Dead Edge

by Jack Ford

  Levi had been deep in thought but now chipped into the conversation. ‘I’m sorry to go back on this, but why would they keep the same clothes on the kids though? It’s like a red flag.’

  Maddie shrugged. ‘You gotta think, that T-shirt may be all those kids had. The charity said that particular refugee camp was certainly overlooked by the bigger charities, and they struggled to get any form of relief aid, whether it be clothing or food. And Ismet wasn’t to know that the crew were going to do this. And sometimes, the most obvious thing is overlooked. Obviously this is conjecture, because nothing we have proves unequivocally that the children were on the boat.’

  ‘And that’s exactly why I’m going to go back to Turkey,’ Cooper said.

  ‘Tom, no.’

  ‘Come on, Maddie, what do you expect me to do?’

  ‘You’re crazy.’

  ‘Am I, Rosedale? Or do I just want to see what’s going on and do what I can to help?’

  Rosedale, having mopped up the spilled coffee with Levi’s sweat top, leant back on Cooper’s desk. ‘Oh, I don’t think you’re understanding me. When I say you’re crazy, I’m not talking about whether or not you go and investigate this Ismet guy. I’m talking about you, Thomas. You’re a liability. You’re in no fit state.’

  ‘I need to do this, Rosedale, and I need you to come with me.’

  ‘You’re cookin’ up a pot of crazy in that head of yours. There’s no way.’

  ‘Why?’

  Rosedale looked at Cooper incredulously. ‘Why? Have you lost all sense? Apart from the fact we don’t really know who we’re taking on, there’s the small matter of you being hook-assed on those pills you like to take. You’re not safe to be around. Unreliable. If you were the Thomas from years gone by, then maybe. But it’d still only be a maybe. I can’t believe, after everything, you want me to risk my life for you.’

  ‘Not for me, Rosedale. For those kids. For Andreas.’

  ‘Have you forgotten the last time you asked us to do something? It turned out that you were working for Ismet.’

  Angry, both at himself, and at Rosedale, Cooper dragged hard on his cigarette. ‘I wasn’t working for him. I… I… Goddamn it, you know what happened. It was a mistake. I was desperate, and I am sorry, really sorry that I compromised myself and us in that way.’

  ‘And what if this is the same? You and Ismet have something lined up.’

  ‘You’re talking crap now.’

  ‘Am I?’

  ‘Yeah and you know it. There’s no way this has got anything to do with Ismet and I.’

  ‘Actually, Thomas, I do know that, but what I’m trying to show you is that no-one can trust you anymore. You can’t even trust yourself to guarantee it won’t happen again… Tell me what happens if you get desperate again?’

  Cooper’s reply was faint. ‘I won’t.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘I’ll make sure I take enough.’

  Maddie put her head down. Levi put his in his hands. And Rosedale shook his and said, ‘Have you heard yourself? You’re now going to go all Scarface on our ass, and risk getting busted by customs?’

  Cooper walked towards the wall-to-ceiling window. Running his hand through his strawberry blonde hair, he turned to Rosedale. ‘I’m just saying it like it is. I’m sorry. I really am, but I can’t just stop and I can’t just leave those kids. Don’t look at me like that, Rosedale, I have tried to give up, but it’s so Goddamn hard, and right now with everything that’s going on, and to be one hundred percent honest with you, I can’t even begin to imagine life without the pills… It’s screwed up, I know, but I have to be straight with you if I’m asking for your help.’

  ‘And you’re seriously wanting us to come with you with your head so messed up?’

  ‘Yes I am because…’ Cooper stopped. Tried to regain his composure, which he could feel was breaking. Giving way to a flood gate of emotions. Sniffed. Put hands on hips. Looked up. Looked down. Stalled for time. Unsure whether or not to give them anything but the full, unedited version. Inhaled. Exhaled. ‘I don’t want to die.’

  Shocked, hit by a curve ball, Maddie said, ‘What?’

  Cooper ran his hand again through his thick hair, which just flopped back into the same position. Falling over his eyes. Concealing the pain. ‘I don’t want to die, but death sure as hell seems to keep calling my name.’

  ‘What are you talking about, Tom?’

