by Robin Mahle
Axell turned until he was squarely facing him. “The note didn’t ring any bells? I figured Cairo would’ve been a dead giveaway.”
Greiner knitted his brow. “Sorry, man. I—hang on.”
Axell sipped on the whiskey shot that had just arrived. “Last I saw you, you’d brought in some poor Hadji you thought needed some extra special attention.”
With a flicker of recollection, Greiner began, “Axell. Trevor Axell. What the fuck are you doing here? And how did you find me?”
“Wasn’t easy, Janz. Casper, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right.” He tipped the bottle of beer to his lips and licked the froth away. “So, who sent you? Who’ve they got looking out for me? Don’t tell me you were feeling nostalgic and just wanted to play catch up.”
“And if I was?”
Greiner laughed. “If memory serves, I seem to recall a fairly uptight, by-the-book punk kid fresh out of Langley who looked down his nose at me any chance he got.”
“Oh, I wasn’t fresh out of Langley. I’d been around the block a few times when we crossed paths in Cairo.”
“Sure. Right. Sitting behind a desk, safely away from all the bullshit we were dealing with.”
“Recall it however it suits you, Janz, but I remember you. Oh yeah. I remember you.” He tossed back the rest of his drink.
“You haven’t answered my questions. What do you want? Why the hell am I here?”
“You must be slipping in your old age. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d show at all. Feeling guilty about what you did back in the day? Or were you worried I might have something on you? Something that might put a wrinkle in your current gig? I hear you’re making bank now.”
“Fuck this shit.” He stood up to leave.
Axell grabbed his forearm. “Sit down. We need to talk.”
“Then let’s dispense with the speculation, shall we?” Greiner yanked his arm away. “You want to talk? Talk.”
“What are you doing for Shen Yang and the Dalian Company?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Axell eyed him. “Don’t insult me. What are you doing for Yang? You know his people took out a few of our own. And you’re working for the son of a bitch. Maybe you just don’t give a shit about your brothers, or those who used to be your brothers before you sold out.”
“Man, fuck you.”
“You’re going to tell me what I need to know because you don’t want me up your ass on this, you catch my drift?” Axell scanned the bar. “Yang has powerful friends, if you don’t already know that.”
“Yeah, well, so do I. Friends who want to keep Yang on a short leash.”
Axell creased his brow for only a moment. “Our side? Because of the sanctions?”
“You have no idea what you’re stepping into, Agent Axell. You should go back to the comfort of your little office at Langley and pretend to be useful. I can only assume that’s where they’ve put you. You’re getting up there too, you know.” He tossed back another swig of his beer.
“You recently traveled to Beijing. Why? Are they concerned about Yang?”
This time, Greiner only eyed him.
Yang waited in the customs and immigration line at Dulles Airport on his return from the Xinjiang region.
“Step up, please,” the immigration officer said.
Yang handed him his Chinese passport and inside was his Visa and work permit.
The officer examined Yang and again peered at the photo. A contemptuous air about the man permeated his every gesture and Yang grew concerned of trouble ahead.
“Surprised you’re still allowed here after what your people did.” He stamped the passport.
And there it was. The growing hatred for him and his “people.” Tensions had mounted since the truth behind the attack was revealed and it was making Yang’s job that much more difficult. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, sir. I’m just here to do my job.” He avoided direct eye contact, eager to douse the fire of resentment, and be granted entry. The alternative would mean spending hours in holding while they searched his bags, only to come up empty-handed. But the desired effect would have been achieved.
“Have a good day—sir.” The man returned Yang’s passport. His disdain was not lost in translation.
Yang walked past the checkpoint and made his way outside the terminal. Greiner stood in front of the car. “Welcome back. I trust you had a pleasant flight?” He opened the passenger door for Yang.
“It was fine. We have much to discuss, Mr. Greiner. I hope you have cleared your schedule.” He slipped into the passenger seat.
Greiner closed the door and returned to the driver’s side. “Of course. Where would you like to go?”
“Home, please.”
The sky was overshadowed by the dusky haze of nightfall as they drove to Yang’s palatial estate. Greiner pulled the car around the circular drive to the front of the home. They both emerged as Yang led the way inside where they were greeted by Yang’s wife.
“Hello, sweetheart.” Her plump red lips pressed against his. And when she pulled away, her eyes landed on Greiner. “Mr. Greiner. Pleasure to see you again.” She tipped her head slightly and her thick black hair fell against her cheeks.
“Ma’am,” he replied.
“We’ll be upstairs in my office for a few moments. Then you’ll have me all to yourself.” Yang looked to Greiner. “Let’s go.”
“Should I bring you drinks?” she asked.
“Thank you, no. Mr. Greiner won’t be here long enough, I’m afraid.”
He trailed Yang up the marble curved staircase and into the office that featured hard lines, sharp corners, and stark-white walls.
“So, I’ve yet to hear about your trip to Beijing, Matthew.” Yang began to pour himself a drink without offering one to his guest.
“They would like me to keep a closer eye on you. More closely observe those in your circle. Visitors. Things of that nature.”
