The Vanishing Angle

by Linda Ladd

  It’s about time, Novak thought, but he was more than pleased to stand up and get the hell out of that place. “She here?”

  “She’s bailing you out and making a bunch of threats about some general she knows up in D.C. Come with me, you’re being released.”

  Novak grabbed his jacket and followed him, glad she’d found him so fast. How she’d done it was a good question—likely the GPS. On the other hand, Lori was as smart as they came, and she did have her methods. She had been a woman chock full of surprises since the night they’d met on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. She’d been injured and in trouble and gotten him embroiled in a big dangerous case. Looked like he was about to return that favor.

  Chapter 3

  When Novak was herded upstairs for release, he found Lori Garner standing at the front desk giving hell to the deputy on duty. She was not a tall woman, five feet five inches, but people tended not to notice that because of her erect posture and innate self-confidence. He thought she was beautiful with all that thick wheat-colored hair and her strong, athletic body. Her hair was brushed up in a neat bun today, and she looked sharp in her Army dress uniform. She wore a menacing scowl, not hiding her anger and impatience, but he could clearly see her relief when she caught sight of him. She had probably feared him dead and floating face down in some drainage ditch. He was lucky that hadn’t happened. Despite the early hour and the fact she must have searched for him all night, she looked good. Her entire manner put across that she was not someone to be trifled with.

  When the pint-sized sheriff showed up and unlocked his handcuffs, Novak moved over and stood beside Lori. She didn’t say anything to him, just looked at him and shook her head. She was not pleased. He felt sheepish under her tacit reproach. Truthfully, he was simply grateful she had shown up so early. Their long-coveted reunion was not going to be the wine-and-roses romantic evening he’d anticipated when he’d stepped off his boat at National Harbor.

  The duty clerk was dressed in a Gestapo outfit, too. He handed Novak his backpack and a large tan mailing envelope that was taped closed at the flap. The contents of the backpack were pretty much in order, but he tore open the envelope because his gun and cellphone were supposed to be inside, and he didn’t trust anybody in a fifty-mile radius, especially not a bunch of crooked cops dressed up like Heinrich Himmler.

  “Where’s my weapon and cellphone?” he asked the clerk, sorting through the contents. “I want them back.”

  “That’s everything we found. No gun, no cellphone.”

  “Yes, there was. You need to go find them and give them to me.”

  The guy shrugged his silver shoulder epaulettes, his smile remaining in place, pleasant and reasonable. “Please move along, sir, before you give us another reason to lock you up. You are lucky that we’re overlooking your charges and releasing you into the custody of this officer.”

  “Where is my gun? It’s a Kimber 1911, legal and registered, with a concealed carry permit. They took if off me at the restaurant.”

  The guy just stared at him, his courteous smile plastered in place.

  Novak was agitated, and getting more so. He felt Lori’s fingernails dig into his forearm in a way that he could not ignore. It was her attempt at painful encouragement to let it go for now. She turned around and headed for the front entrance. Novak followed, but he was not happy. There was information on his phone that nobody had a right to see, especially the guy named Petrov and Charles Blackwood. The phone was locked and he’d taken precautions for privacy, but he definitely didn’t want it in the hands of criminals. He had to get it back. First, he was going to spend some time thanking Lori and placating her annoyance, and then he would take a hot shower, don clean clothes, and have breakfast. Then he would find a way to get it back. He was hungry and still miffed at having to leave half that steak on his plate.

  Outside on the front sidewalk, Novak raised his face to the sky and inhaled deeply in the crisp autumn air. The temperature had dropped, and the early morning was cold. Lori turned to him with some hellfire accusations. “What in the hell are you doing here, Novak? There is such a thing as standing me up, and then there is what you pulled last night.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. Look, none of this was my fault. I was sitting at my table, waiting for you and minding my own business. Then in walks this teenage girl who points me out to the guys with her and accuses me of being the father of her baby. Her friends were armed and ushered me out of the restaurant, drugged me, and I ended up in jail here, wherever the hell this town is.”

  Lori stared up at him. “That is just so ridiculous, Novak. Do you hear yourself? But it’s not atypical since we’re talking about you. I could make up a better story right off the top of my head in under a minute. You’ve had all night to come up with better excuses. Try again, and this time, tell me the truth.”

  “It’s a long story. I just gave you the short version.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you did. Okay, we’ve got a long drive back to D.C., and I do love your stories of woe. Don’t you ever get tired of landing yourself in trouble?”

  “This wasn’t on me. Let’s just get out of here. How’d you even find me in this place? Where are we, anyway?”

  “It’s called Blackwood, and I’ve never heard of it before. It’s about three blocks long. As you might guess, there’s more to the story. You see, I got a call from that filched cellphone you were so pissed off about inside the station. A woman’s voice, real sweet, real deep southern, and oh, she’s so worried about you and what they might do to you. Want to enlighten me a little bit about this unknown woman? Is she the mother of that baby you mentioned?”

  “Irina called you on my phone? What else did she say?”

