sub warfare school along the edge of the San Diego Bay. A well-protected stretch of real estate.
As they neared the airport, Cromwell glanced over at him. “Oh, they have a passport waiting when you get to D.C. I guess you won’t be staying there long.”
“What? My passport is locked up in a safe in Seattle.”
The lieutenant shrugged. “My guess, they’ll be giving you undercover creds. Passport included. You’re on your way out of the country.”
“Where are they sending me? And who is ‘they’?”
Cromwell turned his attention back to the road. “They will tell you who ‘they’ is when they want to. Why they’re sending you, only God knows, son. Him and those calling the shots. Watch your back.”
Chapter 7
Washington, D.C.
Gerrit landed in D.C. as a steel dawn cracked the eastern horizon. A man dressed in the black and white uniform of a chauffeur stood at the boarding gate peering at each passenger as they emerged from the plane. The man glanced toward him with a look of recognition, then moved in for contact. “This way, Detective. I have a car waiting.”
How did this guy get past security? The driver entered a code to access a secured door, then led him down a flight of stairs to the tarmac. A stretch limo was parked near the doorway.
The driver opened the car door to reveal a predawn greeting party for him-Marilynn; her father, Senator John Summers; and a third man Gerrit didn’t recognize. The senator leaned forward. “Climb on in, Detective. Get out of the cold.”
He stooped through the doorway and slid onto a black leather seat opposite Marilynn and her father. Senator Summer’s gravelly voice-as if hewed from granite rocks-spilled on about law enforcement, serving one’s country, and fighting the good fight. It was as if the man was trying to win Gerrit over as a voter.
After the political rhetoric, the senator leaned forward with a conspiratorial look, introduced the third man as someone from State without giving a name, then lowered his voice. “As you know, Gerrit, I sit on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. I also have a pipeline to the White House on intelligence matters. You know, the right hand keeping the left hand in the know.”
Gerrit stared back. Where was this conversation going? Marilynn avoided his glances, as if he wasn’t even here. The State guy-probably a spook-sat tight-lipped, watching.
“We’ve got friends in a lot of key places-particularly in the business community. People willing to help us protect this country and make it a safe place to live. Know what I mean?” The senator shot him a wink.
Gerrit looked on without responding. The word snakeskin came to mind as he studied the senator.
“My daughter tells me good things about you and your work on this here task force she runs.”
She finally gave him a glance.
“We have a situation, a matter of national security you might be able to help us with.”
“Like what, Senator?” So far, Gerrit didn’t have a clue as to why he was sitting in this plush ride.
Senator Summers sat up, back rigid, his look of friendship vanishing. Instead, a mask seemed to slip over the man’s face. His eyes narrowed. “I know about your service to our country while in the armed forces. Special Ops in the Mideast, several tours of duty. Impressive record, son.” The man’s impassive face seemed to conflict with his impassioned words. As he spoke, the senator seemed to be sizing Gerrit up as if trying to decide whether he could be trusted.
Gerrit pursed his lips, waiting for the senator to get to the point.
“We could use your special skills in an investigation, the details of which I am not at liberty to discuss right now. I want you to meet a friend of mine: Richard Kane. He’s expecting you in England later today.”
Gerrit glanced at his watch. It was 2:00 a.m. in Seattle, making it midmorning in London. He did a quick estimate. “There’s no way I can get to London until nine or ten this evening. And I still don’t have a clue as to why we’re meeting here, Senator?”
“Your chief has been briefed and gave approval to have you work with us,” the senator said. “Everything will become clear once you meet with Kane. Until then, we must maintain a certain level of discretion on our end. You understand.”
“Actually, I don’t, Senator. You’re shooting me a wink and nod, as if we are the best of friends, and giving me a line of bull. I’m not stupid. So far, you haven’t given me anything that would warrant my cooperation. Be specific.”
Senator Summers’s face flushed a bright red, and Marilynn shot Gerrit a shocked look. She leaned forward. “You can’t talk to my father that way-”
“Sure he can, hon,” the senator shot back, holding on to her arm as he apparently fought to restrain his own emotions. “We’re asking Detective Gerrit to trust me, and he doesn’t know me from Adam. After all, I’m a politician.” He laughed and leaned closer. “Look around you, son. We’re sitting out here in an unsecured location. I just can’t spell out national-security information in this environment. You can understand that, can’t you?”
Gerrit couldn’t help himself from nodding.
“I thought you’d understand. All I ask is that you meet with Kane and hear what he has to say. He will fill you in on all the details. He has high-level clearance and will be running the operations from his place in England. Then you decide from there. Fair enough?”
“Operation?” Gerrit already felt uneasy about the situation. He recognized the importance of maintaining security, but so far he had not been given anything to work on. And now, the senator was hinting about some operation on foreign soil?
Senator Summers leaned back. “You’ll land in Heathrow and Kane’s people will pick you up. They’ll let you get some shut-eye before heading up north where Kane’s group is headquartered.”
The State Department man-wearing a black fedora, a black rain coat, white shirt, and black shoes, dressed as if he wanted to try out for a bit part in Casablanca — finally seemed to come alive. He reached into a chrome Halliburton briefcase, withdrew a yellow package, one end already opened, and handed it to Gerrit.
Gerrit reached inside and withdrew a passport, airline tickets, British pound notes bundled together, several credit cards, and a California driver’s license. He flipped open the passport and saw his photo plastered on the second page of the document, but another man’s name appeared below the photograph.
John Gerrity.
Someone had switched Gerrit’s first and middle name and added a letter to his first name. He glanced at the embossed name on the credit cards and CDL. Same bogus name printed on these documents.
Gerrit glanced at the guy from State, then turned toward the senator. “John Gerrity?”
The senator shrugged. “Name seemed to work. Easy for you to remember.” He leaned forward and placed his hand on Gerrit’s arm. “We need to be careful. No one will search you getting on or off the plane. We must keep this meeting with Kane quiet. Remove all your current identification papers and store them in your luggage. No one will look, I promise.”
After placing everything back into the envelope, Gerrit set it on his lap. “You have to be kidding, right? You want me to prance through the airport with these bogus documents and board a plane for the UK without knowing what I’m getting into. I’m not an idiot, Senator.”
Senator Summers seemed flustered. “Let me assure you these documents will never be questioned, nor will you. This is just to protect the secrecy of the operation.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know-national security.”
Anger flashed on the senator’s face. “This is a matter of life and death. For many people, Gerrit. Don’t be so flip with me.”
“Then don’t expect me to waltz into that airport without some assurance that this has been cleared with my bosses.”
Nodding, the senator flipped open his phone and dialed. “Your man seems reluctant to cooperate. Talk to him.” The senator thrust the phone toward Gerrit.
Gerrit pressed the phone to his ear. “Who’s this?”
