“What are the different levels?” Daniel asked.
“I still don’t know all the ins and outs,” Bethany admitted. “But new recruits are at level one. If I’m still accepted, I’ll be moved up to level two now that I participated in the bank robbery. There are six levels, six being the top of the pack. Jackson was a three. Bishop is a four.”
“What do you have to do to get moved up to the next level?” Daniel asked.
“The threes have planned and executed jobs like the bank robbery. The fours have committed assassinations of enemies of the Heritage Guard. I have no idea what the fives have done. You can bet it’s horrific.”
Justin leaned forward. “I can tell you about one of their projects that failed. They had a scheme to devalue the American dollar and cripple the economy back in the 1990s by counterfeiting money. The scheme was detected and several of the key players were arrested before the counterfeit bills were actually introduced into the major market streams. Twelve members of the Heritage Guard were tried and convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The trial dealt a heavy blow to the Guard, but they slowly grew again. Now, they are a lot more secretive and a lot more careful, hence the new organization and the cells that have developed to safeguard their internal structure.”
Bethany put down her cup. “They planned to use the cash they were going to steal from the bank to support their political candidates in upcoming elections. They’re convinced that placing Guard members in the government is the only way they can get their ideas accepted across mainstream America, and they only want true believers in office. They will do whatever it takes to advance their agenda, including robbing banks to fund their efforts, causing social upheavals, even murdering the opponents. To them, the ends justify the means, no matter the cost, and they have a lot of true believers in their group who will stop at nothing to get their goals accomplished. They have a big project in the works right now called Operation Battlefield. I know it exists, but I don’t know what it is or what it entails, although I do think it has something to do with the elections. I don’t even know the dates for when it’s planned, but there was a sense of urgency around the discussions the last few times it was mentioned, and that’s what I’m trying to stop it from happening. From the little I have been able to discover, I know that a lot of people will get hurt if I can’t stop it. I’m trying to figure out the details now.”
Daniel rubbed his hands through his hair. “So what’s our next move?”
Justin handed him a folder and gave one to Bethany, as well. “We created a background for you that melds with the usual type the Heritage Guard tries to recruit, and we’ve already changed your personnel file and other documents to match this profile. Memorize it. Bethany’s background is also in there so you can become familiar with it. Her undercover name is Hailey Weber. Your story is that you knew each other at the University of Tennessee and even dated a bit but didn’t want to give that away during the robbery. Now that a few days have passed, we want J.P. and the rest of the Guard to think that you’ve rekindled your relationship. They already believe Bethany is a true believer, so it won’t be that much of stretch for them to think that she dated one in college. Since they didn’t score any cash at the bank, they’re going to have to plan something fast to find the money they require somewhere else. You need to find out what they’re planning and get them to accept you as a member as soon as possible. We also want to know who the other Heritage Guard members are and any details at all about Operation Battlefield.”
Bethany widened her eyes. Slow down. Rewind. They wanted her to pretend that she was dating Daniel? She looked over at Daniel and swallowed. He didn’t seem bothered by the idea in the least. In fact, if she had to guess, she’d say the look on his face was somewhere between pleasantly surprised and smug. How in the world was she going to do this and keep her emotional distance from him as she’d planned? It was clear that Justin had no idea what he was asking her to do. She felt like going outside and hyperventilating in private. This was not what she had signed up for! She pinched herself hard on the leg. Okay. Keep it together. This wasn’t the time or place for a meltdown. She tried to focus on the immediate problem. She needed to help get Daniel accepted into the Heritage Guard. “With J.P. arrested and in the hospital, should Daniel escort me there so we can have a visit?”
“That’s what I was thinking. He’ll obviously realize something is up because he’ll recognize Daniel from the robbery. That will be the perfect opportunity for you to feed him the story about Daniel being dirty and wanting to join the cause.” Justin stood, his hands on his hips, his voice serious. “I don’t have to tell you how dangerous this mission is. The problem at the bank wasn’t just a communication failure. There’s more. I think there might be a mole in law enforcement. Someone is dirty somewhere, and the communication breakdown was deliberate.”
Bethany leaned back abruptly. “Are you kidding me?” She tossed the folder down on the table. “How can I go back in there if I don’t know you have my back?”
“I do have your back,” Justin said fervently. “And I’m going to find out who the mole is. But this operation is too important to stop right in the middle. We have to push forward. While you’re investigating the Heritage Guard, I’ll be investigating at the bureau, and I have contacts at the local level that will be looking into the Chattanooga Police Department. We’re going to find the mole. I guarantee it.”
“Yeah? Well it wasn’t you they were targeting at that bank, was it now?” she said vehemently. She knew he outranked her and she was being insubordinate, but good grief, she had almost lost her life, and now he was telling her that her life was at risk both due to her undercover work and from her own team in law enforcement! This day was going from bad to worse. What other great news did he have to share with her?
