The Iscariot Factor (Half Staff Book 2)

by Rick Mitchell

  “I contacted their head of corporate security and shared what I had found. He asked me to keep it confidential until he had a chance to investigate internally. He feared corporate espionage and wondered if competing defense contractors had hacked into their system.”

  “I explained the system had not been breached externally, but internally. If given the time I could probably identify the computer it originated from. The next morning I was hailing a taxi outside of my hotel when a car veered from traffic towards me. I was barely able to dodge it, and it sped away. I was shaken but concluded it was a careless driver. Later I began questioning whether this was indeed the case.”

  Chloe, sitting on the edge of the couch, was listening to his story as if in a trance. Gabriel didn’t know if she was going into shock, or enthralled by the tale. He hated to lie to her but in a hundred ways this whole marriage had been centered on lies.

  He continued, “Over the next few days I had the strange feeling that someone was following me. It might have been my imagination but I started noticing the same car outside almost everyplace I visited.”

  “Three days after my meeting with their head of corporate security I was approached on the street by two men. One of the men flashed a gold badge and asked me to step into an awaiting SUV. Scared, I did what they asked.”

  “They identified themselves as FBI agents and began questioning me about what I had found at the clients office. I asked how they knew about the file, believing the head of security had contacted them.”

  “I was shocked to learn the firm was under federal investigation for selling U.S. military secrets to foreign governments. They had reason to believe the treason went deep into the top levels of the corporation.”

  “They told me they had listening devices planted throughout the complex. They had recorded me speaking with the security head in his office. I mentioned my earlier close call, and my fear that someone was following me. They told me the close call was just a reckless driver; and they had assigned a couple of agents to follow me soon after they heard the wiretap. They asked me if I had taken a copy of the file. If not, did I have a way off pulling the file off the server from outside the office?”

  “I told them that I did not make a copy of the file and that during their internal investigation they had deleted my connectivity to their servers. They spoke of being disappointed I had no way into the system; but the looks on their face showed just the opposite.”

  “One man gave me his card and asked me to contact him if I thought of anything else. He said that I might need to testify if the case went to the government prosecutors. I told them that I hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, but that I would consider it once they finished their investigation.”

  “That night I kept playing the meeting back and forth in my mind. By morning I came up with a way to retrieve the file. I searched for an hour but couldn’t find the card the agent had given me. I concluded I had probably left it in the cab on my way back to the hotel. I remembered his name so I called the local FBI office and asked for him. They said they did not have an agent by that name assigned to that office.”

  “Thinking the agent might have come from Washington, I asked the woman to search the employee database and connect me to the office of the agent. She checked the database and told me the FBI had no one employed under that name. She asked me what I needed and would connect me to a different agent. I told her I must have been mistaken and I would call once I found the card. Chloe, I hadn’t made a mistake on the name.”

  Chloe was now leaning into him and had squeezed his hand so hard he could feel his heart throbbing through it. Gabriel knew she was fully involved and her mind was already racing toward his next words.

  “I considered calling the FBI again but I had no proof to offer them. All I had was a wild story about possible espionage; with nothing to back it up.”

  “Chloe, do you remember my uncle John; he came to our wedding? John once told me my parents had set up a small trust for me before their accident. While in the states I contacted my uncle and he sent me the account name and number. I was surprised to find the trust had grown significantly over the years.”

  “Sweetheart, I started noticing cars following me again. Yesterday the corporate Security Director asked if I could return for a meeting. He wanted to meet me away from the office and I told him I was out of the area and it would take a couple of weeks to clear my schedule.”

  “Chloe, I reached out to another one of my clients; one who I knew who had a rather dubious past. He was able to help me find someone who could provide us with fake passports. I know that all this sounds crazy, but Chloe, I am afraid for our lives.”

  “I want us to get out of the country for a while until I can figure out what to do next. My plan is to anonymously contact the American government and tell them my story. My hope is that after a couple of months of investigation, they will find nothing. I need to know if I am just being paranoid, or if I had reason to fear.”

  “Sweetie, we can’t let anyone know our new identities, or where we are going. It’s still going to take me a few days to get everything together so I want you to go and visit your aunt in Winnipeg. Please don’t mention your travel plans to our neighbors.”

  “I am heading back to the states to gather the money and find a place where we can disappear. Are you with me Chloe?” Do you agree that this is our only logical step for the moment?” Gabriel asked.

  Chloe with tears in her eyes reached across the couch and placed her head on her husband’s shoulders. “Gab, I wish you would have shared this with me sooner. I hate that you have had to go through all this by yourself. I will do whatever you need me to do. I don’t believe for a minute that you are being paranoid; I will pack for Aunt Jan’s in the morning.”

  Gabriel made love to his wife, knowing that she needed to feel secure on this night. He loved Chloe and once out of the country he could extend their stay as needed. Tomorrow he would begin his journey back to his roots; a journey that Gabriel Frazer couldn’t take. Only Kevin Sands could take this trip.

