‘He died on that flight. That’s your answer.’
‘He was working undercover?’
Webb said nothing, inclined his chin and brought it back down. Logan wasn’t sure if it was a nod in confirmation and looked at Cahill.
‘Okay,’ Cahill said, apparently satisfied that it had been intended as an answer to his question.
‘Is that enough?’ Webb asked.
‘It’s enough for Tim’s wife.’
‘And for you?’
‘I always prefer to know more than less.’ Cahill smiled.
It was Webb’s turn to stand and go to the window, looking down at the late afternoon traffic starting to build.
‘We carry out background checks on all gun purchases in the country,’ Webb said, still facing the window. ‘I guess you know that.’
They took it for a rhetorical question and waited for Webb to continue.
‘Some time ago a man who had previously come to our attention due to some minor anti-government activities — letter writing, things like that — started to buy up legal weapons. A background check was done automatically each time and because he had a clean record the purchases were approved.’
‘But multiple purchases raised a red flag somewhere, right?’ Cahill asked.
Webb turned to face them again and nodded.
‘As you would expect it to,’ he said.
‘Then what?’
‘He stopped. I mean, after seven purchases in the space of six months he just stopped.’
‘So?’
‘He also sold his house. Didn’t buy another one that we’re aware of. No record of him renting either. At least, not under his real name.’
‘He was working?’
‘He quit. Didn’t take up another job.’
‘Gets you thinking what is he up to?’
‘Correct.’
‘Then what?’
‘We start working in the background to find out what he’s doing. He’s got our attention now. We start to look at some associates. Turns out a few of them have also given up steady, decent-paying jobs and don’t seem to have replaced them with anything.’
‘Associates?’ Logan asked.
‘All ex-military.’
‘They served together?’ Cahill asked.
‘Afghanistan.’ Webb nodded.
A thought occurred to Logan.
‘These activities you spoke about,’ he said. ‘The stuff that initially brought him to your attention. Was it related to the conduct of the war over there?’
‘Something like that.’
‘So,’ Cahill said. ‘You manufacture Tim Stark getting sacked. He has a legitimate anti-government gripe and can find a kindred spirit in this soldier. Ex-soldier.’
Webb nodded.
‘Stark was brought in to infiltrate the group.’
Another nod.
Logan frowned. ‘I don’t get it,’ he said. ‘I mean, if Stark was fired to give him a reason to be pissed off at the Government so he could use his real name and background, why was he using an alias when he got on the flight?’
‘To avoid detection,’ Cahill said. ‘Am I right?’
‘Yes,’ Webb said. ‘The alias was to send us a message. To let us know that he had been compromised and was coming home. The op was being run out of our headquarters in Washington. That’s where Tim was going.’
‘So you knew that they were on to him,’ Logan said. ‘Which is why you thought the plane crash might have been deliberate. To kill Stark?’
‘Correct.’
‘Turns out it was just his bad luck,’ Cahill said.
Webb sat down again. ‘You can see why this is sensitive,’ he said. ‘These people are still out there. Still planning whatever it is that they are going to do.’
‘Except now you’re blind because your man on the inside is gone.’
‘Yes.’
Cahill was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.
‘Do you need a replacement?’
10
‘You can’t be serious,’ Logan said to Cahill, sitting in the back of a taxi heading for their hotel.
‘Why not?’
‘Your life isn’t exciting enough already?’
‘Look, he said he’d think about it but he wasn’t really serious.’
‘Why not?’
‘I haven’t been in the States for a while and I’ve been out of any recognised agency for even longer. They don’t want someone like me. Someone they can’t control.’
‘So what was that all about? I mean, him saying he’d think about it.’
‘He was humouring me.’
‘But we ’re done here, right?’
‘We’re booked in the hotel for three nights. Why don’t we make the most of it?’
‘You want to do something about this, don’t you? I can see it in your face. Even if Webb wasn’t serious about taking you on in some official capacity. You want to be involved.’
Cahill shrugged.
‘Christ. You are unbelievable, Alex. You know that?’
‘Calm down. I mean, Bruce still has to get back to us on the “D. Hunter” thing that Melanie found, so why don’t we at least check on that while we’re here?’
‘And we can feed whatever we find out into Webb, right?’
‘Sure.’
‘That was the single most unconvincing thing you have ever said to me. And that’s saying a lot.’
They got to the hotel after six. It was a modern four-star affair with a restaurant on the ground floor and a spacious reception and bar area on the next level. They checked in quickly and went to the room — a decent-sized space with two double beds.
‘Cosy,’ Cahill said when they walked in.
Logan found a TV concealed behind doors in a unit opposite the beds and turned to a local news channel. They unpacked their gear in a few minutes, storing the bags in the unit beneath the TV.
‘You going to call Melanie Stark?’ Logan asked.
Cahill looked at his watch. ‘Yeah, I guess I should.’
‘At least it’s good news.’
Cahill stared at him.
‘I mean, sort of.’
