Nine Lives

by Gary Winston Brown

  “We will,” Laird replied. “Thank you again. Good day, Mr. Aberfoyle.”

  Ron had poured himself a drink. He raised his glass. “Agents.”

  Mindy watched the man leave, then closed the door.

  “Someone’s had an interesting day,” Ron said.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Mindy replied.

  The FBI’s Evidence Response Team had arrived, cordoned off the street and had started to process the SUV when one of the investigator’s called out. “Found something under the front passenger seat,” he said. He held up a pink cellphone.

  “Is it password protected?” Laird asked.

  The investigator tried the phone, nodded.

  “Get it unlocked ASAP.”

  “You got it.”

  Every second lost between now and when the Quest children was found was critical.

  Laird put the car into gear. The agents sped away.

  One person, perhaps their most important witness of all, remained to be interviewed: Marissa DeSola.

  No sooner had they rounded the corner than his cell phone rang. He checked the display.

  Laird turned to his partner. “It’s Dunn.”

  The Director of the FBI was calling.

  CHAPTER 33

  SPECIAL AGENTS LAIRD AND CUMMINS arrived at Angel of Mercy Hospital, entered the Emergency department and identified themselves to the duty nurse. “We’re looking for one of your patients, Marissa DeSola,” Laird said. “You would have admitted her about thirty minutes ago.”

  The nurse typed the name into her computer, then referred to the red, blue and yellow directional lines painted on the Emergency ward floor. “She’s in recovery.” She pointed down the hall. “Follow the yellow line through the double doors. Ms. DeSola is in Bed 4.”

  “Thank you,” Laird said.

  The curtains were drawn around Marissa’s bed. Laird parted them slightly, saw Marissa sitting up. Her eyes were closed. “Ms. DeSola?” he asked.

  Marissa turned, looked his way. Her stare was vacant. “Yes?”

  Laird presented his credentials and pulled back the curtain just enough to allow the men access to her bedside. “My name is Special Agent Jim Laird. This is my partner, Special Agent Bill Cummins. We’re with the FBI.”

  Marissa’s eyes brightened. She leaned forward. “You found Aiden and Emma?”

  This was the shitty part of the job, Laird thought. He glanced at his partner, then back at the woman. “Not yet, ma’am,” he replied. “But we’re working on it.”

  “I feel so stupid,” Marissa said. “I thought he was a real policeman. He was driving a police car.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, ma’am,” Cummins said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “My phone,” Marissa said. “It’s in the car. I need to speak to their mother, tell her what’s happened.”

  “We’ll take care of that for you,” Laird said. “First, we need to ask you a few questions. Would that be all right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Can you describe the man who attacked you?”

  Marissa shook her head. “It all happened so fast.”

  “Did anything about him strike you as strange or unusual?” Cummins asked.

  “How do you mean?”

  “A scar on his face perhaps, a physical deformity, uncommon mannerisms?”

  Marissa thought for a moment. “There was one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Cummins asked.

  “He had a small tattoo, right here.” Marissa pointed to the inside of her left wrist. “I caught a glimpse of it when he grabbed my hand.”

  “Could you describe it?”

  “A bird. A swallow, perhaps. Yes, that was it. A swallow.”

  “That’s helpful,” Laird said. “Anything else?”

  “I asked him twice to show me his badge. He refused.”

  “He probably didn’t have one.”

  “I must have pushed him too hard and set him off. That’s when he did this.” Marissa lowered the neck of her hospital gown just enough to show the agents the two small marks on her chest.

  “Those are electrode burns,” Cummins said. “He used a stun stick to knock you out.”

  “My body just gave out,” Marissa said. “If only I could have fought it, I could have protected the children.”

  Cummins shook his head. “That would have been impossible. Once the weapon touched your body, and he pressed the trigger, it was all over. There was absolutely nothing you could do to defend yourself against the effect of the shock.”

  Marissa was close to tears. “Jordan trusted me to keep the children safe. I failed her and them.”

  Laird spoke. “You did no such thing, Ms. DeSola. This attack wasn’t random by any means. It’s clear that this man targeted you and Agent Quest’s children.”

  “I should have known something was wrong.”

  “What makes you say that?” Cummins asked.

  “They were no longer behind us.”

  “I don’t follow,” Laird said. “Who was no longer behind you?”

  “Our security detail.”

  “You have personal protection?” Cummins asked.

  Marissa nodded. “Sentinel Executive Protection. Jordan’s father employed them when he was alive. They’ve been protecting the Quest family ever since.”

  “And one of their operatives was assigned to you today?”

  “Two of them, actually. They followed us after we left the school. They’re there every day. It’s called shadow protection. They don’t make themselves known to us, which of course is the point, and their presence might not be obvious to anyone else. But after all these years of being followed I know them when I see them.” Marissa noticed the concerned look on the agents’ faces. “Why do you ask? Did something happen to them? Are they all right?”

  “We don’t know,” Laird replied. “We weren’t aware of this.”

  “I need to ask this,” Cummins said, “so please don’t be offended.”

  “All right,” Marissa said.

