by Mike Ryan
“Yes. We were aware of Bevell’s possible involvement in all of this.”
“How was he involved?” Bridge asked.
Pinnacle One waived his hand in the air. “We don’t know. As far as we could tell, he was just brought on a week or two ago. We were observing from a distance.”
Bridge shook his phone slightly to bring attention back to the picture. “And this guy?”
“When I was told that Bevell had gone missing for a couple of days, I sent one of my men over to his house to see what he could find. I wanted to know if he had uncovered anything that would lead back to us.”
“And that included killing us?”
“No.” Pinnacle One put his finger in the air. “No. That was not him. After his encounter with you and Nicole, he fled the house and left the scene. Whoever shot at you afterwards was not him. It was not us. I would not have sanctioned that. Not yet, at least.”
“Who was it then?”
“That I don’t know. We’ve done some checking, but we’ve yet to come up with anything concrete.”
“What’s going on here?” Bridge asked.
Pinnacle One looked around again, making sure nobody was close enough to listen in. He took a couple of breaths before answering. “Gary Abbott was one of our assets. Due to his occupation of a traveling salesman, he was able to penetrate places that would have been tough for one of our known agents.”
“I figured as much.”
“We’ve used him often over the past few years. He was good. He provided us with a lot of information that we would not have known otherwise.”
“And his death?”
“Shocking. We were as surprised as anybody. And it happening here was… unfathomable.”
“His death or that it happened here?”
“Both.”
“What was he working on?”
Pinnacle One sighed, not wanting to say. It was still top-secret information, and even though Bridge was friendly to the agency, and trustworthy, he was still now an outsider.
“Did it have anything to do with Greg Kenny or Stash?”
Pinnacle One snapped his head to the side and stared at Bridge.
“That look pretty much tells me that it does.”
“Where have you heard those names?” Pinnacle One asked.
“I told you. I’m good at what I do.”
“You’ve worked faster than even I had anticipated. I assumed that you would eventually come upon them, but I didn’t think you would get those names for a few more weeks.”
“Now, my intel says that Greg Kenny is a former CIA agent who left the agency two weeks before Abbott went missing. That’s interesting in its own right, but the fact the agency now has an alert out on him, I don’t think I’m too out of line thinking that the two are somehow connected.”
Pinnacle One looked at him and sighed. “You sure you wouldn’t like to come back to the agency and work for us?”
“I’m good where I’m at. I’ve also heard that Stash is a wanted fugitive with a sheet a mile long. How’s it all tie together?”
“You’ve pretty much got it.” Pinnacle One didn’t see the use in trying to pretend or hide things anymore. Bridge probably had everything figured out now, anyway. “During the course of one of Abbott’s trips overseas, he became privy to some information that suggested we had a mole on the inside.”
“Kenny.”
“Well, we didn’t know who at the time. This was roughly two years ago. Stash has been on our radar for about three years now. We don’t know much about him other than the name and what he does.”
“Illegal arms?”
“Among other things. We suspect that he’s got his hand in a variety of pots, including Iran, North Korea, Russia, pretty much everyone we’ve been at odds with.”
“No real name?”
“No. We’ve used surveillance, informants, contacts, set up deals, everything you can think of; it’s all been useless. He’s evaded us at every turn.”
“And Kenny? Where does he fit in?”
“We’re not sure. We think he fits in on some level, though how much, we don’t know.”
“Why did he leave, and why is there an alert on him?”
“After Abbott discovered there may be a possible mole, we spent the next year trying to discover who that was. They hid themselves incredibly well. They left a few crumbs to follow, which we did, only to discover that they led nowhere.”
“Maybe left false trails on purpose.”
“Possibly. If he was aware we were on to him, he very well could have done it to throw us off the track and continue to disguise himself. Right up to his death, Abbott was on the road for about six months straight. He communicated to us that he needed a break. He wanted to come back home for at least a few weeks. We thought it was a good idea. Even though we were trying to find out who this traitor was, the man was not an agent, and we were afraid if he became tired, he may make some mistakes, slip up, and all our work would be thrown out the window.”
“So he came home.”
“He came home. One week after that he was found dead in an alley. And our best chance at finding that mole went out the window.”
“So you never found out who it was?”
“No. Oh, we’ve had thousands of theories floating around. Some of them are possible, some of them are ridiculous and can be dismissed easily, and some of them are ridiculous, but they are still possible and cannot be ruled out.”
“So where does Kenny come in?”
“Like you said, two weeks before Abbott came home, Kenny up and quit. He gave notice and said that he was cracking and couldn’t handle it anymore.”
“What were his assignments?”
“Critical. He was in deep. For the past few years he’d been working undercover, getting in deep with terrorist cells, criminal organizations, getting information on potential targets.”
“So he was basically permanently in the field?”
“Yes. Everyone thought he was indispensable before he left. He was fluent in five languages, passable in five more, and was instrumental in several successes that we’ve had around the world.”
