Primal Deception

by Robin Mahle

  “Then you will all pay the price. And your hand will be the least of your concerns.” He paused. “Do we have an agreement, Agent Axell?”

  Axell smiled. “Oh, I don’t think so. And just to let you know, there are people who know where I am. If they don’t hear from me soon, you’ll be the ones to pay.” A callous expression shrouded his face. “Killing a government employee would not look good for your people.” Axell leaned in to make his point clear. “The truth will come out.”

  “Suit yourself, Agent Axell.” He motioned to one of the men, who grabbed Axell by the arm. “Take him outside.”

  With a gun raised to his temple, a smile appeared on Axell’s lips. “Where’re we going?”

  “You overestimate your government’s concern for you, Agent Axell.”

  They led him through the building that housed a few small offices. There wasn’t much time, and if his colleague didn’t show up, Axell knew he wasn’t going back.

  In the bright noonday sun, he squinted until his eyes adjusted. They were in a warehouse district and, ahead, he spotted his car. They’d driven it from Kendrick’s office and it sat alone near a loading dock. “Hey, there’s my car. Thanks for driving it here for me, guys.”

  Both ignored his comment and continued leading him toward it.

  Axell surveyed the location but saw that no help had arrived. Come on, Colburn. I need you, buddy.

  In that moment, Agent Colburn turned a corner and appeared only feet before the men escorting Axell. “Afternoon.” He eyed Axell.

  The men remained quiet and continued past him.

  Colburn turned around. “I said, afternoon.”

  Will appeared from behind the building. “I think my buddy’s talking to you.”

  ♦♦♦

  Lacy stared through the windshield, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “He said we could come back, but I didn’t like the tone in his voice. And he wouldn’t tell me if Axell was with him.”

  Aaron stared at the flash drive resting on the center console of Will’s car. “There must be proof on there that Kendrick is working with Lei Jian. Porter was right to warn us. As long as we have this, we aren’t safe.”

  “He might not be either. This has to end, Aaron.” She turned to him. “Do we take this to the media? Get it out in the open?”

  “I don’t know. Lacy, they’ll kill us if we expose them.”

  “We’ll stand a better chance of dying if we don’t expose them. If this gets out, Kendrick will be under a microscope. He’d be the first suspect.”

  “I think Kendrick is a puppet for the MSS. And they won’t hesitate, as we’ve already seen.”

  “Then what? We need answers. We need to see Agent Axell.” She started up the car and pulled onto the road. “We can’t stay at his place. I feel like we’re a sitting target.”

  “Where else can we go? We can’t keep running. Like you said, this has to end. Without help, the chances we make it through another day are slim.”

  She shot him a look. “Let’s just get back to the apartment and let Will know what we found out. Maybe Axell’s already back.”

  Silence pervaded in the space between them as they drove back to the apartment. The idea of letting the media run with the story seemed viable in Lacy’s head, but Aaron’s reasoning was hard to ignore.

  Axell’s building appeared in the distance. Lacy pulled into the parking lot and both made their way inside toward the elevator. She reached for Aaron’s hand as they climbed each floor. “Thank you for not turning your back on me. I know how much you’ve risked and I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  He squeezed her hand in reply.

  The doors opened and they walked along the corridor to number 378. Lacy knocked. When no one came, she knocked again and regarded Aaron with concern.

  The door opened and it was Axell’s friend. He didn’t speak, only stepped aside to allow them in.

  “Where’s Agent Axell? Did you find him?” Lacy’s pulse quickened as she wondered why they weren’t answering her.

  “I heard you made a stop to see your old boss, Lacy.” Axell appeared from the hall.

  “Oh God. You’re okay. Thank God. What happened?”

  “Jian’s people.”

  Colburn noticed Lacy holding the flash drive. “What’s that?”

