by Alex Siegel
Willis cleaned himself and changed into red nylon pants with too many zippers.
"Are all these clothes yours?" Marina said.
He nodded. "Yes. Aren't they fabulous?"
She could only shake her head sadly.
She heard a car in the driveway.
"I'll get that," she said. "Stay with Willis."
"Yes, ma'am," Hanley said.
Marina ran outside. A green Mercedes was parked in the driveway, and she recognized it from the previous day in the park. A man in a plain, white business suit was standing beside the car and smoking a cigarette.
She drew her gun. "FBI!" she barked. "Get in the house! Now!"
The man was so surprised he dropped his cigarette. He raised his hands and went into the house.
She ordered him to lie down next to the other bodyguard. She gave both of them an injection of venom, enough to make them sleep for a few hours. Taking them along as prisoners was impractical.
"Come out here," Marina yelled.
Hanley and Willis came out of the bedroom.
Willis looked at the unconscious bodies. "What happened to them?"
"Don't worry about them," she said. "They'll be fine. It's time to go."
Everybody went outside into the cool, morning air. Hanley took the driver's seat of the green sedan, and Marina rode in the back of the sedan with Willis. Katie followed closely in the van. The short caravan drove off and headed back towards the Santa Cruz Mountains.
* * *
Hanley turned off the highway and drove the green sedan into the town of Los Gatos. The Bay Area consisted of many cities jammed together to form a giant metropolitan area, so Los Gatos was more of an arbitrary designation than a separate population. The town was at the north end of Highway 17 where it left the mountains.
"Go straight for a couple of blocks," Willis said. "Then turn right at the bank."
Hanley nodded.
Marina glanced over her shoulder. Katie was still following in the blue van.
The streets of Los Gatos were wide and straight, and there were plenty of trees. Marina didn't see any big office buildings. It seemed to be a nice residential area with some shopping mixed in. The sedan drove past grocery stores, hair salons, banks, and restaurants. There was no litter in the gutters, not even dead leaves. The place struck her as a little too sterile to be real.
"That's the coffee shop," Willis said. "Park there."
Hanley parked next to a yellow building with a green awning. The sign read, "Sweet Bread Café." The shop was tiny, and Marina saw only three tables inside, all unoccupied.
"Where is the 'guy'?" she said.
Willis pointed at another car parked in the lot. It was a black Lexus with heavily tinted windows, and the engine was running. Marina couldn't see through the glass.
"I just sit inside," he said. "I get money, a script, and instructions. Then I leave."
"You do this every day?"
He nodded.
She frowned as she considered her options. This was a very public location. The coffee shop was in front of a busy strip mall and next to a major street. She couldn't even show her gun without attracting attention.
"I'm going to hijack the car," Marina said. "When I drive off, follow me."
"Ma'am?" Hanley said. "I have a better..."
"Relax. It won't be a problem."
"I just don't think it's necessary to..."
"My decision is made," she said.
He sighed. "Yes, ma'am. What about Willis? I can't watch him while I'm driving."
Marina stabbed her fingernails into Willis's neck and gave him a moderate dose of venom. His eyes closed.
"He'll sleep for an hour," she said.
She climbed out of the warm sedan, and a cold breeze made her shiver. She boldly walked over to the Lexus. As she approached, she saw one man through the dark glass, and he was sitting up front.
Marina walked around to his window and knocked. She smiled at him.
He was in his mid-twenties, and his brown hair was marvelously thick. His dark gray business suit shined like silk. Round glasses were perched on his nose.
He rolled down his window. "Can I help you?"
She immediately gave him a dose of venom. She opened the door from the inside and with a grunt, shoved the unconscious body out of the way.
She sat in the driver's seat. She took the young man's wallet from his pocket and photographed his identification with her phone. She sent the pictures to Min Ho.
She put the car into gear, backed up, and drove off slowly. Hanley followed in the green sedan, and Katie followed him in the van.
