"What's that?" Riley looked at me.
"They all died here. They were all brought here, or came here on their own, alive. Now what would make something that epic happen?"
No one spoke. We had nothing. No ideas. There was no way to know without doing some investigating. But the media on the front lawn made that impossible to do.
"Shouldn't you call the police or something?" Kelly asked, pointing to the dead Japanese mobster.
I looked at Riley. "What are we going to do about that? We can't just get rid of her. But if we call in the police, my house becomes a crime scene."
"We'll have to move it," Riley said, rubbing his chin. "Dump her somewhere else to draw the attention away from Merry."
I nodded. It sounded like a fairly good idea. "Where are you going to take her, and how are you going to get her out without being spotted?"
Kelly spoke up. "I could take her to the hospital."
"That's still too close," I said. "Anywhere in the same state is going to set off alarms."
"Well how far away do you want to go so it's not too close?" Kelly asked.
"Japan," I suggested.
Riley shook his head. "That's not going to happen. I think I'll take her to Chicago and dump her in Chinatown."
"She's not Chinese, Riley," I said.
"Hey!" Kelly grinned. "There's that huge Japanese supermarket in the suburbs! You could take her there!" Kelly would know that. She loved taking trips to Chicago for ingredients you couldn't find here. I usually went with her for the free samples.
I thought about Midori's body being found in a grocery store. "How would they explain it? That she got hungry for edamame she could only get in Chicago?"
Riley said, "Who cares? It becomes the Chicago PD's problem, not ours. The FBI will probably get involved too. Then it becomes a circus. Their circus."
"I'm going with you." I couldn't stay in this house one more minute, and going out the front door wasn't going to work.
"No way," Riley disagreed. "If we got busted with the body and you in the same car, this would only get worse. Much worse."
"I think she should go," Kelly said. We turned and looked at her. "She's got to get out of here before they break down the door. They don't know what she looks like, but if they take her picture it'll be broadcast all over the world." She pointed at my hair. "And even with different hair and eye color, someone would figure out who she really is."
Lana nodded. She'd been quiet this whole time. No look at me this, or I'm a hottie that. I wondered what had gotten into her.
"We can't just leave Lana here alone," Riley said. I smiled. He'd agreed I could go. That was a small victory.
We looked at the Russian bombshell. No, leaving her alone meant too much temptation for her to burst out the front door asking for directions to Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion. Lana was a powder keg of unpredictability. I looked at Kelly meaningfully.
She shook her head and waved us off. "No way. I'm not bringing that home to my husband. Especially since I have to work the night shift tonight." Kelly didn't really have anything to worry about. Her husband, Robert, adored her. But that might not stop him from staring. And there was much to stare at.
"She has to go with us," Riley said finally. Lana's face lit up like a Christmas tree as if Riley had just proposed, overthrown her beloved Putee, and given her Russia for a present.
"I don't think that's a good idea. She has to stay here," I said, suddenly smiling. "Now, where did you park your car? Because I have an idea."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"This is never going to work," Riley said for the thirtieth time. We ignored him like we had the previous twenty-nine times he'd said it.
"If two CIA operatives, one Russian spy, and a nurse can't make this happen," I said, "no one can."
"One CIA officer, one ex-CIA agent, and one ex-Russian spy," Riley corrected. "Although I do have absolute faith in the nurse."
Kelly blushed, and I wanted to smack her. She had no idea how Riley could use his charms. But he was right, I was pretty sure of all of us, she really was the competent one.
Lana giggled and bounced up and down, which meant that other parts of her also bounced up and down. She'd changed back into her skin-tight dress and Louboutin heels. I had no doubt she could pull this off. Lana lived for acting. That's why she'd been good at what she did.
Riley zipped up the suitcase and nodded. It was time to go. We opened up the door, and Lana slipped through the doorway. Five seconds later, Kelly followed, nodding solemnly at me as she headed out. Ten minutes later, Riley and I left. I locked the door behind me as Riley wrestled with the old, beat up case. Hopefully, anyone watching would think I was splitting with a packed suitcase, never suspecting that a diminutive and rotting Japanese gangster was folded up inside.
