by C. R. Daems
“Good morning, Director Paulus, Admiral Hadley,” Weaver said as he entered Teresa’s office and saluted her.
“Commander, Admiral Hadley is going to be identifying some ships for me. I want you to have your station commanders attempt to identify any passengers who arrived and subsequently departed within seven days of arriving and the ship they departed on. You will give that information to me and Admiral Hadley,” I said and waited for questions. When none came, I continued. “This is a P1A request and is urgent. No other project takes precedence over this one, and the number of people working on the project should be restricted and the project kept on a strict need to know basis. The people we are looking for have high-level connections and have no compulsion eliminating anyone they feel a threat.”
“I didn’t realize we could identify the movement of spacecraft and who was on them,” Maxine said on our way back. “Do you think those searches will identify them?”
“Depends on how careful they were. If I’m right about who we are dealing with, they will know what the UAS tracks and what information is available. But I’m hoping they will conclude the information is distributed among a variety of disparate groups and there would be legal issues involved in obtaining the information, therefore the data would be all but invisible.”
“No wonder they want you dead!” Maxine all but whispered.
“Yes, someone with P1A authority who knows the systems can be a real pain in the ass.” I grinned. A few minutes later the shuttle settled on the landing pad. We had no trouble entering the building, to everyone’s surprise. I wasn’t sure whether my security was happy or unhappy about the uneventful day.
* * *
“Anything new at work, Anna?” Alexa asked as we sat down for dinner. I loved my work at the NIA and I was beginning to feel comfortable as the Director of Committee Security, but being home with Alexa was where I was at peace. She was not only my mother, mentor, and friend, but also my savior.
“We have a mole in the group,” I said as I put a slice of steak in my mouth. Alexa’s eyes flew open and the corn kernels on her fork slid off into her lap. I couldn’t help a smile. “I’d concluded we had to have a spy based on the previous attack on me when I was going to visit Commander Weaver. So, Seth set a communications trap and then I had Martha call Admiral Hadley for a meeting. Seth intercepted his call. It came from the c-agents area and sounded male, but he couldn’t identify him as he used a cheap throwaway phone. I’m sure Seth will try to see who purchased it, but unless the mole’s stupid, he paid some random person to go in and buy it for him.”
“Is he dangerous?” Alexa felt nervous, which made my heart ache. I had caused her so much stress over the years, yet she never complained.
“Actually, he’s probably more a positive than a negative factor now that we know he exists. He’s a link to the organization which may eventually lead us to them, and in the meantime, we can use him to set our own trap. I imagine he is being paid to keep them posted on my activities—little risk, big credits. Killing me may not be hard but getting away with it would be near impossible—therefore the big risk of getting killed wouldn’t be worth the credits.”
To my relief, Alexa laughed. “Daughter, your careers make cruiser duty sound like a safe and relaxing profession by comparison.”
“I blame Red,” I said, lifting him to my lips. “I think it’s his mission to rid the UAS of evil people.”
Alexa sobered. “That may not be as funny as it sounds. A red-headed krait seeks out a little girl lying in snow dying of the Coaca Virus and provides her life, increased intelligence, and the ability to sense emotions for his continued presence.” She laughed. “We both had better stay clear of psychologists.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Following the Bread Crumbs
“Well, Martha, who can I annoy today? I’m bored.”
“You could go to the firing range and punch holes in the outline of someone you don’t like, or you could join the training.” She held up her hand as her tablet chimed softly. “Anna, Admiral Hadley says she has the results of your query.”
“Ask her if she minds coming to the Committee building. I’ll treat her to lunch,” I said. Martha typed for a minute, then waited. Finally, she nodded.
“The admiral said she would be here at noon,” Martha said, right after her tablet chimed.
“Maxine, would you make sure Admiral Hadley is cleared to see me?” I said. Maxine nodded and left.
* * *
“Director Paulus, we have an emergency in the lobby,” someone said into my earbud. When I clicked acknowledgment, he continued. “We have three men with Mfws. One has his weapon to Admiral Hadley’s head and is threatening to shoot her if they aren’t allowed access to your office.”
