a word had been spoken as Brad went directly to the bathroom to take a shower while Sujin went to the kitchen to make some green tea with her special added herbal medicine. At thirty three she was a trained Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor among other things. Sujin noticed how dark it was getting as the rain lashed the windows sending long worm like rivulets down the tinted glass. From the oven which had been kept warm for homemade biscuits filled the air: a fresh baked bread smell, like at grandma house. She placed some on a tray while the water was coming to a boil on the island stove.

Burberry stood at the south window overlooking the sea. Large sea stacks dotted the sea while high sand dunes faced east of the littoral zone. Tall beach grass was waving in the wind as the storm began. These windows were special: you could see out, but you couldn’t see in. At first one felt exposed but after a while your mind settled down and enjoyed the view.

In the front entry way he had taken off his boots and rolled down his pants before walking into what constituted the living room. He crossed on a Tan Oak hardwood floor a color which the name came from. He wondered how to break the news to Brad. His superior briefed him in Washington before he was flown out on special jet landing in North Bend where a car was waiting for him. Driving down highway 101 to Bandon he took the Beach Loop Road past the golf course turning off to the west through some scrub weather beaten pine trees down a dirt sandy road where he wondered if he would make it as the bottom of the car more than once drug on the rutted road. At the end of the pine trees a cable crossed the road keeping the curious out with a bold sign: “Beware of the Dogs” Next to the lock in a box where one needed a combination number to open the gate he dialed in the number and proceeded to the house stopping in a graveled area for parking outside the secure area. From there he realized no one was home as the dog sat and stared at him without moving. He took the trail down to the beach and looked both south and north finally spotting another dog on top of a sea stack about two hundred yards from the mouth of the creek emptying into the sea. He looked at his watch and it was just after four pm Pacific Time. He was dog tired from the meeting and the long flight in a private Gulf Stream where he only cat napped from coast to coast.

He heard Sujin in the kitchen as he turned to sit on a low sofa made out of driftwood and cleverly covered with cushions. It looked uncomfortable but sitting down he felt like he was at home in his Lazy Boy recliner. He looked around seeing the seascapes photos nicely framed hanging on the divider wall between the kitchen and living room. The photos were taken by Sujin and she was a professional photographer popular in Asia and in particular her home country of South Korea. In the center of the house stood a wood stove giving off the type of heat that made the body feel good. Brad burned mostly wood pellets in this day and age of hard to find firewood, but occasionally he would burn some drift wood picked up while out running up and down the beach for his daily exercise.

Next to the kitchen stood a small, old wooden table incongruous with the furnishings with four similar type chairs sat waiting for someone to occupy them. This was for the rare guest to eat at as not far from the wood stove, a low table sat Asian style with floor mats to sit on. A combination of American and Asian blended well with the house and occupants. Sujin came into the living room carrying the tray of biscuits and the strong smell of green herb tea. She looked at him and then to the floor table giving him the choice of the floor or the old wooden table next to the kitchen. He looked at the floor and she placed the tray and sat each place with tea with the biscuits in the middle. After placing the tea pot and cups she returned the tray to the kitchen and walked back taking the stairs down to the basement where the bedrooms and other rooms were located.

Burberry felt alone and relaxed from the barely noticeable sounds of the rain slamming against the windows as by now the storm was showing it stuff. He closed his eyes and saw the red dots of eye strain blinking like stars in the night. At sixty he wasn’t young anymore, but like his wife told him he was as active as a young man fresh from boot camp. That is when he met her when he was on leave out of boot camp in South Carolina. It was summer time and some of his friends were going swimming and he needed some swim trucks. A smile crossed his face as he flashed back walking into the boutique along the sea shore. She was helping another customer as he perused the swim trunks. The next thing he knew after she asked him if she could help him find something, he turned and looked into her deep brown eyes and white teeth.

He never went swimming with the boys, but on her days off and at night he swam with her. A year later they were married and for the last thirty five years it was mostly a happy marriage with two kids now grown and gone with their own lives and careers leaving just the two of them home alone.

A voice saying, “Steve how about some tea,” woke him from his subconscious dream. Standing next to the stove stood the man he hoped could bring security and comfort back to California.

