Spy Now, Pay Later

by Diane Henders

  A short while later, I slid into Holt’s passenger seat and delved into the bag of supplies I’d acquired.

  “Here you go, big-city researcher,” I said as I passed him a clipboard. “You’re visiting from Toronto and job-shadowing me, a biologist who volunteers with the rat patrol.” I waved a hand at my scuffed hiking boots and faded jeans. “I already look the part, so all I need is this…” I coiled my hair up and pulled my new tuque over it. “…so I’m not quite so easy to identify.”

  I finished my look with a pair of heavy-rimmed reading glasses and blinked myopically at Holt. He grinned and put the car in gear.

  “We’ll have to visit a couple of places on either side of the shop, too,” I cautioned. “I hate to waste the time, but I don’t want to arouse suspicion. And I want to check the outdoor areas as well. There might be some tracks in the snow or something.”

  Holt raised an eyebrow. “Rat tracks?”

  I grimaced. “Yeah. Human rats.”

  Chapter 33

  Nearly two hours later, I slumped in Holt’s passenger seat again, defeated. Not a single damn clue in the automotive shop or its surroundings. And the snow had been so trampled, even if Kane had lain down and made snow angels we couldn’t have found them.

  Maybe we should have stayed longer; looked harder. But that would waste even more time we didn’t have…

  “Stop doing that!” Holt snapped.

  I desisted from mangling the seatbelt yet again. “Sorry.”

  “Another fucking waste of time,” he snarled. “Freezing my fucking ass off poking around in the snow to find fuck-all, and look at this grease on my coat…”

  “Yeah.” I reached for the seatbelt again, but caught myself in time and locked my fingers together instead. “It was a long shot, but we had to check.”

  “So now what?”

  I made my tone as confident as possible. “Now we go back and finish analyzing those reports.”

  He grimaced, but didn’t argue.

  I glanced at my watch. “Three-thirty. I bet Spider’s got a complete analysis by now.”

  Holt brightened. “Is he that good?”

  “Better. He’s a genius.”

  “That’s good. We’re going to need one.” Holt gave me a sidelong glance before returning his attention to driving. “We’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of catching two top agents like Kane and Stemp once they go rogue.”

  “They haven’t gone rogue.” I met Holt’s skeptical eyebrow with my most confident expression. “I’d stake my life on it.”

  Holt snorted. “You are staking your life on it.”

  “Yeah.” I slouched deeper in the seat. “But if Kane had planned to steal the weapon, he’d have just killed me on the plane and nobody would have been any the wiser. And even if they were actually conspiring to steal the weapon, they’re both far too smart to do something this obvious.”

  Reaching for the seatbelt again, I caught Holt’s glare and converted the movement into a vigorous tug on my hair. “Something went wrong last night, I’m sure of it. Really, really wrong. We need to find them, and fast.”

  The twenty-minute drive seemed to take forever. Holt drove in silence again, leaving me ample opportunity to work myself into a state of poorly-suppressed panic.

  Maybe I should call Spider. See if there was anything new…

  But no, he’d call me immediately if anything had changed. So that meant no news.

  But no news might be good news, I argued with my jittery self. If Kane and Stemp were undercover, they wouldn’t risk calling in. Maybe everything was going according to plan. Maybe it would be better if I didn’t try to find them.

  Or maybe their time was running out…

  I sighed as we pulled into the parking lot at Sirius Dynamics, and sprang out to make a beeline for the building as soon as the car stopped.

  Holt caught up just as I was turning away from the security wicket, and I waited impatiently while he signed in, too.

  Wincing at the complaints of my bruised hip and knee, I took the stairs two at a time and hurried for Spider’s office with Holt trailing me. When I tapped on his door, Spider twitched, his gaze jerking away from the computer screen.

  “Anything?” he asked fearfully.

  “Nothing. You?” I took in the rumpled peaks of his hair, a sure sign of his absorption. He churned an oblivious hand through it again, his gaze returning to his screen. “Maybe. Pull up a chair.”

  Holt sat while I perched, leaning forward as if I could peer through the back of his computer screen. “What did you find?”

