Huck heard Rose descend the stairs. “Are you trying to tell me that you worked every moment of every day you have been gone?”
By now Rose was at the bottom of the stairway with their new furry bundle of joy in her arms. Huck replied, “Ask Cedric. He’ll tell you that it has been work, work, work the entire time.”
Teasingly, Rose said, “Cedric will say anything to cover for you. Now give me a quick kiss and then go take a shower. You smell like you’ve been chopping wood all night.”
Laughingly, Huck replied, “More like sawing wood. How’s the little one doing this morning?”
As Huck leaned his face down close to Coco’s, a little pink tongue licked Huck on the side of his face.
“Coco doesn’t seem to mind my smell.”
“Oh! Go on and get your shower while I fix breakfast,” said Rose.
Twenty minutes later, Huck bounced down the stairs. It’s good to be home, he thought. He wore khaki slacks, a dark-blue long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of brown loafers. He was carrying a tan sport coat.
“You look like you have a serious business meeting this morning,” said Rose as she poured Huck’s coffee.
Huck looked over his breakfast, which consisted of one bagel, minus the cream cheese, a cup of yogurt, and a small glass of orange juice. “Cedric and I have a meeting this morning with US Customs and Border Protection. With this healthy breakfast, I hope it’s not too strenuous.”
“I’m sure it will be sufficient. Besides, if you eat too much, you might just go to sleep. Isn’t that office located in the District?”
“Yes, it’s in the Ronald Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue. I’m supposed to pick up Cedric on my way in.”
“Let’s have prayer so that you can eat and get on your way. I-95 north will be awfully busy this morning.”
At 9:15 a.m., Huck pulled into Cedric’s driveway. As Cedric came out his front door, he looked at his watch. “Have you ever been late?”
“I try not to be. I once worked for a general whose guiding principle was to never be late, never go where not invited, and never wait for anyone. I liked it so much that I adopted it for my own.”
“Do think you have allowed enough time to honor your principle, since our meeting is at ten o’clock?”
“I think so, since they know we’re coming, and I have made arrangements for underground parking at their building.”
Not only was there parking arranged for them but also a junior-level clerk was standing by to escort them to the briefing room.
When Huck and Cedric got out of the Audi, the young man said, “Mr. Price and Mr. Smart, my name is Chuck. I am to escort you to the briefing room.”
“Thank you, Chuck,” said Huck. “I hope you have not been waiting long.”
“Oh, no, sir. I may have been here less than five minutes.”
Upon entering the briefing room, the first person Huck saw coming toward him was Frank Walton, his old friend from the State Department. Huck said, “This briefing must be important for you to be here.”
Frank responded, “No, but our telephone conversations and the issues you have raised have created a real interest for me. You may just be about to crack open the door to a mystery that the CIA, Interpol, the FBI, and State have had a common interest in for some time. Before we begin, let me introduce you to a couple of people. Our briefer is Clarence Roberts from US Customs and this gentleman is Lamar Kramer from the CIA.”
Roberts said, “Gentlemen, if you will be seated, I’ll get started.”
To Huck’s surprise, Cedric spoke up. “Lamar, I’ve known you for a long time, so I want to make sure we’re on the same page on this matter. If something is revealed during this briefing that will help Huck and me bring closure to the case we’re working on, I don’t want the CIA swooping in and getting involved until we have secured the freedom of the young man sitting in a German jail. I promise you, I will let you know when it’s time for the CIA to intervene.”
“Agent Smart, know that I have already been advised by the appropriate person within the agency that although you are retired, I am to let you have the lead.”
“My thanks to you and your boss. I’m all ears.”
Huck silently thanked Cedric as well. The last thing they needed was too many folks meddling in this matter. When there are too many people stumbling around blindly in the dark, it affords opportunities for the subject of interest to become fuzzy and possibly fade away.
Frank quickly added, “Rest assured that State is not involved in this one. I’m ready to hear what customs may have that might be of interest to us all.”
The briefer, Roberts, turned on a projector, and two identical faces appeared on a screen. The pictures had been cropped to headshots. He said, “Gentlemen, what do you see?”
Huck spoke. “Two identical faces?”
“Exactly. Now watch this.” Roberts hit a key that uncropped the face on the right half of the screen. The rest of person’s body followed, revealing a distinguished man passing through a customs gate.
Roberts said, “You are looking at Mr. Lester Henry Storey, also known to some of you as Mr. S. This is the picture customs captured when he boarded the flight to Frankfurt, Germany. The data on Mr. Storey is that he is fifty-five years old and lives in Omaha, Nebraska. His mailing address is a post office box number. You might also find it interesting to know that the mailing address does not exist.
“As of today, we have traced this individual’s travel for the last five years. This same man has departed our country two other times that we know of. Each time he has had a different name and mailing address. Approximately fourteen months ago, he went to Amsterdam as Mr. Rogers from Dallas, Texas. Sixteen months before that he went to Zurich, Switzerland, as Mr. Quincy from Lakeland, Florida. In Mr. Quincy’s case, the address is valid; he just doesn’t live there. It is possible that the name sequence may go all the way back to the letter A. We’re currently working to find out if that is the case.