“Is he the mole?” Bridge asked.
“At the time, we didn’t think so. There was no chatter about him that we could uncover. We just assumed he was a man who finally cracked under the pressure of living a dangerous life. You know as well as I do that it happens sometimes.”
“What about now?”
“Now we’re not sure what to think. Right before Abbott came home, one of Kenny’s aliases popped up on the radar here in New York. We looked for him, though we couldn’t find him. A few days after Abbott was killed, Kenny’s name popped up again, then he dropped off the map. So we know he was here at the same time as when Abbott was killed, we just don’t know why.”
“He’s involved.”
“Yes, well, that’s one of the theories, and probably a good one, but we haven’t been able to prove it yet. Or find out where the man is now. That’s why there’s an alert out on him. We want to question him to find out if he was the mole, if he was involved in Abbott’s death, and what he’s been doing for the past year.”
“No idea if he’s still here or not?”
“None. The fact is that men like him are even more dangerous than others. Because he lived a double life for so long, he’s accustomed to living a lie, blending in, creating false identities, and he’s had a long time to perfect that craft.”
“Is he involved with Stash?”
“Not that we can determine. In all the information we’ve ever received on Stash, Kenny’s name has never popped up. Though I guess it still is possible they may have interacted under different names, especially if Kenny thought he was being watched, but we haven’t gotten any information that indicates that that is the case. But as always, it’s possible until it’s proven otherwise.”
“If Kenny was the mole, and he killed Abbott because he thought he might be getting too close, then it’s l
ikely he also killed Bevell for looking into it.”
“There’s nothing to suggest the PI knew anything either.”
“He didn’t have to,” Bridge said. “If Kenny got wind of him looking into things, whether he was close or not, he might have just killed him so he didn’t have to worry about it.”
“What difference would it make now? If Kenny was the mole, he’s gone now, why would he care what the PI found out?”
“I suspect that Bevell found something. What it was, I’m not sure. Probably stumbled into it without knowing what it was is more likely, but I found both Kenny and Stash’s name in Bevell’s planner. He didn’t just come up with those names out of a hat. He found them somewhere.”
“You found their names in his planner?”
“I did. Now, that means they’re linked together somehow. I’m not sure how or why, but they’re involved.”
“That certainly puts a spin on things.”
“It does.”
“I know you’re going to keep working on this, Luke, and I’m good with that. I’m actually kind of glad that you are. But I would appreciate a heads-up if you find anything out.”
“Well, I guess that would depend.”
“On?”
“On whether it’s a two-way street. I don’t mind getting involved. But I like to know I’m not getting played for a sucker.”
“I give you my word that if we find anything out on this, you’ll know about it.”
The two men shook hands.
“Good enough for me,” Bridge said.
“Besides, since we don’t operate domestically, we need someone on the ground here who can work on our behalf.”
Bridge grinned. “Yeah. It would be helpful, though, if you could give me everything you have on Kenny, Abbott, and Stash. Tough to operate when you don’t have all the facts.”
Pinnacle One hesitated for a second, not sure about opening up their files, but he eventually relented. He knew to have a man like Bridge on the job, helping them, he needed all the information. “You’ll get them. I’m not sure it’ll do you any good, but you’ll get them. We’ve been all over their files a few dozen times. It’s never gotten us anywhere.”
“Maybe you need a fresh pair of eyes.”
“Maybe so. I will have their files sent over to you in the next few hours.”
“I appreciate that.”
Pinnacle One then stood up, Bridge doing the same. “We’ll keep plugging away at it.”
Bridge nodded. “I’ll do the same.”
“Oh, before I go, how ‘bout an introduction to your better half? You met her after you left us, did you not?”
“I did.”
Bridge thought about it for a second, wondering if he actually wanted to have Nicole show herself physically. P-One already knew what Nicole looked like. He’d looked at the files, that was obvious through some of his comments. But looking through files was one thing. Seeing someone in person was another. Bridge finally decided to bring her in. In the end, he figured it really didn’t matter much. It wasn’t as if he was trying to keep her a secret. If that were the case, he would have kept it up. But Nicole was a known entity. There really wasn’t much point in trying to hide her. Bridge looked to his right and waved for Nicole to come in. She was dressed in a similar fashion as the last time. Sneakers, shorts, tank top, a hat, and sunglasses. She cautiously approached the pair, taking her sunglasses off as she got near them. Bridge was about to introduce the two of them before Pinnacle One cut him short.
“I don’t believe introductions are in order,” Pinnacle One said. “So this is the woman who finally got you to settle down.”
“That’s her.”
“Quite a feat, my dear.”
“It has its challenges,” Nicole said.
Pinnacle One smiled. “I’m sure it does. Judging by how you’ve eluded our eyes twice now, I can see how resourceful you are. Beauty and brains. A deadly combination.”
“It is.”
