. 03

Starting Over VII, Chapter 3.

This is the seventh section of the continuing saga "Starting Over".

In Part I, LTC (Retired) John Jackson had moved to Seattle after being widowed. He ran into some trouble and some decent people (okay, and a few strippers), while working towards getting his private investigator license. That took place between Sep and Dec 2012.

In Part II, he got involved in a ring trafficking in young women. The main perpetrators were captured, but the hired gun/enforcer slipped away. That took place in Apr and May 2013.

In Part III, which took place in 2013 and 2014, John managed to find the enforcer in Key West and was planning to kill him, but changed his mind. He really didn't know if he could kill someone in cold blood, but the man was living with a woman and had decided that he was retiring. John let him go with a promise to do intelligence work for him and returned to Seattle, where Maggie gave indications that she wanted a serious relationship. Then he used that enforcer from Key West to assist in capturing an assassin. The assassin had been hired to kill him and the detective who helped him break up a leg of a human trafficking chain.

In Part IV, it's 2019. John and Maggie couldn't work things out and now John was working on a case that, at first, involved someone who had assaulted Luke's wife Maria. John then had two men try to break into his apartment to attack him. The authorities caught the two men by tracking them to a strip club, but John got beat up by them before the police got there. When he woke, he found that Vanessa, his waitress at the strip club, was an undercover officer. There were several events that were taking place and it was being done by an anarchist group. However, funding for these events was tracked to someone in human trafficking in Singapore by a hacker that John found through Bob in Key West. He returned to Seattle with the information on a thumb drive, and the FBI and others started tracking him. Finally, the master of the human trafficking ring had his son try to soft sell John's daughter into visiting Asia with him, primarily to kidnap her. John found out, he and his buddies stopped it, and then John, feeling the rage, flew to Singapore and, with the backdoor assistance of a government person, was armed and killed both the leader and his son of this trafficking ring.

In Part V, Yvonne, the young hacker came to live with John. She had nowhere else to go and felt so alone during the pandemic that she was craving human interaction. She also admitted that she was attracted to John, even though there was 19 years difference in their ages. A bad guy was hired to hit him due to his involvement in some operations being run by a rogue CIA manager and some disenfranchised CIA members. John and company got them in the end and Yvonne got shot in the leg. She decided to stay with John.

Part VI involved a woman, going by the name Julie, who had been "hidden" by a woman called a "guide". She had been given a new identity and moved to Seattle to get away from a potentially fatal relationship. That was back in Tennessee. This led to the woman's guide, Dani, discovering that the brothers of the husband that Julie had killed, were running meth labs out of the woods of the land that Julie and her husband had owned. They were worried about losing the land and the labs. This ended up with the labs being pointed out to the FBI, and then one of the brothers and one of their dealers coming to Seattle to get revenge on John and the FBI agent in charge of the case back in Tennessee.

Recurring Characters

LTC (Retired) John Jackson, 5'11", 180, 55 years old.

Marie Jackson, John's dead wife, 5'8", 140, 44 years old, died 15 Jan 2012

Angelica Jackson (Angel), John and Marie's daughter, 5'5", 125, 28 years old.

Mary Bradford, bartender, 5'5", 120, 48 years old.

Margaret (Maggie) Bradford, Mary's sister, 5'6", 115, 44 years old.

Samantha (Sam) Walker, 5'6", 130 pounds, 48 years old, John's former neighbor.

Joyce Walker, Sam's daughter, 5'4", 120 pounds, 28 years old, and now an exotic dancer using the name Lily

Marion Walker, Sam's daughter, 5'4", 115 pounds, 26 years old.

SFC (Retired) Craig Smithson, 6', 190, 55 years old, NCO from John's Army unit.

Captain Jeff Smithson, 5'11', 185, 53 years old, SFC Smithson's brother and a captain in the Seattle Police Department.

Luke Cole, 5'10", 180, detective in the Seattle Police Department.

Maria Cole, 5'6", 135, Luke's wife.

Jeanne (aka Jasmine) Welch, 5'5", 110, 30 years old, exotic dancer.

Olivia, 5'4", 120 pounds, 30 years old, called Livy, exotic dancer.