  ‘I’m just saying I’m tired. Real tired of this battle. So I need to do something which takes my sorry ass out of where I seem to have landed. I can’t help myself, but perhaps, just perhaps, I can help these kids.’

  Rosedale shook his head. ‘You’re living in a dream world, Thomas.’

  Maddie shot a stare. ‘Let him finish.’

  Cooper smiled gratefully at Maddie. ‘I’m begging you. Levi. Rosedale. Maddie. You’re always saying you want to help me, so now you can. I need a reason to live, because God knows I feel like I can’t find one. So please. Help me so I can help them.’

  A pause.

  A silence.

  A stillness.

  Then with her voice cracking, Maddie said, ‘I’m in. And not just for me, for those kids.’

  Levi stood up. Gave a big, firm, loving hug to Cooper and with a smile full of pain he spoke quietly, ‘I’m in too because there’s no way I’m going to lose you on my watch. And besides, if anything did happen to you, I couldn’t take Dorothy’s nagging.’

  Rosedale picked up his cowboy hat. Placed it firmly on his head. Walked towards the door. Stopped. Turned. ‘I’m in, but Thomas, you do anything which jeopardizes our safety and you won’t have to worry about finding a reason to live, because I’ll kill you myself.’

  65

  Nh5 Ke6

  ‘Any luck, Mads?’

  Cooper, wired and tired and on edge, felt the blister packet of OxyContin in the front pocket of his faded jeans. He pushed away the thought of making Maddie, Rosedale and Levi complicit in his struggle. Intentionally handing them the sign which read in bold, bright letters, Enabler.

  Yes, it was true that he couldn’t do without the daily, unregulated dose of OxyContin. But it was also true that medicating himself would now be a lot easier. Not hiding. Not lying. And maybe now not even trying to give it up.

  With that thought making him feel even worse than he did already, and wanting but struggling to concentrate on what Maddie was saying, Cooper said, ‘Can you repeat that please.’

  Maddie was looking at several computer displays in front of her, all with black screens and thousands of green text codes running down at blinks per second. She smiled. ‘Sure… On the USB key you took from the ship, they haven’t used a standard commercial encryption software. I hoped they would, but didn’t really hold out much hope. Anyway, this makes it slightly precarious to work on. My worry is if they may’ve programmed a set number of tries before the information is deleted and the device wipes itself. Neither can I download the information to our computer and then decrypt it. When it’s encrypted like this you can’t touch any of the information.’

  ‘I’m guessing you don’t want to try to take it to a lab. I know a few guys who are really trustworthy. And fantastic at this stuff. Supreme ninja badasses.’

  Maddie turned to look at Cooper for the first time. Her heart melted for the pain screwed up and tightly set on his face. She knew he was fighting an unseen battle, but she also knew she could only get so close, otherwise she’d start drowning too, pulled in while reaching out her hand to help him. ‘I really want to say yes, because this has been driving me nuts, but I think the sensitivity on this whole case is something we have to be careful with. What do you reckon? Think I’m being over cautious?’

  Squeezing the bridge of his nose, stopping the burn from his headache, Cooper replied, ‘No. I’m with you on that. Trust nobody… But now what?’

  ‘Well, I’ve done some coding, as well as ported and complied, and I’m trying to exploit a vulnerability. I’m hoping
that it’s just the password which is locked in an encrypted vault rather than the whole information on the USB.’

  ‘Is that what you’re doing now?’

  ‘Yep. Trying to. If you look at this computer, I’m running a program I made to try to undo the cipher text. Now it’s just a question of waiting… And waiting.’ She stopped and smiled. Gave a small laugh. Then said, quietly, ‘I know we’re not together, Tom, but if anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do. You hear me?’

  ‘I hear you, baby, and maybe I don’t say it enough, or didn’t say it enough, but you know I love you –’

  Before Cooper could say anything else, his face lit up. A grin. A wink as he watched the computer over Maddie’s shoulder go from black screen and green text, to flash an access denied bypass screen, before loading up into the USB’s folder option.

  He grabbed Maddie. Hugged her tight. Planted a big kiss. ‘Have I ever told you how brilliant you are?’

