Deadline

by L. T. Ryan

  Only the information would soon be contradicted.

  CHAPTER 27

  The sunlight cut through the parted blinds and sliced across my face. The dull ache in my eyes woke me. Bear was already up. He’d showered, left and found some breakfast for us. I found a cooling plate of scrambled eggs and a roll on my nightstand. The plate balanced on my phone, silverware hanging off the edge. Steam from a mug of coffee rose into the air.

  Bear sat in the chair across from my bed, an empty plate on his lap. “Eat up. This promises to be a busy day.”

  I propped myself up, grabbed the plate and inhaled half the eggs in a couple forkfuls. Then I washed it down with the coffee, which turned out to be hotter than the food. I tossed Bear the roll and finished the rest.

  “Anyone mess with the car?” We had placed a series of traps on the vehicle to alert us to anyone trying to access it.

  “Nah.” He rubbed the thick stubble on his cheeks above his beard line. “I think they must’ve followed us from the morgue by sight or a tracking device on the other car. Either way, they lost us.”

  “For now, I suppose.” I set my plate on the bed. “I still don’t get why they turned around.”

  “Maybe they figured you made them.”

  “Then why not escalate the issue? There was no way we’d outrun them. They could’ve taken us right there.”

  “I guess they could’ve been called off. Ever consider that we’re being played here? Let us do the legwork, then do us in.”

  “Call me crazy, but right now I’m wishing they would’ve stuck with us.”

  “Yeah, I’d like to get my hands on them and find out who the hell they are.” He rose and tossed his plate onto the bed next to mine, then pointed at my cell. “Gonna call Frank?”

  “Christ, it’s too early to deal with him.”

  “I’d still like to know what he’s found.”

  I nodded, held up my coffee. “Gonna finish this, then I’ll call.”

  Bear stepped outside for a few minutes while I savored the coffee. Not sure where he got it, but it tasted as good as anything I’d had in Europe.

  I dialed into the number Brandon had provided for me. Frank answered, sounded a little confused. Probably wondered why the hell I was in Hong Kong.

  “It’s me,” I said.

  “Number threw me off,” he said.

  “I figured. What’d you find out?”

  “Nothing from the higher ups. Like I said, it’s gonna take some time with them. And I don’t know how they’re gonna want to proceed. There’s already a little talk about having you hang around and try to find who pulled off the hit.”

  I moved to the windows, peered through the blinds. Bear stood in the middle of the parking lot. Looked like he was in the middle of a yoga routine. He had one leg bent, foot against the other knee. His arms were raised over his head, clasped, index fingers aimed skyward.

  “They got people better suited for that,” I said. “I’m not an investigator.”

  “That would involve adding a whole other layer of intelligence to this mess,” Frank said. “More agents and agencies and directors and reports. That’s not good for anyone, Jack. Especially you and Logan. Both of you have others to think about now, right?”

  I pushed aside the anger that welled due to Frank bringing our families into this. At one point, I was off the hook for anything and everything I’d ever done. Both stateside and in any friendly country. Had that changed? Had the events that had transpired between Frank and I changed my status?

  “Why especially me?” I asked.

  “Some people think you’re dead,” he said. “Some don’t. Some of those who don’t would like for your expiration date to arrive. You know as well as I do that I can’t just give one part of the story. The whole thing has to be brought to light, start to finish. You were there in the beginning. You’re there now. If I’m forced to tell them that, you can guarantee a couple spooks are gonna show up and take you down. Logan, too.”

  I considered letting Frank in on what had happened last night after we left the morgue. The car on the highway, piloted by the same two men we’d encountered twice before. I still couldn’t say for certain they weren’t working for Frank. Couldn’t say they were, either. But if so, he already knew what had transpired.

  “All right,” I said. “Lone wolf time I suppose.”

  “It’s how you two work best, right?”

  I could see the grin plastered on his face as he regurgitated a line I’d given him dozens of times. He had us exactly where he wanted us, in the middle of his mess. We were the only ones who could clean it up.

  “Anything else?” I said.

  “Yeah, that police report,” he said. “Um, I know you don’t want to give your cell number, so I’ll upload it to a secure site. You can retrieve it there however you wish.”

  I wrote down the URL.

  “It has a couple witness names,” he said. “You might be able to retrieve valuable intel if they haven’t been coerced already. You know how these people operate.”

  “Who’s ‘these people’?” I said.

  “In the general sense,” Frank said. “Christ, Jack. Don’t you think if I knew that you’d know already? Why dick around with some asshole who happened to watch a woman’s head explode in front of him when you can go straight to the source?”

  “All right, whatever. I’ll get to the report soon and be back in touch in a few hours.”

  There was no way I was typing that web address in. I forwarded it to Brandon and asked him to retrieve the document. He was the only one I knew who could access the server without revealing his location and passing on a signature Frank could trace. See, a regular proxy that routed traffic through another location wouldn’t work. Not with the capabilities Frank had available to him. It took a pro to bypass the Agency’s systems. Who better than the guy who designed it for the government?

  A few seconds after sending the message, Brandon replied with a 10-4. A couple minutes later, I received the report in an attachment along with a message that read, “Shady stuff going on here, man.”

