Above From Below Part 8

After many shots, and several beers, Andrea and Rick headed back to their hotel. Rick had opened up to Andrea. She now understood the ghosts, and why he wsarned her that he wasn't someone to get too close to. Still, she trusted Rick, at least as much as she trusted anyone else. Under any other circumstances, she might have considered making a move on him, but as much as he opened up, she could tell Rick was still holding back.

There were two beds at the hotel, so Rick invited Andrea to share his room. They stood a better chance of figuring things out, and staying safe, if they were together. When she hesitated, he flashed her the old "scouts honor" symbol, and a cocky smile. Hesitantly, she agreed.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, Rick grabbed the laptop and they went toward his hotel room. Just as he began to insert the key, the door opened. Two men stood in the doorway, both with their guns aimed at them.

Rick considered making a move and escaping, but the sight of a dozen armed officers coming out of the darkness told him one, or both of them, would get shot. While evading capture was a smart play, particularly if they wanted to get to the root of the conspiracy that killed Nico, now was not the time. That would come later.

"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Andrea.

Rick looked at her, then back to the men with guns aimed at them. Local cops, and a half dozen county sheriff's. It told him they were being set up.

"What this means, soldier, is you and your friend are under arrest," one of the detectives announced as the men closed in, and teams of two put them into handcuffs.

"Are you gonna tell us the charges, or is that something you'll make up later?" asked Rick.

Half an hour after they were picked up, Rick sat in an interrogation room. His hands were free and he'd been given a bottle of water. The doors were locked from the outside, and he could tell there were two men stationed at the entrance. What he still didn't know were the charges. or where they were holding Andrea.

As he sat, his boots up on the table in front of him, Rick wondered who had the pull to have them picked up without charges. It had to have come from somewhere pretty high on the totem pole, especially to have had a full swat team and investigators there. But, why?

Keys rattling in the doorhandle told him he was about to have guests. As he sipped from the Dansani bottle, one of the men from the hotel came in, and was followed by a suit. He guessed that the suit was an attorney, or local prosecutor.

"I'm Detective Evers," announced the cop wearing the shoulder holster. "This is Marcus Davies, and he's from the State's Attorneys Office. We have some questions for you," he explained.

"Sure," chuckled Rick. "Shoot."

"Before we get to that, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed by the state. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've seen Law and Order," laughed Rick, sitting up and tapping his wrist against the table.

"Are you nervous?"

Rick smiled. "Held without being told the charges. Suspiciously, you were in my hotel room. And I have yet to see a warrant. Wouldn't you be?"

"The charge is murder," announced Mr. Davies.

A knock at the door interrupted the two men preparing to interrogate Rick. When Detective Evers opened the door, Rick watched the two military men standing there with one of the locals. One of them wore a Colonel's uniform, and the other was a security escort. The brief exchange in the outer hallway took a few minutes, and Detective Evers could be heard telling them, "This is bullshit!"

When the detective reentered the room, he informed the attorney that the Military had secured a warrant for the arrest and custody of Major Andrea Kohl, and Richard M. Steele. He showed it to the attorney, and they turned and whispered. Ultimately, the attorney, Mr. Davies, admitted there was nothing they could do.

The military security officer ordered Rick to his feet, and put a pair of cuffs on his wrists. They marched out of the room, and through the department to the awaiting Humvees outside. Once they got out of the building, the Colonel turned to Rick, uncuffed him, and handed him a pair of keys.

"What is this?"

"We were sent by a friend, a friend who regrets not being able to be here himself," explained the man in Uniform. "There are provisions in the back, directions to a clean car, a new computer, a weapons pack and a communications pack in the back. And Major Kohl's already waiting."

"Tell our friend, now I owe him one."

"Rick got into the Humvee, found Andrea nervously sitting in the passenger seat, and they sped away."

"What the hell was your brother into?"

Rick looked at her, realizing how close they were to the truth, even if it were too bizarre to fathom.

"Something bigger than we understand," Rick promised.