Undercover Jeopardy

by Kathleen Tailer

  With Daniel, however, there was even more to it. With her boyfriend before Daniel, the man had cheated on her and then humiliated her in front of her friends. He had said terrible things that had made it hard for her to ever trust a man again on a personal level. Would Daniel humiliate her now? A year ago, when Daniel had gotten too close and started talking about marriage, it had been easier to push him away than it had been to trust him not to hurt her like her ex had done, especially since he wasn’t willing to share his past with her. She preferred the loneliness to the pain. It was safer. Over the past few days, Daniel had slowly started breaking down her defenses again, and it scared her, both professionally and personally.

  What would he do now? This was his first time undercover. Would he make a rookie mistake? Would he throw her under the bus to look good and score points with the Guard? Would he humiliate her for the sake of his male pride? Anything was possible, and she braced herself, not sure what to expect.

  “Daniel, Hailey here says she’s having some trouble getting the C-4 we need for our Operation Battlefield,” Bishop said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Can you do any better?”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow and Bethany’s stomach clenched again, waiting for his response. He looked from Bishop to Liam, then at Bethany. “Has Hailey ever let you down in the past?”

  Bishop thought about that for moment, then responded, “No. She’s always proven herself to be very responsible.” Even Liam shook his head once he considered Daniel’s point.

  Daniel shrugged. “Then I’d quit worrying. I’m not going to be able to do any better than she can. She’s the expert. You’ve trusted her in the past. I’d trust her now.”

  Bethany let out the breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. Daniel had said the perfect thing, and diffused the situation with just a few simple words. She silently mouthed the words thank you to him and he winked in response, then turned and left the room.

  * * *

  “Somebody is following us,” Daniel said quietly. He tried to keep the frustration out of his voice as he glanced at his rearview mirror, but he wasn’t successful.

  Bethany looked behind them, then quickly faced forward again. “The black sedan?”

  “Yeah. I’ve changed lanes twice and he’s staying with me.”

  “Can you tell who’s driving?”

  “A white male wearing a black watchman’s cap and sunglasses. That’s about all I can tell. He picked us up about ten minutes ago.”

  “Good grief. That could be anyone.” Her voice held her own note of frustration.

  Daniel didn’t blame her. Another day had passed and they had still not been able to talk to Hooker, despite trying a new number that Westfield had provided. They had been able to contact Captain Murphy about the C-4, and he had agreed to provide them with the additional seven bricks they needed, so they were on their way to meet him. So far he hadn’t let anything slip that made him seem like the mole, but they were both on high alert while dealing with the man, just in case.

  The captain had only one condition during their conversations to get the explosives—that the Chattanooga Police Department would share in the arrests at the stadium and in the credit for the joint operation’s success once the indictments were handed down. Since that had always been part of the original agreement of this joint operation, it was easy to agree. But Captain Murphy wanted to be absolutely sure that CPD wouldn’t be left on the sidelines, so Daniel had done his best to reassure him that CPD would be included.

  Daniel and Bethany still had their doubts about Captain Murphy and his history with Bishop Jacobs, but to date they couldn’t prove anything beyond the fact that they knew each other and had talked to each other on the phone. Bishop Jacobs owned a rental car company, and as far as they knew, the captain had rented a car from him—nothing more. Still, they both harbored suspicions of the man, and had agreed to be extra careful during the exchange. They needed the FBI’s help to run background checks on their suspects and right now, they just weren’t getting the help they needed to find the connections to build their case, or prove Murphy’s guilt or innocence.

  Daniel looked into the rearview mirror again and changed lanes, then grimaced as he watched the car tailing them do the same once again. He glanced over at Bethany and could tell that she was getting restless and nervous.

  He thought through everything that had happened during the short time since he had gotten Bethany back in his life. Her entire Guard team were killed at the bank, someone killed her boss at the FBI and Derek tried to kill Daniel at the armored car robbery. Related or not, there were a lot of people dying all around them, and it felt like they were no closer to figuring out how everything was connected than they were when they’d started. And now, someone was following them. Was it someone from the FBI? Someone from the Guard? Or was Derek trying to get his revenge for Terrell’s death?

  He reached across and squeezed her hand, then released her and put both hands on the wheel. “Hold on.” With a quick turn and squealing tires, he cut the truck in front of another vehicle and executed a U-turn, then maneuvered the truck into a large alley behind a warehouse that fronted an entire city block. Gravel spit from beneath his tires and water and debris spewed as he raced along, dodging obstacles along the way. He could hear car horns and traffic squawking in the wake of his driving, but he ignored it all as he sped to the end of the alley and made a quick left, then entered the street and flow of traffic. He changed lanes several more times, speeding around three more cars before he was finally stopped at a red light.

  “Any sign of them?”

  Bethany didn’t answer and he glanced in her direction. She was as white as a sheet and had pressed herself as close as possible to the truck door. She was also clinging for dear life to the seat belt and the grab handle on the ceiling. Her knuckles had turned white where she gripped the plastic for all it was worth.

