Free Now & Again by E. A. Fournier Page B

then.” Nsamba’s tone was back to warm but firm. “Phillip, I expect updates as soon as feasible – that’s all for now.”
    Phillip’s voice sounded cautious. “Thank you.”
    Nsamba ever so slightly shook his head. “Echo? Disconnect.”
    The young female voice responded clearly and immediately. “Of course, Dr. Nsamba. And Joanna has Mr. Benton waiting in your outer office.”
    Nsamba methodically stacked the nesting huts one last time into a single unit and placed it precisely on the corner of his desktop. He breathed in quickly and exhaled. Stepping away from the desk, he stretched and waved his arms in a boxer’s warm-up – alternating to the left and then to the right, to get the blood flowing. He marveled at himself, so many years from the ring and still he warmed up the same way. How predictable, he thought.
    “I will see him now, Echo.”
    The door clicked open and a broad shouldered man wearing tailored slacks and shirt walked in with a calm familiarity. “As promised, we got some info and an address.”
    Aaron Benton’s eyes were never completely still and his body remained coiled even when at rest. Benton was a senior internal security professional – one of Vandermark’s additional people, brought in when the special research group was set up two years before.
    Nsamba crossed around and sat at his desk. Framed African folk art decorated the walls behind him, interspersed with handsome landscape photographs of the austere bush country of Northern Uganda. He folded his hands on the desk pad. “You are quick. I am sure Dr. Vandermark will be pleased.”
    “Glad to hear it, but it’s not like these people were hiding, huh?” He smiled, knowingly. “Here’s what we got so far. Kendall McCaslin and Josh McCaslin – father and son. Father’s co-owner of a residential heating company, has a nice little house in the suburbs of Cincinnati. Son’s in the army but, for the moment, he’s home on leave. Those are the high points. We’ll confirm all this, per usual, but it looks to be solid. I think we’re good to go.”
    Nsamba looked at Benton silently. Benton calmly looked back – both comfortable in the empty moment. Nsamba broke first. “You understand what you’re being asked to do?”
    Benton rolled his shoulders nonchalantly. “Think so. We’re workin’ out the
how we do it
but we sure don’t get the
why we’re doin’ it
. So, why?”
    “An unusual question for you, isn’t it?”
    Benton considered for a moment, and then conceded the point. “Yeah. Sorry. Must be gettin’ old.”
    He turned to leave. “Besides, I can tell you don’t know why either, and it’s buggin’ the hell outta you.”
    “How can you tell that?”
    “I ain’t that old.”
    Benton quietly left the office, closing the door behind him. Nsamba swiveled slowly in his chair until he was facing one of the photographs of the bush country. He sat and stared.

CHAPTER 9:
    Leah topped off Kendall’s coffee and sat back down to an open newspaper. The kitchen was bright and cheery, with light oak cupboards and white table and chairs. The remains of breakfast were on the table and Kendall pondered the coffee mug in his hands.
    Josh grabbed for the serving plate, his mouth still chewing. “Anybody else want the French toast?”
    Leah didn’t even look up from her reading. “You go ahead, dear.”
    Kendall smirked at him. “It’ll help you come out even, since you took the last of the bacon, too.”
    “Yeah, yeah.”
    Leah looked serious as she studied the text of an article about the recent traffic disaster. “The death toll’s risen to 25 now and it says that there are 10 still listed as critical and 43 as serious or stable. They estimate another 50 were treated and released. Says they’re investigating the cause and still trying to identify victims and vehicles.”
    She patted Kendall’s hand. “Thank God you two made it out with barely a scratch. It’s amazing, really.”
    Kendall gingerly touched