Hidden Order: A Thriller

by Brad Thor

  McGee looked at Ryan. “I told you I knew who this guy was.” Looking back at Wise he stated, “You’re that guy from the Agency they called Dr. Kill. Some of our people in the Special Activities Division worked with you on a couple of your projects.”

  “Can we back up for a second? Can you please better explain who you both are and what you’re doing here?”

  In the chaos of taking down Samuel, getting him secure, and helping a dazed Bill Wise to his feet, there hadn’t been time for introductions. Ryan stepped forward and did so now.

  It was a bit of an intellectual standoff. Ryan and McGee wanted more information about why Wise had been made a target, while Wise felt he was owed the same explanation from Ryan and McGee. “You are in my house” battled against “If it wasn’t for us, he would have killed you.” In the end, it was Wise who finally conceded. To his credit, though, he didn’t give them everything. A good operative always kept a little bit in reserve. Just in case.

  “I’ve heard of Swim Club,” said McGee. “Past tense, though. I thought it had been shut down.”

  “Seems like there’s been a lot of that going on at Langley,” Ryan stated.

  That piqued Wise’s interest and he raised his eyebrows in response, but McGee had a couple more questions first.

  “So Samuel passed from your program into Swim Club?”

  “That’s my assumption. I think he’ll tell me if I ask.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I know him and he sees himself as a good man. Honor is important to him.”

  McGee shook his head. “A psychopath with honor. That’s a first for me.”

  “Samuel may possess a certain moral flexibility, but he is not a psychopathic personality. He’s actually quite gentle most of the time. In fact that’s why they took to calling him ‘the Lamb.’”

  “That’s the Lamb? Samuel? He’s that Lamb?”

  “You’ve heard of him?” asked Ryan.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard of him. I’d never met him, but some of our people have used him. The guy’s a legend and not in a good way. In a Hannibal Lecter sort of way.”

  “He eats people?”

  “No, he’s just a stone-cold killer,” said McGee. “Somebody you send in to do very difficult or very disagreeable wet work. There was another guy we used whose nickname was the Axe Murderer and there were things even he wouldn’t do. The Lamb, though, came through every time. No matter what.”

  “So imagine,” said Wise, “how interested I must be to find out why you followed Samuel here.”

  The ball was now in their court and Ryan did the talking. While she was generous with her information, she wasn’t completely generous. Like Wise, she understood that it was smart to keep a little bit in reserve.

  She walked him through everything, beginning with her surprise meeting with a foreign intelligence official all the way up to how they had found Samuel and decided to follow him when he engaged in a sudden shift change.

  When she was done, Wise had almost the same question for her that she had asked upon her rescue by McGee. “What took you so long to step in? Why didn’t you intervene sooner?”

  “We were trying to pick the right moment,” Ryan replied.

  “She was trying to pick the right moment,” McGee offered. “I was trying to decide which of you I was going to shoot.”

  “And I assume you wanted to hear some of my interrogation,” said Wise.

  “That, too.”

  “Speaking of which,” interjected Ryan. “I’d like to take a crack at Samuel. I have a lot of questions I want answered.”

  “It sounds like we both do.”

  McGee cleared his throat. “Make that three.”

  Wise nodded. “You’ll find Samuel much different than what you are used to. He’s highly intelligent, and if he can play you, he will. He also appreciates being treated with courtesy. Respect is a significant issue with him. He only has one true loyalty and it trumps anything at the Agency, so we should attempt to leverage that to our advantage.”

  “Why don’t I take second chair and let you run the show,” said Ryan.

  “I think that would be best. If we handle this properly, it can be quick and smooth.”

  “And if we don’t handle it properly?” asked McGee.

  “Then you may wish you had your friend the Axe Murderer here instead.”

  CHAPTER 50

  “I’m sorry if wearing these was uncomfortable at all, Samuel,” Wise said as he removed the shooting muffs from the man’s head and sat across from him. He was relaxed and spoke calmly, almost soothingly.

  “It wasn’t uncomfortable, Dr. Wise, but thank you for saying so.”

  “Samuel, do you recognize this gentleman and this lady?” he asked, gesturing to Ryan and McGee.

  “Yes, doctor. The lady is Ms. Lydia Ryan and the gentleman is Mr. Robert McGee. Both are employees of the Central Intelligence Agency.”

  “As are you, correct?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It is not correct that I work for the Central Intelligence Agency.”

  Wise looked at him for a moment and then rephrased. “You work for a black program funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, which allows them to disavow you if you are caught or captured.”

  “That is correct.”

  “Samuel, do you recognize the position you are now in?”

  “I have been restrained by you, Dr. Wise—a former CIA employee, as well as Ms. Ryan and Mr. McGee—current CIA employees.”

  “Correct. And do you recognize that what happens to you going forward will be entirely based upon the degree to which you cooperate with us?”

  “I have been cooperative,” Samuel said.

  Wise got back to his original question. “Please tell me how it is that you were able to identify Ms. Ryan and Mr. McGee to me.”

  “They were both targets I was tasked with terminating.”

  “And who gave you that tasking?”

  The man was silent and didn’t respond.

