Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 06

Annika's movements finally woke him. The sun was shining brightly through the window, and his fiancée was propped up on pillows beside him, examining her new ring. She felt him move and saw his eyes seeking hers. "It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen," she observed with wonder, without taking her eyes off it. "How did you come up with the design?"

"The white gold band symbolizes your blonde hair; the sky-blue sapphire your sky-blue eyes; and the diamonds are signs of purity and lasting love. The intricate etchings include our initials bound to one another by interlocking hearts.

"I can't really say how I came up with it; I was thinking of you and doodling, and then the doodles became a ring. I looked at blue sapphires online, and then called a friend from high school who works in his family's jewelry store and makes things with metal and leather as a sideline. I'd previously seen his rings, bracelets, earrings, and watchbands at craft shows and was extremely impressed by the intricate details. I told him what I wanted, sent him the design, and he told me he would do it, but I needed to choose the stones.

"That was a lot harder than I expected because there are several factors to consider with the sapphire, and quite varied factors with the diamonds. Finding matching diamonds - well, that was the most difficult! But Eddie helped me find sources and make decisions, and then cast and engraved the ring. He promised me it is unique on this earth because it is hand engraved and personalized.

"I told him that you are unique, so you and the ring would be a perfect fit!"

With wonder still on her face, she asked, "How in the world did I find you? I shouldn't have even been there! I wasn't even going to accept the dinner invitation from my girlfriends because I'd just gotten back and wanted to work out and rest, but a call from Hanna convinced me. I looked around when I walked in and didn't even see you guys. Rebecka happened to see my grandparents, and we all wondered who the hunks were, so they told me to find out.

"When treated the way you and my grandparents treated me, the princess in me would normally storm away in indignation. Instead, I was captivated by your cavalier attitude and my grandparents' warning and exclusion. Why did I not blow up? My well-earned reputation and supersized ego should have required it! So why stay, why accept your attitude, why ask you to come to Chicago?

"I still have no idea, but I strongly suspect fate played a big role."

Hanna chimed in: "That was a fateful day! Suppose I hadn't spotted your grandparents and urged you to go say hello when you 'didn't want to interrupt' them. Suppose I hadn't noticed your growing consternation turn into interest and brought the others over. Suppose they had said no to JoJo's party.

"A lot of lives were changed that day, and more will be affected in the future."

"Suppose Erik didn't have a thing for long blonde hair and sky blue eyes," Johnny teased.

"Everything you guys said is true, but I think it might have been more than fate alone," Erik proposed. "I'm not a guy who sees God meddling in everyday affairs, nor am I a 'grand design' guy; however, we have experienced a greater than average number of coincidences, haven't we?"

They sat in silence for a while, holding each other, enjoying their comradeship and affection for each other. Hannah broke their reveries with a declaration, "As much as I love being here with you to celebrate your engagement, I have a classroom of children that need their teacher, and someone has to run Greenlight; therefore, we're heading north tomorrow. Our flight leaves Austin at noon, so someone needs to get up and get us to the airport by ten."

"I'm more than willing, but I suspect Bill would prefer to have his people take you," Erik replied. "I don't know whether it's his experience or age, but he remains almost paranoid about our safety. Let me check with him, but don't worry - someone will get you there on time, and I'm sure someone from Security First will pick you up."

Bill was at the lakehouse for coffee at eight, and they left with him at nine. The house felt too empty and quiet without their friends, but both had too much to do online to ponder their feelings for long. Erik corresponded with his team in Minneapolis; Annika used her prepaid phone to make several calls that had been put off, and then talked with her team - Amanda and Cal.

After a light lunch, they cleaned off the table and faced each other with plain old notepads and pencils to plan the week ahead. The first decision made was to stay here through the wedding of Erik's friend Aiden and use Wednesday through Friday to identify and visit potential sites for Annika's future venture.

Annika was explaining that would work because she could get dresses shipped to her for the rehearsal dinner plus hen party, and the wedding, when Erik's phone buzzed. He read the message and told Annika to get dressed in the new jumpsuit and heels.

She looked puzzled: "The FBI is coming. I want you to knock their socks off and keep them off balance. Don't make your entrance until I come get you, and make it grand!"

