The assassin, p.6
The Assassin, page 6
“Do you have a plan, Casey?” I asked.
“Nope,” Rockford answered for her, then quickly glanced at his boss and added, “I mean, we’ve been tracking Nero for weeks, but he’s unpredictable. We have a few ideas, but—”
“We could use some help,” Wu said, smiling. “someone local, someone familiar with the battlefield. How about it, Harry?”
And there it was, my control of the situation, and it was practically handed to me. At the time, I thought it was a win…
I stared at her, contemplating the offer, though already knowing I was going to accept it.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said. “How about we wait until the rest of your team returns, and then we all take a ride to my office? There is a lot more space there.”
“What about the cool factor?” Donald said with a grin, spreading his arms wide to show off his tech.
“Hard to argue with that,” I said.
Wu agreed, and I gave them the address—even though I knew Donald already had it—and we decided not to waste time waiting.
Wu pressed a button on one of the wall panels and the exit ramp lowered, letting in the early evening light. The sky was a wash of pale orange and red-tinted clouds.
Back in my Maxima, Bob said, “These folks are pros, Harry, I’ll give ’em that. How about that truck? Fancy, huh?”
“Yeah, they certainly make an impression. What’s your read?”
“They said all the right words, as far as I could tell. They’re secretive, but that’s private security for you, right? Tim says they check out, and I trust him.”
“Same here.”
I did trust Tim, and Casey Wu did seem to know her stuff. I’d need to see her team at work, but at that point in the investigation, they knew way more about this Nero character than I did, so I wanted to keep them close. Which is why I’d invited them to meet at my offices; that and I wanted my team involved every step of the way, and that included Kate. I called her.
“Well?” she said impatiently.
“Sorry I hung up on you, Kate. Bob and I were working a lead. Can you meet us at the office in half an hour?”
“I suppose I could. Thirty minutes.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling, but she’d clicked off.
“I’m glad you’re bringing her in,” Bob said. “I have a feeling we’re going to need all the help we can get, including backup from the PD.”
I nodded. He was to be proved right over and over during the coming weeks. I backed out of the parking lot, swung the car left onto 31st, then left again onto Broad Street, and headed north toward the office.
“By the way,” I said. “How come you know this Nero… Westwood guy?”
“I’m a marine, Harry. Remember? Like I said, the guy’s a legend.”
Kate was already waiting outside when we arrived, and she looked worried.
No shit, Harry, I thought. With three dead bodies on her hands, she should be.
“How serious is it, Harry?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s serious, I’d say,” Bob answered for me, grinning.
I gave him a sharp look, but it had no effect on him. He just shrugged, smiled, and went through into the outer office, leaving me alone with Kate. Any other time I might have taken advantage of the moment and given her a peck on the lips, but I could tell that she was in no mood for such frivolities.
“Have you heard of TSA?” I asked, then felt dumb for asking such a stupid question.
“Of course I have—”
“I know,” I interrupted her, “but let me…” And I began to bring her up to date. By the time we had gotten coffee and settled down in my personal office, I’d pretty much caught her up on Casey Wu and her team of mercenaries, and given her a heads up on what we might expect from them. I didn’t let on, though, that I didn’t have a clue what that might be myself.
“And they’re here why?” she said.
I didn’t have time to answer. There was a knock on the door and Jacque stuck her head inside.
“Harry! We thought you weren’t coming!”
Jacque Hale is my PA and perhaps the most important member of my staff. She was, along with Tim and Ronnie, one of the first people I’d hired when I formed my agency. With a master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s in Criminology, she’s one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet; she is also the heart of my operation, and she knows it. Her smile is infectious, even on that grim day.
“Hey, Jacque,” Kate said.
“Hey, yourself, Miss Kate. You here to do some work, huh?”
Ten minutes later, I had everyone gather in the conference room where I laid out the facts as I knew them so far, and about Casey Wu and the Tipton Security Agency.
Tim once again confirmed that every member of her team was ex-military and was even able to confirm TSA’s connection to Albert Westwood. Wu and Westwood had indeed served together on several tours to the Middle East, all of them classified operations.
“And you decided not to hack the Pentagon?” I asked with a smile.
Tim grinned at me, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his forefinger, and said, “I was going to, but he advised against it.” He jerked his head at Ronnie, who grinned with me.
“He’s going to get us all arrested one of these days,” Ronnie said.
Inwardly, I shuddered, because Ronnie was probably right. Tim never passed on an opportunity to hack into the best-protected systems, including—I closed my eyes when I thought about it—just about every government agency you can think of: the IRS, FBI, Homeland Security… not sure about the NSA, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Dangerous? Oh yeah, but… No, I’m not going to tell you it’s why I hired him… Well, yes it was. I need to know what I need to know, and Tim can provide it, quickly. I trust him implicitly, and it wouldn’t be the last time in the investigation that we’d need to utilize his skills.
“So there’s only one thing that I find odd about TSA,” Tim said, thoughtfully.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“TSA has a number of vehicles in their stable—an SUV, two sedans, and, check this out, a semi-truck with a trailer.”
