Undercover Jeopardy

by Kathleen Tailer

  Daniel glanced over at her. “Well, we’d better figure it out soon since this whole thing is supposed to go down tomorrow. Let’s pull Captain Murphy and Agent Hooker in and see if they have any ideas. We need help with the research.” He turned a corner. “Do you see anything about Derek in those texts? I still can’t understand why they brought him back into the fold. That guy is a menace and a problem just waiting to happen.”

  “No, and their decision to do so makes me nervous. It’s not a wise move on their part and they’re usually smarter than that. They have to see that decision raises big red flags.”

  Bethany kept scrolling. “It makes me think they’ve got something planned for him, like making him a scapegoat for the stadium tomorrow.” She looked over at Daniel, who kept checking his mirrors. “Anybody following us?”

  “Nobody so far. I’m keeping an eye out though.” He checked again, made several turns and lane changes but drove carefully, presumably so Bethany wouldn’t get sick this time. She smiled at him, appreciating his efforts.

  “Wow, your driving has really improved. I’m impressed.”

  He laughed and she saw the dimple appear on his left cheek. “Well, I was rewarded for my efforts with a kiss the last time. I’m hoping to be rewarded again.”

  Her own cheeks burned as she remembered the kiss they had shared right before Captain Murphy had arrived to give them the C-4 they needed for the operation. She had to admit, it had felt good to be held in Daniel’s arms. They had been stealing kisses and touches frequently when they were around the Guard, but that had been for the benefit of the roles they were playing. Or had it been? At first, it had been hard for her to receive the small intimacies, but now she was slowly not only accepting them but actually looking forward to them. She liked holding hands and the gentle caresses he offered without being pushy or demanding. He seemed to know when to come close and when to give her some space. It was uncanny. Just knowing he was nearby had once made her nervous and jumpy, but was now giving her comfort and making her feel whole and complete.

  She stole a look at him from the corner of her eye. At first, she had dreaded this assignment. Daniel was untested in the field and had never done any undercover work, but she also had to admit that he was doing his job well. He had fit in with the others and so far had played his role without gaffs or rookie mistakes. But there was more to it than that. She could tell that he was looking out for her, and that he really cared about her. She felt...cherished.

  But could she trust him? Her old boyfriend had cared about her too, or at least he had said he did. He had said and done all the right things at just the right times too. And then the next thing she knew, she found him in the arms of another woman and was utterly humiliated in front of all of her friends and coworkers. She had thought she knew him, but he had publicly shattered her trust. Could she ever trust again? Was it worth the pain if she was wrong?

  She stole another look at Daniel as he kept his eyes on the road. She was attracted to more than just his good looks, but she also knew for a fact that he wasn’t willing to share his past with her, and it hurt to know that he wasn’t willing to open up to her about his family. She didn’t think he would ever be so cruel as to make promises to her and then be unfaithful. Daniel was too loyal, too considerate to treat anyone that way. He would never intentionally hurt her. But she didn’t think he would voluntarily tell her about his private life either, and she didn’t think it was right to try to force him to reveal his secrets. The problem was, if he was hiding his past, what else would he hide from her? What other parts of his life would he keep secret? She would always be wondering. There would be no trust. And the relationship would inevitably suffer.

  Her stomach twisted in knots as the realization of the depth of her feelings overtook her. She loved him. That made it even harder. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she could no longer push those feelings aside. But could she compromise? Even though she cared for Daniel, she didn’t think she could. She didn’t want to love him, especially when there didn’t seem to be any future for their relationship, but she couldn’t help herself. It was a good thing this mission was almost over. Tomorrow they would make the arrests at the stadium and then Operation Battlefield would be over, and they would go their separate ways. She would take her new FBI assignment and move to a new city, putting Chattanooga and Daniel far behind her.

  She wondered fleetingly what her options would be. Miami? New York City? Or maybe a smaller city in a rural area? Why didn’t the prospect of moving on fill her with excitement the way she would have expected?

  She knew it was time to pray. God was always her strength in difficult times. If there were ever a time to seek His guidance, it was now. She poured out her heart in her prayer, as well as her fears about what the future would bring. She also prayed for protection for both herself and Daniel as they entered this most dangerous part of their undercover mission.

  Her FBI phone suddenly rang, bringing her back to the present. She looked at the number and identified it as the new number that Hooker had supplied.

  “Yes, sir? This is Hailey.” These days, she always used her undercover name, just in case the phone was compromised in any way. It also made it easier to stay in character if she always answered with her undercover name.

  She listened for a while, then answered. “Yes, sir. Thank you for the information.” Then she told her FBI boss about what had happened during the meeting and the plans for the stadium. She also told him where he could pick up the pen and glasses that had recorded the meeting that morning, and their need to research and figure out the rest of Operation Battlefield. A few minutes later, the call ended and she stored her phone again.

  “Everything okay?” Daniel asked.