  “Could your security detail have had something to do with this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Cummins explained. “If they were following you like they should have been, they would have seen your car being pulled over and probably intervened, yet they didn’t.”

  Laird nodded, supported his partner. “Agent Cummins has a point.”

  Marissa shook her head. “I can’t believe they would ever allow any harm to come to the children.”

  “Unfortunately, in our line of work we see good people go bad all the time,” Cummins said.

  Marissa’s face brightened when a familiar face suddenly joined the two men. FBI Director Andrew Dunn had arrived. The agents stepped aside as he leaned in and gave her a gentle hug.

  “How are you, Marissa?” Dunn asked.

  “Scared to death,” Marissa replied. “He took the children.”

  “Aiden and Emma were abducted?”

  Marissa nodded. “He identified himself as a police officer, but obviously he wasn’t.”

  Dunn turned to his agents. “What have you got?”

  Laird spoke. “One UNSUB, posing as law enforcement. He stopped Ms. DeSola, incapacitated her, then forcibly removed the children from the vehicle.”

  “How long ago?”

  “One hour, maybe less.”

  Dunn was angry. Jordan was more than just an agent to him, and now her family was in danger. This was personal. “Tell me you have something,” he said.

  “Yes, sir, we do.” Laird took out his cell phone, accessed his email and showed the director the video Mindy Aberfoyle had captured from her doorbell cam. He commented on the footage. “It’s clear enough for us to ID him if he’s in the system.”

  Dunn nodded. “Has an Amber Alert been issued for the children?” he asked.

  “Not yet, sir.”

  “What the hell are you waiting for? Make the call. Get that footage out to the media now!”
r />   “Yes, sir,” the agents said. The two men wished Marissa well and took their leave.

  Director Dunn turned to his friend. “It’ll be all right, Marissa. We’re going to find Emma and Aiden.”

  Marissa began to cry. “If anything has happened to them, I’ll just die,” she said.

  “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Dunn said. He squeezed her hand. “Can you give me a minute? I need to call Jordan, bring her up to speed on the situation.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Dunn stepped out of the ward, found a quiet place at the end of the hallway, then made one of the most difficult phone calls of his career.

  CHAPTER 34

  HALLIER CALLED AHEAD.

  “Rafferty.”

  “It’s Hallier, sergeant. Are you and your men in La Fortuna?”

  “Yes, sir,” the soldier replied.

  “Give me a rally point.”

  “There’s an abandoned car lot on the outskirts of town,” Sergeant Rafferty replied. “Signs still up. Paloma Auto Sales. It’s quiet, nondescript, out of the way. No one’s going to pay attention to us. Your men can gear up there.”

  “Very good,” Hallier replied. He checked the location with the driver, got an estimated time of arrival. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  “Copy that, sir. What’s the destination?”

  “Casa de los Niños.”

  “The orphanage?” Rafferty asked.

  “We have solid intel that puts the target there.”

  “Time to put the dog down, sir?”

  “If we need to.”

  “Just give us the word,” Rafferty said. “We’ll bag ‘em and tag ‘em for you, no problem.”

  “Let me be clear, sergeant,” Hallier said. “No one makes a move until you get my green. The primary objective is to take the target alive and return him stateside. Only if the mission goes south are you authorized to neutralize him.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Prepare your men. We move on my arrival at the location.”

  “Copy that, sir,” Rafferty replied. “We’ll be ready and waiting.”

  Hallier hung up.

  Jordan felt her phone vibrate, checked the display: ANDREW DUNN. She answered the call. “Agent Quest.”

  “Jordan, it’s Andrew Dunn.”

  Andrew Dunn? The director’s informal introduction brought immediate cause for concern. “Yes, sir?”

  “Where are you now?”

  “En route to La Fortuna with Colonel Hallier and DARPA, sir.”

  “Can you talk privately?”

  “Yes.”

  Dunn chose his words carefully. “Jordan, a situation has developed here. But before I get into the details, you need to know that every departmental resource is being brought to bear to rectify the matter as quickly and safely as possible.”

  Rectify the matter? Jordan felt her stomach drop. She wanted to be sick. She knew what the call was about. She kept her cool, lowered her voice, spoke as calmly as she could. “What’s happened to my family?” she asked.

  Chris heard the gut-wrenching question. He stared at her, listened intently.

  The director continued. “Marissa has been attacked.”

  Jordan recalled the earlier disturbing psychic connection she had made with her housekeeper... the man at her window… the jolt of electricity that suddenly seized her friend, rendered her unconscious...

  One of the DARPA commandos glanced at her, gave her a puzzled look. Jordan maintained her composure. Inside, she wanted to scream. The soldier turned away.

  “And my children?”

  Dunn paused. “They’re missing, Jordan. Whoever attacked Marissa took the children.”

  Jesus, Jordan thought. Stop the van! Let me out! Where are my kids? WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN? I can’t be here. Not here, not now! Get me home! Oh, God!

  “We’ve obtained video footage of the kidnapping,” Dunn said. “I’m texting it to your phone now. This is going to be hard Jordan, but you need to watch it. Tell me if you recognize the man. I’ll hold.”

