Strother and McNair looked at the attractive woman in the picture, understanding that looks aside, this woman was probably as lethal as one could get.
Chang then proceeded to tell them about Jenny's background and her expertise and interest in infectious diseases.
“So, you are saying,” McNair asked, “that she gave up her clandestine career to do chemical and infectious disease research?”
“Exactly,” Chang said. “She still works closely with counter terrorism groups. Her known forte is dealing with chemical weapons.”
Strother put his hands on top of his head, lacing them together.
“So once Jackson told Thomas what the Duncan girl told him, they started to put two and two together. Then, Thomas called his old colleague who has some expertise in all of this and boom, these three have connected the dots. Whew!”
“Where is Roberts now, guys?” McNair asks.
“Right as we speak, she is in her office. At least that is where we think she is. But guess where she was last night?” Mason asks.
Strother answered right away. “Don't tell me she was in Asheville?”
“Yes, she was,” Mason confirmed, “Look here.” He then described how they matched her photo against digital images from hotel cameras in and around the Asheville area last night. He showed them a grainy image of a tall, lean woman strolling through the lobby of the Red Roof Inn Asheville West dressed in all black. Though she was adept at keeping her head away from the camera, at one point she slightly lifted her head to return the wave of the receptionist clerk. Mason froze the image of her face and placed it side by side next to the file photo of Jenny Roberts. It was unmistakably the same person.
Chang continued. “Roberts checked in under the name of Emma Jones for two nights. We do not know when she left, but we have seen her enter the CDC headquarters today from police cameras in downtown Atlanta.”
Strother decided to sit in a nearby chair. Looking at McNair, he said, “It looks like we need to go to Atlanta.”
Mason then spoke. “Maybe not, sir. When Mr. McNair went to find you, we noticed that Jenny Roberts booked a plane ticket for tomorrow.”
“To where,” McNair asked anxiously.
Mason smiled. “She booked a direct flight from Atlanta to D.C. Reagan airport. Jenny Roberts will be in D.C. tomorrow morning.”
__________
Joe Sweeney arrived early at the Four Seasons, something that pleased Yesus' uncle. “Glad you are here early, Joe. Many VIPs will be here and since Senator Duncan is coming, some people have even come early to hang out in the lounge and wait.”
Sweeney knew exactly what Yesus' uncle was referring to. The Four Seasons lounge is a famous hang out spot for people watching. All dinner guests going to the main ballroom in the basement have to pass right by the lounge to get downstairs. With all of the publicity around the death of Amy Duncan, many must have come to the lounge just to see the senator and his wife walk by. Sweeney was also sure that there were a few members of the press hanging out in the lounge.
One thing Sweeney liked about parking cars was that doing it definitely helped time move fast. He had just come back from dropping off a car when there was a palpable stirring in the atrium area right outside the hotel. Sweeney quickly looked down at his watch and could not believe that it was almost 7:30. Just then, a beige Cadillac pulled up and just like that, Senator Rex Duncan climbed out of the driver's seat. Sweeney was on the same side as the senator, who was handing the keys to one of Sweeney's colleagues.
As was the case with many VIPs, the valet team would not take the senator's car to their usual parking spot a couple blocks away. Rather, they would park it right up front in one of the eight spaces that could be used for these occasions. Sweeney had factored this in as part of his plan. While one of the valet workers had the car and drove it in a circle through the street and then back through the main entrance, Sweeney was sure that some folks would start chatting up the senator. He would then slyly approach Reba Duncan. He would have about thirty seconds to do so.
Sweeney watched as Reba Duncan got out of the passenger side, aided somewhat by her husband, who had hustled around to her side. While the senator looked elegant in his standard black tuxedo, Reba Duncan looked absolutely magnificent in her silver sequined gown with a fox wrap covering her shoulders. She was a beautiful woman, and had a palpably sad energy following her. Sweeney felt instantly saddened as she and the senator walked into the hotel.
Sweeney parked a few more cars when Yesus' uncle announced that the senator was leaving. He said, “Senator Duncan and his wife are on their way up here. Jonah,” he said, tossing the keys to one of the hotel's fulltime valet workers, “Go get their car and pull around front so they won’t have to wait long.”
Stuck in his own head, Sweeney was beginning to panic. He looked around expecting that everyone would be looking at him, as if they were all aware of his plan. Instead, he noticed that everyone in that little atrium area outside of the Four Seasons entrance was looking in the direction of the door and waiting for the senator and his lovely, sad wife. He had to have just a few seconds with Mrs. Duncan. He positioned himself near where the car would end up so he could open the passenger door for her. He would then slip the note in her hand. Sweeney's heart was beating a mile a minute. Jonah then pulled the car up front at nearly the exact same time that the senator and Mrs. Duncan came through the main hotel doors.
Sweeney had walked right up to the passenger side of their car and was reaching down to open it. Stay cool and calm, he thought. He looked to the other side of the car, where Jonah was holding the driver's door open with the senator's keys in his hand. Jonah threw him a smile as if to say, “nice touch.”
