“Suit yourself.” The man picked up the phone and started to dial.
“Who are you calling?” Jeff asked.
“The Richmond police. I told you I had to know who gave you this information, but you don’t want to tell me. That leaves me no choice but to err on the side of caution.”
“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll tell you,” Jeff blurted out. He had no idea how he managed to get so screwed by just asking for a short meeting, but here he was, being bullied by some security ape and about to be shipped off to some unknown hellhole, or worse, a grave, if he went with the police. Starks would be sure to hear of it if that were to happen.
“So?” the man stated, his fingers poised to continue dialing if he wasn’t satisfied.
“You have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone but Mr. Howard. I don’t want to get killed. I’m told this is the kind of information that people—very powerful people—will kill for to keep quiet. Promise me you won’t share this information,” Jeff practically begged.
“I’ll do my best to keep it secret,” the man stated, then turned to guards standing behind Jeff. “You two, leave us alone for a minute.”
The man set the phone down, and the guard holding Jeff’s box of documents set it on the table. Then he and his partner walked out, closing the door behind them.
“Okay, they’re gone. Now, who told you to tell Mr. Howard?”
“It was Jason Combs,” Jeff stated.
“Jason Combs? Wasn’t he the guy who was the chief of staff to President Starks? Wasn’t he the guy who died in a car crash recently?”
“He claims it wasn’t an accident.”
“Oh, he told you that? Are you a clairvoyant? The guy is dead. How could he possibly tell you anything?”
“He wrote me letter. We used to be good friends when we were in college. He knew I worked for the Post and every now and then, he’d send stories my way.”
“Okay, say I buy that Jason Combs told you this information. When did he tell you?”
“I got the letter today. It was delivered by Fed-Ex with no return address.”
“It came today. Doesn’t that make you wonder how it could have been sent to you today, when the guy died last week?”
“There are mail stores that will ship or send mail based on instructions given in advance, provided you pay the fee. I assume he used one of these stores to send it.”
“Do you have the letter with you?” the man asked.
“Yes, it’s in the box.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure, just open the box, and it’s right on top. But don’t open the envelope underneath it.”
“Why?”
“’Cause the proof is inside that envelope, and I want it to be pristine when Mr. Howard gets it, so he understands that I don’t want to know what it is, exactly. It’s too dangerous.”
“If you’re that afraid that someone will kill you if they find out you know what’s in here, why bother to bring it here? Why not just throw it in the Potomac?”
“Jason made it clear to deliver it to Mr. Howard or General Clarett,” Jeff reiterated.
The man opened the box and looked at the envelope as he pulled out the letter. It was quite substantial in thickness. To be sure it wasn’t a bomb, he rubbed his hand over the envelope to feel if there were any wires or odd shaped materials underneath. It felt smooth, like a packet of papers, which was exactly what it looked like—a ream of paper.
The man took his time, reading the letter twice, before he picked up the phone and dialed three numbers. When someone answered the phone at the other end, he simply stated, “I’m bringing the guy up now.”
After riding the elevator to the twenty-fifth floor, Jeff was escorted by the man into the office of Steven Howard. The office was spectacular. The whole west wall was glass, and you could see the mountains to the west. The south wall was filled with a huge fireplace made of river rock and what appeared to fake black stone, but it was probably some stone Jeff had never seen. In front of the fireplace, there was a sofa and two wooden rocking chairs. Mr. Howard’s desk was on the north side of the room. His desk was gigantic with two computer keyboards and a bank of monitors on the wall behind it. Jeff then turned to look behind him and saw the wall was covered with huge pictures of Hawaiian volcanoes. The pictures were breathtaking in their clarity and beauty. It was then he noticed a large conference table covered with papers and what appeared to be two personal computers with Kilauea Corporate logos on them. Jeff knew Kilauea had been strictly a software giant, and if these really were personal computers being made by Kilauea, it was a huge story in itself. He made a mental note of it.
