by David Archer
Sam woke up at just before three in the afternoon and called Indie. It was only six AM in Denver, so she was just getting up for the day, but she was delighted to hear from him. Sam was careful to keep his voice and manner light.
"Hey, babe," he said. "Just wanted to hear your voice. How’s it going?"
"Pretty good. The pool party last night was fun, with Kenzie and her new friend and Bo had a blast. I got him a float that he can sit in, and the little stinker figured out how to kick his feet and move around in the pool. He’ll be swimming in no time."
Sam grinned at the mental image. "Well, you kiss the kids and tell them I love them, and that my work here might be over tomorrow. If it is, then I hope to come home the day after that. How's everything else there?”
“It's going okay,” she said wistfully, “but I wish you were here. Sam, I’m watching the news about the things going on in England, and it’s frightening. Beauregard says you’re coming home safe, but I’m still worried something bad is going to happen.”
Sam sighed. “Yeah,” he said, “me, too. I’m trying to figure out how I’m supposed to do what Beauregard said, but this is way out of my league. I’m just playing it by ear. All I really want is to be done with this case and get back home to you and the kids.”
The smile in her voice was unmistakable. “That would suit me fine,” she said.
They chatted for a few minutes longer, and then said their “I love you's” to one another. Sam hung up and whispered a prayer that it wouldn't be the last time he ever heard her voice, then got up and gathered some clean clothes for a shower.
He was alone. Denny had left a note saying that he'd be down in the restaurant, having a late lunch with Lizzie. Sam got his shower, then rode the elevator down to the lobby and walked into the restaurant. When he saw the pair of them sitting in the same spot where they'd had their breakfast that morning, he waved and joined them.
“I thought you’d be here sooner,” Denny said, “so I ordered you some coffee. It might be getting cold, and this stuff tastes awful when it’s cold.”
“As long as it has caffeine, I'm happy,” Sam said, but he grimaced after tasting the coffee. He picked up a sugar bowl and added several spoons to the cup. “What looks good on the menu, here?”
“I’m having a steak,” Denny said. “Ron and Jeff will be making Uncle Sam pay for it, anyway, so I’m going to enjoy myself.”
Sam looked at a menu, but ordered the same when the waiter came. When he'd gone, Lizzie looked at Sam and smiled.
“I wanted to tell you,” she said, “that I've been hearing some incredible stories about you, Sam Prichard. You’re quite an amazing man, it seems.”
Sam scowled. “Believe half of what you see,” he said, “and none of what you hear. I don’t know who said that, but it’s good advice, especially when Denny is around.”
She laughed delightedly. “Oh, now, it can’t be that bad,” she said. “You outwitted a man who had the internet wired directly into his head, after all.”
“No, I didn’t,” Sam said, “that was Dr. Hu.”
She blinked. “Doctor Who?”
Denny waved a hand at her. “I’ll explain it later.”
EIGHTEEN
In London, the day seemed to go on forever with no new information regarding the case. Sam had called back once to let them know that they had a lead on where to find Tushar, but the MI6 team, along with Noah and his own, was not gaining any ground at all. They stayed at the headquarters all day and long into the evening, but there were no new developments. At just after seven, Albert told them all to go and get some rest. If Sam and Denny had any luck the following day, they might learn something that would let them put an end to Tushar’s plans, but they would need to be rested and thinking clearly.
Everyone agreed, and Noah and the rest returned to the hotel. They had a late dinner, then went to their rooms to get some rest.
The next morning, Noah and the team arrived at SIS headquarters early and parked their cars close to one another. They walked together to the main entrance, where the security guard looked up and welcomed them with a smile. “Morning, mate,” the man said, and Noah nodded in response. He started to speak, but he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a familiar face.
“Noah,” Catherine Potts said with a smile. “I was hoping we might get a few moments to talk before you get bogged down.”