Bob tried to hide his smile, as did I.
“Wh-at?” Tim said.
“That’s their mobile headquarters.”
Tim’s mouth hung open. “Seriously?” he asked.
“Seriously,” I said. “Maybe they’ll let you take a look around, but don’t get any ideas. All right, everybody?”
My four exchanged glances; Kate didn’t. She looked hard at me and said, “And they’re on their way here right now?”
“I sure hope so,” I said.
“So,” Kate said, “I’ll ask you again: they’re here because?”
“They’re running security for Senator Hawke,” I wanted to add “among other things” but, knowing Kate as I did, I’d decided that in this particular case, less is more, so I didn’t.
I was uncomfortable playing by someone else’s rules. In this case Casey Wu’s. She was out there doing the work, and here I was sitting on my ass waiting, something I never was very good at…
Well, that was about to change, because the doorbell rang and Jacque went to let them in; I followed her.
She opened the door and came face to face with Elona Jackson, who was half a foot taller than her, and she froze, something I’d never seen her do before.
“Um, hi,” Jacque said, looking up at the imposing woman.
“Hi, yourself,” Elona said, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a cute little smile as she stepped past Jacque, who couldn’t take her eyes off the woman. I think I mentioned that Jacque’s gay, right? She was so mesmerized by the amazon that she paid no attention to Casey, or Donald, or the hardass I knew to be Simon Wilder but had never met.
“Glad you could make it,” I held out my hand and said, “Simon…”
It was like putting my hand in a vice and turning the screw.
“Harry Starke, I take it,” he said, then suddenly let go of my hand.
Jacque ushered them into the conference room, where I made the introductions. Coffee was offered and brought, and when everyone was seated around the table, Donald Rockford set his hard case on the table and unfastened the locks. Tim’s eyes shined.
“Is that what I think it is?” he said.
Rockford responded positively, and what followed was an exchange regarding different models of rugged military computers with satellite capabilities and multi-channel encryption that only they understood.
“By the way,” Donald said, finally, “nice trick you pulled to get into my TSA servers. A little advice for the future, though, randomize access points and emulate interaction.”
He winked, and while no one else understood what the hell that meant, Tim seemed to take it in like it was a piece of wisdom from the ancients. He looked like a kid at Christmas, getting instructed by his older brother on how to play with his new toys. He watched intently as Rockford connected his monstrous laptop to our flat screen on the wall and then ran through his slide presentation: TSA, Nero, and then Senator Andrew Hawke and his upcoming tour.
“So,” Kate asked, when he’d finished talking, “what’s the plan?”
“We need support and access,” Wu answered. “First and foremost, we’ll need priority access to every location on Senator Hawke’s itinerary. Naturally, we’ll provide our full cooperation, and whatever information we have with regard to the assassin, Nero, to your department, Sergeant.”
Kate didn’t answer. She was frowning.
What the hell’s going on behind that pretty face, Kate?
“What do you need from me and my people, Agent Wu?” I asked.
“All of the above, Harry,” she said, “and I do appreciate it.”
She paused, then said, “Look, I know how outlandish all this must seem, but I promise you, we’re not here to play spy games. My main concern is Nero. Once he is out of the picture, CPD can take over. We were hired to keep the senator safe, nothing more.”
It was a load of crap, and I knew it. I’d heard it all before. It reminded me of the office politics I’d managed to escape back in 2008—one team pitching a plan to another, trying to get people on board, to share intel, to coordinate… It wasn’t going to fly, not in my house, but I decided to play along, see where it took me.
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “Who’s your contact in Senator Hawke’s camp? We need to get in touch and figure out a plan. I… have a few ideas of my own.” I didn’t, but I would, when I needed them.
Wu said, “Hawke’s head of security is Roger Booker.”
Another familiar name from my father’s past. If my memory served me right, Booker also attended the same high school as August, although he wasn’t part of that elite club that went on to become career politicians. Well, he ended up close enough, I suppose.
“Great,” I said. “Let’s give him a call and invite him in for a chat. Now, it’s time to get to work, people!” I looked at my watch. It was almost seven o’clock. “Forget that. Go home and get some sleep. We’ll begin early in the morning.”
9
The meeting was, for all intents and purposes, over and people began to leave until only Wu, Wilder, Bob, Kate and I were left. Wilder was whispering something to Wu I couldn’t hear. Kate looked at me., She obviously had something on her mind, and I could tell she wanted to talk.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, in a low voice only she could hear.
“Can we talk in private?”
“Let’s go to my office. You want more coffee?”
She shook her head.
“Casey?” I said, rising to my feet. “I need a few minutes with Kate, okay?”
“Sure. We’ll wait.”
I looked at Bob and nodded. He nodded back, but there was something about the look in his eyes that told me he wasn’t happy.
My office had become my second home. It’s huge, cozy, with a giant stone fireplace, bookshelves, a handcrafted walnut desk and, of course, the second love of my life—Kate being the first—my custom leather desk chair.
