The Dharma Revelation

Chapter 38

"It's getting late. He's probably asleep," Heller said.  

"Yeah," Raines agreed. "It's the third time you tried calling him."

Cavanaugh didn't outwardly agree, but it made sense. He didn't leave a message. Instead he clapped his phone shut.

"What do you need Blackledge for so badly anyway?" Heller asked.

Cavanaugh glanced at him and then back at the road, "Just drive, Jason."

"It's because of that Banacek guy, isn't it?" Raines guessed, with a snarl.

He made a mental note that Raines was getting smarter. If Raines started to think for himself, he might become dangerous.

"What do you mean?" Heller asked.

Raines just chuckled darkly.

"Sheppard and his friends are probably going to the police," Cavanaugh explained. "The only real exposure we have is that I killed that Banacek fellow, and I released the two men who witnessed it."

"So? What does Blackledge have to do with that?"

"If it stays a local matter, then nothing. The Chaos Wave is strong in this area. But if it becomes a federal matter, then we need to loop Blackledge in so he can take care of it."

"Ahhh," Heller said in understanding.

"We should have just killed all of them," Raines suggested.

"Mr. Darcie doesn't like this much killing," Cavanaugh said. "Five missing people will bring too much attention to us."

"Well," Heller coughed, "Technically, you did kill one of them."

Cavanaugh looked at Heller dangerously, "I told you not to bring that up again."

Heller didn't respond.

Raines spat, "Once, when I was at a bar, I saw a magician pull a signed card out of a beer bottle. A bottle that he was nowhere near when the card was signed. Sleight of hand."

"The point is," Cavanaugh continued. "We don't know what happened, so jumping to conclusions will do nothing but cause us trouble."

He reflexively looked at Dharma sleeping in the seat next to Raines. She had a blanket over her and looked peaceful.

"You'd better give her some more water," Cavanaugh ordered Raines.

Raines nodded and grabbed a small bottle of water from his pack. He unscrewed the cap and put a couple drops into Dharma's mouth.

"This plan worked perfectly," Heller commented. "Mr. Darcie will be pleased."

"Don't start patting yourself on the back. We're not out of the city yet."

"Right. I'm just saying it went smoothly. They practically gift-wrapped the girl for us."

"Who is this girl anyway?" Raines asked.

"Nobody," Cavanaugh shrugged. "She's just a girl."

"If she's just a girl, why does Mr. Darcie want her?" Heller asked.

"What will Darcie do with her?" Raines asked.

"I don't know, kill her?" Cavanaugh guessed. "Who knows? It doesn't matter. Our job is to deliver her, not to figure out the deeper meanings to all of this." He glanced at his watch, "How far are we from the airport?"

"Not far," Heller reported. "And the rain is letting up a bit, so hopefully the flights will be back on time."

Cavanaugh nodded in agreement, "Just remember the plan. She is my daughter, her name is Brittany. You two are friends, so try to act normal. Raines, try to smile for once. We can't arouse any suspicion in the terminal. The girl should be asleep for at least another hour, but they're not going to let us take water past security, so hopefully that is long enough to keep her out in case they try to ask her anything."

"Where should I park?" Heller asked.

"I don't know. The closest, most convenient spot. Price doesn't matter. Go for whatever puts us closest to our terminal."

Heller did as he was told. He took Interstate 195 and followed the signs to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. It wasn't a long drive. He chose a spot in the parking garage adjacent to the terminal. The three men quickly exited the car, as sounds of low aircraft overhead and the smell of airplane exhaust hit all of them.

Cavanaugh said, "Jason, get the girl, and be careful with her. Carry her as if she fell asleep in your arms. Raines, get the luggage. We've got about an hour to get through security and to get to our gate."

The two men did as they were told, and Cavanaugh watched as Heller picked up Dharma. Her left cheek was scratched a bit where he had struck her earlier, but thankfully the small bump on her head wasn't noticeable.

He fought off another wave of anger as he replayed that scene in his head. The idea of Sheppard and his pitiful band of miscreant friends falling for this girl's charade was almost more than he could bear. It brought forth the true calling of the Chaos Wave. Charlatans have come and gone—some with more credibility than others—but the one truth that remained was that they all would fall, whether televangelist scam artists, tree worshipers or the avatars of the disc weapon of Vishnu. Certainly this young girl and whoever she worked for would be derailed before they spread more of their nonsense.

Cavanaugh felt no pity for her, nor did he feel bad about what she was about to endure. "Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies," Mr. Darcie had said. If she decided not to bow to the one true God, to the Bible, and to order, she was in for a bad week.