"Okay, but Daddy said not to talk to them without him being present!"

"We will be having a video conference with him, and Bill is coming with Mom and Dad. They'll be a few minutes behind the agents. Get dressed, and I'll connect with Carl."

Eleven minutes later, he got another text, followed by a ringing doorbell. He took his time, looked through the peephole, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"I'm FBI special agent Don Helms; this is special agent Samuel Jackson. We'd like to speak with Erik Swahn and Annika Olsson."

"Do you have a warrant?"

"No, we're out of Austin, and we're just gathering information about Miss Olsson's abduction for the Minneapolis office."

"Hold your credentials - all of them - against the window to your right."

They did; Erik took pictures of the credentials and the men and sent them to Bill and Carl. "I know them; you can let them in" Bill replied. Erik unbolted the door and stepped back, replacing his weapon in the shoulder holster as he did.

"Come in, and proceed down the hall to the living room, please." He did not offer a hand, so they followed his instructions.

Erik gestured, and they took seats on the couch, facing the TV, on which a landscape from Yellowstone National Park was floating. "How may I be of assistance, gentlemen?" Erick asked as he sat on the loveseat, situated 45 degrees from them on the left.

Special Agent Helms chuckled. "Like everyone else in North America, we heard Miss Olsson's story yesterday and again last night. Unfortunately, the agents in Minnesota have been unable to get a statement from her, and they have a few questions they would like answered."

"She already gave a statement to officers of the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments. Were those statement insufficient?"

"We've not seen them, but we have a list of questions they want us to ask, so we assume they are seeking additional information."

"May I see your list of questions?"

"Sorry, but that's not the procedure we follow."

"Then tell me this: how many of those questions are seeking information regarding her harrowing experience, and how many are 'gotcha' questions aimed at getting Koslov and Agapov off the hook?"

Jackson pulled the questions up on his phone, read them, and gave Erik a steely-eyed look. "The agency has to raise certain questions to ensure the rights of the suspects. You may consider them inappropriate, but the Department of Justice considers them necessary."

"So, all of them. Yeah, that's what I expected. Are you sure it's the DOJ asking the questions, or the Department of State?"

"We got the questions directly from our superior in the bureau."

"What do you think, Carl?" Erik asked the air, before unmasking the battery of attorneys and law enforcement officials around a table in Minneapolis.

"Special agents, I'm Carl Olsson, Annika Olsson's attorney of record, and these gentlemen to my right are my three best criminal attorneys. The big gentleman to my right is Minneapolis Police Commissioner Taylor, and to his right is State Police Chief Mitchell Lange.

"In about thirty seconds you are going to be joined by Retired Texas Ranger Captain Bill Hammer. When he is present and seated, we will expect you to provide the questions to Captain Hammer, who will provide them to me.

"If this is not acceptable, my client will not join us, and you will need to get a warrant to ask any questions. Additionally, I will need to be present, and it may take me several days to clear my schedule to fly down to Texas."

"Sir, I mean no disrespect, but we could just arrest her and ..."

"No, you couldn't, and we both know it, so don't try that bluff. The agency won't like what we tell the news while you're taking her to jail, or the lawsuit that follows, and I'll have a Release by Court Order waiting when you reach Austin."

The door opened and Capt. Hammer walked in. "Have I missed anything?"

"A minor pissing contest is all. Carl says these agents are to give you the list of questions forwarded from Minnesota to look over and then send to him. That's the next step, or they don't talk to Annika. They mentioned something about jailing us for not cooperating, but they have no warrant, so..."

Bill raised up to his full 6'4" height and puffed out his chest. He might be 55, but that 250 pounds he carried was mostly muscle, and the frown he turned on the agents was fierce. "Don, Sam, you boys gonna hand me that list, or you gonna leave? Don't make a shit to me either way, and I doubt it does to you. I suspect you don't wanna be here because you know those aren't law enforcement questions and it's your ass on the line if Carl - or, God forbid, Annika - goes to the news with them."

Sam looked at his partner, then at Bill. "You're right, Captain. These came to us directly from our SAC, but whether he got them from Minnesota or Washington, we don't know. Here's a screen shot; I'll air drop it to you."

