Conspiracy (Alex and Cassidy Book 4)

by Nancy Ann Healy

  Alex nodded. “There’s probably a lot of things you don’t know about her,” she said honestly. There was no malice in the statement, just fact. McCollum nodded. “So? Let’s get Jane on the horn and find out where my security tapes are and why she thought it was a good idea to send Claire into Carecom.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cassidy walked into the small bedroom carrying a tray with some soup and a soda. She walked over to the bed and placed it in front of the tall occupant.

  “Jesus, what are you? The good fucking fairy?” Claire Brackett quipped.

  “No, not really.”

  “More like Carol Brady, huh?” Claire poked.

  Cassidy laughed. “If Alex gets her way that might not be too far from the truth,” she mumbled.

  “What?” Claire asked Cassidy.

  “Nothing. And no, most days I feel more like Marge Simpson, to be honest,” Cassidy shrugged.

  Claire choked a bit on her soda. She studied Cassidy thoughtfully. There was no real reason for Cassidy to be here. Claire had observed Cassidy at a distance over the last day. Cassidy intrigued her. Claire had listened as Cassidy maneuvered the emotional minefield of her father’s presence and had found herself feeling oddly sympathetic toward the woman. It was an emotion that Claire typically banished quickly. Somehow, that seemed impossible in Cassidy Toles’ presence. In truth, it seemed the two most unlikely people in the house had the most in common—they both felt like outsiders. Claire was accustomed to that feeling. She suspected it was something quite foreign to the woman standing next to the bed.

  “How are you feeling?” Cassidy asked with genuine concern.

  “You don’t have to be nice to me, you know,” Claire said, teetering between going on the defensive and taking an offensive posture.

  Cassidy shrugged. She had spent a fair amount of time surveying the dynamics between everyone in her mother-in-law’s home. She still had not processed her reality. Everything she once believed seemed upside down. Normally, she would find refuge in Alex’s arms. And, she would when evening fell again. Cassidy wished that somehow the days could be shorter. She had considered leaving and taking Mackenzie home to Connecticut, but her mother and Helen would be headed there with Dylan in another couple of days. Cassidy could not imagine how she could face her mother. What would she say? She couldn’t lie. There had been so many lies, some of them of her own making. Who was she to judge anyone, she wondered?

  “You okay?” Claire asked, noting that Cassidy had momentarily grown distant and a bit pale. Cassidy came back to herself and nodded unconvincingly. “You don’t, you know?” Claire repeated.

  “Don’t what?” Cassidy asked.

  “Have to be nice,” Claire answered. “To him, or to me,” she said honestly.

  Cassidy’s lips parted to speak but no sound came out and she closed them again.

  Claire smiled genuinely at Cassidy. “It’s just the way they are,” Claire said before returning to her soup. Cassidy looked at her curiously. Claire felt the weight of Cassidy’s stare and looked at her directly. “Our fathers,” she clarified her meaning. “All of them. Some stupid idea that some greater purpose gives them the right to fuck with our lives.”

  Cassidy sighed. “I just don’t understand,” she said softly.

  “My advice? Don’t try,” Claire said honestly. “It isn’t worth it.”

  Cassidy heard Mackenzie let out a wail and offered Claire an apologetic grin.

  “Better get that,” Claire said.

  Cassidy nodded and silently left the room. She reached back and tried unsuccessfully to rub the tension out of her neck as she made her way to the room she and Alex were sharing. The intensity of Mackenzie’s cry was steadily increasing. “Oh, Kenz,” Cassidy called to her daughter when she reached the small crib. “What’s wrong, pumpkin?”

  Mackenzie reached out for her mother and Cassidy let out a contented breath. She obliged her daughter’s request and felt Mackenzie snuggle against her. Cassidy nuzzled Mackenzie and breathed in her scent. “Guess I know what woke you up,” she laughed. Cassidy laid her daughter on the bed and set about the task of removing an offensive diaper, giggling at the gurgles and babble Mackenzie offered.

  “All done,” Cassidy said, lifting Mackenzie playfully. She made her way into the bathroom, juggling Mackenzie as she washed her hands. “I think we should go check on that other patient again, huh? What do you think?" Cassidy playfully asked her daughter.

