End Game

by Rachel Dylan

  “This is major. What if it doesn’t stop with Whelan? We don’t know who at the CIA we can trust.”

  “Except Layla. I know she’d never do anything like this.”

  Marco was quiet for a moment.

  “I know my friend, Marco. That’s off the table.” Bailey would defend her friend no matter what.

  “If you’re right, then she could be in danger, given her involvement in this.”

  “And I’m the one who brought her into this mess.” Bailey shook her head in frustration. “What do we do now?”

  “Take this to our directors.”

  She clenched her fists. “What if either of them is involved?”

  “C’mon, that’s highly unlikely. I think this stops at the CIA. If, God forbid, something else happened and we didn’t tell them, that would put us and them in an awful position. It’s just a risk we have to take to try to bring this case to a head.”

  She knew deep in her gut that he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. “Do you think we call a joint meeting?”

  “Probably better for us to handle this together as opposed to separately.”

  Her phone rang, but she didn’t recognize the number. “I don’t know who this is.”

  “You shouldn’t answer it,” Marco said.

  “I have to.” She accepted the call.

  “We’ve got a problem,” Layla said.

  “I didn’t recognize your number,” Bailey replied. “I’ve got you on speaker.”

  “I’m also on a burner.”

  “What’s going on?” Marco leaned in.

  “Someone has been using the CIA database to run checks on Bailey. They know we’re friends.”

  “When did these searches start?” Marco asked.

  “Soon after the second murder,” Layla responded.

  “What’re you not saying?” Bailey asked.

  “The reason you might have been singled out is because of your association with me. When you started working the case, they probably did a background investigation into both of you. When they found the connection to me, that might have set off alarm bells. Whoever is behind this might’ve thought you know more than you do—or that I know it, for that matter. Someone has been fishing for a long time and using CIA resources to do it.”

  Bailey and Marco exchanged glances. But he shook his head. He didn’t want her to tell Layla their suspicions about Whelan.

  “And there’s one more thing. I ran Ross Stanley, aka the fake Julian Mayfield, through our system, and it’s not good news.”

  Bailey prepared herself for the worst.

  “Stanley was a CIA hired gun. He doesn’t work for us anymore, but this only makes me more worried about the Agency connection.”

  Bailey agreed. Layla only knew part of the story. “Thanks for telling us, Layla.”

  “You two need to be careful. I haven’t been able to locate your new safe house. That’s good, because hopefully that means no one else can either. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “Will do,” Bailey said. “Thanks again.” She ended the call and looked at Marco. “Whelan could’ve hired Stanley. The full picture is starting to come together.”

  “It was too risky to tell her about Whelan,” Marco said. “For her own safety. That wasn’t a secure line. If Whelan is involved in this, then the less Layla knows, the better.”

  “You’re right. But how are we going to get the goods on Whelan?”

  “We need more than that one email. We have to keep looking.”

  A couple of hours later, Marco took Bailey’s hand. “How’re you holding up?”

  She sighed. “I’ve been better, but I have faith. The Lord has protected us this far. He’ll continue to do so.” Her voice held her sincere conviction.

  “I couldn’t agree with you more.” He probably hadn’t prayed enough for their safety, but Bailey’s point was an excellent reminder that God was still in control. Plain and simple. He’d known women of faith throughout his life, but Bailey’s faith was different because it was battle hardened. She’d faced down one of the worst losses a person could deal with and come out stronger on the other side. He not only respected her for that, but he was also drawn to her by it. “I’m not saying we should be reckless, but we need to keep looking.”

  “Marco, there is a real chance that something could happen to us, and it seems like they’re more focused on me. You could let me do this on my own. I don’t want to jeopardize your life unnecessarily.”

  “Are you crazy?” He leaned toward her. “You know I would never leave you. Never. So don’t even bring that up again.”

  “It would be safer for you.”

