Part III-Chapter 3: THE FIRST DAY AFTER

 

Chapter 3

The First Day After

(Ó 2010)

　

His whole day was slow and lethargic. It took him longer than usual to prepare for his job at the Chicago offices of the Bank of Paris. Some eight years previous, he was offered this position, it was the year before “it” happened. He declined because he enjoyed his work with the French National Police, he felt that his career was really making a difference with the world. Lily would always fear for Logan’s wellbeing because of the dangers involved, however, he kept assuring her nothing would ever happen to him. - - -

- - -“Listen … Lil girl,” he would tell her, “all the enemies I’ve faced before were hundreds of times more dangerous than these idiots we go after. Those were professional soldiers, trained to kill and destroy their enemies. Most of these guys are just bullies with guns; they have no training on tactics, and when it comes to guns, they just point and shoot. A good soldier can take them out with one shot; they’re lucky to come close to hitting a target after emptying the magazine.” - - -

- - - She would smile … but only pretend that she was reassured, for she knew how much he loved his work and what he felt he was accomplishing.

After “it” happened, he needed to leave Paris, to leave France and Europe, to try to find some way to get on with life. He didn’t want to return to America because of the incident that caused him to leave and flee for Europe in the first place … in those days … before he was Logan. But he really did not have a choice. During these years in America he had somewhat of a fear that someone … just by chance … may recognize him. One way he disguised himself was to always use his French accent while speaking English. English was Logan’s native language, but after years of speaking and communicating in French, transferring to that accent became no problem. He only spoke in his natural American accent to Lily … before “it” happened. She preferred his American accent.

Another way he disguised himself was to always wear a pair of low level reading glasses that he would purchase at the local drugstores. He would joke to himself that “it always worked for Clark Kent.”

He kept thinking of the words he heard early this morning. He DID hear them … it WAS her voice … he kept telling himself. He remembered hearing his name … when he was asleep …he heard her calling to him. While at his job he had to force himself to pay attention to his work, but every chance that he could take to be alone, he had the words flowing in his mind - - -

- - - you have to stop - - -

- - - He knew what that meant. He had to stop what he has been doing these past years. Maybe it was just his subconscious speaking to him in her voice. After all, she could make him do anything. If it was his subconscious, it was very clever to use her voice - - -

- - - you have to go - - -

- - - Go? Go where? - - -

- - - come back to me - - -

- - - “If there was a way, I would Lil,” he would whisper - - -

- - - you promised that you’d never leave me - - -

- - - “But I didn’t leave you Lil.” he would say to himself.

 

As the day wore on the words kept flowing until finally, it was time to go home. He was tired not only from the lack of sleep, but from thinking of the dream from the early morning, the constant repetition of the words, and struggle to see how it all meant anything was exhausting. His train ride on the “L” had the events of the night before still swirling through his mind, and he was hoping that he would not fall asleep during the ride. The rhythm of the trains wheels on the tracks and the rocking of the train car was making it hard for him to stay awake. But, during one of the stops a pregnant woman boarded his car and Logan gave her his seat choosing to stand the rest of the way to his stop.

When he arrived home, he went directly to his apartment on the third floor. He entered, quickly shut and locked the door behind him, and placed his briefcase that … as he always has for the past three years … kept at an arms distance of him when he was not in his home … in the safe in his bedroom closet. He then walked to the living room to check on the candle burning next to Lily’s picture. It still had a few days of light left in it. Then he looked into the face of the picture.

“I heard you … I swear I did,” he whispered, “Was it you Lil girl? Was it?”

He could feel his throat tighten, he turned and went into the bathroom. He was going to soak in a hot tub then have a little something to eat. He would go right to bed and see if he could get some sleep. He turned on the water and filled the tub with water just hot enough to where he could stand it. He took off his suit and tie and hung them neatly back in his closet, then walked naked to the bathtub, put both feet in and slowly lowered himself a little at a time into the hot water. When his entire body was in the tub, he slid down and immersed his head and face under the water for a few seconds, came up and slicked his hair backwards. He took the dry washcloth and soaked it for a few seconds in the hot bath water then covered his face with it.