“I’m not going to let you down, Bethany, or you either, Daniel.” He handed them both cell phones. “Talk to me and each other only. No one else. Got it? These phones are clean and untraceable.” He handed them each a set of keys. “Because of the bank job and the risk of a leak, I want you to stay at a different apartment. The address is in your folders. I just set this up this morning. Nobody knows about this place but me at this point. It was a last-minute decision.”
She smacked her leg with her hands. “Wait a minute. You want us to stay in the same apartment?”
“Sure. It’s got two bedrooms.”
“But, sir...”
He straightened and furrowed his brow. It was obvious that he was not enjoying her reaction to his edicts. “Do you have a problem with any of this, Agent Walker?”
She glanced over at Daniel again. He seemed to be intensely studying a rather crooked picture of Ruby Falls that was hanging on the wall, trying to stay out of the fray. She felt a sudden urge to kick him under the table. Hard. But she refrained.
“No, sir.”
“That’s what I thought. To be on the safe side, don’t go back to your old apartments, either one of you. I brought you both bags with cash and a few essentials. Let’s start this operation fresh from this point forward and see where it leads us.”
“Yes, sir,” Bethany responded.
Justin shook both their hands. “I think we’re close to the end here. Once you two infiltrate the organization again, I think you’ll be able to bring this case to a successful conclusion. Operation Battlefield is close. I can feel it. Keep me informed.” He gave them a smile and headed out of the restaurant.
* * *
Daniel watched him go, secretly pleased that the situation had created an opportunity for him to spend quality time with Bethany. If nothing else, he would have time to figure out what had gone wrong in their relationship. He might not be able to fix whatever problems had arisen, but at least he would understand what had happened.
He opened his folder, pulled out the sheets inside and started scanning the information about his
new persona. They hadn’t changed much—just added a few new details and altered a couple of things that made his résumé perfect for a Heritage Guard recruit. He found living a lie much easier than living the truth, and he had been doing just that most of his life anyway. His early days had not been pleasant, and he never revealed that part of himself to anyone. He was pleased to see that according to his new dossier, his childhood and teenage years had actually been improved. Maybe this undercover work would be easier for him than he’d thought. It would be like acting in a play. He folded the sheets and put them in his pocket, then turned to Bethany, who had also been reading the file. She raised her eyebrows a couple of times as she took in the information but otherwise didn’t react.
“So are you ready to talk?”
She put down the folder. “About what?”
“About us?”
She raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think so, Daniel. Now is really not the right time or the place.”
“Really? Then when is the right time? Where is the right place?”
She crossed her arms, making him wonder if he would ever be able to pry the answers out of her. Her body language made it clear that she wasn’t interested in having him try, at least not right now.
Suddenly a large explosion shook the building, shattering the glass windows and sending bits of debris throughout the restaurant, covering everything and everyone within. Daniel and Bethany immediately hit the floor, but then stood with their weapons ready once they realized there were no further explosions or any bullets flying. Realization hit them both at the same time.
“Oh, no! Justin!” Bethany cried as they caught sight of his SUV that had exploded in the parking lot.
They secured their weapons and rushed outside. Flames were still licking the metal roof of the vehicle and surrounding area, but it was clear that Justin Harper had been killed. The inside of the car was completely black with soot and melting fabric and damaged material, and the bitter smell of burnt rubber and plastic met Daniel’s nostrils. He grabbed his police cell phone and called in the explosion, his eyes surveying the scene as he did so. There were no suspicious people milling about, and there had only been a few customers in the diner, none of which had raised his concern. If he had to guess, the bomb had probably been set to go off when Justin turned the ignition of the vehicle. The bomber was probably long gone.
He looked behind him and noticed Bethany had returned to the restaurant and was helping the customers. It didn’t look like anyone was seriously injured. A young married couple who had been closer to the windows both had some cuts on their faces and hands from the flying glass. An older man also had a cut on his left cheek, but the restaurant staff seemed unharmed. The waitress had brought out a first aid kit and Bethany was already cleaning and applying salve and Band-Aids to the worst of the cuts. The Christmas decorations that had brightened the diner only a few minutes ago now seemed to be a haunting and macabre sight among the damage and debris.
A few minutes later, Bethany was back by his side. Her features were grim. “I’ve called Max Westfield at the FBI and let him know what happened.”
Daniel wanted to wipe the fear from her eyes, but he knew it was impossible. “Do you trust him?”
She shook her head. “No, but to be honest, I’ve been gone for so long that after what Justin told us about the mole, I’m not sure who I can trust at the FBI and who I can’t. I’ve been working on my own for a long time, and Max is my only other real contact. Justin was my lifeline. Now I don’t know what to do.”
