by R. D. Brady
Jake took her hand, walked her down the stairs, and out to his golf cart. That was all she remembered. She must have fallen asleep as soon as she sat down. She woke up briefly as they reached her cottage to make her way inside.
Too tired to change, she fell on the bed. Jake curled up next to her. She’d slept better than she had in months.
When she awoke, he was gone. She leaned over to the other side of his bed and his scent was still there. She smiled. She hadn’t imagined him.
Hugging herself, she got out of bed. Fifteen minutes later, she was making her way to the main house, disappointed she hadn’t seen Jake. Stifling a yawn, she walked into Henry's office.
Henry looked up from his desk, a tired smile on his face. "Morning, Laney."
She smiled as she walked over to him, slinking into one of the three leather wing chairs in front of his desk. "Morning. Did you get any sleep last night?"
"A little."
She looked at him, not believing a word. "I'm guessing a very little. Where is everybody?" Henry's office was strangely silent.
"I sent the analysts to the lab down on the second floor. They've set up a command center down there."
"Any luck?"
Henry blew out a breath. "No. More walls. But Danny slipped into his lab early this morning. He mentioned something about a new angle. Maybe he’ll come up with something."
She nodded and, trying to keep her voice casual, asked. "And Jake?"
"He took off this morning." He glanced over at her, eyebrow raised. "I'm guessing you knew he was going?"
Laney looked out the window, her mind trailing back to their picnic. And his arms around her last night. She felt the blush creep over he cheeks. "I knew he was, just not when. How do you think he's doing with all of that?"
Henry sighed. "I don't know. He's playing it pretty close to the vest. But he’s mentioned Derek before. They’d been pretty close before his personality shifted. Derek even saved his life a few times.”
A knock sounded at Henry's door. Danny stood poised in the doorway, Moxy next to him. That was odd. She'd never known Danny to knock. Henry's office was basically Danny’s office.
"Hey Danny," Laney called.
Danny looked at her, but didn't say anything. He walked slowly into the room, his head bowed low. He stopped at the edge of Laney's chair.
Laney reached out to take him gently by the arm. "Danny? Is everything all right?”
He looked up, his face stricken. "It's my fault, Laney. I'm the reason they attacked that village and all those people died."
CHAPTER 56
Las Vegas, Nevada
Rifling through the photos of the artifacts that sat on top of his desk, Sebastian smiled. He hadn’t felt this good in years. It was as if the find had rejuvenating properties to it.
A knock sounded at the door only a second before it was pushed open. His grandson Warren shuffled in, his face still bearing the hallmarks of the violence from Ecuador.
"It is customary to wait until someone tells you to enter," Sebastian instructed.
"Yeah, sorry," Warren mumbled heading for the wet bar built into the back corner of the office.
Sebastian shook his head, his eyes following his grandson, his heir, as he poured two fingers of whiskey into a crystal tumbler. He’d hoped the trip would mature him, make him a man. But that hadn't happened. He was still the same overgrown child he'd been when he left.
He blamed the boy’s mother for that. She’d always been a stupid girl. He'd met her a few times when his son had brought her around. But when she'd gotten pregnant, he'd told his son under no circumstances would he allow him to marry her.
The mother had taken the boy away and been paid very well to look after him. He always figured his son would provide him with a legitimate heir. By the time his son died five years ago, though, that hadn't happened.
Warren’s mother had overindulged him, never made him work. He had no discipline. Apparently, Sebastian was going to have to finish the child-rearing himself.
Sebastian looked at the dark contents of Warren's glass. "It's not even noon."
Warren took a long drink. "It's five o'clock somewhere."
Sebastian pushed back from the desk with a sigh. He walked over to the two wingback chairs by the window, gesturing for Warren to join him. Once seated, his grandfather examined Warren's face closely. "Your bruises seem to be healing nicely."
Warren glowered, his voice stiff. "They're fine."
"So, the trip was a success. You brought back the artifacts. That is quite an accomplishment."
Warren stayed silent, looking bored.
"Do you realize what this means? Our family has been searching for this for lifetimes. And finally we have realized our goal." He looked at Warren expectantly.
Warren shrugged.
Anger spiked through Sebastian. He grabbed Warren's arm, squeezing his forearm.
"Hey let go," Warren yelled, trying to pull his arm away.
Sebastian pulled him closer. "You listen to me. You come from a long line of powerful men. You need to respect that. You need to respect me. If not, everything you have, the money, the cars, the women, they’ll all disappear. Do you understand me?"
Warren nodded, his face pale. "Yes, Grandfather."
Sebastian released his arm. It was a start.
CHAPTER 57
Baltimore, Maryland
Laney pulled Danny over to the couch in Henry’s office. She and Henry bookended him between them. Danny looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Danny, honey, tell us what you found."
Danny's voice was so quiet, Laney had to lean forward to hear him. "It was the tracker I put on your computer. I wasn't getting anywhere with tracking the group down. Sometimes it helps if I focus on something else. I realized I’d left the tracker on your laptop. So this morning, I went to my lab to remove it.”
Henry rested his hand on Danny's back. "And what did you find?"
