Calculated Entrapment

by K. T. Lee

  “For starters, you need to know who you’re dealing with.” Parker steepled his hands. “Our intel suggests the sleeper agent started at the company sometime in the last several months. Based on the communications we’ve intercepted, we believe the agent is male, but it’s no guarantee. Who, besides you, is new?”

  Stefanie rubbed her forehead. “There’s Peggy, she’s an administrative assistant. And I’m sure there are others.” She winced. “And Cole, my new boss, started a few months before I did. Ooh. That one is awkward.”

  Ree sucked in a breath. “Do you think he could be the spy?"

  “I mean, I don’t know.” Stefanie crossed her arms. “He wouldn’t let my direct report do some valuable prototyping work on one of our research platforms, but he seemed more like a short-sighted manager than a – what did you call him again? A sleeper agent?”

  “Yes.” Parker leaned in. “How much do you talk to Cole?”

  Stefanie tapped her finger on her chin. “He’s not in the office much.” She snorted. “If he’s some kind of spy, he’s not doing a great job of it. I’ve spoken to him maybe a total of an hour in the past several weeks. We communicate mostly via email. I don’t think he’ll be back in town until next week, actually.”

  “So if you’re sure about this…” Ree began tapping her foot nervously.

  Stefanie gave a rueful chuckle. “As sure as I’m going to get.”

  Parker put a gentle hand on Ree’s knee. “Okay. You need to get some training and do some paperwork before you get officially involved. Can you fake an illness or a family emergency in the next few days? We’ll get you a plane ticket to Chicago to strategize with the team. Ree can call or text you to add to the realism if you need her to.”

  “Well, I feel really nauseous right now, so I won’t even have to lie about feeling sick. I need to check a few things off my work to-do list, then I’ll decide what to tell them tomorrow morning.” Stefanie blew out a breath. “I’ll find time to come help my big sister catch a spy.”

  6

  Dmitri Yeninov settled into his new office, resting his forearms on the padded arms of his oversized office chair. Ironically, the surroundings of his new office were nicer than the one he’d been so unceremoniously kicked out of a few months prior. His unnecessary demotion had been a surprise, even though a part of him knew discovery was always possible. It was inconvenient, yes, but he’d taken the steps needed to ensure it would be a temporary setback. He’d managed the firing well, projecting remorse while the man who ran the intelligence service sat with a hand on his weapon and a contemptuous look on his smug face.

  Dmitri had nodded and expressed regret for his actions while professing his deep love of country and his desire to improve it. He had considered manufacturing some additional emotion, but he hadn’t been willing to show any further fabricated weakness to the man. He had instead described, in great detail, his successes through the veil of apology. And he didn’t fling a knife at the man so openly enjoying his downfall, which was certainly admirable. Even when the man told him he was to remain quietly in his new office and do as he was told for once. A flash of anger hardened to rage and settled in Dmitri’s jaw.

  The past few months had given him ample opportunity to begin his latest operation. It would show, without question, exactly how much his country needed him. They should be grateful he was still willing to help. His work was a specialty that required subtlety and a deft, strategic hand. His conversation with his adversary in the government hadn’t been entirely unfruitful. The man had given him a paper detailing his new assignment. Thanks to a camera hidden in his office, he had a video that would show the government’s lapdog leaving him instructions. It would take only a minor edit to change the paperwork to match his own plans, should they be less than successful. Even if he failed in his latest endeavor, he would make sure his humiliation would not go unpunished.

  Dmitri tapped his finger on his desk and once more reviewed the notes Andrei had sent before he went dark. Andrei was no longer in the picture, which was unfortunate, but no great surprise. Dmitri still had a key player who working for him on foreign soil. It would be enough.

  Dmitri settled into his comfortable chair. This time, he would take deliberate, calculated steps that would move his plan forward without risk of discovery. He took one look at the notes, then skimmed his monthly email from his source in California one more time. For the first time in a long time, he smiled a genuine smile. Focused on the technical elements of the operation, he’d nearly missed a golden opportunity that had dropped right into his lap. It was far from too late, however. In addition to proving his worth, he could now take the revenge to which he was so thoroughly entitled.

