“I’m sorry,” Kyle said, then after a moment added, “you ever try to track down your mom?”
“No, not really. She…I don’t know, I was young. My dad said she didn’t want the responsibility, so she left. I think she didn’t leave alone, either.”
“Oh,” Kyle said, not sure what to say next.
“I don’t remember her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”
Kyle thought for a second. “My mom is amazing. I don’t see her as often as I should. She lives on the other side of the mountain with one of my sisters, about an hour from here. But I’m glad to have her.”
“Wow, mom and five sisters. You’re surrounded by women.”
Kyle laughed. “Yeah, I know. Most of my sisters are married, so I do have some backup.” Another brief silence passed between them. Kyle thought about everything that had happened and how so many now know his family’s identities, or at least his. It wouldn’t take much to dig up the others. “I have to protect them, Carmen. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.”
“I don’t know,” Carmen said finally.
“I just got tired of running. Tired of changing names and starting a new life each time. This time, I just said no. So, I guess, in my own way I’m fighting back.”
“You’re not alone, you know.”
“I know.” Another brief pause, then, “Carmen?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Because of your dad and Norm, I guess…well, I trust you.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. “Kyle?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t take this wrong, but, that chair looks awfully uncomfortable and for a sofa bed, this one is pretty big. If you want, you can have the other side.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “It’s fine. Besides, I’m armed.”
He couldn’t help but grin as he rose from the chair. He grabbed the blanket and pillow and made his way to the bed. He still had on his clothes, so he thought he’d just leave it that way. He went around the bed, to the window side, slid under the covers, adjusted the pillow and turned toward her. “Thanks.”
“It’s alright. You’re not what I expected,” she said, and turned toward him. Their faces remained close together, their bodies inches apart, each only a shadow as they lay in the bed.
“You’re not what I expected either,” Kyle said. The heater kicked on near the window as warm air flowed and rippled the sheers in a rhythmic dance. “How long are you here for?”
“Until it’s over,” Carmen said. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“When they first told you Albuquerque, what did you think?”
Kyle chuckled in the darkness. “I was 12. The only time I heard of Albuquerque was in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. Bugs would always say he should have made a left turn in Albuquerque. Never thought I’d end up living here.”
Carmen giggled. “Oh, yeah, I remember those.”
“It’s a far cry from New York or Virginia, huh?”
“Yeah,” Carmen agreed.
“It has its advantages though.”
“What’s that?”
His eyes had adjusted enough to make out her features in the dim light. “The openness. The horizon is a straight line across the west, except a small blip of the J volcano. I learned in school that New Mexico is called the volcano state. Long ago, in the fifties or sixties, some college kids went out and whitewashed the face of the volcano with a giant J. It could be seen from all over. Can’t see it anymore, but I did see some photos. The kids were told to remove it and restore the original appearance of the cone. It was an environmental thing.”
“What’s the J stand for?”
“I think College of St. Joseph, which has long since closed. All the volcanos are extinct and there’s really no natural disasters to speak of, except I heard about two small ones. A tornado in 1984 near Coronado Mall; and yes, they actually have malls here. And we get flash floods, but that’s about it. We get snow now and again, so that’s nice.”
“But no ocean,” Carmen pointed out.
“Yeah,” Kyle said, his voice trailing off. “I do miss the ocean, but the mountains are nice. The really cool thing I realized is that the mountains are so big that you can be anywhere in the city and know where you are because they’re such a huge landmark. Just look to the east, and there they are.”
“Do you miss New York?”
“I do,” Kyle admitted. “I miss my old life, actually. I miss my dad.”
Carmen was silent for a moment, the noise of the heater filling the void as they laid quietly in bed. “I miss mine, too.” There was another long silence, then Carmen said, “Good night, Kyle.”
“’Nite.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dwight woke early on Thursday. Twenty-three days until it would all be over and he could breathe easy once again. Rudy agreed to meet him with the money at the designated location when Dwight had phoned him yesterday.
He and Santiago drove together to the crest in the blue Blazer. About three-quarters of the way the snow started to pile up on the road, a narrow two-lane with rising slopes on one side and precipitous drops on the other. Remos and Devin followed behind in a jeep, Dwight figuring two vehicles were better than relying on just one. The two-lane road left the main highway and snaked among the hills and rocks as they ascended up the mountain slope for 15 miles.
They reached the peak at eleven-thirty, 45 minutes before the scheduled time. They had a choice of three parking areas, a small one at the top of the mountain nearest to the Sandia Crest House, a gift shop and restaurant, which was more the size of a modest café; a much larger parking lot down the hill, and a matching third lot below that. A series of cement stairs connected all three parking lots as each was tier-stepped against the east side of the mountain summit.
Dwight stepped out, looked around, and wondered if Kyle was already here, hiding in a car or perhaps off in the woods, watching them. Kyle had said to come alone, so Dwight wanted to position Santiago and the rest as quickly as possible before they were spotted. Remos and Devin pulled up, took the space next to the Blazer, and stepped out.
