THE HARVEST

CHAPTER THREE: TWO GHOSTS, PART ONE THE GATHERING STORM       p. 17 

The two ghosts, special agents Kittie Anderson and Steve Harvison, sat sipping their coffees at the Tim Hortons on Main Street. The clerk had tried to convince them to buy breakfast, but they were too full from the meal at the motel. After all these years, they seldom had time to be together. Except for that one time where they tried to be a couple, but mostly it was deep undercover work, and each to their own. This was fun, so far, as they pretended to be lovers. Steve thought, perhaps this will be an easy case. Just in and out and home to report to Assistant Director Wescott. But who am I kidding? We have never run across an easy job, not so far. Thinking of Wescott reminded him of the note he had given them. "Hey, Kittie. You have that note Wescott gave us. I want to take a look at it."

Kittie replied, "Yeah, it's in my handbag." She bent over to pick up her purse. The motel had provided them with a selection of Canadian clothes. She chose the long-sleeved, red and black plaid shirt and blue jeans, and Steve was admiring her form. She sat up with her billfold in hand. She looked at Steve and said, "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with the way I am dressed?"

"No, you look just fine, very fine in fact. I was just daydreaming, I guess. But back to the note," she fumbled through the wallet, pulled it out, and handed it to Steve. He read the address, turned it over, and saw it, a wafer-thin, clear-looking electronic device. "Ah hah," he said. "Look at this."

He handed the note to her with his finger on a nearly invisible device. Kittie looked at it closely and then nearly shouted, "Well, the son of a bitch. I thought he was feeling me up all this time, and he was attaching that device to the piece of paper. Where did he get off telling us we can't use our cellphones, and then he is tracking us?"

Steve replied, "He just wants to know where his assets are and didn't want to go through the normal FBI channels. I would have done the same thing, but I would have put it in the car somewhere."

They both looked at each other and exclaimed, "The car!"

About that time, the server came over and asked, "Are you the two honeymooners my uncle calls the two ghosts?"

Kittie said, "It depends. Who is your uncle?"

"I'm very sorry, my uncle is the inspector."

"Geez, just how many nieces does your uncle have?"

The young woman giggled and said, "Oh, very many. We are a small tourist community, and most everybody is related in some way; you know, cousins or nearly cousins, eh? He is not my real uncle. Uncle is used as a sign of respect for our elders. In that sense, nearly every young woman in Radium Springs calls Inspector Trembley uncle. Uncle wants you to meet him at the pool up the Kootenay Highway. Just get on the highway, and it will head up the Redstreak Pass in a few miles. You will see a hot springs resort and the hot springs pool."

Kittie asked, "May I ask what that tattoo symbolizes on your ring finger?"

"Certainly, it is a symbol from my church. It means I have reached the age of maturity, you know; it is a rite of passage, like baptism in other religions. It means I can belong to the church. I can make my own choices in the faith, and I am a person, not a child. I am, in essence, married to the church and my Lord. I have a pamphlet if you are interested. We accept everyone who finds the Lord. I see you bear the mark of the beast, 666. We can remove that from your wrists. Interested?"

Steve said, "No, we will be on our way after we pay our bill."

"Oh, that is not necessary...my uncle, err...Inspector Trembley has paid for everything in Radium Springs. Good day. He did say that you should not delay." Kittie extended her hand, and the two women shook hands.

As they left, Steve asked, "What was that about? I just wanted to make sure she was real. We'd best leave. The residents, all of them, are spies for Levi."

When they got to their car. Steve halted, "She did say everything was paid for, right?"

"Yep."

"I'm sure this car is bugged, and the note was to keep track of us on foot, right? I mean, that is what I would do if I were him, so let's park it at the motel. You leave the note in the car, and he will be none the wiser."

"You know he will figure it out in a few days and just call the inspector to get a report."

Steve answered, "Yeah, I know, but we will have a few days of freedom in this case. I work under layers of covers and don't like being tracked. He knows this, and maybe he will just leave us to do our job."

Kittie said, "I saw a car dealership on the way into town. We can go there and use the ID the inspector gave us to rent a vehicle, perhaps something with some power." The two ghosts called for a cab, and after about an hour, they had rented a new vehicle and found themselves pulling into the hot springs at the Redstreak Mountain Pass. Kittie said, "Wow, this is what I call a spa! See you back at the motel." She began to get out of the vehicle when her partner grabbed her shoulder.

She said, "It's a damn good thing I can't reach my ankle holster for my snub-nosed, or it would be pointed at your face. Nothing stands between me and a good spa."

He said, "Whoa, partner. We have a job to do. I am happy I didn't bring your snub-nosed in with the other weapons, or we would have nothing for defense."

"Correct, but how do you know that the spa isn't our job for today? A lot of business happens in spas." He pointed out the window toward the inspector, who was walking toward them. "Damn, but we're stopping here on the way back, promise."

Steve nodded, "Sure." She was not convinced. "I wonder how he knew we were here."

She replied, "I've heard rumors the followers of the voice could read minds and sense things."

"Or the guy at the rental place is a nephew..."

When Inspector Trembley neared, he said, "I left a message for you not to dawdle; now it will be dark before we are done."

Steve said, "Yeah, sorry about that. We thought it best to rent a vehicle; ours is pretty old, and not sure it could make it up the pass." Switching the subject, he asked the inspector, "Where's your partner, Inspector..." He snapped his fingers above his head to feign he had forgotten his name. "Don't tell me...it is on the tip of my tongue." He closed his eyes, grimaced, and said, "Sergeant Majorrrrr...Landry...that's it, Landry."

"The sergeant major is over in that building. He will not be joining us today. He has a woman over there he is fond of, and that gives me a chance to be alone without his constant chatter. So, now and then, I leave him here for the day. That way I'm not bothered, he is satisfied, and his wife is none the wiser."

Kittie said, "I understand," and looked at Steve.

"What...what...I'm never chatty, am I?"

"Not at all," she smiled and looked down at her feet. Looking back up at the Inspector, "Okay, Uncle T., what is on our agenda?"

The inspector smiled, "Picked up on the uncle thing...eh?"

"We are spies, Inspector."

"Right...well...our agenda. Our schedule for today is to speak to Chief Nuknuk of the K'punaka Nation. Your mission is your own. My job is to introduce the two of you."

Steve questioned sternly, "Why don't we just ask you, and save ourselves some time? You're part of this movement called the Voice. Perhaps, we will just ask you."

The inspector backed up. "Now, Agent Anderson, I am a member, but I do not know the workings of the upper levels of the Church, because that happens at the temple in St. Louis and in the K'punaka Nation. I'm just a member, and nothing more. Chief Nuknuk and his medicine man are the people you need to talk to."