Stone Cold

Stone noted Reuben’s truck in the yard and a light on in the trailer.

“They’re waiting for us,” he said.

Reuben met them at the door and then stared over at the pickup truck, Paddy at the wheel.

“Who’s that?”

“A friend,” Annabelle answered quickly.

“I thought he might be able to stay here, at least for tonight,” Stone said.

“What the hell’s one more? He can have the presidential suite. It’s right next to the bathroom.”

“Where’s Milton?” Stone asked.

“Crashed. Apparently winning a shitload of money at a casino and then nearly getting whacked is really exhausting.”

“We’re going to return Caleb’s car now,” Stone said. “And then tomorrow I want to meet at my cottage, put all our facts together and see where we go from there. And I’m going to call in Alex to help us.” He shot a glance at Annabelle. “With a new angle.”

Reuben looked from one to the other. “Okay,” he said slowly.

“Thanks, Reuben.”

An hour later Stone and Annabelle pulled into the parking lot of Caleb’s condo building in D.C. and rode the elevator to the man’s apartment. Stone knocked and they heard footsteps approaching the door. It opened. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Caleb standing there.

CHAPTER 48

“THIS REALLY IS INTOLERABLE, CARTER,” Senator Roger Simpson said.

The two men were in the CIA bunker, seated in leather armchairs and nursing glasses of cabernet.

Simpson continued, “For something like this to raise its ugly head now. When in a few years I’ll be sitting in the White House if things go according to plan.”

“Roger, if this comes out, you won’t be in the running. You might actually be in prison.”

Simpson flushed at Gray’s stinger but only stared moodily into his wineglass before saying, “Ray Solomon. Who would’ve thought that would come back to haunt us?”

“It was always a possibility. It was a calculated risk. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I’m sure you did what you thought was right at the time.”

“You sound like you weren’t involved at all. You were up to your neck in it, same as me.”

Gray snapped, “I didn’t order Ray’s death. He was my friend. You are the reason he’s dead.”

“The man committed suicide, in Brazil.”

“No, you sent John Carr and his team to kill the man because you were afraid if he found out the truth, he’d expose you.”

Simpson stared at Gray over the lip of his glass. “Expose us, Carter. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Ray Solomon was a good man, and a top agent. And now he’s called a traitor. His memory has been besmirched.”

“Sacrifices are necessary all the time, for the greater good.”

“Funny, why do I think you’d never be willing to sacrifice your life for the greater good?”

“Fate has a way of preserving those who can truly make a difference, Carter. The great men always persevere.”

“Well, you should call upon the fates now, because someone clearly wants you dead.”

“And you too. Don’t forget that.”

“The fact that the killer thinks I’m already dead gives me a certain latitude with which to operate. Yet in one sense you can’t blame the person. Indeed, what you did was inexcusable.”

Simpson flushed angrily. “I did what I did for the right reasons. And it was a long time ago. The world was very different. I was very different.”

“None of us are that different. And it wasn’t really that long ago. In fact, it’s not past, it’s now the present. It’s a lesson in never burning bridges or doing stupid things.”

Simpson said nervously, “Donna will go ballistic if any of this comes out.”

“And can you blame your wife? Your action could be seen as abominable.”

“My action! You had people killed, Carter. Killed.”

“We were running the Triple Six Division, Roger, not a preschool for wannabe spies. Every target we were given was duly authorized, often right from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was our duty to execute on those orders, because the other side was playing the game for all it was worth. Anything less on our part would have been akin to treason.”

“Not every killing was authorized, Carter, you know that.”

Gray stared pointedly at the senator. “Sometimes it’s better that the politicians don’t know everything. But Ray Solomon should not have been one of those times, Roger. You shouldn’t have done it.”

“Easy to say in hindsight. And it was the only time I did such a thing.”

“Really? What about John Carr?”

“He was the worst of the lot. Tried to resign from Triple Six. I mean, come on.”

“As usual your judgment is simply stellar. Carr was actually the best of them all.”

“That’s your opinion.”

“And that’s why you ordered his death? Because he wanted to stop being an assassin?”

Simpson stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Kill one of our own men? Preposterous.”

“You’re a very bad liar, Roger. If you really want to make a run for the White House you’re going to have to improve your poker face.”

“I did not have the man killed.”

“About four years ago I had a long chat with Judd Bingham. He told me. It was he, Cole and Cincetti that did it. Carr’s own team went after him on your orders.”

“That is an outrageous comment. I didn’t have the authority to order that.”

“Authority? Back then? We ran a group of killers. Most of them, except for Carr, enjoyed their work immensely. Bingham said he and the other two were glad to do it for you. They were very upset that Carr wanted to quit the club. They took it as a personal affront.”

“Well, since Bingham and the other two are dead there’s really no proof of that, is there?”

“And Carr too. He’s currently residing at Arlington National Cemetery.”

Simpson took a sip of his wine. “I know that.”

“At least that’s what the official record says.”

Simpson glanced at him sharply. “What are you talking about?”

“Carr isn’t dead.”

Simpson sputtered, “But Bingham said-” He caught himself a second too late.

“Thank you for confirming what I already knew to be true. Bingham was always a liar. He didn’t want to admit that Carr got away that night. And Carr managed to kill three of our operatives in the process. Bingham, Cole and Cincetti barely got out alive, though apparently Carr didn’t know it was them. Carr was in a class by himself when it came to killing. It was a costly mission, Roger. And one that you should have been taken to task for. You’re lucky that Bingham and the other two kept their mouths shut all these years. But they would’ve been in just as much trouble as you if the truth had come out.”

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gray waited until Simpson had swallowed a mouthful of wine before saying, “Jackie was Carr’s daughter; did I ever tell you that? You adopted his daughter.”

Simpson slowly set down his glass. Gray noted that the man’s hand was trembling.

“No, you failed to mention that,” Simpson said in a strained voice. “You said she’d been orphaned but you