by Mike Ryan
“Iranians got a call about half an hour ago. Their English wasn’t too bad actually,” Cole answered.
“Who from?”
“Davis. He was cancelling the meet. Told them it’d been compromised and he needed to go in a different direction.”
“What’d they say?”
“They understood. Disappointed but said they’d try again soon.”
“Now he’s gone again,” Turner stated.
“No,” Parker replied, shaking her head. She refused to let him get away one more time. “He wasn’t expecting this. We surprised him. He planned for this exchange to go down and we ruined his plans.”
“Surely he would’ve had a backup plan just in case,” Cole said.
“Maybe. But he’s scrambling right now. He let his guard down at the house or else I wouldn’t have been able to get in there. Wouldn’t have even known about it. He slipped up. Got overconfident. Right now he doesn’t know how much we know or where we’re at. He’s looking for an exit. Now’s the time to grab him. We’ve gotta strike fast before he has a chance to get his feet under him again.”
“Maybe he’ll just find a place to lay low for a while till everything boils over,” Turner mentioned.
“No. That’s not him. He doesn’t work like that,” Parker told him. “He likes to be in control. He wants to dictate the action. If he’s waiting, then he’ll get antsy. He hates that. He wants to be in charge and make the move. He’ll want to get out as quickly as possible.”
Chapter 12
Parker and Cole each were on their respective laptops, feverishly working to try and get a fix on Davis’ location. Turner started to feel left out and useless. He noticed the other laptop on the table; the one Parker took from the man she killed in the hotel. He opened it and sat down, turning it on. Cole noticed and tried to stop him.
“Hey. That’s government property. You can’t be on that,” Cole told him. “Besides, we haven’t had a chance to analyze it yet.”
“Uhhh…hellooo? I’m a government agent now,” Turner replied, half-joking.
Cole pushed his eyebrows together, not sure he just heard right. “You’re what now? Did I miss the swearing in ceremony?”
“Didn’t you hear Burnett say that I’m part of the team now?”
Parker looked up at Cole from her computer to join in the conversation. “He does have a point. She did say he was to help analyze things we might be missing.”
Cole grunted, annoyed to be outvoted. “Fine.”
“Besides…I’ll do the analyzing for you,” Turner said. “You got your work there. While you’re doing that I’ll check out this bad boy for ya. I have worked for a computer company you know.”
“Putting out Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers doesn’t exactly qualify you to be working on high priority, top secret stuff.”
“Please…everybody knows that was Nintendo,” he wittily responded.
“Almost liked it better when you were dead,” Cole quietly mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Just clearing my throat.”
“Let’s just stop and think for a minute,” Parker told the group. “Where would he go that’s the closest? He’s not gonna stay here, it’s getting too hot. Could he go back to France? Probably not after what just happened there.”
“That leaves Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, and England,” Cole replied.
“How would he get to any of these places?” Turner wondered. “He’d use the least likeliest of travel, right?”
“Exactly,” Parker answered. “He’s not gonna use a plane right now. Airport’s got too many eyes on it. I think we can rule Luxembourg out since it’s so small and it’s not easy to get lost in there. Plus it’s the furthest away from Brussels.”
“That leaves Netherlands and Germany,” Cole stated. “He’d have to do it by train or car, unless he’s walking there. Only way he’s getting to England’s by boat.”
As soon as the words left Cole’s mouth, he and Parker looked at each other like they were totally in sync. They both thought that a boat would probably be his preferred choice of leaving the country. It’d be roughly a twelve to fifteen hour boat ride to England from Belgium. As they began discussing their theory of Davis leaving by boat, Turner kept plugging away at the laptop he had.
“Where would he leave from?” Cole wondered. “Antwerp’s port is probably a little too high profile for him. Plus that’s where the meeting was going down. I doubt he’d use that for his getaway too.”
“No, you’re right. He’d go somewhere else.”
“Hey guys,” Turner shouted.
“Quiet. We’re thinking,” Cole responded.
“Would the Ostend Harbour fall into your line of thinking?”
Cole’s eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows knowing that Turner must’ve found something. Parker and Cole rushed over to him, standing just behind his shoulders as they looked at the screen to see what he had. He enlarged the document to make it easier for them to see.
“How’d you find this?” Cole asked.
“Just luck really. Just started clicking on files to see what they were and happened on this one,” Turner responded.
“That’s gotta be it,” Parker added, rubbing Turner’s shoulders. “Makes perfect sense. Easy to get to from here. Only an hour away. It’s the closest spot he can get to from Belgium to get to England.”
They were looking at maps and pictures of the Ostend Harbour docks. As Turner and Parker continued looking at the files of Ostend Harbour, Cole called Burnett to let her know what they’d found. Burnett also told him they’d found out the identity of the man Parker shot in the hotel. It was Mika Kapanen, a well known criminal from Finland. He was a computer expert and master forger. He was most likely the man behind the virus on Burnett’s computer. From the looks of Kapanen’s computer, it appeared Davis trusted him completely as they found a lot of documents from places Davis had already been. Places the CIA knew he was and were just a split second too late on him. Even if Davis somehow slipped through their fingers again, losing Kapanen would be a major blow for him. Once they were done exchanging information, Burnett told Cole she’d check on seeing where Davis was trying to go from Ostend. Cole relayed the information about Kapanen to Parker. She was a little taken aback since she’d heard the name before.