  Lori gave him a look. “Well, Irina told me to come bail you out of this particular jail before they found you hanging by the neck, dead, inside your cell.”

  “We’ve got us a situation here. Like I said, I got sucked into this thing before I knew what was happening, and ended up arrested on trumped-up charges.”

  “Don’t tell me, I already know. This sounds like one of your ‘Damsel in Distress’ predicaments. That it, Novak? This time it’s poor little Irina needing your help, so you got yourself thrown into jail. Remind me never to be late on another date with you. Or go on any date with you.”

  “It’s not that simple, but you’re getting warm.”

  “Okay, give me the sordid details. Who is this Irina and when did you meet her? Is she an old flame?”

  “Hardly. I never saw her before last night. She’s just a kid, not even out of high school yet.”

  “Let’s get in the car and you can tell me everything from the beginning.” She looked behind them. “I don’t trust these people. This looks like some kind of Disney production.”

  Novak agreed. Lori led him to an olive-green, hardtop Army Jeep. Novak opened the passenger door and got in. Lori rounded the hood, climbed in, and started the engine. She flipped on the heater. Novak started relating the details of the night before but kept it to the bare bones.

  “Okay, that sounds halfway credible, I suppose. But surprise, surprise, I’ve got more news you aren’t going to like one bit, besides you owing me two hundred dollars for bail.”

  Novak turned and looked at her. He was not in the mood for news he wouldn’t like. He was not in the mood for any news.

  “Your new friend, little Miss Trouble? She told me to come here, bail you out, and then for us to meet her at a Drury Inn just down the road from here. She says it’s urgent that we show up and hear her side of the story. The way I heard it, it goes something like this: come, because it’s a matter of life and death, somebody is surely going to die if we don’t get there soon. That ring a bell, Novak?”

  “Believe her. Last night, I watched her father hit her so hard in the face that she ended up on the ground.”

  Lori did not care for that. Her frow
n deepened, and her eyes latched on to his face. “I take it that’s when you stepped in, took a swing at him, and ended up in jail on assault charges. That about the size of it?”

  “He deserved worse than that. He’s a rich, pompous SOB.”

  “So what do you want to do? Do we nix the hotel invitation and head back to the Beltway, or do we meet up with her and get ourselves embroiled in some illegal shit with people we hardly know? You choose.”

  “We’re already involved, wouldn’t you say? This is serious. I don’t know exactly what’s going on around here, but it’s nothing good, believe me.”

  Lori pulled up at the curb and waited for a big mail truck to rumble by. Novak glanced back at the jail. The cocky little sheriff was standing outside the front door watching them pull away. As Lori made the turn onto the street, the little Nazi pointed at Novak, his thumb and forefinger formed like a gun.

  “Maybe we should hear the kid out,” he said slowly, trying to contain his anger. “There’s more to this than meets the eye. I think these people are about as dirty as they can get.”

  “I agree. What you just described is child abuse and a probable felony. The father should not get away with it.”

  Novak looked at her. “If it’s not, addicting her to drugs is.”

  “He’s feeding her drugs? How do you know?”

  “Because she said so right before he hit her.”

  “Well, that changes things up a bit. He can’t get by with that, not in my book.”

  Novak relaxed some. Lori was a sensible woman. She would have done the same thing he had. “Thanks for coming and getting me out, Lori. I mean it. I’ll pay you back.”

  Lori glanced over at him. “Forget it. You’d do it for me. In fact, since you saved my life once upon a time down in New Orleans…well actually, maybe it was twice, I’ll spring for the bail this time. I’m making the big bucks now, you know, so no sweat.” She slowed for a stop sign. “Tell me this. How long after you disembarked did you land yourself in trouble? Did you even make it out of the marina?”

  Novak had to grin. He hadn’t made it much farther than that. “Well, the ride to the steakhouse was uneventful.”

  “And after that?”

  “After that, these people approached me while I was still eating, and the kid pointed me out. Like I said before, I was enjoying my T-bone and looking forward to a lovely night spent in bed with you.”

  “Yeah, that makes two of us. Good thing I asked for two weeks off. It looks like we’re going to need it.” She blew out a lungful of air, frustrated. “I do rather like the sound of falling in bed with you and getting some sleep right now, I have to admit that, and the sooner, the better. We’re going to a hotel. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Nothing I’d like better. Let’s hear Irina out first and make sure she’s okay. Then, the next two weeks are all yours.”

  “Okay, but maybe not at that hotel. I want to get you out of northern Virginia ASAP. You know, before you get arrested again.”

  “I’ve got questions that need to be answered. I feel sorry for that girl. She’s a little bitty thing, and she took a hard hit last night. He hit her with his fist, too quick for anybody to react, and right in front of me. That makes me worry about what he might do to her behind closed doors.”

  “Well, that’s an awful thought. Maybe she wants to apologize to you in person. They put you through a lot last night. She needs to press charges against her father, if he’s abusing her. Maybe we can convince her to do it.”

  “I haven’t told you the juiciest part yet.”

  “Yeah? That figures. Well, go ahead. Hit me with it.”