  “Okay.” Spider let out a long breath. “I went back through Stemp’s old missions. He only used George Harrison as a cover once, on his very last mission seven years ago. He was trying to trace an arms deal overseas…” He hesitated and his gaze flickered to me before returning to his screen. “…in Bulgaria and Romania.”

  I held onto the best poker face I could muster. Bulgaria, seven years ago. Katya lived in Bulgaria. And Anna was six or seven years old…

  “Something went wrong, and Stemp believed his cover might have been compromised,” Spider went on. “We don’t know if it actually was or if it’s just generally unhealthy to be involved with arms dealers over there, but one night somebody opened fire on his car with an automatic weapon. His passenger was killed and Stemp was injured. We extracted him and brought him back here, and put out the word that George Harrison had died in the attack.”

  The connection clicked in my brain. “Oh!”

  “What?” Holt demanded.

  I grimaced. “Nothing useful. It was just something Bud Weems said. Stemp moved into his house about seven years ago, and he’d been in a ‘car accident’…” I made air quotes around the word. “…just before that. Go on, Spider.”

  “So here’s another connection,” he said. “Guess who took over the mission from Stemp?”

  Holt snorted. “Too easy. Kane, right?”

  Spider nodded. “So Dawn White, the informant from seven years ago he mentioned last night…”

  “…was part of that op, of course,” Holt finished. “How did it wrap up? Did they nail the arms dealer?”

  “No.” Spider frowned. “Thanks to Kane’s informant they arrested a few small-time couriers who seemed loosely associated with Fuzzy Bunny, but they couldn’t get up the food chain to Parr. The leads went cold and Kane got recalled.”

  “He said that’s what happened the last time he was over there sixteen months ago, too,” I said. “That was when Yana Orlov was his suspect.”

  Holt’s lips twisted. “Well, isn’t that convenient? Stemp and Kane both investigate arms deals overseas that just never quite get solved. And then Kane calls Stemp and says their informant from seven years ago just showed up, and Stemp decides on the spur of the moment to get involved with an op using his old cover identity even though he’s been retired from active service for seven years. And he takes the time to call in a ‘personal’ emergency…”

  He shot me a sour look before continuing, “But oddly enough he doesn’t take time to check in with the chain of command and let them know how his meeting went. And then they both just coincidentally vanish along with a secret weapon prototype.” He scowled. “That’s a few too many coincidences for me. What do we know about Dawn White?”

  “Um, maybe Stemp couldn’t call the chain of command because he was undercover and somebody was listening. Remember, his call to Dermott was pretty general. And, um…” Spider hunched his skinny shoulders, not quite making eye contact. “Dawn White is probably an alias. I’ve pulled all the official records and there are a couple of dozen Dawn Whites in Canada, but none of them seem likely candidates for our informant. And there’s really not much in Kane’s reports about her-”

  “Fuck!” Holt exploded. “Why not? Why the hell didn’t the chain of command make sure the reports were complete? Shit, Stemp and Kane have been colluding for fucking years-”

  “I’m sure there’s another explanation.”
I put on my most confident voice to hide the shrivelling sensation in my chest. “There are lots of reasons why he might not mention her in a report. If it would have put her at risk-”

  “If that’s the case, you redact the identifying information from the general reports,” Holt snarled. “But you still report it somewhere.”

  “I’m still digging,” Spider said hurriedly. “It’ll probably show up. This is just my preliminary analysis. Oh, and I’ve got facial recognition software scanning every CCTV feed I can pull from here to Calgary, but no hits yet for Kane or Stemp. I’ve also got the police watching for either of their vehicles. And I’ve done a preliminary search on the owner of the automotive shop. Nothing suspicious there either, but I’m also looking into his family members and employees. I dumped everything I’ve got so far into your network accounts.”

  I sighed and dragged myself to my feet. “Thanks, Spider, you’re doing a great job as always. I’m going to go and read everything you’ve sent me and get up to speed.”

