Them-2 - Chapter 7

Chapter Seven – Near Belfast, Ireland



The driving rain was coming down in torrents. Earlier, the howling wind presaged the cancellation of their flight, however, the gale force had suddenly died. However, it still seemed as if Mother Nature was trying to keep them from leaving Ireland.

They were in route to Belfast International Airport, located about six miles or eleven kilometers northwest of Belfast. The airport was formerly known, and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. There was also a Royal Air Force Base located there, which had its own facilities.

Yesterday, Eoin had received a call from Doctor Schmitt concerning the missing insect eggs, which she had failed to locate. She was worried about the possibility that they may be viable eggs and hatch into the monstrous size insects they could possibly develop into. She told Eoin she had experimented with her final egg and got the same results as he had. Given the right set of circumstances, they could develop. Despite his personal misgivings, Eoin told her that would be highly improbable. At her urging, Eoin agreed to fly to the United States and assist her in the matter.

Kayle and Caitlin had just started a four-week holiday two days ago, and Kayle insisted they accompany him on the trip.

“It’ll be a great holiday,” Kayle beamed. “I have always wanted to visit America and while you and Doctor Schmitt are playing with your bug eggs, I can rent a car and drive down to Disney World and see a bit of the country. Caitlin would love it.”

Since Doctor Schmitt had set no specific time parameters, Eoin knew he could be in America for several weeks. He did not want to give up what little time he had with ‘his ladies’, so he readily agreed to them accompanying him.

They had a direct flight to Atlanta, Georgia, a major U.S. hub. Instead of making a connecting flight to Nashville or Louisville, Kayle insisted they rent a car and drive from Atlanta.

“It looks like just a few hours drive from Atlanta to Bowling Green,” Kayle pointed at the travel map. “Straight north, skirt west of Chattanooga, to Nashville, then across the border into Kentucky.”

“Don’t forget this is America,” Eoin cautioned while glancing down at the map. “That distance looks to be around 450 miles. That’s enough distance to drive from Belfast to the bottom of Ireland around Cork and back to Belfast. America is a very big country.”

They arrived shortly after nine in the morning, local time and by ten they found themselves in a nice rental SUV heading north towards their destination. Kayle had driven across Europe several times so she was familiar with driving on the right side of the road. Ireland, having adopted the United Kingdom rules, drove on the left side.

It was mid-May and the countryside was bursting with various shades of green. New leaves were sprouting on the deciduous trees. Although the grass was not the rich deep green of Ireland, it was still very lush and appealing. She could almost imagine herself driving through the Irish countryside if it wasn’t for the homes. Homes in Ireland were more European in style compared to the frame built or modern brick designs of those they passed. It took them eight hours to make it to Bowling Green.

“Stop in that café over there and I’ll call Doctor Schmitt.” Eoin pointed to a building coming up on their right. “I could use a hot cup of tea.”

“That’s a Taco Bell, Poppers,” Caitlin giggled. “They sell Mexican food there. I don’t think they will have a cup of tea.”

“You’re right Caitlin. I forget we’re in the colonies.” Eoin pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket. He had no service. “Like I said, we’re in the colonies.” He returned the dead phone to his pocket.

Kayle handed her cell phone to Eoin. “Police issue,” she smiled. “We have international service wherever we go.” She pulled into the parking lot of the Taco Bell. Although she wasn’t interested in fast food, especially Mexican food, she knew they would have a toilet in the establishment and her bladder reminded her that it was past time to drain the swamp.

By the time she and Caitlin returned from the rest room, Eoin had completed his call to Doctor Schmitt.

“Tappy said the college is just a few blocks away,’ Eoin stated. “She provided me with directions.”

“Tappy?” Kayle smiled. “So now it’s Tappy and not Doctor Schmitt?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Eoin shot back. “I will remind you that Doctor Schmitt, Tappy, or whatever, is young enough to be my daughter.”

Ten minutes later, Tappy met them at the front steps of the University. Eoin took the time to introduce Kayle and Caitlin and he was surprised to see that Doctor Schmitt also had a son.

“My son Jacob,” Tappy nodded. Jacob bobbled his head in response. His eyes were on the pretty Irish girl the entire time. He’d seen girls with red hair before, but never as red and full as the little girl’s hair. Not only that, she was a knock out!

“I intended to call you earlier,” Tappy continued. “I was hoping to have a meal ready for you at my home. I insist you stay with us while you’re here, there’s plenty of room since there’s only Jacob and me in that big old house.”

Eoin nodded in agreement. He did not miss the fact that she and her son were alone.

“The reason I missed the call is in my lab.” Tappy motioned for them to follow her. She ushered them down a flight of stairs, along a well-lit corridor, and through a set of large swinging doors. As they entered the room, two men turned to greet them.

“I would like to introduce Special Agents la Roche and Pferd, they are with the FBI, that’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

“I can assure you we are here legally,” Eoin smiled, offering his hand to the agents.

“We’re here on a missing persons case,’ Agent la Roche chuckled. “Call me Huck and you can call this giant next to me, Horse.”

Caitlin looked up at the two men with wonder. The pretty one was tall but the one standing to his left was undoubtedly the tallest and biggest man she had ever seen. He was a virtual giant. Horse was a very good name for him.

