Evidentally Loring hadn’t been able to stall whoever had come up to the seventh floor to see what was going on, and word had been sent down here.
Adkins swerved sharply to avoid hitting the man and jammed his foot to the floor, his E class Mercedes taking off like a rocket. He glanced in the rearview mirror in time to see the guard race back inside. It would only be a matter a minutes now before the highway patrol had a description of the car and its tag numbers.
At the bottom of the hill, Adkins slowed down and drifted through the stop sign then headed to the Parkway south, merging with the fairly light evening traffic.
He took out his cell phone and called Otto. “I’m on the Parkway, but they knew I was up on the seventh floor, because they sent someone up. And one of the Reception Center security guys tried to stop me from leaving.”
“They’ll be calling the highway patrol about now, so you’re going to have to come here.”
“I can’t outrun a cop. I mean my car is capable of it, but I’m not.”
“I want you to cross the median as quickly as possible and head the other way.”
“Back toward the Company?”
“Nobody will expect it, and by the time they realize they’ve been outsmarted you’ll be across the river at Turkey Run Park.”
“Hold on,” Adkins said, and he put the phone down. A maintenance road crossed the median, and making sure that traffic was clear and no flashing lights were approaching from either direction, he slammed on his brakes, crossed over to the other side of the Parkway, and accelerated.
He picked up the phone. “Okay, I’m heading north.”
“Did you find anything else in Whittaker’s office?”
“I didn’t check his desk or try the safe. I didn’t think he’d keep anything incriminating on paper, but I went down to Watch and talked to Ron Loring. Something is apparently starting between Mainland China and Taiwan. The Pentagon is in on it, and so is State. Ron said they were sending a courier over to the president tonight.”
“Did he tell you what it was?” Otto asked. He sounded excited.
“He didn’t want to say anything at first. Not until I told him that Mac had connected Mexico City and Pyongyang with the Friday Club, and it involved the Chinese government.”
“Are you telling me that China is going to attack Taiwan?”
“Two hours ago the Chinese started warming up their short-range missiles, and shortly after that Taiwan began spinning up their missiles. Their military was placed at Defcon two.”
“China wouldn’t gain a thing,” Otto said.
“No, and Beijing knows it,” Adkins agreed. “Something else has to be going on over there. A trigger of some sort.”
At least a half-dozen police cruisers, lights flashing, had pulled up at the access road into the CIA, and as Adkins passed on the opposite side of the Parkway, two of the cruisers headed south at a high rate of speed.
“Cops are all over the place,” he told Otto. “That was really fast.”
“You’re only a couple of miles from the bridge. Anyone taking an interest in the north-bound lanes?”
Adkins checked his rearview mirror. “Not yet.”
“Won’t take them long,” Otto said. “Once you get across I want you to head up to State Road One-ninety, it’s just a little past the Cabin John Parkway. Turn east toward Somerset and the highway changes to River Road.”
“Is that where you are?”
“No, we’re in Georgetown. But I want you to come here clean, so I’m going to keep track of what the cops are doing. If anyone gets close I’ll redirect you to another route. So keep your phone on.”
“I don’t know about this, Otto.”
“Piece of cake, Mr. Director, you’re doing just fine.”
“Are you going to work the China thing?”
“I’m already on it,” Otto said.
“Keep me posted.”
SEVENTY-THREE
McGarvey held up at the side of the house until Pete disappeared into the woods. She’d been limping, and he figured that her wound had to hurt like hell. But she was dedicated; she believed in the mission in a way McGarvey wasn’t so sure still existed for a lot of people in the Agency.
“Pete’s on her way back to you,” he said. “Anything from Dick?”
“He got out with Security right on his tail,” Otto said. “But he’s clear and I’m talking him in.”
“I’m going to talk to Foster now and try to see what’s going on. But I won’t have a lot of time, because as soon as the Bureau and Marshals get out here they’re going to arrest me, and I’m not going to run or resist. We need the situation to come to a head.”
“It is, Mac,” Otto said. “Dick talked to Ron Loring who’s the Watch commander tonight. They’re monitoring a situation between Mainland China and Taiwan. All the missiles out there are being spun up, and everybody’s at Defcon two. Could get real hot any minute.”
“We knew it was going to involve China again, but there’d have to be a trigger before anyone would actually launch. Beijing’s not going to risk attacking Taiwan unless it had a good reason to do so. They’d end up the pariahs of the world. Probably slam their economy back fifty years. We’d certainly stop trading with them.”
“Maybe it’s just that simple. Maybe that’s exactly what Foster wants to happen.”
“Still wants for a trigger,” McGarvey said. “Go back to Remington’s list, and whatever you downloaded from David’s computer, and run all the names from the State Department and especially the Pentagon, see what those guys have been up to.”
“I’m on it,” Otto said, and McGarvey could hear the strain in his friend’s voice.
“We’ve come this far, we’re not backing down now.”
“Watch your back, kemo sabe, I shit you not.”
“Keep me posted,” McGarvey said and he called Whittaker’s cell phone.
“I’m listening.”
“Boberg is down, and my partner has left. It’s just me now.”
“Turn around and walk away, Mac, and you just might live to see the morning,” Whittaker said. “There’s nothing here for you now.”
“I know that the Chinese and Taiwan militaries have gone to Defcon two. Their missiles are being warmed up right now.”
Whittaker didn’t reply.
McGarvey stepped around the corner and walked to the steps leading to the veranda, his pistol in plain sight. “I’m coming to the front door. If someone is watching from inside, you’ll see that I’m tossing my pistol onto the ground.”
“Do it,” Whittaker said.
McGarvey ejected the magazine, tossed it off the porch, then ejected the single shell and tossed it and the gun away. “If you shoot an unarmed man you’ll have a tough time explaining it, no matter how many friends you think you have in high places. I just want to talk to Foster before I’m arrested.” He turned away as he pocketed the still connected cell phone.
The night was very quiet, no wind, no traffic noises, no boat horns in the river. Katy had always liked this time of the evening, just before bed. She said she’d never been afraid of the dark; in fact, she’d always felt cocooned, protected, safe, ready to dream.
It would take everything within his power not to kill them all, starting with Foster. Vengeance never solved anything, Louise had told him, but he didn’t know if he could believe it, or if he had ever believed it.
The door opened inward to a dark stair hall. “Keep your hands in plain sight and come in,” Whittaker said.
“First turn on the lights.”