"Someone had piggybacked my signal. There was someone else hearing and seeing everything I was."
Laney sat back, shocked. Someone else had been listening in on her conversations? The sense of violation was overwhelming.
Danny glanced up at Laney, his voice pleading. "Not that I was looking. I had a program set up so it kept track of your movements and cross-referenced them with any dangerous activities. I wasn't spying. I swear."
"I'm not mad, Danny. Not at you, at least. I'm just a little, well, a little shocked."
Henry looked over at her. "Laney, did you say anything that would lead someone to think you were close to finding the source of the Crespi collection?"
It felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d last been on her laptop. She struggled to recall the last conversation she’d had on it. “I don't know. I mean, I think the last time I was on was . . . oh my God."
"Laney?" Henry prodded.
"Last time was right before I went to the Shuar village. I was talking to my uncle. I told him I thought Nana was going to reveal the origin of the collection."
Tears streamed down Danny's face. "I'm so sorry, Laney. I was trying to protect you. And I put you in danger."
Laney pulled him into a hug. "No, honey. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault." She looked over his head at Henry, pleading him with her eyes to help soothe the boy.
Kneeling down in front of him to look him in the eye, Henry gently pulled Danny from Laney's embrace, "Laney's right, Danny. This isn't your fault. Think about it. This operation was huge and well-organized. This wasn’t something pulled together at the last minute."
Laney nodded. "And they already had Warren the weasel embedded with us. They probably had other ears we don't even know about yet. In fact, your tracker’s what saved a lot of lives."
Danny looked at her, his eyes wide and confused. "What? How?"
"You knew almost immediately that I was in trouble. And you managed to get help down there faster than anyone else could have. If you hadn't put that tracker on, you guys
would probably just be finding out about the attack now. And you would have been too late to help me or any of the Shuar."
Laney could see the logic getting though to him. Danny, though still a child, was at his heart logical.
Henry nodded. "In fact, now that you've found this second signal, you can hopefully trace it back to its source. This could be the break we've been waiting for."
Danny nodded. "You're right. I should have thought about that."
Giving him a hug, she said, "Well, even geniuses have an off day."
When he pulled back, a smile was back on his face. "I'm going to get back to my lab. I'll find the source."
"We know you will," Henry said.
Together, they watched him leave, Moxy once again trailing behind him.
Laney looked over at Henry, the anger she'd kept a lid on for Danny's sake, boiled up. "We need to get these assholes."
Henry nodded, his face tight. "Agreed."
CHAPTER 58
Forest Hills, NY
Jake walked down the block in Forest Hills, Queens. The houses were all train car style with narrow alleys between them. He hadn’t been here in years. The last time, he and Yoni had come home with Derek for Thanksgiving.
He stopped at the chain-link gate in front of the yellow and brown two-story house. Plastic flowers sat by the front door and metal gates covered the windows. A butt-ugly pelican stood in the middle of the postage-stamp-sized yard.
Opening the gate, he walked up to the front door. He rang the bell, but it didn't seem to work. He rapped on the door three times.
"I'm coming. Keep your pants on," came the male voice from inside.
A shuffling walk told Jake the speaker was older. There was a pause before the deadbolt pulled back.
A weathered face, with sharp blue eyes, peered out at him through the opening of the chained door. "What do you want?"
"Mr. Collins? It’s Jake Rogan. I’m not sure if you-"
"Jake Rogan? Well, shit." The door slammed shut. The chain rattled. Hal Collins threw the door open. "How the hell are you? Come in, come in."
Hal backed out of the way, ushering Jake into the dimly lit house. Jake was surprised by the welcome and by how neat the house was. He could see the track lines of the vacuum in the old blue carpet. The wood paneling of the hall was crowded with pictures of family.
"Come on through to the kitchen. I just made some coffee." Hal shuffled ahead of him, his hunched shoulders making him appear shorter than he’d been years ago.
He was only sixty-five but a life of manual labor had left him looking older. His hair was completely white, his back bent, and he was awfully skinny. His suspenders seemed to be the only thing holding up his pants.
Jake followed him into a small, clean kitchen. The white linoleum floor was worn but sparkled. The white counters glistened and a small bouquet of daisies sat in a vase on the old wood table.
Hal grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. "Have a seat. How do you take it?"
"Black's fine."
Hal nodded, pouring coffee into each mug and setting one in front of Jake. Reaching over and grabbing the sugar shaker, Hal poured a small mountain of sugar into his own. He took a sip with a smile. "Damn. Jake Rogan. I read about you and that whole Montana mess. I told my wife, 'See that boy? Told you he'd make something of himself.’"
“It wasn’t just me. Yoni was there, too.”
Hal slapped the table. “Always liked that boy. He gotten any taller?”
“Afraid not. He did, however, get married, and even has a son. Thank goodness the baby looks like his mother.”
Hal laughed, taking a sip. Silence descended and Jake tried to figure out a way to broach the topic at hand. How does one ask a father if he’d seen his violent, allegedly dead, son recently?
Luckily, Hal seemed to know why Jake was here. “I guess you’re looking for Derek.”
