The Cygnus Agenda

by Richard Martin

  His sting now had the players he needed to complete his strategy, though he knew that pulling it off was a whole different matter. Whether the appearance of the man at the exit changed things, he couldn`t know, but what he did know was that the risks of treachery had just doubled.

  It was the fourth day when his mark was confirmed, the account manager`s fantasy for an underage girl having a magnetism all its own, the inherent danger and debauchery of it a powerful combination. Arnie just hoped that Delgado had got it right.

  Three nights later the trap was being set. And Arnie was worried. Not in the way he felt on a night patrol in Afghanistan, where mutual back-up was assured, but in the way his nerves now functioned after the Honduran experience. He had handled the aftermath in the way he had been trained, yet tonight his nerves were getting to him. He knew it was not just being on foreign territory, it was the aloneness.

  The original plan had involved a hotel room paid for by the girl bait, but the man hadn`t become a bank manager without being cautious. He had driven for several miles, stopping, starting, turning up city side streets and stopping once again. Tailing from a discreet distance, Arnie was now wondering where the man would be taking the girl, knowing the final destination could pose a problem. Smart people recognised the dangers of bugged hotel rooms and Arnie could only hope that whatever the destination, his surveillance equipment would not be out of range. Busting in on the act depended on timing and other factors that were impossible to know until the last minute. And with this latest development a vague instinct began to gnaw at him. Something was wrong.

  Turning into a high-rise parking lot opposite the Athenium hotel, Arnie followed the car to the seventh floor and looked at his watch that said 9.42pm. He once again checked his rear view mirror and could see that no one seemed to be tailing him, with the car behind having stopped at the previous level. With only a few vehicles on this floor the mark`s car pulled up at the far corner, windshield facing away and giving Arnie no head-on view. As several minutes passed, the man and girl remained in the car and now Arnie realised his assumption was wrong.

  There was no miniature tape recorder in the girl`s grab-bag, nothing that could be discovered and blow the operation, but it meant that what was going on inside the car was unknown. Having figured it out, Arnie now had to work fast.

  His vantage point required him to get a better angle in order to guarantee identification, and that meant getting close to the mark`s car, but right now that option was being blocked by the arrival of a slow moving SUV. It`s two occupants were constantly checking to their left and right, and now Arnie`s heart rate jumped as he caught a glimpse of them. One was the man at the nightclub exit door in the alleyway, the other a twenty four carat thug with a face that said so.

  Arnie had to think fast, the only solution one he didn`t like. If it went wrong he wouldn`t just have busted the operation but could easily end up a victim if his judgement of the two men was right and they were armed. Watching them park their SUV at the opposite end from him, Arnie knew he`d caught a break. It was obvious they were here to cash in on the sting and that meant his bait-girl was in on it too, a losing situation. But the men were staying put, so that gave him a chance.

  Leaving his door wide open in case of a hasty retreat and carrying the surveillance equipment in his right hand, he stepped from the car and stood for a moment. There was something about multi-level car parks at night that had always made him feel uneasy, and tonight, in this foreign land, the lingering humidity of the day was making an already sinister atmosphere even worse. Taking a deep breath, he straightened and walked towards the two men who were now staring at him from their SUV. He knew they were small-time guys who gave the impression of being not too smart, but if they called his bluff it was all over, and with consequences he didn`t want to contemplate. Thirty yards to go and he could see the two guy`s were watching his every move, their expressions intense.

  Their first act was as he hoped, the men remaining in the car, electric window sliding down to reveal faces that looked quizzical and hostile at the same time. Arnie`s voice was low, as if outlining a conspiracy, but his opening line was delivered with a strong hint of threat. “We know who you are mister nightclub guy, so listen up. You`re in a dangerous situation here, in the middle of a high stakes operation. Make one move out of this car and you`ll regret it, do you understand? Tonight there are no rules, so it`s up to you.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Arnie turned and walked slowly back towards his car, ready to make a run for it if he heard the men`s car door open. Halfway there he smiled with relief, and without looking back he stopped, moved to his left and hunkered down about twenty yards from the target car. He could now see the bait-girl in the front seat getting busy with the mark. Focussing the high-tech video camera, he moved forward, getting a clear shot of the action. Now he triggered the white flash which had the mark turn round and reveal the perfect image of a man caught in a position of ultimate dread.

  Having seen Arnie leave his car with the equipment, the bait-girl had figured the next move and now threw open the car door, stepping outside then staring at Arnie who was pointing the video camera straight at her. With a fake smile she ripped off her skirt and threw it back at the mark who was gaping from the driver`s seat like a rabbit caught in headlights. In her final act the bait girl wiped the smudged lipstick from her mouth with her right hand then tore off her blond wig to reveal the features of a young man.

  In a matter of seconds, Arnie had switched off the video camera and was marching away, his senses tuned to the danger from the two men, who so far, had remained in their car. With just a few yards to go he stopped, threw a quick glance over his shoulder and watched the doors of the men`s SUV swing open, both men getting out, both wielding hand guns.