  “But not for you. Even if I didn’t have feelings for you, I wouldn’t leave you. That’s not how I operate. We’re in this together no matter what. Understood?”

  She let out a breath. “Yes.”

  “I’m serious, Bailey. I am not cutting and running. Ever.”

  “Thank you,” she replied softly.

  He squeezed her hand. “Stick with me. We’ll make it through this together.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FIVE

  The next morning Izzy conferred with Jay and Lexi in their conference room. “I got a cryptic message from Marco saying that he and Bailey are following up on a lead and asking us all to remain at HQ. I don’t have a good feeling about this.” She was anxious to get their reactions. After her strange conversation with Bailey, in which she knew Bailey was holding back, and now this message from Marco, her antenna was up. Everything was telling her that something was wrong.

  “Let me give the FBI a call and see if we can get a check-in from the security detail stationed at the safe house.” Jay pulled out his phone. A minute later he looked at Izzy. “They’re going to call me back when they have something.”

  “I hope Marco and Bailey aren’t planning to go off on their own. We’re a team, and we should stick together.” Fear bolted through Izzy at the prospect of something bad happening to them.

  Lexi stood. “I know they were reviewing the WSI documents. Maybe they found something and are trying to chase down a lead before looping us in. Is there any way for us to get into the database and look at what they were seeing?”

  Izzy nodded. “Yes, and if I can’t, Ryder can.”

  About an hour later, the team was huddled around a screen, reading the emails that Bailey’s user log showed she had been reviewing the night before. Izzy focused on the words, hoping for a clue.

  “Who is ‘NW’?” Lexi asked. “Do we know anyone with those initials?”

  The room was quiet for a minute.

  “Beats me,” Izzy responded.

  Then Jay cleared his throat. “Ned Whelan. The CIA deputy.”

  Lexi gasped. “If you’re right, then the CIA created this top secret mission and is behind all of this?”

  Izzy thought through the options. “It might not be the Agency. Maybe Whelan has gone rogue. Let’s see what else we can find. We’ll run searches in the database and go back to all the background checks of WSI employees. We need to figure out who at WSI was involved with Whelan.”

  They spent all morning dividing up the documents and searching to find any additional references to Whelan. They found a couple more and printed off copies, placing them on the whiteboard. A story was starting to take shape. A very troubling story that reached into the heart of the CIA.

  Izzy finally felt like she was coming into her own as she stood at the board. This was the first time in her career that she actually felt like a leader. And Jay, to his credit, was not trying to jump into the spotlight.

  “Here’s what we know,” she said. “Look at the timeline. Whelan didn’t come into the communication picture until later. What we don’t fully understand is the role Whelan played. Oliver Patterson and WSI were working together on the scheme to illegally divert the arms shipments. At a bare minimum, Cullen Mink was an operational player, and that probably resulted in his death. He knew t
he truth.”

  “Doesn’t that mean the WSI CEO, Barnett, is also at risk?” Lexi asked.

  The room fell silent before Izzy spoke again. “Barnett’s on the emails. So I think that’s your answer.”

  “Motive?” Jay asked. “Why make the deal with the Iranians in the first place?”

  “Money. Political favors,” Lexi suggested.

  “Or what if the Iranians have some dirt on Patterson? They forced him to act,” Jay said.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time that someone has been leveraged,” Lexi said.

  “What do we know about Patterson’s stance on Iran?” Izzy asked.

  Jay looked down at his laptop. “Iran isn’t his area of expertise. But in the past, he’s been more pro-engagement, wanting to focus on diplomacy.” His phone rang. “It’s the callback from the FBI.”

  Izzy waited anxiously, as she could only hear Jay’s side of the conversation, which wasn’t much.

  When he hung up, Jay turned back toward her and Lexi. “The two of them left the safe house this morning, but the agents said they seemed calm and composed. There was no sign of danger.”

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait for them to show up here,” Izzy said.

