She turned away from the men in front of her and stepped away, walking back toward her car. After a quick look over her shoulder, she hit the green button and put the device to her ear.
“What have you got for me?”
“Good morning to you, ma’am,” the voice on the other end said. There was the slightest hint of an Irish accent.
“Sorry if I’m not in the mood for pleasantries, O’Rourke. Please tell me you’ve got something.”
Collin O’Rourke was one of her top anti-terrorist agents. Usually, he worked in the field in undercover roles. The grandson of Irish immigrants, he’d changed his last name from O’Connor to protect his family, taking on his mother’s maiden name instead. Collin had a knack for digging up information on people, things that others would miss.
“Oh I do. There’s a link between all three of the victims.”
“You mean other than the fact that they were all members of Congress?”
“Yes, other than that. Come on, Director. You don’t actually think I’d waste your time with obvious information like that, do you?”
“One never knows with you, Agent O’Rourke.”
“That hurts, ma’am. It really does. No, I’m not calling about that. Turns out your three corpses all had a similar voting pattern.”
Emily raised an eyebrow.
“Go on.”
“It was tricky to detect at first because their votes, historically, have been all over the place. I wasn’t positive until I looked at Ambrose’s votes, but his eliminated any doubt in my mind.”
“What’s the connection, Agent?” she asked, trying to hurry him along.
“These politicians each had different agendas, but they did find agreement on one issue. They all voted the same way when it came to major fossil fuel bills, especially the ones concerning the big oil companies.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. “So…they voted against the big oil companies, and you think that’s who is behind this?”
“No. They voted in favor of the bills. Those new laws ended up bringing a windfall of money to the oil companies.”
Emily’s forehead wrinkled as her tired frown deepened. “So, why would they go after their own puppets?”
“Precisely. I’m not entirely sure it was a hit from the fossil fuel guys.”
“They certainly have the resources to bring in a top-notch assassin like the one who did all this.”
“Right, but it doesn’t feel like they’re the ones who did it. I think we’re looking for someone else.”
She hesitated to say the words for fear Smalley and the others would hear. “Are we talking about a serial killer?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Could be some extremist tree-hugger who wants to save the world. Or they might want to make an example to put all the others in line.”
“I never heard of a hippie going to such lengths to save the environment.”
“Stranger things, ma’am. Stranger things.”
He was right, of course. In her line of work, Emily had most certainly seen more bizarre things than what O’Rourke was suggesting. Unfortunately, that still left too many questions unanswered.
The agent seemed to read her mind. “The real problem you need to solve is; who will they hit next?”
Emily stood still for a moment. She realized she’d been biting the fingernail on her index finger and quickly dropped the hand to her side.
“We have to warn anyone who has been involved with the big oil companies.”
“Yeah, probably, but how?”
She let out an exasperated breath. “I have no idea. The president isn’t going to shut things down again. And even if he wanted to, there’s too much happening in the political arena for everyone to take more days off. The next scheduled break for Congress isn’t for another month.”
“Lucky for you, I’m on your side.”
“Oh?”
“While I was running the analysis of the votes and voters, I went ahead and put together a comprehensive list of everyone who’s voted in favor of the oil companies the last four years. It’s as current as I could make it, but it’s a good starting point. If you wanted, you could reach out to every single one of those people and warn them. That way, you’d keep it out of the media and not cause a citywide panic in the capital.”
“Do I ever tell you how much I appreciate having you at Axis?”
O’Rourke chuckled. “Not necessary, ma’am.”
“Well, I do. Send me that list as soon as you can.”
“I just did. Should be in your inbox within a minute.”
“Thanks, O’Rourke. Good job.”
“More than welcome, ma’am.”
Emily ended the call and tapped on the mailbox icon on her phone’s screen. It took less than ten seconds for the new message to appear. She scrolled through the list of names, recognizing several prominent political figures in the document.
“So many in the oil companies’ pockets,” she whispered to herself.
She was glad Axis headquarters was in Atlanta. At least there she was somewhat separated from the constant games going on in Washington—well, other than the fact that her boyfriend was the president. Now and then, that fact put her front and center with some of the things she longed to avoid. Just one more reason for her to be thankful his term would be ending in a couple of years.
“Director?” Smalley said, interrupting her thoughts.
She spun around and saw him and the others still huddled close to the scene, waiting for answers.
“I know that our responsibility is to find this killer,” she said. “But we also have to find a way to protect the representatives until we can find whoever is behind this.”
“We’d need to know who they’re going to hit next. How we gonna do that?”
“I have a list,” she said. “So far, everyone who has been murdered was a person who voted sympathetically for the oil companies. The three victims we have so far all voted the same way on bills that specifically benefitted Big Oil.”
“Okay,” Smalley took the bait. “Why would they go after the very people who were helping them?” He asked the same question she’d wondered just minutes before.