Noah put on a smile and signaled Sarah and the others to wait. “My pleasure, Catherine,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
She motioned for him to follow her into a deserted hallway. “Noah, you know that we’ve set Mr. Ibrahim as bait for Balakrishnan. I’m frankly concerned that we might have inadvertently outsmarted ourselves. If he actually finds a way to get into the investiture, Her Majesty could truly be in grave danger.”
“Yes,” Noah said. “I think your people have that under control, but there is a certain level of risk. It’s impossible to control every factor, but I know the safety of the queen is of paramount importance to all of us. What’s really troubling you?”
Catherine's brow furrowed slightly. “It's the unknown, I suppose,” she said. “I’m quite sure that everyone is doing their best, but Her Majesty has become—well, a friend, I believe. Good heavens, she invited me to call her ‘Lilybet’ when we met yesterday. That name is reserved only for those she considers her own dearest friends.” She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “Can you give me any kind of reassurances? Is there anything you can do to be sure she’s going to be safe?”
Noah looked into her face. “I can only tell you that I, and everyone else, will do all we possibly can to protect her and keep her safe. I know that probably isn’t enough, but there’s really nothing else I can say.”
It was Catherine's turn to nod. “Actually, it does help, a bit. I know it sounds foolish, but there is something about you that inspires a sense of confidence. It’s as if I feel that, if anyone can protect her, it will be you.”
Noah let his eyes linger on her own a moment more. “I will do all I can to live up to your confidence,” he said. “For now, though, I need to get into the morning’s meeting. Any word on Mr. Prichard?”
“Oh, yes,” Catherine said, flustered. “They arrived in Tel Aviv on schedule, and are already working with one of our people there. We’re still waiting for word on Balakrishnan, but we’ve even got the Mossad watching for him. They won’t act, because he’s a very big name in the Islamic and Palestinian communities and they don’t want the backlash without proof that he’s a threat, but they’ve agreed to help us keep an eye out for him. When he shows himself, we’re hoping that Mr. Prichard and Mr. Cortlandt will be able to capture him. If they can, then we shall likely ask you to go and—collect him.”
The two of them turned and went back to the others, then they all entered the conference room together.
“Noah,” Angeline called out as soon as they entered. “Albert has been looking for you.”
“Yes, but I can see him, now,” Albert said. “Noah, may I have a word?” As Catherine had done, he indicated that he wanted Noah to follow him out of earshot of the others.
“Of course, sir,” Noah said. The two of them walked to a corner of the room, then Albert spoke in soft tones.
“Angeline has come up with a possible lead,” he said. “It seems that Balakrishnan was seen with a local man a few days ago, and it’s quite possible this fellow is offering him the kind of support that will result in a charge of treason. We could pick him up for questioning, but I think it might work best if you and your people were to do so. We don’t have time for all the niceties of the law, I’m afraid, because Martin Embry is still somewhere in London, and still making his dastardly concoction.”
Noah looked him in the eye. “So you’d like us to visit this man,” he said, “and determine whether he has any knowledge of Mr. Embry’s whereabouts?”
“Precisely. His name is Leonard Morton. He’s known for some unusual tastes, and has been in a
nd out of jails and prisons for most of his adult life. Angeline believes that he might be cooperating with Balakrishnan and might have even been instrumental in connecting him to Embry. It seems that he and Embry are both subscribed to websites where they like to discuss certain topics, some of which most of our society would consider taboo and forbidden. The U.K. is not going to suffer should he no longer be a part of it after you have questioned him.” He opened his eyes wide and looked directly into Noah’s. “I believe you take my meaning.”
“I do,” Noah said. “Jenny and I will handle this. The rest of my team will stay here, except for Sarah.”
“Very good,” Albert said. “And all the best success.” He took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Noah, who shoved it down into his own pocket. “That’s his address. It’s probably about half an hour from here.”