  He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. The look on her face was just too comical to ignore. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “No. You’re crazy!” The tone of her voice made it perfectly clear what she thought of his driving.

  “What?” he raised an eyebrow, giving her his best innocent look. He’d totally forgotten that she got motion sickness if he drove too fast and made too many quick turns in the vehicle. Bethany was tough as nails 99 percent of the time. It was almost refreshing to be reminded that she was human after all and had weaknesses like the rest of the people on the planet.

  “Remind me to never let you drive anywhere ever again,” she said under her breath. “I think I’m going to throw up all over your nice floor mats.”

  “Come on. I’m a good driver,” he said with a smile.

  She narrowed her eyes. “At least tell me you lost our tail.”

  “Yep.”

  “Then it was worth it.” She moaned. “I guess,” she qualified.

  He drove in relative silence for another fifteen minutes or so until they arrived at a small brick building that was near the outskirts of town. Pine trees and rocky outcrops surrounded the area, and the other nearby buildings seemed to be abandoned, with no signs of life. It was about ten in the morning, so there was plenty of sunlight to help them see their surroundings, but it was strange that no other cars or people were anywhere nearby.

  Daniel pulled up behind the storefront and killed the engine, then turned to Bethany. “Okay. Are you ready for this?”

  Bethany shrugged. “Ready as I’ll ever be. I’m feeling better now.” They got out of their truck and closed the doors, looking warily around them. “Are you sure you have the right address? This is a strange meeting place.”

  “Yes, I double-checked it,” Daniel answered. He glanced at his watch. “We’re right on time. Captain Murphy said he’d meet us here, and he’s usually a very punctual man. Let’s give him a couple of minutes. Maybe he’s just running late.”

 
* * *

  He noticed that Bethany still seemed a bit unsteady. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” When she didn’t answer, he reached over and took Bethany’s hand, then pulled her closer as they locked eyes. His look was searching, asking for permission to go further. When he saw no resistance, he pulled her into an embrace.

  “I’m really sorry my driving made you sick.” He gently took his thumb and ran it slowly down the side of her cheek. Her skin was soft like rose petals. “You’re so beautiful.” He moved his thumb and drew it across her bottom lip, then gently cupped her head with his hands and drew her even closer as his lips met hers. Electricity seemed to sizzle between them and his heart was beating like a bass drum so loudly it felt like it was coming out of his chest.

  “I guess I forgive you,” she murmured against him. She pulled back a bit and he could see a smile as it slowly crossed her face, yet there was hesitance in her eyes. Still, she had responded to his overtures even though nobody was around, so she was clearly not acting a role. The thought pleased him immensely.

  Suddenly, they heard a car approach and the intimate mood instantly dissipated. They broke apart and she took a few steps back. She turned away from him, her eyes wide, and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked as if she was trying to compose herself as the car pulled up beside the truck and parked.

  Daniel recovered first and met Captain Murphy as he got out of the car. He hoped to draw attention away from Bethany and any embarrassment she might be feeling. The police chief stood and nodded his hello, swinging a set of keys in his hand.

  “Good to see you, son. I’m glad we were able to come to an understanding here. You’re doing excellent work with the FBI.”

  “It is a joint operation, Captain. There’s no reason why CPD and the FBI can’t both get credit for any arrests that come from this undercover assignment. Our mutual goal is to stop the Guard before anyone else gets hurt.”

  Captain Murphy turned and went to the trunk of his car, opened it and pulled out a dark green duffel bag. He handed the bag to Bethany. She took it and unzipped it, then showed the contents to Daniel. He saw the bricks of C-4 inside, as well as the detonators.

  “How many are in there?” he asked.

  “Seven bricks, just like you asked,” Captain Murphy answered.

  Bethany zipped it closed and slung the bag on her back. “This has been a huge help for our mission,” she said. “Thank you. You really came through for us.” Despite her words, she narrowed her eyes and rested her free hand on the butt of her pistol. “Even so, we have some questions to ask you about your relationship with Bishop Jacobs.”

  Captain Murphy raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to know?”

  Daniel stepped forward. “He is a member of the Heritage Guard. And we know you’ve had contact with him on several occasions lately. Can you explain that?”

  Murphy straightened as his muscles tightened, but a moment later he relaxed again. “We were fraternity brothers back in college. I didn’t really hang out with his crowd all that much, but we’re having a reunion of sorts in a month or so and I was contacting all of the guys to invite them to the festivities. Somehow, I drew the short straw and had to make all of the phone calls.” He paused, his face thoughtful. “Bishop was a little odd, but I can’t see him as a terrorist. Are you sure he is part of the Guard?”

  Before either of them had an opportunity to answer Murphy, a shot rang out, clipping a tree only a few feet behind them. They all heard the bullet whiz by their heads and instantly dropped to the ground, searching for cover. More bullets followed, several ricocheting off the rocks on the road and the boulders that were sporadically strewn around the landscaping. Other bullets hit the building, the vehicles or imbedded into the wood of the trees behind them. They crouched down behind the truck Bethany and Daniel had arrived in, using it for cover as they kept it between them and the gunman.