  When I opened the report, I saw why.

  CHAPTER 28

  Bear’s ass greeted me as I pulled the door open. He was bent at the waist only a few feet away, his hands clasped behind his knees. The guy had always been limber, especially for his size, but I couldn’t help but take notice how ridiculous he looked.

  “Quit playing with yourself and get in here, man.”

  He rolled up, laughing.

  “The hell you doing, anyway?” I said.

  “You should try it,” he said. “Great for the mind, body, spirit.”

  “I thought that was what beer was for.”

  This elicited another laugh as he walked past me, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead.

  “So what’s the news?” he said.

  “Got the police report from Frank,” I said.

  “And?”

  “Someone’s screwing with us.”

  “How so?”

  I pulled up the report on my phone and handed it to him. He tapped the screen with his finger and scrolled through the report. As he neared the witness section, his eyebrow arched high, creating a mess of wrinkles on his forehead.

  “Who the hell are Flipse and Rompa?” he said.

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t match what Brandon sent us, that’s for damn sure.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Bear handed my phone back, zoomed in on the officers’ names. They had remained the same. “So Frank’s setting us up. We go see either of those men, and sure enough one of those bastards is gonna open the door with a Glock aimed at our heads. Won’t have time to ask any questions ‘cause our brains’ll be splattered all over the sidewalk.”

  “Still can’t say it’s Frank for sure.”

  He looked up at me incredulously, shaking his head. “How the hell can you stand up for that asshole, man? After what he did to you? And how he detained you and forced you into this assignment?”<
br />
  “We screwed up, Bear. It was us that pulled the trigger.”

  “Based on SIS intel.” He stood and walked to the back of the room, leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest. “He’s been screwing us over for years. I think we completed most jobs in spite of him. And once again here we are in the middle of some damn country, with who knows how many spooks on our tail. And Frank’s in the middle of it.”

  “I believe everything you’re saying. Trust me, man, I do. But this report could have come from another source and Frank bought into it. If that’s the case, then why would he doubt it? What reason would he have to think it’s made up? He thinks the right woman was taken out last night.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “No, we don’t. But that’s what I’m assuming. For now at least. You know how I feel.”

  “Then why are you defending him?”

  “Tunnel vision.”

  He stared me down for a moment, then lowered his arms and tucked his hands into his pockets. He’d been there before. It came with the territory.

  “It’s dangerous for us to focus in on one person,” I said. “Whether that’s Frank, or someone else. The moment we do that we’re dead men, because if it turns out to be someone else, they’ll catch us by surprise and we won’t see it coming. Goodbye, Mia. Farewell, Mandy. So long, Sasha. Damn you, cruel world.”

  “All right, all right. I got it. Christ. Let’s get the hell out of this place and go pay a visit to that witness.”

  Bear left the room first and hopped in the car behind the wheel. We drove a mile or two down the road, made a few turns, then headed back toward the hotel.

  No one had followed when he went out for breakfast and no one did so now. No harm in being cautious, though.

  Along the way we worked out our plan for speaking with Joosten. One of the reports was false. Chances were it was Frank’s, but we couldn’t stake our lives on it. So rather than going in guns blazing, we decided to park near the address and wait for the guy to leave. When the opportunity arose, we’d secure him and take him someplace quiet to talk. Where that conversation led would direct how we handled the other witness names on Frank’s report. There was no doubt in our minds that they were false. I decided against contacting Brandon. He had backdoor access to various systems and databases, but a search was a search and if someone had flagged these names, they would be watching for anyone trying to gather information on the fake witnesses.

  One of the addresses from Frank’s report was an apartment located nowhere near the murder. It’d be harder to run surveillance there unless we resorted to technology. So we decided to focus on the other witness from the report.

  “Maybe it won’t come to that,” Bear said. “If this guy we’re going after turns out to be the real deal, we’ll be done with it.”

  We stopped before reaching town and loaded up on food, water, and a few supplies for a possible long stakeout. We could luck out and it only would take a few minutes. Or it could be all day. Knowing us, it wouldn’t go past that. Either Bear or I would tire of waiting and one of us would go to the door.

  We parked next to the curb a block away from the small pale yellow house after driving through the neighborhood three times. It was quiet. Quaint. A couple kids with backpacks strapped on their backs rode past on their bikes. The little girl giggled and waved at Bear. Kind of reminded me of an older subdivision back in the States. The small yards were manicured with fruit trees and newly awakened flowers. The air was still for the first time and smelled crisp. I figured it was around fifty degrees out. Quite a contrast to my recent time in Texas.

  “How long should we wait?” Bear said.

  “Long as it takes?” I said.

  “Not a fan of sitting around, man. How do we know that whoever messed with the original report isn’t watching this place?”

  I’d considered it and frankly welcomed the possibility. The sooner we were done with the cloak and dagger stuff the better. “Anything’s possible I suppose.”

  “You suppose, huh? They better shoot your side of the car first. Otherwise I’ll kill you if this turns out to be a setup.”