  Something told him the card was somehow connected to Luke. Maybe some sick joke Luke was playing to get back at him for the missed hit on the Congressman. The card did accomplish one thing positive; it was now time for both Gabriel and Kevin Sands to retire for good. It also reminded him that yesterday was his birthday; he quietly sang Happy Birthday to himself.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  President Ward was sitting at his desk when Don Lake and Pat Drice entered the Oval Office. He rose and crossed in front of the desk to greet them."Please tell me the two of you have good news for me this morning. I have to admit that this conspiracy paper has been haunting my dreams.”

  Director Lake replying, “I would love nothing more than to tell you that it is all under control, but unfortunately that is not the case. Pat, please share with the President what we have learned thus far.”

  “Mr. President, we know who placed the document on the web. Although written in this man’s style, he did not originate the document. We believe it was given to him to reword and once that was accomplished, he was murdered. As of yet, we haven’t uncovered to wrote the document.”

  “What do you know?”

  Pat gathered his thoughts before answering, “Sir, we have no evidence that it was from friend, or foe; but we now know getting it out was important enough to kill for.

  Director Lake wanting to change the tone of the conversation, “Pat, tell him about your Houston visit.”

  “Mr. President, I have had the twins digging deeper into the connection between Doyle Preston and Charles King. They found some payments between Donald Rayburn, the CEO of Execo Oil, and Charles King that seemed irregular to them.

  “Agent Watts and I met with Mr. Rayburn, and while he seemed forthcoming about the payments, I asked him how long he and Matthew had known one another. He caught himself, but something in his mannerisms led us to believe he knew that Charles King and Matthew were one in the sa
me.”

  President Ward speaking, “Gentlemen, I know Donald Rayburn. He is tied at the hip with several Congressmen and Senators. I would be careful pulling on his chain. How are you going to go about tying him to the conspirators?”

  Pat answered, “Sir, we have the twins continuing to dig into Mr. Rayburn and maybe it will open the doors needed to take this to the next level.”

  “Let me go ahead and put this in the back of your minds. There is going to be hell to pay if Donald Rayburn takes a leap from any window in his office building. For once I would like to end with someone breathing who we can intimidate and interrogate. Are we clear, Gentlemen?”

  They answered “Yes Sir” in unison.

  “I don’t see Donald Rayburn as one of the conspirators. But then again, what the hell do I know. I have been surprised at almost every turn. I don’t doubt for a moment that more surprises lay ahead. Keep me up-to-date on what you find out. Just be careful in going after Rayburn.”

  -----

  Gabriel would drive Chloe to the airport for the flight to visit her Aunt. She had her new passport and other necessary documents in case they had to move quickly. He also gave her a new cell phone, one of several burn-phones bought months earlier. He always kept a few items at the ready in a go-bag. He told Chloe not to mention their real names in her conversations over the phone.

  They had spent a good deal of the morning rehashing the discussions from the night before. Gabriel concluded that Chloe must have been in a state of shock during their conversation. This morning had been question after question; tears after tears.

  Sometime during the night she reasoned that the best way out of this would be for Gabriel to contact the Canadian authorities; they could bring in the FBI. This way, the people threatening Gab’s life would back off if they thought the knowledge of the files was compromised.

  Gabriel listened to Chloe without response; allowing her to voice her thoughts. He told her that earlier that morning he had come to the exact conclusion; that it was uncanny how both of them were so in-tune with one another.

  He told her after thinking it though he had had second thoughts about going to the authorities at all. He told Chloe that he had heard somewhere that a trial moving through the United States court system normally takes a year. A trial involving a Fortune 500 company would probably take two or three times that.

  With unlimited funds a large American corporation would have a team of lawyers who could suffocate the proceeding with tons of defense filings.

  He feared their lives would be completely taken over with this trail for years. During that period there would be constant concern for his and Chloe’s personal safety. The U.S. government would want them to go into some form of protection program. Like the ones they had seen in American movies.

  He leaned over, kissed Chloe, and told her that no; the only way that he saw to get through this was for them to disappear. After they were safe he would find a way to inform the U.S. government about the file. If they wanted to pursue it, they could do it without him.

  Gabriel hugged his wife and told her he would do whatever she felt was right. If she thought it best that they go to the authorities, then they would do it this morning. But he just wanted to make sure she understood possible results of that action.

  Chloe stood and headed up the stairs without speaking. Gabriel asked what she was doing; she replied that she was going up to get dressed for her flight.

  -----

  After kissing Chloe good-bye Gabriel had to wait another hour before boarding his flight to Charlotte. It was early afternoon when he arrived back to the life he had left behind. When he crossed the Burke County line, the memories started flooding in.

  He never had to test his new appearance against people of his past, and when he looked at his reflection he saw commonalities to Kevin Sands. It had been over six years since he left North Carolina; it seemed like sixty.

  Gabriel had no plans to test his plastic surgeries on any old acquaintances as this would be his last visit to Burke County. He would then do his best to wipe the past from his memories. He smiled as he thought of the saying, “third time’s a charm.” He would soon be entering his third life; in half a dozen years.