Dwight looked around and seeing no one else about, called everyone together, pulling his gun from underneath his jacket. “No slip ups on this one. If he tries to run, the objective is to stop him, not kill him. He leaves only with my consent. We want to keep this quiet, so everyone uses silencers.”
No one said a word as each pulled out a gun, checked their ammo, safety and silencer, then tucked them back into hiding.
Dwight laid out the plan. “Remos, I want you over on the south trail. Devin will stay with the cars and cover the parking lots. Santiago’s with me. Keep your radios on and listen for my signal. With any luck, we’ll be out of here by twelve-thirty.”
Devin returned to the car as the other three walked up the steps. Dwight pulled out his radio and checked in with Antonio at the summit and Ian at the base of the tram. They reported nothing unusual, and no sign of Kyle.
Clouds were building off to the south and the wind blew a chilly gale across their faces. They reached the summit and Dwight paused to admire the view. He had ridden up the tram once before, which was just shy of a mile and a half to the south from where he stood. A sign read that the Magdalena Mountains could be seen eighty miles away on a clear day, but the approaching clouds prevented him from seeing much of anything. It was clear to the northwest where Cabezon Peak could be seen forty miles into the horizon, an exposed volcanic plug that interrupted the level skyline.
To the south Dwight could see the cables of the tram peeking between two rising mountain peaks, but only momentarily as the encroaching clouds engulfed them in a wall of fine mist. To the left and running along the perimeter of the mountain’s western slope, which dropped hundreds of feet below, was a paved trail with partial stretches lined with safety railing. So
uth of the café, a massive bed of limestone separated most of the space between the trail and the western slope by a good 20 or 30 feet, no railing whatsoever at the edge of the mountain. A few hundred yards away the trail met the top of the mountain and the railing began, the trail stretching an additional hundred yards to the south before disappearing into the woods. The signs indicated that the trail ended up at Sandia Peak where one could dine, ski or ride the tram down to Albuquerque. Dwight noticed a few people milling about – some by the entrance to the gift shop, others on the observation deck looking through mounted binoculars which charged a quarter for two minutes, and still fewer walking along the trail all bundled in heavy jackets and scarves.
“So, we wait?” Santiago finally asked.
“Yep. I’ve asked Rudy to meet us at the café. Once he does, you and he will stay out of sight while I meet with Kyle. We might get lucky and the clouds will come over this way. If that happens, go ahead and come outside. I’ll try and keep my back to you, so if you see me and not Kyle, then you’ll know he can’t see you.”
“Then what?”
“Let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”
“Sure,” Santiago said.
They walked into the gift shop together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Is everything okay?” Robert whispered.
Kyle moved quickly from the bathroom door to the table in the living area where Robert was seated. “Yeah. Carmen’s in the shower, so we can talk. Did you read the instruction sheet yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Any questions?”
“No, it’s pretty clear. Are you sure we’re not getting in over our heads?”
“I hate to break it to you, but we’ve been over for the last day and a half.”
Robert smiled. “I guess.”
“Okay, let’s go over it one more time. Tanya Jette is going to leave equipment for you downstairs. You run across the street and start making the arrangements. Once you’re set up, load my motorcycle in your truck, get to the rendezvous point, and wait. Keep an eye out for us so you’ll know when we’re coming. Have the motorcycle ready to go because they may have someone close by, you just never know.”
“I got it.”
“So, you still like this better than programming?”
“Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to make a career of it.”
The shower stopped and Kyle heard Carmen step onto the tile floor.
“If I haven’t already said so...thanks. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Robert grinned, embarrassed. “It’s alright. Too bad it won’t bring Charlie back, though.”
Kyle nodded sadly.
Carmen walked out of the bathroom 30 minutes later, looking as beautiful as she had the night before. It was nearing 11 a.m. and Kyle kept checking his watch.
“You ready?” he asked Carmen.
“You have some gaps to fill, Kyle. You said we’re meeting with someone, but you didn’t tell me where. You said we were meeting based on a hunch, on which you didn’t elaborate. If I’m going to risk my neck on a hunch, I want to know what it is.”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
“Why don’t you let me call some agents for backup? It would be a lot safer and I’d feel a lot better.”
Kyle shook his head vehemently. “No. No way.”
“You know you could get us both killed playing the cowboy?”
“Fine,” Kyle said, “you don’t have to come. In fact, it might be better if you didn’t.”
“No thanks, I have my orders.”
“Then let’s go,” Kyle said, heading for the door.
“What about Robert?” Carmen asked, looking back at Robert who was already typing away on the computer.
“He’s staying here.”
Kyle went down the hall to the elevator, Carmen following behind, not saying a word. The elevator was glass on three sides, looking out to the open expanse of a large atrium surrounded by ten stories of hotel suites. Far below he saw a bar, surrounded by lush, green trees between an array of tables and chairs. They rode down together, made their way out the main entrance and finally stepped out into the sun. Kyle immediately looked to the east, at the top of the summit, and saw clouds building at ten-thousand feet, just like Robert had said they would. Kyle stopped at the front door by the curb.
