Part 16 (1/2)
”A lot originated with me.” Judd described the murder of his double and then Tucker's persuading both the medical examiner and Bridgeman to keep it quiet so he could investigate. ”The only reason Bridgeman went along with Tucker was because Tucker convinced him international a.s.sa.s.sins were working on U.S. soil and it was in Catapult's best interests to find out why and what they were doing. But then the Eichel brothers made the hunt club pristine, which left only Tucker's word that the Padre had cut a deal with him to find the Carnivore, and only my word about our doubles and the ma.s.sacre at the hunt club, which meant only circ.u.mstantial evidence of a.s.sa.s.sins. So Tucker came looking for the Eichels here-without Bridgeman's knowledge, much less his permission.”
The wind had risen, and the SUV swayed as it left the parking lot for the drive to the landing strip.
”But what about the gunfight tonight?” she asked. ”The Eichels' bodies are in Chapman's library. That should prove Tucker was right about them being in-country.”
Judd shook his head. ”It doesn't save Tucker, and it's probably even worse for us. I'm a civilian with no authority to be there, so I could be perceived as just as bad as the men we left dead. Remember, there's well-known history between Chapman and me-and I'm the one who ended up shooting him. A good case could also be made that you abandoned your Farm training to help me wipe him.”
Eva thought about it. ”I made a commitment to the CIA, and I intend to keep it. Once Tucker is safely in the hospital, I'll rent a car and drive back to the Farm so I can explain what happened. That way I can speak on Tucker's and your behalf and maybe even save what's left of my career.”
Bosa rotated in his seat, his knee up on the divider between him and the driver. He a.s.sessed Eva. ”I have a better idea. Stay with us.” He couched it like an invitation, but she did not believe for an instant that was all there was to it. ”It's in your best interests.”
”The reason you want both of us along is you're worried we'll go public with what we know,” she accused. ”A group of top international a.s.sa.s.sins fighting over pieces of a cuneiform tablet has got to be mighty interesting to the press. They'll be sniffing up your a.r.s.e, and for a man who's gone to a great deal of trouble to stay unknown, unseen, and unfindable, that's got to disturb you.”
Bosa smiled. There was something almost innocent in his expression, guileless, as if he were a man who had compartmentalized his life so well that when the killer in him receded, an almost grandfatherly man emerged.
”All of that's true, but I'm worried about you, too,” he told her.
The killer might actually believe the sincerity in his voice, Eva thought.
”The Padre and Eli Eichel have already tried to terminate you and Judd,” he continued. ”What makes you think Krot and Seymour aren't reaching out to contacts right now, searching for you, too, also thinking they can find me through you?”
Eva shook her head. ”I'm going back to the Farm.”
”You won't be welcomed,” Judd warned her. ”Did you call in this afternoon to say you were dropping out because of a family emergency and you didn't know when you'd be back?”
”Absolutely not!”
”Then someone else did-someone who claimed to be you and sounded like you. Tucker told me the murder board has voted, and you're out. Fired.”
For a moment she was stunned, speechless. Then she turned on Bosa. ”d.a.m.n you! You did this to me!”
He shrugged. ”My people hadn't been able to track down the Eichel brothers. I wasn't going to release you until I was sure you were safe from them. One of my compadres, a female and a gifted mimic, called the Farm only when it was clear I wasn't going to be able to slip you back in. You might consider readjusting your att.i.tude-if you weren't alive, you couldn't be mad at me.”
”h.e.l.l. Screw all of you!” Eva grabbed her disposable cell and dialed the number she had been told to memorize her first week at the Farm. Staring out at the night, she listened as it rang three times.
A woman answered: ”Yes?”
”This is Eva Blake. I'd like to speak to Dan Lord, please.”
”There's no 'Dan Lord' here. You must have the wrong number.”
Eva recognized the voice-Judith Mignogna, a fellow recruit. ”Please, Judie. It's Eva. I've had an emergency, and I need to explain it to my instructor. That's Dan. You see, I was kidnapped late this afternoon in Williamsburg, except it wasn't a true kidnapping. This is my first chance to call in.”
”Kidnapped?” Judie's tone was alarmed. ”Then you should phone the police. I'll hang up so you can do it right away. Good luck.” The line went dead.
Eva stared at her cell phone, absorbing the fact she had been cut off.
Silent, they watched her.
Gathering herself, she hit the REDIAL b.u.t.ton. Again the phone rang. But this time it rang and rang. She remembered Bill, a fellow trainee whom the murder board had voted out last month. Security had arrived as he was eating dinner, told him the result of the meeting, and escorted him off premises. He was out of the Agency with no job and no place to live. The Agency was tough, but that was one of the reasons it remained one of the best in the world.
Eva listened to one more ring then hung up. For a moment she felt invisible. It was hard to breathe. With her CIA career ahead of her, life had made sense.
”They don't believe me,” she told them quietly. She avoided looking at Judd.
No one said anything.
Putting away her cell phone, she focused on the Carnivore. ”You could've let Chapman kill us. That would've eliminated any problems we'd cause you later. Why didn't you do that?”
”Because I might not have survived in Chapman's library without you. Unfortunately, I owe you again. On the other hand, you owe me. Let's not make a habit of it. Come with us, Eva. There's nothing left here for you.”
She leaned back, feeling painfully adrift.
As they neared the plane, the roar of the three jet engines was impressive. Blue ground lights outlined the runway. A staircase was in place.
She had to decide what to do, but her thoughts kept returning to Tucker. He had a strong sense of himself and did not seem to worry much about what anyone thought of him. He had a hard time hiding his impatience with fools, but he made an effort to obey protocols. Sometimes he succeeded. Then there was his covert background-from London to both Berlins, from Moscow to the Middle East. He had been not just successful, but also honored. And he had believed Judd that the Eichels had ambushed the Padre and his people. He had been right. But then, he placed a lot of trust in ”gut,” the extra sense that came from a combination of experience and talent. And now she had a strange sensation. Something inside her was telling her to go with Bosa.
”All right,” she said to the Carnivore. ”I'm in.”
40.
Vibrating with power, the Carnivore's plane was the sleek, silver-skinned Da.s.sault that Eva had spotted at the Merrittville airport. A trijet, it was decorated in expensive taste, with beige wool carpet, ivory-colored leather seats, and cherry cabinetry. Bosa liked not only comfort but also cla.s.s.
She headed toward the rear. ”This is all yours?” she asked over her shoulder.
He was right behind her. ”Every one of its fifty thousand parts. Paid a fortune for it. I could say it was a necessary business expense.”
They stopped at one of the pa.s.senger seats where he unloaded his pockets.
”What about the turboprop that flew you and me to Merrittville?”
”Rented,” he said. ”Langley doesn't have expensive planes like this for regular duty. I figured you might know that.”
The c.o.c.kpit door opened, and Jack stuck out his head, his cap at a jaunty angle. ”What took you so long?”
Bosa ignored the jibe. ”Get this bird off the ground. We've got an appointment with an ambulance.”
”That's not all we have,” Jack reminded him. ”h.e.l.lo, Eva. I'm glad you were persuaded to join us.”
”Blackmailed is more like it.”
Giving a knowing chuckle, he returned to the c.o.c.kpit, and she hurried aft.
George brushed past her, heading in the opposite direction. ”Got to make sure Jack doesn't think there's a foot brake and clutch on this flying saucer.” Which she interpreted to mean George was copilot.