First Target

by Robin Mahle

  “Really?” She recalled how Eckhart had been after the promotion she’d received, but didn’t think he was so upset as to leave because of it.

  “Actually, he’s been recruited. He’ll be heading to Quantico and then, well, who knows?”

  “That’s great. I didn’t realize it was something he was interested in doing.”

  “I think after all that happened with the mall attack. I think it changed some people. Brian included. Made him want to take a greater role in stopping things like that from happening again.”

  “I’m sure. Well, good for him. I’ll stop by and talk to him in a minute.”

  “Good. Everything else okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “You know, it’s not too late for you. If it’s something you wanted to pursue.”

  “What? The Academy? No. That’s not for me. I thought about it—once. But I like this side of things. And, after the attack, we’ve really come together. The law side and us civilians. Things have gotten a lot better.”

  “They have. Just thought I’d throw that out there.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment. But I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Glad to hear it. I’m sure you’ve got another busy day ahead of you, so I’ll let you get to it.”

  “Right.” Lacy stood. “I’ll talk to you later.” She watched as Michelle returned the glasses to her face and didn’t reply.

  As she arrived at her desk, Lacy wondered how long this would last. If they were successful in pinning something on the Dalian Company, would her position inside the task force be permanent? Right now, there was no telling if other corporations, foreign or domestic, had any such dealings as Dalian. That was the job of the task force, after all. But keeping up with her duties at Headquarters required dedication. The idea she might let something slip through the cracks and miss a sign of another imminent attack sickened her. And how long might it take to get Yang without their full efforts? The part-time job seemed absurd. But that was what it was.

  Nonetheless, she would do as Trevor asked and continue to play the part. Perhaps he, or the president, had reason to set it up this way, keeping the task force well under the radar.

  An email appeared in her inbox that drew her away from her current thoughts. It was the weekly report from her staff, the one they were due to discuss later today. Her advanced copy was to be approved by Michelle and her prior to the meeting.

  As she began to read the report, she found that a disturbing trend had emerged. Traffic on certain websites contained within the dark web had exploded. The source of her concern was that these sites originated in the US and appeared to be channeling hate to a certain ethnic group. They were showing up on their data due to the nature of the language used. Meaning terms that were also flagged on the internet. Hate, violence, threats. She printed the report and headed back into Michelle’s office. “Hey, have you seen the report this week?”

  “I was just reviewing it now, actually. I assume you, too, picked up on the trend?”

  “Yes. This is a problem.”

  “We need to make the head of Cyber aware of what’s happening on our end. Understand if they are seeing it on their side of things too. They’ll have better insight as they’re monitoring the chatter as well.”

  “I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened.”

  “Same thing happened after 9/11. People were angry and afraid. Only now that fear is directed at another group.”

  Chapter 5

  Synergy Dynamics, the enigmatic corporation that employed Matthew Greiner, seemed to have materialized from thin air. Records were scarce. Corporate filings, tax returns, all seemed to be protected under the guise of national security.

  Lacy leaned over Aaron’s shoulder as he sat at one of the workstations. “It’s beginning to look as though it was the government contract that brought this company back from the verge of bankruptcy.”

  “Which also happened to be around the time Greiner came on board, from what I can find,” Aaron replied.

  “Tell me that’s not a coincidence. There seems to be a lot we don’t know about Matthew Greiner, except that where he goes, money seems to follow. Synergy Dynamics, now possibly a Dalian connection.” Lacy considered the situation. “Scott mentioned having to jump through hoops to become an approved vendor because it was a government contractor. What government work was this company performing? That’s what we need to know.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Lace, but from where I sit, it’s like damn musical chairs. Companies, banks, money. All vying for a seat before the music stops.”

  “I need to track down Bruce, then.”

  “You know where he works?”

  “Nope. But I’m sure you can find out for me.” She patted him on the shoulder.

  Aaron shrugged. “Please. It’s a cake walk. It’ll take me like two minutes. Just give me a last name.”

  “Quintero. Bruce Quintero.”

  Within minutes, he rolled back from his desk and presented his accomplishment. “Voila. Bruce Quintero, thirty-two, lives in Fairfax. Currently unemployed.”

  “Unemployed?”

  “Well, he’s not paying payroll taxes. I suppose he could be working for someone and getting paid under the table. But it doesn’t appear as though he’s working for any legitimate company.”

  “You have his address? I’ll have to make a trip to see him.”

  “I do. But I’m coming with you.”

  Lacy pulled alongside the front of the townhouse and cut the engine. “This is the place. I hope he’s home.”

  “And if not?” Aaron said as he stepped out of her car.

  “I guess we’ll have to wait for him.” She joined him on the sidewalk. “By the look of this house, I’d say he’s working for someone.”

  “Yeah. Doesn’t look like he’s unemployed to me. Maybe he won the lottery.”

  They continued their approach along the driveway of the upscale townhome in Merrifield, not far from Lacy’s home in Annandale.

  “I had no idea he lives so close to me.” She was the first to approach the steps and climbed up to the front door with a quick glance to Aaron before she knocked.