“I see. And why do you suppose they’re concerned now?”
“They’re watching you. Satellite imagery. I witnessed it myself when I met with Minister Cheng. They’re concerned about your Uyghur ties, more specifically.”
“Phones?”
“That was not mentioned. However, if they haven’t been tapped by your government, then I’m sure mine has taken care of that.”
“Quite.” He tossed back his shot of gin.
“Do they know I was there? In Xinjiang?”
“I can’t be sure. I had already left days prior and I didn’t receive any messages to that effect while you were away. And we might have another situation on our hands.” Greiner placed his hands in his pockets. “A former CIA intelligence officer, now inter-agency liaison at Langley, has reached out to me.”
“And why would that be cause for concern?”
“Whatever surveillance he’d obtained captured me entering the offices of Dalian on more than one occasion. He recognized me from my time as an operative in Cairo. We were there together for a short time, and wanted to know what my connection was to you.”
“He knows who you are?” Yang poured himself another shot.
“Yes. He also knows that rumor has it I’m for sale.”
“What did you tell him about our partnership?”
“That we were business acquaintances and I’d done some consulting for you. And that I’ve been helping you navigate through the growing regulations being waged against international corporations in light of the Chinese sanctions.”
“Was this man named Trevor Axell?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Oh, I’m very familiar with Agent Axell and not at all surprised he’s been keeping a close eye on me—and by default—you. While I’ve not had direct contact with the man, or his team, which was the source for our current predicament, I’ve done favors for individuals who wanted the agent to go away quietly. In fact, the man who asked for such a favor was recently murdered on the courthouse steps.”
“Hmm. This is problematic for me. And you. Agent Axell has proven himself a man of action and I have a feeling he is not acting as a liaison, but that he is, in fact, monitoring me. I have yet to find where he and his team are operating, which has been a source of concern.”
“I can take care of him. There is no way he can discover the arrangement set forth between us,” Greiner continued. “Several safeguards are in place for that.”
“I don’t wish for any harm to come to Agent Axell. There has been enough blood spilled for a cause rooted in the mind of Lei Jian. I should have stopped him when I saw what was happening. But I didn’t want to jeopardize the Movement or my goals in any way. And as it turns out, he brought us together, which has spurred renewed hope for the objective. However, I also do not wish for him to manage a closer look at me or the people I work with. So, Mr. Greiner, in addition to your other duties, you will need to ensure Agent Axell stays as far away from Dalian as humanly possible. For both our sakes. I trust you can handle the task?”
“Of course. That won’t be a problem.”
“Good.”
Outside of CIA Director Handley’s office, Axell loitered in the hall. His 9am appointment had slipped to 9:30 and his patience was running thin. A situation had arisen that required the director’s attention and he’d begun to feel slighted by the delay.
“Agent Axell, I apologize for the wait. Please come in.” The director stood in his doorway. “Hold my calls, please, Mark, would you?”
“Of course, sir.”
Axell followed the director into his office. “Thank you for seeing me on short notice, sir.”
“I figured it must be important. Have a seat.” He closed the door and walked toward his desk. “This is about Dalian?”
“Yes, sir. Among other things, but primarily Dalian.”
“Go ahead.”
“As you know from our last briefing, the team has been working on identifying the source of the money tied to the whoever our American investor is who now holds majority shares in Dalian.”
“Right. And have you unmasked this individual?”
“Not yet, sir. No. However, I have discovered the true identity of an associate of Shen Yang’s. One who I believe is helping him skirt the sanctions and SEC regs.”
“Who is this person?”
“A former acquaintance who goes by the name of Matthew Greiner, but who I knew to be Casper Janz. Someone I became familiar with back in 2001 at the Cairo Station. I managed to set up a meeting with him last night after I figured out who he was from the surveillance video we have of the Dalian offices. He’s one of us, sir. He’s CIA. Former CIA by all accounts.”
“CIA? Who’s he working for and why are we just finding this out?”
“Well, sir, that’s the thing. After speaking with him, I can’t decide if he’s operating with or against us. He recently returned from Beijing and he informed me he’s been told to help keep Yang on a short leash.”
“Let me get this straight. One of our former officers is taking orders from someone in Beijing?”
“It appears so.”
“But you don’t know who that is?”
“Not yet. I’m working on that. My immediate concern is that he’s offered his services to Yang for what I can only imagine must be a good deal of money. My team discovered he worked for a company called Synergy Dynamics and was awarded a lucrative government contract back in 2014. I have to assume his former position allowed him to pull some strings to get the deal. My best guess is that he’s doing the same thing for Yang. Greasing palms and helping Yang with SEC filings and whatever else he needs to keep Dalian in compliance. I haven’t ruled out that he could also be behind the purchase of stock. The team is working hard to find any other filings on behalf of Greiner that could suggest the formation of a dummy corporation that fronted the cash for the purchase.
