"Yes, but I confess to being a little distracted by my own problems."
"You've been a target before, Finn. What's different about this time?"
"The people who're after me. They worry me more than your average bad guys. It's unnerving to know my own government's ordered a hit on me, even if they're thin on talent."
"Do you have any thoughts on how to stop them? Aside from killing them off as they show up, I mean."
"Not yet, but I'm working on it," I said.
"What about turning the tables on them?"
"We've done that already, starting with Nora, and then the Secretary of Defense. Not to mention the two teams down here."
"There's an acting Secretary of Defense," Mary said. "We could go after him."
"Yes, but he may not even know about the department. I'm leaning toward the threat of mutually assured destruction as a deterrent, but I haven't figured out how to put it together. Let's talk about your problem. What do you plan to tell the broker?"
"I've been thinking about your suggestion. It's starting to grow on me. I could tell her I'll take the contract, and then we could decide whether to kill the target or the client."
"That assumes we can figure out who the client is," I said.
"That's what I've been mulling over. Do you think Aaron would help us? We could keep him in the dark on the details."
"I don't think keeping him in the dark would be a good idea. First off, it's unnecessary. You know Aaron thinks he owes me his life. Second, I wouldn't do that to him."
"Personal loyalty?" Mary asked. "Don't get me wrong; I can respect that."
"That's a factor, but there's also the matter of hamstringing him."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"The more Aaron knows about what we're doing, the more he'll be able to help. Even little details could be significant. The thing that we don't tell him might be the one that gets us killed."
"Three heads are better than two?" Mary asked.
"That's the idea, yes. But it's broader than that. Don't forget the resources Aaron can bring to bear on our problem."
"That's what I want to talk with you about. How savvy is he when it comes to international banking?"
I frowned and took a sip of coffee. "He's got all those hackers working for him, but I'm not sure what you're asking."
"If I accept the contract, the down payment will be wired to a numbered account that I designate."
"You've told me that before. What do you want Aaron to do?"
"I've heard rumors about messing with the systems that banks use for interbank transfers," Mary said. "There are people who figure out how to divert tiny amounts from huge numbers of transactions and move the money they skim into their own accounts."
"I've read about that happening, but I don't see what that has to do with us."
"I don't know, Finn, but it occurred to me that somebody who could do that might be able to pinpoint the source of the transfer into my account. It's different, but to my thinking, it requires the same kind of access."
"I see where you're going, but I have no idea whether Aaron can do that. We can ask him, but we'll have to tell him what we're up to. You okay with that?"
"Yes. I don't have much choice, the way I see it."
"You're nervous about Aaron?" I asked.
"No. Well, yes, a little. But I know you trust him, and I have faith in your judgment. What I meant was I don't have much choice about the contract. I'm in a box. If I don't take it, there's somebody out there who knows more about me than I'm comfortable with — all that information about the O'Hanlons, for example. They obviously want me to take it. If I don't, they'll probably come after me. If I do take it, it feels like a setup, like we've talked about."
"So, you feel like you have to take it," I said.
"Yes. And then there's my gut feeling that it's related to the department trying to eliminate you. Why did they order both teams to kill you and spare me? That doesn't make sense, unless they've got something else in mind for me. Both the guys we questioned knew about me; they don't think I'm just some innocent woman you picked up along the way."
"You're right about that, but I don't have any idea what they could be planning for you."
"Neither do I," Mary said. "But it adds to my hunch that this contract I've been offered is related. Did the department ever hire freelance killers?"
"Not that I know of. I guess they could be trying it now, but why?"
"I don't know, Finn. Maybe they're trying to worm their way into the broker's business, since they've found out a little about me. Or it could be they're caught up in the whole privatization thing, like the rest of the government. Outsource the dirty work and gain deniability?"
"Who knows? Anything's possible, I guess. I'll grant you that the coincidence is worrisome, but we shouldn't be too quick to link the two things."
"Why's that?" Mary asked.
"It's a conclusion that's plausible, but it's not supported by independent data. If we lock onto an idea like that, we might miss something. Jumping to conclusions is like putting on blinders. We shouldn't overlook it as a possibility, though. That's the main reason — avoiding tunnel vision."
"Okay, but does that mean you have other reasons?"
"Yes. We don't know where that contract offer's coming from, but we do know the source of the threat to me. We can hide from the devil we know."
"Hide? I'm not made that way, Finn. Neither are you. We're predators, not prey. Both of us know a lot more about hunting than about hiding."
"You're right about that. It's us against them, whether there's one group hunting us, or two. We should go after both."
"That's where I come out, but that's like fighting a war on two fronts, isn't it?"
"A little, but the two fronts are pretty narrowly defined," I said. "Going after both is the best way I see to find out if they're connected."
"Okay, but we can't let them divide us."
"We won't. I've got your back, and you've got mine. And they won't know what Aaron's up to. Threats from more than one direction aren't a big deal. Anybody who approaches us is an enemy; we don't have any friends. Same as always."