  “Bah!” Mackenzie seemed to give an answer.

  “Bah to you too,” Cassidy laughed as they strolled down the hallway. “You know, Kenzie,” Cassidy whispered conspiratorially. “We might need to remind Momma that the whole football thing did not work out so great for the Bradys.”

  Mackenzie laughed as Cassidy’s breath tickled her ear. “Bah!” she yelled.

  Cassidy rolled her eyes as she re-entered the room Claire was in. “Are you taking her side?” Cassidy asked her daughter.

  “Bah!” Mackenzie chimed.

  “Is that baby for yes?” Claire asked from the bed.

  “It’s Kenzie for everything,” Cassidy explained.

  Claire nodded. Mackenzie pointed to the agent in the bed and giggled. “Bah. Bah. Bah…Brrrr.”

  “I think she likes you,” Cassidy said.

  “I don’t know, that sounded like some sort of code to me,” Claire said suspiciously.

  Cassidy chuckled. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything else,” she explained. Claire smirked. Cassidy raised an eyebrow. “Does that run in your profession?” she wondered.

  “What?” Claire asked.

  “That,” Cassidy said. “That smug look you all get—like you can have anyone you want.”

  Claire gloated. “That’s because we can.”

  Cassidy pursed her lips doubtfully. “You sure you don’t need anything?”

  “Take it easy, Mrs. Brady,” Claire laughed. “Trust me, I’ve been in much worse positions. You know…”

  “I don’t want to know,” Cassidy held up a hand. “You can come downstairs, you know—if you need something. Just let me know, Eleana or I can help you.”

  Claire groaned. “You might want to check that out with Mr. Brady,” she suggested. Cassidy sighed. “Don’t sweat it,” Claire told her.

  “I’ll check in later,” Cassidy said before turning to make her way out of the room.

  “Hey, Cassidy,” Claire called. Cassidy turned around in the doorway. “Thanks.”

  ***

  “Alex,” Jane’s voice greeted her friend. “And company I presume. So? What can I do for you?”

  “You can start by having Marcus Anderson bring me the security footage from Carecom,” Alex said.

  “Well, I could—yes. I hate to disappoint you, Agent Anderson only managed to retrieve the three hours from part of the executive offices, a storage area on the first floor, and one back parking lot. The rest had already been wiped,” Jane said.

  “Shit.”

  “But, Joshua might have some more for you by tomorrow,” Jane said.

  “Really?” Alex asked doubtfully.

  “We are on the same side here,” Jane reminded Alex.

  “Why Claire?” Alex asked.

  “I am assuming that Jim has not shared all his information with you,” she said.

  “No, only about O’Brien,” Alex said. “But, let’s get this bit about Claire settled. What makes you think involving Claire is a good idea?”

  “She’s part of you, Alex—part of this group more than you think,” Jane said. “If I am right, and I suspect that I am, she has as much to lose in this as you do, as any of us do.”

  “Because of her father,” Alex surmised.

  “Yes, but not just that.”

  “Quit talking in circles!” Alex lost her temper. “I want to know what the hell is going on. Do you have any idea what this has done to Cass? Jesus, Jane. You are supposed to be her best friend.”

  “What makes you think I’m not?”
Jane responded swiftly. “Look, there is more than one thing at work here, Alex. I’ve had some interesting developments. Things that led to these decisions.”

  “Such as?” Alex demanded.

  “Strickland reached out to me,” Jane explained.

  “You have our attention.”

  “Ivanov and The Admiral have an idea.”

  “What kind of idea?” Alex asked.

  “To put lines back on the map,” McCollum interjected.

  “Yes,” Jane confirmed.

  “What does that mean?” Eleana asked.

  “It means that they want to create enemies,” Krause said. Eleana was still confused.

  McCollum took the ball. “You’re too young to remember the Cold War,” he said. “Most people saw its demise as something to cheer for,” he said. “Others…Well, others lost a great deal when the wall fell, Eleana. Wars are profitable for many people. Two world wars taught us that, but they came at a very high cost as well. Cold Wars keep conflicts contained.”