  At which point, Rosedale walked in. Walked straight back out. Maddie looked at Cooper, then at the empty entrance to the office. She unlocked herself from Cooper’s embrace and said, ‘Sorry.’

  Cooper shrugged. Flat tone. Flat look. ‘There’s nothing to be sorry about. Hey, we’re all adults. We’ve all got our lives to live.’

  With a nod, Maddie ran out. Called down the corridor. ‘Rosedale… Stop. Wait!’

  Rosedale, not one for showing sentiment, nor one used to feeling anything like tender emotions, after so long in the clandestine unit of the CIA, tipped his cowboy hat.

  ‘Sugar, it’s okay. I get it.’

  She walked up to him. Looked up at him. Shook her head. ‘No, you don’t. We were just happy because I managed to get into the USB file.’

  Rosedale turned his head, a look of relief creeping over his face. ‘No kidding?’

  She reached out her hand and smiled. ‘No kidding… Come on. Let’s go and see what’s on there.’

  66

  Ng3 Kf6

  ‘Is Granger going to be a problem?’

  Standing by the computers, Maddie answered absentmindedly as she stared at the screen.

  ‘I don’t think we have to worry about Granger, Tom. He’s locked himself away in his office for the rest of the day… Have you got any clues what it might be? It’s the only file on the flash drive. It doesn’t make any sense to me.’

  Cooper walked up to the extra-large computer screen. He looked at the seemingly random abstract shapes. There were no words, just outlines of what reminded him of a geometry math class back in middle school. ‘If I didn’t know better I’d say this was encrypted too.’

  ‘You know, I can’t help but feel disappointed. I was hoping that we’d find something solid. Confirming our suspicions. Or at least pointing us in the right direction.’

  Lighting a cigar, Rosedale continued to study the screen in silence. Memorising the pattern of shapes and outlines. Looking to see if there was a mirroring theme. Looking to see if he could work out any mathematical formula behind it. ‘You’re not the only one, honey. I can’t even begin to guess. So now I suppose there’s nothing else for it. We go to Turkey… along with Billy Hayes here.’

  HATAY PROVINCE, TURKEY

  67

  Kg4 Ra1

  Inside the air was as thick as it had been before, and the smoke and the aroma of alcohol, mixed with the sizzling meats on the grill mangal cooking over a charcoal fire, smelt just the same. And the chattering voices rose up just as high. Serenading the night just as loud. And in the corner, a dark-haired, black-bearded man with a wind-leathered face, sat just as hunched as he had before. Only this time the fear in his eyes was much greater than it had been.

  ‘I told you I’d be back. Now it’s down to you. We can do this the hard way, where I drag you out like before, or we can do it the easy way where you walk out yourself. And as you can see, this time I brought my friends along. You remember them, don’t you?’

  Rosedale tipped his hat.

  ‘Well? Which is it going to be? And don’t bother saying please, you know how much I hate that.’

  Without bothering to open his mouth, the fishing captain scraped back his chair. Stood up. Following the Onyx team into the night.

  68

  Bd5 Ra5

  The lapping waves hit the side of the anchored fishing boat with a rhythmic sound. And the moonlit Turkish night only served to emphasize the serenity of the dark. An explosion of stars decorated the sky, and the warmth of the night gave a false sense of ease.

  ‘Tom, come here.’

  Standing on deck at the stern, Maddie gestured to Cooper. Spoke in a whisper as she looked at the distant land lights. Bringing her hand out of her pocket she stretched it out. ‘There you go. Just one.’

  Cooper’s face crumpled up. Part humiliation. Part annoyance. And taking the pill from Maddie’s hand, he said, ‘You don’t have to do this. I could sort it myself.’

  ‘That was the deal, Tom.’

  ‘You’re not my nursemaid. I’m a grown man,’ Cooper said, not unkindly.

  ‘No I’m not and yes you are, but you’re also an addict and we’re here to do a job and there’s no way I’m going to make this harder than it should be. This is about all of us and what’s best.’

  ‘Are you sure this way is the best way?’

