Higgins

by C. G. Cooper

  Abrams only paused for a couple of seconds, but it was long enough that Higgins saw him weighing his options, choosing which lie to go with. “No, I—”

  A knock at the door.

  Abrams’s head snapped up, and Higgins turned toward the sound. Neither man moved until a second knock sounded from the other side of the door. They didn’t have peepholes, so Abrams had to open the door blind.

  Higgins could just see around him. It took him several seconds to fully comprehend who was standing before him.

  “Sir,” Abrams said, stepping to the side. It was half greeting, half question.

  “Abrams. Higgins.” Decker’s voice was without surprise. “I thought maybe I’d find you here.”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” Higgins stammered. He didn’t want to be disqualified from the program, not for something stupid like this. “I know we’re not supposed to leave our rooms at night, but—”

  Decker held up a hand. “Easy. I’m not here to punish you. I need to ask you a few questions about the incident.”

  “Sir,” Abrams said. He sounded like he was warning Decker. “As much as I’m grateful my room is qualified to double as a clandestine rendezvous, Al and I did just get back from a week-long hike through the bush.”

  “This can’t wait.”

  Higgins had no idea what was going on and didn’t like the feeling. “Why can’t it wait, sir?”

  “That isn’t the first incident we’ve had since beginning this program, and I doubt it’ll be the last.”

  Higgins turned toward Abrams. He couldn’t help the smile of victory that came over his face. “What did I tell you?”

  Abrams just looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.

  Higgins turned back to the instructor. “But who would do this? And why?”

  “We don’t know. We only know one thing for sure.” Decker leaned against the door and crossed his arms. “It’s coming from inside. It’s one of our own.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Someone in the program?” Higgins said. He’d had to stifle himself from blurting it out like an over-exuberant child.

  Decker shook his head. “I trust everyone in the program. They were handpicked by either me or Zyga.”

  “That doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy, sir.”

  Abrams shifted his weight. “He’s got a point, sir. This program is airtight, right?”

  “Not many agents outside the program know about it,” Decker said.

  “You trust those that do?”

  “With my life.”

  Higgins saw how hard Decker was taking this. Not only was someone targeting him and his program, but it could be someone close to him. That couldn’t be easy.

  Decker turned to him. “Is there anything you remember about the explosive, or maybe the way it was arrayed that might help us pinpoint who did this?”

  Higgins racked his brain but came up with nothing. “I’m not an expert on this sort of thing, but the device itself seemed pretty typical. It looked like your basic setup; something any would-be terrorist might make.”

  “You didn’t see anyone else out there? Anyone who didn’t belong?”

  “No, sir. I circled that cabin for a while before I found it. Either I just missed them, or it had been sitting there for a while.”

  “If it had been sitting there for a while,” Abrams said, “then it’s more likely to be someone who knew the sequence of events at the cabin, someone who knew exactly when to place the bomb, so they wouldn’t be caught.”

  “What about the agents that were stationed around the cabin?” Higgins asked. “The ones inside?”

  Decker sighed. “I’ve got a list. I’m going to talk to them in the morning. See if they saw anything unusual.”

  The room was silent for a moment. Higgins still felt the scattered puzzle pieces swirling around in his brain. “What was the first incident?”

  “A security breach. We took care of it before it became a problem.”

  “Can you give us any details?”

  Abrams and Decker exchanged another look.

  Higgins rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that why I’m here, sir? Isn’t that why you’re asking me this in the middle of the night? You know I can help, so please let me help.”

  “You’ve been an outstanding candidate, Dr. Higgins, but you’re not an agent.” Decker’s voice wasn’t unkind. “Giving you those details could be considered a security breach.”

  Higgins nodded slowly. “Then hire me as a temporary consultant here and now. Pay me in room and board for the night. Then you can give me clearance. Sir, you know that telling me could make all the difference. That bomb was shoddy, but it still could’ve killed you. It could’ve killed any one of us. I may not be an agent, but so far that’s been my greatest strength. I don’t come at problems with an agent’s brain. I’m a doctor, a psychologist. As good as I’m sure your men are, they don’t have my talents. Let me help.”

  Decker ran a hand through his hair and then looked Higgins dead in the eye. “Don’t make me regret this, young man.”

  Higgins infused his voice with all the conviction he could muster. “I won’t, sir.”

  Decker held out his hand. Higgins took it. “Consider yourself clear for the next few minutes.” Then he let go of the handshake and said, “I need a drink.”

  Abrams held up a finger and lifted up the corner of his mattress. He pulled out a bottle of Jack and offered it to Decker. The other man didn’t hesitate.

  “Where did you get that?” Higgins asked. They weren’t allowed off the compound.

  Abrams winked at him. “I have my ways.”

  After Decker took a healthy swig, he passed the bottle to Higgins, who choked down a small sip and passed it back to Abrams. The whiskey burned its way down his throat and lit a fire in his stomach. He immediately felt his toes begin to tingle.

  “The security breach took place during the first exercise. Someone attempted to break into our hard files, the ones relating to this very program.”

  Higgins caught the choice of words – attempted. “They weren’t successful?”