“Heath and I were in Finland maybe two years ago running down a lead,” Parker remembered.
“He meet with this guy?” Cole asked.
“I don’t know. At one point we got separated for a few hours interrogating different people.”
“Odds are that’s when Davis met this guy.”
“Heath probably had him sit on the computer and just relay the information to him.”
Turner suddenly started violently waving his arms in the air to interrupt their conversation. He thought he found something important.
“Look at this,” he told them, enlarging the picture for them.
“The Guardian?” Parker asked.
“Isn’t that a newspaper?” Cole wondered.
“I believe it is,” Turner replied. “But in this instance…it’s a boat.”
“And its significance is?”
“Its significance is that I think this is the boat that Heath’s leaving on.”
Cole immediately called Burnett again about their findings. She told him to give him ten minutes and then meet her on the video line. They did as they were instructed and passed the time looking for information about a boat called The Guardian. Their search was interrupted when Burnett came on screen.
“We just got a hit,” Burnett told the team. “We were already searching harbors on England’s shore when we came across a boat named The Guardian. It was docked in the Port of Dover in southeast England. It’s the world’s busiest passenger port, with over 16 million passengers going through it each year.”
“That’s great,” Turner excitedly stated.
“What’s not so great is that we’ve already
checked its itinerary and it’s already departed for Ostend. It left port about ten hours ago.”
“That means we still got time,” Parker said.
“Busiest port,” Cole said. “Probably why he picked it. Hoping to get lost in there once he arrived.”
“Most likely,” Burnett replied. “Get to the Ostend Harbour immediately before Davis has the opportunity to board that ship.”
“Instructions if we find him?” Cole asked.
“Same as they’ve always been. Do what is necessary.”
“Roger that.”
Since the boat had already left, they assumed that Davis wanted it docked in the harbor for a day or two before he actually wanted it, just in case he needed to depart early if there was a change in plans. Parker and Cole grabbed their gear and rushed out of the hotel with Turner following. As they were driving, they went over a plan and tried to devise the best way of taking Davis down. Once they got to the harbor, Cole would look for some higher ground where he could set up and look for Davis through the scope of his rifle. It was approaching midnight once they got there. Burnett had told them what dock number The Guardian was supposed to arrive at so at least they didn’t have a lot of ground to cover. Cole immediately noticed some tall buildings and went to find a spot. He took Turner with him, not that he needed the help, but they didn’t want him on the ground in case things turned bad. Parker found an unoccupied boat and took cover on it in case Davis happened by. They waited for almost two hours without a sign of him. They were starting to think that they’d gotten bad information. That somehow Davis wanted them to be there while he was getting away somewhere else. They agreed to give it a few more hours. They felt they were too close to give it up so soon. Another hour silently went by until Cole saw something.
“Parker…got movement,” Cole stated.
“Heath?”
“Can’t tell. Three men. One in front. Two behind him. Could be Davis. Not sure. Headed right for you though.”
“I’ll have to come out for a look then,” she told him.
“Be careful.”
“You got a shot from there?”
“Can’t miss.”
“Let me know when to go,” Parker said.
“Roger that. Hold steady for a minute.”
“Is that really a good idea?” Turner asked, worrying. “I mean, she could get shot as soon as she reveals her face.”
“I can pick off two pretty easy.”
“And the other one?”
“She can manage,” Cole replied. “Relax. This isn’t the first time she’s done this. She’s a pro. She knows what she’s doing. Trust her.”
“I do. It’s the other guys I don’t trust.”
The men continued walking towards Parker. They were moving a little slowly and looking around them quite often. They definitely seemed a little antsy. They had just about moved to where Parker was stationed. They were all wearing baseball hats, making it a little harder to see their faces clearly. Just before they reached the boat she was in, Parker jumped off it. The men were only a few feet in front of her and there was no doubt that was standing there. It was Davis.
“Hello Heath,” she said.
That was the only cue Cole needed. He had the other men in his crosshairs. As soon as his name came out of her mouth he fired his rifle two times in quick succession, hitting both of his targets before they knew what was coming. The shots were perfect, killing both of them before they hit the ground. Davis was a bit startled by the shots and halfway turned around before looking back to his old partner. He’d removed a gun by that point but dropped it upon seeing Parker pointing one at him.
“I see you brought some company,” Davis said.
“Yeah. You might know him. His name’s Jim Cole.”
“Cole?” Davis asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Your plan to blow him up backfired. He escaped just before it exploded.”
Davis chuckled. “Guess my plan had a few flaws in it.”
“Well isn’t that how the villain always gets caught? Gets overconfident in his abilities,” Parker said.
