The Greatest of These by Greg Wendleton (booksvooks txt) 📕

“Suit yourself, but I’ve made arrangement with Enterprise to deliver a car to the hospital to replace their Nissan Maxima. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

He broke to the right and I walked straight into the parking lot. My Terrain was now fully exposed to the warming rays of the sun. I sure hope the air conditioner works well!

Immediately upon starting the engine, I cranked up the AC and cracked a few windows to get some air circulating. I’d had my phone on mute while I was inside the FBI office, so I turned the ringer back on and checked my screen. I had a text message from Fonda. I opened it and read what she had written:

Maybe someday. I love you too.

My heart skipped a beat and my renewed spirits lifted me even higher than I was first thing this morning. She said she loved me! I had a chance to win back my wife, the love of my life.

I engaged the transmission backed out of my parking space and then shifted into drive and euphorically drove the relatively short distance to Maui Health.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Special Agent Presley was waiting for me, anxiously pacing, in front of the main entrance to Maui Health. Seeing his obvious impatience for me to arrive I hustled to meet him.

“What is it? Are they okay?”

“Yes, they are fine. The burner phone we recovered received a text message.”

“What does it say?”

He showed me a photo that one of the agents back at the office had taken of the screen:

What’s going on? Has Cooper hooked up with you yet? Noon deadline, remember?

Conrad was definitely setting me up to either take the fall, or to die in a blaze of glory. “I don’t know what the plan is for noon. Conrad must have thought I could find the safe house and that I would actually kill the Wilhites or die with them.”

“It came in almost ten minutes ago and we’ve got to come up with a response, now!”

“Okay, let me think. How about we say this…” I relayed the following message to the agent in Kahului, and it was sent from the burner phone:

Sorry boss. Haven’t been feeling good. Was on the crapper. No sign of that loser. Confirm how you want me to wrap up this situation at noon.

Presley was on the phone with his fellow agent back in Kahului as she read the response to him:

He may be a loser, but are you an idiot? Torch them in the shack. Meet us back at The Farm 3-6 at 6pm. Flight out tonight. Don’t miss it!

The date, time and location of the follow up meeting was now known. A plan to take down the three men that would be there could be developed by the San Antonio field office and executed by their SWAT team. It also looked like the Hana Fire Department was going to get a chance to practice their controlled burn technique, if my hunch was correct.

“Great work everyone!” Presley shouted into his phone. “I’ve got to call Chief Chun down in Hana and get them to set that shack ablaze, so I’ll let you go. Let me know right away if you receive any more messages.”

With that, Presley held up his index finger, to signal he needed a minute and placed a call, to the Chief. After he was finished, he flashed an obviously pleased look toward me. “Let’s go see our patients now.”

Together we entered the ICU ward and were greeted by Dr. Talbot, who was looking tired, but pleased. “Our patients are good to go home today. I will complete the paperwork and schedule them for release at 2:00pm. Is there someone who can keep an eye on them for the next forty-eight hours though? I want to know if either of them starts feeling nauseous or weak.”

I quickly replied, “Yes, Doctor. I’ll be staying at the same place they are. We’ll be at the Inn at Mama’s Fish House.”

“Very good. I know some of the staff there. They’ll take extra care as well. If you’ll excuse me then, I have several more patients to attend to before noon.”

In unison, we said, “Thank you Doctor.”

We entered the suite where Chad and Jamie were resting comfortably, but obviously restless. Special Agent Presley recapped the events of the last twenty-four hours, including the rerouting of the COVID vaccine and the agreement that Wilhite Logistical Consulting would be permitted to keep the five-million-dollar fee they had been paid. Chad argued some that they hadn’t earned it, but Jamie reminded him how much work he and the team had put into the planning and execution. After some mild bickering, he let it drop. He was happy that he would be able to pay the five members of the team the five hundred-thousand-dollar bonus he had promised each of them. This would be life changing money for all of them.

Jamie looked at Chad and batted he eyelashes at him, then said, “Do you think that home is still available?”

“What? The home in Kihei?” Chad looked troubled. “Gee Jamie, I don’t know if I’d feel right buying it with the UN payment.”

Jamie was hurt. “Why not? You worked tirelessly on that plan along with your team. You’ve sacrificed more than any man I know. You earned every penny of that payment. It’s not your fault all of this”, as she swung her arms and hands around while finishing her thought, “happened.”

I broke into their debate saying, “No, it’s my fault.”

Chad and Jamie snapped their heads in my direction and said, “What?”

“It’s my fault. The man responsible for all of this is, or more appropriately, was someone I thought I could trust. Several weeks ago, I was at his place, drinking, and blabbed about a big deal that you were working on.” I placed my hands in my pockets and began fidgeting, searching for something useful to occupy my hands. I found nothing, so I just looked at