Max Meridian (real name Harold Johnson), Mark's lead kidnapper and enforcer. Now changed his name to Bob Thomas and is married to Susan. They own and operate a bar in Key West.

Susan Thomas, Bob's new wife.

George Watson, a new member of the detective agency.

Vanessa Williams, 5'6", 130, detective in the Seattle Police Department.

Yvonne, 5'2", 105, illegal hacker who helped find the human trafficker who had funded the anarchists in Seattle.

Danielle (Dani) Parker, 5'8", 120, known as a "guide". She takes cases where an individual is in mortal danger and "hides" them by giving them new identities and teaching them how to lay low.

Benjamin Smothers, Deputy Director of the FBI.

---------------------- Sunday, April 10, 2022, Palm Sunday, John's apartment, Seattle, WA -----------

John had just returned from a bike ride and was getting out of the shower when he heard his cell ring. He walked over, still in just a towel and saw that it was Allison June.

"Hey, Allison, how are things?"

"John, is Maggie there?"

"No, not right now. We all went to church and then everyone went to the Bradford's for the rest of the day. I just got home from some exercise before I go over there and consume too much." John chuckled at that.

"Ummm, please remain calm. There has been a shooting at their house and the police and FBI are both there. I'm on my way. Call me when you get there."

"On my way," was all John said before he tossed the phone on the bed and rushed to get dressed. A shooting? What the hell?

When John arrived at the Bradford home, he was met immediately by Allison. He could tell by the way she approached, that it was serious.

"So?" John asked, his trepidation obvious as he kept looking around and searching the personnel he saw for the people he knew.

"Here's what I know so far. Two individuals approached, jumped the fence around the side, and pulled out semi-automatic weapons. They shot indiscriminately into the gathering. I understand that there were a lot of friends and family here for Palm Sunday. There are two dead, and eight injured. The two dead are a couple of friends of the family. The eight injured include Maggie, Mary, and several friends of Mary and Maddie. They were all taken to the hospital. I have no information on the extent of anyone's injuries."

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Which hospital?"

"They took them to the U-Dub hospital. All of them. It was the closest emergency room for the group."

"Okay. I'm headed there."

John jumped back into his car and sped to the University of Washington hospital. He got there, parked somewhat haphazardly and ran into the emergency room. He searched for any sign of the injured and finally approached the front desk. He found that they had all been treated and moved into rooms or, in some cases, surgery. Maggie was in surgery. He tried to control his breathing when he heard that.

John paced and waited for information. They would only answer his questions for Maggie, his wife. Finally, Allison arrived and was able to get more information from the desk because of her FBI badge. A couple of other agents showed up and they started going over the list of who they could interview immediately. John impatiently watched and waited.

Finally, they had the list sorted. Allison talked to them and then nodded in his direction. John followed them into the first examination room. Mary was there.

Mary had her arm in a sling and it was apparently only a grazing wound. They asked her a few questions and got what they could. John just watched, waiting.

When they were done and moved on to some friends, John stayed behind. Mary started tearing up.

"I'm sorry, John. I saw the shooters at the last second and yelled at everyone to get behind something, but Maggie couldn't get out of the way. She got hit twice, once in the left shoulder and once in the right abdomen. I put pressure on the wounds as soon as the shooters left and the EMTs took her as soon as they got there. Her last thoughts before they sedated her were of Maddie and you."

John started to tear up a little. "She's in surgery. They haven't told me anything yet."

"She's a fighter, John. She'll pull through."

"Yeah." John answered, but his thoughts were on the loss of his first wife. He couldn't take losing another one. He had waited so long for Maggie to come around and marry him and now, only six months later, she was shot, in surgery, and fighting for her life.

"I'll be out in the waiting room until Maggie gets out of surgery."

"Okay." Mary was also beside herself at the possible loss of her sister, but she knew John wouldn't wait in her room. He wanted to be right where the doctors would come out to talk to the family. She was going to be released soon, so she would just go stay with him out there.

So, John waited. While there, he saw family members of the other injured come in. There was one other woman in surgery and several who had been treated for minor wounds and were already being released.

Mr. Bradford arrived after all the questions and interviews he had been through at his house, and he, too, had a very worried look. John watched him go talk to Mary and then he came and sat next to John.

