Loose Ends (The Hammer Commission Book 3) Page 6

  Thomas blushed, and picked up the memory stick.

  "Take it to the pastor at your church, tell him it needs to go to Manresa, he'll take care of it. As for the data, don't let anyone else look at it, and be careful what you do with it yourself. I suspect once the folks back at Manresa get done looking it over, a couple of them will come out here to talk to you about it.

  "But remember, that piece of flesh came from a creature from hell. It was evil."

  "Okay, I can understand that, but the chemicals it was making, those were just chemical compounds, I don't see how they could be evil."

  Mark shrugged, "I have no idea, it may be possible, for all I know they may even have been magical. Just don't let anyone else see the data or do any research on that stuff until the people who know about this crap have talked to you."

  Thomas sighed, "I guess I can do that. Last thing I want is more trouble with the feds or the church."

  "Yeah, especially as they'd send me here to talk to you. And remember, go to church, they not only helped pull your butt out of the fire, via me, but they're going to be keeping an eye on you for some time to come."

  Thomas nodded, "That'll make Mom happy at least, she's always harping on me to start going again."

  Mark got up, "Well, I have a few more things to look into, and then Faith and I are going to catch a plane back home. Any questions before I go?"

  "Yeah," Thomas said, "Just how did Faith beat up Jack? He was almost twice her size!"

  Mark chuckled, "Well, you don't think a badass like your brother would marry four normal women, would you?" and left his brother, who just snorted in disbelief.

  Oregon

  6: Portland International Airport, Oregon

  Mark waved to Michael as he walked out of the passenger's only section of the airport in Portland. As Michael waved back and headed over towards him, Mark was surprised to see Agent Denise O'Brien was with him too.

  "Michael," Mark said nodding hello, then he turned to Denise, "Denise, I must say I'm rather surprised to see you here," Mark said as he then led them out to the passenger pickup area, where he'd left his car.

  "It's those damn Marines and their wolves," Denise grumbled.

  "What?" Mark asked looking over at Michael who was snickering.

  "Steve and Mary got an invite to a big barbeque up at Zeke's last week, and both have since called in to say they're taking a couple weeks off."

  "You're kidding!" Mark said rather surprised.

  "Apparently Zeke was in the Marines, and well, they all bonded or something."

  "Yeah, 'or something,'" Denise sighed.

  Mark nodded, "Okay, so what does that have to do with your being here, Denise?"

  "Mary called me last night, she told me that compared to the guys we'd been dating in DC, that the wolves had them all beat, hands down."

  "And?"

  "She said I should come here, and quote 'see if any of his kids are as hot as their old man.'"

  Mark shook his head and laughed, "Really?"

  "And then she made a few crass remarks about me being chicken if I didn't go find out."

  "I'm surprised you didn't go visit her up at Zeke's, then."

  "Let's just say I'm more of a cat person than a dog person," Denise sighed.

  They came out to the car, and Mark's eldest, Dave, jumped out and took their bags and put them in the back.

  "Michael, Denise, this is my oldest son, Dave," Mark said introducing them. His son David was about as tall as Mark was, but he was a just a little heavier built than Mark, and favored his mother Charity's looks, with the same tawny colored hair and light brown eyes.

  Mark watched as Dave first shook hands with Michael, then took Denise's hand and looking down at her, he slowly smiled.

  "Well hello, Denise. It's so nice to meet you."

  "Umm, hello yourself," Denise said looking up at Dave a little surprised.

  "Damn, that didn't take long," Michael chuckled. "I think I'll grab the front seat."

  Denise scowled at Michael for that remark, but allowed Dave to show her to a seat in the back, Dave then going around to the other side of the car and sitting besides her. Mark watched the two of them in the mirror a moment as Michael started talking. David was definitely putting the moves on Denise, and she wasn't balking at all.

  "So, I hear you had some excitement back at your mom's place?" Michael asked as Mark drove away from the curb.

