HUGHES MANSION

HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA

“He’s not one of ours,” Ness said from behind the wheel of his car. He had parked in between two others, on the curb, down the road from the mansion gates. Ness knew who was supposed to at the front gate today, he knew that every day. The Bureau was a stickler for that kind of detail and they always made sure that Ness knew who he would encounter when he brought up the days paperwork. “I’ve never even seen that guy before in my life.”

“Unfortunately,” Cam replied as he went through his white duffle bag, “I have. He’s one of the guys that’s been hanging out with Skorzeny.”

Ness knew what he had to do now, “we need to head back down to the Federal Building and call out the troops.”

Cam stopped what he was doing and gave a good hard look at the Treasury Agent. He mumbled, “disappointing as hell.” Then he said in a more regular voice, “this place may be remote but it is not that isolated. If they took the place then they did it quietly or else the police would already be here because the neighbors would have been calling to complain about the noise.”

“What’s your point,” Ness shot back.

“Can you handle a Tommy gun,” asked Cam in reply.

“Course I can,” Ness said with a bit of pride, “I did work in Chicago.”

Cam simply pulled one of his two weapons out of the bag and handed it too Ness. He watched the man to make sure that he really did know how to handle the weapon. Only after Cam was satisfied, and Ness asked for it, did he hand the agent several loaded magazines. Then Cam opened the passenger door, pulled out his Zat, and told Ness, “when I’m ready, bring up the bag.”

Ness reached over to close the door and called out, “how will I know that?”

There was no response except Cam mumbling under his breath, “yep, disappointing as hell.” He turned his scowl into a smile and he began to almost dance up to the man at the gate. He made no effort to conceal the Zat in his hand. The man saw it but, after he had looked it over in some detail, paid no attention to it. Cam stopped and asked the guy, “man are the stars out today. Tell you what I’m having problems with, though, I can’t seem to find OJ Simpson’s house. You don’t know where it is do you?”

The man developed a scowl and replied, “beat it Mac.”

Cam waved his hands around and walked to the gate so he could get a good look inside. All the while he went on and on about, “you sure the Juice don’t live here? Ah hell, I’ll go in and ask Cato. I’m sure he’ll know.”

The man reached over and pushed Cam back down the walk. Cam became serious and he told the guy, “that wasn’t nice buddy.” The blue lightening enveloped the man’s body. He squealed as he dropped unconscious to the ground. Cam hoped that the other guy, behind the gate, over in the bushes, would think the commotion was just Cam making the funny noises.

Cam disarmed the stunned guard and then moved up against the outer wall. Ness soon arrived with the bag and Cam reached in it. He produced a slightly larger than hand sized, metallic, silver, looking ball that had lights and switches on it.

Ness watched this mysterious stranger push a button on the ball and then toss it over the brick wall. He then covered his eyes so Ness did as well. Even with his eyes closed, Ness could tell that a brilliant light had just gone off. When it was obviously over with Ness opened his eyes and found that Cam was already climbing the gate. When he reached the top he motioned for Ness to throw him the bag. Ness did as requested and then asked, “what was that ball thing?”

The reply was strange and Ness thought that what he heard was, “I stold balls balls.” What that meant was anyone’s guess. He had little time to worry about it anyway. Ness looked at the gate, rubbed his hands together, and tried to forget about the fact that the last time he had done anything more physically challenging than lifting a fifth of liquor was going on two decades past. He started to climb and, Ness even surprised himself when he made it over. Once inside the gate he found his new ally poking around in the bushes and disarming some guy laying on the ground.

Cam actually found two bodies and he pointed to the far one, “I’m guessing that guy is one of yours.”

Ness was nervous and looking all around with his Tommy gun at the ready, “why do you say that?”

“Cause his throat is slit,” Cam replied.

Suddenly the investigator inside of Elliot took over. He lowered his weapon and stepped off in the bushes. He examined the dead body and recognized the guy as definitely having been Bureau. A quick look at his wallet told Ness that someone had already stripped the body of useful items like his ID card and more important, his badge. Ness found it strange that the agents cash and, more important, his thirty-eight revolver and a Browning Automatic Rifle were still present. That made Ness wonder.

He checked out the other body that Cam had just disarmed and tied up with some strange looking plastic straps. Those straps worried Ness. What kind of plastic was so strong it could hold a fully grown man? He put that out his mind as he checked their prisoners wallet. He found a badge but, it did not belong the dead agent. The ID card did not either. It said their prisoner was Bureau but, the mug shot matched the man and the name was the same as on the drivers license. Ness had seen fake ID’s before and these were obviously that. They were damn good ones though. After that, Ness checked to see how much cash the guy had. He counted two hundred dollars, exactly, all in twenties. Ness left everything on the ground except the cash which he shoved in his own pocket.

Cam saw that last act and asked, “you don’t suppose that should go to the evidence locker or anything like that, do you?”

“What evidence locker,” Ness replied as he moved up under cover next to Cam. He also added, “this isn’t an official investigation yet. There is no evidence locker for now.”

Once again, Cam slapped his forehead, “yep, disappointing as hell.”