  He drove past his grandfather’s house and saw three children playing in the yard. His grandfather would have liked knowing a family lived there. It looked the same; except for the new coat of paint.

  As he passed through the small town, he noticed something that made him circle the town square for a second time. He got out of the car and walked up to a large granite monument. It had a picture of his grandfather chiseled in stone. Under his likeness, it read, Bill Stoops, a neighbor and friend to all he met, and a light of hope for many. Generous in life, Generous in death; his memory endures.

  Gabriel wiped tears from his eyes as he reached out tracing his grandfather’s face in the granite. He looked up and saw Dusty Johnson drive by in his patrol car. Dusty touched his brakes on the Dodge Charger when he noticed the man standing at the memorial. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued on his way.

  Gabriel returned to his rental car and headed out of town. He glanced back into his past for the last time. Once reaching the main highway he turned left; next stop, Lumberton. He looked over at the passenger seat, at a copy of the old newspaper.

  Rob Jamison, the addict who killed his grandfather was with two others the morning of the shooting. The local newspaper named one of the young men, Larry Russell. The second wasn’t identified because at the time he was a juvenile.

  …..Gabriel knew neither would have anything to do with the birthday card but they were the logical place to begin his search. He stopped at a truck stop outside Lumberton and changed into a dark suit. It was time to reopen the cold case investigation into the death of Rob Jamison.

  Asking around Lumberton, Gabriel found out that Larry Russell had died two years ago from a drug overdose. Two more cups of coffee at local cafes yielded the name of the second man; twenty-two year old Ronny Lamont, worked as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership.

  He waited until Ronny left the building for lunch before approaching him, “Mr. Lamont, my name is Agent Dan Waters of the FBI. Could I have a word in private with you please? It won’t take but a minute, Sir.”

  Ronny glanced at the badge and replied, “Can I ask what this is about?”

  “Yes Sir, it’s concerning Rob Jamison and Kevin Sands. It shouldn’t take but a couple of minutes.”

  Lamont told his friends he would meet them for lunch in a few minutes. He walked over to Gabriel’s car and leaned against the front fender, “What can I do for you Agent Waters? It has been a couple of years since anyone has come to see me about Rob’s murder.”

  “Looking through the files it read as though you and Jamison were pretty tight; is that correct?”

  “I wouldn’t say we were that tight. I was young and Rob would let me hang with him.”

  “I read where you stated you had no knowledge of Jamison supposedly killing a man in Burke County. That would have been Bill Stoops, the grandfather of Kevin Sands.” You know, the man who is thought to have killed Jamison.”

  “I don’t what file your reading, but Sands did kill Rob. They pulled his fingerprints from the gun on top of the building across the street from the bank.”

  “Let’s go back to my question; did Rob say anything to you about killing a man in Burke County?”

  “I told the detectives that Rob mentioned robbing some old man; I had no way of knowing if it was Kevin Sands grandfather.”

  “What exactly did he say to you?”

  “He told me that he had been paid to rob some old guy. He never said anything about killing anyone; just that he robbed them.”

  “And you told that to the FBI?”

  “The FBI and the Army, but neither thought it had anything to do with Sands killing Rob. Can I go to lunch now; I only get an hour?”

  “Sure, just one more thing, did Rob mention anything about the
person who hired him to rob the old man; anything at all?” Gabriel asked slowly.

  “Nothing else, just that,” Ronny said as he turned to walk toward his car.

  Gabriel considered stopping him and pressing him for additional information but he was sure the kid wasn’t hiding anything. This was going to be a wild goose chase; someone was just jerking his chain.

  As he was about to drive off and looked up to see Lamont pulling beside him. Both men rolling down their windows, “Agent Waters, I don’t know if it will help but I just remembered something that Rob had mentioned. He said the man who hired him to rob the old guy was a big man; no, he actually said that he was a huge dude. Hope that helps,” Ronny said as he drove away.

  It took Gabriel a moment to fully comprehend what he had just heard. Anger began to rise now realizing he had been played from the beginning. It was Matthew and John who told him the military knew about his link to the night raids in Iran. How eager they had been in helping him find his grandfather’s killer.

  …..Gabriel Frazier was their creation; they probably had a good laugh every time they thought of it. This torrid story was not complete; Gabriel would help Kevin Sands write a new chapter and this book wouldn’t end well for some.

  …..He now knew that Matthew paid Rob Jamison to kill his grandfather; and for what? So they could manipulate him to join their pack of wolves.

  Gabriel was still unsure who sent the birthday card, but it rang true. Rob Jamison wasn’t his grandfather’s killer; he was just the guy who pulled the trigger. Unfortunately Gabriel couldn’t put a bullet into a dead man, but Matthew wasn’t the only one with his grandfather’s blood on his hands. John was still breathing; at least for now.

  He reached for one of his burn-phones and called Chloe. When she answered he responded with a single sentence, “Sweetie, time for Plan C.”

  In two days Chloe would use her new identity to travel to a planned rendezvous. Within a week Gabriel would join her and they would make final decisions where to vanish.