by Robin Mahle
♦ ♦ ♦
Will Caison knocked on the door of the apartment. He nodded as Agent Colburn opened it and let him in. “Are you uplinked?”
“We are. You want to have a look? It’s dark. Looks like they’ve gone to sleep.”
Will approached the monitors that sat atop the folding tables inside the otherwise empty space, save for a futon against the back wall. He observed the exterior angles, including the camera mounted inside the emergency entrance relay at the community gate. “Looks like we’ve got everything covered. I told you my guys were good. And we’re only minutes away. Good call on securing a location. I’ve also got people parked near the entrance and stationed at the trail behind the home.”
“How’d you get authorization?”
“Suspected home-grown terrorists gathering in the suburbs. Nothing new there. Got SSA Kelly to sign-off on it. I don’t know for how long, but I’ll take what I can get.” He moved toward the small kitchen. “I’ll take the first shift. You should go home, get some rest.”
Colburn pointed his index finger at one of the screens. “You’ll get a warning if the system picks up movement, in the event you fall asleep, so don’t feel like you need to stay up all night.”
“I’m not tired. I’d like to just make sure everything’s working as it should tonight. We’re at our most vulnerable right now. We don’t know who’s working for Jian or where they might be.”
“Whatever you say, Caison.” Colburn pulled his coat off the chair. “I’ll stop by in the morning and keep an eye on the place during the day. I’ve got a guy who can sub in if I can’t make it.”
“Sounds good. Night.” Will took a seat in the chair and studied the monitors. He heard the door close behind him and the deadbolt lock from Colburn’s key outside.
The cameras offered an infrared view of both the interior and exterior areas, which allowed him to see even though it was dark. He gazed at the screen, which displayed the upstairs landing and the hall leading to Lacy’s bedroom. He wondered if she was asleep but figured it wasn’t likely. Who would be? He admired her for what she had done and what she was doing now. Continuing to pursue the truth no matter what the cost. Admiration, however, wasn’t enough. Will would see to it that she remained safe, and her friend, Hunter. Regardless of how he felt about him; that Hunter was too reliant upon Lacy; that it could become a problem when the time came to act once again. But he had to give credit where it was due. Hunter had overcome much of his fears and insecurities to successfully assimilate in a place Will considered the most dangerous of all. The inner workings of the CIA. Getting caught doing what he was doing there would mean treason. It would take a strong constitution to accomplish what needed to be done and, so far, Aaron Hunter was doing an impeccable job.
♦ ♦ ♦
The former minister ended the call and turned to his friend. “They’re refusing to reinstate your passport. You are to stay here in Beijing until such time as the FBI determines who was responsible for killing the American diplomat.”
Jian regarded the only one inside the MSS who still believed in him. “You couldn’t convince the new minister that I would pose no threat to the agreement set forth between the US State Department and our government? I have fully honored the terms.”
“Have you? Then where is your Arabic friend? Ahsan Sajwani?”
“As I understand it, he is home, in Dubai.”
“You have put everything at risk, once again. This was not our agreement.”
“Our agreement was to ensure loose ends had been tied so that we may offer evidence of our usefulness. And that is exactly what I have been doing.”
“The undersecretary was not part of that agreement, Jian.”
“The Americans stood to lose the most if he talked. And as I told you, I am not responsible for his death. It was probably one of his own people. Now that their elections are over, perhaps they had their own liquidation orders.”
“You’ve put me in an undesirable position. Now I must defend you once again and the premier is tired of seeing my face, especially when I have nothing new to offer him.”
“That’s where you are wrong. You have everything to offer him.”
“And how’s that?”
“You offer assurances that he will get the cooperation of the US government. The President of the People’s Republic of China will get the trade agreements he desires. But only if the United States understands that we will finish their dirty work for them.”
“Are you admitting culpability in the death of their undersecretary?”
“As I said, that was not done under my direction. And the others? The FBI agent and the civilian worker? They will be dealt with. This will all go away and the premier and our new minister can continue to keep their hands clean.”
“And where will that leave us, Jian?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You want to be returned to power, as do I. Your desire to serve as the premier’s adviser will come to fruition, if we are successful. The president will see what we’ve done for him. And what we can continue to do. This is just the beginning, Minister.”
8
It was an unshakable feeling. An itch that couldn’t be scratched. The feeling of being followed, being watched. And now as she walked into the J. Edgar Hoover building, the sensation burrowed deeper. She’d been hunted before, and for the same reason, but this was different. And all she could do was wade through this river of fear and do her best to keep her head above water. Upon arriving at her desk, Michelle Vogel approached.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Without a word in reply, Lacy immediately followed Michelle back to her office. This must have been important because she closed the door as Lacy took her seat. Yet another wave of uncertainty in this current crashed against her.