Riley had parked in the alley behind my house. Only the neighbors knew it was there—and they didn't care really because it was technically mine and I never used it. Weeds and seven-foot-tall bushes obscured the entrance because I thought it looked rustic that way (which really means I was very lazy). It was overgrown and out of sight. Outsiders wouldn't think there was an alley because I had a driveway in front of the house. Unfortunately, there was only one way out of the alley, and it was so close to my house we would definitely be noticed leaving if the media was overflowing around the corner.
He popped the hatch of the SUV that screamed HELLO, MY NAME IS: Government Agency and shoved the suitcase in. The hatch slammed shut, and we climbed aboard. I glanced back at the suitcase. I'd hauled one or two dead bodies in my career, but it still unnerved me. It was worse now. But maybe that was because this was the third dead body in a couple of days. I never had that kind of body count in this short of a time before. And I was pretty sure no one else in the CIA had either.
Once in the driver's seat, Riley pulled a tablet out of the glove compartment and turned it on. After a few touches, the screen was filled with an image of my house, Wolf Blitzer out front. I looked around us but didn't see anything suspicious.
Wolf was once again reporting that they had no idea who I was, what I looked like, nor could they get hold of me. I was impressed with the number of media on my front lawn. As we'd suspected, the reporters were spilling around the corner. Every network seemed to be there, including The Travel Channel and Animal Planet.
"Why is Animal Planet here?" I asked, my eyes locked on the screen. I hoped it was Jackson Galaxy, the host of My Cat from Hell, even though I couldn't think of a single reason why they'd have him covering dead terrorists. But then, some of those cats were evil geniuses. I liked evil geniuses.
"Maybe I should get a cat?" I asked. Riley gave me a look that said I should shut up now. Clearly, he didn't watch the show.
"Look." He pointed at the left side of the screen. Off camera, something was going on. I smiled. The cameras started turning away from my house as these newsmen turned into slack-jawed, lobotomized basset hounds.
Lana finally appeared on screen coming down the sidewalk toward my house, giggling, jiggling, and waving at the reporters. She even blew a few kisses, which I thought was slightly over the top. Anyone holding a camera suddenly forgot they were recording. All eyes were on the Russian knockout as she walked down the sidewalk.
It really was a sight to see. You know those slow-motion shots they show on TV of gorgeous women walking toward you? It was like that here. Apparently Lana controlled time and space too.
Lana walked down the sidewalk in her tight dress and ridiculously high heels. She really worked it like a runway at a desperate singles meet and greet. She winked and smiled, causing a few guys to actually drop their cameras on the sidewalk.
"Ma'am!" Wolf Blitzer shouted, running toward her. "Are you one of the neighbors here?"
It was like watching a badly written sitcom. Slowly, it dawned on the reporters that they might have an excuse to ogle the giggly blonde for their story. You could see their faces change as the gears inside turned. They swarmed her like diabet
ic bumblebees to sugar-coated honeycombs.
Riley saw his opening and pulled out of the alley onto the street. No one was there to see us. He made it to the interstate, and soon we were crossing the Mississippi River. I turned my attention back to the tablet.
We'd told Lana not to speak. If they heard her Russian accent, the reporters really would have an angle. But we knew they'd ask questions, and she'd need to do something to make sure she held their attention.
She fainted. Dropped right there on the sidewalk. I couldn't see her because of all the reporters. There were shouts of, I'll give her CPR! She needs chest compressions! The reporters were starting to fight over who would get to touch this heavenly creature.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" Kelly appeared, advancing through the crowd. "I'm a nurse!" She shouted.
All of the men surrounding the fake-unconscious Russian turned to frown at Kelly as she pushed her way through to Lana. From the looks on their faces I think some of them actually contemplated murder. The way Kelly ignored them was impressive. Maybe she should consider acting. She shoved men aside until she got to where Lana lay.