"Any word at all?"

John shook his head. "Nothing." Then John looked at his watch. It was now 10 pm and Maggie had been in the hospital and surgery for 6 hours.

It was about 10:30 pm when a doctor came out, talked to the nurse at the desk, and was pointed in the direction of John and Mr. Bradford. They both stood.

The doctor took a deep breath. "She's strong and tough. The surgery was long because the bullet to the shoulder caught the end of the clavicle where it meets the shoulder. There was moderate bleeding and several bones were fractured or chipped. The one to her right abdomen went through her abdominal wall, part of the intestines and nicked her appendix. This took a lot of work and blood. She is sedated and will be kept that way for at least 24 hours. She is in critical condition."

Mr. Bradford looked at the doctor. "Are her chances good or not."

The doctor ran his right hand over his hair. "She's touch and go for now. Any additional problems might be too much for her to handle. You can go in there and see her in the ICU, but she will not be awakened until she is stronger."

John, Mary, and Mr. Bradford all headed to ICU. They stood at the end of Maggie's bed, all the electronic paraphernalia beeping and showing information. John just stared for a moment and then went around to the side of her bed. Her left hand was partially unencumbered, so he grabbed it and stood there. He stared at her, willing her to survive and get better, his eyes filling with tears. She had to. He looked over at Mr. Bradford and Mary. Mary had tears running down her face. They both looked up when he turned and he could tell they were also sending out unseen vibes willing Maggie to survive.

It was fifteen minutes later when Maddie came rushing through the door. She was almost hysterical. "Mom?! Mom!!" She rushed over to where John was and leaned against him as she stared at her mother. "Is she going to be okay?"

John stared into her eyes. "They're not sure. Right now, she is sedated after 6 hours of surgery. They patched her up the best that they could, but she is critically injured."

Maddie buried her face in John's shoulder and sobbed. Mary came around from the other side and put her arm around Maddie. Mr. Bradford just looked on forlornly.

It was a rough night for all of them, being moved out of the room and then getting allowed back in at times. They took turns sleeping in uncomfortable chairs and holding Maggie's hand.

---------------------- Monday, April 11, 2022, University of Washington Hospital, Seattle, WA -----------

Meanwhile, the FBI had been tracking the two shooters and caught up with one. They put him in a cell and held him there overnight. The scene at the Bradford's house was littered with tape and bullet casing markers. The police had a presence there all night watching as the FBI processed it.

John took a short break to get breakfast, trading off with the other Bradford's, and got back to the room just in time to see some new arrivals. He saw his daughter, Angelica, standing in the room talking to Mary, along with a young man that was holding her hand. He figured this was the new boyfriend he had heard about.

When John walked in, Angel grabbed him in a bear hug, and cried a little. When she stopped, John gave her the latest update and then was introduced to her boyfriend.

"Dad, this is Brad Washington."

"Hi." John wasn't very interested in small talk, but shook the man's hand.

"Sorry we had to meet for the first time like this."

John nodded. "Me, too." He turned to Angel. "You guys got here quick."

"As soon as Mary called us, we made arrangements to get here. Brad got us on the first flight he could find. He just got moved to Pittsburgh for his job and I'm thinking of joining him."

John looked up as that got his attention. "You're moving to Pittsburgh?"

"Maybe. Brad just got assigned there. He's in the FBI and only been out of the academy for about a year."

John looked at Brad, who seemed to squirm a little at being talked about. He felt better about his daughter dating this guy than the last couple of jerks. "Okay. Well, let me know what you decide."

There was some commotion in the hall and then John saw Allison walk in, trailed by Deputy Director Benjamin Smothers.

Director Smothers came straight to John and grabbed him in a handshake, using both of his hands. "John, we are all shocked by this. You have our prayers for Maggie and the others. We will do everything we can to take down the men behind this."

"Thanks."

Director Smothers then wished Mary and Mr. Bradford well. When he turned to Angelica and her boyfriend, Allison told the director who she was.

"Ah, Ms. Jackson. We finally meet again. You, too, have our best wishes during a tough time." Then he turned toward Brad. "And who is this young man?"

Angel grinned, since she knew who the director was, but Brad hadn't been told yet. "This is my boyfriend, Brad. He was just assigned to the Pittsburgh field office. Brad, this is Deputy Director Smothers."