  Holt rose, too. “I’ll report to Dermott.” A hint of smug satisfaction smoothed his face. “Guess he’ll be our new director after all.” He strode out, leaving Spider and me eyeing each other unhappily.

  “This is bad,” Spider said in a small voice. “It’s like he doesn’t want them to be innocent.”

  I hugged my parka and tried to emulate Stemp’s dispassionate tones. “I guess that’s what makes a good agent. He needs to be impartial.”

  “He’s not impartial,” Spider protested. “He and Dermott are buddies, and they’ve both got something to gain. If Kane and Stemp get railroaded, Holt gets reinstated and probably promoted, and Dermott gets the director’s position.”

  I sighed. “I wish Germain was here. He’d know what to do.”

  “It’d be great to have another person on our side, but as long as you’re on the case I know it’ll work out fine.” Spider’s confident smile made my gut clench.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, and hurried out before I could blurt the truth of my inadequacy.

  I had almost reached the safety of my office when Jill stepped out of Tammy’s doorway.

  She greeted me with her usual sparkle. “Hi, Aydan! Why the long face?”

  Casting a wary eye behind her, I muttered, “Where’s Tammy?”

  “Ladies’ room. Why?” Jill frowned.

  “Um… I just…” I sighed. Jill would understand. “I’m working on a case and it’s getting me down. I really need some help, but nobody’s available…” I eyed her hopefully. “I don’t suppose…?”

  Even as I said the words I realized she didn’t have the necessary security clearance, so I was relieved when she grimaced and shook her head.

  “I’d love to, but I’m full-time and then some with Tammy. And she doesn’t know any of us are agents, so I can’t break cover.”

  I scuffed my booted toe morosely at the carpet. “Yeah, I figured. It was worth a try. Speaking of which, I was going to ask you, um… would you maybe teach me some hand-to-hand combat sometime? When you can get away from Tammy, I mean?”

  Jill smiled. “I’m not good enough to teach. You should talk to Germain about that.”

  “Are you kidding?” I gave her an incredulous look. “I saw you fight. You and Germain were evenly matched!”

  She laughed, a warm cascade of amusement that made me smile despite my worries. “He could have wiped the floor with me in ten seconds or less.”

  “But…”

  She chuckled again at my confusion. “It was a skill evaluation, not a fight. It’s his job as an evaluator to push my limits and find out what I can do, but he wasn’t even close to going full-out.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t quite prevent my sigh from escaping. “Damn, I wish he was here. Or that I could at least talk to him. I don’t even know where he’s assigned or how to get in touch with him, and I know Dermott won’t tell me.”

  Jill leaned closer and dropped her voice, mischief glinting in her eyes. “I might know that.”

  Her conspiratorial tone made my lips quirk upward. “Oh, really?”

  “Really.” She grinned. “You didn’t seriously think I’d let that hot hunk of man walk away without leaving me his phone number.”

  My smile widened. “That would be ridiculously short-sighted.”

  “Damn right.” She beckoned me into the office and extracted a scrap of paper and a pen from her purse. “Here…” She scribbled a number and handed it to me. “This is his burner phone. He’s not undercover, but he’s really busy with his case so it might be pretty late when he calls back.” She winked. “Nothing like a late-night phone call.”

  I grinned, feeling better already. “Thanks, Jill. This really helps.”

  I had just stepped into the hallway when Tammy approached from direction of the ladies’ room, her white cane skimming the carpet and tracking along the baseboard.

  I hesitated. I wasn’t really in the mood for another deluge of her one-sided conversation, but could I just keep walking? She couldn’t see me. It wasn’t like she’d know I was being rude…

  “Who’s there?” Her dark glasses turned unnervingly in my direction.

  I gulped. “Hi, Tammy, it’s Aydan.”

  “Oh, hi, Aydan! I was wondering when we’d meet again. Spider said you’re really busy, so I’m glad you weren’t sick, but I was really hoping we’d be able to work together again soon, and-”

  I interrupted as politely as I could. “Actually, I am really busy, so I have to run. I hope you’re enjoying your work, though. And I’m sure we’ll work together soon.” I began to walk away during the last sentence, hoping my receding voice would cue her that I was leaving.

