by Robin Mahle
Axell began to rub his stubbly chin and continued to stare at the photo. “I don’t believe it. There has to be an explanation.”
“Trevor, please.”
He turned to her. “You’re telling me you saw Delgado at the Dalian Company, then he goes here? This man is my boss—indirectly. And I think we just stepped into some seriously deep horseshit now.”
“What?” She peered again at the grainy image of the men shaking hands.
“Much of what I do requires me to act as a liaison between the FBI and the Directorate of Operations branch of the CIA. After 9/11, there was a lot of blame placed on the fact that several agencies had information and yet none seemed to connect the dots to one another. So that was addressed by creating departments within the intelligence agencies whose job it was to coordinate with one another. That was how I came to meet Agent Caison.”
“So, he’s part of the CIA talking with someone we believe is a traitor working for the FBI? You weren’t kidding. This is deep shit.”
“He isn’t just anyone,” Axell continued. “He’s Camden Meeks, a department head, who calls the shots. My boss’ boss.” He turned away. “I need a minute to think.”
“Do you think it’s possible Delgado’s playing both sides?” Will asked him.
Axell turned back. “Martin Delgado isn’t clever enough to do that. I looked into him, Caison. After what Lacy discovered last night, I did some digging. This guy’s in it for the money. He came out of Quantico seven years ago, barely passing. Was sent to New York. Didn’t make any friends. Then he was sent to the D.C. office. Again, no love lost when he left. Finally, it turns out he gets promoted to Supervisory Special Agent.”
“How the hell did that happen?” Will asked.
“Good question. Got a letter of recommendation from the US Attorney General’s office on how great a job he’d done assisting them on some investigation and, voila, he’s now an SSA.”
“How did he end up at FBI headquarters?” Lacy asked. “He shows up out of the blue and takes over for Mendez? Sounds like he wasn’t even working in counterterrorism.”
“He wasn’t,” Axell continued.
“Somebody got to him and it probably didn’t take much. Be careful around him, Lacy. Whatever you do, don’t follow him again.”
“If I hadn’t followed him, Will, we wouldn’t know what or who we’re really dealing with here.”
“She’s right. I don’t agree with your methods, but I can’t dispute the fact that this puts us ahead in the game. Now we just got to figure out how the hell we move forward. And how Dalian fits into this freak show.”
“We have Sajwani and now this,” Lacy began. “I think the storm’s coming.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Axell tossed the cigarette out of his driver’s side window and pulled away from the safe house. There were things he needed to take care of now that he knew he was being played. It was Meeks who suggested he be put in charge of coordination with the State Department and the FBI Counterterrorism Unit after the mall attack.
It wasn’t until Agent Caison came to him that day when it all changed. He’d realized then that the case had begun to reek of a cover-up. When he learned that former ambassador Lei Jian had been doling out money, he’d begun to piece together the fact that State was pushing for closure and then, of course, the shit hit the fan.
He’d been around long enough to know that the covert wars and regime manipulation were part and parcel of the agency. But this was different. Someone was working with the MSS to destroy the country from the inside. Not through war, but through economic dependency—a far more effective tool.
The odds were mounting ever higher against them and he knew their chances of success were dwindling. He was nothing if not pragmatic. He’d nearly been taken out by Kendrick’s men, which, as it turned out, were really Jian’s men. His friend and colleague was dead and now the time had come to dispense with the clandestine operations in which he’d enlisted the help of the hacker, Aaron Hunter. The time had come to take matters into his own hands. The time had come for him to recall his earlier days in Syria, Egypt, and the rest, where trusting anyone would get you killed. If Meeks was involved in this, then who knew how far up the ladder this went. Kendrick must’ve made a deal with him. The question now was, who did Meeks make a deal with?
♦ ♦ ♦
Ahsan Sajwani waited in his car alongside the curb. Lei Jian was due any moment, his flight having arrived. A lanky man from a country where the temperatures often hovered in the hundreds during the summer, he placed his hands in front of the vent to warm them on this cold November night. This was a mistake, Jian flying here. He was putting himself and the mission at great risk. The chances of his arrival going unnoticed were slim and none. The former ambassador, who was already being watched by his own country, was undoubtedly being watched by this one. But once Jian had made up his mind, Ahsan knew it could not be changed. And so he waited, like the good little servant he was.
What had Jian hoped to accomplish by coming here? That was what he could not understand. His mission was clear and it was only a matter of time before he located the woman and the FBI agent. What Ahsan had not counted on was that someone else was after those whom he hunted. Perhaps Jian could now shed light on that. He had many ties within the MSS as well as US ties. It seemed they were all working toward the same goal, but via different avenues. And now the time had come to pool the resources, assuming the end goal was, in fact, the same.
Ahsan spotted Jian exit through the terminal doors and flashed his headlights to catch his attention. It was the first time he’d seen Jian travel alone and not be surrounded by an entourage willing to kill anyone who had the appearance of posing a threat. But not here. Jian would have to keep a low profile and this was a good sign.