They returned to the table, but Noah motioned for Sarah and Jenny to follow him. When they were outside the building, he quickly explained what was going on. “Lingenfelter wants us to interrogate a possible traitor,” he said. “Apparently, this man met with Tushar recently, and it appears to SIS that he might be involved in whatever Tushar is doing. We’ll find out, and see if he has any idea where Embry might be hidden.”
“Do we know where he is?” Sarah asked.
Noah took the slip out of his pocket and opened it up. “Here’s the address,” he said. She took it and entered the address into the navigation on her phone as they walked toward the parking lot area. She suddenly stopped, looking at the Jaguar.
Jenny laughed, then held up a set of keys. “I snagged these from Neil,” she said. “If the three of us were going somewhere, I knew that little two-seater of yours wasn’t going to work.”
Sarah grinned and snatched the keys from her, and they walked toward the Land Rover. Thirty seconds later, she put the car in gear and they were on the way. Traffic was light at that time of the morning, and they had no trouble getting to the place. As Albert had predicted, they arrived on the block where Morton lived almost exactly thirty minutes later.
“Roll past his place once,” Noah said. “If he’s working with Tushar, there could be somebody keeping watch over him.”
All three of them looked around as they cruised down the street, but saw no sign of anyone watching his apartment. At Noah's instruction, Sarah parked directly in front of the building and stayed in the car as Noah and Jenny got out.
“Are you going to let me enjoy myself?” Jenny asked. “You can ask the questions, I just want to get the answers.”
“That’s what I have in mind,” Noah said, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He walked directly to the front door and rang the doorbell, and a moment later, a thin, mousy little man opened it.
“Yes?” the little fellow said. “What do you want?”
“We need to have a little talk, Mr. Morton,” Noah said. Before the man could react, Noah grabbed him by the throat and pushed him back into the house, stepping in after him while Jenny followed. He shoved Morton into a chair, then drew his pistol and leveled it at his face.
“What the hell?” Morton said. “What is this all about?”
Noah looked at Morton as Jenny stepped closer. “Well, well,” she said. “I think this is going to be fun.” She looked at Noah. “Can I start now?”
“Now, now,” Noah said. “First, we have to give him a chance to answer the question on his own. Morton, tell me where to find Martin Embry.”
“Who?” Morton asked angrily. “I don’t know anyone by that name. And what makes you think you can barge into my house and start demanding answers, anyway?”
“The fact that we were sent by MI6,” Noah said, keeping his gun trained on Morton’s face. “Now, I’m going to ask you one more time, and if I don’t like the answer you give me, then I’m going to turn Jenny loose. Tell me everything you know about Tushar Balakrishnan, and where I can find Martin Embry.”
Morton gave a shrug and looked irritated. “I have absolutely no idea what you could be talking about. What is a Two Char?”
Noah looked into the little man’s eyes. “If you can’t answer my questions, you're useless to me. If you're useless, I put a bullet in your head. Now, let’s try this one last time. Where is Martin Embry?”
The man stared back at him for a moment, then shrugged his own shoulders. “You're probably going to kill me no matter what,” he said. “At least I can die knowing that I didn’t give you what you wanted.”
Noah looked at Jenny. “He doesn’t seem to want to cooperate,” he said. “Think you can encourage him any?”
Jenny smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Bet I can,” she said. She reached around behind her back and produced a pair of thin stilettos, and then waved them in front of Morton’s face. “You see these? Have you ever heard the expression, ‘I’m gonna skin somebody alive?’ Well, with me, that’s not just an expression. You either tell us what we want to know, or I start peeling your skin.”
Morton’s eyes were as wide as they could get. “But I don’t know anything,” he said, his voice high. “Really, I don’t, I swear.”
“Oh, sorry, that’s the wrong answer,” Jenny said. Her right hand flashed forward, and Morton’s left ear lobe dropped into his lap.
Strangely, he didn’t realize she had cut him until he felt the little piece of skin land on his leg. He looked down at it for a couple of seconds, confused, and then suddenly let out a shriek as he realized what he was seeing. He slapped his hand over his ear and turned to face Jenny.