  “Samuel?” Wise prodded. “That is a direct question and I expect an answer, please.”

  The man remained quiet.

  “Samuel, this is very serious, and it goes far beyond you targeting fellow agents, or even coming after me.”

  Nothing.

  Wise removed his phone. “I’m sorry to have to do this.”

  The bald-headed man was suddenly agitated. “Who are you calling, Dr. Wise?”

  “You know who I’m calling, Samuel.”

  “Dr. Wise, I strongly recommend you stop. Now.”

  “I’m sorry, Samuel. This is beyond my control.”

  “Stop!” he shouted, but as quickly as he had lost his temper, he brought it back under control. “Please hang up the phone, Dr. Wise.”

  Wise looked at him as he put down the phone. “Your sister still doesn’t know, does she?”

  Samuel’s face reddened, though whether from anger or shame, it was not immediately clear.

  Wise looked at Ryan and McGee. “Samuel was raised by his older sister, who nurtured and protected him. She saw to his spiritual and moral upbringing as well. She explained away and helped hide some of his more antisocial behavior until it couldn’t be hidden anymore.

  “Samuel and I met shortly after I arrived at the Agency. Isn’t that true, Samuel?”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  “But eventually, they asked you to leave my program and be part of another. Isn’t that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “It had an interesting, almost benign-sounding name. Do you recall what it was?”

  Samuel went mute.

  Wise pretended to rack his brain. Finally, he said, “I remember now. Swim Club. That’s what they called it. That’s the group you were asked to join. The group your sister knows nothing about.”

  Silence.

  “She sacrificed so much to raise you, to protect you. She gave up any hope of a life of her own. But she believes you t
urned out to be a successful man. You take care of her now that she’s had her stroke. You, the—what was it she believed you did for a living? It was something that sounded boring but allowed you to travel.”

  “I facilitate mining contracts.”

  Wise snapped his fingers. “That was it. She’s very proud of you, isn’t she? You are the only family each of you has. If she knew what you really did for a living, she would be devastated, wouldn’t she? She would be incredibly disappointed not only in you, but in herself for allowing you to become what you have become. Do you think she would see you as a monster, Samuel?”

  The man’s face reddened again. He was angry. “Dr. Wise, please stop speaking about my sister. She has nothing to do with this.”

  “I think you’re wrong, Samuel. She has everything to do with this. She raised you. She lied and covered up for you. She knows what you are capable of. She knows she didn’t get you the treatment you should have had a long, long time ago. Why do you think that is? Did she think you would get better? Or had she covered up so many unspeakable things that she was tainted as well, an accomplice? Did you poison her chances at happiness, Samuel, her chances for a normal life? Is that what caused her stroke, holding all of those unspeakable things inside until something finally snapped in her as well?”

  The man leaned forward, every ropy fiber in his wide, muscular torso straining as the steel handcuffs dug into his wrists. “If you do not stop, Dr. Wise . . .” he threatened, his voice trailing off.

  “If I don’t stop, what, Samuel? You’ll retire me?”

  Samuel’s eyes snapped up to meet his and there was a flash of evil. He was completely changed, consumed with rage. A battle had been kicked off inside him and he was quickly losing control. Wise could read it in his face and over every square inch of his taut, coiled body, waiting to spring.

  “It would hurt your sister to know what you do. It would cause her great pain, wouldn’t it?”

  The man’s eyes shifted to the floor.

  “Like it or not, Samuel, she is a factor in this equation. But how she factors depends on you. Everything depends on you.”

  When his body went almost limp and tears began to form at the corners of his eyes, Wise put his hand back on the man’s shoulder to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay,” he said, and at that moment he knew he was going to get everything he needed out of the killer known to so many as the Lamb, but whom he knew as a deeply disturbed, very sick man named Samuel who was fighting to keep a spark of decency alive within the hurricane of his severely tortured soul.

  CHAPTER 51

  BOSTON

  MASSACHUSETTS

  It was going to be a long day and Harvath had no intention of fueling it with police coffee, so Cordero took him to Caffé Vittoria on Hanover Street. Billed as the first Italian café in Boston, they were not yet open at this early hour, but there were signs of life and Cordero told him not to worry. She tapped on the glass with her car key and caught the attention of an older man setting up inside.

  He smiled when he saw her and came over, unlocked the door, and let them in. “The lovely Lara. So nice to see you,” he said as he welcomed them in.

  “The lovely Lara?” Harvath repeated quietly.

  “I’ve been here once or twice before.”

  “Okay,” the man said as he stepped behind the counter, “what can I do for you, officers?”

  “He’s not an off—” Cordero began, but then decided to let it go. “What do you have that’s hot and ready to go?”

  With its tin ceiling, vintage espresso machines, antique grinders, and old black-and-white photographs, it was one of the most charming cafés Harvath had ever visited. If the character and ambiance were any indication, he was in for some pretty good coffee.

  “Okay if I order for us?” Cordero asked.

  Harvath nodded, and she placed the order. While the man behind the counter worked he asked about what had happened a couple of blocks away over on Garden Court. To her credit, she played it vague while still making the man feel like he had an inside connection with an important Boston homicide detective.