“Yes, I would love some,” as he stood up and took off his over coat and handed it to Brad. As Steve watched Brad he thought his looks never changed. His tall lean body was as fit today as he knew it years ago. Brad hung it up next to the alcove and returned to the low table sitting down cross legged and waited for his guest to do the same. Sujin came up wearing sweat pants and a T shirt that said, “I love the Beach” across the front of it. She was small like most Asian women, but under her sweats hard muscled legs matched her upper body from years of yoga and Tai Chi left their mark. Steve knew her prowess in martial arts as one time strolling on the beach with Brad, she told him some of her back ground, but only enough to leave him with the knowledge she could and can take care of herself in a time of need.

Sujin poured the tea and sat down next to her husband. Like most Asian women she rarely made eye contact with anyone but someone she knew well and in this case with Steve, she knew only too well. Every time they met he had a job that needed their attention. She busied herself with tea and biscuits waiting for the formal discussion to begin. Steve commented on the nice taste of the tea and biscuits and asked forgiveness for intruding on their hospitality. Meaningless words she thought knowing full well they would be on a job again very soon. She was in the middle of a photo layout and was scheduled to fly to Seoul for a showing. Now she would have to postpone because she would not let him take on any job without her help. Brad would make the usual noises about her going on to Seoul without worrying about him, but his words were not sincere. He needed her and she needed him. Their relationship was built on trust and friendship for the mutual good of both.

Ever since Pakistan they were a team reading each other’s mind like they knew each other for a life time instead of only a few weeks once he healed from his wound. After being airlifted out of Pakistan to India, thanks to the Indian government they spent the next three months basking on the beaches and practicing Yoga and studying Far Eastern religions while his wound healed.

Tea and biscuits consumed Brad waited for Steve to speak. His formal upbringing military style held true through his thirty five years on earth. He figured if he listened he would learn more and a listener was always at an advantage because the listener could think while the speaker could only talk. A small advantage, but an advantage nonetheless. Steve was wearing a sports coat and from an inside pocket he drew out a folded paper. He passed it to Brad and it was a brief note of only a few sentences. In essence it said the governor of California wanted to meet him soonest. Brad said, “What is this about Steve?”

Steve said, “I’m sure you are aware of the serial killer stalking Southern California. He or she has killed another one yesterday and that brings the total to eight in six months. I’ll not bore you with why the FBI hasn’t a lead since the first senior citizen was murdered in Barstow. In my briefcase in the car I have all the latest files on this case and the bottom line is our government wants you to solve this case before we lose many more senior citizens to this mad person. As you know, seniors carry a lot of weight these days politically and economically. The president yesterday had a special meeting with the FBI director and when the director came out of the meeting half his butt was missing. Sorry Sujin, but that’s a quote form the secret service guy who escorted him off the premise.” Steve sat back and moved his cramped legs for some blood circulation for the unorthodox method of sitting on the floor.

Brad noticed and said, “Let’s go down to the office and bring your files with you. Give Sujin your keys and she will get it for you,” as he stood up to lead his friend down to the basement. Rocky got up and followed his master down the stairs. Never was he not with his master when someone other than Sujin was with him. He always kept his distance, but never for a moment did he relax while his master entertained a guest.

Steve never ceased to be impressed with the basement. Like spokes on a wheel, rooms led off through curtained or beaded doors oriental style. In the center, or the hub of a wheel, sat three small sofas done up in the same motif as the sofa upstairs. All colors were grey or white wherever you looked be it ceiling or the inside of the walls of the various rooms. Sitting in the middle of the room or hub surrounded by sofas sat around a glass coffee table with legs from a piece of driftwood custom fit for the glass. Recessed lighting, but effective, lent a warm feeling of safety and security. On the table a portable phone sat looking lonely without a cord to give it a home. Brad said with politeness, “Would you like a glass of brandy or cherry?”

“Yes, that would be fine. A glass of brandy would get my old blood moving again as I fear we have a long afternoon and night ahead of us.”

Brad disappeared into one of the rooms leaving the beads to rattle and sway together. Before they had completely settle down he was back with two brandy snifters and a bottle of California brandy. He poured an inch into each and sat down opposite his friend as Sujin came down with his briefcase. She gave him his bag and sat down on the other sofa so she could watch each of them as they spoke. Brad had a long time ago asked her to view the conversations with special attention to facial and body expressions. He felt that was the key to observation was separating fact from fiction; truth for lies; politics included and most importantly the subject itself. How important was this to the nation and who would benefit from it. Would this situation have far reaching effects worldwide or just locally? These were just some of the things he and Sujin discussed each time they were called to action. Now he gave Steve his full attention while he opened his bag and put on his half glasses. He opened a file marked secret and read an over view of what its contents were.