Then, Sweeney got a break. As he had hoped, the senator was deluged by several onlookers. Hotel security was with him, but at least ten people began to mill around the senator and follow him like a herd to his car. Sweeney noticed that the senator's wife, seeing the mad rush of people, looked a little unnerved. She looked toward the car and relief showed on her face when she saw Sweeney standing there smiling with the passenger door open. She rushed toward the car. Here we go, Sweeney thought.
Holding the car door with his right hand, Sweeney stepped toward Reba Duncan as she positioned herself to get into the car. He then gently grabbed her right hand with his left as if to help her into the car. In his left hand was the note he had been working on all morning. Reba Duncan had a shocked look on her face as she could tell that he was handing her something. While nudging her into the car, Sweeney had forgotten the lines he had obsessed over.
His anxiety began to overwhelm him. He thrust the note in her hand and simply said, “Mrs. Duncan, please read this note and do not tell anyone. Please.” With that, he shut the door behind her, never taking his eyes from hers. Reba Duncan had her mouth wide open, but did not break the stare between them. By then, Rex Duncan had made it into the car and quickly started the car and pulled out of the driveway. Jonah looked over at Sweeney saying, “Way to step up, Sweeney. She was not having those crowds.”
“Thanks,” Sweeney said, nodding back toward his fellow valet worker.
On the sidewalk, just twenty-five yards away, R.J. studied Sweeney intently, wondering why some snot-nosed kid valet would go out of his way to place a piece of paper in Reba Duncan's hand.
__________
Ronnie had to hand it to Jenny. The entrance to her Bryce Mountain hideaway was as elaborate as any he had seen. Jenny was always a cut above the rest of us, he thought to himself. To gain access to Jenny's place, you first had to go to a log cabin located at the top of a winding road on which a host of other cabins were located. As instructed, Ronnie drove into the entrance of the cabin and followed a driveway that led downhill to the back of the cabin. Not visible to the street was a small one-car garage. Again, as instructed, Ronnie pulled the Grand Cherokee into the garage, whereupon he and Jackson exited the car with their duffel bags in tow, closing
the garage door behind them. Jenny had noted that the log cabin was a rental property, but that it was unoccupied at the time. Ronnie and Jackson then walked to the back of the garage where they faced a dense set of woods. Since this property was near the top of a hill, there were no other cabins in site.
Walking about twenty yards into the woods, they ran into a shed-like structure. Using the key she had given them, they opened the shed and saw piles of chopped wood stacked inside on several shelves. Jackson, who was still holding the instructions, walked to the very back of the shed, reached with his hand to the top shelf, then searched for a button on the back part of the shelf. Finding it, he pushed it three times.
Suddenly, the wall opened up behind the shelves. Jackson and Ronnie walked behind the shelves and saw a circular staircase leading downward. They entered the staircase, but before walking down the stairs, Jackson found another hidden button on wall beside a light switch. He turned the switch on and pushed the button three times which resulted in the wall closing behind them. They walked down the staircase about three levels down, ending up in a rustic living area. As they walked around they found two bedrooms, one with a queen bed and one with two twin beds. They also found a fully stocked kitchen, a kitchen table with four chairs and a living room with a couch, two easy chairs, and one big screen television. There was also a computer desk and chair in the corner of the living room.
The last part of the note Jenny left in the envelope suggested that they go through the trap door found in the bedroom with the queen bed. She wanted to make sure that they were familiar with the exit, should a quick escape be necessary. It was here that the genius of the hideaway was most evident. The trap door exit led to and escape hatch carved inside of a big tree. The side of the tree opened up in the middle of some woods, which were only about seventy-five yards to the Stony Creek River. Right by the exit was a small boat. There was no way anyone who knew the entrance to the hideaway could even fathom the exit area. Even with Ronnie's superior sense of direction, he was sure that the exit door would lead them to the base of the mountain near the road where they began to climb to get to the log cabin. Instead, they ended up in a place that was almost two roads over from where they started. Both men looked at each other, amazed.
“Pretty fucking unbelievable,” Ronnie said. “This is the best emergency exit setup I have seen.”
Nodding, Jackson agreed. “It is pretty amazing. I still must admit, however, the motorcycle park thing was a darn impressive stunt.”
They went back inside and had an extremely tough time making it up the escape hatch. When they were finally secure in the hideaway, Ronnie started to prepare some food. After they ate, he was going to call Jenny. D.C. was within their reach.
__________
Reba Duncan had a lot of swirling thoughts in her head when the young man handed her the note. At first, she thought it was some crazy activist play, possibly a way to get some political point of view to her husband. She was then haunted by the look in the young man's eyes. She felt his authentic desperation. Reba looked at her right hand. In it, she held the note given to her by the young red-headed boy. She was eager to read it, but afraid to at the same time. Reba sensed that the note's contents would confirm all of her suspicions: that her daughter was murdered for some crazy political reason. She also knew, however, that the note could help her avenge her daughter's death. She was more than ready for that.
“What was that boy talking to you about, dear?” Rex asked her as he drove them home. “He looked
like he had something important he wanted to share.”