“If I may refresh your memories, approximately fourteen months ago, a prominent Amsterdam financier was found floating behind his docked yacht in a marina. The death was ruled accidental because it appeared that the financier’s right foot had become entangled in a rope, which caused him to fall overboard, striking his head on the side of the small boat or dingy he pulled behind his yacht. There had been some questions regarding the legality of some of his transactions.
“Consequently, after Mr. Quincy traveled to Zurich, the only eyewitness to the murder of a diamond jeweler had a tragic skiing accident a week before the trial. The jeweler’s wife was arrested for the murder. Without the eyewitness, the wife went free and collected a sizable inheritance.
“Before we continue, does anyone have any questions?”
Huck asked, “Do you think that a pattern can be established between the deaths and the mysterious alphabet soup man?”
“The answer to that question lies more in your area of expertise. However, from my position, the answer is yes, but proving it could be made more difficult if Alphabet Man used one source of transportation into one country and a different means of transportation to still another country in which the crimes were committed. Alphabet Man could be getting sloppy, in that for his last three trips, he traveled into the country where the potential crimes occurred.”
Cedric asked, “Is there any record of Alphabet Man returning to the US?”
Roberts replied, “The short answer is no. But you should know the reason. Our customs only tracks legal arrivals and legal departures. We do not track when or if a person leaves the country he or she travels to; that is the responsibility of the country in which the person enters. And nine times out of ten, the only time a country knows a person has overstayed their legal time is if the person is stopped by local law enforcement for a violation of a country’s law, be it civil or otherwise. Are you ready for me to contin
ue?”
All nodded in the affirmative.
Roberts turned to the face on the left side of the split screen. When he removed the cropping this time, the remainder of the body that embraced the face stunned everyone in the room. The face was on the body of a very attractive brunette entering through US Customs.
Frank Walton exclaimed, “Damn! Identical twins?”
“A good guess,” responded Roberts, “but this is Mary Bernard Harris of Santa Catalina Island, California. Ms. Harris is quite a prominent figure in the village of Avalon and resides at the address reported on her passport. And her passport age is forty-six. What makes Ms. Harris even more interesting is that she is a world traveler without having ever left the States.”
“That is interesting,” said Huck. “She must be a virtual-reality traveler.”
“No, she is a real traveler,” replied Roberts. “Our research has brought her travel experience to light. She always enters the States from another country, but there is no record of her having left. Just a few weeks ago, about two weeks after the assassination of the German state representative, she reentered the States from Budapest, Hungary. Two weeks after the death of the jeweler, she returned from Rome, Italy, and about two weeks after the death of the financier, she returned from Oslo, Norway. Yet, to the best of our research, we find no evidence of her ever leaving the States.”
“It sounds to me as if Ms. Harris’s alphabet soup twin brother, dressed as Ms. Harris, is using her passport to reenter the states.”
“Now we have reached a full circle,” announced Roberts. “The question is, are Ms. Harris and Alphabet Man identical twins? The answer to that question is no. You see, identical twins do not have identical facial points in every respect, just like they do not have identical fingerprints.”
“Are you saying that Harris and Alphabet Man are one and the same?”
“They would have to be in order for them to have identical facial data points.”
The briefing room went dead silent. All puzzled over what had just been said.
Frank finally asked, “Then who is for real? Who is impersonating the other?”
Roberts looked at Huck and Cedric. “I think that we’re back in your ballpark. We here in customs will research as far back as possible to see if the pattern holds true. If it turns out to be, then we have no choice but to turn our findings over to Interpol, the CIA, and the FBI.”
“How long will that take?” asked Huck.
Roberts replied, “Now that we know the pattern we are looking for, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks.”
“That will buy us some time to see if we can crack this case before it gets turned over to the legal system,” remarked Cedric. “Lamar, you have to give Huck and me free rein until customs officially turns this finding over to the agency. If Huck and I break something before that time, you have my word that we will turn it over to you.”
“Good enough for me,” said Lamar.
Huck then asked Roberts if he could obtain copies of the passport picture of Harris. Roberts had anticipated the request and provided Huck with copies of pictures of both Harris and Storey.
Huck asked, “Has anyone considered that if Harris suspects that we are closing in on her that her accumulated wealth could give her an advantage with respect to a flight risk?”
Roberts immediately responded. “We’re ahead of you on that one. We have, without her knowledge, canceled Harris’s passport and have started a passport scan on all passports beyond the letter S that have facial data points that correspond to Harris. We do not plan to advise her of our actions until we have actually made an arrest.”
Frank said, “Huck, for your information, I will be coordinating with the FBI to ensure that they have more agents on Catalina, in the event that you need them.”
Frank then wrote a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Huck. “Should you need some backup, call this number. It will provide you with a direct connection to the lead agent on the ground in Avalon. Local authorities will not be advised as to the FBI buildup. It’s possible that with Harris’s financial position on the island, she may have sources inside local law enforcement.”