  "Yeah, you could say that," Mark said navigating his way out of the airport. This time of day the highway would be a mess, it was easier to just take the road by the river to go west. He had a ways to go, and avoiding the ever-increasing traffic around Portland would make the trip a lot more enjoyable.

  "So, what happened?"

  "My brother's biotech company got their hands on part of a demon and they were culturing it in one of their labs."

  "Seriously?" Michael said surprised, "How the hell did they get that?"

  Mark shrugged, "That's what we're trying to find out. Or rather Haines and Chance are trying to at this point. I'm supposed to be on vacation."

  "Un-huh," Michael chuckled. "Send me the case files?"

  "You're supposed to be on vacation too, I seem to recall."

  "No, I'm here so your wives can set me up with one of your daughters," Michael laughed. "Assuming that they live up to all the hype that Helena and Hope have been feeding me."

  "I'm afraid to ask," Mark chuckled.

  "Eh, I grew up in the Midwest, the types of gals I meet in DC really aren't from my background. They're all city kids and stuff. Besides, Helena isn't the only woman trying to marry me off to one of her daughters; half my mom's friends try it every time I go home for Christmas."

  "Yeah, but this is a bit different," Mark pointed out.

  "Yeah," Michael laughed, "your daughters are all a lot better looking than the gals my mom's been trying to hook me up with."

  "You know what I mean," Mark said trying not to roll his eyes while driving.

  "I've seen you, and I've seen you with Helena and Hope," Michael said looking over at him. "I've seen how they are with you. That's a pretty convincing argument, Mark. Along with the increased odds of coming home alive each night."

  "Yeah, well remember, I didn't ask for this."

  "But you'd still do it again, if you had to live your life over."

  "Don't be so sure about that," Mark warned.

  "Mark?"

  "What?"

  "You know that lying to the FBI is a felony, right?" Michael snickered.

  Mark could feel his face warming up, Michael was right; of course he'd do it all over again. Yeah, he knew there were people who would frown on him setting up Michael, and probably Denise now, to be changed. But as far as he was concerned, it was their decision.

  And honestly? They were both good people, and like any father, he wanted to hook his kids up with good partners. Besides, they knew the risks a lot better than most.

  The rest of the drive was mostly small talk, with Mark pointing out a few points of interest on the drive. He was staying at Charity's this week, as it was her 'turn' to have him apparently. As Dave was one of Charity's kids that was the reason why he'd dragged him along to help. Looking back up in the mirror he wondered if they'd have to make arrangements for a room for Denise to sleep in, or if she'd just end up in Dave's. Dave had left a trail of broken hearts behind in high school, but he'd been told rather firmly by his mother, Helena, and Mark that he couldn't change any of those girls. Of all of his sons, Dave had been the biggest Romeo; then again he'd been quite the jock in school. But unlike the late and unlamented Gregory, his mother and Mark had never let it go to his head.

  Charity's house, like all of the girl's houses, was far out of town, bordered by timber company lands on almost all sides, with only a couple of neighbors in the area. Mark drove down the small access road, then turned down the long driveway, and pulled up in front of the nice, but simple, ranch house with a large pole barn across the driveway
from it.

  "Wow, this is really out in the middle of nowhere, isn't it?" Denise said from the back of the car, looking around. The sun was setting; it was getting near time for dinner.

  "Care to go out and look at the stars later?" Dave asked her. "This far out, there's no light pollution, and you can see everything."

  Mark tried not to laugh as Denise smiled.

  "Oh, I'd like that," she said.

  "Dave," Mark said.

  Dave sighed heavily and looked up at him in the mirror.

  "Yes, Dad?"

  "Denise knows exactly what you are. Okay? So you don't have to hide anything from her. Furthermore, she's an adult, so whatever the two of you get up to, that's your business, and not mine, understand?"

  Mark saw his son's eyes widen a bit and he looked at Denise who was smiling at him.

  "And you're not allowed to bite her unless she agrees to it, got that?"

  "Uh, what?" Dave said looking momentarily lost.

  "Simple, Denise is in the market for a husband and you're on the menu. Good luck."

