Monster (49 page)

“Not very well by the amount of stuff we missed.”

“Hey, you suspected Dillon and the Russians weren’t giving us the whole story.”

“How did you get the information from Tamara, Cold?”

“That’s classified. She did real good today. Even Kay believes Mero bought her act.”

“What about Pete?”

“You can’t trust anything he thinks about Nancy. That’s what makes him so valuable as her handler.”

“From what I hear, Pete went way past handler. Not to mention it sounds like you can’t be trusted with anything concerning me.”

“You drive me crazy, Red,” McDaniels admitted uncharacteristically. “I may not have been thinking as clearly as I should have earlier.”

“Wow.” Reskova leaned forward. “That’s quite an admission. The safety of the free world rests on my love life.”

McDaniels pointed at Reskova accusingly. “See, you’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“Driving me crazy. Let’s go back to your place.”

“I wish. In case you’ve lost track of time we still have a few hours left on the government’s dollar. What’s Kay doing without supervision?”

“He’s going over everything he can find on Mero with what little we have so far. Kay believes Mero will have contacts away from the embassy: girlfriends, etc.”

“We already have a tail on him. If he does what Kay thinks he’ll do we will most definitely wire everywhere he goes for sound.”

“Kay’s checking the Syrian embassy phone records, looking to get lucky with a group of phone calls made to the same place coming from Mero’s office. He’ll widen the search if he doesn’t come across what he needs.”

“How about his cell phone?”

“He has one but he keeps it clean. Kay only found… hey, what are you doing?”

Reskova walked over to her office door and locked it. “I think I’ll chase you around the desk for a while.”

McDaniels stood up to face her as she walked toward him. When she was within his arms, he effortlessly picked her up with his hands on her hips and set her on the desk. He leaned in, kissing her lightly around her mouth.

“Okay, I’m caught. Now what?”

“Now, I concentrate on not screaming loud enough to bring a security detail in on the run,” Reskova answered breathlessly.

* * *

Rasheed waved at Barrington and Rutledge as they walked into the office.

“I sincerely hope those tired looks on your faces are the product of all the surveillance work you two have been doing.”

Barrington chortled and continued into his office.

“Don’t go there, Kay,” Rutledge warned. “The only excitement on the stakeout was when Pete and Nancy hid out in the bathroom so we couldn’t hear them. Unfortunately for… or fortunately for Pete, Nancy was so loud we could hear her on the transmitter in the living room.”

Rasheed laughed appreciatively. “I’m checking on Mero’s contacts outside the embassy in case he meets up with any girlfriends on the side.”

“That could be big, Kay,” Rutledge agreed, turning to her computer. She networked into Rasheed’s workstation. “I would have come up with it after I came back. It’s good you were able to get a head-start on it.”

“Oh, thank you so much,” Rasheed replied sarcastically. “Is young Pete on holiday until we get Mero?”

“Nope, he’ll be coming into work with Nancy tomorrow. They’ll be having a rotating team of agents watching Mero now. I know you were in the restaurant. How did Cold take hearing Mero was giving Diane some serious consideration?”

“Not well.”

“He didn’t waste everyone in the res… uh, when you say not well, Kay, you… where is he?” Rutledge jumped up out of her chair worriedly. “I’ll…”

“Calm down, Jen,” Rasheed called out quickly, gesturing for Rutledge to sit back down. “He’s with Diane right now. Pete helped him through it at serious risk to life and limb.”

“Thank God,” Rutledge muttered, sitting down heavily. “If Cold didn’t think it was idle chatter on Mero’s part, Mero ain’t long for this world.”

“I have no knowledge of such talk,” Rasheed said guardedly, turning back to his computer screen.

“Don’t give me that crap, Kay. Cold only has a couple more weeks before he leaves for Iraq again. I don’t have to be a psychic to know he won’t leave a guy like Mero alive. They’ll put him in a dungeon if he crabs this investigation by killing the main character.”

“Yes, I am certain the thought of incarceration will surely turn the Cold Mountain away from thoughts of Mero’s death.”

“I think they figure too much is riding on this to ignore improvisation on the Colonel’s part. Let me take the second half of your list here. We’ll see if we can come up with something good so the higher ups won’t notice Mero losing his head. It’s kind of hard being friends with the Colonel, huh Kay?”

“Not as hard as it is being his enemy.” Rasheed grinned over at Rutledge who laughed. “Cold feels much the same as I do. I am not yet sympathetic to the rights of known criminals as many of you Americans are. Will that count against me?”

“Actually, Kay, only the media, Congress, and the damn lawyers care about the criminals. The rest of us are just as bewildered as you about the way our system coddles cold-blooded killers, rapists, and child molesters.”

“A few of your lawyers flocked to Iraq in hopes of representing Saddam. I have also read where your ACLU wants to protect the rights of child predators by preventing the authorities from placing tracking devices on the monsters.”

“Oh, you know about our good old ACLU, huh? We like to call them the American Criminals’ and Communists’ Liberties Union. They’re consistent. They started out representing communists. Now they’ve added the rights of criminals to their repertoire.”

“I have lived all my life under the rule of a mass murderer. I feel uncomfortable criticizing your system. Perhaps… Jen, check this.”

Rasheed flashed the information from his screen to Rutledge’s.

“All right, Kay!” Rutledge buzzed Barrington’s office. “We have something, Tom.”

Barrington hurried out into the main office. “I hope it’s good. I just got off the phone from briefing Aginson at Diane’s request. He ain’t happy.”

“I think Kay’s found the mistress.” Rutledge came over to stand next to Barrington at Rasheed’s desk. “Mero must have thought we’d never take a look at him.”

Barrington stared at the phone records and visitor list recorded at the Syrian embassy. “Anybody else getting uneasy about this?”