“We aren’t sure that’s who is behind all this. For now, we have to make certain that everyone on this list is protected. Each of you will take a section of names from the list and personally see to it that everyone is safe.” Then a thought popped into her head. “While you’re at it, see what you can find out from every person you see. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and someone will have some answers.”
Chapter 12
Tulum
“What’s your status?”
The woman’s voice sounded stressed, full of concern.
“And a cheerful good morning to you, too, Congresswoman Pike.” Sean displayed the cheesiest grin he could muster just to annoy Tommy, who stood a few feet away in their hotel room.
After leaving the unconscious man in the cave by the beach, the two Americans had rushed back to their hotel, collected their things, and checked into another place in town. The move was pretty standard in a situation like the encounter with Sandoval. Odds were he had someone stationed at the hotel in case something happened.
When they left to find a new location, however, no one followed them—at least not that they could tell.
“Lilian,” she corrected Sean for the formal use of her last name.
“Yes, Lilian. My mistake.”
“Do you have an update for me, or are you just calling to say hello?”
He wasn’t accustomed to dealing with someone like her: bossy, commanding, and straight to the point. Emily was like that in a way, but they’d been friends long enough that Sean didn’t even notice anymore. He was also unaccustomed to being forced to report on the details of a mission. It had been years since Sean had to do anything remotely close to that.
“I do have an update, ma’am,” he said. “We were able to find a set of strange markings along the coast underneath some ruins.
Our research team back in Atlanta has been analyzing the information. We’re confident we will be heading to the next location soon.”
“Next location?”
“Yes. We knew it wouldn’t be as simple as showing up to a Mexican tourist information center, knocking on the door, and asking for directions to the lost temple. Someone wanted to make sure this thing was never found again. The guy who left the diary had actually been there, and he still couldn’t find his way back. All this is to say this could take some time.”
“But you do have a lead?” Pike asked.
“Yes, we’ve got something. Should know more in an hour or so. I’ll keep you updated as things progress.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that as of this moment, you have nothing.” She didn’t try to hide the irritation in her voice.
Tommy snickered in the corner.
“No, that’s…no, we do have something. I just thought you’d like to know—”
“Sean, I am a very busy woman. While I appreciate your effort to keep me informed on the goings on with your mission, perhaps in the future you could only call when you have something important to share. Okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sean said with a hint of dejection in his voice.
“Good. Have a good day.”
Before he could return the well-wishes, she ended the call, leaving him holding the phone to his ear. “Okay…you have a great day as well,” he said, even though he knew she was gone.
Tommy shook his head. “I tried to tell you not to call her yet.”
“She said she wanted updates. I gave her an update.”
“Deep down, you’re still a secret agent—always reporting to the higher-ups to make sure they know every little detail about what is going on.”
“You don’t know these political types like I do. They want to micromanage everything.”
“Which is why you don’t call them. And if they call you, don’t answer unless you’ve got something really important to share.”
Sean set his phone down on the desk and plopped onto the edge of the bed. “That’s information I could have used ten minutes ago,” he said.
Tommy took on an offended expression. “I tried to tell you not to call her. In fact, calls like that one are the reason I almost never take on a private job. I learned a long time ago that when someone makes a request for IAA to come in and try to recover or find something, that they understand we run our own ship. I don’t tolerate that sort of thing.”
Sean smirked, and his eyebrows pinched together. “I don’t usually see this side of you, Schultzie.”
Tommy looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, usually you’re just happy to help out or tag along or whatever. I’m not used to seeing you so adamant about something, so commanding.”
Tommy cocked his head to the side for a second as he shrugged. “It took only one time to unfold like that for me to know I was never going to let it happen again. Hence, why you made the call instead of me.”
“And you let me.”
“Best way for you to learn.”
Sean’s shoulders shrugged as he laughed. “Thank you so much, sensei.”
Tommy’s phone started dancing on the desk, interrupting their conversation. He glanced at the screen then tapped the green button.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?” He mouthed, “It’s the kids,” so Sean would know who was on the line.
Tommy turned toward the balcony door and shuffled over to it as he switched the device to his other ear.
“Well,” Alex said on the other end, “we have a match on the new markings you two found—although it’s kind of sketchy.”
“Sketchy? What do you mean? Was the translation not clear?”
“No, it was clear. In fact, this one wasn’t too difficult to decipher. The problem isn’t the translation. It’s the location where it says to go.”
Tommy frowned as he stared out through the glass at the quiet little town. It was still early, and most of the citizens hadn’t awoken yet. The tourists definitely hadn’t, probably still sleeping off the tequila and beer they’d consumed the day and night before.
“What’s wrong with the location?” Tommy asked.
Sean’s ears perked up as he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decode the conversation.
“It’s in a bad area.”
“Bad area? You mean like in a dangerous part of town?”
