The Tangled Webb
Page 16
“You’re one tough old bastard to nail down.”
Stunned, he gave no response.
Nicolas was anxious to get clear of the location, figuring someone might have been alerted during the raid. He did a quick search of the apartment and collected a cache of communications equipment in a plastic bag.
Simon searched Baer and the woman but found nothing.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Nicolas said.
Prodded by gun barrels in their ribs, the fugitives were led from the apartment and out into the street. Simon had gone ahead and pulled the SUV to the curb near the building’s entrance.
They shoved Baer and the woman into the back seat and took off down the street.
A few blocks away Kate pulled to the curb and Simon and the woman got out.
“Loose lips will get you killed,” he warned her. “Do you understand?”
Shaking, she nodded. Yes.
Then she staggered away and Simon walked in the opposite direction.
Kate sped off along a narrow street toward the river Seine and Nicolas was in the back seat with his gun pointed at Baer.
Moments later he finally spoke.
“What do you want from me?”
Kate’s eyes remained on the road ahead.
“Information, you and I have a lot to talk about.”
CHAPTER 47
The streets of the Latin Quarter bustled as Kate drove the SUV through the streets of Paris, eventually turning off a main avenue and into a commercial area.
She came to a stop outside a vacant retail space at street level that James had leased. Nicolas climbed from the SUV and held the door open.
“Move it,” he snapped at Baer.
After they went in Kate relocked the door and led the way to a stairway and down to the basement. Entering the dank space, Kate did a quick visual; leaky stone walls, bare concrete floor, a rusted light fixture hanging above a table, metal folding chairs and no windows.
She took a seat across the table from Baer.
Nicolas was ready to pounce on the grizzled veteran if he made a wrong move.
Baer turned to Nicolas and grinned.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“What?”
“Apparently you think I’m a threat.”
Nicolas glared back at him.
You’re damn right I do.
Glaring at Baer, Kate said, “I have a brother in the U.S. who’s lying in a hospital bed, eating through a tube no thanks to you.”
Baer shrugged.
“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he replied, like they were talking about the weather.
Kate cut to the chase.
“I need information.”
“I can’t help you,” Baer said.
He look across the table at Kate and wondered where she found the guts to demand anything from him.
Her eyes burrowed into him.
“Let’s not play games. You’ve been running a band of mercenaries who’ve killed four public officials. Your orders come from someone who wields a lot of power. I want to know who he is. You can leave here dead or alive, the choice is yours.”
No stranger to interrogations, Baer had done so many he couldn’t remember the total.
“You’re joking, right? Do you really believe I fear death?”
Kate and Nicolas shared a look. The crusty old fox had a terrific poker face.
Maybe he really doesn’t care.
“There are ways of getting the information,” Nicolas told him.
Baer smirked.
“What are you gonna do, torture me?”
“I could,” he shot back.
“But you won’t,” Baer said, looking at Kate.
He could see the wheels turning.
Not one to embrace torture, she had something else on her mind.
“What is this person paying you?”
Much too savvy to throw out a starting figure, he kept silent.
“I’ll give you a half million.”
He seemed amused.
“I’ll bet you spent much more just to find me. Tell me I’m wrong.”
A silence.
Baer knew the value of his information.
And she needed it. Badly.
“Make it ten and maybe I can be persuaded.”
Kate laughed. “In your dreams.”
“Fine, shoot away,” he said, turning to Nicolas.
Another silence.
“One million,” she eventually replied.
Baer didn’t react immediately, but Kate caught a slight shift in his posture.
She had his attention.
“You’re asking me to sell my men out, to betray them.”
Kate almost laughed again.
“You have to understand. I’d be a marked man. I would have to disappear and that would be expensive. I couldn’t do with less than four.”
More silence.
Then Kate got out of her chair and left the room. Nicolas removed Baer’s shirt and attached electrodes to his chest, giving the impression he was prepared to shock him.
A few minutes later Baer heard footsteps on the stairs. Kate walked over to the table, sat down and gave him a distant stare.
“Two million or I’ll take another break and leave you here with my friend.”
He glared at her. Then he spoke.
“Done.”
Nicolas motioned to Kate with his eyes toward a far wall. She followed him to a dark corner and they spoke in hushed tones.
“Kate! Are you really going to hand over two million dollars to that maggot?”
She looked down at the floor.
“I’m only interested in the truth, and the money isn’t mine anyway. He won’t last long on the run. Do you think I give a damn about that old bastard? He’ll answer for what he’s done, and that’ll come soon enough.”
Nicolas thought for a moment.
“I see your point.”
Kate returned to the table and sat facing Baer.
“I want verification.”
“What?”
“I want to see him with my own eyes. Come with me,” she said.
Holding his gun on Baer, Nicolas followed them up the stairs and into the empty space above. Then Kate gestured toward a plastic bag with Baer’s equipment.