Marina didn't have a specific destination in mind, so she headed towards the nearby mountains. She was sure she could find a private place for a conversation there.
* * *
Marina was standing on a hill overlooking a reservoir filled with green water. Highway 17 was on the far side of the water, and traffic flowed constantly in both directions. The terrain was steep and rugged. Hilltops tended to be barren, while the sheltered valleys in between were packed with thick brush and trees. The dirt was dry, hard, and rocky.
"He's waking up," Hanley announced.
Marina walked down the back side of the hill away from the highway. The young man with the glasses was lying on a dirt slope, and Hanley and Katie were standing guard over him. Brush screened them on all sides.
The young man's eyes opened, and he tried to sit up.
Marina stomped on his chest to force him back down. "Stay put!" she said. "We already know you're Mark Darrow, recent graduate from Harvard law school. You work for your father, Alan Darrow. He owns a large legal firm in San Francisco. You were in possession of a bag containing ten thousand dollars in cash. You intended to give this money to John Willis, a.k.a., Dr. Carefree. You also had the script for today's sermon. Put together, these facts make a confusing mosaic. Why would the spoiled son of a rich lawyer pay a struggling actor to advocate irresponsible sex? And just so we're clear, if I don't get an explanation, this conversation will get ugly."
Mark's hands were shaking. He held them up in a calming gesture and said, "There's no need for violence. Who are you?"
"Federal agents," Marina growled. "And I have another question. What kind of poison is in the 'love wafers'?"
He looked ill but kept his mouth shut.
She drew her pistol and caressed the barrel. "You think I'm joking?" She cocked the hammer. "Nobody will hear you scream out here."
He squealed like a pig. "Listen, my dad pays me to be a delivery boy. I don't know what's going on. It's a top secret project in the firm. I swear!"
"You didn't ask? The big bags of cash didn't make you suspicious?"
"My dad told me it was all legal, and I believe him. The Darrows aren't criminals. I didn't do anything wrong!"
Marina snarled and backed away. She pulled Hanley and Katie aside.
"It sounds like we're talking to daddy next," Marina murmured and rubbed her neck. "We have to go back up to San Francisco. All this driving is killing me."
Katie nodded. "That's the Bay Area. You spend half your life on a highway stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. What if this guy is lying, ma'am? What if his dad knows nothing?"
"We'll hang onto him. If it turns out he's messing with us, we'll interrogate him properly, but I don't think that's likely. Look at him. He's just a scared punk. I can't believe he gave up his own father so quickly. What happened to family loyalty?" Marina shook her head sadly. "Let's go."
They grabbed Darrow by the arms and hustled him down the hill. The vehicles were parked on the dirt shoulder of a winding, mountain road. Willis was still sleeping in the green Mercedes.
"We don't need three vehicles," Marina said, "and we don't need Dr. Carefree. Let's put this kid in the van. We'll abandon the cars here."
The team put Darrow into the middle seat of the blue van. Marina sat behind him with a gun in her hand, and Hanley sat beside him. Katie was the driver.
&nbs
p; The van pulled away in a cloud of dust.
* * *
The van stopped in front of the iconic Transamerica building in San Francisco. Five long hours had passed since the day's adventure had begun, and Marina's patience had been sorely tested. Her butt hurt from sitting.
"My dad's law firm is on the thirtieth floor," Darrow said.
Marina put her face against the window and looked up at the tall building. It had a pyramidal shape with a point at the top. Two vertical wings extended outwards from the upper floors. The white surface glittered in the sunlight and seemed to be made of powdered quartz.
She turned her attention to the lobby at the base of the tower. It had glass walls, and she could see through to the other side. Some security guards were standing around and looking bored.
She contemplated her options.
"Ma'am?" Hanley said, "are you thinking about going up there?"
"It's an idea," Marina murmured.
"A bad one. That office is full of civilians. This confrontation could get violent."
"Don't tell me what I can't do." She glared at him.
"Sorry." He ducked his head apologetically.