“Who’s Justin’s boss?”
“A woman named Sandra Duval. I’ve only met her once. I assume she’ll replace Justin at some point now that he’s gone.”
“Well, we have three options. We can contact her, or we can go straight to the US attorney who prosecuted the Heritage Guard under the RICO statute. Maybe they can help us.”
“And option number three?”
“We can contact Captain Murphy, my boss, and bring in the local team.”
Bethany paced a few steps back and forth, her arms tightly wrapped around her stomach. “I have to think about this. We have to think about this before we contact anyone. If whoever killed Justin killed him because of this case, they probably also know about me and maybe even you and our connection to the Heritage Guard. We could be next.”
Daniel rubbed his hands through his hair. “Or maybe the killer doesn’t know about us. Perhaps the mole knew he was being investigated, and he killed Justin to stop the investigation. He might know Justin had someone trying to infiltrate the Guard, but the mole might not know that anyone was successful, or that you are the one who actually became a member of the Guard. There’s no telling what the mole knows or doesn’t know at this point. There are a hundred possibilities. We need more information before we talk to anyone else.”
He heard a siren approaching from the distance and he gently grasped Bethany’s shoulders. “You need to disappear. I’m the cop that called this in, so they’ll expect me to be here, but I don’t want you anywhere near this place. I’ll tell them Justin had some questions about the robbery, we talked and then the SUV exploded when he left. We’ll meet up in a couple of hours at the hospital and see J.P., okay?”
“Okay. Call me on the new cell if there are any developments.”
He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and he was surprised when she didn’t protest before she turned and disappeared into the gathering crowd.
Their handler was dead. He had declared that there was a mole and that he was in the process of investigating that mole, and then he had subsequently been murdered. The implications of what had happened were just starting to sink into Daniel’s thoughts.
The Heritage Guard had to have infiltrated law enforcement, but was the mole in the FBI, or was he in the local police office where Daniel worked? Who did they report to now? Who could they trust? There were too many questions, and not nearly enough answers.
NINE
“Hailey!” The smile that greeted her instantly disappeared when J.P. saw that Daniel accompanied her. “What’s he doing here?” He pulled against the cuffs that had him shackled to the hospital bed as if he could somehow get farther away from the dreaded man by doing so, his expression hostile as he watched Daniel enter his room.
Bethany nodded at Daniel, hoping he would get the message and stay near the door. He would still be able to hear from that position, but it would give J.P. the illusion of privacy. Daniel got the silent message and leaned against the door frame as she went up to J.P.’s side.
“He’s with me, J.P.”
“Why? And why are you here? You betrayed me. And I’ve been hearing rumors. Bad rumors about what happened to the rest of the team.”
Bethany pulled up a chair. “Look, I know you’re not happy about being arrested, but you’re alive. You would have died from your wounds if I hadn’t acted. That’s a fact that was confirmed by the EMT at the scene. Surely, they’ve told you that here at the hospital, as well. You were going into shock because you had lost so much blood.” She looked him directly in the eye. “You’re too important to the cause, J.P. We can’t afford to lose you.”
The man was nothing if not prideful. He looked like he still wanted to argue with her, but at the same time, he seemed pleased with her compliment. He stole a look at Daniel, then lowered his voice. “Tell me what happened after I got pulled out of there. I need details. Nobody is telling me much.”
“It’s bad, J.P.”
“I know Jackson is dead.”
Bethany nodded soberly. “Yes. They killed Terrell and John too. It was awful. So you see, if you had stayed, you would probably have died regardless.”
J.P. shook his head, his expression somewhere between sorrow and anger. His brow was knit together, and his frown put deep creases in his face. “Tell me what happened. Don’t leave out a thing.”
&n
bsp; She glanced up at Daniel, and could tell he was listening, but to his credit, he was looking into the hallway as if he still couldn’t hear their conversation. She turned her attention back to J.P. “Well, Daniel Morley, the guy I’m with, he’s actually a cop. But he’s not just any cop. Turns out, I know him. He and I used to date when we were in college.”
J.P. turned and quickly looked over at Daniel, who was still appearing to ignore them. “Yeah? I thought you seemed to be protecting him a bit too much.”
She ignored that. “I didn’t know he was a cop at the time. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years and we hadn’t kept in touch. I didn’t know what he ended up doing for a living. Anyway, after you left, I, ah, well, I had to rough him up a little to keep him quiet and afterward, Terrell made me take him into the bathroom to clean him up. While we were back there, local law enforcement decided to raid the bank. They came in through the ceiling in full riot gear and shot and killed the rest of the team in a matter of seconds. It turns out Daniel still has feelings for me, and he didn’t want me to get killed like the others, or even arrested. He helped me hide the gun and mask, and I walked out with the rest of the hostages.”
Undercover Jeopardy Page 7