  She opened her palm. “I got it from Agent Porter. Will, Mendez was sent back home. The case was turned over to an Agent Delgado. He and Michelle Vogel stopped us in the hall when we got there. She told us about Mendez and I think she’s still someone who will help. And Agent Porter. But I can’t say the same about Delgado.”

  “What’s on the flash drive?” Colburn asked.

  “I don’t know, but Porter’s scared. He doesn’t want to be involved any longer,” Lacy began.

  Colburn extended his hand. “May I?” He took the drive from Lacy and placed it into his laptop. As the audio files loaded, he pressed play.

  “What do you mean, they’re still out there? You were supposed to take care of this.”

  “That’s Kendrick,” Axell began. “As sure as I’m standing here, that’s Drew Kendrick.”

  “We will find whoever accessed the information. I have my people working on it and it’s only a matter of time. It was my people who tracked down the initial location.”

  “It was also your people who failed to stop them. We need to know who the fuck we’re dealing with. I need a Goddamn name!”

  The recording stopped.

  Lacy cast her eyes toward Aaron. “They don’t know who we are yet.”

  “No. They know people have accessed their systems and have even tracked down my IP address location, but they still don’t have a clue about our identities.” Aaron looked to Will. “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “They know now,” Axell interrupted. “Kendrick knows something about what we’re doing. I don’t know if he’s aware of all of us, but he sure as hell knows CIA’s involved.”

  “We also have the bank account information Aaron was able to hack into,” Will added. “That shows Jian sending money to Owen Ballard in exchange for information regarding Nova and others, I assume.”

  “The audio doesn’t identify either party or admit who they were after. And, there’s no association that Kendrick was involved in the terrorist attack on the mall or was paid to cover it up,” Colburn said.

  “None that we’ve found yet. Unless you’re saying that we’re back at Square One. Is that what you’re saying, Agent Colburn?” Lacy asked.

  “Travis here filled me in on what you all were working on and, to be blunt, I knew a shit storm was going to come down sooner or later. I might’ve been able to help if he’d called me in before now.” He cast a glance to Axell. “There are too many moving parts; high-ranking moving parts.” He pushed up from the couch and moved toward the front window. “What we need is proof that Jian helped coordinate the attack and paid Kendrick to keep it quiet. I doubt Kendrick got his hands that dirty—they never do—so even if it’s someone tied to Kendrick, that’ll do.” He turned back. “There has to be a connection between Jian and the shop owner who made the IED as well. This whole thing needs to be wrapped up into a tight little bow before anyone will listen to us.”

  “Sajwani,” Will said. “He was the go-between for Jian and Ballard. He had to have ties to the shop owner. He had to have been the one to make that happen. And if we can make that connection.” He stopped short. “Aaron, you’re the one who figured out the money transfers. So, what’s missing is a way to bring Kendrick into the fold. Did he receive money and, if so, who gave it to him? What was the agreement?”

  “To shove the investigation under the rug. Find a desperate group of terrorists who needed funding and make it seem like they took responsibility for the attack. So, how do we find Sajwani?” Axell asked. “I’m blown and he knows we’re on to him. That’s going to make this all the more difficult.”

  “Through Liwa.
He was working for them as a consultant.” Aaron said.

  “Good. Then all we need is Tom Neville. He’ll fold. This whole thing has turned out to be more than he bargained for.” Will turned his attention to Aaron. “But we still need a money trail. Can you find one?”

  “Without being discovered? Shit, I don’t know. I’m good, but so are they.”

  “Can you do it? This only works if we have everything we need to take it to the top,” Will continued.

  “He’s right. We get this and we take it straight to the Director of the FBI,” Colburn said. “All this other bullshit…” He gestured toward the flash drive. “...it’s not enough and we don’t know who we can trust at the FBI. And our people can help, but they can only do so much. This isn’t our ballgame.” He looked at Axell.

  “And we can’t stay here any longer. How do we stay out of sight in the meantime?” Axell asked.