  Mark noticed that Dave got a rather curious expression on his face, a cross perhaps between hope and fear. Denise was leering at him however.

  Michael was laughing, "I think your work here is done!" he said.

  Mark smiled, "Yup, let's go inside and see what Charity's made us for dinner."

  "So, send me those files?" Michael asked.

  "I have a lot of daughters," Mark joked, "think you'll have time to even look at them?"

  "The barbeque isn't until tomorrow, so I think I'll have tonight at least," Michael chuckled.

  "I'll send them," Mark agreed and went and helped Michael get his bag. Denise and Dave were still sitting in the car, flirting apparently, though at this point he couldn't tell who was chasing who. He left them to it and brought Michael inside to introduce him to Charity, who he hadn't yet met.

  "How old is Dave, anyway?" Michael asked as they went inside.

  "Nineteen. How old is Denise?"

  "Twenty-three, a year younger than me."

  "She's younger than you?" Mark said surprised, "I thought she was more experienced?"

  "Well, she did time with the military police in the army before joining the FBI," Michael said with a shrug.

  Mark stopped and looked at Michael, "Denise was an MP?" He said, holding his hand out at about chin height, which was where Denise came up to on him. In Mark's experience, all MP's came out of a test tube and were over six feet tall.

  Michael laughed, "Dude, don't ever piss her off! She's vicious! Even Patrick is afraid of her! Hell, I'd put money on her against anybody in a fight, even your son out there, werecougar or not. She grew up with five older brothers and her father owns a chain of martial arts schools. Mary might look like the tough girl in the unit, but Denise is the one who'll clean your clock"

  "I had no idea," Mark admitted.

  "Why do you think Woods has her on the team? She only looks harmless," Michael laughed.

  "I'll keep that in mind. Now, this is my wife, Charity," Mark said, introducing her. They showed Michael which room he'd be sleeping in, and then they all sat down to dinner. Thankfully Charity had warned the older kids off, to give Michael a chance to relax before the barbeque tomorrow. Denise and Dave did join them for dinner, but that was the last Mark saw of either of them that night.

  # #

  Mark grumbled as his cell phone rang. Picking it up he looked at it and saw it was Agent Haines calling.

  "Hello, Jeff, what's up?" Mark asked, stifling a yawn.

  "We found out where that sample came from."

  "Oh?"

  "The airline sent the engines to a repair facility in Portland, where the plane is based out of. They have a contract with a shop that rebuilds the engines for them out by the airport."

  "Makes sense," Mark said, and this time he did yawn. "Do you know who inside the company sent it out?"

  "No, not yet. Woods doesn't want to send a regular agent in there. Whoever did it may not know what they found, or then again, they might. So he wants someone from the team to look into it."

  "Me," Mark said.

  "Exactly. Besides, your partner is out there now too, isn't he?"

  Mark chuckled, "He's around here somewhere. I think I'll have to track him down."

  "So, umm, if you don't mind my asking," Haines said in a lowered voice, "is he furry yet?"

  Mark almost burst out laughing at that, "What?" he snorted instead.

  "Oh, come on, Mark. We all know why he's out there, and word has already spread on Steve and Mary. I think they're planning a double wedding or something next month."

  "Jeff, I honestly have no idea if he's gone 'furry' yet or not. Or even if he will. Though it will be kind of strange if my partner also ends up as my son-in-law."

  "Whoa, I hadn't thought about that," Jeff confessed. "I don't know if I'd be able to handle working with one of my daughter's husbands!"

  "That bad?"

  Jeff laughed, "Oh come on, fathers are supposed to hate their daughter's husbands. It's traditional!"

  "I'll keep that in mind. So, where is this place that rebuilt the engines?"

  "I already sent you an email with all the details. I also sent you the number for the local office and Woods let them know we have a couple agents working in the area, so they won't be surprised if you show up or call for assistance."

  "Thanks, Jeff. I'll head over there in a few hours."

  "Sure thing, oh, just a warning."