  “Her father? He’s Charles Blackwood.”

  Lori jerked her face toward him. “Former Senator Charles Blackwood? The longtime Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services? That guy? No way, Novak, please, say you’re kidding me.”

  “I’m not kidding. Are you really surprised? Rumors of his corruption have been whispered around for decades. From what I witnessed last night, I don’t put anything past him.”

  “Wow, that does change things a bit. Do you realize how powerful he still is? Anything else you need to share? Do it now so I can turn this car around and go home.”

  “Afraid so.”

  “Crap, go ahead.”

  “There’s this guy working for Blackwood. I saw him last night. I think he’s Blackwood’s head of security, and my gut tells me he’s dangerous. His name is Petrov. I don’t know the first name. We need to find out everything we can about him. The name sounds familiar. I think he’s a Russian, and there aren’t all that many Russians in rural Virginia.”

  “Probably not. You want to get the goods on him right now?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt. I’d like to know who I’m dealing with, because I don’t think we’re done with these guys.”

  Lori had pulled over to the curb and already had her Dell laptop booted up. She punched in a few keys and worked her magic. “I’ve got one Petrov in our criminal databases. Vasily Petrov. Is that the guy?”

  “I didn’t get his first name.”

  “Is this him?”

  She swiveled the tablet and showed him a photograph. It was old and not good quality. He looked younger in the picture and had long blond hair that hung to his shoulders. But he had the same eyes, cold and pale and intimidating. “That’s him, but it’s an old picture. He shaves his head now.”

  “It says here he’s a former Russian operative. Looks like he got into hot water with the Kremlin a couple years ago. Went renegade for hire and has been linked to Syria, ISIS, and the Iranians since then. He was trained by the FSB and is known for killing with a steel icepick through the eye socket or up through the base of the skull to the brain. Holy crap, Novak. You sure this is the same guy?”

  “It’s him. His pale eyes give him away. Does our government want him?”

  “What do you think? Shall I call him in?”

  “Let’s wait until I find out what’s going on. I think he’s up to no good out here in the Virginia woods so close to Washington, and I want to find out what he’s doing with Blackwood. He’s more than his head of security, I can tell you that.” Novak paused and said, “Maybe he and Blackwood are dealing drugs or running guns. That girl was so strung out last night it was scary. She’s still in high school, for God’s sake.”

  “You didn’t recognize this Petrov guy?”

  “Never seen him before, but I’ve got an instinct for men like him. I knew he was bad the minute I saw him. I think he’s the kind of guy who kills anybody who gets in his way. Right now, that would be us.”

  “Well, that’s a good reason to drive right on past that hotel and keep going. How about we just tip off the Feds right now and be done with it? C’mon, Novak, you do see the wisdom in that course of action, right? Please say you do.”

  “Yeah, of course. I still want to hear what the girl’s got to say before we take off or turn him in. The way her father hit her just got me. He could’ve killed her with that one blow, it was that brutal. She’s so young and small and fragile, in a way.”

  “Is she really his daughter?”

  “She got mad and started telling him off. That’s when she said Blackwood wasn’t her real father, so apparently, she’s adopted. You should have seen the rage on his face right before he hit her. If he doesn’t end up killing her one day, I’ll be mighty surprised. Where exactly are we supposed to meet her?”

  “It’s a Drury Inn, somewhere around the turn off of 605. I don’t know the roads around here, so I can’t tell you how far anything is. She says it’s not a town but a small tourist stop with a McDonald’s and a Shell gas station. We can get a look at it on Google Earth, if you want.”

  “That sounds okay. We need to get there in a hurry, see what she wants, and then end this thing as quick as we can. You need to report
Blackwood and Petrov to your general.”

  “That would be sticky, considering the power the Senator still wields at the Pentagon. But I’ll find a way, I guess. Know what, Novak? I missed you. You’re excitement, 24/7.”

  “Let’s go check the girl out and see what she knows about this Vasily Petrov guy. He’s the one I’m worried about. He doesn’t fit in with the rest of Blackwood’s men. They’re mostly young guys from around here. A few looked more competent, and I suspect they came with this Petrov guy.”

  “What the hell, why not get involved? It’s just more life-and-death stuff, the usual with you.”

  They arrived at the designated Drury Inn fifteen minutes later. The hotel looked deserted so early in the morning. Two cars were parked out front. A few more were next door at the McDonald’s. Not a single person was in sight. Novak began to feel a wariness slowly crawling over him, like a thirsty man trying to make it to a watering hole. “This looks all wrong.”

  “Tell me about it. Where is everybody? A nearly empty McDonald’s? That’s a new one.”

  Lori turned into the parking lot, stopped, and looked around. “There’s got to be somebody somewhere around here. Know what my gut’s telling me? To clear out of here right now and never look back.”

  “Mine, too. But I do want to hear that kid out. She was so out of it last night that little she said made much sense. She said her father was sexually abusing her and withholding her drugs. Petrov is probably securing them for him, if I had to guess. I think that’s how they control her.”