  “Before I go any further, I need to know that my children are safe. Agent Axell, can you make contact? Please?”

  “Of course. I’ll make sure you speak with them.” He turned to Colburn. “Any ideas on where we go next?”

  “I have a place in mind. One that isn’t on anybody’s radar.”

  ♦♦♦

  Lacy reached for the car door handle and opened it. But before she could step out, Will stopped her.

  “Hey. You sure you’re okay to do this?”

  “I have to be the one. He doesn’t know I’m on leave and I think the guilt about Jay and maybe even Owen might have gotten to him and that was the reason he agreed to meet with me. I’ll be okay.” She began to step out.

  Will leaned over the passenger seat. “I’ll be close enough to keep an eye on you, but just text me if things start to go south and I’ll be right there.”

  Lacy nodded and shut the door. The sun burned her eyes as she walked along the sidewalk toward the restaurant. Heat rose from the pavement, making her sweat even more than she already was from nerves. She was about to meet the man who Jay proved to have been snooping into her background. But mentioning that would be a mistake. She needed his help and if he didn’t want to offer up any, then they had enough on him to send him to prison for the majority of his life.

  Lacy pulled open the restaurant doors and waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkened room. The temperature dropped at least twenty degrees the second she stepped in and now a chill fell down her spine from the cool air pressing against her dampened skin.

  “May I help you?” A young woman stood behind the podium.

  “Yes, I’m here to see a Tom Neville. Dark hair, around six feet tall.”

  “Of course. He’s expecting you. Right this way, please.” The woman led the way to the table where Tom Neville waited. “Here you are.”

  “Mrs. Merrick.” Neville rose from his seat and shook her hand. “Please sit down.” He looked to the hostess. “Thank you.”

  “Certainly. I’ll send the waiter to take your order.” She turned on her heel and gestured to the waiter.

  “First of all, I’d like to tell you how sorry I am about your husband, Mrs. Merrick. Terrible, terrible tragedy.”

  “Thank you. Please call me Lacy.” She adjusted her chair.

  “Then call me Tom.” He began to study the menu. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “Thank you, no. It’s a little early for that. I’d be useless for the rest of the day.” She feigned laughter, but he seemed to take it as genuine.

  “I suppose so.”

  “Listen, Mr. Neville—Tom, I’d like to get right to the point.”

  In that moment, the waiter arrived and Lacy fired a glance at him. “Could you give us a minute, please?” When he was out of earshot, she continued, “You’re aware that I work for the FBI?”

  “Yes, um, I—I heard something to that effect.” Neville no longer appeared jovial, and a marked shift in his demeanor became evident.

  “And are you aware that I was put on leave due to the contract between Nova and Argus and how it related to the attack that ultimately killed my husband?”

  “No. No, I wasn’t aware of that at all. That’s awful. Do they think he had some sort of involvement? I hadn’t heard anything to that effect.”

  “Well, there are some suggestions that he and Owen Ballard were receiving money from a not very friendly group of individuals who may have been involved.”

  “You’ll have to forgive me, Mrs. Merrick, but I don’t understand why you’re bringing this up with me. Why did you ask to meet me here? Mr. Ballard, as I’ve been told, is also no longer with us and, again, this seems to involve Argus Solutions, so for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is you’re getting at.”

  Lacy leaned over the table, arms folded in front of her. “There seems to be a misunderstanding between what the FBI believes and what is fact. My husband had no more to do with the attack than I did, but you see, there’s proof of a connection. Money had changed hands. And I’m afraid Owen Ballard was the one orchestrating that arrangement.” She leaned back in her chair. “Now, from what I gather, you and Ballard had some sort of agreement. Isn’t that right?”