  "What?" Mark asked a little concerned.

  "We're going to prank the hell out of Michael when he gets back, don't take it personal, okay?"

  Mark sighed, "What, you going to put a litter box under his desk or something?"

  "Oh! Good idea, we missed that one!" Jeff laughed, "Thanks!"

  "Bye, Jeff." Mark said and hung up the phone. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or not that Jeff was finally warming up to him. Apparently agents Haines and Chance were quite the practical jokers and had only ignored him so far because they considered him an 'outsider'. Mark suspected he was going to miss that.

  "Did I hear that right?" Charity yawned, "You have to go to work?"

  "Well, it is Monday," Mark said.

  "Still, I thought you were on vacation until next week?"

  "Yeah, but it involves family, so I need to go look into it. Any idea where Michael is? I haven't seen him since Saturday when the girls dragged him off to go clubbing in Portland."

  "Still, I think Hope has plans for you later this week," Charity snickered.

  Mark rolled over and looked at her, "Really? But she already has five kids!"

  "This is Hope you're talking about, Dear. If you're willing, she is going to be ready!" Charity grinned.

  "What about you?" Mark asked rolling over on top of her and looking down into her eyes.

  "I'm actually rather happy with five. Trust me, three of your sons were more than enough!" she said with a smile.

  "I'm surprised Helena isn't being more militant," Mark confessed.

  "Oh, not after you put her in her place she isn't. The only reason she's not making plans is that she feels guilty about having held the rest of us back. She didn't realize you wanted more kids."

  "It's not that I want more kids," Mark smirked, "it's just that the whole reason I'm even here was to give you children. The fact that I enjoy it is just one of those little side benefits of the whole deal."

  "That and having four wives," Charity snickered.

  "Well, it's a hard job, but I'm more than willing to do it!" he grinned.

  "And definitely up to the task as well," Charity purred. "So, what are you going to do about Helena?"

  "Hmm?" Mark said. It was only seven, he had a few hours before he needed to start looking for Michael, and he knew just how to spend them.

  "She wants more kids, Dear, and she's not going to ask you."

  "And?"

  "Do I really need to remind you of your job?" Charity purred
a little louder as Mark started kissing her.

  "Oh, I like the sound of that!" Mark smiled.

  7: Somewhere west of St. Helens, Oregon

  Mark caught up with Michael before lunch. It turned out that he was at Hope's house.

  "What's up?" Michael asked, stumbling rather tiredly into the kitchen, wearing just a pair of jeans.

  Hope handed him a cup of coffee and he started to drink it immediately.

  "They got a lead on my brother's case here in Portland that we need to go track down. Go shower, I'll fill you in on the rest while we drive."

  Michael nodded, "Where are my clothes? Hell, where am I?" he said looking around, yawning.

  "My house," Hope said smiling.

  "Ah, thanks, last night was a bit of a blur," Michael yawned, "your kids are deadly, you know that?"

  "Blame him," Hope said and pointed at Mark, smiling.

  "Uh-huh," Mark chuckled. "Shower's that way, Michael. I brought your stuff over so we can leave as soon as you clean up and get dressed."

  Michael nodded, "Right, shower," and headed off down the hall, still drinking his coffee.

  "What did those girls do to him?" Mark asked Hope.

  "More like, what didn't they do to him," she laughed. "But I think it's down to Jess and Gail now."

  "All the other's bailed?" Mark asked, curious.

  "Well, Lisa, Maureen, and Dianne told me that while he's nice, they just weren't interested, and the rest are all too young still. But Gail and Jess? Yeah, they're interested, really interested, and he seems to like them too.

  "I just hope it doesn't get nasty," she added with a sigh.

  "Well, I'll play the concerned father and question him in the car on the way into the city. See which way he's leaning." Mark said. Jess was Hope's oldest daughter, Gail was Charity's. They were both the same age and had been best friends almost since the day they were born. Competing for the same male however, could turn them against each other. If it looked like it might turn nasty, he'd take the two of them aside and have a few words.