  “Only one shooter?” Bethany asked as she turned and fired her 9 mm in the direction of the sniper.

  “It appears so,” Daniel answered as he checked his ammunition supply in his own sidearm. The bullets all seemed to be coming from the same direction and location, but since none of them had a rifle with them, they couldn’t stop the sniper from firing at them. None of their handguns had anywhere near the range or accuracy of a rifle. The best they could do was lay down some cover fire while they tried to escape. The truck had taken some shots, but still seemed drivable. Since Captain Murphy had parked between the shooter and the truck, his vehicle had taken the brunt of the rounds.

  “Were you followed?” Daniel asked as he snapped his clip back into his firearm.

  “I didn’t see anyone, but I guess anything is possible,” the captain answered. “I wasn’t expecting trouble. Were you?”

  “Not like this,” Daniel replied, sending even more rounds toward their aggressor.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Bethany said as she threw the bag with the C-4 in the back of the truck. “Cover me,” she said, meeting Daniel’s eye.

  She fired two more shots, then opened the passenger door and slid in, staying down and out of sight as she did so. Daniel fired at the sniper to keep him occupied, then followed her through the passenger door and into the truck as Captain Murphy fired at the shooter. He crawled over her to the driver’s seat, then started the engine and rolled down the window so he could fire while Captain Murphy got into the truck. They all stayed as low as possible while Daniel backed up, spun the truck around and sped away from the building. Bullets followed them, and even though one hit the top metal door frame behind them and a few hit the side of the truck, they ended up escaping unharmed.

  Daniel didn’t know what to think. Was Murphy innocent? After all, he had almost been killed during the C-4 exchange. Or had that entire scene just been a clever ruse to make it look like his life was in danger to throw them off the trail? Had he and Bishop really been fraternity brothers? It was easy enough to prove or disprove with a small amount of research. Was Murphy a Guard member or not? Daniel was more unsure now than ever. After all, his phone clearly showed that Murphy had ties with Guard members who were knee-deep in suspicious activities. Were those ties innocent, as Murphy claimed? Or was he the one who had killed Justin?

  Lord, please help me sort through all of the lies and get down to the truth. And thank You for protecting us today. Please help us stay safe, and figure this case out so the Heritage Guard is stopped completely before anyone else gets hurt.

  FIFTEEN

  Hooker shook his head, his hands on his hips. “I don’t understand why you haven’t been contacting me, Agent Walker. I also don’t understand why I had to be contacted by Captain Murphy of the local police force to set up this meeting today. Captain Murphy reported to me that my agent was shot at and nearly killed by a sniper. That’s information I should have been told by my agent, don’t you think?”

  Bethany raised her eyebrows, but to her credit, she held her tongue and gathered her thoughts before responding, even though Daniel could tell she was livid by his lack of insight. Daniel was also surprised by his questions. They had both followed FBI protocol to the letter, but they had been unable to get any response from Special Agent Hooker ever since he had taken over the investigation. Was the man totally out of the loop, or just incompetent?

  “Sir, I’ve been calling you constantly without getting a reply,” Bethany answered, her voice professional and controlled. “I’ve been leaving messages for you on a regular basis, and have sent texts and emails. In fact, Max Westfield told me that you were shutting down the operation, so I even doubled my efforts to get in touch with you. I wanted to communicate with you to convince you not to give up on this investigation. I still think it’s worth the time and effort to keep pushing ahead, sir.”

  “Well, there’s obviously been a communication breakdown here, Agent. Mr. Westfield claims you demanded that he provide you with
fifteen blocks of C-4, and when he couldn’t get the amount of explosives you demanded, you broke off communication with him and went rogue. For my part, I haven’t heard from you since I was first introduced to you when I took over the case, and I’d like to know why. All I know about you is that you are involved in a highly dangerous mission, and we’ve already lost one agent for reasons unknown. I don’t want to lose another.”

  Bethany was obviously struck speechless. If Westfield had been there in the small room, she probably would have gone ballistic on him, but since only the three of them were at this meeting, all she could do was start pacing to get the anger and frustration out of her system. Daniel barely knew Max Westfield, but the pieces just didn’t seem to fit together. Why was he torpedoing the mission? What was his game? Daniel didn’t like the guy because of the way he flirted with Bethany, but until now, he hadn’t understood the depths of his treachery. He watched Bethany carefully, knowing she was close to the boiling point. Her face was flushed and her jaw had tightened. He stepped forward, diverting Hooker’s attention and giving Bethany a chance to cool down.

  “Mr. Westfield is giving you bad information, sir,” he said quietly. “We have both tried to contact you on several occasions, especially after the armored car heist. Here are the numbers we were given to reach you.” He pulled out his cell phone and read off the numbers. “The first two seem to have been disconnected. The third allowed us to leave messages, which we did, with no response. We can also provide you with texts and emails. Both Agent Walker and I left several for you, sir. We got no response.”

  Hooker took down the numbers and shook his head again. “Well, I don’t have an explanation. Those are not my numbers. I don’t even recognize those as FBI numbers. Where did you get them?”