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humor. He often played to standing room only, which he called full houses,
and frequently acted out scenes, both the male and female parts.
It was assumed that he was gay, but no one was aware of any serious
relationships the professor had. He owned a farm about fifty miles away in
Webster, New Hampshire, where he spent most weekends. Occasionally, Taylor
went to Boston or New York, and he d spent several summers in Europe. There
had never been an incident with a student, though some of the males called him
Puck, a few to his face.
The surveillance on Taylor was difficult, given the college-town atmosphere.
So far, it was believed that our agents hadn t been spotted. But we couldn t
be certain of that. Taylor hadn t been seen doing much beyond teaching his
classes and returning home.
The second day in Hanover, I was in a surveillance car, a dark blue Crown
Vic, along with an agent named Peggy Katz. Agent Katz had been raised in
Lexington, Massachusetts. She was a very serious person whose main hobby
seemed to be an avid interest in professional basketball. She could talk about
the NBA or WNBA for hours, which she did during our surveillance time
together.
The other agents on with us that night were Roger Nielsen, Charles Powiesnik,
and Michelle Bugliarello. Powiesnik was the special agent in charge. I wasn t
really sure where I fit in, but they all knew I'd been sent by Washington, and
by Ron Burns himself.
The good Dr. Taylor is going out. Could be interesting, Katz and I heard
over our two-way late that night. We couldn t actually see his house from
where we were parked.
He s coming your way. You pick him up first, said Special Agent in Charge
Powiesnik.
Katz turned on the headlights, and we pulled up to a corner. Then we waited
for Taylor to pass. His Toyota 4Runner appeared a moment later.
He s going out toward I-89, she reported in. Proceeding at about
forty-five, keeping within the speed limit, which makes him suspicious in my
book. Maybe headed to his farm in Webster. Kind of late for picking tomatoes,
though.
We ll have Nielsen precede him on I-89. You stay behind. Michelle and I will
be right with you, said Powiesnik.
That sounded familiar to me, and apparently to Agent Katz, since she
muttered, Right, as soon as she signed off.
Once he exited 89, Taylor made turns on a couple of narrow side roads. He was
doing close to sixty.
Seems to be in a little more of a hurry now, Peggy said.
Then Taylor s Toyota veered off onto a drive that appeared to be dirt. We had
to stay back or be spotted. Fog lay low over the farmlands, and we proceeded
slowly until we could safely park on the side of the road. The other FBI cars
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hadn t arrived yet; at least, we didn t see any of them. We got out of our
sedan and headed back into the woods.
Then we could see Taylor s Toyota parked in front of a shadowy farmhouse. A
light eventually blinked on inside the house, then another. Agent Katz was
quiet, and I wondered if she d been involved in anything quite as heavy as
this before. I didn t think that she had.
We can see Taylor s Toyota at the house, she reported to
Powiesnik.
Then she turned to me. So now what? she asked in a whisper.
It s not up to us, I said.
If it was?
I d move in closer on foot. I want to see if that missing kid from Holy
Cross is in there. We don t know how much danger he s in.
Powiesnik contacted us again. We re going to take a look. You and Agent
Cross stay where you are. Watch our backs.
Agent Katz turned to me and sniffed out a laugh. Powiesnik means watch our
dust, doesn t he?
Or eat our dust, I said.
Or suck hind tit, grumped Katz.
Maybe she hadn t seen any action before, but she apparently wanted some now.
And I had a feeling Agent Katz might get her wish.
Chapter 75
OVER THERE, heading toward the barn, I said, and pointed. That s Taylor.
What s he doing?
Powiesnik is on the other side of the house. He probably can t see that
Taylor is outside, said Agent Katz.
Let s see what he s up to.
Katz hesitated. You re not going to get me shot, are you?
No, I said, a little too quickly. This was getting complicated all of a
sudden. I wanted to follow Taylor, but I felt I had to watch out for Katz
too.
Let s go, Katz finally said, reaching a decision. Taylor is out of the
house. He s headed southwest, she alerted Powiesnik. We re
following.
The two of us hurried forward for a hundred yards or so. We had some ground
to make up, and we wanted to keep Taylor in sight. There was a half-moon
overhead and that helped, but it was also possible that Taylor might see us
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coming. We could lose him easily now, especially if he was
suspicious.
He didn t seem to be aware of anything going on around him _ at least not so
far. Which got me thinking that he was used to sneaking around out here late
at night. Not worrying about being seen by anyone. This was his private
reserve, wasn t it? I watched him go inside the barn.
We should call in again, Katz said.
I didn t disagree completely, but I was nervous about the other agents coming
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