“I received a call early this morning.” Michelle returned to her desk and lowered herself in a calculated manner. “I thought it best to wait to speak to you about it in person, rather than call you.”
“Okay. Why do I get a bad feeling about this?”
“A request has been made on behalf of the Washington Field Office.” She eyed Lacy. “They want to look into your association with Undersecretary Kendrick in connection with his death.”
“My association? I had no association with him. This came from the WFO?”
“The office has formed a special task force to investigate Kendrick’s murder. He was, after all, a high-ranking government official. This is standard protocol.”
“They aren’t going to find any connection because there was none.”
“I understand. However, what has been discovered was Jay’s alleged involvement with Nova Investments, which, of course, ties in with the attack.”
“Which was later debunked.”
“Nevertheless, in the search conducted at the Kendrick home, evidence was discovered.”
“Of what?”
“They found Jay’s name scrawled on a pad of paper.”
“What? That’s not possible. The only way Kendrick would’ve known about Jay is if…” She paused and soon reached the logical conclusion. “If it was planted there either by Jian’s man who killed him, or someone at the State Department, both of whom are equally interested in keeping me quiet.”
“Lacy, I think something larger is at play here.” Michelle eyed the corridor through her window, confirming she would not be interrupted. “You and I both know Kendrick’s death is part of a much larger problem for the State Department. A problem that, if unleashed, would bring the entire department down and possibly even the presidency. That will never be allowed to happen.”
“So, while the true enemy of the state, Lei Jian, remains free, my own government is after me?”
“In my opinion, I think the sole purpose of the request is to remind you of what’s at stake.”
“You mean, it’s a threat?”
Michelle nodded. “Issued by someone of much higher authority than anyone at the WFO. However, I will sti
ll have to comply and your personnel files, including the information you brought forward to me regarding Argus Solutions and Nova Investments—and Jay, will need to be turned over.”
“So they can hold it over my head for the rest of my life. Say something, and I risk destroying not only my career but smearing my husband’s name. Say nothing, and things will go on as usual.” Lacy had already come to the conclusion that by continuing to pursue this it would almost certainly destroy her career. She was prepared for that. But to destroy Jay’s legacy, for word ever to reach her children’s ears that their father was a traitor to his country, she couldn’t allow that to happen. “Give them what they want. They want my head on a platter, give them that too.” Lacy stood. “Right now, I’ve got work to do.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“Did you hear?” Lacy poked her head around Will’s opened door.
Her unexpected arrival startled him. “Lacy, what are you doing here? And did I hear what?”
She tossed her head as a summons and began walking away. He quickly followed as she marched through the halls with purpose.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Wait.” She continued to the elevators and remained silent as they made their way to the lobby. Upon exiting, she added, “Outside.”
A rear exit led them to the gardens adjacent to the north entrance.
“Okay. Now can you tell me what’s going on?” Will folded his arms.
“We’re going to have to work quickly. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here.”
“What are you talking about? What happened?”
“They want me gone. They’ve asked my boss to turn over my records.”
“Who wants you gone?”
“The State Department. Well, the request came from the WFO, but it’s State pushing for it. I know it is. They know what we’re planning.”
“Just take a breath for a second. There’s no way anyone knows anything. We haven’t done anything, not really.”
“Then why now? It’s been six months. Why come after me now?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I’ll tell you why. It’s Kendrick. He’s dead and they’re trying to keep a lid on things. They know Jian is behind it and they’re afraid of what he’ll do. What he’ll say.” She paused, but only for a breath. “Do you know what it would do if he came out and said that the FBI and CIA knew what he’d done along with the State Department?”
“You think Jian’s goal in all this is to expose the fact that China was responsible for the attack? That he himself was responsible?” Will began to shake his head. “That would be cutting off his nose to spite his face. I can’t see that happening.”
“We know what he’s capable of doing. Kendrick did too and look where that got him. The State Department? They don’t know. They think they do, but they don’t. Kendrick was operating right under their noses and they knew nothing about it.”
“That’s what we’ve been led to believe,” Will added.
Lacy eyed him carefully. “You don’t think that’s the case? We didn’t find any evidence of collusion from others in the department in our surveillance of Kendrick.”
“I can’t say for sure, but the way it was so quickly shoved under the rug, just seems—well, more than just political CYA prior to an election. But what matters is that we work quickly in the event you’re again placed on leave.”
“They won’t bother with that formality. We just keep moving forward. Only now, I have to watch out not only for Jian’s people, but my own government as well.”
Will gently clasped her shoulder. “You’re not alone, Lacy. You have a very capable and loyal team behind you. You think I would’ve moved 600-odd miles away if this wasn’t important to me? If this didn’t mean everything to me? It makes me sick what happened. And I can’t let it rest. Just like you can’t.” He surveyed the grounds. “Listen, I’ll talk to Axell and Colburn. They might already know, but in the event they don’t; they should. If you’re being ousted, it won’t be long before the same thing happens to me and then probably Hunter too.”