“You crazy bitch!” he screamed. “You cut off my ear!”
“Not the whole thing,” Jenny said. “Now, answer the man’s question, and maybe I’ll stop.”
Morton looked at Noah, his eyes round with terror. “But I don’t know, I really don’t know who you’re talking about!”
“Look, Morton,” Noah said, sounding exasperated. “We know for a fact that you met with Tushar Balakrishnan a few days ago. Now, considering that he is one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, added to the fact that you and Martin Embry are both into some really kinky stuff that makes people sick, I’d say it’s a pretty good bet that you had something to do with introducing the two of them to each other. You can tell me the truth, and maybe you get to live through this. If you keep trying to lie to me, however, she’s going to keep cutting off pieces of you. Sooner or later, she’s going to reach the point of no return. If that happens, there is no hope for you to survive. Now, you want to try this again?”
Morton stared at him for a long moment, then began to cry. “But there’s nothing I can tell you,” he whined. “I really don’t know anything…”
Jenny’s left hand moved quickly, and the tip of the knife sliced from Morton’s right ear to his nose, laying his cheek open like a butterflied pork chop. He screamed again, grabbing at his face to try to hold it together, and Noah shook his head.
“That one is pretty deep,” he said, “but there is still a good possibility that you can survive. The question is how bad you want to live. If you really want to keep on living, then you’re going to need to get me something. Now, where is Martin Embry?”
Morton shook his head, still crying. The salty tears were getting into the cut on his cheek, and that was making the pain even worse. “You are both bloody insane,” he said. “Fine, I know who you mean, but I don’t know where you can find them. All I know is that I heard about a man who said he needed somebody who could do that sort of thing Martin does for a living, that’s all, and he was willing to pay a pretty big finder’s fee. I knew Martin was out of work, so I hooked them up. We met up, all three of us, at the restaurant, this bloke paid me and then he and Martin went off on their own, and Bob’s your uncle. That’s literally all I know.”
Noah, who still had his gun pointed at Morton, shook his head. “I suppose you could be telling the truth,” he said, “but somehow, I doubt it. Tell me this, when is the last time you heard from Martin?”
The man flicked his eyes to Jenny,
then turned back to Noah. “He comes online now and then,” he said. “He was on yesterday, just for a little while. Said the guy he’s working for offered to help him make a dream come true, but I don’t know what that means.”
“Don’t you?” Noah asked. “You know what kind of perversion he’s into. Just what dream is it that he would want to have come true?”
“No, I don’t…”
Jenny’s hand flashed again, and another piece of Morton’s left ear dropped onto his shoulder. He screamed again and tried to slink even lower in his chair.
“Alright, alright, alright,” he said, “fine, he’s got a fancy on the little girl next door to him, all right? He said the guy is going to let him have her, take them somewhere together where they can live and he can raise her the way he wants, okay? He’s bloody sick, you know, I think the girl was only about twelve or thirteen! You want to cut on somebody, why don’t you go cut on him?”
“Oh, but I’m having too much fun with you,” Jenny said with a smile. “Now, the man asked you where to find Mr. Embry. Are you going to tell him, or do I get to keep going?”
Morton, shaking like a leaf and still shedding tears, let his eyes jump from Jenny to Noah and back. “Come on, now,” he said. “I’m going to need a doctor, just let me go.”
“But you haven’t told me everything I need to know,” Noah said. “You tell me where Embry is, and then we can do something about all the pain you’re suffering. Until then, I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse.”
“All right, all right, fine,” Morton said. “I don’t know exactly, but he’s getting online through a cell phone. If you let me get my computer, I can get you his IP address.”
Noah nodded. “Where’s the computer?”
“It’s in my bedroom,” Morton said. “You can follow me, I’m not going to do anything stupid, I promise.”
Jenny looked at Noah, who nodded again. “All right, bucko,” she said. “Let’s go to your bedroom.”