  “Not really,” she answered. “The FBI has found incontrovertible proof that Max Westfield was intercepting all of the communication between us and Special Agent Hooker. That’s why we weren’t able to contact him. They’ve found evidence that Max was tampering with the Heritage Guard files, as well. He was definitely the mole and was probably also behind Justin’s death. They’re trying to tie him to it as we speak. And now, Max Westfield has disappeared.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Daniel stood guard as Bethany pressed the C-4 into the crevice between the two girders at the stadium, his hand on the butt of his pistol. They were alone in the shadows and it was about noon, although people were scattered throughout the stadium, working and setting up for the afternoon festivities. Several bands had already arrived and were warming up in different areas around the field and out in the parking lot. Workers were manning the concession areas, as well as the ticket booths and the top deck where the officials who would be judging the event had congregated.

  Although they were still playing a role, there was no way the stadium would actually explode—that is, if law enforcement had anything to say about it. Bethany and Daniel had met with a joint FBI and Chattanooga Police Department task force yesterday after their Guard meeting and filled them in on all the details, so there were plenty of plain-clothed officers on the scene ready to make the arrests once they got the word to do so. The law enforcement teams were all connected by radio and were checking in on a regular basis. Until they knew the rest of the plans for Operation Battlefield, however, the FBI wanted to continue going through the motions as if the stadium explosion would still go on as planned. It was the hope that either the research team would discover a connection between some of Bishop’s texts and some other bit of news, or that Bishop or one of the other Guard members would let something slip in the moments leading up to the explosion that would give the rest of the Guard’s plans away.

  Daniel hummed along to the loud speaker that was playing Christmas music from a local radio station. The tune just added to the cacophony of sounds echoing off the walls of concrete, but he could still hear the law enforcement announcements through the speaker in his ear, as well. Every once in a whil
e, the DJ would come on and announce a current event that was planned for the upcoming weekend in Chattanooga, but there really didn’t seem to be much going on besides the normal holiday and charity galas that happened every year. Bethany and Daniel had been sure to report what they had discovered on Bishop’s phone about the phase one and phase two events and their theories, but it was hard to pinpoint anything that would have garnered the attention of the Guard as being worthy of a phase two event. Nothing scheduled in Chattanooga or the surrounding area over the next few weeks seemed to be noteworthy enough. However, agents and officers were still scrambling to come up with anything that might fit the Heritage Guard agenda.

  What added to the frustration was the fact that there was no hard evidence against anyone in the Guard organization who ranked above Bishop Jacobs to prove the conspiracy. They had a few vague texts, and a few names, but nothing concrete. The Heritage Guard had also only used a small amount of the stolen money on the C-4 they had purchased. The Guard was still planning something bigger. They just didn’t know what that bigger picture could be.

  Daniel spoke into his microphone attached to his sleeve. “All clear at checkpoint delta.” He turned to Bethany, who was still listening in on Bishop’s phone with a small earpiece. “How’s it going?”

  “I’m almost done,” Bethany replied.

  “That’s good,” Westfield answered, stepping out of the shadows. “I was afraid you wouldn’t follow through on your task for the Guard.”

  Daniel was quick to unholster his weapon and point it at Westfield, but the rogue FBI man was quicker. He also had a silencer on the end of his weapon, so when he fired his shot at Daniel, nobody heard the bullet that hit Daniel in the arm above the wrist and tore the skin as it skirted toward his elbow. Daniel dropped his gun, unable to keep his grip or even hit the button on his microphone to notify the other law enforcement officers due to the pain.

  “Max, no!” Bethany yelled. She went for him as if to tackle him, but he instantly swung the gun in her direction and she stopped short, apparently realizing that she couldn’t stop him without getting shot herself.

  “Keep your voice down, and no sudden moves, either of you. I will kill you, Bethany. I won’t enjoy it, but I’ll do it.” He looked behind him to make sure no one had noticed their activities, but they were still alone in the shadows.

  Daniel grabbed his wounded right arm, trying to staunch the flow of blood. His arm felt like it was on fire, and he pressed the fabric from his shirt and coat against the wound, hoping the pressure would help stop the bleeding. He gritted his teeth, angry that Westfield had been able to sneak up on them without his noticing.

  “Put your guns on the floor, now,” Westfield ordered, pointing his weapon at Bethany. “You too, Daniel. I know you carry a second piece. And pull out that microphone you have up your sleeve and your phones.” Bethany complied, pulling her service pistol from her waistband as well as her small derringer from her boot. She slowly added her cell phone to the pile growing at her feet. Daniel also gave up his second gun, his phone, and the microphone. Westfield collected the weapons and secured them in the pockets of his coat, then crushed the rest with the heel of his boot. Then he forced them up against the concrete wall of the stadium and frisked them. When he came to Bethany, his hands were overly friendly and Bethany kicked him hard in response.

  Westfield’s face turned red and he grabbed Bethany’s hair, hard, obviously hurting her and causing her to gasp. “It must have escaped your attention that I’m in charge now. Try that again and I’ll shoot you right here and now.” He pushed her against the concrete so roughly that her head hit the corner edge, causing a scrape and a line of blood to form on her temple.

  Westfield smiled when he saw the wound and the blood start to trickle down her face. “Now you have a gift to remember me by.” He finished frisking her, found Bethany’s knife in her boot and confiscated that, as well.