  “They were to an extent. The thief gained access, made some copies, and got as far as his apartment. But it didn’t go any further than that.”

  “So, you caught him?”

  Decker nodded. “The guy knew what he was doing, but he was no criminal mastermind. Claimed someone hired him to do the job. Didn’t really matter, though. He’s still going to jail.”

  Abrams started thinking out loud. “So, whoever hired this guy is still out there.”

  Decker reached for the Jack Daniels and took another swig. He offered it to Higgins, who held up his hand. He still felt the burn from the last one.

  “The target was extremely specific,” Decker said, handing the bottle back to Abrams, who lifted it to his lips, too. “There are a lot of other programs in the CIA which would yield more lucrative results if they’d been exposed.”

  “So, why us?” Higgins asked.

  Decker nodded. “That’s the million-dollar question.”

  Higgins started pacing. The puzzle pieces were still scattered. He looked up from the floor. “What kind of information did they access?”

  Decker exchanged another look with Abrams. “Names, mostly. Backgrounds. Case files.”

  “Were they looking for someone specific?”

  “It’s possible,” Decker said. “Though we can’t be sure.”

  “Were you on that list?”

  “I was.”

  “You may be the target, sir. You’re the one who came to the cabin. That bomb was likely intended for you specifically.”

  Decker tightened his lips. “Yeah, that thought did cross my mind once or twice, but we hadn’t decided who would go where until the last minute. We were on a rotation. It depended on which teams finished first.”

  Higgins let out a frustrated grunt. “No other information was taken?”

  “None. Alarms sounded once the initial breach happened,
and then it was maybe twenty minutes before someone was on the guy’s doorstep. The information was recovered; the copies we could find were destroyed. The trail ended there. Nothing else was leaked, as far as we know.”

  “I assume this guy didn’t tell you who hired him.”

  Decker laughed. “Oh, he told us everything. Like I said, he was no criminal mastermind, just a talented breaking and entering crook. His employer was just someone on the other side of a dead phone number. We tried tracking its source, but it led nowhere.”

  “What I want to know,” Abrams said, taking another swig of Jack, “is how this crack thief got past our defenses in the first place.”

  “He must’ve been fed information on how to get through,” Higgins said. “Someone on the inside walked him in. They couldn’t do it themselves, or the trail would’ve led right back to them. This guy was just a means to an end. He was always going to be the patsy.”

  “I almost feel bad for the guy,” Abrams said.

  “If he hadn’t been successful in stealing your dossiers, you mean,” Decker said. He declined when Abrams tipped the bottle in his direction.

  Higgins stopped his pacing. “Who has access to the information that was stolen?”

  “Me,” Decker said. “Zyga. The director.”

  “No one else?”

  “None.”

  “So, the information is where it’s always been. No trail means our insider didn’t get what he wanted.”

  “Presumably.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. Especially for you, Abrams,” Higgins said.

  Abrams raised an eyebrow. “Why me?”

  “If the insider had gotten what he wanted, then they’d know you were a plant.”

  Higgins couldn’t help but enjoy the flicker of shock that crossed Abrams’s face and then Decker’s. He held back his however. The success of solving at least part of the puzzle was outweighed by how much blank space there was yet to fill in.

  Abrams could only get one word out. “How?”

  Higgins shrugged. “It wasn’t obvious, if that’s what you’re asking. To be honest, it was kind of a shot in the dark. You confirmed it with your reaction, though.”

  Abrams’ face reddened. Higgins hadn’t seen him angry before. It was surprisingly intimidating.

  Higgins cleared his throat and continued. “You’ve been bouncing from group to group in the cafeteria for a while now. At first, I just thought it was to give yourself the upper hand. Then you solved that first puzzle so quickly.”

  “Did you?”

  “It was still surprising. I could tell you were cunning, but your tactic is to befriend someone and have them use you as a confessional. If your guy was anything like mine, it would’ve taken a lot longer to get him to say the passphrase.”

  “This doesn’t get us anywhere,” Decker said. His voice was even, but Higgins thought he might’ve looked impressed.

  “You defer to Johnson a lot, despite the fact you have a strong personality. You like being in the spotlight, it’s part of your charm. But you’ve been stepping out of it on purpose to keep too many eyes from looking in your direction.”

  “What else?” Decker asked. There was a slight smile on his face.

  “You didn’t come here looking for me, did you, sir? You came to talk to Abrams to see if he had any indication of whom the insider might be. You were worried it was someone within the program, even though you can supposedly trust everyone.”

  Decker answered with some hesitation. “Correct again.”

  “Abrams seemed to know as much as you did before we had this conversation.” Higgins shrugged. “It just seemed logical.”

  “Well done,” Decker said.

  “Sir.” Abrams’s voice was tight. “This isn’t good for us. The whole idea of being your man on the inside is keeping it a secret. If Al figured it out, someone else could have too.”

  “I doubt anyone else figured it out.” Decker did seem calm. “The only other person who’s been around you as much is Johnson, and let’s be honest. He’s a good agent, but his specialty isn’t reading people.”

  “But you came here to warn him, just in case,” Higgins said.

