e. Johnny looked totally bored. "I think Malcolm already has Johnny's number,"

---

he said. "Overwhelm him wi
th technicaliti
es and facts he k
nows nothing about while yo
u stroke his e
Performance Level
go-if you can stan   

d to do it." Berman stuc

• k the three-ring binder under her arm an
• d smiled appreciatively. "That's a no-brainer, Mr. Kerney. I started out in this business years ago as a script girl, and, believe me, I've got lots of experience feeding m
• ale egos." Berman left and Kerney soon followed, saying good-night to Gus and Buzzy on his way out the door. The dark sky was awash with stars, and a cool/ downslope breeze rustled through the
• trees. At the ranch property he swung south on a cutoff dirt track near the rodeo arena that paralleled a pasture fence line. He passed through two gates, a dry wash, and made a wrong turn to a dead end before finding his way to the barn where Shaw garaged his van.
• Kerney parked behind the barn and sat in the dark for a few minutes to let his eyes adjust

before he circ

• led the structure on foot. Built from scrap slat boards, the barn had a pitched tin roof, no windows, and a padlocked double door. There was no way he could get inside without leaving behind clear evidence of
• a forced entry. He was about to leave when he saw two sets of headlights approaching in the distance. He hid behind a stone foundation of a cylindric
• Basic Explosives and Characteristicsal water tank that stood next to an empty water trough and watched as the vehicles arrived and stopped in front of the barn doors. In the glare of a pickup truck's
• headlights Walter Shaw got out of the panel van, unlocked the barn doors, and dr
• Suicide Bombing Devicesove it inside. Then, with the help of the man driving the pickup, Shaw unloaded the contents of the van. When the chore was finished, h
• e the van out of the barn and locked the doors. Shaw's helper climbed into the van and it traveled south into the valley. Kerney waited at his hidi
• ng place until the provides worksheets that assist participants in accurately assessing local and regional threat levels. Participants develop a threat assessment of an adversary known to use suicide bombing as a tactic.
• red glow of the taillights disappeared from view. Following the men wasn't an option; he'd be spotted immediately. When the sound of the engine had faded completely away, he fired up the truck and drove in the opposite direction with the headlights off until he dropped over a small
• rise in the valley floor Back on the highway Kerney sorted through what Shaw had removed all his tools, equipment, and supplies from the panel van at a remote, secure location and then had driv
• en away in the direction of the border. He could think of no legitimate reason to do that so late at night. Were Shaw and his helper engaged in smuggling? People? Drugs? Some other form of contraband? And who
• was Shaw's companion? A rancher? A hand? In the darkness Kerney had been unable to get a good look at the man. He'd memorized the license-plate numbers of both vehicles. Using his cell phone, h
• e called the regional dispatch center in Santa Fe, asked for a motor vehicle check on the van and pickup, requested an NCIC wants and warrant check on Shaw

, and told

the dispatcher to

call him back on his cell. As he made the turn at Hachita on his way back to Playas, a small airplane flew overhead out of the so

• uth, its anticollision beac
• ons clearly visible in the night sky. The sigh
• t of the airplan
• e made Kerney's excursion on the ranch all th

e more interesting. While he wasn't about to jump to any conclusions about Walter Shaw and his unknown companion, his misgivings had been raised. Tomorrow he would find an excuse to break away from the production crew and pay another friendly visit to Joe and Bessie at the ranch to see what more he could discoveIRTB and PRSBI Continuing Educationr about their ranch manager. Chapter Six A cloud-covered sky veiled .

the mountai

Course Application   

ns and hid the

rising sim, and

a stiff, moisture-laden breeze flowing up from Baja California carried a refreshing chill to the air that lingered until midmorning. Jackrabbits skittered across the empty s

• treets of Playas, and a resident
• roadrunner stood frozen on its lar
• ge feet for a
• Departmental or agency policies to ensure compliance with local requirements

Contact your long moment before it pumped its tail feathers up and down