“And how the hell do you know this?”
“Because I was the one hired to get rid of your body.”
CHAPTER 28
WASHINGTON, DC
“Department of the Interior, San Francisco office. How may I direct your call?” The female voice was efficiently disinterested.
“Helen Cho, please,” Peter said.
“I’m sorry. Everyone has left for the evening. This is the after-hours service.”
“Put her on the line.”
“Sir, perhaps you should just try calling back-”
“Eight, twenty-seven, nineteen, D.”
A pause, then the woman said, “One moment. I’ll connect you.”
Neither she nor anyone else at that phone number actually worked for the Department of the Interior or any after-hours service. While Congress had approved the budget of the organization they did work for, the group was hidden under so many layers, only a dozen or so people knew of its existence. DES was, in effect, the successor to the Office. Officially, their name was an acronym for Division of Environmental Solutions. Privately, those within the organization referred to themselves as the Division of Essential Solutions.
Helen Cho was the person in charge. She had once worked for Peter before moving on to bigger things within the National Security Council, then the CIA. A rising star with a bulldog attitude, she’d been a natural to take over the new, ultra-secret division.
“May I help you?” Another woman’s voice, but still not the one he wanted.
“Helen Cho, please.”
“Who’s calling?”
“An old friend.”
“Even old friends have names.”
“Tell her it’s Peter.”
The woman said nothing, waiting for more.
“She’ll know who it is.”
Another moment of dead air, then, “One moment, sir.”
The moment turned out to be almost a minute. Finally, the call was put through.
“I was just about to start my second glass of wine,” Helen Cho said. As always, her voice was relaxed and had the hint of a smoker’s scratch. As far as Peter knew, though, Helen had never smoked.
“Sorry to call out of the blue, but I need your help with something…sensitive.”
“Didn’t I hear they had you riding a desk? I didn’t realize you were actually back in the game.”
“Temporarily.”
“Interesting. Hold on a moment.”
The line went dead again, this time lasting only half a minute as she undoubtedly relocated to someplace easier to talk.
“Okay. So what’s going on?”
“I’ve been roped into doing a little mop-up work. For what, exactly, isn’t important.”
“Who are the players?”
“William Green and Christopher Mygatt.”
“ Senator Mygatt? Last I checked, he was no longer part of the government.”
“True. Maybe not today, but who knows about tomorrow?”
“Green’s always been his lackey,” she said, not hiding her distaste. “Why don’t you tell me what you want? I’m not sure how I could help you, or even if I should.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
“I guess so. What’s going on?”
“This mop-up-there’s an aspect to it that I’m responsible for.”
“So that’s why you’ve been pulled in.”
“Yes,” he said. “The thing is, as I’ve been diving into this, I’ve been forced to take a look at the larger picture. What I’ve started to uncover is making me feel a little uncomfortable.”
“Looking into things you shouldn’t? Peter, I’m surprised,” she said, not sounding it.
“I can only get so far. There are pieces I can’t reach, not without bulldozing a path that will lead straight back to me, and keep me from doing anything that I might need to do.”
“Like what?”
“All options are open.”
She fell silent for several seconds, then said, “Could this damage the good senator?”
“That depends on what you tell me.”
Again, the line went quiet. “All right,” she finally said. “Lay it out for me. If I can’t do anything, this discussion is pointless.”
“Two things. First I need the details of a specific flight that occurred in April of 2006.”
“I assume this isn’t a commercial flight.”
“No. Governmental. As best I can figure out, it was arranged by DIA.” The Defense Intelligence Agency. “I need to know the purpose of the flight and who was on it and why.”
“Okay. What’s the second thing?”
“The DIA may have arranged the flight, but I’m positive they weren’t behind it.”
“And you want me to find out who?”
“Yes.”
“And how does this tie into our friends?”
“You’ll be the one to tell me that.”
He could hear her sigh, and then she said, “I might be able to dig something up, but I can’t promise anything.”
“I have every confidence in your abilities. And Helen, I need it right away.”
“Of course you do. Give me the details.”
CHAPTER 29
LAZIO REGION, ITALY SOUTHEAST OF ROME
The throbbing pain in Quinn’s neck was constant, but bearable. The biggest problem it gave him was that anytime he had to look left or right, he had to twist his entire torso, keeping the position of his head and neck steady.
“The number three guard is on the move,” Orlando whispered over the comm.
After reconnecting with Daeng, they’d decided to spread out to keep a better watch over things. Quinn had remained in the vineyard, directly behind the building containing the holding cells, while Nate had moved to a spot nearer the main house, and Orlando had worked her way around until she was back on the hill in a position almost opposite Quinn’s.
“Looks like he’s going in,” she said.
About time, Quinn thought. Now there would be only two guards patrolling the outside, more than enough for most nights at two in the morning.
“Let’s give it ten minutes,” Nate said.
“Copy,” Orlando and Quinn said.
Once the ten minutes passed and no reinforcements had appeared, they reconvened at Quinn’s position.