"We have a development!" Wolf turned toward the camera, smiling for the first time. "A neighbor of Merry Wrath was coming up to us to make a statement when she fainted! A nurse from the area is with her now. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest. This is CNN."
"Huh," I said. "I knew they'd come up with an angle, but to make up that she was a neighbor who wanted to confide in them? Seriously?"
"They had to have some excuse for turning the cameras on a beautiful woman," Riley said as he took the exit for Chicago.
My stomach lurched. Riley thought Lana was pretty? I scowled. Of course he did. A blind man would be dazzled by her looks. And hey, why did this upset me?
"So you think Lana's beautiful," I said before I could stop my stupid, stupid mouth.
"Are you serious, Wrath?" Riley chuckled. "Of course she is. That woman is very well put together. It's what made her so useful to us, remember?"
I answered with a laugh that I hope implied that I didn't care what Riley thought of Lana. "Of course! Duh!" I looked back down at the tablet.
Kelly had helped a dazed Lana to her feet and started walking her toward her own house. The press looked like they wanted to lynch her for taking their sexy, exclusive story away. I watched as the two women exited the screen and turned the tablet off.
"It really was a good plan," Riley murmured. "The fainting was a nice touch."
I shrugged. "We couldn't have her talking. They'd hear that thick accent and know something was up. And you can't count on Lana not to say anything. That girl might've thought this was her big acting break and blown the whole thing." Of course, Kelly was not thrilled that she'd have to take Lana to her house. Robert would thank me, though. I really owed her one. With the Girl Scout abandonment at camp, I owed her two…and maybe including the casserole, it was three now. I'd have to buy her a new car if this kept up.
"Yes, well, it was a great idea, and it worked." My former handler grinned as he drove, his eyes on the road. "You were a good agent, Wrath. I'm sorry we had to get rid of you."
I snorted, "I was a GREAT agent." I had to admit—I'd missed the adrenaline rush from a mission. Stupid Vice President of the United States.
"You were good," Riley corrected. "Don't get any ideas."
I leaned back into the leather seat. This car had all the bells and whistles. I turned on the seat warmers and then the air conditioner to counter it. Pure bliss. Maybe I should get one of these. I thought about my little car with the huge, terrorist shaped dent in it.
"So, we have a few hours," I said. "We should try to figure out what's going on."
Riley turned to look at me, flashing me an undies-melting grin. "It's kind of fun having you back. Even if it is temporary."
I swallowed hard. I'd been immune to his charms once. I could do it again.
"So what's Kelly's story?" he asked
"She's married." I blurted out. Where had that come from? Was I jealous? No. Clearly this was from being alone for the past year. I needed to get this case cleared up so Detective Handsome across the street could ask me out.
I took a deep breath. "We've been friends forever. I totally trust her. And she was with me when I found Ahmed."
Riley nodded. "And that's where it all began. With Ahmed Maloof. That's where we need to start."
"You have access to the CIA files. You'd have more information than me. Didn't you find anything on him? When he disappeared? Travel records? Anything?"
"He was on the No-Fly List. He shouldn't have been able to enter the country without us knowing." Riley frowned.
"So someone brought him here…smuggled him in. It's not that unusual. I've been smuggled into lots of places." The worst was Canada. Do not allow yourself to be smuggled into Canada.
"This is different. I can only assume that Ahmed, Carlos, and Midori were brought here by force. I don't think they would've come on their own."
"What if they wanted to come here? What if they were lured here for the promise of something?" I asked.
"Like what? What would each of them want that would bring them to Iowa?" Riley shook his head. "The only thing we do know is that they were all killed here."
I studied him. We were on our way to some Japanese grocery store near Chicago to dump a body. We were working CIA tradecraft in our own country. Why?
"Why were you assigned to this case?" I asked.
Riley looked at me, then back at the road. "I volunteered."
I sat there, stunned. "You volunteered? For this? I was your biggest pain in the ass. Why would you want to help me?" That wasn't like Riley. He wasn't the kind of guy who'd just step up and take on a seemingly impossible case.