Kayle took her time assessing the two men. Agent la Roche, Huck, was one of the most attractive men she had ever met. He was tall, well built, with sharp eyes and a humorous grin. He had a no nonsense look about him. Probably ex-military and academy graduate. She could tell right away that he was a true professional and took pride in anything he did.

“Kayle Gallagher,” she beamed, shaking Huck’s hand longer than necessary. “This is my daughter Caitlin.” She shook hands with Horse only as an afterthought.

“You have something in common,” Eoin grinned, spotting an unusual twinkle in Kayle’s eyes. “My daughter is a detective lieutenant with the Belfast Police, and if I may say, she is their best.”

“What does a missing person case have to do with Doctor Schmitt?” Kayle curiously asked, the detective in her automatically shifting her thoughts into gear.

Huck smiled. He liked this very attractive Irish woman. Not only was she observant, and didn’t mince words, she was incredibly alluring.

“We arrived earlier this afternoon and talked with University Security,” he answered. “We were directed to a stream north of town where they previously discovered some footprints. The footprints matched the shoe prints that two of the missing students were allegedly wearing. Mixed in with their footprints were numerous unidentifiable animal prints. The CSI Team I had standing by made some casts of the prints and, since Doctor Schmitt is a biology professor, we are hoping that she can identify them.”

Eoin stole a quick glance at Tappy. He could see the answer in her face. It was an answer that he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.

Tappy was aware when all eyes had turned in her direction. She wasn’t absolutely positive of her assessment of the prints yet, but her instincts told her that the answer was the one she feared. She had ran the prints against her data base of known animal prints and found no match. She then moved into her field of entomology and found several possible matches. Her concern about the possibility of one or more of the ants having developed and reached the adult stage clinched it.

“The plaster print on the table and the one on my computer are an exact match.” Tappy motioned for Doctor Gallagher and the FBI agents to review her findings.

Eoin walked over to the table and picked up the plaster cast. He then turned and compared it to the one on the computer screen. He nodded his head in agreement.

Huck did the same. He did not miss the look of fear and concern on Eoin and Tappy’s faces. “Well, what kind of animal are we dealing with?” He looked back and forth between the scientists.

“Solenopsis invicta,” Tappy finally answered. She offered no further details.

“My Latin is limited to terms in criminal justice,” Huck smiled. “I would appreciate it if you would break the name down into plain old English.”

“The fire ant.” Eoin supplied the words. “One of the most aggressive insects on the planet.”

Huck looked at Eoin then at Tappy. He finally glanced over towards Kayle, who had a puzzled look on her face.

“I’m assuming that the print on your computer has been enlarged hundreds of times,” he stated. “If that is the case, then you are telling me that we have a monster size fire ant out there somewhere?”

“Enlarged thousands of times,” Tappy returned. “Based on the size of that print, the fire ant that made it has to be the size of a pony and weigh at least three hundred pounds. And, there may be more than one of them out there.”

“I’m listening,” Huck replied, indicating that she should give him the rest of the story. Tappy and Eoin both covered the background and details relating to the discovery of the eggs and the events that followed. They left nothing out, including the missing crate of eggs and separate experiments they had conducted.

Huck could see that both scientists were truly frightened. “You’re saying that a box containing four prehistoric insects eggs may have been misplaced and that the eggs could possibly have hatched?”

“It’s more than possible based on the evidence of those prints.” Eoin held up one of the plaster casts. “They may also be behind your missing persons.”

“Giant ants got them?”

“Consumed them,” Tappy blurted out, then remembered the two children among them. A quick glance told her that they had not yet grasped the possibility of giant ants.

Huck glanced at Horse then back to Tappy. She could tell from his expression that he was having a hard time digesting the possibility.

“I know it sounds like science fiction,” she added. “But, we are making incredible scientific discoveries every day. Things we know as fact today, would have been classified as science fiction just a few years ago.”

Huck cleared his throat. “The obvious thing is to take what you are saying at face value and try to find these over grown ants. If they pose a menace to the safety of the public, we need to do it as soon as possible. I would appreciate it if you would hold on to your hypothesis until we can gather more credible evidence. If word got out about giant insects roaming the woods, the word panic would not be able to describe the terror that people might develop.”

“We can appreciate your concern,” Eoin replied. “You are correct in your assessment. Speed is of the essence. We cannot allow these creatures to propagate.”

Tappy shivered. “The average Solenopsis invicta queen can live up to two to seven years and in that time will bear 1,500 to 1,600 eggs per day. Who knows what this species is capable of! If all four turn out to be queens, their reproduction rate will be phenomenal.”

“You need to tell us how to find these bugs and how to get rid of them,” Huck stated. “Unfortunately, until we have positive evidence of their existence, I don’t think the Bureau will allocate extra manpower. More than likely, they’ll probably ask me what kind of moonshine I’ve been drinking down here when I send in my initial report.”

“I’ll see if I can persuade my office to provide me with liaison status,” Kayle stated. “That will allow me to officially help you in the search.”

“I’ll take all the help I can get,” Huck replied. Especially from a beautiful woman, he thought.

Jake was still admiring the pretty Irish girl.