“Why did he leave, and why is there an alert on him?”
“After Abbott discovered there may be a possible mole, we spent the next year trying to discover who that was. They hid themselves incredibly well. They left a few crumbs to follow, which we did, only to discover that they led nowhere.”
“Maybe left false trails on purpose.”
“Possibly. If he was aware we were on to him, he very well could have done it to throw us off the track and continue to disguise himself. Right up to his death, Abbott was on the road for about six months straight. He communicated to us that he needed a break. He wanted to come back home for at least a few weeks. We thought it was a good idea. Even though we were trying to find out who this traitor was, the man was not an agent, and we were afraid if he became tired, he may make some mistakes, slip up, and all our work would be thrown out the window.”
“So he came home.”
“He came home. One week after that he was found dead in an alley. And our best chance at finding that mole went out the window.”
“So you never found out who it was?”
“No. Oh, we’ve had thousands of theories floating around. Some of them are possible, some of them are ridiculous and can be dismissed easily, and some of them are ridiculous, but they are still possible and cannot be ruled out.”
“So where does Kenny come in?”
“Like you said, two weeks before Abbott came home, Kenny up and quit. He gave notice and said that he was cracking and couldn’t handle it anymore.”
“What were his assignments?”
“Critical. He was in deep. For the past few years he’d been working undercover, getting in deep with terrorist cells, criminal organizations, getting information on potential targets.”
“So he was basically permanently in the field?”
“Yes. Everyone thought he was indispensable before he left. He was fluent in five languages, passable in five more, and was instrumental in several successes that we’ve had around the world.”
“Is he the mole?” Bridge asked.
“At the time, we didn’t think so. There was no chatter about him that we could uncover. We just assumed he was a man who finally cracked under the pressure of living a dangerous life. You know as well as I do that it happens sometimes.”
“What about now?”
“Now we’re not sure what to think. Right before Abbott came home, one of Kenny’s aliases popped up on the radar here in New York. We looked for him, though we couldn’t find him. A few days after Abbott was killed, Kenny’s name popped up again, then he dropped off the map. So we know he was here at the same time as when Abbott was killed, we just don’t know why.”
“He’s involved.”
“Yes, well, that’s one of the theories, and probably a good one, but we haven’t been able to prove it yet. Or find out where the man is now. That’s why there’s an alert out on him. We want to question him to find out if he was the mole, if he was involved in Abbott’s death, and what he’s been doing for the past year.”
“No idea if he’s still here or not?”
“None. The fact is that men like him are even more dangerous than others. Because he lived a double life for so long, he’s accustomed to living a lie, blending in, creating false identities, and he’s had a long time to perfect that craft.”
“Is he involved with Stash?”
“Not that we can determine. In all the information we’ve ever received on Stash, Kenny’s name has never popped up. Though I guess it still is possible they may have interacted under different names, especially if Kenny thought he was being watched, but we haven’t gotten any information that indicates that that is the case. But as always, it’s possible until it’s proven otherwise.”
“If Kenny was the mole, and he killed Abbott because he thought he might be getting too close, then it’s likely he also killed Bevell for looking into it.”
“There’s nothing to suggest the PI knew anything either.”
“He didn’t have to,” Bridge said. “If Kenny got wind of him looking into things, whether he was close or not, he might have just killed him so he didn’t have to worry about it.”
“What difference would it make now? If Kenny was the mole, he’s gone now, why would he care what the PI found out?”
“I suspect that Bevell found something. What it was, I’m not sure. Probably stumbled into it without knowing what it was is more likely, but I found both Kenny and Stash’s name in Bevell’s planner. He didn’t just come up with those names out of a hat. He found them somewhere.”
“You found their names in his planner?”
“I did. Now, that means they’re linked together somehow. I’m not sure how or why, but they’re involved.”
“That certainly puts a spin on things.”
“It does.”
“I know you’re going to keep working on this, Luke, and I’m good with that. I’m actually kind of glad that you are. But I would appreciate a heads-up if you find anything out.”
“Well, I guess that would depend.”
“On?”
“On whether it’s a two-way street. I don’t mind getting involved. But I like to know I’m not getting played for a sucker.”
“I give you my word that if we find anything out on this, you’ll know about it.”
The two men shook hands.
“Good enough for me,” Bridge said.
“Besides, since we don’t operate domestically, we need someone on the ground here who can work on our behalf.”
Bridge grinned. “Yeah. It would be helpful, though, if you could give me everything you have on Kenny, Abbott, and Stash. Tough to operate when you don’t have all the facts.”
Pinnacle One hesitated for a second, not sure about opening up their files, but he eventually relented. He knew to have a man like Bridge on the job, helping them, he needed all the information. “You’ll get them.