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. “Poor Teresa,” I mumbled. That was the problem with people who wanted me dead at any cost, they didn’t care who got killed or injured in their attempt to kill me. I switched my mic to general broadcast, which meant the hall speakers would be activated. “Attention, this is Director Paulus. Hold your fire. You’re not to lower your weapons but you are not authorized to fire unless the intruders do. If they fire so much as one shot you are to shoot to kill. I’m on my way to the lobby,” I said and noticed Maxine standing in the doorway.
“Ma’am, you can’t—” she began but I shook my head.
“Maxine, get my jacket and follow me,” I said as I exited the office. I couldn’t seem to focus as I walked toward the lobby. Then I felt Red wrap around my neck and strike it. I was so surprised, I stopped walking, which caused Maxine to stumble past me. Why? I wondered, until I felt the adrenaline or poison or something running through me like hot lava. It cooled as quickly as it began and my mind cleared. I took a deep breath and considered the gunmen. They were paid assassins, not fanatics wanting to die for a cause. They didn’t have any hostages. They had someone who was a close friend. Someone I wouldn’t want killed and therefore would be willing to negotiate. They were right.
“Maxine, when I ask for my jacket, make sure you open it so the intruders can see there is no weapon inside,” I said and continued toward the lobby. When I entered, it was almost comical. There were more than ten c-agents with guns drawn and pointing at the three gunmen. Although the gunmen had Mfws, it was obvious the three wouldn’t live through the experience.
“Tell them to lower their weapons,” the man holding his Mfw pointing at Hadley’s head shouted. “Or I’ll kill her.”
“And yourselves,” I said loud enough to be heard. “And the opportunity to spend that money for killing me.”
Silence for several moments. Then the same man spoke again. “My boss doesn’t want you dead, otherwise we would have shot you when you appeared. We were ordered to bring you to him. Answer his questions and you and the admiral can go free,” he shouted, confirming he didn’t like the idea of dying any more than losing the money he’d get for killing me. I had no doubt he’d kill Hadley and me as soon as he was out of danger. His boss or handler must know me or knew people who knew that Hadley and I were close, and that I would risk my life to prevent her from getting hurt on my account.
“Leave Admiral Hadley and I’ll come with you to see your boss. That way no one gets hurt, including you.”
“Anna, don’t. You can’t trust them,” Teresa shouted.
“Shut your mouth, bitch,” the man holding her shouted.
“Enough!” I shouted. “I’m coming and I’m unarmed. Maxine,” I said. She removed my jacket from her arm and shook it as if to shake out any wrinkles, opened it wide to help me put it on, and then slipped a sleeve through one outstretched arm and then the other. I handed my badge to Maxine, who hesitated for a moment, then grabbed it and walked up to the counter and slid the badge through the slot. I then walked through the detector, taking my badge from Maxine’s extended hand. The detector made no sound, indicating I had no weapon on my person—well, actually it indicated I was the director and allowed
to carry anything I could lift through the security lane. The three men relaxed ever so slightly. Things were going according to plan.
“Any gun shots and you are authorized to kill these men,” I said just in case they were considering shooting me and running.
“You have our word,” the man holding Hadley said loudly. I felt like laughing. We were both lying and nothing we said could be trusted. When I reached Hadley, she reached her right arm out to pull me close, and I reached my left arm out and placed my hand on her shoulder. The gesture had the effect of shielding me from all three men. Almost simultaneously, I reached under my jacket with my right hand, gripped my Sig Sauer, and fired as Red emerged from my left sleeve and struck the man holding Hadley. He screamed and stumbled backward as he tried to brush the snake away. I pushed Hadley down with me. Now everyone was firing. I just hoped they all remembered that snake was the equivalent of my heart. The man who had been holding Hadley was whirling in circles trying to get free of Red.
