Blunt’s eyes widened. “Hirschbeck died a couple of years ago.”
“I know—something I don’t think is a mere coincidence.”
“Why’s that?”
“Lee started digging into Hirschbeck before he died. He got a tip from someone—presumably a political rival who wanted someone else to do their dirty work—about the senator’s involvement in a secret government task force.”
Blunt shrugged. “It’s hard not to get involved in one of those when you’re on the senate’s intelligence committee. Most of them are rather benign, but the senators keep them hush-hush because they don’t want their opponents in upcoming elections to have campaign ammunition.”
“The committee Hirschbeck was involved with proved to be costly for him, but not in the political sense. And based on what went down, I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t some benign committee. What he was doing led to serious consequences.”
“And what exactly was he doing?” Blunt asked.
“I’m surprised you didn’t know.”
Blunt sighed. “Look, I’ll be honest with you since I can tell you’re a straight shooter. Hirschbeck and I didn’t really get along. I was operating a secret government program myself—and Hirschbeck wouldn’t stop hounding me about it. I grew tired of his relentless questioning about what I was up to. Of course, I couldn’t tell him because he didn’t have the level of clearance I did. In fact, hardly anyone did. Ironically enough, we weren’t doing anything that other branches of our intelligence community weren’t doing, but we had a license to operate beyond normal boundaries. Hirschbeck had been a thorn in my side, so I can’t say that I shed a tear for him when he died. However, I was surprised to hear about his death. He was a decent fellow and a good politician who looked out for his constituents. But the entity that ordered his death remains a mystery to me, a mystery I’m not anxious to solve at the moment.”
Rebecca shook her head. “That’s the difference between a politician and a reporter. I won’t rest until I find out what happened and get the full story.”
“So, why do you need my help?”
“I thought you might be the kind of ally I need in this town to find out the truth about what Hirschbeck was into.”
“I don’t think Hirschbeck was that kind of guy. He was more hound dog than Doberman Pinscher.”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Mr. Blunt. Hirschbeck found out something, and that’s what got him killed. He was being a hound dog and stuck his nose where he shouldn’t have. I’m just trying to find out what he knew.”
“And how can I help you do that?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said with a smile. “Now, before Lee died, he told me that he interviewed Hirschbeck, who was interested in bringing to light some nefarious agency working in the shadows of the U.S. government. Lee didn’t tell me any more than that, but he did tell me that he stashed tapes of his interviews with Hirschbeck in a locker at Union Station. I’ve tried to get access to them, but I couldn’t find the key in any of Lee’s belongings. I went through his apartment, but it had already been ransacked. And since I’m not listed as his next of kin or on his will, the manager at the station refuses to grant me access. I’ve even tried with a few cop friends of mine, but they didn’t want to touch it. For all I know, this could be a giant dead end. Someone may have already found the key, opened the locker, and removed all the tapes. But if they haven’t, there’s a treasure trove in there that I want to get my hands on. Finishing this story is the only way I can truly honor Lee’s death.”
“Give me the information, and I’ll see what I can do,” Blunt said, sliding a pad and pen across his desk to Rebecca.
She nodded and scribbled down the info. “For what it’s worth, Lee liked you. He had nice things to say about you, which was unusual. To be honest, he didn’t really care for most of the people he dealt with, viewing them cynically. But he was a good man who cared about exposing the darkness in our own government.”
“Well, there’s plenty of that to be unearthed.”
She stood. “Thank you for your help. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Blunt stood and ushered her toward the door. “I’ll see what I can do and get back with you as soon as I have something. It might take me some time, so please be patient.”
“Thank you,” she said, nodding at him before exiting the office.
Blunt closed the door behind her and leaned against it. He swallowed hard.
I need a drink.
CHAPTER 6
New York City
THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON, Hawk and Alex caught a train to New York to see what else they could learn about Thaxton Thurman’s acquaintances and habits. Alex insisted that the more information they gathered about him, the clearer the picture would be regarding who was responsible. If Dmitry Krasnoff was just a trigger man, Alex wanted to know who was calling the shots.
Hawk held the door open for Alex as they both strode into Mixtura, the Russian dance club that Ivana Volkov allegedly dragged Thaxton to on a regular basis. It was barely 5:00 p.m., but the music was already thumping with fast beats and techno sounds. Hawk glanced at two women in the corner vaping and laughing. They both stopped and stared as soon as they made eye contact with him.
“Places like this give me the creeps,” Hawk said in Alex’s ear.
“That makes two of us,” she said. “Let me see that picture of Ivana again.”
Hawk slipped her his phone with Ivana’s face plastered across the screen. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, dark hair cropped