  * * *

  When Stefanie arrived at the OEG building for work, she skipped her office and went straight to the lab. She did not possess the patience to do anything except mechanical tasks. Despite her bravado with Ree and Parker, she’d spent the night tossing and turning, considering which of her coworkers might have nefarious intentions. Cole had been there for only a few months longer than she had. He seemed polished and business savvy, but thinking of him as a spy went a step too far. He wasn’t around enough to be spying on her. She thought Nash had her back when he told her about the job – was he just looking for someone who trusted him and might look the other way? Was he Dmitri’s spy? He knew more about their equipment than anyone else. She shook her head. It was impossible that everyone at the company was out to get her. She’d be safest if she just ignored her own internal speculation until she had more information. Parker and Ree had merely asked her to keep an ear to the ground, not conduct an FBI-worthy investigation single-handedly with no training. Revisiting the prior evening’s conversation wouldn’t build research platforms.

  Stefanie began to make modifications to the prototype she’d been working on with Nash, looking a little closer at everything that she normally would. Okay, she’d managed to not think like a spy for the five minutes it took for her to put her purse down and find the right tools. Nothing in the assembly seemed out of the ordinary. Stefanie clicked another sensor into the assembly, then pushed her safety glasses up atop her head.

  While Ree was most worried about Stefanie’s safety, she wasn’t the only one in the building at risk. However, she was the only one in a position to do something about it. Really, landing this job had been a stroke of good luck, not bad luck. There was no need to be anxious yet. She rummaged through a drawer for the correct size wrench and startled at a knock on the door.

  Stefanie wiped her hands on her jeans and turned to see who was stopping by for a visit. Her manager, Cole, was leaning against the door jamb. Stefanie smiled, forcing back her surprise that he was in the office when he said he’d be traveling. Her heart began to pound. Plans changed, flights got delayed. Twenty-four hours ago, she would have thought nothing of it. Cole had no way of knowing she’d been talking to the FBI, did he?

  She forced a smile onto her face, pushing back her nerves. “Cole, nice to see you again. I thought you were on a trip this week.” She blurted out the words before she realized how suspicious they might sound. Quickly recovering, she reached out a hand to shake his, a moment too late realizing the problem with her snap decision. “Sorry, there’s probably still a little grease on my hand.” Well, that went smoothly.

  Cole smiled broadly, nearly instantly putting her at ease. His manner was warm when they had first met and today was no different. While other employees at the OEG wore jeans and trendy t-shirts, Cole was dressed formally in trousers and a button-down shirt. “No need to apologize. Grease sounds like progress to me. If you can handle updates to management and prototypes in the same week, I know I hired the right person. Oh, and my trip got canceled. We were able to handle our discussion remotely, so I can be here this week. The company saves a few dollars and I might actually get caught up for a change. What new innovation are you designing for us?”

  Stefanie relaxed a fraction. “In the spirit of full disclosu
re, this design isn’t entirely mine. Nash gave me instructions to replicate what you all had already done, and I just tweaked it a little. I like that you’re using so many different methods to collect data, particularly considering these things are sitting at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “Ah, yes.” Cole nodded. “I got your request to build additional prototypes and I’m going to take a look at it. I think you make a strong case and the amount of time and dollars is relatively small.” He rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “I’ll need details about what you plan to do and which platforms you’ll be using.” He turned to leave, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, I meant to tell you. After you left for the day, someone on the crew found an extra transmitter on the ship. Terry mentioned you’d picked up a signal. It had us all worried that we had a second platform out there we’d forgotten about. Hard to miss one of these things, but I wanted to let you know that your equipment wasn’t the problem. We’re updating our app as well to prevent future issues.”