"Does that mean you're in on this contract kill?"
"Yes," I said, "but we need Aaron's input before you accept the contract."
"Can we get him on the phone? This seems too complicated to try to use your email drop with him, and I'm in a hurry for his input. I've dragged this out long enough; I need to make a move as soon as we get ashore."
"We can try a VOIP call over the satellite hotspot. Putting the VPN in the link makes that secure enough, if we can get him to answer the call."
"What if you spoof the number of the burner we've been using?" Mary asked.
"Aaron's on the lookout for spoofed numbers, but it might be better than not doing it. It's hard to say which would make him more suspicious. But I'm not sure how to do that using the hotspot/VPN arrangement."
"Okay. How could he tell, though?"
"You'll have to ask him, sometime," I said. "The details are beyond me, but he's got other equipment in play besides just the burner phone that we call."
"I should have guessed. Want me to go get the hotspot?"
"Yes. I'll need one of our iPhones, too."
"Not the burner?" Mary asked.
"No. Our iPhones are already configured for Wi-Fi calling. That's what happens with the hotspot."
"I'll be right back," Mary said, getting up from her seat. "Want anything else while I'm below?"
"No. Let's get this done."
After Aaron and I established our identities by working through our charade about the imaginary Elena, he asked why I wasn't calling from the burner phone we used most recently.
"We're at sea; there's no cellphone service."
"How secure is your end?"
"I'm using the satellite hotspot and VOIP to connect through a VPN. You tell me."
"That should be safe enough, for now. What's going o
n?"
We told Aaron about the department's latest attack, including our handling of the tracking device. He chuckled at our improvised deception.
"That should keep 'em busy for a while," he said. "Besides, you have to wonder how many more teams they can put in the field right now."
"Right now?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, based on what I know about their resources. After everybody bailed out, they were left with the second string. You two have put a pretty good dent in that, I suspect. They probably have more people in the pipeline, but I doubt they have many who're seasoned enough to send after you."
"That's good to know," I said. "Is that based on new information since we spoke last?"
"Yes. Also on my experience from before we left the department. You know how I briefed you for assignments. I was blind except for recognizing your voice that one time. After that, we used electronic distortion, so I didn't ever hear the same voice twice. But I learned to recognize their other traits, like the kind of questions they asked, for example. There weren't many people doing the type of work you did. I can't put a number on it, but the volume of hits was smaller than you might think."
"Okay. That's comforting, I guess. Any other news since then?"
"Nothing worth talking about. You two have anything else?"
"Yes," I said. "Mary got another message from her old broker. The client has jacked up the offer price. Tell him about it, Mary."
When Mary finished, Aaron was quiet for several seconds. "That's a hell of a fee," he said. "No further clue as to who the target might be?"
"None," I said. "We're getting a little worried about the offer, though. There are signs that the client knows more than we're comfortable with about Mary and me."
"You mean because of the reference to the O'Hanlon business? Or is there more?"
"Nothing more. But that's enough," Mary said.
"Yeah," Aaron said. "I agree. We haven't picked up anything that might be related to a hit with that kind of price tag, but I'll let you know if we do. Don't worry."
"We're considering going proactive," I said. "We need to run something by you."
"I'll do whatever I can, but what do you mean by 'going proactive?'"
"If we can work out a few details, I'm going to take the contract," Mary said. "Once we find out who the target is, we'll make a decision."
"What do you mean, 'make a decision?' You told me before that once you commit, there's no way out. I thought you said they'd put out a hit on you if you tried to play games with them."
"That's right. They probably would, if I tried to back out. But we have another idea."
"Tell me about it."
"Okay. We'd need your help, if we were going to do it."
"Help? I have ethical constraints that might get in the way of a private hit, no matter what my personal feelings are about the target. The resources at my disposal come with strings attached."
"That's why we wanted to run this by you before Mary makes a deal," I said.
"Sorry to hedge. You know I'll help if I can, but… "
"We understand," Mary said. "Our thoughts are that I'll agree to the hit. As soon as I do that, the down payment will be wired to one of my offshore numbered accounts, and I'll get the details on the target. Then we'll decide whether to make the hit, or go after the client. You with me so far?"
"Yeah, but I thought the client was anonymous."
"That's right," Mary said. "The whole process is structured to keep me and the client from discovering who is on the other end of the deal. I think that's already gone astray, given that the client asked for whoever hit O'Hanlon. My bet is there's a strong chance we'll go after the client, not the target."
"What happens if you kill the client?" Aaron asked.
"I don't know. I never heard of that happening."
"How will you find the client, if you go that way?"
"That's where you come in, I hope. The first step would be to trace the source of the down payment. If I give you all the details on my numbered account, could you do that?"
"Maybe. There's a guy I've used before who hacks into the SWIFT network. I'll have to talk to him; I don't know if what you want is possible."
"The SWIFT network?" I asked. "Never heard of it."
"SWIFT is an acronym for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. The SWIFT network is what makes wire transfers happen."
