Monster

by Bernard L. DeLeo

  Pete cupped Tamara’s chin in his right hand, trying to look as reassuring as he could. “You’re probably right, only we’re going to be through with Mero before he gets through with you.”

  “Okay.” Tamara took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Merry Christmas, Pete.”

  “Merry Christmas, Nanc. It’s the day after officially.”

  Tamara let her robe fall to the floor.

  “Jesus, you’re beautiful,” Donaldson whispered.

  “Want to make me late?” Tamara asked hopefully.

  “Go get this over with. After you get back we’ll exchange gifts all day.”

  “Promise?”

  “Get going before I throw the free world into chaos,” Donaldson ordered, spinning Tamara around. He gave her a smack with his open hand on her bare bottom.

  Donaldson opened the apartment door later for Tamara. They embraced without speaking before Tamara hurried out. Pete watched her walk down the hall. He shut the door and within a minute was speaking to the agent monitoring the calls into Tamara’s apartment.

  “Dave, you get all that?”

  “We’re in position, Pete. I’ve spoke to Tom already. He told me Director Aginson called AD Reskova in last night. She’s at the office with him. The Director will coordinate immediately with her.”

  “That’s the second night Aginson’s called her in. I wonder if he had a head’s up on this call from Mero. What do you think they have cooking?”

  “Above my pay-grade,” Dave answered. “I checked Nancy out as she reached street level. She’s coming through loud and clear. If you want to monitor, just…”

  “I already have her dialed in on my laptop,” Donaldson interrupted. “I know you’re busy with coordinating this so I’ll let you go. Talk to you later.”

  “Right.”

  Donaldson walked over and sat down at Tamara’s desk where he had set up his laptop while Tamara dressed for her meeting. He accessed the encoded audio feed from Tamara. After adjusting the sound level Pete could hear her breathing and the sound of footsteps on the snowy walk. The approach of a vehicle, Tamara’s sharp intake of breath, and the sound of a van’s sliding door opening, confirmed Mero’s people had arrived to pick Tamara up.

  “Get in,” a gruff voice ordered Tamara in heavily accented English.

  The sliding van door closed abruptly, followed by silence. Only the sound of the van moving along the streets came through Tamara’s audio pickup. Fifteen minutes later the van stopped. Donaldson heard doors opening and people shifting out of the van. Another car door opened.

  “Hello, Nancy,” Mero’s voice greeted Tamara. “Please, get in. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

  “No problem, Sir,” Tamara replied, her nervousness only slightly apparent.

  Donaldson heard Tamara get settled inside the car. After the car engine was started, Donaldson heard it rev a little as the driver pulled away from where the vehicle had been stopped. A few more minutes passed in silence before Mero spoke again.

  “I called you out here on such short notice because I have a problem, Nancy. Three of my men are missing. I wondered if you had heard anything about arrests or detainees very recently.”

  “No, Mr. Mero,” Tamara answered truthfully. “You have the only information I gathered through the Director’s office. They’re still investigating the warehouse operation. Were your men involved in that?”

  “No and I am worried they have been compromised. They knew nothing of the operation I have in the planning stage right now. They could however conceivably lead your department back to me even though no proof would be found. We are going to strike a hospital within the next two days. I do not want any problems this time.”

  “What were your missing men working on, Sir?” Tamara ignored the revelation Mero had made about the next target. “I could make some subtle queries into a specific area without drawing attention.”

  “No,” Mero said, shaking his head negatively. “You are much too valuable to risk in that endeavor, Nancy. Stay working as you are. Warn me of any heightened security plans you run across.”

  “I will, Sir,” Tamara promised. “May I ask what hospital you plan on attacking?”

  “I’m afraid not, Nancy. Just stay away from any medical facility until further notice from me. I will take you back now. Please try and enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

  Donaldson was up and away from the notebook computer in an instant. He made a call immediately to the surveillance man he had talked to before monitoring Tamara’s trip to see Mero. Dave answered the phone on the first ring.

  “Did you get that, Dave?”