  The two stood silent for a moment when the sound of a deadbolt disengaging caught their attention. Lacy smiled and nodded to Aaron.

  The door opened only slightly.

  “Hi. Bruce Quintero?”

  The man creased his brow, and with a spark of recognition, he pulled open the door. “Lacy Merrick? Is that you? What on earth are you doing here?”

  “It is me. Hello, Bruce. How are you? It’s been a long time.”

  “I’d say so. What, a couple years at least?”

  “Something like that. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Argus Solutions. Do you have a minute?”

  He eyed Aaron before returning his attention to Lacy. “What about them?”

  “This is a friend of mine, and Jay’s, actually. Aaron Hunter. Do you think we could come in? We just have a couple of quick questions.”

  “Um, yeah, sure. You still with the FBI?” He stepped aside while they entered.

  “I am, yes. Just a civilian, though. And this isn’t an official visit. I just wanted to talk.”

  “I’m so sorry about what happened to Jay. Still can’t believe any of it happened, really. And then all that stuff with what you did. I mean, that took guts—what you did.” He closed the door.

  “Thank you. About Jay, I mean. As far as what I did. Well, I think anyone in my position would’ve done the same.”

  “I don’t know about that.” He offered his hand to Aaron. “Bruce. Any friend of Jay’s is a friend of mine.”

  “Appreciate that. He was a good man and we all miss him.”

  “Why don’t you two have a seat? Can I get you a glass of water, coffee? Something stronger, maybe?” He was quick to check the time. “It’s after five, right?”

  The fleeting moment of laughter among them helped to break the ice and open th
e door for Lacy to ask what she came here to ask. “Thanks, I’m okay.”

  “Suit yourself.” Bruce followed them into the living room and sat down on the side chair. “What do you need to know? You said it was about Argus?”

  “I did, yeah.” Lacy took in a breath and tried to find a good place to start. Much of what she was doing was classified and so she had to tread lightly around the issue. “Do you remember a company called Synergy Dynamics?”

  “Yeah, of course. They were one of my clients.”

  Lacy noticed him clasp his hands and begin rubbing his thumb inside the palm of the other. “I understand they were a government contractor and in order for Argus to be a sub, they had to fill out quite a bit of paperwork and go through some other checks just to get approved.”

  “I remember all that. But, to be honest, I just forwarded the forms to accounting and let them handle it.”

  “What were you contracted to do for them?”

  “The usual. Cyber security. Program monitoring. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why are you asking about them?”

  Lacy eyed Aaron and continued. “I guess you could say I’m really here more as a friend. There are still some unanswered questions surrounding Jay and Argus.”

  “Oh, right, of course. I can tell you with confidence that Jay had nothing to do with Synergy Dynamics. Those guys were mine and I don’t recall ever mentioning them to him, except maybe in a sales meeting.”

  She was beginning to lose her footing. This was not her area of expertise, but she would have to think on the fly or risk raising Bruce’s suspicions. “Okay, you got me.” She raised her hands in surrender. “I’ll be straight with you.” She noticed Aaron’s eyes widen a little. “I am still looking into a few things regarding Jay and his dealings with companies during his time at Argus. Now, I can tell you that this doesn’t really have anything to do with you. More to do with the type of companies Argus was contracted with.”

  “Oh, okay. Lacy, I was sorry as hell to hear about Jay. But I just don’t have much that I think could help you out. SynDyn, which is what we called them, was just another client. I got them to sign the deal and that was just about the extent of it.”

  “Sure.” She nodded. “Can I ask you one other thing, then?”

  “Shoot.”

  “I’ve asked Scott for their file, but you know, I don’t have a warrant or anything. Like I said, this is more for me and I’m not a Fed. But just so I know and can rule out any involvement Jay might have had with this company, do you happen to have any of the paperwork on them?”

  Bruce rubbed his thumb harder. His palm turned red from the pressure. “I don’t have anything, except my contact. I can give you a name, phone number, and email. But I’m sorry, Lacy. That’s all I’ve got.”

  “Is your contact Matthew Greiner?”

  “I-um, yeah. I believe that was his name. Like I said, it’s been a while. You know I’m out of that line of work now.”

  “Oh? What do you do now?”

  “My own thing. You know, consulting and stuff.”

  “Sure. Anyway, I’d be grateful for your contact. If nothing else, maybe I can set up an appointment to go to their offices or something.”

  “I’m sure they’d be happy to answer your questions.”

  Lacy pulled her coat around her waist as the door closed behind them and she started back down the steps.

  “That was kind of a bust,” Aaron said.

  “Not necessarily.” She pressed the remote to unlock her car and stepped into the driver’s seat. When Aaron joined her, she continued. “Did you notice his body language as soon as I mentioned SynDyn?”

  “I guess so. I suppose he seemed caught off guard. I don’t think I’d classify it as nervousness or something like that.”

  “I would. And I can tell you for a fact that he would still have their contract, at the very least, in his possession.”

  “Why is that? He doesn’t work at Argus anymore.”