Steven Howard entered the room through a door that, before he had walked through it, was unnoticed by Jeff. Once it was closed, it was very hard to pick out again. Mr. Howard walked straight across the room to Jeff and stuck his hand out to shake hands.
“Good afternoon. I trust it wasn’t too uncomfortable talking to Mr. Smith first, was it?” Steven asked.
“Uh… no, I kind of expected it after what I went through to get a meeting with you,” Jeff answered politely.
“Please take a seat. What shall I call you?” Steven asked, even though he knew the younger man’s name and occupation.
“Jeff is fine by me, Mr. Howard.” Jeff didn’t bother to ask if he could call him Steven. He thought it would be better not to try and be too familiar.
“Okay, Jeff, let’s hear it,” Steven curtly demanded.
“As I told Mr. Smith…” Jeff started out and told Steven everything that he knew up until that point. When he had finished explaining what had brought him here today, Jeff asked, “Do you think it might be possible to give me the exclusive if this should grow into anything?”
Steven looked at the young man and smiled. “If this is anything like what you’ve just shared, it is extremely dangerous, and it seems only fair to allow you the exclusive if it does pan out into something. But before we get there, can I read the letter myself?”
“Yes, sir.” Jeff looked toward Mr. Smith, who handed Steven the letter. Jeff hadn’t touched the box since it was taken from him in security.
After reading the letter, Steven looked to Jeff and asked, “Do you want to be here for the unveiling of the information?”
“I guess so,” Jeff sheepishly stated.
“Okay then. Where is the envelope?” Steven asked. Mr. Smith once more produced the item from Jeff’s box. It was a large package about three inches thick and about the size of a ream of paper. “So, why the box? Why not a briefcase?” Steven asked.
“I wanted to downplay the package was anything of importance,” Jeff shared, thinking he had acted like an idiot in using the box.
Steven nodded and peeled open the end of the envelope. At first, he pulled out just the first few pages, reading them over as he did so. Then he grabbed the rest of the stack and yanked them out, setting them on the coffee table as he sat down in one of the rockers. He then motioned Jeff to sit next to him, and he began skimming over the pages, then handing them to Jeff. This went on for more than ten minutes before Steven stopped and looked at Jeff.
“You know, Jeff, your friend was right about how dangerous this information is. I’ve got spreadsheets, travel vouchers, tape transcripts and the tapes. It’ll take some time for someone to go over this information in detail, which isn’t what my time is best spent doing. So, I’ll make you a little proposition. I’ll let you sit in on the detailed review of these documents, provided you do not print anything about it until I give you the go ahead. Your friend died because of what’s here, and you’ll be disposed of far quicker than he was. He was right. It’s too dangerous for you to print any of this until I break the story. Once that happens, I’ll be glad to give all the credit to you and keep you in the loop on it, so you can score big for your career. If you go ahead and print before I break the story, I’ll simply leave you out there to face whatever comes your way. Is that understood?” Steven asked.
; “Yes, I understand. Do I need to come back here every day to work on them?” Jeff asked.
“No, I’ll need you to go to Bryson City, North Carolina. I have a factory down there that also houses my research group. You’ll need to go there. Do you have any time you can take off from work?”
“I have a couple of weeks of vacation I might be able to take. Right now, I’m just writing copy for other reporters, mostly. I don’t see why my boss wouldn’t okay it,” Jeff replied.
“That’s good, but this is likely to take a month or more. I’ll tell you what. Kilauea is about to begin distribution of a new personal computer line, and I need some publicity. I’ll give you that exclusive, as well. You can tell your boss that I want you to go to North Carolina to do your background work and see how and where they will be made. I’ll have my secretary write up an invitation—an exclusive invitation, just you and you alone. Okay?” Steven offered.
“That would be great.” Jeff gushed.
“Okay, Mr. Smith will take you back out, and he’ll stop by the secretary to get the note written, along with a map to Bryson City. Be there next Monday at eight a.m. sharp. That’ll give you a couple of days to get there and settled into one of the motels there. Just tell them you’re a guest of Kilauea, and they’ll take good care of you.”
