The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

it sound more and more like a major drug case. Both detectives wondered where
the victim's van was.
***
Dawkins finished his first circuit of the stadium just as Minnesota made its
second touchdown. Again it was Wills, this time a four-yard pass out of the
backfield. The guy already had fifty-one yards rushing and two receptions.
Dawkins found himself looking at the ABC van he'd checked through. Why the
Colorado tags? They'd said they were from Chicago, and that they had brought the
tape widget in from Omaha. But the truck was painted like an official network
truck. The local TV stations were not network-owned. They all showed network
affiliation, but the big letters on them were for the local call-letters for the
stations. Something to ask the sarge about. Dawkins circled the entry on his
clipboard and wrote a question-mark next to it. He walked inside to the security
booth.
'Where's the sarge?'
'Out walking the lot,' the officer at the booth replied. 'The dumbass has twenty
bet on the Chargers. I don't think he can take it.'
'I'll see if I can get him to lay a little more,' Dawkins replied with a grin.
'Which way did he go?'
'North, I think.'
'Thanks.'
***
The Vikings kicked off again, with the score 14–0. The same return man took the
kick, this time three yards deep in the endzone. He ignored the safety man's
advice to down the ball and went up the middle like a shot. Breaking one tackle
at the sixteen, he took advantage of a picture-book block and broke for the
sidelines. Fifteen yards later it was clear that only the kicker had a chance,
but the kicker was slow. At one hundred three yards, it was the longest kick
return in Superbowl history. The point after was good, and the game was now
14–7.
'Feeling better, Dennis?' the Secretary of State asked the Secretary of Defense.
Bunker set his coffee down. He had decided not to drink. He wanted to be stone
sober when he accepted the Lombardi Trophy from the Commissioner.
'Yeah, now we just have to figure a way to stop your boy.'
'Good luck.'
'He's a great kid, Bruce. Goddamn if he can't run.'
'He isn't just an athlete. Kid's got brains, and a good heart.'
'Bruce, if you educated him, I know he's smart,' Bunker said generously. 'I just
wish he'd pull a hamstring right about now.'
***
Dawkins found his sergeant a few minutes later. 'Something funny here,' he said.
'What's that?'
'This truck – little white van on the east end of the row of big satellite
trucks, "ABC" painted on it. Colorado commercial tags, but supposedly it's from
Chicago or maybe Omaha, I check 'em through, said they had a tape deck to
replace a broken one, but when I walked past it a few minutes ago, it wasn't
hooked up, and the guys who brought it in were gone.'