  “Because of the way Argus pays their sales people and to keep management honest.” She started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “I can’t tell you how many times Jay had to produce copies of executed contracts because accounting lost theirs or there was a dispute as to who was paid commission. Sometimes there were commission splits. I have friends at Argus and they were very good to Jay, but make no mistake, they are a company like any other. And if they think they can get away with screwing someone out of commission, they will. So Jay and I know others kept their contracts—just in case.”

  “Geez. I had no idea. Do you think Scott might be able to produce a copy of SynDyn’s contract?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t want to get him involved. And he might not be so willing to hand over confidential client information without a warrant. They’re a cyber security firm—noted for taking extra precautions. If a contract got out to a competitor, it wouldn’t make Scott look very good.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “It was clear to me that Bruce was hiding something, or feared some sort of backlash should he reveal what he knew of SynDyn.”

  “Do you think he’s being watched?”

  “Hard to say. But I wouldn’t mind keeping tabs on him for a while. He’s a consultant, right? Where does he go every day? Who’s he talking to?”

  “You really think he’s that important?”

  “I think SynDyn and Matthew Greiner are important. To me, that makes Bruce important.”

  The “shop,” as the team had dubbed it, was a nondescript building that lay near to Langley in a warehouse district that on first glance would easily be discounted as just that. However, Lacy was skeptical theirs was the only covert operation in the area. The buildings were set far back from the street, shrouded in lush landscaping, but maintained the warehouse appearance with tractor trailers parked against large rolling doors at the rear.

  In the dusky light, it was difficult to see the front entrance, but Lacy pulled around to the back of the building. “Looks like Will and Trevor are still here.” She walked through a rear entrance with Aaron trailing. Emerging from the corridor, Lacy heard Will’s voice.

  “You’re back. How’d it go with Bruce Quintero?”

  “How did you know where we were?” Lacy replied.

  “Had a hunch.” Will looked at Axell. “And he might’ve mentioned something.”

  Lacy was about to ask how he knew but thought better of it. “I see. We didn’t get the information I’d hoped for. I think Argus’ former employee could be nervous about speaking to us, at least, regarding the topic of SynDyn. That’s what he called them. He said he’d email me his contact, which I don’t really need, to be honest. We know Greiner worked there. What I need is to keep tabs on him and see who he’s talking to. Might get us somewhere.”

  “I’m not sure that’ll be necessary,” Axell replied. “We need to keep our focus on Greiner.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do. He was a part of SynDyn when Bruce signed them. I think there’s something there. Don’t you think it’s best to find out before dismissing it?”

  “Maybe, but not enough to pull your resources. I’d prefer if we kept our eyes peeled for Greiner and what he’s up to. Whatever his role with SynDyn was or is doesn’t seem to be important any longer. He’s been seen with Yang. He’s who we need to keep tabs on.”

  “So I just wasted our time?”

  “Not necessarily. You found a connection between Greiner and Argus. Whatever that is, it’s not a coincidence and maybe when the time is right, we can pursue that lead.”

  Resigned, Lacy continued, “Okay. Then how should we get a handle on Greiner?”

  “I’m glad you asked.” Axell stepped closer to his workstation. “While you two were out, Caison and I got a hit on Greiner’s passport. He just travelled to Beijing, having returned yesterday evening.”

  “Any idea who he met with?”

  “No. That’s what I’ll be working on. I’ll get more intel on that. In the meanti
me, I’d still like Hunter to continue his probe into Greiner’s finances.”

  “And what about Yang himself?” Lacy began. “What direction are we taking that?” She was growing concerned that Axell’s priorities were shifting toward Greiner and not taking into consideration they still had Yang to contend with.

  “Our goal is to find out who the buyer was of the fifty-one percent of Dalian Company stock. Because whoever that person or company is will, I believe, lead us back to Beijing. First and foremost, if Dalian is circumventing the sanctions and we can prove Beijing is behind it, Dalian goes—and so does Yang. It’s the easiest solution to this problem. Remember what our jobs are here.”

  “I do remember. Prevent another attack. Prevent the government from covering it up again. And make sure those involved pay the price,” Lacy replied.

  Will stepped in between them. “I think our goal is to do all of that. Including Axell’s point of finding out who the money man is behind Dalian right now. Maybe that’s Greiner, maybe not, but remember, we all want to get Yang for reasons well beyond the president’s mandate. All of us in this room know he helped Turner kill the Meekses. Now the courts will have to decide what happens to Turner. There’s nothing more we can do on that end. But we still have Yang.”

  “Lacy, I promise you, Yang will pay for the Meekses deaths and Keith’s. I haven’t forgotten about him either. I’m just trying to handle this as it comes. Right now, we have a lead on Greiner. He went to Beijing. Let’s find out why. If what I’m thinking rings true, it will lead us to Yang’s front door.”

  “Okay. I trust you,” Lacy said. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

  As she was dressed in her nightshirt, with the kids tucked up in bed, a knock sounded on Lacy’s front door. She squinted through the peephole lens and stepped back to open it. “Hi.”

  “Is this a bad time?”

  “No. Not at all. Why am I not surprised you’re here?”

  “It’s okay, isn’t it?” Trevor walked inside and shed his coat, hanging it on the rack.