  When the coffee was ready and paid for, the man told her to wait a minute and he slipped several pastries into a paper bag and handed them to her.

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said.

  “For your partner.”

  Harvath began to put his hands up to say no thank you, but the man behind the counter said, “Your other partner. The Italiano.”

  “You mean Sal,” Cordero said with a smile.

  “He only eats small children,” Harvath interjected.

  The female detective shook her head and removed a ten-dollar bill. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate these. How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing. Free. Free,” the man said.

  “You were sweet to let us in early. Thank you, but I don’t need a discount, or anything for free. That’s not how we do things.”

  The man didn’t know how to respond. Finally, he said, “Okay, eight dollars.”

  Cordero handed him the ten and told him to keep the rest as a tip. He thanked her and showed them outside, then locked the door behind them and got back to setting up for the day.

  “Thanks for the coffee,” Harvath said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m a little bit disappointed, though.”

  “You haven’t even tried the coffee yet.”

  He smiled at her. “Yesterday, you took me for breakfast where the Boston Strangler killed his last victim, and today it’s just a coffee bar.”

  “Just a coffee bar,” she replied, shaking her head. “Shows what you know about Boston history, Mr. Expert. Trust me, you don’t want to know about this one.”

  “I knew it,” said Harvath as he peeled the lid off his to-go cup and blew on his coffee. “You homicide cops can’t help yourselves. Like moths to a flame.”

  “I’m telling you, we’re here for the coffee. Trust me.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve asked me to trust you. Why?”

  “Because there is a story attached to this building and it’s horrible.”

  “I’m a big boy,” he said, turning around to study the building’s brick faïade. “What’s the story?”

  “Just remember,” she said, relenting. “You asked.”

  “I take full responsibility.”

  “Okay. Do you know what a baby farm is?”

  He’d heard of a baby factory before, but something told him this was different. “No,” he replied. “I don’t think I know what that is. What are we talking about?”

  “Back in the 1800s, women who got pregnant out of wedlock and who wanted to avoid the social stigma that came along with it would often place their infants in what was pejoratively called a baby farm. These baby farms could provide wet nurses and would take the child off the mother’s hands for a limited time or ‘adopt’ the child altogether if the price was right. The understanding was that the child would be cared for.”

  “I’m guessing that wasn’t the case in this instance.”

  “There was a notorious baby farm right here in the late 1800s. The woman who ran it was named Mrs. Elwood and she abused many of the children quite severely and even murdered several of them.”

  Harvath grimaced. The idea of babies being given up by their mothers was bad enough, but to think they were abused and even killed at the hands of people entrusted with their care turned his stomach. There was nothing lower in his book than someone who abused children or animals.

  “The café’s owners,” she continued, “opened a cigar bar in the basement that everyone said was haunted. They brought in some paranormal researchers who found a disgusting syringe from the 1870s that one of the ghosts allegedly drew their attention to. Once the syringe was taken out of the building, the haunting stopped.”

  “Do you believe in all that stuff?” Harvath asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Spirits? Ghosts? I don’t know. I’ve seen some absol
utely horrific crime scenes in my time, the last two days included. I suppose I can understand why some souls are unable to cross over. I’d like to think that if I got murdered, I’d be pissed-off enough to stay around until the case got solved. But I’m stubborn like that. What about you?”

  “If anyone tried to murder me, it wouldn’t be unsolved because I’d take them with me.”

  “Tough guy, huh?” she said.

  “No,” he replied. “Just stubborn like that. You know.”

  Cordero smiled, and suggested that they get going. As they walked, she said, “It all makes me wonder.”

  “Wonder what?”

  “What people will say a hundred years from now when they pass the murder scenes we’re working.”

  It was a good question. “Let’s hope they say it was a tough case, but you and I figured it out as quickly as we could and we stopped anyone else from being killed.”

  “Agreed,” she said as they reached her car and she looked at her watch. “Let me tell you what I think we need to do.”

  CHAPTER 52

  “Damn right I’m not happy!” Reed Carlton shouted into the phone at Harvath. “I don’t care what kind of contacts Monroe Lewis and the Federal Reserve have. Part of what they are paying us for is to be their eyes and ears in this case. They should have heard about this from me and I should have heard it right away from you. You were at the scene before the FBI, for Chrissake.”

  “Sir, let me—” Harvath attempted, but he was cut off.

  “Be quiet and listen to me. I don’t care if it’s three in the morning, three in the afternoon, midnight, twilight, firelight, whatever frigging time it is! If there’s a development in a case we’re working on, especially a murder, I expect you to call me. Whether or not you’re going to wake me up should never factor into it. Do you understand?”

  The boss was fired up and Harvath knew better than to respond in any fashion other than completely professional. “Yes, sir,” he said. “It’s my fault. It won’t happen again.”

  Harvath’s phone had rung just as Cordero was dropping him back at his hotel. He had planned to shower and change while she went home to pick up her son and drop him off at day care. They were going to meet back at her office. In between then, Harvath was going to call the Old Man and give him an update, but apparently Monroe Lewis had heard from the FBI first.