Reba felt as if her thoughts were interrupted. “Oh, nothing. He said he was sorry for my loss. It kind of hit me strange. So many people know about our situation, yet we know nothing about theirs. Anyway, he was trying to be nice.”
Rex looked at his wife and tilted his head slightly as if he understood her point. “Well, I hope you are glad we came, sweetie. Amy would have been proud. You were terrific, by the way.” His eyes sparkled thinking about his wife's brief, but heartfelt remarks.
Reba was genuinely flattered. Even after all of these years, Rex could say a certain thing in a certain way that would get her flustered. She smiled at him. “Yes, I am glad we went too. Amy would have been proud. I am proud also of who she was in her life. She was an amazing woman, Rex.”
“That she was, Reba. She was just like her mother.”
The two smiled at each other warmly as Rex pulled into their driveway.
Once inside, Rex went to the bar to fix himself a drink. He also said that he needed to make a couple of calls to his office about his schedule tomorrow. Neither of them were looking forward to the services for their daughter which would be in Boise next week.
Reba walked upstairs and sat on the stool in her dressing area. As she began to take off her jewelry, she opened the note that was still crumpled in her right hand. It read:
Dear Mrs. Duncan. Last Friday, my roommate John Finnegan picked up your daughter following her date with professor Lowery. When he drove her home, Amy kept saying that she was in love. All weekend, Finn kept talking about the two of them. He told me that he wanted that kind of love. On Tuesday, when we saw the CNN broadcast about your daughter's death and the manhunt for professor Lowery, Finn was adamant that there was no way Lowery would kill Amy. He decided to go to the local police to tell his story and that he believed Lowery was not the killer. That night, he was dead. I think he was murdered. If you want to talk more, meet me at Booeymonger on Prospect Street tomorrow morning at 10 am. Please come. Joe Sweeney.
Reba read the note several more times. As she removed her make up, the immediate question Reba had to face was whether she would tell her husband about this new development. Her instinct was to do so, but she was worried about Rex's safety as well. She was growing increasingly certain that those assholes Steve Mills and Bill Merchant were the reason her precious daughter was dead. How far would they go? Would they kill her? And Rex?
She was sure that under the right circumstances, they would do whatever they needed to do. Still, she did not know what motivated them. Why did they think they needed Rex so much, yet still let his daughter be killed? Reba fought back tears during her thinking. She resolved to talk to this Sweeney boy first, and then go to Rex. While she felt sure that he was legitimate, she would have a better sense of things after spending some time with him. She would tell Rex about it later.
Just then, she heard her husband coming up the stairs. He was such a good man, she thought. She now had to protect him from these awful people who killed their child. Looking at herself in the mirror, she gave a weak smile. All of that could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she believed, something else was more important. She stood from the dressing area, letting her sequin dress fall to the floor. She was going to make love to her husband.
__________
Things were happening fast. It was all coming to a head. Strother could feel it. The techies had come through big time about the Roberts woman. A decision had to be made about when, where, and how to confront her. Or should they let her lead them directly to Jackson and Thomas so they could take them all down at once? He would work through that decision soon.
Strother also had to deal with the story he got from R.J. Apparently, while following and watching the Duncans at the charity that evening, a young, white valet parking attendant handed Reba Duncan a note. Who the hell was this young man and what was that all about? Strother was juggling a lot of balls, but loose ends were the worst.
If this kid were in any way connected, he would need to be eliminated. Quickly. Strother would meet with his team at 9 am to discuss all these matters and their options. Strother also had to update Tyler on all of this, especially the Roberts woman and her research. Tomorrow would be another busy day, but is also could be the day of resolution. At least, Strother hoped so. Indeed, one could only hope.
THREE
Sweeney was hoping that Reba Duncan would show u
p. Deep down, he suspected that she would, but you could never be sure about these things. When they locked eyes, however, he did not see fear in her face. Rather, he saw determination. She was looking for answers too.
All night long, Sweeney thought through how they should proceed. He played over various scenarios in his mind, finally landing on an idea that he thought could work. Once Mrs. Duncan heard his idea, he hoped that she would agree with him. She was the key to making it work.
Sweeney was thinking about all of this as he walked down Prospect Street toward Booeymongers. He was only a block away, but could see that several of the outside table and chairs were still available. Great, he thought. He could have a much more private conversation with her outside as opposed to inside the cafe.
As Sweeney crossed over 32nd Street, right in front of Booeymongers, he noticed someone waving to him off to the left of the Cafe. Sitting at one of the outside tables was a woman with a baseball cap pulled down and sunglasses covering her eyes. She was wearing a stylish dark blue sweater. Reba Duncan. She still looked stunning, but in a different kind of way from the night before.
Sweeney waved back and walked straight to the table instead of going into the cafe.
“I bought a coffee for you,” she said, holding it up. “Also, a pastry. Here is the cream and sugar.”
Sweeney's eyes lit up. “Thanks. This is all good.”
The Plan (The Jackson Lowery Trilogy Book 1) Page 14