Ahsan stepped out, walking around to the curb to meet him. “Hello, sir. Let me get your bag for you.” He placed Jian’s luggage in the trunk of the car and opened the passenger door for him. “It’s good to see you, sir. Please.” He closed the door and returned to the driver’s side.
“Thank you, Ahsan. It is late and I am tired from the long flight, but it’s the first time in more than six months that I’ve been allowed to travel freely. I can’t tell you how good that feels.”
“I’m sure it does, sir. Where would you like to go?”
“I’ll be staying in the same hotel as you, if that won’t be a problem.”
“Of course not.” Ahsan keyed the ignition and pulled away. As they began the drive through downtown D.C., he couldn’t help but question the plans of his superior. “Sir, what are your intentions and how will you be able to stay out of the periphery of the CIA and FBI? I’m sure if they do not know you are here, they will very soon.”
“I understand your concern. And the reasons I am here are to ensure, first of all, that our loose ends are tied and, secondly, to rebuild my relationship with Shen Yang. He must be made to understand that we are still on track and that completing the mission is our first priority. We’ve made it past only the first phase and there is still much work to be done.”
“You are not concerned with the US government learning of your arrival or plans?”
“Why would I be? Isn’t that why you’re here?” He looked to Ahsan. “You finish your job and I will work to complete mine.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Will returned to the forensics lab, anticipating the results of the ballistics testing on the bullet casing he retrieved at the restaurant. Today would bring changes to the way they’d been operating up until this point. Axell was on the warpath, determined to understand the relationship Delgado had with one of his own. Hunter was still keeping tabs on Sajwani while attempting to locate Jian, and Lacy; well, Lacy was a whole other reason for concern. He’d begun to believe that it was too dangerous for her to show her face anywhere and yet she’d insisted on continuing to work. Changing her mind was out of the question, that much he knew. But he’d hoped his point had gotten across last n
ight and that she would take greater precautions at her office. Delgado couldn’t be trusted and was already watching her every move. If he found out what she’d done yesterday, Will was confident Lacy would already be dead.
He approached the technician. “You said you got the results?”
He reached for the report. “It was a match to the ballistics report filed on the Kendrick case. Looks like you’re dealing with the same weapon.”
“Thank you. I appreciate this more than you could know.” Will began to walk away but stopped short. “Listen, this still needs to stay confidential.”
“Of course.”
Will left the lab and headed back toward his office, making the call he’d been waiting to make. “Hey, it’s Caison. Can I meet with you today?” He paused. “The sooner the better. You’re going to want to see this.” With a nod, he ended the call.
“Caison.” A colleague approached him in the hall. “Kelly wants to see you—now.”
The urgent summons wasn’t a good sign and Will picked up the pace. “Sir, you wanted to see me?” He stepped inside Kelly’s office.
“Close the door and have a seat.”
Will took a seat and grew concerned over Kelly’s somber guise. “Is everything all right?”
“You know I’ve been tasked with working with SSA Delgado on the restaurant shooting. Updating him, etc.”
“Yes.”
“Apparently, a report reached his desk first thing this morning.”
In that moment, Will knew exactly what that report contained. “Let me guess, it was a report authorized by me?”
“Will, you should’ve come to me with this. I could’ve run it without question. But you?” He shook his head. “This was supposed to be done without your involvement, and for good reason.”
“I didn’t think.” Will turned away. “Guess Axell was right. You can’t trust anyone.”
“Sorry?”
“Nothing. What’s he planning on doing with the report?”
“It’s not what he plans on doing with the report; it’s what he plans on doing with you. And that is to recommend disciplinary action.”
“Are you serious? With what that guy has done?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” Will stopped. “Nothing. What are my choices, sir? Can I continue doing what I’ve been doing?”
“Leave this with me. I’ll take care of Delgado. I’ll let him know you were working on it because of the simple fact that you were there. You were the one who was almost killed. He would be doing the same thing.” He paused for a moment. “But I’m telling you, Caison, this needs to be wrapped up sooner rather than later. You catch my drift?”
“I understand. It will be, sir. Thank you.” Will stood. “I’m supposed to meet with Agent Fraser from WFO. Am I still authorized to do so?”
Kelly nodded. “I suggest you keep it brief.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The line Lacy had crossed yesterday couldn’t be uncrossed and the real concern was that Delgado would find out, if he hadn’t already. She could’ve used Aaron’s expertise right about now, but he had his hands full. So the time had come for her to put her own skills to use. She was no novice in the computer hacking arena and had reminded Aaron of that fact in the recent past.
Lacy needed to know how Delgado fit in with the Dalian Company. Was he getting money from them? Were they blackmailing him? The only way to know was to get into his computer and find out. If she got what she needed, this could end now and she could take the information to Director Mobley. The deputy secretary would be more than happy to lay blame at someone else’s feet. Of course, the whole idea of this was to put people like Turner in prison for treason, just like she’d tried to do with Drew Kendrick. Kendrick might have been the one responsible for keeping silent on the truth, but Turner knew now and had evidence in his possession.