He relaxed in the water, closed his eyes and returned back to his memories of fifteen years ago - - -

- - - remembering his first year with the French National Police. Captain Thiebulet and Jean-Luc were correct about the animosity that may come with Logan’s unique position with them. Thirty-five years old and a sergeant right out of the academy. However, the animosities quickly started to go to the wayside as he showed those around him his knowledge and skills.

He taught them techniques on surveillance, taking up combat positions, planning attacks, and using logic over emotion. He began proving his worth when on a large arrest on a highly guarded chalet; Logan went in alone at first to neutralize the guards and remained completely undetected. He was credited with saving lives that evening. Logan now was being referred to simply as “The Legionnaire.”

However one area where Logan had proven his place with the other men of the unit was on the soccer pitch as an aggressive player and goaltender. Always communicating with his teammates on the strength and weaknesses of their opponents as he observed them from the goal net.

Then the day came when Captain Thiebulet received an intelligence report about a large heroin and cocaine distributor somewhere in the west of Paris. An organized crime family from Prague, the Volchescu’s, were operating it. The ‘warehouse’ was off of one of the small motorways near Lille, north of Paris. It was in a residential farm compound in the forest and the warehouse itself was the barn. If one looked closely they would see armed guards and snipers on the rooftops of the main house, the bell tower of the barn and in some through the open windows of the rooms.

Logan took it upon himself to do a reconnaissance of the whole area and came up with a plan to watch the entire compound.

“They are thinking in the logical way looking for logical situations,” he told Jean-Luc in the “war room” of the Organized Crime Unit when presenting the plan to him, “so what we have to do is the illogical.”

The plan was to put the compound and surrounding area under surveillance by having Logan conceal himself in the surrounding forest and trees. There was only one small motorway that ran by the compound and that had a dirt road that led to the compounds only entrance. Logan would be literally live and move about this forest anywhere from three to five days, watching and sending intelligence information on who was coming and going, the best areas to place police when surrounding the area, and he would have his snipers rifle to fend off the placed gunmen when the time came to make the raid. He had the plan written down along with maps and the list of equipment and supplies he would need.

“This is so unusual that it just may work,” Jean-Luc told him, “I will submit this to Thiebulet and let him go over it. Let’s see what he thinks.”

 

“Thanks Jean.”

Jean-Luc placed the plan in its folder and asked Logan, “You have probably done things of this nature in the past haven’t you?”

 

“Countless times.” Logan answered.

 

“I will present this to him right before you, Henri, and I go out later, now let’s get on with what we have to do,” Jean-Luc said. They were in the war room with Henri Beauchard, Jean-Lucs partner for over ten years. This afternoon they were planning a surveillance of the “number three” man from the Prague crime family of whom the compound in question was being run by. His name was Theo Bulchin, age thirty-four, medium build with a receding hairline. He was in charge of collections, distributing, and looking for new customers. He’s been in Paris for over three years now and always seemed to just a step ahead of law enforcement. He was very close to Bela Volchescu, the head of the crime family for three years now after .

Tonight they were to just follow him as discretely as possible, to “introduce” Logan to him. To see if Bulchin could lead them to something larger and/or someone higher. No arrests were to be made, just information wanted. The three of them went over his picture and known habits for about an hour.

When all initial plans and instructions were made and understood, they left to go to Bulchin’s apartment and wait for him to leave. However, before they left the building though, Jean-Luc went to Captain Thiebulet’s office to present him with Logan’s idea. - - -

 

- - - Logan now felt the bath water turning lukewarm, stood up and exited the tub. He dried off went to his bedroom, put on some briefs, a t-shirt and sweatpants. He went into the kitchen to get something to eat. He made himself a chicken salad sandwich with some cheese and a little white wine. The whole time he sat and stared at Lily’s photograph.

“I swear … I thought I heard your voice.” he whispered to it.