Jeff stood and was led out of the room by Mr. Smith. Once they had gone, Steven began looking over more and more of the information. It was the smoking gun and the kitchen sink, to boot. With this information, they’d be able to bury Starks in a very deep, dark hole for the rest of his natural life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Once inside the airport, Tom, Ron and Alex stood in line separately to purchase their tickets. They did it to practice their trade craft, not because they felt there was any danger of someone looking for them. They’d each gotten in line several people apart, so it didn’t appear they were flying together. Then when they went to the departure area, they found seats separately and began the hour wait for their flight to be called.
Alex was the first to spot her—Garza’s girlfriend. She strolled in as if she didn’t have a care in the world with a skycap in tow, carrying her one piece of carry-on luggage. When she finally picked a seat over by the windows, she took her bag from the skycap, tipped him and sat down. She then looked at the overhead scheduling board, double checking that she was in the right area for the flight to Miami, Florida.
Alex looked at Tom, who was sitting opposite him two rows over and motioned for him to look at the woman over by the window. Tom frowned, thinking that Alex just wanted to point out some babe, but after a few moments, he gave in and looked at her. His face blanched.
Tom quickly stood and walked a couple of aisles over to a new vantage point to have a second look and confirm what he was seeing. He then walked over to where Ron was and sat down next to him. After a moment, he leaned over and whispered to him.
“Ron, I’ve got a sinking feeling that Garza was set up, timing-wise, to ensure that he’d be there when the bomb went off,” Tom shared.
“Oh, what gave you that idea?” Ron shot back sarcastically. He’d already figured that one out, even before the tape confirmed it.
“Garza’s girlfriend is sitting over there waiting to board the flight to Miami!” Tom stated while discretely pointing his thumb over his shoulder at her.
“Shit!” Ron blurted out as he turned to look at her. Thankfully, she was studying something in a magazine and didn’t notice the three men staring at her.
“What do you think? Should we ask her a few questions?” Tom inquired.
“That would be a good idea and an excellent chance to get some intel, but we can’t ask her here. Hell, all she’d have to do is scream, and we’d be screwed. We have to somehow get her out of here to someplace private where we can ask politely… and then ask not so politely, if need be,” Ron replied.
“How do you propose we do that?” Tom asked.
“Have Alex move to where he can cut off any escape route she might consider and then follow my lead,” Ron stated as he stood, flipped his bag over his shoulder and began slowly walking towards the woman. Tom stood and followed a few steps behind Ron as he nodded at Alex who followed them at a distance to the far end of the row of seats that Garza’s girlfriend was in.
Ron turned into the row, walked right up to her and slid into the seat next to her. Tom stayed nearer the end of the row about five seats from the end on the opposite side of the aisle, so he could look right at her. Alex took a seat at the far end by the main aisle on the opposite side, where he could see her face and she could see his. Both Tom and Alex stared at the woman menacingly.
“Good evening, Eliana!” Ron softly greeted the woman in a near whisper.
“Pardon me, do I know you?” she replied with a confused look on her face. She looked around at the other passengers, noting the two men spying her menacingly.
“We had a mutual friend!” Ron replied coyly.
“I doubt that, señor. So please leave me alone. I’ve never met you, and I doubt you would be welcome in my circle of friends! Now please leave!” she replied curtly.
“I am afraid that I can’t do that. There are a few questions that I need to ask you,” Ron firmly stated as he looked about casually, watching for any undue interest from anyone.
“Well, I don’t care to answer them! Now leave, before I call security!” Eliana demanded in a stern tone.
“If you call out, I will have to kill you,” Ron stated flatly as he shoved his hand deep into his pocket, simulating that he had gun in there.
Eliana’s eyes grew wide, and she took a quick look around, again seeing Alex and Tom seated nearby, looking menacingly at her. Then slowly she turned towards Ron. “I have a plane to catch. Perhaps you could stop in to see me in Miami, and I could answer your questions there,” she offered, all the while knowing (just as Ron knew) she wouldn’t stay in Miami long enough for Ron to find her.
