Writing It

in which I get radio interviewed

KirtlandJennifer was driving herself back towards the Kirtland aerodrome airfield. The job she had just been on was not something she would typically do. They had asked her to step in because they needed somebody who could relate easily to a British woman, and they needed to make fast progress to make contact.

Durango  “Jennifer has given me an address in a place called Durango” said Clare, “ It’s supposed to be like a safe house we can stay in, and there is another vehicle there for us to use. It’s only supposed to be around two hours from here, but I think it’s across part of the desert.”

Bigsy and Chuck were sitting in the diner. Bigsy was marvelling at the authentic 1950s look of the place. At least he imagined it was a 1950s look.  'Nothing could be finer' it said on the menu. And it featured blue plate specials, too.

Clare’s car had made its way back to Albuquerque. The driver had made good progress, and they were now close to the train station in Albuquerque.“This is where we will make the switch into the taxi” said Jennifer.

Get your kicks on Route 66."We're all okay again now” said Chuck, looking at Bigsy. "Yes," said Bigsy, "I think we've had a chance to cool off and I feel a whole lot better now that I know that Clare is safe and, on her way, to meet us again.""I suggest we go to this diner, check it out its location and then find somewhere else to wait," said Chuck."Good plan," said Bigsy.

Jennifer accompanied Clare into a briefing room. It had frosted glass walls and a central table, complete with a telephone system. One wall had flip charts, and there was a full projection system built into the ceiling."Is this being recorded?” asked Clare. "Yes," said Jennifer, "And filmed. The record stays here though. They won't be removed unless there is an emergency."

After about 20 minutes, Clare's car pulled up outside an office block. It was a central hub and two wings diagonally at 90° to one another across a paved area. Some flags were flying in front of the building, but Clare didn't recognise any of the logos. "Welcome to our out-of-town office," said Jennifer.

Chuck led the vehicle back onto the I-25 out of Santa Fe. He was now heading south-west in the general direction of Albuquerque.“Look” said Bigsy, “I don’t want to leave here without figuring out where Clare is. I know she left us that message in the hotel room about not worrying but: come on, we need to find out where she is.”“My guess”  said Chuck, “She has been picked up by someone from intelligence services.”

Clare’s journey across town was sedate. On the way, there was a call from the radio in the front of the car. It was a call for Jennifer. “Hi, this is Delta Seven. We have been following the Firefly. They have identified us and our starting to move out of our range. Damn, they just jumped a red light. We have had to stop. Now I can see them turning down another street. Don’t think we should put on any lights around here.

Bigsy exited the hotel first. He was carrying his backpack which now had a small extra content of tee shirts.  He made his way across the square through a garden area with a small bandstand and tourists who were taking photographs and sitting on the grass and various chairs surrounding the square. A guitarist was busking for small change from the passers-by.

Clare had woken early at the hotel in Santa Fe around 6:30 AM. She thought it was the time zone difference that had caused her to wake early but then realised that someone was knocking at the door. She went to look through the security keyhole and could see that it was someone delivering room service breakfast. Using the security chain, she slightly opened the door.  “Good morning, room service” said the waitress, “with the compliments of Chuck Manners.”

Chuck was alone in the breakfast area when Bigsy arrived. “Hungry” asked Chuck.  “I’ve already had breakfast, thank you” said Bigsy. “I’ve been busy this morning. I think I have found the geocache and also decoded it.” “I don’t think we should talk about this here” said Chuck.

"The problem with technology," thought Bigsy, "is that it's never as simple as it makes out." Bigsy had got the photographs he took from his camera displayed in front of him. He looked on his camera for the software that reads quick codes and realised he didn't have it. He would now need to download it from the Internet.

Bigsy returned to his room. He tried a few more ways to access the information about the geocache. There was nothing just the two references to the geocache in Santa Fe and the other one at Kirtland airfield near Albuquerque. He decided he’d had enough for one evening and that it was time to get some sleep.

"Bigsy!" said Clare, "You were gone a long time. I thought you were getting a couple of tee-shirts”  "I did, said Bigsy, "but I also had a look at the geocache in the Loreto Chapel next door." "Wow," said Clare, "was it easy to find”

Bigsy unpacked when he got to his room, he didn't have much by way clothes because they'd only expected to be in Arizona for a couple of days. He visited the small market to pick up a couple of tee-shirts to add to his available options for the next few days.

La Fonda It took around forty minutes to drive to Santa Fe. The route headed to the east and then in a curve around towards Santa Fe. Both Clare and Bigsy were taking in the scenery while Chuck was driving. There was plenty to look at; this was a rugged country. A mix of mountains, valleys, and desert scenery. All baking under 35°C temperatures.

Bigsy looked out of the front windscreen of the car. He'd moved forward when Chuck had left. Clare was seated next to him. They had been watching the time, wondering when the moment would be to go to the side of the Los Alamos establishment which Chuck had described. Then, to Bigsy's surprise, he saw Chuck walking towards him. No-one following, no dramatic chases, just Chuck in the uniform.

Bigsy looked out on the morning. It surprised him to see it had been raining overnight. There were still some puddles on the ground by the car park at the side of the hotel. There were early signs that this would be another sunny day. Bigsy wondered what it would be like to live in an area that was an arid desert.