“Hello, Richard. Are you at Wildcat?” he asked, answering the call.
“Yessir, we blew in early this mornin’. Everythin’s aces. The Struffenegers are good mates,” Kilmer replied.
“Excellent. I thought you’d find the accommodations acceptable. What’s your time schedule?” he asked, excited to hear about the plan.
“No worries…we square off t’night,” he succinctly replied. “I figure ya’d want to know.”
“What about the hostages?”
“They’re under wraps,” Kilmer answered. “Farley’s with ‘em ’til the deed is done. They don’t stand a buckley’s chance. When we clear the base, they’re history.”
“Why wait? What’s the reason to keep them alive any longer? It’s the loose ends you’ll trip on, Richard.”
“Just a hunch. Ya don’t know Conrad. He’s a tricky blighter. The wanker might demand talkin’ with the woman once we’re on the base. I’m second-guessin’, sure, but I don’t trust ‘im. I promise ya, Conrad won’t be comin’ home. He’ll be found dead alongside the machine, as ya specified. He’s history.”
“Alright, it’s your call…just be sure the hostages are removed before Emil returns. He’ll never agree to this part of the plan. Do we understand each other?”
“No worries, sir. It’s a done deal.”
“What about Penburton?” Holloway asked next.
“Oh, ya won’t hear from him again. Farley used a car bomb on him. It’s on ya to handle the cops when yer name surfaces though.”
“I’m prepared for that. Just do your job and leave the strategy to me. Tomorrow at this time I expect to be $1 billion richer. We’ll have the world’s undivided attention on the use of antigravity for the first time. You’re about to make history, Richard.”
“We’re good as gold, sir. I’ll call ya when we’re through.”
“Good luck, Mr. Kilmer. We’ve come a long way together on this path. Don’t let me down,” he said, completing the call.
I’m on the brink of making history, Holloway mused. Antigravity technology will be unveiled to the world in just a matter of hours. A bidding frenzy will develop when governments realize the potential of this new technology. It will be the biggest technological discovery of all time. This is just the beginning…
FIFTY-EIGHT
Louisville, Kentucky
10:30 hours
Ryan and Sarah Marshall had slept peacefully during the three-hour flight from LAX to Houston, purging the stress of passing through airport security. Despite the discomfort of the cramped airline seats, it was only when they were roused by a stewardess to return their seats to an upright position that they finally awoke, revived from the much needed respite. Their connecting flight to Louisville didn’t depart until 6:30 a.m. the following morning, but because the couple was loath to again face airport security, they decided to wile away the intervening hours in the Houston terminal-a nine-hour stretch that became almost interminable. Realizing they had not eaten since the snack they bought at the Grapevine the day before, they found a one-of-a-kind fusion grill run by a local family and leisurely ate until sated. They then braced for the inevitable boredom while awaiting the early morning flight to Louisville. Throughout the evening, Ryan grew strengthened by the overpowering sense that they were drawing ever closer to completing their quest: rescuing Jer, Sela and Jarrod.
As they anxiously approached their final destination, Ryan stared out the plane window and could see the Ohio River winding its way south through the city. Whenever he saw a river he remembered his younger days fishing for rainbow trout on the Jemez River with his grandfather. He knew Amerigo would have been amazed by the size of the Ohio. Rivers of the West were mere creeks compared to the Ohio, which was the largest tributary to the mighty Mississippi, the biggest river system in North America. He could see a paddleboat ferrying people down the river and thought it would be fun to take a trip to New Orleans on the Mississippi when their ordeal was all over.
When their plane finally landed and they had disembarked, the couple split up. Ryan was feeling too much like a fugitive, figuring his chances of avoiding capture increased with the fewer people he engaged.
“I’ll meet you at the shuttle,” he said, squeezing her hand. “The cops could be watching the rental agencies.”
Sarah looked at him worriedly and said, “okay, but don’t keep me waiting.”
“Trust me…I’ll be there, Mrs. Marshall.”
Sarah promptly checked for new messages from Jarrod, and received his latest two word transmission which merely read: ‘Wildcat Catfish.’ Then she hurried to Enterprise and rented a Lincoln Navigator, thinking the extra horsepower would be useful. She declined the model with onboard GPS, worried that it could be used to track their whereabouts. Sarah asked the rental agent to verify the directions to West Point and if he knew of Wildcat Catfish. The agent confirmed he’d heard of the farm and didn’t imagine it would be difficult to find.
While Sarah was busy with the rental, Ryan went in search of fast food they could take without stopping again to eat. He found a Kentucky Fried Chicken just beyond the baggage claim area. How appropriate, he thought. He used cash to buy two boxed lunches and bottled water, and returned to meet Sarah outside at the rental-car shuttle.
“We good?” Ryan asked, relieved to see Sarah quickly approaching the bus.
“Perfect,” Sarah said pleasantly. “But listen to this…the last message from Jarrod had two words: ‘Wildcat Catfish.’”
“Yeah?” Ryan said, unsure what that meant.
“Sooo…I searched for a Wildcat Catfish website in Kentucky, and what do you think I found?” she asked, a satisfied look on her face. There was no mistaking that she had discovered something worthwhile and could barely contain herself.
“I don’t know…you came up empty?” he smirked, playing the fool.
Sarah looked crossly at Ryan. She slapped his thigh with the back of her hand and replied, “No, silly…I found that Wildcat Catfish is located in West Point, Kentucky, and owned by Emil and Helene Struffeneger. What do you bet that Jarrod and Jer are being held at the catfish farm?”
“Well…I’m not a betting man…unless it’s a sure thing. And on this news, I’d bet our company. That’s awesome, sweetheart,” Ryan said, sharing Sarah’s excitement. It did appear that they were drawing closer to where the guys were being held captive.
“I also sent Jarrod another message that we’ve arrived in Louisville. He’ll know reinforcements are on the way. We’re gonna find them, honey,” she said, her smile radiating the hope she felt. “Just another minute, I need to call Lieutenant Morris and let him know about Wildcat. He needs to alert the local authorities as quickly as possible. I may not get another chance to call him.”
“Alright, but just a quick call, okay? And I wouldn’t mention we’re in Louisville.”
As she was fishing the phone out of her handbag, she pressed her lips, frowning. “It’s okay…I’ve got this.”
“Sorry…I’m just nervous,” he confessed. “The sooner we get the car and ditch the airport, the better I’ll feel.”
Sarah left Morris another succinct voicemail message. She reported that Jarrod’s latest email read ‘Wildcat Catfish,’ which she surmised meant a catfish farm somewhere in Kentucky. She gave no indication about their present location or plans. The message delivered, she put away her phone and the laptop. It was time to follow their next lead to Jeremiah and Jarrod.
Within forty minutes of arriving in Louisville, the couple was on Route 30 toward West Point. Several highway billboards advertizing Wildcat Catfish buoyed their optimism that their search for Jer was fast approaching a conclusion.
As the Enterprise agent predicted, the Wildcat Catfish Farm complex was easy to find, primarily because it offered public fishing, and Southern folks had an affinity for catfish. Signs alerted travelers to the appropriate highway exit to reach the farm, and further directed them to the facility’s exact location.