  By the time Arnie reached his car the two men were closing in on him, one yelling an instruction. “Hold it right there, mister! Now turn around, real slow!”

  With no option, Arnie turned to face the men and the two guns aimed at his head. His delivery was cool. “I told you not to leave your car, and now you`re in deep shit.”

  The pimp did the talking. “Don`t look like that to me! Seems you`re the one who`s in shit. We`ve got two guns and you none.”

  Arnie forced a smile, stood still and said nothing.

  The pimp raised his voice. “Give us the video camera! Now!”

  “Not going to happen,” Arnie said, calmly.

  Now the pimp smiled. “Then we`ll take it, and we`ll also hurt you.”

  “No you won`t,” came the reply, but it wasn`t from Arnie.

  Jonas Delgado had stepped from the shadows and was facing-off the two men. “Now it`s two guns against one,” he said with a broad grin. “But mine is a hair trigger machine pistol that`ll drop you guys in a heartbeat. So stick your little guns in your pants and back off, all the way to your car. Then get in and shut the doors. That`s the only way you`re gonna live.”

  Watching the men back away, Arnie threw Delgado a nod, waited till the two guys were back in their SUV then stepped forward and slapped the fee into the Panamanian P.I.`s hand. With no words exchanged, Arnie moved quickly back to his car, and with tires squealing, he took off, signalling to Delgado before hitting the down ramp at speed.

  The last piece of business was the safest; contact by phone, the account manager`s voice indicating complete submission and a willingness to do anything to get the video disk. He had just one question. “How do I know you have only the one video, haven`t kept a copy?”

  “You don`t,” Arnie replied, “but you`ve no choice. There`s only one thing I need from you, just one, the name of the account that paid a man called Jeb Hoag, an American citizen, $30,000. Give me that and it`s all over, you go back to your life, I go back to the U.S.”

  “And when do I get the video?”

  “When I know the information checks out and you haven`t screwed
me.”

  “How can I trust you to do that and not hold me up to blackmail?”

  “This isn`t about blackmail, it`s about an American tax investigation, nothing else. I`m a freelance investigator who gets paid by results, now do you want to trade for the video or not?”

  “What choice do I have? Tell me how to get the information to you.”

  “We meet tomorrow in the same parking building, same level, and I`ll have back-up so don`t mess with me. The video disk will be kept somewhere safe. If your information`s good then I`ll get the disk to you and it will have a control marker that shows no copy has been made. You want your life back, then that`s the way this thing`s going down, got it?”

  The next day, Arnie sat by his hotel room window, checking his tactical planning in case of unforeseen developments, but at least the high-risk part of the operation was over, almost. He would track the account manager from the bank to the meeting point, knowing that both of them could be shadowed by any one of Delgado`s P.I.`s. He had paid Delgado his full fee plus a bonus for last night`s intervention and felt there was now some honour between them. But experience told him that in situations like these assumption of that sort could be a dangerous mistake. With a tension headache due to a restless night`s sleep he threw back two painkillers before adding a third, grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door.

  The account manager was on time, standing by his car, face drawn, hand`s tightly clasping a portfolio. As Arnie closed his car door and moved towards the man, he had the feeling of being watched. He knew that two cars on that level had arrived just after him and that the occupants were still inside. Walking up to the manager, he held him with a fixed stare, took the portfolio from the man`s shaking hand and checked the contents. Now he handed over the video disk.

  “You give me the disk now? I didn`t expect that,” said the manager.

  “This thing`s over,” Arnie replied. “And that`s the only copy.”

  The manager seemed unsure, his words guarded. “You did a bad thing to me, Mister Krench, but now I think you do good. Am I right to trust you?”

  “You can trust me, go back to your family, and try to live a better life.”

  Taking a few steps back the man cut a half smile, turned and hurried back to his car.

  In the silence, Arnie stood for a moment then suddenly spun around and stared. About twelve cars away, standing still and staring back at him, a face he knew. It was a moment of alarm, the situation tense as Arnie tried to figure the implications. Within a few seconds the man nodded, waved, then got back in his car and took off. As Arnie watched the car`s tail lights disappear down the ramp he shook his head. “Delgado,” he said to himself, “what a guy.”

  Hitting Highway 1 to Tocumen International, Arnie contemplated the importance of the new lead that could keep the investigation going; though what it might point to and what the outcome would be was the question. But for the time being everything felt good, especially the kick he got from his life being back in the fast lane. It was a hit right up there with riding his Harley to the limit, except this one came with the bonus of a paycheck.

  CHAPTER 13

  Jessica was waiting for Arnie at Washington Dulles Airport, her relief considerable, fear for his safety at an end. There hadn`t been a day when she didn`t reflect on her Honduran experience, playing out her revenge on the brute who had violated her sense of security and installed a vulnerability she still struggled to shake. In her mind the gratuitous cruelty he had intended was now something she could contemplate imposing on him, and with her conscience clear. Brought up never to think like that, she understood it`s immorality, but still she entertained the idea, still enjoyed the thought.