  ‘Listen to me. In less than ten minutes we’re going to jump into that sea and swim to shore. The same shore where Ismet and his men are based. And what that might entail, none of us knows. So I may not be a doctor, but I know that each one of us has to be as vigilant and as sharp as we can. Which means you self-medicating isn’t even an option.’

  Cooper rubbed his face. He hissed a whisper. ‘This is not okay, Maddie.’

  ‘You’re right it isn’t. None of it is. Not you taking them. Not us taking them through customs with you.’

  ‘Have you ever seen that movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?’

  ‘You know I have.’

  ‘Well, right now you remind me of Nurse Ratched.’

  Maddie stepped forward. Looked up into Cooper’s handsome face. ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself. This, right now, is not going to work.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I’m talking about you trying to make me back down by saying all this stuff so eventually it becomes too much for me, and then because I’ve thrown in the towel you can do what you like and take as many OxyContin as you want. But I’ve got news for you, Tom, you’ve picked the wrong person if you think your behavior is going to affect what’s best for us and for you. I’ve been married to you for a good while now, so I know all your ways. I also know how an addict behaves. So it basically comes down to this: it’s this way. My way. Or we turn back home. Right now. It’s your call.’

  ‘Look, Maddie, I’m not trying to be a jerk, all I’m saying is one pill isn’t always enough.’

  ‘I said it’s your call. But just so you know, I’m going on the correct dosage, not what you want it to be.’

  ‘You can’t just drop the amount like that. It’s an opioid, for God’s sake. I’ve developed a tolerance to it and if I don’t get enough I’ll start withdrawing. Is that what you want?’

  A blink of hesitation. Uncertainty. Then Maddie said, ‘I don’t want any of this. And as for the dose, I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’ve got Xanax as well. You can take four of those a day and we can reassess. And besides, we’re not planning to be here longer than forty-eight hours… So come on, Tom. What’s it going to be?’

  Pushing his face to touch noses, Cooper said, ‘I love you, but you are going to be the death of me, woman… And as for what’s it going to be, you haven’t really given me a choice have you, Maddison?’

  ‘Glad you understand that. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear… Hey, Rosedale.’

  Cooper swallowed the pill.

  Raged inside.

  Rosedale asked, ‘How’s the patient?’

  Raged outside. ‘I’d be a hell of a lot better without
your comments. We’re here to do a job. Anything else, I don’t want to know.’

  ‘Well, Rosedale can only apologize if he’s offended you in some way.’

  Cooper gritted his teeth. Spoke through them. ‘What is it with you, Turkey and speaking in the third person? What’s the connection? Actually, no. No, I don’t want to know. I don’t care. Just leave me alone.’

  Wanting to get back to some form of reason, Maddie, still talking in a whisper – aware how voices travelled across the silence of the water – turned to Rosedale. ‘Do you think we can trust the captain not to sail off? Taking into account the last time.’

  Rosedale shook his head. ‘Nope. No way. The minute we swim for shore he’ll be gone.’ He held up a rope. ‘So that’s why I’ve just tied him up. Can’t say he was taken with the idea. But he won’t be going anywhere… You okay, Maddie?’

  ‘Yeah, you?’

  ‘You can stay here, you know?’

  ‘I was about to say the same thing to you.’

  Rosedale shrugged. ‘Touché.’

  ‘I’m being serious, Rosedale, when was the last time you swam more than fifty meters?’

  ‘Maddison, you and Thomas here may be the water babies but that doesn’t mean I’m staying on this boat whilst you two go and get yourselves into trouble. We stick together. The whole thing’s crazy but for better…’ He paused, looked at Cooper and went on, ‘…or for worse, we’re a team. No matter what, we stick together… Are you really sure about this, Thomas?’

  ‘No, but it’s the only way I can think of. And at least this way, swimming to and around the shoreline, we’ll be unseen.’ Cooper said.

  Rosedale looked out towards the shoreline. ‘It’s a hell of a swim. What do you estimate?’

  ‘Three miles, maybe. Could be less. And it’ll be relatively easy because there isn’t a pull tide in the Med.’

  ‘Three miles. You kidding?’

  Cooper couldn’t help but smile. ‘Come on, Rosedale, that’s half what he’d swim in basic training in the SEALs.’