  They spent the bulk of the afternoon trying to build out all the facts. When the conference room door opened, Izzy’s eyes widened. It was NCIS Director Nadine Mercer. Her gaze immediately landed on the whiteboard.

  “I see you all have figured out what I was just briefed on by Agent Agostini,” Director Mercer said.

  “So he’s all right?” Izzy asked.

  Director Mercer nodded. “Yes. He and Agent Ryan are following up on some other leads.”

  Izzy let out a sigh of relief.

  The director turned toward Izzy. “We have a team of agents bringing in Barnett right now. Izzy, I want you to take the lead on interrogating him.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Izzy suddenly felt sick. Could she do this?

  Director Mercer crossed her arms. “We need to get him to flip and give up Patterson and Whelan. We’re willing to work out a highly favorable deal. But we won’t budge an inch unless he’s willing to flip. Not a millimeter until we get what we want.”

  Izzy didn’t immediately respond, so Jay jumped in. “Understood, ma’am. We’ll be ready when he gets here.”

  Director Mercer exited the room, and Izzy exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “I guess we’ve got an interrogation to prepare for.”

  Bailey and Marco met Layla at the National Mall near the Washington Monument. They’d chosen that spot since it was a major tourist area and there was a summer festival taking place that day, so they felt they could get lost in the crowd.

  “What’s going on?” Layla asked.

  They walked through the crowd, staying close together as they made their way down the grassy lawn.

  Bailey readied herself for this conversation. “We couldn’t say anything last night on the phone, but we now believe we have evidence tying the CIA to these crimes.”

  Layla’s brown eyes widened. “I was worried about that once I found those searches for you. Who is it?”

  “Ned Whelan,” Marco responded.

  “This was his operation. Well, it was ultimately Smith’s operation, but Whelan was involved in planning the op and running it day to day. It just doesn’t make sense that he’d sabotage his own plan.” Layla frowned.

  “We think it’s more complicated than that,” Bailey said. “The timeline we’ve come up with doesn’t show Whelan getting involved until soon before the first murder.”

  “Do you have a theory?” Layla asked.

  Bailey and Marco had spent half the night poring over documents, trying to create a plausible scenario and build out a timeline.

  Marco nodded. “We do. What if the guys figured out that Patterson was the DoD turncoat? They reported that back to Whelan, since he was running the op. Let’s say Whelan confronted Patterson and, instead of ratting him out to Smith and the rest of the Agency, Whelan made a deal with him.”

  Layla bit her lip. “Maybe Patterson paid Whelan off for his silence?”

  “How much do you know about Whelan?” Bailey asked. “Could you see him selling out?”

  Layla didn’t immediately respond.

  “Is that a yes?” Marco asked.

  “Whelan is old-school. He grew up in the Agency during the Cold War. He’s respected but cagey. Although you don’t get to be a top spook without being like that. But sometimes people do get corrupted by money. Also, I know that someone inside the CIA was digging around about Bailey. That would line up with this.” She paused. “And there’s no evidence of Smith’s involvement?”

  “None,” Bailey said. “Not a single thing.”

  “That’s good. I would’ve been shocked if he was involved. But regardless, this would mean that Whelan is responsible for the deaths of our own because of money. I guess the only way to bury the truth would be to kill them all.” Layla stopped walking and looked up at the sky.

  Bailey touched her arm. “I know it’s awful.”

  Layla’s dark brown eyes focused on her. “If Whelan is willing to kill his own operatives, then no one who knows the truth is safe. And that includes Barnett and even Patterson.”

  “You think Whelan would turn on Patterson?” Bailey asked.

  Layla nodded. “I have no doubts, given this context.”

  Marco started walking again. “We jointly briefed our directors by phone on a secure line before we came here. They want to handle Whelan. But we’re going to focus on Patterson and Barnett.”

  “You need to lie low, though, Layla, until Whelan is neutralized. He may try to come after you.”

