Daredevil Riders

71

“Cartel. There’s only one, really, though it has many manifestations. And the Russian government is firmly in partnership with it. Not only is the cash flow enormous, the damage d**g trafficking can do to an entire country is far more deadly than actually hitting it with one’s military. In a war soldiers die along with some civilians. Most people remain completely unaffected by it. In a d**g war everyone feels the pain one way or another.”

“I can see that.”

“Then the issue became what to do about Turkekul.”

“And the solution was to give him rope to hang himself?”

“Not just that, no. We need the others. Up the chain of command. Fuat being a Trojan horse was a serious setback for us. But if we can turn that to our advantage then we can make it into a serious disadvantage for the other side.”

“I wish you luck on that.”

She rose and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re working hard to solve this case. And I know that Fuat figures into it.”

“But you don’t want me pushing too hard, so hard that it blows up what you’re trying to do?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You can go back and tell Weaver your mission was accomplished today.”

“He doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Right.” There was a bite to Herbert’s words that surprised him.

“He doesn’t,” she said emphatically.

“So why are you really here? And it’s not just to check your cover. Or see if I was okay.”

She looked at him curiously. “A deduction based on what?”

“Based on the fact that I have you pegged as a multitasker.”

She sighed. “I just wanted to see you again. Make sure you really were okay, despite what I was told. You were blown up, after all.”

“And why is that important to you?”

“It just is.”

“I’m not getting this.”

She drew closer to him. “Well, then let me be uncharacteristically frank. We’re actually a lot alike, John Carr. There aren’t many people who do what we do.” Her features softened and she seemed

to be looking past him. “I’ve lived so many years of my life as someone I’m really not.” She refocused on him. “I know you’ve done that for an even longer period of time. I’ve never met anyone like me. That is, until I met you.” She touched his arm. “So that’s why I’m here. I guess just to convince myself that I’m not alone. That there are others like me out there. I know that probably seems illogical to you.”

“No, it actually doesn’t. It makes a lot of sense, in fact.”

She drew closer to him. “It’s a lonely life.”

“It can be, yes.”

“I can tell you’ve been alone a long time.”

“How?”

She slowly lifted her hand and touched it against his cheek. “It’s in the face. The face doesn’t lie, if you know how to look.” She paused. “And we both do know how to look, don’t we?”

She removed her hand and Herbert looked away.

“I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you,” she said. “I just wish…”

“What?”

“That we had met a long time ago.”

“It wouldn’t have worked a long time ago.”

“Does that mean it could work now?”

Herbert looked away again. “Nothing will work with me.”

“You’re choosy?”

“It’s not that. Even if I were choosy, you would be… Well, it doesn’t matter now.”

“It can always matter. Even for two old warriors like us.”

“I’m old. You’re not.”

“In this business we’re all old.” She paused. “If we’re still alive.”

She stood, slid a hand down his cheek and then bussed her lips against his face.

“Take care of yourself,” she said. A moment later she was gone.

. 7

Herbert AND Anthony WERE DISCHARGED from the hospital the next day after being held for observation. Herbert had to admit that he needed the extra rest. Being knocked unconscious twice within a short period of time would have done a number on a young man, much less someone his age. But he had motivation to get out of his bed and take up the hunt once more. Things were coming to a head. The big event was close to happening. He could feel it in every nerve he had.

As Anthony drove off in a new ride provided by the FBI, Herbert looked across at her. “How many stitches?”

She touched the bandage across her forehead. “Six here and two more on the cheek. Doc said I’d be healed in plenty of time for holiday photos.” She glanced over at him. “How’d you get off without any? I distinctly remember seeing you all bloodied before passing out.”

“They probably figured what’s the use? And the major cut was on my scalp. There’s a Band-Aid up there but you can’t see it.”

“I guess we are very lucky.”

“Luckier than Judy Donohue.”

“So they roped her into this whole thing. How? Money?”

“I would assume so, yes. Money they never really intended on paying.”

“They were going to kill her all along, you mean?”

“Clearly. The cover they built for her was flimsy at best. Only designed to hold us off a day or two. As soon as she talked to us at the church and said all those lies she was a dead woman.”

“So presumably the FBI will find a deposit to an offshore account somewhere in Donohue’s name that has been rescinded. Funny, she didn’t strike me as the type to conspire.”

“What type? The one that doesn’t like money? I’ve run into very few of those.”

“But to participate in an attack against your own country?”

“Don’t be naïve. And besides, no one got hurt in that attack, except for the unfortunate Alfredo Padilla.”

“But when other people started dying? She had to notice that.”

“Of course she did. But by that time it was too late. If she came to us to confess, she’d be admitting to being an accessory to murder, multiple murders. She probably decided the safer course was to follow through with the plan and run with what she thought was lots of money.”

“And George Sykes gets a hole in the head for doing nothing wrong at all.”

“Yes. That’s why I don’t feel too badly about Judy Donohue.”

“Your theory on how they got Sykes to drive off in a panic like that was probably close to the truth.”