“Take out the phone you use to communicate with him.”
Complying, he took out the secure phone.
“Call him.”
“Saying what?”
“The two of you need to meet and it’s urgent. The matter can only be discussed in person.”
Baer dialed a number on the phone and after a few rings a man answered.
A brief conversation followed and the connection went dead.
“It’s on.”
“Let’s go,” Kate said.
They were heading toward the Champs-Élysées when Baer spoke.
“I want to see the cash.”
Kate rolled her eyes.
Stopping a few blocks from her apartment, she and Baer got out. She guarded him and they waited as Nicolas drove to the apartment. For security reasons James had told her not to reveal its location to anyone but Nicolas.
He went up to the apartment and found a duffel bag hidden in her bedroom closet.
Inside there was two million dollars in cash.
When Nicolas returned, Kate opened the rear hatch of the SUV and let Baer see the money.
“Satisfied?”
As he turned to face her, she was disturbed by the wicked glint in his eyes.
He nodded. Yes!
They climbed back in the SUV and Kate headed toward their destination. Anxiously holding her cell phone, she tried to contact James, but the call went to his voice mail.
“Still no answer from James,” she told Nicolas.
“Don’t worry, Kate. He can take care of himself. By the way, I like the way you handle yourself.”
“Thanks.”
As they came closer to th
eir destination, a thought crossed Kate’s mind.
A confrontation is about to take place.
Nicolas put his hand on her shoulder.
“The time has come.”
CHAPTER 48
Along Rue de Lille, a street running parallel to the Musee d’Orsay, Nicolas pulled the SUV to the curb. He fitted Kate and Baer with communications equipment synched with his own.
“This’ll hang behind your ear for incoming sound,” he told her. “When you need to talk, speak into the small microphone on your wrist.”
“Got it,” Kate replied.
An expert in covert communications himself, Bear needed no instruction.
“Remember,” she said, turning to Nicolas, “Don’t move on him until I give the signal.”
“Okay.”
They walked toward the museum’s entrance plaza and to the steps rising from street level to the visitor entrance.
Kate gave Baer an edgy, sideways glance.
“Are you sure this is the right location?”
He gave no response.
Going through the entrance they went into the center sculpture court and Baer led Kate and Nicolas to an elevator.
Kate felt beads of sweat on her forehead.
They reached the fifth floor and the doors parted.
BAER walked over to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night Over the Rhone.
Kate and Nicolas took up positions nearby and as they waited, throngs of visitors passed through the exhibits.
When the elevator doors opened, Kate’s heart skipped a beat.
None of the passengers approached Baer.
Minutes later Kate stared at the doors and again the elevator opened.
More passengers stepped off the elevator.
And still no one approached Baer.
Kate struggled to repress the whirlwind of emotions that were welling up in her. The pursuit had been unrelenting, from D.C. to New York, then to Paris, everything culminating in this moment.
Her anxiety increased as her eyes stayed fixed on the elevator.
A few more minutes.
Kate saw the doors opening again, and behind the other passengers a well-dressed man emerged. Stepping into the gallery, he moved among the crowd—in Baer’s direction—and when he came into Kate’s view, she stumbled backward.
It was Thomas Lynch.
A group of students caught her as she tried to hide herself.
Lynch noticed the commotion and saw her. Then he turned his gaze back to Baer whose expression made him uneasy.
Something’s amiss.
Turning quickly on his heels, Lynch moved toward the stairs and began down toward the main level. Kate struggled to regain her composure, speaking into the microphone on her wrist.
“Let him go,” she pleaded. “Nicolas, do you hear me?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Go to the stairs, and hurry,” she cried out.
She dashed through the crowd and Baer grabbed her arm. “What about my money?”
Breaking free of his grasp, she shouted, “Let go of me.”
Kate and Nicolas dodged visitors as they scrambled down to the main level, three flights behind Lynch who was crossing the center sculpture court and heading for the exit.
Coming out of the museum they sprinted across the entrance plaza and saw Lynch disappear into the back seat of a Rolls-Royce.
Then the driver pulled away.
Kate and Nicolas jumped into the SUV as she told him, “Dump the money.”
Nicolas could see Baer running toward them as Kate began to speed away.
He opened the duffel bag and emptied the cash in the street.
With the bundles of currency laying everywhere, Baer quickly realized the futility of protecting his loot.
Parisians and tourists gasped as he clutched his hands to his chest and his face revealed excruciating pain.
Baer then collapsed in a heap and succumbed to a heart attack.
Soon confusion gave way to chaos as a frenzied mob scurried for the cash in a free-for-all.
A hundred yards away the Rolls-Royce turned a corner and disappeared.
Kate barreled down the street in pursuit.
Moving along the river Seine the Rolls sped along a waterfront roadway.
Kate navigated traffic and drew closer.
“Stay back,” Nicolas said. “We don’t want him to know he’s being followed.”