  “Oh good.” Stefanie breathed an audible sigh of relief. “I was worried we had a glitch somewhere.” She looked back at the components taking up most of the work table. The last thing she needed was an additional complication in her life. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands dirty. It’s nice.”

  “If you say so.”

  A longtime extrovert, the quiet in the lab felt deafening in the face of her worry. She prattled on, “I’ve spent the last several years pushing paperwork and convincing investors that we knew what we were doing. I missed this.”

  Cole took a step into the room. “Well, it sounds like it worked out really well for us and you, then. You’ll have to let me know what you and Nash can put together.”

  Stefanie rubbed her forehead and channeled every bit of acting skill she’d gained playing Townsperson #3 in her high school production of Calamity Jane. “Yeah, things have been going really well. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing for my family. My grandpa has been ill and…”

  Cole’s face fell. “I am so sorry to hear that. Do you need some time off to go see him? Family is important.”

  Stefanie had to push back her natural reaction to cringe at his kindness in the face of her lie. Stefanie had only one grandfather, and he had long been estranged from the rest of the family. She could do this. She studied the grease under her fingernails so she didn’t have to look him in the eyes. “If you’re sure it’s okay. I mean, I just got started.”

  “We’re trying to be more flexible with work-life balance. We can work with you when you need time off. Particularly in the case of family emergencies.” Cole waved a hand.

  Stefanie smiled past the guilt welling in her throat. “Wow. Thank you.” Once Cole had left, Stefanie allowed herself a moment to enjoy the support of her new company. For the first time in a long while, her interests and talents were finally in line with what was best for her and her family. Cole didn’t seem like a threat to her personally, and that was certainly a point in his favor. Now she just had to figure out where the spy was hiding.

  7

  Less than half an hour after arriving at his desk at CIA headquarters, Joey checked his email for the third time. He’d been checking more often than he cared to admit since he’d talked with Quinn the previous day. It was clear she was going to pull some levers with the FBI and he wanted to be a more active part of the investigation this time. He’d already lost someone he cared about to Dmitri and didn’t need to see someone else get hurt. Fortunately, before he could check his email a fourth time, Quinn appeared in front of his desk. She got right to business. “J, we have a contact at that marine research company you were worried about.”

  Joey felt like he’d been hit in the stomach. “Are they in danger?”

  “Officially, no.” Quinn let out a breath. “Unofficially, we’ll see. But, she wants to help, and she’s going to need backup. You interested in pitching in? Need you to confirm you’re in before I offer up the idea to the FBI.”

  “Hell, yes. Is she CIA or FBI?”

  “Neither.” Quinn studied her travel mug.

  Joey tensed. “A civilian? Okay, so you need me to get her out of there?”

  Quinn leaned towards Joey and lowered her voice. “I don’t want to make a huge move when our information came from a source in handcuffs and a non-trivial number of educated guesses.”

  “You aren’t seriously considering leaving her in place. Dmitri has killed—”

  Quinn held up a staying hand. “Trust me, Joey. Of all people, I know. But our best source for this information is a known liar and murderer, and those are the two nicest things I can say about him. It could be a trap or red herring. We move her, we tip Dmitri off.”

  Joey stiffened. “Does the civilian know she’s at risk?”

  Quinn sighed. “At the surface level, yes. She doesn’t truly know the depth of the danger. That’s why we want to send help. You’ve had the least amount of exposure out of all of us.”

  “And I passed your test.” Joey eyed Quinn.

  Quinn took a sip of coffee from her travel mug. “You mean by figuring out that Alexis’s bomb-sniffing dog was the one who proved you weren’t working for Dmitri or all of the others?”

  Joey laughed. “I’m just glad you’re on our side, Quinn.” He crossed his arms. “And seriously, give me some credit. I knew you couldn’t need my help on that many different questions.” Joey rubbed the back of his neck. “What would you need from me?”