“I guess it was bound to happen at some point. That you’d catch up with me. I’ve had you guys going around in circles for almost a year.”
“Yeah, well, now it’s over.”
“So how’s this gonna end?” Davis wondered. “Taking me in?”
Parker stood there contemplating what to do. She had her gun pointed at Davis’ head and really wanted to pull the trigger for all the problems he’d caused. She wasn’t sure taking him in was the best option. Turner and Cole kept watching from above.
“What’s she doing?” Turner asked. “Why doesn’t she just slap the cuffs on him?”
“Cause she’s not sure what to do,” Cole answered.
“What do you mean? It’s over, isn’t it?”
“Only time it’s ever really over is when they’re in the ground.”
Davis could see in Parker’s eyes how unsure she was about everything. He’d try to use that to his advantage.
“How do you know this isn’t all part of my plan to?” he asked.
“To get caught?”
“You never really know do you?” he said, starting to move toward her.
Parker backed up. “You take one more step and I’ll drop you right here.”
“You’re not gonna shoot me. If you were you’d have done it already. But you’re not sure taking me back’s the right thing either.”
“I could just let Cole shoot you.”
“If that were the case I’d be dead by now too. You can’t bring me in just in case I really do have something up my sleeve. And you can’t shoot me because of our past. So why don’t you just step aside so I can be on my way?”
“Just let you escape? So you can come back another day to ruin my life again?”
“Parker…time to end this,” Cole told her.
Davis stepped closer to her again.
“I told you not another step,” Parker yelled.
“C’mon Alex. You’re not the same Alex Parker we both used to know and love. You’ve gotten soft. The old you would’ve shot by now. You don’t have it in you anymore. We both know you’re not gonna…”
Davis’ words were interrupted as Parker fired her gun, the bullet traveling directly into his forehead and exploding out the back of his head. He died immediately upon impact of the bullet and fell onto his back. Parker took a few steps closer, standing over top of his lifeless body.
“I can’t believe she did that,” an astonished Turner said. “He was unarmed.”
“He was a dangerous man and a wanted fugitive. Your girlfriend’s a government assassin. It’s time you realized all that and put your big boy pants on and accept it,” Cole told him. “He’s tried to kill all of us and if we captured him alive is likely that he’d try it again someday. Now he’ll never get that chance. Everyone will sleep better now that he’s gone.”
Turner knew what he was saying was right. It was just the sight of Parker shooting an unarmed person that gave him hesitation. Cole tugged him by the shirt to follow him back down.
“C’mon. You can go hug a tree later,” Cole sarcastically said.
It took them about five minutes to get back to the ground and reach Parker. She was still standing over Davis’ body. It was almost like she couldn’t believe that it was finally over. She never even noticed Cole and Turner approaching her. Cole could see that she was stunned and grabbed her by the arm to break her trance. Parker looked at him without saying a word.
“You did what you had to do,” Cole told her.
Parker took a few steps back and turned around. She started walking for a few minutes before she stopped and just sat down. She ran her hand over her face, thinking about everything she’d been through. While she was contemplating her life, Cole called Burnett to let her know it was over.
“What do you want us to do with the bodies?” Cole asked.
“Are you sure he’s dead?” Burnett asked.
“He’s as dead as dead can be. Parker shot him in the head. Back of his head looks like a watermelon explosion.”
“Leave them then. You don’t have time to dispose of them. Authorities will probably be there soon. Just get out of there before you have to explain yourselves.”
“Roger that. We’re on the move.”
Cole tapped Turner on the shoulder to follow him. He then yelled for Parker. She didn’t respond. He yelled again and told her they had to go. She looked over at him and complied, slowly getting up. She looked at Davis one final time as she passed by him. They quickly went back to their car and left the scene before they were spotted. Nobody entered a word on the way back to the hotel. Once they arrived, Parker sought out Cole for some advice.
“Heath was right,” she said.
“About what?”
“I’m not the same as I used to be. Even if I wanted to be, even if I wanted to keep doing this, I don’t know if I can.”
“Just relax. Calm down. It’s an emotional night. We just finished something it took almost a year to do.”
“Yeah.”
“We all change, Alex. Even if you’re not the same agent you used to be. That doesn’t make you worse. You are what you needed to be when you needed to be it. That’s all that matters.”
Parker nodded. “I guess.”
“You’re still the best partner I ever had.”
Parker smiled and hugged him, thanking him for the reassurance. She noticed Turner was sitting and looking a little down. She sat next to him and held his hand.
“You OK?” she asked.
“Uhh, yeah, yeah, just a little shook up I guess.”
“Well it’s not easy seeing some of the things you’ve seen.”
“It’s just that…I know with everything Heath’s done that he’s not a good guy or anything…but he wasn’t armed, Alex.”
“I know. Believe me; it wasn’t easy for me to do that. But as much as I’d like to just say put him in a cell and forget about him, it’s not always that simple. For all we know he still has a lot of contacts out there that could cause trouble for all of us. Who knows what else he had planned. Would you be willing to take the chance that he could send someone to kill us, or even Vicky?”