Two hours later Steve laid all the files on the glass table and sat back with his untouched brandy and sipped while he stared at Brad. Brad had neither touched his glass nor said a word the whole time. Steve was used to his ways and took the time to relax and let the warm burning liquid ignite a fire in his belly. Sujin got up and left up the stairs. Steve guessed right she was making dinner. She was an excellent Asian cook and he always looked forward to her dinners. I think it was the side dishes he liked the best, he thought. He’d been here many times and never twice did he eat the same entrée. He knew he would be pleased with whatever she served.

Brad after he picked up his glass and raised it to his boss said, “Let me show you something in the computer room before we have dinner.” Steve followed him through a beaded doorway into a room that looked like it was sanitized each day. Not a speck of dust anywhere. He marveled at Sujin and her attention to detail. Brad sat down in front of a twenty four inch screen and pulled up a map of California. Steve sat in what he knew as Sujin’s chair next to Brad while he made a copy of the map from the printer. After making a copy he overlaid the map with holes in each case where the killer had made a mark. Steve could see where Brad had drawn lines from point to point and clearly a letter had appeared. The letter “N” hit him between the eyes and Steve sat back and exclaimed,
My God it is so elementary and not one FBI person thought of doing this simple act?”

“Sometimes the simple things go right by as our educated minds are looking for deeper meanings when it is usually right in front of you. Of course you are spending the night with us and I will read your files after dinner. In the morning I will give you my report and Sujin’s too. Meanwhile as you know there are some videos to watch in the guest room and a phone to call home if you like. We, as you also know are not much in the entertainment mode around here and after dinner Sujin and I will take on the files. Now let’s go see what my Asian beauty has for dinner,” as he rose and led Steve up the stairs.

Once again Sujin had pleased the senses. The smell was enticing and the bowls of steaming noodles lay waiting for the sticks to grab hold. Steve was no slouch with chop sticks as having been the commanding officer in South Korea before he retired to civilian duty. He did himself proud slurping the noodles and marveled at the sweet sour taste of the cucumbers and other side dishes. Sujin after the small bowl of noodles brought out the gas cooker and marinated beef strips and veggies were cooked. Steve noticed the meat was mostly for his enjoyment as both Brad and Sujin were primarily vegetarians.

While the meat was cooking some small talk between the men occurred. Brad asked how his father was and Steve said, “Your father is well and sends his greetings and after your Sacramento meeting wants you to stop by his house in Palm Springs for a private meeting.”

Brad nodded and thought back about his strained relationship with his father. Even after all these years and being a full colonel his father still tried to tell him what to do. Brad new he meant well, but at times he couldn’t be in the same room with him. His mother, thank god, adjudicated the gatherings the best she could so in the end, the game was tied with no winner or loser.

Steve tried in vain to read Brad’s mind and even though he was a lawyer by trade he failed to really know this young man. For eight years he was his commanding officer and besides being a desk man, he tried to get out into the field as much as possible. However, he found out soon enough he was only in the way. Then five years ago the Secretary of the Navy called him into his office and that is when the operation to eliminate a terrorist camp unfolded. A five man team had been sent into the area led by a known sympathizer. This was a special team of Navy Seals with Brad leading the team. They were ambushed and two out of five were killed with Brad left finding his own way out of the mountains. He had ordered is men to evacuate and gave them cover fire as the helicopter took off without him.

Now he wondered what went through his mind as they sipped some refreshing tea oblivious to the raging storm outside. Sujin cleaned off the table and Steve said good night and gave Sujin his best bow. Brad smiled and led the way downstairs with Rocky bringing up the rear. They both heard Sujin call Rocky and he slowly turned and headed back the way he came. A few minutes later Sandy replaced Rocky as Steve laid his head down for a long sleep while his friend took the files into the computer room. Steve made a phone call to his wife and then turned the light out. He laid thinking about his last meeting in DC with his boss. He was instructed to have their team on the hunt yesterday. The president was taking so much heat from this wild killer and seniors across the nation were in a panic. Heart attacks and strokes were on the increase. Doctors were plagued with over crowed waiting rooms prescribing sleeping aids by the gross. Southern California and in Sacramento protests by seniors over the Senior Killer hit the media with a bang. The FBI in Los Angeles and elsewhere were overloaded with tips on unseen or suspected people who looked like what they thought a serial killer should look like. Of course no one knew what he/she looked like because of his disguises. Trying times to say the least as Steve drifted off to sleep in a soundless environment.