  “I’ll go dark. The two of you need to be careful too. I checked this morning, and I still couldn’t find the location of your safe house. I think it’s clear. I’d either stay at NCIS or the safe house until this is all buttoned up if I were you.”

  “Will do,” Bailey said. “And I’m sorry again that I’ve brought you into this. I never intended to put you in danger.”

  Layla pulled her into a tight hug. “We’re in this together.” With a nod to Marco, she turned and started walking toward the monument, disappearing into the crowd.

  “We need to get out of here,” Marco said.

  Bailey nodded. “I hope this nightmare is almost over.”

  The past twenty-four hours had rushed by in a blur, and now Izzy sat with Jay in a room at WSI, about to watch a meeting between Rex Barnett and Oliver Patterson. To Izzy’s surprise, it hadn’t taken much to flip Barnett. He clearly wanted out of this mess. They’d learned a lot from him singing like a canary.

  According to Barnett, he’d done it for the money and had zero expectation of any dead bodies—much less the mounting body count. He’d been told at the beginning that this was a lucrative deal with almost zero chance of getting caught. Barnett viewed it purely as a business deal, a transaction.

  But once Battle and his fellow undercover agents started to figure out what was really going on, things got dicey. When Barnett found out that their operation had been exposed and Patterson had brought in Whelan, Barnett was boxed in. He had no power anymore.

  Barnett said that he never put out any of the hits, and it was all about Patterson and Whelan and what they wanted. But regardless, under the law and any ethical norm, Barnett was still accountable as part of this conspiracy, and that was enough to get him to cooperate. Izzy had put everything on the table for Barnett—including that he was expendable and a liability to his buddies.

  His full cooperation included bringing Patterson into WSI for a meeting that would be fully recorded so they would have the evidence they needed to turn over to the relevant prosecutors. Given the facts, they’d easily secured a wiretap warrant.

  “I just hope we can trust Barnett not to tip off Patterson,” Izzy muttered.

  Jay looked at her. “Barnett wants to save his own hide. You saw what a weakling he was when we started pushing him in
the interrogation. We told him that if there’s any doubt, all deals are off the table. He’ll play the game.”

  Izzy hoped Jay was right, because this was their best and only chance that she could see to successfully solve this case.

  “Game time,” Jay said.

  Izzy watched the screens as Barnett shook hands with Oliver Patterson.

  Barnett was in his early sixties with a full head of thick gray hair. Oliver was younger, only in his fifties, and wore a suit that was probably too rich for his government pay grade.

  “I wonder if Iranian money bought that designer suit and fancy gold cuff links,” Izzy said.

  Jay rolled his eyes. She knew it wasn’t at her but at Patterson.

  “Thanks for coming, Ollie. Please have a seat,” Barnett said.

  Patterson took a seat, and Barnett did the same. “You said it was important.” Patterson unbuttoned his suit jacket.

  “Yes. I’ve got the Feds breathing down my neck. I need your help managing this situation before it escalates even further.”

  Patterson leaned forward. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. We’re completely clean in all of this. If they had anything on us, we would’ve heard by now. So just relax.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Barnett pushed.

  Patterson’s light blue eyes glistened. “Don’t get cold feet. Stay the course.”

  This was the opening Barnett needed. “Let’s see how good an actor our CEO is,” Izzy said.

  Barnett slammed his fist on the table. “This is my company. My life. My livelihood. I need more than just your bare assertion that everything is going to be okay.”

  “Easy.” Patterson smiled and placed a hand on Barnett’s arm. “Believe me. Our last problem is about to be solved.”

  “What do you mean?” Barnett’s voice cracked.

  “The FBI woman. The one working with the CIA. Whelan is taking care of her and her boyfriend once and for all.”

  Izzy gasped. “They’re going to try to kill Bailey and Marco!” She turned to Jay. “We have to get more information.”

  He nodded. “Just give Barnett a second. I’m sure he’ll follow up.”

  “So you found her?” Barnett asked.