  As they hit the freeway and struggled through rush hour traffic, Arnie suggested Brennan`s Bar and Grill, a downtown D.C. favorite of the political class, and a place he had known from a previous investigation.

  Pushing through the crowd of suits and blouses who were all involved in excited chatter, they made their way to the eating area at the back. Ordering quickly, Jessica was eager to talk. “So now we have a new direction to head in, want to tell me how you managed to pull this thing off, it must have been some strategy.”

  “Sometimes methods are needed that you don`t want to share and this is one of them. Let`s just say that I had only one way to get that information and it worked. Nobody got hurt, so clear conscience, okay?”

  “Come on, Arnie I know there was a lot of risk, and operating down there must have been quite a challenge, a dangerous one.”

  “Wasn`t like Honduras, Jess, nothing like it. City work, more like Miami, so no big deal.”

  “Must have been some tricky situations?”

  “Nope, just good planning, Jess, and nothing went against me.”

  “Then tell me how you got the information, I know it wasn`t at gun-point.”

  “Good old fashioned blackmail, Jess. That`s all it took, and like I said nobody got hurt.”

  She threw him a disappointed look. “Guess that`s all I`m going to get, so let me fill you in on my end. Carlucci`s had a development but he wouldn`t tell me until you were back. We`re meeting tomorrow, you okay with that?”

  “Sure, we need him to get to work on finding out who`s really behind this Panama bank account. The holding company is called Calico Corporation, so we should get some idea of who we`re dealing with, but it`s the power at the top we need to know about.”

  “Well, this new development that Carlucci is keeping close to his chest has me back to suspecting the military base could be involved after all.”

  “I thought we`d ruled that out?”

  “All I know is this new development involves Greenmire, but that`s all Carlucci would tell me.”

  “So a Honduran drug cartel and a U.S. military base are hooked up with an offshore Corporation, one that`s somehow responsible for a bizarre change in the behaviour of three Elite Marines. How does that stack up? What the hell have we got here?”

  “One hell of a story if we can piece it together,” she said.

  Her next words took him by surprise. “Back in the day, after we had split up, when you were watching those lonely sunsets, did you miss me?”

  It was a statement as sudden as it was unexpected. “Well we were pretty good together, until we started coming apart at the seams. And yes, I did miss you.”

  “Insensitive of me to ask, but did you go back to Anna Kim?”

  It was another question he hadn`t expected. “No. Doubt she would have had me back, and anyway I couldn`t do that to her. I was still clinging to some sense of decency, if betrayal allows for that. It`s no excuse, but neither of us knew that the investigation we were on would throw us together like that. I had to do the decent thing with Anna.”

  “Not surprised, you always had that integrity thing going on.”

  “Way I`m wired, Jess.”

  “It`s what hooked me, your character.”

  “Not my good looks then?”

  She laughed then turned serious. “You scared me back then, Arnie and I still don`t know why. At the time I had hoped that an escape from the intensity of it all would clear our minds. We flew too high, and way too fast.”

  “Sure did, and we should have realised it.”

  “I know, we were both headed for crazy-land. And when I figured it out I became okay with it. But then you didn`t return so I took off as well, ran for the hills just like you.”

  “That`s why I couldn`t find you.”

  She paused a moment, her eyes widening. “You came back?”

  “About three months later, but nobody knew where you were, not even Harry Dryden. You were gone.”

  “Well after that sonofabitch Latimer fired me from the Chronicle things went downhill fast. Couldn`t find work so had to move out of the city, became a freelance journalist. Not a great success, an
d that`s why I need this story so bad.”

  “Got to admit, I could do with not living out of saddlebags for a while and a good pay-off could get me back on track. Life on a Harley has its limits.”

  “Well this bank account breakthrough should give us something to chew on if Carlucci can find out who`s behind it, and if he`s got something else for us then maybe we`re getting somewhere.”

  “We both know that somewhere can soon turn out to be nowhere, and I just can`t shake the feeling that none of this is what it seems. Big off-shore corporations are dangerous territory and it`s a warning that we could be entering a game where we hold none of the cards. Just a gut feeling, Jess, but I still reckon we`re being played.”

  “Long as we get to stay in the game long enough to hustle a story, then we win. Getting to the truth would be nice, but I`ve been in investigative journalism long enough to know that sometimes you just have to cut and run with what you`ve got.”

  “Well let`s see how that works out when whoever`s behind this thing starts to kick up rough. Getting too old for that kind of stuff, so at that point I get to call the shots, Jess, you good with that?”

  “Just need a story, Arnie, get that and I`m good with everything.”

  “Well, tomorrow we`ll get some idea of where we go from here, what Carlucci`s next move is. And depending on that maybe I`ll drop my suspicion of him, cut him some slack.”

  The next day, Arnie entered the senator`s office with a feeling of satisfaction at his success in Panama, but still nursing a suspicion about how the investigation was being run. Jessica was a couple of strides ahead of him, her mind solely on what Carlucci had discovered.