Devin rubbed his chin and started weighing out the pros and cons of keeping the doctor as head of the team. Of course he couldn’t just dismiss him; it would create another potential leak source. That would mean certain arrangements would have to be made. Of course that didn’t present much of a problem really. The general already had a solution in place.
The doctor would have an accident one day and that would be the end of that. What he needed to do now was find the right person to replace him and then he could dispose of the doctor without loss of productivity.
Lt. Miller leaned over and looked out the window as the airplane was just about to touch down. There wasn’t a lot to see. Idaho Falls was not an international city by any stretch of the imagination.
A light dusting of snow covered the grass between the runway strips but the sky was bright and blue. When they rolled to a stop, rather than jump up like the other ninety-nine percent of the passengers, he remained seated. Almost everyone had made their exit before he stood up and took his carry-on luggage from the overhead bin. He was in no hurry. No one was going to greet him. He didn’t have to wait for his luggage; it would be sent to his hotel or it could already be there for all he knew.
He found a taxi and gave the driver the hotel name. Within minutes he was checking into his room. It was not the Ritz-Carlton but it wasn’t as bad as some he had been in. He dropped his bag on the bed and used the bathroom before unpacking the small amount of personal items he had with him.
Looking at this watch, he decided to see about getting something to eat. Heck they didn’t even give you a package of eight peanuts any longer. Airlines today suck. Fortunately the hotel had a dining room. A cute hostess seated him at a booth that gave him a view of the Snake River. The snow must have just fallen because it made everything look so clean and fresh. His waitress was very nice and good looking as well.
Maybe it was the air that produced such nice looking women in this area, he thought. He ordered a steak, rice instead of the potato, and cottage cheese.
While waiting for his food, he found a vending machine and bought the local newspaper, The Post-Register. He sat reading the paper while enjoying his meal. A large snow storm was predicted to be coming their way in the next day or so. Great, he thought, I hope my clothes arrive before then.
The waitress had paid special attention to him and had checked back several times to see that everything was to his satisfaction. Miller noticed that several of her other tables were not receiving nearly the same amount of consideration. She was certainly cute but he knew the last thing on his mind should be getting too friendly with a local girl.
When he arrived back at his room, his luggage was already inside. Not bad he thought, all I have to do is wish it, and it happens. He considered unpacking but decided to wait until he was sure where his ultimate destination was going to be.
It didn’t take long to find out. Within an hour his phone rang and he was instructed to meet a civilian charter bus that would stop for him at his hotel at 0600 hours.
Promptly at 0600 the following morning a large coach with dark tinted windows pulled into the hotel lot. Huge snowflakes were starting to fall from a rapidly lightening sky. It looked like the forecast was going to be accurate. The driver asked for identification before placing his bags in the cargo bay. Once satisfied, he had Miller board the bus.
When he climbed on he was surprised to see that only one other person was on the bus. He was obviously going to the same place Miller was. There was no mistaking the broad shoulders and trim fit of a well-conditioned military man. We could grow long hair but it would take more than that to disguise him, he thought.
The man gave him a once over as he climbed aboard. They were like two fighters, sizing each other up. Miller took a seat near the front and decided all he could do at this point was wait and see what this was all about. At 06:10 the bus pulled out of the lot. Within minutes they had left the city and were driving along a two lane highway.
The landscape became bleak as the desert began to takeover. They made two more stops, one in Fall City and one in Blackfoot. Only one person got on at each stop. It was pretty obvious that they were military too.
Each one scrutinized the others as they boarded the bus. The last man who boarded loomed over the rest of them. He was at least six foot six inches tall and looked like a NFL football player. Almost to a man they thought, ‘the bigger they come, the harder they fall’.
