Chasing Gold

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Running hard, Alicia and her team arrived at their enemy’s chopper around thirty minutes later.

“Steady,” Alicia sighted it and dropped low, scanning the area. She saw a hotel amidst extensive grounds, parked cars, trees — plenty of places to hide. She saw houses too, closer, with hedgerows bordering them and a low stone wall. She ran to cover, seeing pedestrians ahead, walking along the street. The helicopter looked abandoned and sat in a field adjacent to the hotel.

“Footprints in the grass.” Russo nodded at the muddy field. “Possibly fresh.”

“Car park.” Alicia saw their direction. “Austin? Start walking.”

“Me? Why?”

“It doesn’t matter if they take a potshot and blow your head off.”

“Shit, really?”

Alicia nodded. “How well can you drive?”

“Umm… very well.”

She ran for cover once more, aiming for the chopper. Russo came next, both of them taking a risk but knowing it would be better to be shot at here, where there was cover, than running across the open field. Alicia grew hugely conscious of wasted time and was soon hotfooting it out in the open toward the enemy chopper.

It was empty, cool.

“Damn, they’re long gone. Thirty minutes or more.”

Russo hung his big head, reminding her of a St Bernard dog. “And no clue?”

Caitlyn jumped aboard the chopper and gave it a quick once over. Alicia was certain Crouch wouldn’t have had chance to leave it on board. Her attention was then taken by the hotel.

“I have utter faith that Michael pulled every trick in the book,” she said. “Also, Terri and Cutler are no slouches. They’ll be helping. That place… is the best bet.”

Russo agreed with a shrug and started off in that direction. The team were tired and glum; Dave the pilot was still bleeding. Nobody spoke as they climbed over a wall into the hotel grounds and approached the entry doors. Alicia felt cold breezes tug at her bare skin and a gust ruffle her hair. The sound of arriving cars broke the silence. As they climbed a few steps to the door a young couple emerged, heads firmly together and smiles planted on their faces.

The world turned.

Alicia held the door for them, then pushed inside. The lobby was dim and quiet. A reception area stood at the far end and a lady with ringlets for hair and large-lensed glasses beamed at them from behind a desk.

“Checking in?”

Alicia walked across as fast as she dared. “We’re looking for friends. I wondered if you’d seen them.”

The woman eyed their cuts and bruises warily. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, we’re all fine. Skiing accident.”

The woman just frowned. “Hmm, a lot of those today.”

“Really? Well… this is our friend, and his colleagues. Have you seen them?”

The woman squinted first at the photo of Crouch and then at the blurry one of Terri and Cutler. Alicia watched her face and held her breath, more distressed than she would ever reveal.

“I think so. Well, definitely that man. The others — maybe.” She nodded at a far wall. “They used the restroom facilities.”

Alicia thanked her and left in a rush. Faced with two separate doors, they split up, taking a moment for a brief discussion.

“Don’t look only for gold this time. Be ready for anything.”

“Got it.”

Minutes later, they were reunited outside. Alicia and Caitlyn then followed Russo back into the gents, one with a smile on her face, the other with caution.

Russo took a quick look at them behind him. “Huh, you can tell which one of you has been in the Men’s before.”

Alicia grinned. “I’ve wrestled a few pythons in these places,” she admitted, “and a few shameless liars that found themselves quickly kicked out the door.”

“Of the Men’s?” Caitlyn asked, wide-eyed.

“Hey, if they’re coming up short there’s only one thing to do. Doesn’t matter where you are.”

By now, Russo had led them to the correct cubicle and indicated the wall. Alicia saw Crouch’s usual handwriting and couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

“Well done, Michael,” she whispered. “Well fucking done.”

“What’s it say?” Caitlyn tried to crowd in.

Alicia pushed her out as the door opened and an older man walked in, just in time to see Caitlyn, Alicia and Russo fall out of the cubicle. He gave them a wave and a grin and headed for the nearest urinal, already unbuckling.

Alicia led the charge out the door. When they were safe in the lobby she read out the latest clue for all of them to hear.

“AM,” she said. “Amid the Mojave, find your fruit and bandits. Here are mobsters and Golden Knights. Go high to exchange banners in the Stratosphere.”

“Bloody easy,” Caitlyn said. “It’s Vegas.”

Alicia agreed. Even without knowing the significance of fruit and bandits, and knights and ‘go high’, she knew Las Vegas was situated in the Mojave Desert, and was home to a tall casino called the Stratosphere. It was all they needed for now.

All they needed to take up the chase once more.

She grabbed Austin by the shoulder. “We need a car, new boy, and we need it now.”

“No problem.” He didn’t hesitate. “Car park’s full of ’em.”

“Comfortable and fast.” Alicia ran past the receptionist and out the doors, jumping down the steps.

“Already on it.”

It took just a few minutes to thank Dave and leave him comfortably awaiting the arrival of the local police, with a line open to the FBI. He would be their mouthpiece for this leg of the journey. Alicia just hoped the authorities could keep up.

Five minutes later and they were fitted easily inside a large Mercedes; old enough to accept hotwiring but new enough not to be a clunker. Austin looked contented behind the wheel. Alicia reflected over the clue once more and realized something quite quickly.

“There’s no time,” she said. “We don’t know when they’re scheduled to arrive.”

“Let’s get there first,” Russo said. “We can worry about that later. It sounds like an exchange, maybe the mercs are handing the banner off?”

“Maybe, but let’s not put words into each other’s mouths,” Caitlyn said. “Other than Crouch, the banner is clearly the main spectacle here. I believe a little more research is in order.”

“It’s a bloody flag,” Alicia muttered as she sat back in her seat, nursing her wounds and taking painkillers.

“Exactly right,” Caitlyn said. “It’s stained with the metaphorical blood of the Americans when they beat the English. When they won a pivotal battle. They’ve built it up as a great symbol ever since, bolstering and increasing its importance until it now gives a great upswelling to most of the population. We don’t have an original Union Jack in England, but imagine how dear we would hold it — this physical thing — if we did.”

“I get it,” Alicia said. “Just see what you can find.”

Late afternoon was dwindling away already as they started to drive. Everyone was tired, their eyes hooded and heavy, and Alicia soon came up with a rota to keep them all fresh. Austin looked so happy at the wheel that she didn’t want to disturb him. Caitlyn and Russo, she sent to sleep. The banner research could wait.

It gave her time to reflect on where they were.

Still chasing, still fighting, still confident that they would save their friend and the Star-Spangled Banner that had started this whole journey. Here they were, now halfway across America and still with many miles to go.

Promises to keep.

I won’t let you down, Michael.