The meeting ended with Huck and Cedric acknowledging to all that they were on a very short timeline. The starting date for Rouse’s trial was within two weeks. Huck also added his appreciation for the support and assistance that all the agencies had provided to them.
Chapter 50
Huck and Cedric departed the Ronald Reagan Building and were headed south toward Cedric’s house. They had crossed the Fourteenth Street Bridge, which spanned the Potomac River, and exited onto the Crystal City and Old Town Alexandria off-ramp. Just as traffic came to a creeping standstill, Cedric was the first to speak. “Huck, I know what you’re thinking.”
“I’m sure you do. We’ve been working together far too long for you not to know.”
“How soon do we depart for Catalina Island for a visit with Ms. Harris?”
“The sooner, the better. Do you think we can convince our wives that we need to leave tomorrow morning?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, since both want us to wrap this case up as soon as possible.”
When they pulled into Cedric’s driveway, Huck said, “I’ll see what I can do about getting us booked on a flight to Los Angeles as soon as possible tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be ready,” said Cedric as he closed the passenger car door.
It was then that Huck’s phone rang. Seeing that the call was from Berger’s office in Frankfurt, Huck quickly rolled down his window and hollered at Cedric, who was almost to his front steps. “Cedric, hold up. I have an incoming call from Berger.”
Cedric retreated to the driver’s side of Huck’s car.
“Huck here,” he answered.
“Herr Price, I am sorry to bother you while you are at home, but something important has come up and you are needed back here.”
“Explain,” replied Huck.
“I think we’re on the edge of getting a delay for Rouse’s trial date. However, before a decision is made, the judges have some questions for you. One of their primary interests is how you have been able to uncover evidence and apprehend members of the assassin team when the police could not.”
Huck replied, “I would have thought that would have been rather simple for them to figure out. The prosecutor is looking for reasons to convict Rouse, whereas we have been looking for the truth.”
“We both agreed on that point. However, in the prosecutor’s defense, all evidence points to Rouse. From the prosecutor’s viewpoint, Rouse’s passport at the scene of the crime places him there; the gun has Rouse’s fingerprints all over it, which places the gun in Rouse’s hand; and finally, Rouse was caught trying to leave the country the day after the crime on a bogus passport. The only thing they don’t have is a motive, but they speculate that it was money, since Rouse had no job and was financially broke.”
“Do you know the specific questions they want to ask us?”
“No. But I believe that they are interested in how you and Cedric have managed to accomplish what you have in spite of the overwhelming evidence against Rouse.”
“Does it have to be me, or can Cedric answer their questions?”
“I don’t think they will have any objections to Herr Smart. Is there a reason you will not be able to return?”
“Yes. We have developed a good lead as to the possible location of Mr. S. or to someone who may know his location. I feel that we must act before that person learns we are onto him. However, at this time, do not let anyone know of our lead. If it should fall through, the prosecutor may assume that this is a delaying tactic on our behalf.”
“I understand. If there is any difficulty with Herr Smart representing you, I will call you back within two hours.”
“Please call Cedric regardle
ss of what you are told. I am sure Cedric will book his flight back to Frankfurt as soon as he receives your call. I will be booking a flight in a different direction to follow up on my lead regarding Mr. S. I’ll let Cedric know to expect your call.”
“OK. Auf Wiedersehen.”
Cedric said, “I got part of the conversation, but what do you need me to do?”
“There is the possibility that Rouse could get a postponement in his trial date, but to do so requires one of us to return Germany to answer questions about our investigative techniques from the authority who can grant the postponement. I hope you don’t mind, but I volunteered you.”
“No problem. I will look right away for the earliest flight I can get to Frankfurt. I will call to let you know how it goes. Likewise, I expect you to call me about your visit with Ms. Harris.”
“Roger that,” Huck said. He backed out of Cedric’s driveway and departed for his house to make arrangements for his flight to Los Angeles.
At 10:30 a.m., Cedric was aboard an American Airlines flight traveling east to Frankfurt, Germany. The flight had departed at 9:50 a.m. Huck was flying westward aboard an 8:30 a.m. United flight destined for Los Angeles. Cedric felt well prepared for any questions that the German judges might have for him. Huck, on the other hand, did not know what to expect, so for him, there had been no preparation.
Rose had insisted on taking Huck to Reagan National Airport for his departure. The reason she gave was that it was on her way to work in Crystal City. But in truth, Rose felt very uneasy about this trip. She tried not to let Huck see how uncomfortable she was about this venture. Rose’s concerns centered on two primary reasons. First, Huck did not have Cedric with him to cover his back, and second, although Huck had not shared any of the details with her, she knew he would be going up against someone who had already proven how wicked and dangerous they could be. This person had the wit to organize a hit on a German statesman and to arrange the perfect frame for the hit to be blamed on an innocent person. Rose thought, A person this smart and evil will already be prepared to do whatever is necessary to escape the feeling of a net closing in around them.
A Price for Balancing the Scales Page 25