Brad's eyes went wide. "Good to meet you sir." He shook the director's hand.

Smothers then nodded toward John. "Brad, you joined a good group here. I've worked on several cases with Colonel Jackson and his boys. Now give me your card."

Brad fumbled to get his wallet out and provide one of his new FBI cards. He did and Smothers took it, turned and nodded to John, and left.

Allison stepped up toward Brad. "Director Smothers takes care of people who take care of the FBI, so look at this meeting as a good thing. Also, he likes Colonel Jackson, so he will think of you in a good light." Allison turned to John and nodded like the director did and left.

Brad turned toward John. "Whoa! I certainly didn't expect that."

Angel grinned. "Well, I told you my dad tends to get involved in all sorts of things."

Brad just shook his head.

The rest of the day was all waiting, sitting, standing, pacing, nodding off, and being bored. Angel took Brad back to the apartment and they got cleaned up. It was about 2pm when others started coming around.

Marty, Carl, and Craig, all his private sleuth co-workers came by. They all offered words of encouragement and stayed for a little while. They didn't stay long, knowing that it did no good to hover around the others. Before they left, Marty gave John the come out of the room into the hall motion with his head. John went out.

Marty looked around and then leaned over. "I wanted to say thanks for introducing me to Allison."

John's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. She's a fireball, doesn't take shit from anyone, and can back it up in a fight. I have a hard time finding women like that, and you know me. I need a tough woman."

John smiled for the first time in a while. "Glad to hear it."

"Well, you have everyone's hopes and prayers. It's been almost 24 hours and she's hanging in there. That's got to be good, right?"

"I guess so."

"Hang in there, man." And with that, Marty put out his fist for a bump and left.

---------------------- Tuesday, April 12, 2022, University of Washington Hospital, Seattle, WA -----------

By the next morning, John was beat and Mr. Bradford and Mary came in and told him to go home and get cleaned up and rest for a short while. John had a hard time with this, but knew they were right. He hadn't been home in 48 hours and needed to clean up.

Angel and Brad were there making lunch when John got home so he sat and talked for a couple of minutes, but then went to take a shower. He had just finished getting dressed when his phone rang. It was Deputy Director Smothers.

"John, we caught one of the guys, but the other is still loose. I hate to tell you this, but they are Romanian and work for the guy out of Chicago. The big boss is named Radu, but he goes by Roger. This guy we have in hand is known as being muscle for Radu, so it was easy to make the connection. However, all the data that Andre provided got most of the leaders, but not Radu. There was not enough to initially take him down and so far, nobody's turned on him. We have agents all over the place in Chicago checking this out and following the trail of money that Andre gave us, but nothing is really sticking to Radu. He has managed to evade all our attempts at pinning something on him. It appears that even Andre worked through one of his three subordinates."

"Okay. At least I'm aware of it. I suppose that Radu knows the status of everything here and that I was not at that party."

"Maybe. We have not released he names of some of the injured. The two dead were confirmed by their family as soon as they found out, but he does not know your status yet. But he will shortly if you are seen moving around."

"I know. That can't be helped."

"How's Maggie?"

"No change. Still being kept sedated and in the ICU."

"We are all praying and pulling for her. Good luck."

"One more thing. What position will your guys take if I show up in Chicago?"

There was a long silence. Then Deputy Director Smothers cleared his throat before speaking. "That would be unwise, John. He's well protected, we have loose surveillance on him, and we don't want you interfering in that since we are building a case."

"Got it."

"More later." And the director hung up.

John got back to the hospital at about 2pm. He was only gone for a couple of hours. There was no change with Maggie, and Mr. Bradford and Mary were still there. Maddie was sitting just outside the room.

John walked in and exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Bradford and Mary, who left to get something to eat. John sat in the one nice chair and just stared at his wife. Was she going to make it? Was she going to be the same? The anger that he felt toward Radu was growing. He knew he was going to do something about this, but the status of Maggie would determine what it was.

Maddie came into the room and walked over to John. "May I sit?" She indicated his lap, so John situated himself to allow it. She sat sideways on his lap and curled up into a ball, her head on his shoulder.