  “Oh… well, maybe I’ll talk to you later…” She looked so disappointed that my heart smote me.

  Fortunately Jill emerged and spoke to her, and I shot her a look of gratitude as I escaped into my office, guilt still nibbling my conscience.

  Flopping into my desk chair, I punched Germain’s number. Who knew how long I might have to wait for his return call…

  The ringing on the other end was cut short by a deep, seductive growl. “Well, hey there, Hotness.”

  After a flustered moment, I stammered, “Um, it’s Aydan…”

  “Oh!” Germain’s sexy tease vanished. “How did you get this num… Never mind. Sorry. What’s up?”

  “Do you have time to talk for a few minutes?”

  “Yes, is something wrong?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know…”

  I laid out the entire scenario while he listened, prompting me now and again with questions.

  “…and I still need to go and check John’s place to see if he’s been back, and Spider’s still digging,” I finished. “I’m sorry to bother you with this, but I just needed to bounce it off somebody who doesn’t have an agenda.”

  “It’s okay, Aydan, I don’t mind.” Germain hesitated. “But honestly, I don’t know what else to tell you. I’d do exactly what you’re doing if I was in your place.”

  I slumped in the chair. “Damn. I was hoping I’d missed some really simple solution.”

  “We’re never that lucky.”

  “Yeah.” I heaved a big sigh. “Thanks for listening, anyway. Good luck on your case.”

  “Thanks. You too. Call me if you think of anything else.”

  I hung up and scowled at the phone for a few moments before the corners of my mouth tugged into a smile.

  ‘Hotness’. Well, well. Apparently I hadn’t been imagining the attraction between Jill and Germain. And they were free to pursue it, since they weren’t working together.

  My smile slipped away. Not like Kane and me.

  Assuming Kane and I were still on the same side of the law. And assuming he was still alive…

  I groaned and reached for the phone. “Holt? Yeah, we need to go over and check Kane’s place. Bring your lock picks.”

  Chapter 34

  Parked in Kane’s back alley, I glared at Holt and continued our debate
. “No, you’re not coming in. I only asked you to bring the lock picks as a last resort. If you show up in Fuzzy Bunny’s surveillance video, you could blow my cover. I’m going to go and try the back door. If it’s still unlocked, it means he hasn’t been back. And if he hasn’t been back, it means we don’t need to search because he didn’t know about any of this before he got the call last night.”

  Holt frowned. “You think it’s smart for you to show up on their surveillance?”

  “They’ll just think I’m searching his place again. I’ve only got a day left to deliver the weapon, so they’ll figure I’m getting panicky.” I shrugged to hide how panicky I truly was.

  “What if he just left the door unlocked to make it look like he hasn’t been back?” Holt argued.

  “I’ll be able to see the prints in the snow under his basement window. If there are prints on top of mine, I’ll know he was back.”

  Holt scowled. “How do you know he didn’t just walk right in the door? If he’s working with Fuzzy Bunny, he wouldn’t care if he showed up on their surveillance cameras.”

  “Christ, Holt, he’s not working for Fuzzy Bunny! If he was, I’d be dead and we’d never have gotten the weapon in the first place.”

  Holt eyed me narrowly. “Why would you be dead? What does Fuzzy Bunny care about you?”

  Shit, I’d forgotten he didn’t have the security clearance to access all my mission reports.

  I recovered as fast as I could. “Because he’d have told them I was an agent instead of cheap fraud artist.” I pinned him with a gimlet stare. “Take the car around front. Stay out of sight unless I call for backup.”

  I was halfway out of the car when Holt spoke again. “Does he have a fucking paranoid security system like Stemp?”

  “No. Just a deadbolt.”

  He put the car in gear without further argument and drove down the alley. A couple of minutes later, his voice spoke in my comm link. “I’m three houses west of his place now.”

  “Okay. I’m going in.”

  In the gathering dusk, I let myself in Kane’s back gate with a moment’s gratitude for not having to navigate the scatological obstacle course next door. At the back door I hesitated, my heart thumping rapidly.