Aaron laughed. "He lives in your world, Mary. Give me a few hours to get hold of him. I'll find out if it's even possible. When will you be back where there's cellphone service?"
"Tonight," I said.
"I'll use your burner, okay?"
"Sure," I said.
"Hey, Aaron?" Mary asked.
"Yeah?"
"Just so there's no confusion, this is a three-way decision — you, Finn, and me. It's all or none, okay?"
"Which decision are we talking about?"
"Whether we kill the target or the client. I know how you and Finn operate, but I wanted you to hear that from me."
"Thanks, Mary. You're one of us; don't worry. I'm in, if you and Finn are in. You two enjoy the rest of your sail. Talk later."
"Good move," I said, after we disconnected the call.
"Thanks, sailor. How about some breakfast?"
"I'm starving. Want me to cook?"
"No. I'll do it. You drive the boat."
"Yes, ma'am," I said, as she went below.
8
Mary and I were lingering over our wine, having just finished a dinner of grilled mahi-mahi. We caught the fish on our way into the harbor a couple of hours ago, just as we were preparing to drop the anchor. We were admiring the way the fading sunset lit the quaint little village of Deshaies, Guadeloupe.
Mary snuggled against me. The lights were coming on in the village when the burner cellphone rang. I glanced at the caller ID.
"It's Aaron." I thumbed the green button to answer the call. "Good evening." I switched the phone to speaker mode.
"Hey, Finn. Mary there too?"
"Hi, Aaron," she said.
"Good evening to you both. I got some answers for you about tracing the wire transfer, but first, you'll enjoy hearing about the results of your little ruse the other night."
"What ruse?" I asked.
"That RIB with the tracking device and the two bodies," Aaron said.
"What about it?"
"We've been monitoring our old employer since they targeted you. We picked up some interesting intel earlier today. After you sent that RIB on its way, it caught the attention of a joint U.S. Coast Guard/DEA interdiction team. They boarded it about 15 miles northwest of St. Martin. Found the bodies and hoisted it aboard the cutter. They put it down to a drug deal gone bad. The department made the connection when they figured out their tracker was on the Coast Guard cutter. The department thinks their troops were off on their own, doing a drug deal on the side. They're leaving the Coast Guard and the DEA in the dark on the whole thing."
"That's interesting," I said. "Speaks to the level of confidence they have in their people, these days."
"Yeah, exactly. There's lots of bitching and moaning about that in the department, about how they're not getting the best the military has to offer in terms of people. Thought you should know that, given that you're their target."
"There's comfort in that. Was there any confirmation that I'm still in their sights?"
"Yeah, but they've bumped you down from 'terminate' to 'monitor' for the time being. I read that as meaning they don't have anybody they think can take you."
"That's one less thing for us to worry about," Mary said.
"Yeah, maybe," Aaron said. "Don't get too comfortable. There's somebody there who's got egg on their face over this; you could still be in danger. But that's the news from home. Want to talk about wire transfers?"
"Yes," Mary said. "What did your man say?"
"He can do what you want; it's not a big challenge. He wanted to know how much money we were tal
king about, and I told him $5 million, ballpark. That close?"
"Close enough. That's in the ballpark, for sure."
"Okay, good. His fee for a transaction that size is 7.5%. His cut goes up if the amount drops below a million, and down if it's over $10 million. You okay with that?"
"Sure. It's somebody else's money anyway, assuming we're not going to do the hit. What do we have to do to sign him up?"
"He'll need the bank routing number and the account number. That's it. But he needs it a minimum of four hours before the transaction goes down, to be sure he's 'trapped everything,' whatever he means by that."
"Okay," Mary said. "The transaction will happen within a few hours after I accept, and that's a maximum time. It's usually much quicker. I'll send you the account info in the blind drop, and you call us back when your guy's set up. How's that sound?"
"Sounds good. It may take me a couple of hours to hook up with him again, just so you know."
"Okay," Mary said. "That's all I have. Finn?"
"I'm good. We'll wait to hear from you, Aaron."
"It shouldn't be long. Talk soon." Aaron disconnected the call.
"Let's clean up the galley while we wait," Mary said, standing and picking up our dinner dishes.
"Yes, ma'am." I gathered up the wine and our glasses and followed her below deck.
Aaron called back as we were getting ready for bed. "My guy says he's ready whenever you are."
"Good," Mary said. "I'll take the next step."
"Then he should see the transfer right away," Aaron said. "I'll call you back when I hear from him."
"It could be right away, or it could take several hours."
"I thought you said once you accepted, it would happen quickly," I said.
"It could, but there's always lag time for communication," Mary said. "Besides, I'm going to make a counteroffer."
"You are?" I asked. "You haven't mentioned that. What's up?"
"I've been thinking about this. It's such an odd situation that it might be suspicious if I just jumped right in. I mean, this client already raised the ante. That in itself is strange, plus they've given away the fact that they know about O'Hanlon. Don't worry; I know this game."
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