  “We all did,” the surveillance man confirmed. “I have to keep my line open, Pete. Check with you later.”

  Donaldson hung up his phone, thinking perhaps it had been a mistake to stop McDaniels from killing Mero at the restaurant.

  Chapter 38

  Fake Hit

  McDaniels was already pouring a cup of coffee when Reskova opened the apartment door. She stooped to pet a prancing Dino.

  “You’re all wet, you mutt. Cold, did you already take Dino for a run?”

  “Yep.”

  “What’d you do, get up at four?”

  “Somewhere around there.” McDaniels came out of the kitchen to take Reskova into his arms. “Wanna’ fool around?”

  “I’d love to but I only came back to the apartment to pick you up. I’ll brief you on why while we’re driving.”

  “The free world will survive a quickie, Red.”

  “No can do, Cold.” Reskova pushed away from McDaniels regretfully. “Bring your coffee along. We’ll talk in the car.”

  “Can I at least put on a coat?”

  “I thought you mountain men didn’t need coats.” Reskova opened the front door, gesturing at Dino to stay.

  “It’s not the outside weather.” McDaniels threw on his coat. “It was the sudden arctic chill a few moments ago when I tried to warm up with a quickie that dropped my resistance to the natural temperature outside.”

  Reskova laughed at the professorial way McDaniels rebuked her for the mountain man comment. He continued it all the way to her car, imitating a very credible Boston accent. McDaniels launched into the dangers of Global Warming as Reskova pulled away from the curb and began waving a hand in surrender to get him to stop.

  “Okay, okay, I owe you one,” Reskova promised.

  “Very well then. What’s up? Did you know this is only the day after Christmas, and that you worked Christmas night?”

  “Yes, I know we were planning something a little better than a major task force launch. Mero had an impromptu meeting with Tamara in the early AM. Aginson received word he was up to something last night, hence the reason I had to go in again. When Mero met her this morning he asked her about his three missing men. He then told her a hospital would be hit in the next couple days.”

  McDaniels laughed. Reskova glanced at him with some irritation.

  “I’m glad you think mass casualties are funny, Mr. Mountain.”

  “Relax… I was laughing at how sleep deprivation takes its toll on even the sharpest knives in the drawer. C’mon, Red, what do you think the real life chances are of Mero telling little Nancy anything about a major hit like that? This is a setup. He suspects Nancy and he wants to confirm his suspicions. I bet he didn’t tell her which hospital.”

  “Well, no, but…”

  “Mero will have a man at every major hospital in the area, watching to see if our department reacts to the threat with a massive security boost,” McDaniels interrupted. “Then he’ll know Tamara is screwing him. Right now he thinks there may be a chance his guys disappearing is a tragic coincidence or blunder on their part. Mero remembers the only time he mentioned you in a conversation and suddenly his plans for a late night encounter with you went up in smoke. He’ll stay tucked in at the embassy for the next few days while he determines if Tamara has compromised him.”

  “What if this is for real t
hough? What you say makes a lot of sense but we can’t take the chance.”

  “Let’s put it on the table for Aginson. Let him decide. That’s what he gets paid the big bucks for. If he decides I’m right we’ll go home and play Doctor and scantily clad special agent.”

  Reskova blushed. She put her right hand over his left thigh. “I’m not letting you take my temperature again so get that evil grin off your face.”

  “See, now you start protesting before you even have a reason to protest. As I recall, the last time I…”

  “Never mind,” Reskova cut him off, slapping his leg. “What do you think we should do about Mero then?”

  “Watch him like we’ve been doing. We already have the embassy under surveillance. We’ll know if there’s movement of new personnel or Mero going out to meet up with a new crew. Even he has to talk to somebody. He can’t pull this off without coordination. I’m betting Mero ain’t doing anything until he finds out what happened to the men he sent after you.”

  “You’re probably right but a hospital? If you’re wrong… oh hell, like you say we’ll lay it out for the Director.”

  * * *

  Aginson paced back and forth behind his desk, obviously upset with the presentation he had just heard from McDaniels and Reskova.