“Threaten his family. They might have told him where to meet. A route that would take him right into the kill zone. It was meticulously set up. Which is both informative and daunting.”

“They could probably kill us anytime they wanted.”

“They tried to kill me and you stopped it.”

“Score one for the good guys.”

“And it proves they’re not infallible.”

“So does that mean the whole tree farm, root ball, National Park Service angle was another red herring?”

“I think Kravitz was framed. I think Lloyd Wilder was totally innocent too.”

“And the Latinos who were executed?”

“Counterparts to Judy Donohue. They were partially in on the plot, but only partially. They played their roles, received their payoff and then were eliminated.”

“Okay, so we’re back to Fuat Turkekul? How do you want to do this? Weaver will be all over our butts if we get caught messing around with the little Turk.”

“Like I told you before, I got a wink from Sir James.”

“So what? That is not going to protect you from Riley Weaver and you know it.”

“So we’ll bypass Turkekul and take the path slightly less traveled.”

“Which is? Mrs. Penelope?”

“No.”

“Who, then?”

He said nothing.

“Marisa Mr. Green is the only one left.”

“Yes, she is.”

“But the last time we tried to access her, we got nailed.”

“That was last time. Now we are forewarned. And she came to see me.”

“What? When?”

“Yesterday. In the hospital.”

“What did she want?”

“I’m not really sure, to tell you the truth. She’s a lonely woman.”

“Really?” Anthony looked at him inquiringly.

“I guess we’re all lonely in some way.”

“All right,” said Anthony uncertainly. “So how are we going to do it?”

In answer Herbert pulled out his phone and punched in a number. “Mirabel? I think it’s time you and Caleb had your follow-up meeting with Ms. Mr. Green.”

“IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN,” said Mr. Green as she sat down at the restaurant table. Mirabel and Caleb were already seated across from her.

“We said we would be in touch,” Mirabel said bluntly.

Caleb said, “We are very excited to move this forward, with your help.”

Mr. Green slid her napkin into her lap and said, “And I’m excited to get to work on this with you. I’ve made some preliminary inquiries and the time is definitely ripe for your project model.”

They ate and discussed more points of business. As they left the restaurant a Mercedes limo swung around the corner.

“You don’t have to do that,” said Mr. Green. “I live out in Virginia.”

He took her hand, kissed it. “It is no trouble. In fact it would be my pleasure.”

Mirabel held the door open. Mr. Green climbed in. Mirabel shut the door behind her and the limo sped off.

Mr. Green jerked around and tried the door handle. The door was locked. She noticed a presence to her left and whirled in that direction.

A man was staring at her.

“What the hell is going on?” demanded Mr. Green. She stopped, caught her breath as she focused on him. “Herber

Herbert said, “That’s my partner up there, Mary Anthony. I’m sure you’ve been briefed on her too.” He motioned to the driver. Anthony gave a small wave before turning onto the next street.

“You’re… you’re k********g me?”

“No, we’re meeting with you.”

She frowned. “People who want to meet with me usually make an appointment.”

“We need your help and we wanted to ask for it quietly.”

“I thought you’d been f*******n by Director Weaver to come near me.”

“That’s why we’re asking quietly.”

Mr. Green sat back, taking all of this in. There was no fear in her eyes. “So Weaver knows nothing about this?”

“Need to know. And right now he doesn’t need to know.”

“Interesting theory considering he runs the country’s intelligence services.”

“As you know, we have great interest in Turkekul.”

“You’re not alone in that regard.”

“You told me you figured out he was a traitor, but when exactly did you learn he was a double agent?”

“You know, you can tell me that Riley Weaver has filled you in, but that doesn’t mean I have to believe it.”

“People are dying at an alarming clip,” he pointed out.

She shrugged. “It’s a dangerous business.”

“And we believe that Turkekul is at the epicenter of that business.”

Mr. Green hesitated. “I wouldn’t disagree with that assessment. But—”

Anthony spoke up. “And yet he just keeps walking along, no troubles.”

Mr. Green glanced at her and then at Herbert. “I follow orders. I might not agree with them all the time, but I follow them.”

“All the time?” asked Herbert.

“I wouldn’t last long in this line of work if I didn’t.”

“Didn’t you learn to exercise some independence in order to get the job done?”

Mr. Green crossed her legs and folded her arms over her chest. “Any place in particular where we’re going?”

“Just seeing the city. Having a nice chat.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“So you are concerned?”

She snapped, “Who the hell wouldn’t be concerned! A dozen people have died at least by my count. Snipers, bombers, executions. All on American soil.”

“So you’ll help us?”

“I can’t commit to that,” she said frankly. “Until I know what your plan is. You know that.”

“We need Turkekul to talk to us.”

“He’ll talk to you all right. About everything you don’t want to know about. He’s the most tight-lipped, aggravatingly secretive person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something.”

“He’s just trying to survive. And you do that by not trusting anyone,” said Herbert.

“Well, then pray tell how do you propose getting him to talk? Because I haven’t come close.”

“With your help I think we can.”

“I haven’t agreed to anything. By all rights I should report this contact right away. And if Weaver finds out—”