“Now what?” Carmen asked.
Kyle pointed to a black Ford Explorer parked off to the side, hurried over, and opened the back door. Carmen stepped in, passing him a wary look, Kyle following behind. A woman sat behind the steering wheel, her head turned back to get a good look at Kyle.
“How are you, Tanya?” Kyle said.
“Better than you, I hear.”
Kyle smiled. “This is Carmen Jernigan, a federal agent out of Washington, D.C. Carmen, Tanya Jette.”
Tanya seemed to be duly impressed, extended a handshake, then turned forward and started off. Tanya took Jefferson to the frontage road and merged onto Interstate 25, heading south.
“Now will you tell me what’s going on?” Carmen asked.
“I set up this little meeting we’re going to right now. I told Charlie's killers to have a million dollars waiting for me or else I’d blow the whistle; they are only going to cough up half now.”
Carmen’s eyes widened. “You did what?” she asked, startled. “That’s extortion.”
“Right. But I’m telling you here and now so you know that it’s a premeditated effort to entrap them. I wanted to see if they’d go for the bait, to know if it was that important to them. I guess it is.”
“And you really believe they’re just going to let you walk away?”
Kyle shrugged. “Who knows? I have a few other tricks…”
“This isn’t a game,” Carmen interrupted, her tone rather grave.
“I know.”
“Look, if these guys are really meeting you, I’ll bring some agents in on it. There’s another agent who came down with me, and he’s waiting for my call.”
“You didn’t tell me that last night,” Kyle said. “Norm called specifically on you because he trusted you, so why did someone else show up?”
“Standard procedure,” Carmen said quickly. “He’s my partner. We sort of go hand in hand.”
“And it conveniently slipped your mind?” Kyle asked sarcastically.
“I travel a great deal, so no, I don’t think about how we do things all the time. It’s a way of life.”
“Where is he?” Kyle asked.
“I’m not sure. He grabbed a hotel somewhere. Just like you, we use cell phones and pagers.”
“Is he following us?”
“He could be, I simply don’t know.”
“Are you wired?”
Carmen seemed to grin at this. “You’ve been watching too much TV.”
“Have I?” Kyle asked cynically. “My friend’s dead, phony FBI agents are running around, I’m abducted in broad daylight while, at the same time, I’m being followed by an FBI agent and my house is bugged. How can you accuse me of watching too much TV? You didn’t answer the question – are you wired?”
“No, Kyle, I’m not.”
Kyle looked to Tanya. “Can you make sure we’re not being followed?”
“Sure,” she said. “Who would be following us, if I might ask?”
“Oh, any one of a dozen people, I’d imagine. Right now, I’m more concerned about the FBI.”
“Why would they follow us,” Tanya asked, glancing back, “when we got one right here in the car?”
Carmen fixed her gaze on Kyle. “That’s right. Why would they?” When Kyle didn’t answer, Carmen fired off another question. “What do you plan on doing with the money?”
“Turn it over to the FBI, which I guess would be you. I’m hoping for something else to come out of this.”
“And that would be...” Carmen let her words trail off.
“I said I thought there was someone on the inside. I hope he, or she, is furio
us enough they’ll show up at the meeting, or at least be in the vicinity.”
“Why would they do something that stupid?”
“Half-a-million is a lot of money, even for the FBI, so maybe they’d like to protect their investment. I know I would.”
“And reveal themselves to you?”
“I’m corrupt now, as far as they know.” Kyle lowered his voice so Tawnya wouldn’t overhear. “Plus, they discovered my other identity, so they now have two things to hold over me.”
“And have you thought about that? About the safety of your family? Of yourself?”
“Yeah, but I don’t run anymore. Remember?”
Carmen let out a belabored sigh, relenting. “I guess I can. At some point I’m going to step in, you can count on that.”
“As it should be,” Kyle said, turning his head and facing out the window.
They were now on Interstate 40 headed east toward Tijeras Canyon. Once they got off the interstate and passed under the bridge onto Highway 14, the true woodlands started. They drove through Cedar Crest, the road winding and curving through the back of the Sandia Mountains and the Cibola National Forest. By noon they reached the turn-off to Sandia Crest Highway, Tanya taking a left and making her way along the 15-mile, two-lane stretch to the 10,678-foot summit.
Kyle peeked at Carmen now and again as she looked out the window in awe of the majestic mountains. Even in winter they held a beauty no postcard could capture. He wished things were different, that Carmen was a friend and this mess was behind them and they were on a pleasure trip to the top, during the Fall season, when the aspens colored the mountain a golden fire red.
At the top, they picked a parking spot on the second level, a couple dozen spaces from the stairs, Tanya backing into the space so they could face west and see anyone coming. Kyle slid down in the seat, motioning Carmen to do the same.
“What are we doing here?” Carmen asked in a whisper, as if someone would actually overhear.
Kyle ignored her question as he reached his hand over the front seat. “Do you have it, Tanya?”
Stratagems Page 24