“Stop firing,” I shouted as I walked toward the man with Red hanging on his neck. He had dropped his weapon, and his neck and chin were swelling and turning a dark red. His face twisted in pain and his shrieks echoed off the walls. I grabbed Red by the tail and he dropped away. I quickly checked Red before letting him wind around my neck as the intruder collapsed. Then suddenly, a sobbing, tear-soaked Teresa was hugging me, ignoring or not caring that Red was around my neck, but he ignored her.
“I was so scared,” she sobbed, squeezing me tighter. Then she jumped back, staring at Red. “He didn’t bite me!”
“He appears to know friend from foe…or he’s getting old and one bite is all he can manage,” I said, grinning at a wide-eyed Teresa. I took her by the hand and gently pulled her through the security lane. “Let’s go to my office and let them clean the place. I think I’m getting old because I’m tired too.”
“How did they know I was coming to see you?” Teresa broke the silence halfway through our coffee.
“The people I’m chasing are well connected. I suspect they have high-level positions and are well funded…and know me and what I’m doing. I know I have a mole in my organization, and there is obviously one in the NIA. And they have decided I’m an impediment to their plans.”
“Plans?”
“They intend to take over the UAS. Apparently, they don’t like the way it’s being managed.”
“Take over the UAS?”
“Sounds unbelievable but they have figured out a way without the necessity for a military coup,” I said. “Let’s go to lunch. The Committee’s cafeteria is quite good and I’m hungry.”
“How are you going to catch them if they are in high-level positions?” Hadley asked as we sat eating.
“The same way as always. With your help and others we will piece together their organization and then destroy it,” I said, sipping a spoonful of hot mushroom soup.
“What if you can’t?” Teresa asked as she pushed her chicken Alfredo around her plate.
“Then I’ll lose my job.”
* * *
Seth, Maxine, Martha, and I sat in my office later that day. I had four c-agents escort Teresa back to the NIA, mostly to make her feel safe. I thought the immediate threat over.
“You were incredibly lucky, and you take too many risks,” Seth said, shaking his head. He quickly held up his hand. “I know she’s a dear friend but…” His voice trailed off. “Colonel Pannell said the same thing.”
“Maybe as I get older,” I quipped. Seth just shook his head.
“Let’s look at the information NIA collected for us,” I said, changing the subject and interested in knowing if they found anything. I inserted the flash drive and portrayed it on the room monitor. A chart appeared. The first row showed the merchant ships Wanderer and Hobo arriving in the ten-day window prior to the accident/murder, and the passenger ship Tucuxi. Two passengers arrived on the Wanderer (Chaney and Castellan) but did not leave when the Wanderer left eight days later. The Hobo had no passengers. The manifest for the passenger ship listed six people departing (Franks, Reed, Conyers, Ball, Jensen, and Nichols), but none of them left in the five days after the accident/murder.
The next system, Oasis, had two merchants, the Wind Rider and the Mary Beth, arriving within the window. The Mary Beth had two passengers (Roper and Lackey) but they did not leave with the Mary Beth. The passenger ship Borzoi also stopped during the ten-day window and discharged seven passengers (Hill, Thurston, Masson, Bryant, Sizemore, Sanchez, and Jackson). The Mary Beth was the only ship to leave in the five-day window and had no passengers.
“That doesn’t appear to give us anything we can use,” Seth said. I tended to agree, as the merchant ships weren’t the same. In the past, the bad guys had used merchants to deliver their messages, so I had hoped these people were also relying on merchants.
“The third system, Sutan, had two merchant ships arriving within the window, the Lost Trader and the Wheeler, but neither had passengers. Ironically, a merchant ship named the Wheeler had been our team’s first lead in the smugglers case. Those had been exciting times with Shrader, Sinclair, and Wilbur. We had all been wounded at one time or another by assassins the smugglers had paid to kill us, and they had succeeded in killing Wilbur.
The passenger ship Gray Hound had eight persons exit at Sutan (Day, Howard, Franks, Wilson, Bryant, Williams, Jensen, Holguin). That was better; Franks, Bryant, and Jensen appeared twice.