"But you're right, damn it. I was so looking forward to busting in there." She rolled her eyes. "We need another plan."
Mark Darrow was still sitting in the middle seat. Seeing his frightened, young face gave her an idea.
"You're going to help us," Marina told him. "Call your father. Tell him to meet you someplace where you two can have a very private conversation."
"Are you going to arrest him?" he said fearfully.
"We'll talk to him first. He'll get a chance to tell his side of the story. Listen, both of you are in a lot of trouble. I strongly recommend cooperation. It's the only way to stay out of jail."
Darrow thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Hanley lent Darrow his phone.
Darrow made a call. "Dad? It's Mark. We need to talk. It's really important, but I can't come up to the office. Meet me in the back room of the Nugget Tavern. Right now. Cancel the meeting! Just be there. Hurry."
He gave the phone back to Hanley.
Marina nodded. "Well done. Where is this tavern?"
Chapter Ten
The Nugget Tavern occupied a corner of the bottom floor of an office building. Cheerful yellow paint covered the front of the tavern, and the windows were also tinted yellow. Chunks of golden metallic crystal surrounded the front door, and the mineral looked like pyrite, a.k.a. Fool's Gold.
Marina led the way inside. Hanley and Katie were holding onto Mark Darrow, and the three of them followed Marina.
The interior was a nice tavern with polished brass fixtures. Antique pickaxes, shovels, and other mining tools decorated the walls. There was a bar on the left, and a few seats were occupied by men and women dressed like professionals. The tables in the middle of the room were empty.
Darrow pointed to a closed door in back. "In there."
Marina went to the door and opened it. The room beyond was dark.
"Hey!" the bartender yelled. "That room is closed, ma'am!"
She took out her FBI badge and showed it to him. "It's open for us."
She flipped on the light switch. The back room contained four wooden tables, each with four brass chairs. Everybody sat down.
Marina looked at Katie. "When he gets here, you talk to him. I want to see how you handle this."
"Yes, ma'am," Katie said.
Marina tapped her foot as she waited for Alan Darrow to make his appearance. It was almost dinner time, and she was hungry. The team had skipped lunch. She glared at Mark, and he cowered.
About ten minutes later, a man in a brown business suit entered. The family resemblance between father and son was obvious, but Alan had gray hair. He was carrying a stainless steel briefcase.
"This better be damned important," he said angrily. "I walked out of a client meeting."
Katie stood and closed the door behind him. She took out her badge. "FBI. We have some questions, Mr. Darrow."
"Whoa!" His eyes widened. "Should I have my lawyer present for this?"
"Aren't you a lawyer?" She raised her eyebrows.
"I'm not a criminal lawyer. Just tell me what's going on."
"Take a seat."
Alan didn't move. Katie walked over and shoved him into a chair.
"Does the name Dr. Carefree, a.k.a. John Willis, mean anything to you?" she said.
The reaction on his face told Marina they had found the guilty party.
He recovered his composure and said, "No. Should it?"
"Strange." Katie cocked her head. "We caught your son trying to give ten thousand dollars in cash to Willis. The money came from you."
The elder Darrow gave his son a look that could've cracked a mirror. Mark shriveled in his chair.
"I haven't broken any laws," Alan said confidently.
"Great," Katie said. "Then you won't mind telling us what the hell is going on."
He furrowed his brow and kept quiet.
"We could take you to the FBI office and ask the same questions in an interrogation room," she said.
"You can't intimidate me." He raised his chin.
"Brave man. While you're in custody, the media might 'accidently' discover you're there. The owner of a prominent law firm getting arrested would make news."
"On what charges?"
"Money laundering, for one," Katie said.
"Every dollar is on our books," Alan said angrily. "The payments will be reported on our tax filings. There is nothing illegal about exchanging cash for services."
"But it does look extremely suspicious. I don't think you or your firm want to take that kind of public relations hit."
"This is blackmail."
She shrugged. "Just tell us the truth, and you can walk out of here. Unless you're trying to cover up a crime."
