Angie got up and went into the kitchen. She fumbled around in the kitchen drawer and fished out a piece of paper. She started reliving the conversation over in her head. She wrote; two fingers, zero tolerance, two thirty-five, four, no, six pills, back to work at three now five. She stared at the numbers:
202-354-635. Something was not right. A number was missing. ‘Too me?’ Maybe it was supposed to be 202-352-4635. That had to be it. She grabbed the phone book and looked up the area code for 202. Washington D.C. Lynn was telling her the number for someone in Washington D.C. She looked at the kitchen clock. It was 3:18 a.m. It would only be five or six in Washington. Too early to try and call. At least she could find out who it was.
She started to dial then slammed the phone back down. She would have to get dressed and make the call from someplace else. If the general had her line tapped, he would know in an instant what she was up to.
She quickly dressed, started the car while it was still in the garage with the door down. When she was ready, she backed out of the garage and headed to the Walgreen’s Drug Store. When she got there she pulled up next to the pay phone. Using her calling card she dialed 202-345-2635. The phone rang several times before a grumpy man answered.
“Who the hell is this?”
“Uh. I’m not sure I have the right number. Who am I speaking to?”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m calling from Nevada. I was given this number. It concerns Raymond Eller.”
“Who? I don’t know any Raymond Eller. You got the wrong number.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I made a mistake,” she said, trying to apologize.
“You sure the hell did,” he said and hung up.
Now what, Angie thought? She closed her eyes and tried to remember exactly what Lynn had said. Each time she kept coming up with the same sequence of numbers. Something was missing, but what? Wait a minute, she suddenly thought.
I
“You have reached the Department of Homeland Security. Please listen carefully to the following options, the annoying voice said. “If you know the parties extension you are trying to reach you can dial it at….”
That was it. Lynn had mentioned that he was from Washington and connected with some agency. This had to be the place. She listened as the directions droned on.
“For further instructions or an emergency please hold for the operator.”
If it was an emergency? Hell, she would be dead by the time they got around to answering her, she thought.
“Department of Homeland Security, how may I direct your call?”
“Yes. I have an emergency. I need to speak to someone from Homeland Security immediately.”
“What is the nature of your emergency?”
“Nature? I think something terrible is happening at Groom Lake,” she said.
“I’m sorry. Did you say Groom Lake?”
“Yes. Area-51, Groom Lake. In Nevada.”
“Nevada? You will need to contact the local office. If you will hold, I can give you that number,” the operator said.
“No,” Angie yelled but it was too late.
She hated these damn systems. Right at this moment she wanted to shoot the dumb bastard that invented it. She redialed and had to wait while it babbled on until the operator came back on the line.
“Department of Homeland Security, how may I direct your call?”
“Look. I just called there. I have an emergency situation. I need to talk to some there in the Washington office. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“What is…”
“Goddamn it. Listen to me. This is an emergency. Don’t you get it? That means I don’t have time to be jerked around. I need help right now,” she said, her voice rising higher and higher.
“You don’t have to be rude. If you will just hold I’ll switch you to the duty desk,” the operator said.
“Homeland Security, Duty Officer.”
“Yes. I need help. This is an emergency of the highest nature. Do you know who Raymond Eller is?”
“Mr. Eller? Is this a joke? Mr. Eller was the Director of the agency. He passed away yesterday,” he replied.
“That’s what I am calling about. I know where he is. He is not dead. I need someone that will listen to me,” she said, fighting to keep under control.
“Where are you calling from?”
“What? What does…Nevada, Okay? I work at the government facility at Groom Lake. Mr. Eller is here. Someone has kidnapped him and is holding him. Please. I need to get this to someone who will listen,” she pleaded.
“You’re saying that Mr. Eller is alive and being held in Nevada at some government facility?”
“Yes. Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying.”
“I see. Why don’t you give me your number and I will have someone contact you,” he said.