Black Water had two merchant ships, Indigo and Trader Jim, but neither had passengers, but the passenger ship Whippet’s manifest had six people who exited (Joyce, Reed, Gonzales, Howard, Sanchez, and Hill). Now there were six names that appeared together in groups of three: Franks, Jensen, Reed, Bryant, Sanchez, and Hill.
“That’s it. They are using passenger ships to come and go,” I said, positive a search would reveal that the six individuals left on passenger ships.
“But there were no passenger ships leaving during the five-day window,” Maxine said, staring at the data.
“I think it’s the search criteria I gave Admiral Hadley, or they arrived during that window but left later. I want you to meet with her and tell her what we found. Tell her to look for passenger ships leaving those four systems after the Tucuxi, Gray Hound, Borzoi, and Whippet left those systems. Then have her pass the names of those ships and the dates of arrival and departure to Commander Weaver. Then ask Commander Weaver to find the passengers boarding to leave the system,” I said, positive those six individuals would be on the list.
“That doesn’t prove those individuals are the murderers,” Seth said, playing devil’s advocate.
“No, but we can’t ignore the possibility. Following bread crumbs is slow and tedious work. Next we verify the three left as an intact group. If that proves correct, we find where they came from and where they returned to. Each step hopefully will eventually lead us to the ringleaders. But we can’t leak what we are doing or they will change their method of operation and we’ll have to start over, which could result in us being too late to stop them.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Chasing Ghosts
“Ma’am, I picked up the results of your query from Commander Weaver,” Maxine said as she entered the office and placed a silver flash drive on my desk. I picked it up and inserted it into my tablet and directed the output to the room monitor.
“Ma’am, none of the names match!” Maxine screeched in horror. It didn’t surprise me. The real question was what to do next.
“Unfortunately, that just proves that they aren’t stupid,” I said, sorting through my options. I clicked on Martha’s icon. “Martha, tell Seth…and Ballard I want to see them. Join them when they arrive.”
“Maybe those aren’t the killers,” Maxine said hesitantly.
I brought up the information from the four systems and reviewed the names we had identified. Sutan had the killers Franks, Bryant, and Jensen while Black Water had Reed, Sanchez, and Hill. I was deep in thought when a knock on the door s
ounded and Seth, Ballard, and Martha entered.
“Get something to drink and sit,” I said and waited until everyone was seated. “I’ve decided to go to Black Water for a day. To avoid an ambush, I’d like to keep it secret until the last minute.”
“That will be difficult,” Seth said, frowning or maybe scowling at me. “You’ll have to schedule the Committee cruiser, notify your security team they are going, and let the Core members know. Your enemies won’t need their mole.” He shook his head.
“What if you make arrangements based on the premise that I’ve decided I need a mini-vacation? That way you can identify my security and they can make whatever arrangements they need and everyone will know I’ll be away seven days. I’ll take care of the travel arrangements to Black Water.”
“That’s pretty sneaky, Anna,” Ballard said with an approving smile. “It’s funny in a way. Just the other day I was thinking how lucky it was that you didn’t plan to travel off Eastar.”
“What made you decide to go to Black Water?” Seth asked.
“To save time. The results Admiral Hadley gave me from New Zheng, Sutan, Oasis, and Black Water indicated none of the individuals we identified as the potential murderers left the system. But, of course, that’s impossible because they showed up later in another system. Our UnCab opponents were clever but lazy, or too clever. They used the same names to enter the system although they switched the team members either because of their unique skills or to make it harder to identify them as a three-person team. But if I’m right, they left under different names. I’m going to Black Water to identify the killers named Reed, Sanchez, and Hill.”
“How?” Maxine asked.
“By comparing the space station’s tapes with facial recognition software. I’m going in case that doesn’t work and I need to try something else. I know the police commissioner and the NIA station chief so there won’t be any delays. When I know what works, I’ll send someone to Sutan to identify Franks, Bryant, and Jensen.”