"That's right. You were my biggest pain in the ass. You were also one of my best operatives. And I felt guilty about you losing your career."
There was that knot in my stomach again. I'd always assumed Riley barely tolerated me when we worked together.
"You felt guilty? You didn't do anything. In fact, it wasn't even about me. It was about Dad."
He nodded. "I know. But still. It wasn't right. Part of me hopes the Vice President opts out of Secret Service coverage when his term is up."
Riley wanted to avenge me? "Aw shucks Riley. Didn't know you cared."
"I don't. I just want this to be over." His voice went back to all-business again. I'd lost him, that weird, sentimental guy I'd just caught a glimpse of. Maybe he was bi-polar or something.
I settled back into the warming car seat and closed my eyes. Screw Riley. He could figure this out himself. I fell asleep thinking of ways to torment my former boss.
* * *
"Yeah. Okay. You too." Riley's voice woke me up, and I sat straight in the seat to find him talking on his cell phone. It was dark out and the car was moving slower now. We must be close.
"Who was that?" I said as I rubbed my eyes.
"Kelly," Riley said.
I stared at him. "My Kelly? You were talking to my Kelly?"
"She gave me her number," he answered.
"Kelly gave you her number?" I asked.
Riley turned to look at me. "You're repeating yourself. You know that?"
"Okay," I conceded grudgingly, "what did she say?"
"Half of the media pulled out of the neighborhood. Including your friend Blitzer. She thinks the story is winding down somewhat."
I frowned. "That happened fast. I wonder why they lost interest so quickly. Did your red herrings work?"
He shook his head. "Never got time to employ them." He squinted at a sign for the grocery store. We were really close.
"Did she say anything else?"
"Apparently she's had it with Lana. Our little Russian friend kept snuggling up to her husband. So Kelly took her to work."
My jaw dropped. "What? Kelly took Lana to the hospital?" Wow. It had to be bad if Kelly took her to work. How could Lana be so stupid as to flirt with Robert? I was goi
ng to have a chat with her when we got back. And by chat, I really meant something involving thumbscrews.
Riley shrugged. "We're here." He pulled into an empty parking lot. Although it was dark, all the lights in the lot were on. This wasn't going to be easy.
We drove around back and found a series of Dumpsters. Rats and roaches scattered the minute our headlights caught them. The smell was horrible—mostly rotting fish and probably sushi that had seen better days. I never liked sushi. I couldn't understand the appeal. Raw fish on fish eggs wrapped in seaweed just seemed like a bad dare some drunk in Japan had come up with in the eighteenth century for his wasted friends.
"Camera." I pointed at a mounted camera near the Dumpsters. We weren't in its range yet. My guess was they'd had other people trying to dump stuff here. People were so possessive of their trash bins. I once watched two of my neighbors get into a screaming match over one woman putting her bags in the other's bin. It came to blows. Both mother and daughter had to go to the hospital for stitches. No one should live next door to their mom.
Riley maneuvered the SUV out of the camera's range and around the Dumpsters to the other side. Now this area showed more promise. A dark, narrow area on the far side, hemmed in by a high, cement retaining wall. Up and over the wall were trees—some sort of little woodland area. No cameras. The only problem would be getting out. Only one car could fit so you went backward or forward. If another car came in, that exit would be blocked.
On the plus side, there were no cameras, but there were no odors—something I didn't think was good because the stink would cover the smell of a rotting corpse. Still we didn't really have any other options. I nodded at Riley, and he shut off the engine, and we stepped out of the car.
I pointed up above the wall. Riley studied it for a moment, then nodded. Putting Midori on the pavement meant she would be found as soon as people came to work. But stuffing her up over the wall and into the woods meant it would be days, possibly weeks, before she was found. Maybe years. It didn't look like anyone ever went up there.
I climbed the wall and hopped over it. Oh yeah. This was perfect. There was at least an acre here. Lots of heavy ground vegetation meant no one ever traveled through this place. There were no beer bottles, condoms, or trash of any kind. Most likely, people didn't even know this little forest existed.
Merit Badge Murder Page 5