Bill immediately forwarded the questions to Carl and read them. He looked at the special agents and shook his head. "Well, at least you have the decency to be embarrassed, and your SAC ought to be taking you out to dinner for dumping this on you."

Ten minutes passed, with sound muted on Carl's end while he and the others talked. Bill shared the questions with Erik, who started shaking his head after reading the first question and grew redder in the face with the next.

Carl turned the mics on in his conference room after fifteen minutes and stated: "Special agents, my client will not be answering any question that requires her to speculate. That means #s 1, 2, 3 and 7 are off the table. She has directly addressed questions #5, 6, and 8 in the statement given to the police handling her case. If you want to ask her for more details on those three questions, I'll allow it, but don't stray. Questions 4 and 9 are acceptable, as they ask for her recollection of events not previously covered in her statement."

Erik got up and walked down the hall to the master bedroom, knocked, and invited Annika to join them. The denim jumpsuit had a big brass zipper down the front that drew your eyes to it and the cleavage it uncovered, and made you want to pull the large loop down to expose more. She wore the navy high heels; her light blonde hair fell in cascades over her shoulders, her lipstick was red, and her makeup was impeccable. With the heels, she was almost Erik's height, which was obvious as they walked arm in arm into the room.

Even Bill seemed stunned by the vision sashaying toward them, wearing a wide smile on a face too perfect to be real. The special agents rose in greeting but stood gawking.

With affection, she greeted the Ranger. "Hi, Bill - it's good to see you again!"

Turning to the two strangers, she broke out the million-dollar smile and said, "Hello, I'm Annika Olsson. I understand you have questions for me."

Samuel Jackson took her offered hand and held it for a moment, before recovering enough to introduce himself and Special Agent Don Helms. When Helms took her hand, he awkwardly said, "You... your... appearance on TV and in magazines... does not do you justice," and then turned beet red.

"Thank you, I think. You do mean I look better in person, don't you?"

"Yes mam," he answered quickly, "and I apologize for reacting as I did. I don't know that I've ever seen anyone like you up close before."

She gave him a dazzling smile, which turned him an even darker shade of crimson, and said, "Thank you! You're too kind."

She turned to the TV and recognized each of the men by name, beginning with Daddy, seated herself beside Erik, turned back to the agents and asked, "So, what questions do you have for me?"

Jackson said, "Miss Olsson, when you were being held in the office of the warehouse, did you have a view of what was happening in the warehouse?"

"No, I did not; the blinds were closed."

"Okay, then it follows that you did not actually see who arrived in the car, or anything that was said by anyone in the warehouse."

"It's true that I did not see anyone arrive in a car; the rest is not correct. Every noise and word in the empty warehouse reverberated and was easily heard. I heard the garage doors go up and back down, saw Linda Warren look through the blinds and then excitedly say that Anatoly had arrived. She and the other woman took me by my arms, opened the door, and pulled me out of the office and into the hallway.

"At that time, I saw the man with them when they kidnapped me - they called him Dmitry - standing on the left side of the vehicle. He was talking to a tall grey-haired man whom he called Anatoly. There were three men standing in front of the car when gunshots rang out. They then turned and hurriedly got back inside the car. I saw the car try to back out though the steel door, but my female captors froze in place when the gunfire started. I was preparing to break away from them when they suddenly turned me loose and fell to the ground.

"That was the last I saw or heard, because two large men grabbed me by the arms, turned me around, and ran me down the hall away from the warehouse. We burst outside, they put me into a waiting Humvee with SWAT on the side and I was driven away."

She stopped and waited expectantly. "Do you think you could identify the men in a photo array?" asked Jackson.

"Probably. They were standing in an area where the sun was shining through the windows, so I got a surprisingly good look across the dark warehouse."

The agents looked at each other, at Bill Hammer, and then at Carl. "We just happen to have such an array in the car..."

Carl and Bill both nodded, and SA Helms went to get it, escorted by Erik. He handed the photo album to Annika and told her to see if she recognized anyone.

She opened it, looked at the first page, pointed at a photo, showed it to the agents, and said, "A-6 was the driver of the car that tried to back through the door."