  “I can’t take a gamble like that. We don’t even know what he’s planning on using. Thousands could die.”

  “If we tip our hand, Sir, Mero will be gone. The money source on the Iraqi border will disappear. A lot of our guys are dying because of that prick. You want a simple non-PC solution - nuke the border camp and blow up the Syrian embassy.”

  Aginson spun toward McDaniels. “That’s not funny, Colonel.”

  “Do you see me laughing, Sir? You don’t have me sitting in on this to feed you what you can get from any touchy-feely assistant. We’re at war. When do we get to act like it?”

  Aginson sat down heavily in his chair. “What do you think, Diane?”

  “The same as you. Unfortunately, my scorecard on being right is a lot lower than Cold’s. If it were my call, I’d wait on Mero. He would have never told Tamara something like that. The more I’ve thought about it since Cold pointed out the absurdity of Mero telling Tamara anything of a secret nature the more I know he’s right.”

  “Very well then,” Aginson said after a moment’s silence. “I want every resource concentrated on Mero’s movements and contacts. If anyone he has ever talked to even gets a nosebleed and heads for a hospital I’ll have the Colonel here rocket the embassy.”

  “Now you’re talkin’,” McDaniels commented enthusiastically.

  “Sir, you don’t want to say things like that in front of Cold.” Reskova warned, elbowing McDaniels. “He’s like a kid. He’ll clamp up and not say anything. Then, you’ll hear a massive explosion. There’ll be a crater where the Syrian embassy is.”

  Aginson laughed in appreciation, nodding in agreement. “You’re right, Diane. Let’s go home. We’ll sweat this decision out with our families. I’ll call Tom and update him. Colonel, you talk to Pete. See what he has to say.”

  “I’d be glad to, Sir. I’m sure he’ll have discussed the Mero meeting with Nancy in detail by now. I’d prefer not speaking to Tamara directly until she comes into work as usual on Tuesday after the holiday. What do we have planned for Mero if I’m right? It would mean his ring is as impotent right now as I suspect.”

  “He’s a Syrian national working under the cloak of diplomatic immunity. We’ll keep him under intense scrutiny while you try and shut off his money trough in Iraq, Colonel. You’ll be going over within the next week, right?”

  “Yes Sir, but what about the danger he poses? Mero’s no idiot. Once he figures his men have literally disappeared and Tamara doesn’t tip our hand, he may get desperate. I can’t predict what he’ll do on a smaller scale but…”

  “Colonel, you are not authorized to sanction Mero. Is that clear?”

  McDaniels was silent for a moment. His mouth tightened momentarily before he grinned. McDaniels stood up. Reskova followed his example.

  “Very well, Sir,” McDaniels acquiesced finally. “I imagine you will have me equipped for what I need to do overseas?”

  Aginson extended his hand and McDaniels shook it. “I will indeed, Colonel. Now, go enjoy what’s left of the holiday.”

  “Yes, Sir, and I hope you can do the same.”

  Reskova gave Aginson a little wave. She walked out of the office door McDaniels held open for her. As they walked away together Reskova turned toward McDaniels.

  “I know that look, Cold. What do you have planned?”

  “Not a thing, AD Reskova,” McDaniels replied innocently. “Right now, I’m just planning a little medical exam for my favorite redhead.”

  “That better be all you’re planning, Mr. Mountain.”

  As Reskova drove toward her apartment, McDaniels called Donaldson’s personal number. Donaldson picked it up on the first ring.

  “Yes, Colonel?”

  “Did you get anything from Nancy?”

  “How do you mean, Sir?” Donaldson asked carefully.

  “Don’t play games with me, Pete. What were your impressions of Nancy’s conversation with Mero?”

  “Sorry, Sir.” Donaldson paused for a moment before going on. “I was real worried at first. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s a con. Even Nancy was surprised Mero mentioned anything about an operation to her. In fact, shocked would be a better word.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear, Pete. That was my feeling as well.”

  “Then he suspects her, right Colonel?”

