Eventually, she had no choice. Her mother had presented her with the Chevrolet a month ago for her twenty-seventh birthday. And she had donated the old Sedan to charity. She had gotten a one hundred and fifty dollars tax receipt for it. Yippee!
She took another sip of her black coffee and settled back into the soft leather seat. Some of the agents would be changing shifts in less than ten minutes. She decided to stay in the car and wait for them to leave. It had been a day since the raid, and she still felt uncomfortable talking about it. She had failed to catch Raybourne, and that by itself, was a huge disappointment to her. She felt she hadn’t actually done her job.
She drank the rest of the coffee and tossed the empty cup on the floor next to the others. She glanced at the litter in front of the passenger seat, and looked away. She cleaned the car out once a week. She would get rid of the cups and other mess then. And she wasn’t exactly a very tidy person—she thrived on chaos! She switched on the radio, hoping to catch one of those early morning shows. Some of them were cheesy, but funny. She needed something light and funny to take her
mind off work, and Raybourne, especially Raybourne!
She got WKZZF 99.0, a station out in Buffalo that she wasn’t quite familiar
with. She turned the volume up, sat back in the seat, and listened. The morning host was ranting about someone who had rear-ended him on his way in to work this morning. He was encouraging listeners to call in with their own experiences with road rage. And the calls kept coming—most of them were from people who said they had come very close to being murdered or beaten to a pulp by angry drivers they had cut off or had given the finger to, or had sworn at.
She listened for a minute. Then, she turned the dial to a classical rock station, and adjusted her seat so that she could lie back on it. It was too much unnecessary drama for her this early in the morning. She didn’t need to hear how sick and depraved society had become—she experienced it almost on a daily basis. That scenario was part of her job.
She glanced across the garage just in time to see the small stream of men and women making their way to their parked vehicles. They seemed anxious to go, to leave that part of their lives behind. She looked at them for another minute, peering at the faces to see if she knew any of them. She’d chosen a spot at the far back of the garage, well out of sight, where she was sure no one would see her.
She saw Jack, an IT specialist looking her way, and she ducked her head further down and waited for him and the others to drive away. She opened the door minutes after and stepped outside. She headed for the elevator and pressed the button to open the doors. She usually took the stairs, but decided to pass on them today. She got inside the waiting elevator and pushed the button to the fifth floor. She stood close to the doors and waited for them to open, thankful that she was the only one inside.
Earnes hadn’t arrived yet. He wasn’t at his desk. She walked into the spacious area and looked around, hoping she would see him hanging around somewhere. He was nowhere in sight. He probably hadn’t been in. His coffee cup wasn’t in its usual place on his desk, and neither was the heavy leather black jacket he wore to work sometimes. It wasn’t slung over the back of his chair.
She wanted to talk to Earnes to see if he had followed up on the tip they had
received on Raybourne. Someone had reported seeing a man matching Raybourne’s description going into a Best Western in Queens. The tip hadn’t sounded credible, but Earnes had said that he would check it out. That had been around five yesterday evening. She hadn’t heard from him since then. Usually, he would text or call her with a brief update. Maybe he hadn’t had a chance to go out to Queens yet.
Raybourne’s face was splashed across the large monitor. Something must have
come in on him in last couple hours. Her eyes moved quickly to the large wanted posters that were plastered on the wall below. Most of the men were dangerous terrorists and hardened criminals with mafia or drug cartel affiliations. Some of the faces had a large red X across them, with the word “captured” or “deceased”. Raybourne’s was bare. He obviously hadn’t been captured or killed—yet!
Her eyes rested briefly on his dark face. She felt a sudden light fluttering in her chest, and she looked away. Raybourne was a dangerous psychopath, but she must give him this—he was devilishly handsome, in a prince of darkness, sort of way. She felt herself blushing at the thought, disappointed that she was even thinking about someone she completely despised that way. The man was a wanted criminal.
She shook her head and walked away.
She saw Director Nilsson heading towards her, and she did everything but to head back into the elevator to avoid him. She didn’t feel like talking to him just yet. He had probably been waiting for her to come in. She had briefed him on the raid yesterday, but she still hadn’t had the time to write up a detailed report to present to him yet. She needed a couple more days, maybe a week.
“Bowles, in my office.” He waved her over.
His summon was blasé. It didn’t seem urgent to her. It was also hard to read the usual stoic look on his face. She glanced at Earnes’s desk again, wondering if he was already up there waiting for her. She took a quick peek at her watch. It was just after seven. Earnes usually made it in by eight, unless they were called out to a case, or they had to be in earlier than usual for an important briefing.
She took a quick detour to her desk to deposit her leather bag on the chair. Then she turned to her right and took the short flight of stairs to Director Nilsson’s office. He was on the phone when she tapped lightly on the door and walked in. He motioned her over to one of the chairs across from him. She went and sat down, hoping that whatever this was, it would be quick. She wanted to grab another
cup of coffee, and she still needed to talk to Earnes.
