Maggie saw rough photos of Grim Harvest, taken from surveillance-camera feeds, in the streets of Quito, weapons raised as they shepherded prisoners into two vans. There was Yalu, with a stunning smile as she held an assault rifle in one hand, shaking a fist at a camera.
And off to one side, John Rae. Maggie took a quick second look. Sunglasses and Chullo cap with the ear flaps down and a bandana tied around his face. But it was him all right. The pointed toes of his cowboy boots were a giveaway. Holding a wicked-looking machine gun.
Well, boys will be boys.
But delivering on his promise after all.
Maggie turned off the television. And felt just a little better.
And stopped worrying about the mysterious driver who picked her up that day in Quito, and who might have ordered it. And who might have been tracking her. And the woman who exposed the corruption and violence in the Amazon. And what Commerce Oil was doing to the Yasuni and how the Agency and half the world condoned it. Soon it would all be behind her. Wouldn’t it?
The door buzzer rang again, three successive bursts this time.
She gulped the last of her espresso, put the demitasse cup in the sink along with the saucer. Picked up the red Motorola Talkabout sitting by the coffee maker, tossed it in the trash under the sink.
Her MacBook on the countertop was soon open to the account belonging to Beltran’s bogus Amazon Wildlife Restoration Fund. One point nine five million still left.
So trusting. To leave it there. He thought she was toothless now. In the end, it really was pin money to the Agency.
She transferred all of it to the Save the Yasuni Movement fund after first converting it back to Bitcoin. Untraceable.
Tough luck, Beltran. It’s probably chump change to you too—with the number of people paying you off.
She pressed Enter, completed the anonymous transfer, watched it go through, logged off.
Picking up her briefcase, she turned off the lights, headed out to her interview.
###
Afterword
One of the rewards of sitting in a dark room, banging out stories about people who never really existed doing things that never really happened, is connecting with readers. So thank you, dear reader, for coming along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed it. You are the reason I do this.
And a huge THANK YOU to all of those who nominated THE CAIN FILE for Amazon’s Kindle Scout program. What can I say? It would not have happened without you.
Likewise, my stalwart fellow workshoppers and beta readers who plowed through drafts and helped whip the book into shape. They are, in no particular order: Barbara McHugh, Dot Edwards, Heather King, Cara Black, Stan Kaufman, Kathleen Murray, Nanette Asimov, Phil Laird, Townsend Wright, Andy Fraknoi, Ross Pudaloff, and (drum roll, please) my wife, Kate (aka Deb).
Please check out my Amazon author page for more about me and my other books and to keep tabs on the follow-up to THE CAIN FILE, due out in 2016.
Max Tomlinson’s Amazon author page
The Cain File Page 31