I flopped down onto one of the two sofas. Kate locked the door and sat opposite me on the other sofa, the coffee table between us.
I lay back, put my feet up on the table, and said, “What’s bothering you, Kate?”
“I’m out of my depth, Harry. This is big. I think I need to bring the Chief in on it.”
“It is big,” I agreed. “Might be the biggest case we’ve ever worked.”
“I’m glad you realize that, and I hope you also realize that I can’t keep it under wraps for long. I have three bodies, a rogue security agency, and a possible assassination on my hands… not to mention your involvement.”
I understood and even shared her concern. She wasn’t worried that the case was too big for me; she was worried about the magnitude of the events that called for her—and the CPD’s—involvement, which meant she’d need to take the case over at some point, possibly even force me off it. That’s if Finkle allowed her to keep it, which because of its potential high profile, I doubted.
As if I’d let that happen.
“Relax,” I said. “You go ahead and do what you’ve got to do, Kate, and I won’t get in the way. But let’s work together on it, what do you say?”
She nodded, smiled, and said, “You have a plan, then?”
“You know I do… Well, I’m working on one.”
“Oh dear. That means you don’t have a clue. You’d better get a grip, Harry,” she said. “I have to report what I know to Finkle, and when I do, all hell will break loose.”
Assistant Chief Henry Finkle was my former and Kate’s current boss. He’s a hardass, an egotist, a misogynist, and a racist, and he has a tendency to overreact and come to the wrong conclusions. I could imagine him sticking his nose into every nook and cranny, causing chaos and confusion and generally screwing things up for everyone in his effort to find Nero and take the credit for himself. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but then again, maybe I’m not.
Either way, CPD would be getting in our way. I had to think of something, and quick.
I said, “You’re right, Kate, but think about it this way: Nero’s already here, somewhere in the city at this very moment, planning his hit. If the cops put out an APB on him, it’ll be all over the news. Senator Hawke will probably cancel his visit, and then Nero’s gone! We’d be losing our shot at him. No pun intended.”
Well, some pun intended, but that didn’t matter, because Kate slowly nodded. She said, “I can give you twenty-four hours, Harry, but then I’m gonna need a rock-solid plan. Something I can pitch to Finkle without freaking him out.”
“Done and done,” I assured her, even as the gears in my head were already spinning.
“Thank you,” she said, rising to her feet.
I walked her to my office door. We kissed, and I held her for a moment longer than a simple “thank-you” kiss required. I knew we had some hard days ahead of us, maybe even weeks, and I desperately wanted to hold on to the moment.
“What are you going to tell them?” I asked as she unlocked the door.
“That we have an addict on our hands, possibly ex-military, hunting down dealers.”
“Maybe you could tell them he’s some kind of vigilante?”
“I’ll think of something,” she said. “But you’d better get this right… Look, I have to go. Tonight? Your place or mine?”
“Mine. I’ll cook steaks.”
“Sounds wonderful,” she said as she opened the door and, in one fluid and decisive motion, stepped out and left.
Me? I went to rejoin the others in the conference room. Wilder was absent.
“What’s the word, Casey?” I asked as I sat down beside Bob. “Where’s Wilder, by the way?”
“Simon’s taking a bathroom break,” she said. “I called Booker. He’ll be here on Friday. His number two will handle the rest of the senator’s tour until he gets to Chattanooga. We have less than a week to come up with something he’ll believe and agree to.”
“More than enough time,” I said. “Listen, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
The door opened, and Wilder stepped inside and sat down beside her.
“Your formal involvement?” Wu said, smiling. She brushed aside her hair. “I’m not new to the private sector, Harry. It’s about money, right? But hey, I don’t mind. Let’s discuss it with Booker when he gets here, and I promise I’ll convince him to hire you.”
That, Agent Wu, I thought, is not the answer I was looking for. It’s not about money, not at all. Out loud, I said, “Excellent.”
“Nice to have you on the team, Harry,” Wilder said.
There was something about the way he said it I didn’t like, but…
“Likewise,” I said. “Okay then. Are we done? If so, I need to get out of here.”
We shook hands and then went out to the front office. The TSA team was ready to leave, and as they did, I saw Jacque miming a phone to Elona, mouthing call me.
“She seems… nice,” I said to Bob as the door closed behind her, not really knowing what else to say.
Bob said, “Not my type.”
“And you ain’t hers, dummy,” Jacque replied, playfully elbowing him in the side.
We laughed, then I went to call my father.
10
Two days later, I picked August up after his afternoon golf practice at the Country Club, and we headed for the airport.
I said, “Appreciate your help, August.”
“I’ll do what I can, Harry, you know that. I want to make sure Andy and Roger are safe. Not that they need my expertise here.”
“Maybe not, but I have a feeling they’re going to need mine. You’re gonna be my backup.”
He stared at me, his eyebrows raised, so I added, grinning, “Not in the field, Dad. I have a whole team for that.”
My father had been supportive from the very beginning of my PI days, but he wasn’t a fighter. August’s strength was his mind, and it had served him well.