This case with Raybourne had triggered a spike in fraudulent passports. There seemed to be a record amount of them circulating on the black market. They had seized hundreds of fake passports and documents in the last years—some from different countries, including Canada and China. It was the biggest haul they had seen in years. It was a lucrative business in the underworld. An American passport could fetch up to one hundred thousands dollars, maybe two, or five, depending who was buying it.
Earnes wasn’t in the office. They were probably going to wait for him. She glanced at Director Nilsson’s stern face as he chatted to the person or persons on the other end of the phone. She didn’t think it was a conference call, though, because she had heard him mentioned only one name.
She took out her phone to check to see if there were any messages from Earnes
while she waited for Director Nilsson to finish the call. Earnes usually sent her a quick message if he was running late or if something urgent had come up. Her phone had been off since last night, and she hadn’t bothered to turn it back on this morning. There was nothing there from him. He hadn’t texted or called her. She peered at the screen again just to make sure. He probably didn’t know about this meeting with Director Nilsson. She slipped the phone back into her pocket and waited for Director Nilsson.
It took another five minutes. Director Nilsson ended his call, and Bowles
glanced at him as he replaced the phone. He turned to look at her.
“Are we waiting for Earnes, sir?” she asked him.
“No, Agent Bowles, I wanted to talk to you before he comes in.”
“Is everything okay, Sir?”
This probably had something to do with the mess they had made of the Raybourne case. She had more seniority than Earnes, which explained why she was here. He had called her in here to chew her out. She hoped he wasn’t thinking of reassigning her to another case, or transferring her to another department. She liked working with the unit. And her job wouldn’t be over until she captured Gilles
Raybourne and brought him in.
“We have a mole!” Director Nilsson got straight to the point. “Raybourne knew
about the operation, down to the ver
y last detail. That’s why he was waiting for you
and the rest of the team. He had time to prepare. It could have been deadly for
our men, not to say to you and Agent Earnes as well.”
She sat forward and gave Director Nilsson an incredulous look. She wasn’t expecting to hear something like this from him.
“That’s impossible, sir. Only a few people were in on the operation—Earnes, myself, and two other agents, and even them didn’t know about all of the specifics, until the very last moment. Earnes and I thought it would be better that way.”
A serious frown appeared on Director Nilsson’s face.
“Someone with prior knowledge of the operation was in touch with Gilles Raybourne, Agent Bowles. They tipped him off. Do you think it’s a coincident that an army of his men was there waiting for you, or that you and the team failed to
catch him, Agent Bowles?”
“No, sir. It did cross my mind that something was amiss, but I didn’t think that
one of our own people was in on it. Do you think someone in the department is
working for Raybourne, sir?”
“It’s not what I think, Agent Bowles.” Director Nilsson dropped the file he had
in his hand onto the desk, and peered sternly at her.
Bowles stared back at his piercing green eyes, taking in his chiseled jaw line and full head of black hair that was beginning to show signs of gray. He was still a very handsome man, she thought. Director Nilsson was well into his fifties, with a very impressive military career. He was also married to a military doctor, with three sons, two of whom were military men themselves. Homeland Security had chosen him four years ago to head up this special division of ICE, and Bowles liked working with him. He had recommended her for the job when they had been looking for agents to join the team.
Director Nilsson was always courteous and kind, while maintaining a high level of professionalism. He reminded Bowles of her own father, who had also served in the military. And Director Nilsson had no problem going the extra mile to help them with a case, especially when it came to dealing with the red tape of other governmental departments.
“It’s where the evidence leads us, Agent Bowles. We are looking at everyone,
including your partner Agent Earnes.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “With all due respect, sir, but I think you are wrong about Agent Earnes. There’s no way he could be involved in this. He was there when Raybourne started shooting at us. He was caught off guard just like the rest of us. He wants Raybourne captured as much as we do, sir. I don’t think he
would have put himself and us in such danger.”
“So be it, Agent Bowles, but everyone is a suspect until we find the culprit or culprits. You have worked long and hard on this investigation, Agent Bowles, that’s why I’m doing you the courtesy of informing you of the latest
developments.”
“Thank you, sir. But why, Earnes, sir? He is a good agent. He has been with the
team from the very beginning. He wouldn’t jeopardize his career in such a way. He knows what’s at stake if he’s caught.”
She had no reservations defending Earnes. She knew he wasn’t a traitor. Earnes
had always conducted himself with the highest level of integrity as any of the other agents as far as she was concerned. He wasn’t a crooked agent who could be easily swayed by Raybourne and his millions. Earnes had put his life on the line for her and the other agents on many occasions. He had gone way and above even when he didn’t have to.
He was dedicated and honest to a fault. It was something Director Nilsson seemed to have forgotten at the moment. There was no way Earnes would side with a scumbag like Raybourne.
“We have been looking at everyone’s financials, Agent Bowles. Agent Earnes just got over half a million dollars deposited into one of his accounts. We are still trying to figure out where that money came from. And his wife has just filed for divorce. He’s looking at a very costly divorce.”
This was the first time she was hearing about this, but it didn’t mean Earnes was guilty of anything. Maybe he just came by a hefty inheritance. And people got divorced all the time. It didn’t mean anything!