So maybe the time had come to do what she should have done months ago, to get what she needed on Turner and now Delgado. Once she did that, she knew exactly what to do with it.
19
With the constant shadow of surveillance looming, Lacy made her way to Michelle’s office, rather than risk a phone call or email. She was an ally and was about to call in yet another favor. “Michelle?”
“Lacy, come on in.”
“I need to head out for the day.”
“Sure. I’ll just make a note that you’re in meetings all day. Don’t worry about things around here. Go do what you need to do.”
“I appreciate that, thank you.” She began to turn.
“Lacy? There is one thing. You remember me mentioning the dedication ceremony at the site?”
“I do.” It lingered in the back of her mind, but she hadn’t given it much thought, all things considered.
“It’s been scheduled for a week from Friday. I know that with everything else, this probably doesn’t feel like the time, but I have to ask. They still want you to speak. You’re part of the FBI and you lost someone. They think it would be a good idea.”
Her mind flashed back to the moment she stood at what had since been called “ground zero,” and while most people thought of the Towers when they heard that phrase, Lacy thought of the blast at the mall, and the boy Jay tried to save—well, did save, as it turned out.
It had taken at least a month, but the boy’s father had tracked Lacy down through various resources that had been set up to help the victims. The boys’ mother died in the blast, but he told his father that a man saved him and described Jay.
Those were the things that came to mind whenever she heard the phrase all Americans had known to be a day of sadness and strength. That was what she tried to remember. The strength. But to speak of it in front of so many. It would not be easy. Not to mention that so much was going on that Michelle simply had no idea about. And that was by design. Lacy couldn’t place that kind of burden on her. It was far too dangerous and Michelle had a family too. Lacy would not put them at risk as she had her own.
“A week from Friday?”
Michelle nodded.
“I’ll have to prepare something.” Lacy could feel her chest tightening at the thought. Not simply of having to speak, but rather would she still be alive to do so? “Okay. Yes, I’ll speak. It’s the least I can do for the other families.” She made her way back into the corridor and was ready to do what needed to be done to get to the bottom of Agent Delgado’s connections.
Lacy didn’t make any calls. Didn’t tell anyone that she was heading back to the safe house. They all had their plates full, and she didn’t want the distraction or to be convinced this was not the way forward. It was the only way forward, and it was about time Lacy took matters into her own hands. Her appreciation for Will and Aaron and Trevor were boundless, but this she needed to do because it could not stand. Delgado could not—would not get away with this.
♦ ♦ ♦
Will entered the Washington Field Office and made his way to the information desk. “I’m here to see Agent Fraser. Field Ops, CID.”
“I’ll let him know you’re here.” The security officer made the call.
Will moved about the lobby while awaiting authorization and peered into the corridor that led to the elevators. A woman stepped out and headed in his direction. At first, it hadn’t occurred to him who this person was, but a moment of recognition surged and he did a double take.
As she drew near, he knew. “Kate? Kate Reid? Oh my God.”
“Will Caison?” Kate shook her head in disbelief. “What on earth? What are you doing here?”
“I’m working with an agent in CID. Man, look at you. How long has it been?”
“Since Quantico. And I think last we spoke was what, at least a year ago.” She embraced him before pulling back to take in the sight she hadn’t seen in some time. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were working in Louisville.”
“I was, up until a few weeks ago. Put in for a transfer to Headquarters. Still working in CTD, though. I
worked on the mall attack investigation.”
“Of course. That was an awful thing. Much too close to home.”
“You have no idea, Kate. I just can’t believe you’re standing in front of me. You been here since graduation?”
“I have, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here. Probation’s up, so, you know.”
“Right. Yeah.” From the corner of his eye, Will spotted Agent Fraser approach. “Boy, I really hate to cut this short, but I’ve got a meeting. Listen, maybe I can give you a call sometime? Now that we’re both in D.C.”
“I’d like that very much.” Kate smiled. “It was so good to see you. You take care of yourself.” She began to walk away. “I’ll be waiting for that call. You still owe me for those beers I bought you at the graduation party.”
“You got it.”
Fraser approached. “Agent Caison. Thanks for coming down.” He offered a greeting. “You know Agent Reid?”
“Yeah. We were at Quantico together.”
“Wow. Small world. Come on; I’ll show you back to my office.”
Will glanced over his shoulder as Kate left the building. “Sure is.” Returning his attention, he noticed Fraser several steps ahead and jogged to catch up. “By the way, we have a problem.”
“I figured that was why you were here.” Fraser pushed the button for the elevator and stepped on as the doors parted.
“The lab tech gave Delgado the ballistics results.” Will joined him and watched the numbers climb.
“How do you know?”
“Kelly called me into his office this morning. Said Delgado asked him why I was looking into it. Fortunately, he told him it was because I was there and wanted answers.”
“You think he bought it?”
“I wasn’t with him, so it’s hard to say, but I hope so.”
They stepped off the elevator and Fraser led the way to his office.
“I assume, then, that the casings were a match.” Fraser entered his office and waited for Will before closing the door behind him. “Which means.”