“I believe you think these scum are all as intelligent as those actors on your ‘
24
’ television show, Boss. I have met many of these terrorist geniuses. Their idea of victory is sending a poor soul whose family they are holding hostage into a crowded police station with a bomb belt.”

“I guess you’re right, Kay.”

“He probably cares little if his actions implicate this stupid woman he sees,” Rasheed continued. “Mero may even believe it makes him fit in better. Did he not think the Tamara woman’s adlib of enticing young Pete to be her boyfriend a good idea?”

“Yes, he did. This Erica Marisol lives in Georgetown. She may even be one of those limousine liberals who think 9/11 was our fault. I’ll get the court order and send a team to fix up this woman’s place. By the time Mero visits again it will be like we’re in the place with him. Stay with it you two. I want to know this woman’s life intimately.”

Chapter 35

Assassins

When Barrington was back in his office Rutledge sighed heavily for Rasheed’s benefit.

“He’s so forceful.”

“The Boss must show steadfast determination and precise manner so as to offset your continued disrespect, Agent Rutledge.”

“You’re on the bottom of this totem pole, newbie. Go get me a cup of coffee, probie.”

“I have watched NCIS. Do not think to harass me as they do the underling on that show,” Rasheed warned, standing up to get Rutledge’s coffee anyway.

“You watch too much TV, Kay. You like all those CSI programs, huh?”

“They are very entertaining,” Rasheed called back over his shoulder. “It is a wonder anyone gets away with committing a crime in this country. Science Fiction is very reassuring, is it not?”

“I’ve wondered what real CSI units think about those shows. Did you hear about people on jury’s being asked if they watch the CSI shows?”

Rasheed returned, handing Rutledge her coffee.

“Perhaps reality will live up to expectations eventually.”

“The technology’s there but the budgets of those departments are a little behind. A town like Las Vegas might spring for state of the art labs and people though.”

“You and the Boss are trained in forensics, are you not?”

“We get more practice on the electronics than we do with the physical. By the time we’re called in everyone and their brother has stomped around the crime scene. Then the locals look at us like we’re going to solve the crime in ten minutes.”

Twenty minutes later Rutledge pushed away from her desk with some frustration.

“This Marisol doesn’t seem to do anything.”

“She belongs to many community groups.”

“She’s one of those professional DC hostesses. After Tom gets the court order I bet we find old money and catering bills out the wazoo,” Rutledge replied.

“She may have met Mero at one of these gatherings you speak of.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this socialite hosts fund raisers for some supposed Middle Eastern charity, payable to Mero. I wonder how many of these ignorant dunces with Islamo-guilt are giving money directly to al Queda.”

“America is certainly an accommodating target. I read in the newspaper today about an Arab group suing the police department in some West Coast town because a police officer made a derogatory remark about Islam.”

“Look at the Saudi’s exporting their Wahabi sect of Islam here. Their only mission is to kill Jews and enslave or convert everyone else. All of the 911 hijackers and most of the known al Queda terrorists are followers of Wahabism. We all just laugh it off like hey, no big deal. They really don’t mean it.”

“Yes, but they do mean it, Jen. I think America needs a secret police.”

“That’s what we have you and Cold for.”

“The two of us for the entire country?” Rasheed asked, not sure for a moment if Rutledge was really joking.

“It’ll be just you when Cold goes back to Iraq.”

“I will retrain young Pete to be a more cold-blooded operative. He and I will be a veritable scourge on these betrayers of Islam.”

“I was kidding, Kay.”

“Perhaps you should not be kidding. Did you know originally I was ordered to only answer to the Cold Mountain?”

“No,” Rutledge said with obvious surprise. “You’re making that up, right?”

Rasheed looked up smiling. “I am not. They wish deniability but our leaders have grown restless. What the Cold Mountain did while acquiring a new son for me was just what we were put on this team for.”

“You mean sanctioned assassinations?”

“I believe the word Director Aginson used was preemptive situation control.”

Rutledge laughed abruptly. “Well, Cold certainly accomplished that. If you take up where he left off you’ll get Tom in trouble.”

“My actions do not depend on the state of your boyfriend’s affairs.”

“You’re going to get us in trouble if you keep up this ragging. You know, maybe I should talk this over with Ansa, seeing as how she’s a much more liberated woman since coming to America.”

“Do not bring my wife into this conversation, infidel. That is not funny. My Ansa has taken this new freedom of expression much too far for my taste.”

“Heh, heh, heh… your reaction tells me I may have a new weapon in my arsenal. Perhaps we could come to some type of arrangement, Kay.”

“I do not bargain with Terrorists.” Rasheed held up his open hand, palm outward, toward Rutledge. “Talk to the hand, talk to the hand.”

Rutledge slapped at Rasheed’s hand.

“Don’t you wave me off, Kay.” Rutledge choked back laughter. “Another thing - don’t think for a moment of using Pete as a surrogate for whatever zings you have in mind against Tom and me.”

“You are out of line, Agent Rutledge. I will…”

“You won’t do anything, newbie,” Rutledge interrupted. “Now, for your own good, get to work.”

“I will not forget this slight. You will know retribution at the worst possible time.”

“Just so you have the guts to do it in my face, Kay, I don’t care.”

“You will,” Rasheed promised.

“Don’t recruit Pete to do the deed either. Things have a way of evening up. I…”

McDaniels walked into the office. He smiled at Rutledge and Rasheed, giving them a little wave of acknowledgement. “Everything okay?”

Rutledge sniffed the air as McDaniels stopped in between the two work stations.

“Cold, you smell like a French…” Rutledge began. Seeing McDaniels’ laser like look, she stopped speaking and covered her mouth.