Marina liked Katie's edgy and confident performance. There were just some small details that needed polishing like the way Katie held her hands. Her voice was a bit too soft in Marina's expert opinion. Still, for a rookie, Katie was doing very well.
"There is no crime." Alan gritted his teeth. "Fine. You win. My firm specializes in divorces. We handle more of them than any other outfit in the Bay Area."
Marina raised her eyebrows. She could hardly believe where this conversation was going.
He continued, "We're basically paying Willis to generate new clients for my firm. We get the names and addresses of people who attend the sermons, and we mail them our brochures. It's that simple."
"Is it working?" Katie said.
"Yes." He nodded. "Five hundred new clients this month. Two million dollars in billable hours. It's working so well, I'm thinking about suspending the sermons for a while. My staff can't keep up. Nothing about this project is illegal. Before we kicked it off, we triple-checked every detail."
"Why is Dr. Carefree so popular?"
"We ran a stealth social media campaign for weeks leading up to the first sermon. Thousands of posts from apparently ordinary people. The public was ready for him before he even walked on stage. Are you satisfied? Can my son and I go?"
Marina sighed with annoyance. She wasn't satisfied at all. "What about the 'love wafers'?"
Alan turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"Are they poisoned?"
"No." He stared at her. "Of course not! Why would we poison our clients? Are you really that paranoid? The cookies are just a gimmick. A bakery in Mexico makes them for us."
"Did you see any strange lights recently? Any unusual dreams?"
"What are you talking about?" Alan drew back. "I sleep like a baby."
She stood up and paced around the room. She would have to confirm his story, but at the moment, she believed it. She could easily imagine a bunch of greedy divorce lawyers devising such an unethical plan. It wasn't even against the law. From a legal perspective, Dr. Carefree fell into the category of "creative marketing." The Gray Spear Society had no business getting in
volved.
Marina walked over to Alan Darrow and punched him in the gut. It was the least she could do. He gasped and coughed.
She went to the door and opened it. "Let's go home."
She, Hanley, and Katie left.
* * *
Marina was still sulking when she walked into her headquarters. She looked around to see what the other members of her team were doing. It appeared Ipo was helping Imelda install a sink in the conference room which would become Marina's bathroom. Min Ho and Jia were at their computers. Corrie was playing with some gadget in the electrical cage.
"Everybody, come over here!" Marina yelled. "I'll tell you what happened today."
The whole team gathered near the computer area. They stood in a rough circle and listened intently.
She gave a quick summary of the day's adventure.
Finally, she said, "Min Ho, I want you to make sure everything checks out. Hack into the law firm's computers. Look at the accounting records, but I'm not expecting any surprises. We're probably done with Dr. Carefree and that whole ugly business."
"Yes, ma'am," Min Ho said, "but I don't think we're done. Not at all."
"What do you mean?"
He turned to his computer and clicked a few keys. A map of the San Francisco Bay Area appeared. Patches of color covered the map, and they varied from light yellow to dark red. It reminded Marina of a weather map.
"I did some research on the recent surge in domestic violence," Min Ho said. "It goes far beyond San Francisco. The affected area goes all the way out to Sacramento and down to Gilroy. The rate is up to three times normal in some places, and that's not all. There is more drug abuse, venereal disease, and rape. Even child molestation is suddenly on the rise. Something is tearing apart the social fabric, and I don't think it's Dr. Carefree."
Marina stared at the map, and a shiver ran down her spine. The weight of her responsibilities as a commander suddenly felt much heavier. Aaron and Ethel were far away. This crisis was happening in Marina's territory, and she was ultimately responsible for fixing it. If she made poor decisions, millions of people would suffer.
You can handle this, she told herself.
"Shouldn't we tell the authorities, ma'am?" Corrie said.
Marina faced the scientist. She was wearing blue cotton coveralls, protective goggles, and latex gloves. Marina guessed Corrie had been working with chemicals.