“Now, as far as I know, he’s no longer with the agency, and it appears he’s been going by the alias Matthew Greiner since at least 2010. But why? He’s no longer CIA, why the alias? Unless he’s doing something he shouldn’t be doing. Which is why I’m here. If I could just get more intel on him, I can place him in this puzzle and we can figure out if he’s a threat. Sir, this could be the lead essential to shutting down Dalian—for good.”
“I’ll need to spend some time on this, Agent Axell. If he’s former CIA, it’s going to get hairy. I’ll get what I can and let you know.”
“In the meantime, I do have people who owe me favors in Beijing. I’d like permission to check in with them and see if I can find out why Matthew Greiner, or who I know to be Casper Janz, went to Beijing to begin with.”
“Permission granted. Get out there and find out who this guy knows and who he’s talking to in Beijing. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Axell was already on his way to the airport when he made the call. “I’ll be back in a few days. Keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll let you know what I find as soon as I get back.”
Lacy listened on the other end, seemingly confused by this quick change of plans. “What about Greiner?”
“You know what the plan is. Keep searching for dummy corporations that are tied to Greiner. He was part of SynDyn. Maybe now is the time for you to dig deeper into your lead. There could be clients of SynDyn that are fronts. Your friend Bruce might have answers. I gotta go, Lacy. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“Um yeah, okay. I’ll let the guys know.”
“You’re in charge. Goodbye.” Axell ended the call. He knew she would have questions, they all would, but there were things they couldn’t yet be made aware of. Like Greiner’s true identity, or the fact that he knew the man well once upon a time. He had to know the whole story behind Greiner, or rather, Janz, especially as it related to Beijing. That alone made him dangerous. He’d given her authorization to dig into SynDyn and hoped that would keep them busy until his return. And who knew what they might find. He valued their work, especially Lacy’s. The woman had a mind of her own, and while it was one of the reasons he admired her so much, it was also the main reason why he worried about her.
Chapter 9
The smell of fresh brew and the warmth as Aaron held the mug between his hands offered comfort. “Thanks for having me over. You’re sure it’s not too late?”
“Not at all. We didn’t get a chance to talk after I got the call from Trevor. Will’s been busy with Agent Fraser and the WFO, and I’m starting to feel like it’s just us two against the world right now. Besides, it’s nice to have the company. I appreciate you stopping by.”
“Are you worried about him? Axell, I mean? You know he can handle himself.”
“I know. Trevor can certainly take care of himself. It’s not that. You know how he dismissed our lead with Bruce Quintero from Argus?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he said that while he’s gone, we should be working on finding other companies linked to SynDyn that might also tie back to Greiner.”
“Good. Bout time. I knew you had something there. I was surprised he wanted us to put that on hold.”
“I’m sure he had reason at the time. But I think something must’ve changed. Anyway, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, so you and I can go back to Bruce and maybe make a visit to SynDyn ourselves in the interim.”
“Absolutely.”
She sipped on her coffee, appearing to carefully consider her next words. “Do you think Trevor might know something we don’t? Seems strange he would just up and leave, to Beijing of all places.”
“When you put it that way, it’s possible. You know how he is. But I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. If he finds something, he’ll tell us.”
“I guess so. And there’s the whole thing about where he was during the shooting. He was supposed to be with Will and me, but he didn’t show until after Turner was hit. And you weren’t there either.”
Aaron studied her for a moment. “What
are you saying, Lace? I told you where I was.”
“I know. I know you did. I’m sorry.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing, honestly. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Well, see now, that’s the thing. You did bring it up. Lacy, do you really think Axell had a part in Turner’s death? And that I did too?”
She shed her gaze to the steaming mug in her hands. “I think Trevor was in a lot of pain when Keith was killed. Then the Meekses. You remember how he was with Sajwani?”
“I do.”
“Then you know he’s capable of, well, murder.”
“That’s not fair. Sajwani would’ve killed us. You know that. What Axell did was protect us. That in no way compares to the idea he could go off half-cocked and murder Wendell Turner.”
“You know what? You’re absolutely right. Of course he didn’t. And I know you wouldn’t keep anything from me. I’m sorry. I guess I still sometimes feel as though I’m out here on a ledge all by myself. Like the day at the dedication ceremony. I just know how easy it would be to become what we’re trying to defeat. I’ve thought about it. Many times, in fact. I know Trevor’s looking out for me—for us.”
Aaron reached for her hand on the counter. “We all look out for each other.”
“Right. Glad we settled that. So, tomorrow, we’ll go back to Bruce and ask if he can get us an in with SynDyn.”
“You might’ve been right about Bruce. You said he seemed nervous. Maybe we should go in on our own. Hold that—I should go in on my own. You’re too recognizable. I’ll pretend to apply for a job or something. Ask to use the bathroom and have a look around.”
“What do you mean? How is that going to help?”
“Come on, Lace, give me some credit here. I just need to take a look at their systems. No one’s going to volunteer information. We’re going to have to take it.”
“You’re probably right. If Greiner was tangled up in that company, who knows what it’s like inside there? You do that. I’ll talk to Bruce. I don’t know. I just have a feeling he knows something.”