“No,” Alex said. “I mean like a dangerous part of the jungle.”
“Jungle? No big deal. We’ve been in dangerous jungles before.”
Sean’s renowned fear of heights was only one of his weaknesses. He also had a healthy fear of spiders and snakes as well, both of which Tommy shared. That hadn’t stopped the two of them from venturing into some of the most untamed wilderness on the planet in search of historical relics.
“This isn’t normal jungle I’m talking about, Tommy. Along with all the wildlife you’ll have to avoid, there are other problems.”
“Okay?” Tommy was anxiously waiting for Alex to get to the point, a point the younger man was clearly trying to avoid.
“That part of the jungle is swarming with cartel. It’s one of the biggest havens for cocaine manufacturing, along with marijuana. That sector is the epicenter of the Mexican drug trade.”
“I see.” Tommy sounded despondent, which caused Sean to put out both hands with palms up, begging to know what was going on.
“I guess we’ll have to be on our toes, then,” Tommy said.
“That’s not all,” Alex cut back in. “There are also guerrillas in the area.”
“Like big monkeys or like the kind who are trying to overthrow the government?”
“The latter, although there might be some monkeys, too. I wasn’t really looking into that part.”
“Guerrillas in Mexico?” Tommy turned around and looked at his friend.
Sean heard his friend ask the question, sat up straight, and gave a nod. He’d heard of the small roving bands that occupied small areas of the rain forest in Mexico. They weren’t as prominent as in some of the other Central American countries, but they were equally dangerous if outsiders crossed their path.
“So…I don’t suppose you can give us their exact coordinates so we can avoid their camps?” Tommy asked.
“Unfortunately, no.”
Tommy was afraid Alex would say that.
“Their camps are well camouflaged to avoid satellite detection, as well as any aircraft that may fly over,” Alex explained. “Not that it matters. A good chunk of the police force down there are on the take anyway.”
Tommy knew Alex was right. Corruption had reached new heights in Mexico through the last few decades. The cartels wielded a power that even some of the highest-ranking politicians in the land feared. It made sense that the guerrillas were hiding out nearby. If the government wouldn’t touch the cartels, they could blend in and operate in the shadows next door.
“Sounds like we’re going to need to take some weapons.”
“And then some,” Alex said.
Tommy realized the conversation had diverted away from its original purpose. “Now that you’ve warned us, what is this place we’re looking for?
“Oh right. I almost forgot. Sorry about that. The cipher said you’re to go to a place called Cascada del Diablo. It says the devil’s mouth speaks lies and truth.”
“Devil’s waterfall? Lies and truth?”
“Yep. No offense, but this whole mission sounds dangerous, even for you two.”
Tommy thought hard for a minute. He didn’t recall a place called Devil’s Falls, but that didn’t mean anything. There were probably a thousand places in the Western Hemisphere he’d never heard of. That was part of the job.
“How do we get there?”
“I’m sending you a map now,” Alex said. “It’s due southwest of where you are in Tulum. You’ll be able to take an SUV to the edge of the jungle, but you’ll have to hike several miles in to reach the
falls.”
“How many is several?”
“As far as I can tell, the closest road is about fifteen miles out.”
“Fifteen miles? We’re going to hike fifteen miles through the jungle?”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Yep,” Alex said. “So, I suggest taking some supplies, you know…for camping, backpacking, stuff like that.”
“Thanks. I get it. Just so we’re clear here, there isn’t a closer way to get to the falls? How do all those drug smugglers get their supplies out of the jungle?”
“I don’t know. I guess they take unmarked roads or paths. Maybe they use donkeys or something. Look, even if you could find one of their roads, you don’t want to go that way. It would take you straight into the lion’s den.”
Tommy fell silent for a moment as he considered the problem. They could get supplies. That wasn’t the issue. He and Sean had faced considerable obstacles in the past. This one, however, carried an elevated level of danger.
“Okay,” he said. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Not that I can think of. Just be careful. Who knows, you may get lucky and have a straight path to the falls.”
Tommy knew better than to expect that. Things were never so easy.
“Okay, Alex. Thank you. And tell Tara thank you as well. We’ll see what we can do.”
“No problem. Just be careful. I really don’t want to have to get a new job…you know, if you die.”
Tommy chuckled at Alex’s attempt at humor. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch soon.”
He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket.
“What was that all about?” Sean asked. “I mean, I heard most of what you said.”
“We’re going to a place called Devil’s Falls,” Tommy said, shortening the literal English translation.
“Sounds exciting.”
“Alex said there are guerrilla fighters in the area.”
“I heard you say that.”
“And the cartel occupies the forest there, too. He said there are cocaine and marijuana manufacturing camps all over the place.”
Now things started to make sense in Sean’s mind. “Oh I see.” He thought for a second. “You said we have to hike fifteen miles into this place?”
The Fourth Prophecy Page 10