  “He’s fishin’, Pete. He wants us to tip our hand and cover every medical facility for five hundred miles. We’re not going to bite.”

  “Good,” Donaldson replied, relief evident in his voice. “I was afraid we’d do just that and Mero would know exactly why.”

  “You’ve made a leap up my reliance meter and justified your ongoing personal surveillance gig.”

  “Don’t start, Mr. Reskova. I get enough of that from Kay.”

  McDaniels burst into laughter. Reskova glanced over at him uneasily.

  “Good one, Pete.”

  “When do you kill him, Sir?”

  “ASAP.”

  “God speed, Sir. Merry day after Christmas.”

  “Right back at you, Pete.”

  “Okay, Cold, spit it out. What the hell was that conversation about?”

  “Pete confirmed my hunch. Even Nancy was shocked Mero told her about a coming hit.”

  “So, what were you laughing at?”

  “That’s above your pay-grade, Red.”

  “Tell me and I might be more receptive to a medical exam.”

  “You little vixen. Pete didn’t like my reference to his in-house, up close and personal Tamara watch. He reciprocated with a personal slur on our relationship.”

  “Like what?”

  “He called me what Kay has made famous within our little cadre: Mr. Reskova.”

  Reskova laughed in appreciation. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed Kay.”

  “It’s still under consideration.”

  “So nothing new to report from the Tamara front?”

  “Nothing other than I’m not the only one who thinks Mero’s playing dangerous games. Mero has nothing to lose. He’s insulated himself from the Syrian embassy. They can claim complete ignorance of his actions. We, on the other hand, are left to quote clichés in the newspapers about safety and wait to react to his next move.”

  “I’m beginning to get a bad feeling about this revelation. I’m thinking you have every intention of taking Mr. Mero out. Is that what the ASAP lingo meant?”

  “Nope, only the ongoing pursuit of Mero’s cell, culminating hopefully in Mero’s cell collapsing ASAP. Do you think Aginson meant for us to be off right through until Tuesday?”

  “I have to talk it over with Tom. Monday is Hanukkah. Aginson has rotating teams taking care of surveillance.
Since we’re keeping mum on Mero’s bogus hospital tip we’ll give the long weekend a try. Hell, we’re staying together. Tom and Jen are together. I guess we can go over contingency plans from home in erotic teams.”

  McDaniels chuckled at Reskova’s trite description of her former charges. “What about Kay?”

  “He needs the time off.”

  “Did you tell your parents we were postponing the wedding?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well?”

  “Well what? They were relieved. It’s not like I hadn’t already told you how they’d react. They think I’m having second thoughts. After figuring out you’re the infamous Cold Mountain, they’re glad.”

  “Infamous, huh? Aren’t you going to see them at all this Christmas season?”

  “We don’t do Christmas. Besides, Christmas is over. We don’t do New Years either.”

  “Oh… I’m sorry we can’t do New Years, Red.”

  Reskova reached over and took McDaniels’ hand in hers.

  “I know. Maybe next year will be completely different for us.”

  “For one thing, we’ll be married,” McDaniels agreed, squeezing her hand gently. “The moment I get back from Iraq, it’s a done deal.”

  “Are you going to stay in touch with us this time over?”

  “Nope.”

  “You have to, Cold. You’ll be on a mission for us. “I’m going to make sure I’m your contact too.”

  “That’s a conflict of interest, Red. You’ll have to… wait a minute… would you be doing the contacting naked?”

  * * *

  McDaniels jogged beside a happily prancing Dino, scanning the darkened streets and surrounding buildings for movement. Although only slightly after ten o’clock at night, the street was quiet due to the continued cold front. Having been through his pre-deployment physical earlier in the day, McDaniels had not been able to return to work on Tuesday as he had hoped. Reskova’s call to him an hour earlier confirmed she would not be back to the apartment. In overseeing the electronic pursuit of tendrils emanating from Mero’s overseas money font, Reskova had sounded tense but optimistic. McDaniels’s cell-phone rang. He stopped jogging, beckoning Dino to a halt.