Jake nodded. “You knew he was alive?”
“Not right away. Wasn’t until about three years after the military told us he died that he showed up. My wife and I about collapsed.”
“How did he seem?”
“Just as he was the last time we saw him before he ‘died.’ In other words, nothing like my son.” Hal’s hands shook. He clasped them together. “Derek was never the same after that accident. Our boy was a good boy, always helping out, doing the right thing. The man we met after that accident, he wasn’t our son.”
“Why did he come back to see you?”
A look disgust crossed Hal’s face. “To gloat. Show us what a big shot he’d become.”
Jake nodded. That was the Hugo he remembered.
“You were always good to him,” Hal said, “even when he didn’t deserve it. That business in Montana? Derek never would have done what you did."
“Years ago, he would have.”
Hal nodded, conceding the point. “But that Derek’s gone. Tell me, what has he done now? Has anyone been hurt?”
Jake looked at the shell of a man before him. He couldn’t add any more heartache to the man’s life. He opened up his mouth to speak when Hal put up a hand.
“Actually, don’t tell me. I think I’d rather not know.”
“When Derek came here, did he say where he was going? Who he was working for?”
Hal sat back thinking. “Some company recruited him. Not one of those mercenary for hire outfits, a private company. He was real proud. Puffed up. To be honest, I spent most of the visit trying to get him to leave.”
“Do you know the name of the company?”
“Um, I think it was some Italian outfit. Bellissimo. Corromo. Something like that.”
Jake nodded. He handed Hal his card. “You hear anything, you call me.”
Hal took the card and nodded, his face dropping. “Yeah, sure, kid.”
Jake stood to leave, taking in the still house. He knew Derek’s only sister lived down in Virginia. Pictures of grandkids who probably rarely visited were on the fridge. Hal had been forced to retire early due to a bad back. His days must be pretty quiet, maybe even lonely.
Jake sat back down again. "Don't think I ever thanked you for taking me and Yoni in all those holidays. It was a real treat to have a home cooked meal.”
Hal waved the compliment away. "Anybody would have done it."
"No, they wouldn't have. Thank you." Jake spied a covered dish on the counter. "Any chance that's pie?"
Hal smiled. "Yup. Apple. Wife made it yesterday. Want a slice?"
"I'd love some."
Hal stood, and then stopped, looking down at Jake. “Jake, Derek ain’t a good man, not anymore. When you find him, don’t go giving him the benefit of the doubt. Any kindness in him was killed off by that roadside bomb.”
Jake nodded and watched Hal shuffle off to get the pie. Hal didn't have to worry. Hugo had gotten his one and only break from him. The next time he saw Hugo, he was going to kill him.
CHAPTER 59
Baltimore, Maryland
Later that afternoon, Laney sat in one of the conference chairs in Henry’s office, twirling a pencil in her fingers while staring at the ceiling. “My head hurts.”
Henry chuckled. “I think everyone’s head hurts. We’re getting nowhere with this.”
Henry was right. They still didn't have a clue on who the group was, where they’d gone, or how they knew about the library. Danny wasn't having any luck tracking the signal from her computer. It was being bounced through servers across the globe.
This had been a well-oiled operation. Anything they thought was a lead dried up almost immediately. Dr. Devereaux had essentially disappeared and they’d found nothing on Hugo or Warren. And they had no idea who was footing the bill.
Laney sat up. “Okay. That’s enough.”
Danny looked up from his monitor over at Henry's conference table. “What?”
“We need a break. This approach is getting us nowhere. We need to step away and then come back fresh.”
Henry smiled. “What did you have in mind?
”
“Well, I do believe it's Tuesday, which is usually bookstore day."
Danny looked at her with a grin. Laney knew Henry and Danny headed to the big bookstore in the Inner Harbor every Tuesday for at least a few hours. It was their weekly ritual. And when she was in town, she usually tagged along.
Laney smiled back at him. "Well, I think we need to keep that tradition alive. I was thinking maybe you two could go ahead to the bookstore. Jake should be back in a little bit. When he arrives, we’ll meet you there and then go get a burger at that hamburger place that opened up near the bookstore. What do you think?"
Henry nodded. “I’m all for it."
Danny turned off his tablet. “I’m ready.”
CHAPTER 60
Henry pulled his Suburban through the gates of the estate, waving at security as he drove past. The country road was quiet, the sun shining up ahead, a few clouds dotting the sky. The perfect day to take a little break.
Henry smiled over at Danny, who sat in the passenger seat, practically bouncing in place. A trip to the bookstore. For Danny, it was the equivalent of being let loose in a candy shop. Henry knew the feeling. There was something about new books that were full of possibility.
“Do you think they’ll have De Grasse Tyson's new book?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”
"And what about the Marvel Encyclopedia of Superheroes? The new edition was supposed to come out today. Do you think they’ll have some in stock?”
“I’m sure they will.”
Danny chattered away happily next to him. Henry was glad he’d taken the time. Laney was right. Time away was good. And hopefully, it would allow them to look at the problem from a fresh angle.
He glanced down at Danny, who grinned in response. They needed this step back. It reminded him there were other important things in life.