  “How do you do that?” Eleana asked.

  “You create an enemy,” Krause said.

  “Create an enemy?” Eleana was confused.

  “Every enemy we have faced since World War II, we created,” McCollum said. “Some directly, some indirectly. More often than not, they were created with a purpose.”

  “What about Korea? Vietnam? What about now with foreign terrorists?” Eleana challenged.

  “Korea? Vietnam? Contained conflicts,” McCollum said. “There was no threat to our security and we knew it.”

  “Then why?”

  “Eleana,” McCollum spoke quietly. “Here, both were sold as a necessity to stem communism. In The Soviet Union? They were billed as aiding the people’s united cause. The fact is, an argument could be made both ways. You want a reason? Perception. Contained wars that posed no real threat to any superpower. Russia has never had an intention of invading The United States, not any more than we have ever sought to take control of Russia.”

  “I understand that,” Eleana said.

  “Yes, but you don’t understand the why. Money.”

  Alex shook her head. “Always about that, isn’t it?”

  “Of course, it is Alex. At least, it is on the international stage. Of course, it is. You think that’s new? It’s not. Wealth equals power. At one time, that meant land acquisition. One nation sought another’s resources, be it human power, coal, oil, gold, water…Now, we live in a global economy and trade paper bills,” McCollum laughed caustically. “We trade money. In fact, we don't even need the bills anymore. We buy and sell money that is nothing more than numbers on a screen. And, what value does it have?” he asked. He waited a moment. “None, in truth. Only what we perceive it to be. Why a Cold War? Why any war? Why terrorism? Perception is the greatest resource in the modern world,” McCollum said. “If people believe it, they buy it. If people buy it, someone makes money. The people who make the most money? They hold the most power. But, you raise a point that has caused issues, Eleana. We had lines on a map, deep ones—namely The Soviet Union and The United States. We divided the map,” he said. “Deliberately after World War II. No one got too far out of line. They’d seen Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” he said. “We employed those tactics on smaller levels and still do—chemical attacks, terrorism—fear can be a tremendous motivator,” he explained. “When it is used correctly. But, lines are blurred now. People like Ivanov and Bill, they see potential in what they consider the Golden Age. Go to what you know. Create a bigger enemy than the ones you both face. Become one another’s enemy. That is their intention in the end.”

  “So, what? What does that have to do with Carecom? With Cassidy or me? With Claire?” Alex asked heatedly. She had an idea already what the answer was.

  “Perception, Alex. Change perception—change anything—control anything. That’s what The Collaborative has been about for almost sixty years now. You need assets to wage war. You have to know when and where to deploy them.”

  “Thanks for the history lesson,” Alex said. “While we are discussing history, what does this have to do with Sphinx?” Alex challenged the older man. “Is that you? That mysterious person who holds the names and places—the keys to The Collaborative’s kingdom?”

  “I’m not Sphinx, Alex,” McCollum said.

  “My father?”

  McCollum scratched his brow. “Sphinx was his project.”

  “What kind of project?” Eleana asked.

  Alex bristled. “The kind that nearly killed me in Iraq.”

  “No,” McCollum said. “That was unfortunate and not at your father’s direction.” Alex’s posture remained rigid. McCollum continued. “Sphinx deployed assets. That was its primary mission, take the assets and place them—someone else would activate them as necessary.”

  “You mean weapons?” Krause asked for clarification.

  “Those are vehicles, Jonathan. Weapons, schematics, drugs, those are all vehicles. And, they are all necessary for war as well, whether it is a physical war or a perceived one. Your father dealt with assets. Assets are always people. You cannot deploy a vehicle without an asset,” he said. McCollum looked at Alex. “And that, Alex is where I come in. That is how you and Claire, Cassidy and Eleana, Jane and Jonathan, O’Brien and Kargen—that is why you find yourselves here. You are the assets and you don’t even know it.”