  “We need you on the ground helping out, maybe doing some research with her.” Quinn tapped her finger against her travel mug. “Let me think about the best approach and run it by Cam and the FBI. We don’t have a lot of room for error when Dmitri is involved, and the FBI wants to sign off on any decision that involves the civilian – they have the connection with her, not us. We’ve got to play by their rules.”

  “Okay. I’ll do it.” Joey leaned back in his chair. “Whatever it is. I’m in.”

  * * *

  Stefanie Ryland zipped up her suitcase and took one last peek in her closet to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything important. While she was an expert in marine biology, she was a novice in fighting crime. It was impossible to say if she’d packed the right wardrobe for a meeting with the FBI. While she’d been thrilled that Ree and Parker had found each other, she’d never dreamed they’d met because Ree had worked undercover with Parker. But, if anyone was going to get themselves into some kind of international spy work by accident, it was Ree. She was selfless and methodical, her tiny spark of impulsiveness only showing when a really fun or complicated problem was involved. Poor Parker didn’t stand a chance.

  At least Stefanie and her sister were both more prepared than average for the unexpected. Their parents were just on this side of paranoid. Her dad was former Army and now ran a security company. They both had learned self-sacrifice and self-defense as part of their upbringing, and they’d kept their skills sharp as adults. Ree channeled her desire to help others into a career that involved research and teaching. Stefanie focused her own altruism by teaching karate classes a couple of evenings a week, killing the proverbial two birds with one stone. It kept her in shape and reminded her of why she learned it all in the first place. You could take the girl out of the overprotective household, but you couldn’t quite take the vigilance out of the girl. Or something like that.

  Stefanie locked up her place and, for the first time she could remember since moving in, she scanned the street for any dangers before walking to her car. For whatever good it would do. A neighbor was out watering his garden and she gave him a wave. Considering the hassle of transporting it, the weapon she kept in her gun safe would stay there. For now. She shook her head and started the car. Whatever her sister had gotten herself into, it was going to be an interesting few days. She ignored the inner voice nagging her that she’d lied to her boss so that she could leave town on a weekday. Maybe later, Ree would help her navigate the emotional burden of lying for the greater good.

 
* * *

  After an uneventful plane ride, Stefanie touched down in Chicago. When she crossed the threshold into the terminal, Ree and Parker were waiting, along with Alexis, one of the bridesmaids from Ree’s wedding. Apparently, Alexis also worked for the FBI. Noted. Then, the large, reddish-brown dog next to Alexis gave Stefanie a whole new list of questions. The giant dog wore a vest that read: WORKING DOG – DO NOT PET. Before she could decide what Alexis’s dog’s role in this whole mess was, Ree ran to Stefanie and gave her a hug, almost knocking her off her feet. Stefanie smiled. “Hey, Sis.”

  “I hope you aren’t mad at me.” Ree pulled back to make eye contact.

  Stefanie raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to hear the full story before I make a decision on that.” She gave Parker a one-armed hug. “That goes for you too, new brother. Sounds like we need to have a family meeting.”

  Just behind him, Alexis reached out a hand to shake hers. “Hey, Stef. Thanks for making it out.”

  “Of course.” Stefanie eyed Alexis. “And while I’m thrilled to see you again, I assume you’ll be telling me why you’re on the welcoming committee?” Alexis nodded and the dog at her side began sniffing her and her bag. “Am I getting a dog scan?” Stefanie asked the dog in a friendly voice. She almost reached down to scratch his ears but hesitated at the words on his vest.

  Alexis exchanged a look with Ree and Stefanie put a hand on her hip. Apparently, her question had been a little too on the nose. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope, but let’s wait until we get you out of a crowd to tell you all of it.” Alexis winked. “Waffle says you’re good. It’s okay, boy.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “You can pet him now.”

  Waffle transformed into a ball of wiggles and Stefanie gave the friendly dog a good scratch. He looked up at her with the kind of look she gave someone when they gave her fancy chocolate. Parker reached for Stefanie’s roller bag. “C’mon. We’ll talk in the car.”