“No, I don’t think that will do. We need to talk now,” Ron spoke firmly as he stood and extended his hand to her. “If you’ll come with me now, perhaps we can finish our business before your flight is called.”
Eliana sat there and looked at Ron with eyes filled with daggers, but she didn’t move. Ron finally leaned over close to her and whispered harshly, “Now!” Grabbing her arm tightly, he yanked her off the seat and to her feet. While firmly gripping her arm, he led her down the aisle to the walkway with Tom leading the way. Alex brought up the rear after scooping up her carry-on bag, noticing it was heavier than he expected.
As they turned towards the main terminal, Eliana started to protest. “I really need to tend to my luggage, and my flight is going to leave shortly!” she hissed loudly as she tried to pull her arm free.
Ron held tight and whispered harshly, “One more attempt to draw attention to us, and I will kill you!”
That finally seemed to cow her, and the group quickly made its way through the terminal and out to the van. Eliana was tied up and laid down in the rear of the van with duct tape across her mouth to avoid her speaking. They left the airport and traveled north for about an hour before Ron pulled off the main road onto a side road, which was more a dirt path than a road. They followed the road through the jungle for several miles until it played out in front of an old Mayan ruin that clearly, judging by the large amount of overgrowth, wasn’t on any Eco Tour itinerary. Ron pulled up close to the ruin and ordered Tom and Alex to bring her.
Hurrying ahead with a knapsack he grabbed from under the front seat, Ron lit torches to show the others which way to go as they followed him into the manmade cavern running under the temple. Tom, Eliana and Alex followed the torches deep into the ruins, with Elaina trying to drag her feet and wiggle away the whole time. Suddenly, they stepped into a large room with a large square rock pedestal in the center, highlighted by the sun where it shone through a hole in the roof. Tom untied her hands and pulled off the tape from her mouth, while Ron stood several feet away holding a handf
ul of rope and a knife.
“This is quite the place, huh?” Ron quipped as the others looked around at the huge space. “I found it while I was preparing for our assignment. The tourist bureau doesn’t have it on their tour list because it’s too unstable, but it’ll work very well for our purposes.” Ron pointed the knife towards a pile of bones in the far corner. “It’s a very secluded place.”
Eliana began speaking with a strong indignant tone in her voice as she pulled away from Tom and Alex, striding right up to Ron. “How dare you drag me into the jungle! You couldn’t just ask your damn questions at the airport? I have friends in very high places, and I will see you shot for kidnapping me!” she shouted and started to raise her hand, but Ron slapped her before she could deliver her blow to him, and she fell backwards into the dirt.
“Put her on the rock, on her back! Make sure the sun is in her face!” Ron yelled out and Tom and Alex jumped to it, as surprised as Eliana was at Ron’s action. “Tie her down with these ropes!” he stated as he tossed the ropes to Tom. The rope was a coarse straw type that would bite into Eliana’s skin and quickly become very uncomfortable.
Once she was secured, Ron sat down next to her and smiled, while he stroked the knife over a sharpening stone. He remained seated, looking at her for several minutes before he spoke. To her credit, Eliana had remained silent the entire time while she tried unsuccessfully to turn her head enough to move her face out of the sun.
“Now, I’m going to ask you some simple questions. If you answer them without lying to me, this will be over before you know it, and we’ll return you to the airport where you can catch another flight to Miami. If not…” Ron turned his gaze away from her to the knife, causing Eliana to squirm a bit, testing the ropes once more.
“Now, I’ll tell you what we know. You were at the hotel this afternoon, and you went back into the hotel after your luggage was loaded. That didn’t make Mr. Garza very happy, now did it? I also know that you did not come back out of the hotel by the front door, which clearly means you knew about the car bomb and were a part of the plot to kill Garza. Am I right?” Ron asked.
Reprisal!- The Eagle's Challenge Page 17
