Brannock, Back in the Saddle?

Part 5

The drive was shorter than he expected, but felt like an eternity.  He debated about what to tell the other agents, but decided simply to talk strategy when the time came; no reason to alarm anyone.  Maybe they'd get lucky.  Then, they might not.

It was easy while driving at night to let thoughts wander.  Brannock tried to concentrate as best he could, but the encounter with Rachel had left him a bit drained mentally.  He cast his mind back to one of he and Thistle's trips to the country.  It was only a few weeks ago, but they had hit some antique shops out in some outlying towns, then camped in a hillside campground.  It was nice, even if they hadn't bought anything.  Or maybe because of it, he mused.

In stressful times his mind often ended up on Thistle, imagining her smile and struggling to feel her warmth.  While in a way she could not help him out here, in another way she could.  She completed him, and provided a little "normal" purpose in what was otherwise a very practical, even purpose driven, life.  Shaking off the cobwebs, Brannock turned to the others in the van.

"It won't be long now.  I want to say that time will be of the essence.  We may already be too late, but we can't go in half-assed and careless.  Listen very carefully as I lay out the plan, and we'll modify it based on the layout when we get there."  Brannock had never been to this particular area, and so was unclear about what he'd find.  He kept his remarks fairly general, but made sure that each man was sure of his role in the operation.  This was one of the few times he wondered if firearms would have been helpful; he almost never used them, even though some agents swore by them.  I hope I am not just being too "old school" or stubborn, he said to himself, shaking his head.

Rachel had talked of the boarded up, abandoned church; there were several in this area, from a time when smaller communities had not been displaced by changing labor patterns and urban sprawl.  Almost ironic, Brannock thought, to have to go to such a place at a time like this.

Once they arrived, it was obvious something was amiss.  Light seeped out from around the boards on the windows, a few of them glistening with remnants of stained glass.  There was no obvious entrance, as the door was bricked up, but it was clear there was activity in there.  Driving by without slowing down, Brannock continued down the lane, pulling off a side road and parking about a half a mile away from the old building.  A few minutes of quiet planning and pep talking, and Brannock led the other men out of the hidden van and back onto the blacktop which led by the church.