“We’ll be dead in the water if that happens. Aaron needs access. We all do. Otherwise, what do we have?” she continued.
“Let’s just take this one step at a time. You should go back inside ahead of me. I’m going to make a few calls, then I’ll go back too. Just do what you came to do, Lacy. I’ll stop by tonight to see how things are going.”
“Who’s monitoring the house right now?”
“Someone Colburn sent. I met him briefly this morning before I left. Don’t worry. Eyes will be on your house and the surrounding area 24/7.”
She nodded. “I’ll see you later, then.”
He waited for her to leave and continued into the lush, manicured grounds. With a suspicious glance in every direction, he made the call. “Axell, we’ve got a problem.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Lacy returned to her desk, certain now that they were after her, even if she couldn’t define exactly who “they” were. That river was getting deeper, and the itch almost impossible to scratch. But she pressed on, desperate for some evidence to cling to before they pulled the rug out from beneath her.
She logged into the US Office of Personnel Management, the same agency China hacked into a few years ago and obtained social security numbers, addresses, and the like on more than 1500 government workers. But what Lacy needed now was Kendrick’s records. Not only his, but the deputy secretary’s as well, in an effort to cover all her bases. She didn’t have the security clearance to access such information, so Aaron did his part by penetrating the OPM database from Langley and raised her clearance level from Confidential to Top Secret. There was only one level higher and that was Sensitive Compartmented Information. That was what the deputy secretary and others in his charge would have.
With a watchful eye in every direction, Lacy retrieved the files. Her goal was to discover any dealings with foreign governments unrelated to their positions. In other words, this was the first step in discovering if either had financial or social ties to China or Chinese-owned corporations in the U.S.
Not only that, but Lacy would get the addresses of both Kendrick and Deputy Turner, including all properties they owned and if any such properties were acquired with dubious funds. That part, Aaron would have to help her with as that information wasn’t accessible through this system.
Finally, she would access her own files to determine who else might have requested her information besides the WFO. She needed to know who was on the inside looking at her.
As far as Jian, Ahsan Sajwani and anyone else under Jian’s employ; that would be left up to Aaron and her friends at the CIA. But this was a step in the right direction. One she wished hadn’t taken so long to make, in light of recent developments.
Part of their initial plan was for Lacy to buy time. Time to get Will here. Time to lay low. Time for those who might be concerned about her to confirm that she posed no threat. That time had passed. She was now a direct threat to all those involved in the death of her husband.
♦ ♦ ♦
Lacy waited at the entrance of the train station for Aaron to arrive. Her camel-colored wool coat flapped around her calves while leaves swirled at her feet. In her pocket, her fingers twirled the storage device. A micro SD card she’d hidden in the slot inside her cell phone, which had remained undetected as she exited FBI Headquarters.
She hoped Aaron was able to retrieve the necessary information, though getting it out of Langley would prove difficult. However, she stopped underestimating Aaron’s abilities long ago; from the moment he’d hacked into her computer at Cornell in order to send a message. She recalled that message even now. A Tetris-style game, that at the end of it, created a heart on her screen. There was a time, albeit brief in their history, when Aaron attempted to woo her. Instead, her affections were directed to Jay and only Jay.
As she spotted Aaron in the distance, his eyes meeting hers, she pushed away the enduring thoughts of the girl and boy they use
d to be. There was no innocence left in either of them. But she would trust Aaron with her life, as would he. And as far as any remaining notions of affection from him, that was a long time ago, no matter what Will Caison believed.
“Right on time.” She smiled and pivoted back toward her car. “How’d it go?”
“I got it.”
She shot him a look.
“Don’t look so surprised. I might not be a burly, gun-toting FBI agent, but I’m starting to make one hell of a cunning spy.”
The brief laughter they shared dissipated with the understanding that this was no game they were playing. And while neither would tell the other just how dangerous their lives had become, they knew.
“Speaking of gun-toting FBI agents, Will’s coming by later. There’ve been some developments. We’ll need to share what we’ve got.”
“Axell knows I was able to get the information. I think he was as surprised as you.”
They reached her car and stepped inside. Lacy smoothed her wind-blown hair and started the engine before turning to Aaron. “There’s no turning back now, is there?”
“No. There isn’t.”
It was a quiet drive back to Annandale and Lacy wondered what was going through Aaron’s mind. In the moment he removed the vital information, he could’ve been taken right then and there. For that matter, so could’ve she. It was a risk, however, that it seemed both were willing to take. Of course, finding themselves behind bars would do little to shed light on the truth and would do nothing to help Lacy get her children back. So they ignored the probable scenario and drove back in silence.
She pulled in to the garage and killed the engine. “Welcome to the Big Brother house.”
Inside, Lacy turned off the security alarm and set her purse down on the table in the foyer.