"Go on," Helms said after making a note. She turned the page, looked them over, and then turned another page. She immediately pointed at another photo. "D-1 is the man who got in the back seat first; the one Dmitry called Anatoly." They made notes, and she turned the page again. "F-4 is the man who got in the back seat second. He was waving a gun."

"Do you see anyone else you recognize?" She turned to the last two pages, and frowned. "This man, G-5, is the one called Dmitry. He's the one who squeezed my breasts until they were bruised, and who told me all the terrible things he and Anatoly were going to do to me when we got to Kaliningrad.

"And G-6 drove the van they abducted me in."

The special agents exchanged looks, and Helms took the book. "You seem very sure; are you? You barely got a glance at the men who jumped back into the car."

"In my line of work, remembering names and faces is critical. You see, I get paid very well for commercials and for fashions shows. It doesn't do to make a photo shoot for a designer and then not remember him or her when you see them in a social setting later. That's even more true when you've made a commercial for someone, or when you've met or worked with a celebrity; not remembering their names and faces can cost you a very lucrative job.

"So, yes, I'm certain. Why, do you think I missed one? I didn't."

"You're right - you didn't. And yes, D-1, Anatoly Koslov, was the one who jumped in the back seat first."

"So," she asked brightly, while leaning over to hand them the photo book, "what other questions do you have?"

"We're not going to insult you by asking some of these questions; you made it clear in your written statement and again today that you weren't present when the men were captured, and your attorneys, quite correctly, won't allow you to speculate about things you didn't see or hear.

"So we have only one more question. What made you say that you believed the two women were bi-sexual?"

"I saw them kiss and feel each other up, but they also talked about how they were looking forward to going back to Russia and fucking all the rich men so they could collect big tips. Then they told me I could make a fortune if I'd play along and do what they told me to do."

"Solid deduction on the bi!" Jackson said with a chuckle.

"So, gentlemen, do you have any other questions my client can answer?" Carl queried.

"No, Sir, we don't. Thanks to all of you for allowing us to do our job, and, Miss Olsson, it has truly been a pleasure. You are an extremely impressive young woman. As my partner said earlier, you're even more impressive in person than on TV, and that's saying a lot. My family and I watched your press conference twice last night. After the second time, my wife, daughter, and son all wrote our congressman and senator, and the Secretary of State. I wanted to, but my job..."

"Thank you, and please thank your family for me. What happened to me should never happen to another daughter, and what those men have been doing to other wives, daughters, and sons for decades is truly despicable! They should rot in prison until they burn in hell!"

After escorting the agents to the door, Erik asked Hammer, "Where are my parents?"

"On the patio, listening in. They didn't want to be a distraction, so I called your dad before I came in and let them listen. Come on in, Alex and Kathy."

"We're right here," Kathy answered from the living room, "we came in through the patio doors. Now, show me that ring!"

****

Unfortunately, the parents had to leave after lunch at the Catfish Haven so they would be home for Emily, and the Hammers had to go back to work. Fortunately, that brought an end to the incessant chatter among Annika, Kathy, and Milly, who had joined them for lunch. Erik foolishly thought that not having picked a wedding date would defer planning; the tens of thousands of words shared around planning quickly corrected that misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Bill and Alex questioned him about their immediate plans, and discussed how to provide unobtrusive security at the rehearsal, dinner, wedding, and reception in Austin. With Rhonda recovering in the hospital, they decided to use one of Bill's best, a woman of about thirty with extensive martial arts skills and the 'distinguished expert' rating in marksmanship.

Andi, Bill assured them, would look, dress, and act as if she belonged in Annika's entourage, and had proven to be cool, efficient, and effective in action. He suggested he introduce them over supper at his house in Sattler Village, and that Andi take over Annika's self-defense training starting tomorrow.

That worked well for Erik, who was anxious to resume communication with Johnny and his team, but admitted he didn't know Annika's plans. It turned out that Amanda had cancelled or rescheduled all Annika's commitments until the brouhaha died down and her safety could be assured, and Annika was thrilled at getting more training. Her martial arts training to date had been intermittent and aimed at developing flexibility and lean strength rather than self-defense. Having seen danger up close and in person, she knew she needed more and better training.