  ***

  Alex needed to call a break in the study. She had the sense that what James McCollum had to tell them would change everything for all of them. It was imperative that they proceed with clear heads. They needed to know who had been in Carecom. Fallon and Brady had found no evidence of any device, short of the bugs Alex would have expected. That only served to unsettle Alex more. What exactly had been Kargen’s objective the previous night? Something did not fit.

  Jane had promised that the footage Alex requested would be waiting for her at Carecom later that evening. She had even promised that Agent Anderson would deliver it himself. That way, Alex could assess Anderson’s allegiance for herself. Alex understood it was a longshot. She hoped whatever Anderson had managed to download might give her some clue as to Kargen’s plan, or to the other parties that might have held some interest in Carecom.

  Alex climbed the stairs slowly. She was looking forward to spending a couple of hours with Cassidy before she would need to leave. Krause would spend some time with James McCollum and Jane in an attempt to determine who Christopher O’Brien had actually been reporting to and what his objectives had been. Lynx would wait until Edmond arrived the next day. That was fine with Alex. She had already reached some conclusions about Lynx. Another few hours would not make any difference on that front. And, Alex remained curious about Jane’s decision to involve Charlie Hawkins as well. At least, Alex trusted her former partner. Whatever Hawkins was tasked to do at Rand, Alex was confident she would succeed. That was the least of Alex’s concerns now. As always, Cassidy remained the center of Alex’s thoughts.

  She reached the top of the stairs and nearly collided with Cassidy as Cassidy exited Claire’s room. “What are you doing?” Alex asked abruptly.

  “What?” Cassidy asked in confusion. “I said I would look in on Claire.”

  “Cass,” Alex pulled Cassidy down the hallway gently. “Claire is…”

  “She tried to save your life, Alex.”

  Alex sighed dramatically. “You can’t trust Claire.”

  “I don’t trust Claire. Right now, Alex….I don’t trust anyone except you.”

  Alex hung her head and her shoulders slumped slightly. Cassidy was by nature a trusting person. “Cass…”

  “Alex, I just can’t.”

  “I know,” Alex said. She moved to Cassidy and kissed her on the forehead. “Claire is…”

  “Alone,” Cassidy muttered.

  “Cassidy…”

  “Alex, she is a person, you know? No matter what.”

  “I…”

  “Do you trust me?” Cassidy asked.

 
; “Of course,” Alex said.

  Cassidy looked at Alex lovingly. “Then trust that I can make a sound judgment.”

  Alex sighed and nodded. “I do. I just know Claire.”

  “You know a part of her.”

  “Cassidy,” Alex warned. “Claire Brackett is a master of…”

  Cassidy smiled. “There is more to her, Alex. Maybe something you should know.”

  “Did she tell you something?” Alex asked.

  Cassidy shook her head. “No.” Cassidy had learned a great deal about people over the years. As a teacher and a parent, she had come to understand that often what a person failed to say told a much larger story than the space they filled up with words. “Sometimes, Alex—sometimes it’s what a person doesn’t say that tells you everything.”

  Alex’s lips curled into a smile. Cassidy’s observation was, as usual, spot on. Of all the people surrounding her currently, Alex was reminded that Cassidy remained the one person who truly could understand people. Alex, Krause, Claire, even Cassidy’s father, they dissected facts, even psychology, but it was always in an effort to predict behavior. Cassidy sought to understand a person, what a person felt, and who a person was. She endeavored to connect to people, not study them. Cassidy had suffered a massive blow to her confidence in that ability, and in her inclination to trust. If something was leading Cassidy to Claire, there was a reason. “Just be cautious around her,” Alex cautioned.

  “Afraid she’ll give up some of your secrets?” Cassidy teased.

  Alex laughed. “No. She has a lot to learn,” she said, taking Mackenzie from Cassidy’s arms.

  “Oh?”

  Alex laughed again. “Agents are dull. I married a teacher for a reason.”

  Cassidy joined in Alex’s laughter, grateful for the solace found in a simple moment. “By the way,” Cassidy began.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think there might be a flaw in this football theory of yours.”

  ***

  “Did you find something?” Jane asked.

  Tate considered how to respond. “I’m not sure,” he said.

  “Joshua? What is it? Was there anything that you could recover or not?” she asked.