  “Any other hardware I should know about?”

  She shook her head but didn’t verbally respond. Her eyes were burning with fire. Daniel couldn’t help thinking that Westfield was an idiot. If he thought his rough treatment of Bethany was going to subdue her, the result was actually the opposite. Bethany was now fighting mad.

  “So you’re a member of the Heritage Guard?” Daniel asked, his voice filled with derision.

  Westfield laughed. “Look who just caught up.”

  “Which means you killed Justin,” Bethany added.

  He shrugged. “He was unfortunate collateral damage. I actually liked the man, but he couldn’t be swayed.”

  “Collateral damage?” Bethany said coldly, trembling with anger. “He was a person, with a family and friends. You act as if his death meant nothing at all.”

  Westfield shrugged. “He got in our way.” He took a few steps to the left and quickly looked behind himself, making sure they were still truly alone. Once satisfied, he returned his attention to his quarry in front of him. “The Guard has known about you for a couple of months now, Bethany, and has been using you and your abilities to advance our agenda. You’ve been able to provide us with quite a lot of valuable commodities—not to mention the fact that you make a very talented armed robber.” He gave her a chilling smile. “I have to admit, it took us a while to figure out that you were the one who had infiltrated our group. We knew someone had because the FBI kept thwarting our plans, but we didn’t know it was you until I joined the FBI myself and got access to the files.”

  “The FBI does thorough background checks before hiring anyone,” Bethany said defiantly. “How did you manage to hide your connection to the Heritage Guard?”

  Westfield smiled. “I had references from powerful people in high places, not to mention computer specialists working for the Guard who smoothed over any questions about my qualifications. Not a single red flag appeared. The Guard is not without resources, Bethany. You should know that. We have friends everywhere.” He leaned closer. “Instead of worrying about me though, you should really be worrying about yourself.” He shifted, but kept his weapon trained on both of them. “We thought about killing you outright but figured the FBI would just send in another agent. That’s why we decided to take out Justin instead. By taking out the head of the snake, we figured that would kill the investigation. We didn’t realize you would keep pushing so hard to keep the mission going, or that the FBI would listen and let you stay involved with the Guard. We were able to make sure you didn’t get too much intelligence, but now the time has come for you and your boyfriend here to be eliminated, as well.” He smiled again, a smirk that made Daniel’s blood boil. “Don’t worry though. Once the stadium blows up, we’ll be sure to verify that you and Daniel, along with the FBI and the Chattanooga Police Department, get all the credit for the explosion. They’ll find your bodies here in the rubble, along with your fingerprints all over the materials. Plus, they’ll be able to trace the materials back to the CPD evidence locker, which will further prove your involvement.”

  “You won’t get away with it,” Bethany said fervently under her breath. “You may think you’ve won, but even if we die today, others will stop you.”

  “If you die today?” Westfield laughed. “Darling, that’s an absolute certainty.” He took a step closer and ran his hand suggestively down her cheek. “And won’t it prove interesting when they find out that you were also in on the bank robbery and on that armored car heist. It will add even more fuel to the fire when they find money that was stolen from the armored car back in your apartment. Yes, the FBI will be kept quite busy defending you and its actions. We’ve thought of everything. Let me assure you—you’ll be quite the news story. Now turn around and finish setting that explosive properly.”

  It was all Daniel could do not to pounce on Westfield and shove the gun down his throat. He couldn’t stand seeing him touch Bethany, especially in such a personal manner. But he could also see the message in her eyes. Wait. Wa
tch. There would be a better opportunity to strike. Right now, Westfield held all the cards. He was too close to them with his loaded gun, and if either of them tried something, one or both of them could end up dead. No, the smart move was to wait, just as her wordless missive was suggesting.

  Bethany turned and continued working on the explosive, but she kept the conversation going. “Well if you’re so convinced, Westfield, there’s no harm in telling us the rest of the Operation Battlefield plan. We’ve been trying to figure it out all morning. Phase one is blowing up the stadium. What is phase two?”

  Westfield was silent for a moment, as if considering the situation, and Daniel wasn’t sure if he was going to answer. Then the hubris got the better of him and the words spilled from his mouth. “Well, I guess there’s no harm in telling you since you’ll be dead soon anyway.” He started to pace, yet kept the gun trained on their midriffs. It was almost as if he were dancing to the Christmas music that was playing in the background.

  “The governor is hosting a Christmas party tonight, and has invited several dignitaries, including both senators from Tennessee and three of our nine federal representatives. Unfortunately, some of the food at the party is going to be tainted, and a lot of the people are going to get sick. Some of the people are even going to die—including the three congressmen and two senators. It will all look like a terrible accident, but no one will really care, because everyone will be talking about the horrible bomb that took out the stadium and all of those dear children at the marching band competition. The entire focus will be on the corruption within the FBI and the CPD and how they could allow a joint operation to go so terribly wrong. In the meantime, new senators and congressmen will need to be appointed to finish out the terms of the people who accidentally died at the party. While the nation hones in on the stadium tragedy, the Heritage Guard has people in place to make sure Guard members are selected to fill those empty spots in the federal government with little to no opposition.”