  Thirty minutes passed before the first sign of action. A late-model, mid-sized silver Mercedes pulled up to the house. The door opened, then a pair of slender legs stepped out. Her feet were sheathed in flats. She was tall and thin. A scarf covered her head and most of her face. Couldn’t see her hair. She looked around before jogging up to the front door. Someone waited in the car with their arm stretched across the empty seat. Couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman. They seemed to keep their focus on the lady at the door.

  Bear pulled out a pen and his notebook. He jotted down the license plate, then tucked everything away.

  The front door inched open. The woman placed her foot in the opening, her hand against the frame. I could only see her back. The rest was shielded from view. A man stepped into the light.

  “Coos, I presume,” Bear said.

  “You presume, huh?”

  “Whatever.”

  “You hang out with Mandy too much. You know that? Talk like a damn teenager now.”

  Bear placed his fist over his mouth like he was coughing into it in order to stifle his laugh. Wouldn’t be a good idea to alert them to our presence. Hell, we shouldn’t have spoken in the first place.

  I could hear the man’s voice. It was loud and high and a little panicked. The woman took her hand off the door frame and placed it on him. He seemed to settle down. Then her hand disappeared. She was looking down, searching through something in her bag. She handed the guy an envelope. Leaned in. Whispered to him.

  As she backed away, he stood there nodding. Bear snapped a couple pictures on his phone. The guy nodded like a child accepting tasks doled out by his mother. The man finally backed away and closed the door. The woman slammed her door after getting into the car. She pulled away from the curb and raced down the street toward one of the two neighborhood exits.

  Bear placed his hand on the shifter. “Should we go?”

  “You got the plates right?”

  He watched the car drive off, nodded.

  “We’re good, then,” I said.

  “You get a good look at her?” He was swiping through the photos he’d taken.

  “Not really.” I leaned over to see the pictures. “How’d they turn out?”

  “Grainy from the zoom. Look.”

  It was impossible to tell anything about the woman, other than she was fair-skinned. The scarf covered her hair, forehead, part of her cheeks. Big sunglasses covered the rest or her face and obviously her eyes. Her lips were bright red. She could have added half an inch to them with the lipstick.

  “Doesn’t look like we’ll be waiting long,” Bear said.

  I glanced up and saw the man exiting his house. He had on a tan coat zipped halfway and dark blue pants. Keys dangled from his hands. He hopped into the car in the driveway, backed out and started down the street away from us.

  Bear shifted into gear and followed. He didn’t bother to conceal the fact that we were tailing the man. This wasn’t the kind of guy who’d take notice. After a series of turns and a short jaunt on the highway, we pulled into a parking garage. It was like most I’d been in. Smelled of exhaust. Dimly lit in the center. Spaces narrow, some of them numbered.

  We drove up three levels to a section where there were few parked vehicles. The man pulled his car into a spot near the stairwell.

  Before the guy managed to cut his engine, Bear slowed down enough for me to hop out without falling. I took cover behind a nearby vehicle and waited. He opened his door, but remained seated. He had his phone to his ear. I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  A minute later he stepped out and glanced around the garage. The window tint provided plenty of cover. His eyes swept right past. I only waited long enough for him to round his car. Then I raced toward him. The echoes of my steps must not have registered because he didn’t turn around until after he’d ente
red the stairwell. He dropped his bag and stumbled into the wall. Saved me the trouble of tackling him.

  I drew my pistol, aimed it at his chest. “Coos Joosten?”

  He clutched his stomach, lips working to spit out a response. I thought he might throw up. He managed to stammer out a word. “Yes.”

  “Come with me.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Tires squealed as Bear slammed on the brakes in front of the stairwell. I pulled Joosten from the shadows and threw him into the backseat, then climbed in after him. I had little fear of the guy trying something. He didn’t look the part. Still, years of experience had taught me to expect the unexpected and to never rely on the sight test when it came to what someone was capable of. I kept as much distance between us as possible, holding the pistol out of his arm’s reach.

  “What, what, what do you guys w-want?” he stammered.

  “Shut up,” I said.

  Bear glanced at me through the rearview then hit the gas. We sped toward the unmanned exit and merged into stop-and-go traffic.

  “Look,” the guy said. “If this is about, you know, the thing that happened, I already promised I wasn’t going to talk. I swear it on my daughter’s life. I won’t say anything.”

  “Why your daughter’s life?” I said. “And didn’t I tell you to shut up?”

  The guy opened his mouth and shut it after I shook my head. Beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, some coming to rest in his bushy eyebrows. Others glided down his nose and side of his face. His hands trembled. His gaze remained steady on the pistol aimed at his chest.

  “Get us out of town,” I said. “And roll down the window a bit. Coos appears to be a bit overheated.”

  The cabin sucked in the cool air. The guy took a deep breath, settled back. He dragged his nervous hand across his brow. Wiped it off on his pants leg, leaving behind a wet stain.

  “Can you point that somewhere else?” he said, eyes fixed on the gun.

  I shook my head.

  “Can we talk?” he said.

  I shook my head again.

  He muttered something in his native tongue, closed his eyes, and lowered his chin to his chest. Perhaps he thought he was going to die.