Robert Waggoner - John - The Senior Killer

The plane landed in the dead of night to the calm after the storm, but just a pause as another one lurked just over the horizon. Mike took his car to Port Orford to check in at home and Steve took his car and the rest of them piled into a van for the trip to Bandon.

Sandy was happy they were home and didn’t pay much attention to the newcomer in Wendy. Rocky would have told her to be aware if there was any danger, but he renewed his love with a standoff stance while she played the role of female making sounds of love and happiness by dancing around. Earie had the welcome mat out and hot bowls of noodles sat on the low table for the hungry team and guests. The smell of onion and garlic rising off the noodles made all mouths water with hunger.

Wendy was totally impressed by what she could see and what she imagined the house and grounds looked like in the daylight. So sterile, but so homey she thought. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But what felt like independence of the team members, but yet a bond made it all feel warm and comfortable. No evidence of touching or hugs upon returning, but just an order of business and the comforts of home. The look and aroma of the noodles made her want to sit down and eat, as Sujin led her downstairs to her bedroom where she could freshen up. Billy and Steve followed them down to their respective rooms and a few minutes later all were sitting on the floor sucking up a homemade U-dong, a Korean noodle soup. To Wendy it tasted wonderful and she was impressed with the surroundings having peeked into the computer room and wondered what the other rooms looked like. Her room was austere but comfortable. She thought she would enjoy staying here and maybe she would even learn something.

Earlier she had received a document on her laptop one paragraph long about her inquiry about who Brad Pratt was and is. Sitting at the table eating this wonderful food she gazed at him thinking about what the document said. He was an Oxford scholar and after graduation entered the Navy. After retiring six years ago it was vague about what he was doing at the present time. In it was nothing about his personal life or why he had retired early when she knew he was supposed to be a career man following a long line of military men such as his retired father who was a general up until a few years ago. Vague was not the word she thought about, secrecy was more like it. Why I need to know, she thought, it seems like he knows more than he is letting on. How to crack that knowledge base was her intention. Must be careful as if I come on too strong or too curious he will clam up tight and like a fool I will have lost his confidence. No doubt he was held in high esteem in some circles and Jake knew more than she did about this strange and powerful team of seemingly misfits.

Then there was his Korean wife. Where did he meet her and how does she fit into this team. She hadn’t heard her say ten words since she met her. But she always noticed the two of them looking at each other like telepathy was going on between them. She moved like a cat. No sound and fluidity marked her movements. Watch and learn she heard her father say. There is nothing worse than a person putting their nose where it doesn’t belong. Gain their confidence and tread lightly. She liked Mike, but he was gone and who knows when he will return. Then there was Billy who had gobbled down the noodles and ran outside with a pack of smokes to satisfy his habit. She didn’t see him so strange once she got by his dress and habits. Kind of typical of a computer nerd, she thought while she fought the spicy taste and rank smell of kimchee.

Brad broke the silence by saying that we should all retire for the night and get together at six in the morning. Wendy thought that a good idea and thanked them for a lovely dinner and went to her room. Looking at the wall clock it said close to one am. After the bathroom and putting on her nightdress, she peeked out the curtains and saw Brad sitting on a small sofa reading some papers. Doesn’t ever sleep she wondered. And his dog is always next to him as her eyes closed and the next thing she realized it was six am. She never slept so well and she remembered there wasn’t a sound after she went to bed: total silence. A little scary, but when she dressed in casual clothes climbing the stairs and looking out the tinted windows as daylight was just breaking, she relaxed when Steve came up alongside her and said, “Sleep well?”

“Never better and why would anyone live in DC when you could live here,” she answered with an obvious rhetorical question.

“Wendy, it wasn’t by chance you were chosen for this job. Brad asked for you special. He thinks you can be a real help with this difficult case we are on.”

Wendy was shocked and still looking out the window which now had streams of water from a soundless rain running down the window said, “How did he know or how does he know me?”

“Honestly speaking he was given a list of profilers and liked what he read about you I guess.”

At that moment Brad came through the door with one of his dogs. Both stopped on the entry way and Brad stripped down to his running shorts. He toweled off his dog and walked to the stairs.

Wendy had a first look at his body. When he walked it seemed he floated on air. Legs were well muscled, but not overly so. It was the same with his arms and shoulders, powerful but not bulging. His body seemed hairless, but that was not unusual for blondes. Some of her friends would say he had a wedge of a body. Wendy felt an electric current run through her body and especially the sensitive areas. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sujin coming through the door. She too stripped down to shorts and a wet T-shirt, following her husband down the stairs.

Wendy said to Steve with a look of curiosity, “Don’t they ever sleep?”

Steve with a small grin said, “Not much. I would guess a couple hours a night is all. Something to do with Eastern religion, but as I’m a complete neophyte about that discipline, your guess is as good as mine. I will say that I’ve never seen him or her tired. And believe me, I’ve had occasion to witness when he had operated in the field for four days straight without any sleep or rest.”

Wendy looked back at the view now that daylight gave her an outline of the coming day. She saw what appeared as sand dunes running to south and the Pacific Ocean is beating the beach with large waves of the storm in progress. No way did she want to be out there in this weather. She was a city girl and didn’t like the rain. The smell of breakfast cooking with Earie working mostly soundless in the kitchen drew her away from the view. She was starving and wanted a cup of coffee in the worst way. Earie must have sensed the need for both Steve and Wendy as she placed two mugs of steaming coffee on the old wood table by the window. Steve took her by the arm and both sat at the table sipping fresh coffee.

Billy came up looking like he just crawled out of bed, but then he always looked that way. He almost ran into the door while fumbling for his smokes. Rocky was hot on his heels and wanted to play. The door faced east so the weather was hardly noticed when the door opened or closed. Sujin had turned off the security at the door, but the outside was always on. Brad had informed Wendy about the ground security and to not go outside without either Sujin or him with her. She took the warning seriously and had no need to venture out in this weather.

Breakfast was fish soup and Korean pancakes. Wendy wasn’t much of a fish lover, but hungry was the better part of valor and she dug in with relish. She found the taste excellent and sheepishly wondered what was for lunch.

After breakfast Brad suggested they have a meeting in the basement to discuss the case. Almost on cue the high sound of someone coming denoted the arrival of Mike. Wendy was amazed how well it worked. Mike declined breakfast and made for the stairs saying hi and good morning to all. Billy was standing in the kitchen wolfing down an egg sandwich and milk. He ran back to the door for a last minute smoke and once all were in place around the glass top coffee table, the discussion at first surrounded the contents of the kitchen from the house of John.