Pinnacle One smiled again as he looked over at Bridge. He then leaned forward to whisper to Nicole. “You keep taking care of him. He’ll need you.”
Nicole returned the smile. “I know.”
Pinnacle One nodded. “Next time don’t be in the shadows.” He then started walking away, putting his hand in the air, though he never turned around to look at them. “Until next time.”
As they watched him and his men walk away, Nicole wondered where they would go from there. “What next?”
Bridge sighed. “I don’t know. But we got our work cut out for us.”
9
By the time Bridge and Nicole got back to their hotel room, Bridge had some new ideas. Nicole logged onto her computer and instantly found the files on Kenny, Stash, and Abbott had been emailed to them. While she started looking at them, Bridge called their FBI friend.
“What now?” Happ asked.
“New plan of attack.”
“How’s that?”
“Can you run camera footage from all locations near Bevell’s house? If we can find the car that shot at us and run the plate, we can start unwinding this thing.”
“Weren’t you guys talking with your former friends about that?”
“We’re in agreement that I’m going to help them.”
“Really?”
“Well, they can’t really operate here, right?”
Happ laughed. “Yeah.”
“So they need someone who can.”
“Which is you?”
“They trust me.”
“And you trust them?”
“So far,” Bridge replied. “We’ll see how it goes, but right now, from everything I understand, they seem just as much in the dark about this as anybody. Seems to me they’re looking for answers to questions they don’t even have.”
“Yeah. Oh, I checked out those names you gave me, Kenny and Stash? Nothing came up on our end for either of them.”
“Yeah, I already got what I needed on them. Kenny is a former agent and Stash is on the agency’s radar for arms trafficking, among other things.”
“Wait, and you said you found their names in Bevell’s planner?”
“Yep.”
“How would he get that?”
“I don’t know. But he must have run into someone who knew them. If you can find that car, that might help us get there.”
“All right, give me the details.”
Bridge then described the car as best he could remember along with the approximate time. It was a black four-door sedan. Looked new. Chrome wheels. The back windows were tinted. He was pretty sure he’d know it if he saw it again.
“I’ll start running it through and see if we get any hits,” Happ said.
“Thanks. Let me know if you get anything.”
“Will do.”
Once Bridge was done, he went and joined his girlfriend in the living room and started examining the files of their subjects.
“Anything that jumps out at you so far?” Bridge asked.
“Not yet.”
“I wouldn’t bother going back too far. Whatever we’re looking for should have happened in the last few years.”
“You think we’ll know it if we see it?”
“No.”
“You said you knew Kenny?”
“Only briefly. We didn’t go on any missions together or anything. We were in a couple of the same meeting rooms, bumped past each other, that sort of thing.”
“Ever talk to him?”
“Just in passing. A few comments here or there. This mission sucks, that’s not a good idea, that sort of thing. Never anything more than that. And it was maybe three times that I saw him. Wouldn’t know anything more about him than what’s in the files. I can’t give any personal information as far as what makes him tick or things he likes to do if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Thought it was worth a shot.”
They worked straight through for another hour, reading and analyzing every move that the men they
were looking for had made in the past few years, at least as far as was documented. Their concentration was broken by the sound of Bridge’s phone ringing. It was Happ.
Bridge looked at it. “It’s Eric. Maybe he found something.” He then put the phone to his ear. “Yo, Happster. What’s up?”
“I hate those nicknames, you know.”
“You love it. Gives you an identity.”
“Really doesn’t.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Will you?”
“No.”
“I thought not.”
“So what’s up?”
“Check your email right now. I’ve sent you a few possibles for the car you’re looking for. Let me know which one, if any, it is.”
“All right, give me a second to get in there.” Bridge went over to the table and went on his laptop.
“You know, it’s harder to do these things over the phone and on a computer. Can’t you just come in so I can show you all this in person?”
“Yeah, well, you know how I feel about that. Nothing against you, you’re fine, but you know I don’t like going in that building.”
“It’s just an FBI building, Luke.”
“Yeah, I know, maybe it’s all the years I spent at the agency, but I just don’t like going into government buildings anymore.”
“It’s not like anyone’s waiting in the weeds to shoot you once you come in or anything.”
“Yeah, well, you never know.”
“You have a lot of hang-ups, you know that?”
“Maybe one or two.”
“One or two? That’s not what your girlfriend says,” Happ said.
“What’s she been telling you?”
“Not much. Just about Mexico, your problem with helicopters…”
“OK, that’s enough.”
“She also told me—”
Bridge got into his email just in time, since he didn’t want to hear any more about his issues with anything. “OK, I’m in.”
“OK. I sent you six different pictures. Let me know if your car is in there.”
Bridge looked carefully at each picture. Two of the pictures he didn’t need to look at very long as they weren’t even close to the car he saw. They weren’t as pitch-black as the color of the car. The other four were all close. But only two of them had the windows tinted, and only one of those had the chrome wheels that he remembered.