  “I did.”

  There was a break in conversation, then Abrams eyed Higgins warily. “So where do we go from here?”

  Decker looked at his watch. “To sleep. If I stick around any longer, someone will notice. Besides, Higgins is going to have an interesting day tomorrow. He’ll need his rest.”

  “Sir?”

  “Just get your rest.”

  Back in his room, Higgins lay in bed, his mind reeling. His brief feeling of victory was now outshined by this new threat on the horizon. Who inside the CIA was targeting the interrogation unit… and willing to kill?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  That question kept Higgins tossing and turning the rest of the night. Luckily, someone had actually managed to convince Zyga the trainees needed a late start following their trek in the woods, so their start time for the next day wasn’t until after lunch.

  By the time the clock read 9:00, he gave up entirely on the prospect of sleep. Dr. Higgins decided to take a brisk walk around the compound to kill his grogginess before he had to face his next task as part of the EIU.

  The morning was just beginning to warm up as Higgins strode out the front doors of the CIA, waving a cheery hello to the surly guard at the front with the bottle- cap glasses and bad toupee. It seemed Agent Marvin Berke was never in the mood for visitors. Or maybe he was just never in the mood for the likes of Dr. Alvin Higgins.

  But Higgins didn’t let that bother him. Instead, he took in the fresh air and the bright sun. It was well into May now, and the weather in Virginia was typically all over the place. Today, it looked like a perfect Spring day, though a couple of hours would probably turn that right on its head.

  Higgins made his way clockwise around the compound. There wasn’t much to see other than the bright green grass and a patchwork of trees, but a family had gathered around one of the picnic tables set out for days exactly like this. It made him happy to see a normal slice of life after trudging through the wilderness for what felt like an eternity.

  When he got close enough, his happiness turned to apprehension, and then to curiosity.

  It wasn’t just any family standing around the picnic table. It was Johnson, a woman Higgins didn’t recognize, and a small boy of about eight or nine years old. The woman wore a dress and sunhat with a big bag over her shoulder. While she and Johnson spoke, the young boy sat at the table a few feet away, playing with a model helicopter.

  “He thought his father abandoned him, Craig. I can’t say I disagree.”

  “For the last time, Eliza. I didn’t abandon him.” Johnson put his hands on his hips and stared up at the sky. “I didn’t know we would be gone for as long as we were. I’m in training right now. I told you it would sometimes take me out of town unexpectedly. As soon as we got our assignment, we left. I tried calling, but you didn’t pick up.”

  “Don’t make this about me.” The woman’s voice was tightly restrained. “You could’ve left a voicemail.”

  “How could I when you didn’t even set one up on your phone? There was no way I could get a message to you.”

  “This isn’t going to look good with the lawyer, Craig. You know it’s not.”

  “I’m not the one that needs to make a good impression, Eliza. After the stunt you pulled last month, the only reason why Charlie isn’t in my custody full time is because I think he should have both his parents in his life. Even if you don’t.”

  Eliza’s voice quivered when she answered. “I just want us to be how we were before.”

  There was no hatred in Johnson’s voice, but there was no compassion either. “We can’t. But what we can do is make sure our son grows up seeing his parents working together despite their differences.”

  Eliza obviously didn’t like the sound of that. She wiped away tears and called over her shoulder. “Charlie
, let’s go. Your father has to get back to work.”

  Johnson started to walk over to his son. “Let me at least say goodbye to him, Eliza.”

  “Two minutes.” It was all Eliza said before she strode back across the lawn and toward the visitor’s parking lot.

  Higgins felt like a voyeur, but he couldn’t look away. This was a side of Johnson he had no idea existed. Just yesterday, he had felt so certain Johnson was minutes away from murdering a CIA operative. That was a far-cry from the guy tousling his son’s hair while fighting back tears.

  “Hey, buddy.” Johnson sat down at the table and watched Charlie play with his helicopter. “You okay?”

  Charlie spun the helicopter up and then made it do a barrel roll before swooping down and skimming across the top of the picnic table.

  “Some fancy flying you got there.”

  “It’s you,” Charlie said. His voice was high and innocent. It sounded like he was daydreaming. “You’re rescuing your friends from the bad guys.”

  “Oh, am I?” Johnson’s voice was soft. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see you over the weekend, buddy. Did Mommy explain why?”

  Charlie nodded. “She said you had to work. She was upset you didn’t call though.” Charlie looked up.

  “Were you sad too?”

  The child shrugged. A frown was pulling at his mouth.

  “It’s ok to be sad, kiddo.” Johnson’s voice quivered. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I tried calling, but... I had to go away to help some people.”

  “Why?”

  The kid had been picking at one of the decals on the helicopter. Johnson reached over and smoothed it into place with his thumbnail.

  “Sometimes more than one person needs help, and that’s when I must make a choice. I have to think, does this one need my help? Or does that one? But just because I choose one, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to help the other. I just can’t do both at the same time. Do you understand?”

  The child began picking at the decal once again.

  “Hey, buddy,” Johnson bent his head down to meet the child’s gaze. “I love you even when I have to go help the other guy. You understand?”