  Neville appeared indignant. “I’m sorry, are you accusing me of something, Mrs. Merrick? You know, I have enough on my plate without…”

  “It’s in your best interest to listen closely to what I have to say, Tom. Because if you don’t, you’ll find yourself in an 8 x 10 cell for the next several years.” This seemed to finally get his attention. “Jay Merrick was dragged into this by Owen Ballard, who was attempting to frame him, I suspect, though the purpose of that still escapes me and since he’s no longer here, I have no one left to ask. Money was paid to him both by your organization and gentlemen who have associations with Nova’s parent company.”

  “And this involves me how?”

  Lacy smiled. “Tom, we know it was you who paid Owen to give you information on your competitors and Argus staff, which, unfortunately for you, included my husband. He never did like you.”

  Neville looked around the restaurant as if law enforcement was going to swoop down on him at any moment.

  “Don’t worry, Tom. This is just between us—for now. Because the real reason I asked you here was not to place blame for my husband’s death, which you rightly deserve, but to ask for your help.”

  This time, Neville chuckled. “You want my help?”

  She nodded. “In exchange for your help, none of your past misdeeds will be brought to light.”

  “How do I know you have anything at all on me? All I’m hearing are words. You have evidence of these things you’re spouting off about?”

  Lacy was prepared for the question and retrieved a printed email from the batch Aaron originally discovered for Jay. “Does this look familiar?” She laid the paper on the table and pushed it toward him.

  Neville reached for his reading glasses and began to scan the paper. A stony expression masked his face until he finally peered up at Lacy again. “So you obtained an email—illegally, I might add—that mentions a search Ballard did for me. I hardly think that’s worth going to prison for.” He tossed the paper back toward her.

  “Okay. I guess I can see your point. How about this? You’ve met Agent Will Caison. Is that right? He came to your office about a week ago?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Well, he’s been a tremendous help with all of this and, in fact, he managed to obtain, through the FBI’s resources, information regarding a certain bank account. And I guess several deposits were made into this account by your company. Money that you authorized, I hear.”

  “My company pays a lot of people to do work, Mrs. Merrick.”

  “Of course they do. But this was different. You authorized several payments of roughly $100,000 each to be paid to Owen Ballard in his secret, offshore account. I wonder what would happen if your boss looked into those transactions. You must’ve jumped through some hoops to hide that kind of money from the
books.” She knew she had him this time. And she only had to tell one small lie and that was the information hadn’t come from Will, but from Aaron, who hacked into the bank’s servers. “Embezzlement carries a hefty sentence, I hear.”

  “If you want my help, then I’ll need assurances.”

  “Of course. No one will know of our discussion.”

  “Then what is it you need me to do?”

  23

  Will peered through the windshield and was pleased at the sight before him. Lacy and Tom Neville approached in the distance and that meant only one thing. She’d convinced him it was in his best interest to help.

  Lacy opened the passenger door. “Agent Caison, I believe you know Tom.”

  Will leaned over to get a good glimpse of the man who’d participated, even if unwillingly so, in the orchestration of the tragic attack on the mall. “Nice to see you again, Tom. Please come in. We have a lot to discuss.”

  Tom slid into the back seat without uttering a word.

  Will started the engine and glanced at Tom through the rear view mirror. “Let’s get this show on the road. Your office isn’t far. Should be there in ten minutes or so.”

  The sound of a vibrating cell phone echoed in the car. It was coming from Neville’s coat pocket.

  “Don’t answer that,” Will began. “Lacy, get the phone from him.”

  She reached around the back seat. “I’m sorry, Tom. But I’ll need your phone, please.”

  He eyed her with disdain and slapped the phone into her hand.

  “When we get back to your office, you can call from there. I can’t risk anyone knowing our position right now.”

  “Why are we going back to my office?”

  “You’ll have better access to the information we need from there. And, we don’t want to raise any concerns if you suddenly don’t return to work after your lunch.”

  Within minutes, they’d arrived at the Nova offices and Lacy began to step out. “I’ll keep you posted. You’ll come back for me?”

  “You bet. Be careful.” Will turned to Tom. “Just do what she asks and everything will go smoothly.”