  Jordan took a deep breath, exhaled. “Okay,” she replied. She braced herself before opening the text message, then watched as the dramatic event unfolded… saw Marissa’s body jump as she received the shock… watched her slump in her seat… the assailant ordering her children out of the car… Aiden being shoved from behind.

  The sonofabitch laid his hands on my child!

  With every passing second that she watched the video Jordan was losing the internal struggle between anguished mother and emotionally controlled FBI agent. She refocused, pulled herself together. Got to keep my head in the game, she thought. She returned to the directors’ call.

  “I’ve never seen him before in my life,” she said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “All right,” Dunn said. “I’ve requested the footage be run through facial recognition. If he’s in the system, we’ll find him.”

  “What about my kids?”

  “A nation-wide Amber Alert has been issued. Every law enforcement agency within a five-hundred-mile radius of the abduction site has also been notified. They know they’re looking for the children of an FBI agent.”

  “Did you ping their cellphones?”

  “We did. We found Emma’s in the car. She must have dropped it when he took her.”

  “What about Aiden’s?”

  “We can’t locate the signal. He must have turned it off.”

  Jordan felt the van slow, then stop. “We’re here,” Hallier called out. He opened his door. “Everybody out.”

  “Oh, God!” Jordan said. “We’re here.”

  “I heard,” Dunn said. His voice was positive, strong. “Listen to me, Jordan. You know I mean it when I say I understand what you’re going through. I went through it with my girls. If it hadn’t been for you, they might be dead right now. You saved their lives. I’m telling you this as your friend first and your boss second. I won’t let any harm come to Aiden or Emma. There’s not a rock on this planet this bastard could try to hide under that we wouldn’t find him. I give you my word on that.”

  Jordan stepped out of the van. “Thank you, director. I know you’ll do your best.”

  “Stay calm, Jordan,” Dunn said. “As best as you can, anyway. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I know more.” The director ended the call.

  Chris asked, “What was that about?”

  Jordan quelled the rising tide of emotion once again. “Marissa has been hurt. Aiden and Emma are missing.”

  “What do you mean, missing?”

  “Someone’s taken them.”

  “You mean they’ve been kidnapped?”

  “Yes.” There were tears in her eyes.

  “You have to tell Hallier,” Chris said.

  “I can’t,” Jordan said.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Because he’ll pull me.”

  “You can’t be serious, Jordan!” Chris said. “With everything that’s going on back home you don’t really give a shit about the operation, do you?”

  “I’m the only one here who doesn’t want to see Commander Egan dead. Hallier may say he wants to bring him back alive, but I don’t believe him for a second.”

  “And for good reason,” Chris said. “There’s never been a greater risk to national security than Egan. He’s a murderer, Jordan. A stone-cold military killing machine.”

  “I don’t believe that’s true.”

  “Why not?”

  “Everything he did was because he was programmed to do it. He wasn’t given a choice in the matter.”

  “Are you saying you’re seriously prepared to put your ass on the line to save this guy?”

  “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

  Hanover looked at his partner and sighed. “One of these days you’re going to get us both killed.”

  “Maybe,” Jordan said.
“But it’s sure as hell not going to be today.”

  CHAPTER 35

  EGAN RECOGNIZED THE SOUND of Diego Mendoza’s Hummer, peered out through the window blind in the dark room, watched as the vehicle rolled to a stop outside the main gate. He turned to Hernando. “Showtime.”

  “What do you want me to do?” the old man asked. He was trying to put on a brave face, but his voice deceived him. Inside, he was terrified.

  Egan smiled. “First, sit down. We need to have a chat.” Hernando sat on the edge of his desk in the small office.

  “When this goes does, you’re going to see some changes happen to me,” Egan explained.

  Hernando looked confused. “What kind of changes?”

  “For starters, my physical appearance may become altered,” the commander explained. “If that happens don’t be alarmed. It’s only temporary and I’m controlling it.”

  “Okay.”

  Egan continued. “Remember what happened when I helped little Teresa to breathe again? That glow you saw coming from my hands?”

  Hernando nodded. “Yes.”

  “My abilities permit me to do much more than that. And if I use them, you need to promise me one thing.”

  “Anything.”

  “That you’ll never breathe a word of it to anyone. If anyone asks, you’ll deny having seen anything at all. It’s for your own safety.”

  Hernando was concerned. “You sound worried, Ben.”

  Egan shook his head. “Not for myself. I’m just concerned about you. There are people coming for me. I can feel it.”

  “Then leave,” Hernando urged. “Run. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them you were never here. I’ll take care of Mendoza and his men myself.”

  Egan smiled. “It’s not as simple as that, my friend. These are not the kind of people you can run from for very long. I knew they’d track me down eventually. It was only a matter of time. And as far as Mendoza’s men are concerned, no, you can’t.”

  “These men,” Hernando said. “What will they do when they find you?”

  Egan shrugged. “That’s the question of the day. I’m not sure if I’m still the invaluable asset they once considered me to be. For all I know they’ve already deployed a new and improved version of me into the world. So, if I had to guess, I’d say they’re going to kill me.”