“It’s Lynch,” she sputtered.
“Who?”
“Thomas Lynch is in that car.”
He managed to say, “Lynch, are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
“Incredible,” Nicolas mumbled.
“It explains why James isn’t answering his phone. Lynch is on to him.”
The Rolls-Royce continued its high rate of speed along the riverfront.
“Are we too close? I don’t want him to get away.”
She saw the Rolls entering a ramp onto the motorway.
“You can keep a safe distance,” Nicolas said. “I know where he’s heading.”
“Where?”
“To Falcon Lair.”
“You know where it is?”
“Yes.”
“James is there,” she cried, “if he’s still alive.”
Nicolas saw tears pooling in her eyes. He put his hand on her arm, the gesture bringing little comfort.
A flood of painful memories began engulfing her.
This is all my fault.
Kate first met Thomas Lynch before James had come into her life. She’d gone with her brother, Daniel to a trade conference in D.C. and was introduced to him there by a mutual acquaintance.
She was taken by his charm and magnetic personality. The dashing playboy courted her with expensive dinners and lavish gifts.
Then everything changed.
Because Kate refused to sleep with him, Lynch became abusive, revealing a darker side of his personality that she’d never seen before.
He was demanding and possessive and clashed with Kate’s strong-willed, independent streak. During a heated argument at his D.C. penthouse, Lynch lashed out.
He beat her. Then he violated her.
As she recovered from her injuries she made a vow to herself to put it all behind and cut him out of her life.
Why didn’t I warn James about Thomas Lynch? I should have told him.
She knew the answers. To reveal things that were hidden and no longer mattered was simply unthinkable.
I didn’t want to risk losing James. And now the nightmare has come back to haunt me.
Kate saw the Rolls exiting the motorway and she followed from a distance. Her focus turned back to James.
Is he still alive? I could seek help from the French authorities, but as the U.S. ambassador to France, Lynch has diplomatic immunity, doesn’t he? I have to think, I can’t think.
“They’re turning in,” Nicolas said, pointing to the Rolls as it pulled into Falcon Lair.
Slowly, they passed the entrance, and in the distance the Rolls disappeared beyond the gate.
Then Nicolas whispered to her.
“I’m so sorry Kate.”
She began to sob uncontrollably.
CHAPTER 49
A silence filled the dimly lit room and the only sounds came from the medical equipment surrounding the hospital bed.
The patient, Daniel Baylor, lay motionless with plastic tubes supplying oxygen and artificial feeding for his survival. His wife sat at his bedside, her vigil constant as she drifted in and out of sleep.
It was 4:07 A.M.
During her waking hours she prayed for the deliverance of her soulmate. In recent days the pleadings increased, but none had been answered.
From the corner of her eye she noticed a slight movement beneath the blanket.
A few minutes later it happened again.
Now awake, her eyes stayed fixed on the blanket. A few minutes passed and she saw his hand move under the blanket.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She turned on the light and pulled back the blanket, gently squeezing his hand and searching his face.
His eyes fluttered.
Then he opened them.
He looked at her and squeezed back.
Tears of joy flowed and she put her head on his chest.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Moments later she came out of the room and passing the guards she went to the nurses’ station.
“Get a doctor in here,” she said excitedly. “He’s awake.”
“What?” a nurse replied.
“My husband’s awake.”
The nurse made a call and a doctor arrived. He entered the room and shined a pen light into Daniel’s eyes.
His wife, Rebecca, stood by anxiously.
“Incredible,” the doctor said. “He’s completely responsive. Your husband’s a lucky man. We’ll take him downstairs for some tests,” he told Rebecca. “You might think about going to the cafeteria and getting something to eat. This could take some time.”
“That’s a good idea. Thank you, doctor.”
When she returned from the cafeteria Rebecca saw Agent Carter from the corner of her eye.
“Good morning, Mrs. Baylor,” he said. “I was pleased to hear about Daniel’s recovery. The doctors say he’s lucid, but we can’t see him yet.”
We? Rebecca was thinking. Doctors aside I’m gonna be the first person through that door.
She walked off and settled in a chair nearby.
An hour later Daniel was brought back to his room and Rebecca was approached by the doctor.
“You can go in now, Mrs. Baylor.” He added, “Please take it slow. He’s still in a fragile state.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
She went in and pulled a chair close to the bed.
Daniel smiled at her with his eyes.
“Welcome back, sweetheart,” she said.
The doctor had told her that Daniel hadn’t suffered any permanent brain damage, but the motor skills in his arms were fair to poor, and though he couldn’t speak, he assured her that these skills would gradually improve and be restored in the coming months.
She was advised to be prepared for intense physical therapy as Daniel learned to walk again. The road back would be difficult, but she felt blessed and accepted their fate in good spirits.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked Daniel.
He gestured with his hand as though he wanted to write something.