“Forgive me for saying this, sir, but that’s not Earnes. He wouldn’t accept
money or help Raybourne in any way. Earnes is completely dedicated to this
investigation, and to his job as an agent.”
Director Nilsson gave her a wary look. He saw agents defending their partners all the time. He would expect nothing less from Agent Bowles. You become close and protective of the people you work with every day. He had done the same thing many years ago.
“I hope for his sake that you are right.” Director Nilsson dismissed her blatant
support of Earnes. “Take a look at this.” He pushed a large folder across the desk at
her.
Bowles reached for it. She unfolded the large flap and took out what was inside.
“Bailey and his team found those on one of the dead men. He was making it out
the door, probably to take these to Raybourne when they took him down.”
She pored over the pages of paper, then replaced them in the folder.
“These are everything I have on Raybourne. It’s a copy of my files.”
She gave Director Nilsson a stunned look.
“They were downloaded from one of our computers, possibly yours. Forensic is trying to figure out which one, and who did it. I think it was done remotely too, but definitely by someone who has access to our systems. And there is more.”
Director Nilsson gave her an uncomfortable look. “Have a look at the second
folder.” He sat back on the chair and looked at her.
Bowles glanced up at him, and tore off the secured seal. She took out a huge
stack of photographs. Some of them had been enlarged, but not the ones she was in. Her eyes went over every one of them, and the color drained from her face. She took a long, deep breath and pushed her body further back into the chair. She was angry and repulsed by what she had just seen. She had an even harder time meeting Director Nilsson’s eyes.
She raised her head again and looked at Director Nilsson. She dropped the stack of photographs back onto the desk with a loud thud.
“Pictures of me, including some of me asleep in bed, and in the shower,” she told him in a drawn-out, exasperated sigh.
She was angry that Raybourne had violated the most private part of her life. What else had he done that she doesn’t know about? She wouldn’t put anything pass him at this point. Those pictures were profaned and wrong in so many ways! She wished she could get her hands around Raybourne’s neck. She would have absolutely no problem squeezing the life out of him. And she would enjoy doing it too!
“I’m sorry about this, Agent Bowles. No one deserves to be photographed without their knowledge, and certainly not in the privacy of their own home.” Director Nilsson gave her a sympathetic nod. He gathered up the photographs off the desk, shoved them back into the envelope and resealed it. “I will personally destroyed these.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“We will get to the bottom of this, Agent Bowles. We will get Raybourne—one way or the other we will make him pay for this and for all of the other awful things he has done.” He assured her. And she believed him.
“That man has been in my house for god’s knows how long and I didn’t know it. He has been watching me all this time! Some of those photos are dated three months ago. Looks like he has been keeping tabs on me for almost a year, almost the same time we were doing surveillance on him.”
She had a hard time getting the words out. She couldn’t believe that Raybourne
had invaded the most intimate parts of her life the way he had. Had he videotaped her making love too! Did he have those compromising images waiting to use them against her? The very thought of that made her sick to the stomach. She felt her anger mounting, and she t
ook a long deep breath and sat back in the chair. The whole thing was upsetting, and very troubling to say the least, but she wasn’t going to let Raybourne get to her. It showed how sick and depraved he was—how far he was willing to go to hurt her.
“It’s clear that Raybourne is targeting you, Agent Bowles, those photographs were taken both inside and outside of your house.”
She hated to ask, but she had to. “Has anyone else seen those?”
“We have been discreet, Agent Bowles. Only Dr. Bailey and I know about them,
at least for now. That’s why we have to find Raybourne and destroy whatever else he has before it’s too late. We will do whatever it takes to protect
your privacy.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She still couldn’t relax knowing what Raybourne had on her.
“The team did a thorough sweep of your house not long ago. They found nothing. Raybourne had already removed whatever listening and recording devices he had planted there. He has been stalking you, Agent Bowles.” There was a worried frown on Director Nilsson’s face. Bowles had never seen him this disgusted and infuriated. “Raybourne has been playing his usual sick cat and mouse game with you, and this entire department. And what’s more dangerous is that he has strung us along for months, making us believe that we had a very covert operation going on, on him, when the truth of matter was, he knew everything we were doing—when and where we were doing it.”
“I can’t believe anyone here would allow Raybourne to get to them, sir. Every one was thoroughly vetted before they joined the team. None of them ever posed a security threat.”
She hoped she wasn’t considered a suspect. No one wanted Raybourne caught;
dead or alive more than her.
“I beg to differ, Agent Bowles. Someone or ones are assisting Mr. Raybourne.
Maybe Raybourne has something on them. Maybe he or she is in it for the vast sum of money I suppose he offered them.” Director Nilsson gave her a stern, determined look. “I don’t know, but what I do know, Agent Bowles, is that someone handed Gilles Raybourne a stack of information that he is using to avoid capture, and the sooner we find that person and stop them, the better it will be for us to apprehend Raybourne and put an end to this dangerous operation he has going.”
In Hot Pursuit Page 6