The Secret Target

by Dean Atwood

  Scarlatino let out a sigh of relief when he merged onto I64 W. He felt in control again. He knew the police would eventually find the SUV and the man’s body, but by the time they did, he’d be long gone. Even if they did find it right away, they couldn’t trace it to him, and without any ID on the body, it would take time for them to connect the dead man to the stolen Chevy.

  Everyone has an occasional bad day at the office, he thought. His profession was no different than others in that regard. But, in spite of the bad breaks, he’d finish the job soon and put this imperfect day behind him.

  Chapter 17

  Q uinton waited for Daphne to leave and close the media room door behind her before lifting his head to make eye contact with Karen Williams. Apprehension was etched on her face.

  “Thank you for presenting the surveillance videos to me, Cyber Analyst Williams,” he said and smiled to put her at ease.

  “I was glad to do it,” she said, relaxing a little.

  “I don’t have to tell you how serious an assassination of an FBI agent is, especially at a secure facility.”

  “No, sir.”

  “I’m sure you want to do everything possible to help me with the investigation, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “What do you think the motive was for the murder of Jeremy Glover?”

  Karen shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”

  “Surely, someone with an analytical mind like yours has thought about it or speculated with coworkers about it?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Your task force would be a good place to begin looking for a motive, don’t you agree.”

  “Maybe.”

  Karen … you don’t mind if I call you Karen, do you?”

  “Not at all. We’re not real formal at the NSA.”

  “Karen, you can be a huge help to me by being open and honest about the task force. Can you do that for me?”

  “I want to, but —”

  “But, what?” Quinton asked in an understanding voice.

  “Special Agent Warren told the team members that we aren’t allowed to share anything about the project with anyone who’s not on the task force.”

  “Don’t you think the circumstances warrant an exception? I have a top-secret clearance, you know. It isn’t as though you’d be passing confidential information to one of your friends or the janitor.”

  Karen laughed a nervous laugh and said, “Can’t you talk directly to Special Agent Warren?”

  “I intend to, but I’d like your unique perspective first.”

  “He knows more about the project than me. I only do what I’m told.”

  “Come now, don’t be modest. I know as well as you that bosses don’t know all the details that their subordinates do. For example, I bet Special Agent Warren is a novice on a computer, compared to somebody like you?”

  Karen snickered and said, “Well, he is somewhat computer illiterate. When I told him about a cottonmouth, he thought I was talking about a snake.”

  “There you go. You can understand why I’d like to get the story from the vantage point of an expert like you. I’ll try to squeeze the political side of the story from Warren.”

  “… I want to help, but I don’t want to get in trouble for revealing secrets without clearance.”

  Quinton let out a big sigh and said, “There’s something you may not have considered. Your personal safety may be at risk.”

  “My safety? What do you mean?”

  “You saw the videos. It appeared as though an attempt was made on Blaire Saunders life at the same time Jeremy was killed.”

  Karen squirmed in her chair. “What does that have to do with my safety?”

  “As the lead investigator into Jeremy’s murder, I have to keep an open mind about all possible scenarios, and one possibility I have to consider is that somebody wants to wipe out the entire project task force, which includes you.”

  Those words got Karen’s attention. Her eyes opened wide as she said, “Do you think somebody’s going to try to kill me? Why would they do that?”

  “I’m not saying it’s a certainty. I’m saying it’s a possibility. That’s why it’s critical that you level with me. Of course, if the objective is to wipe out the entire task force, it begs another question.”

  “What?”

  “Is a person inside one of the intelligence agencies involved? At this point we haven’t ruled out the possibility that Special Agent Warren or someone higher in the ranks than him was behind the assassination.”

  “Special Agent Warren is a suspect?”

  “It’s way too early in the investigation for me to identify suspects. I just want you to understand why it’s important for me to get your inputs directly without any filtering from higher-ups.”

  “I understand, but I don’t want to get fired for answering your questions.”

  “I can assure you that I won’t repeat anything you tell me in confidence. If Special Agent Warren asks what you told me about the project, I’ll say you refused to answer. And, if he tries to trick you by saying that he knows you revealed information about the task force, be adamant and tell him confidently that you didn’t say a word.”

  “Alright,” she said with a quiver in her voice that reflected her lingering doubt about her decision to fully cooperate. “But, I’m not good at lying.”

  “Good. Before we delve into the task force objectives, let’s talk about the team members, starting with Jeremy and Blaire. How did they behave around each other?”

  “They were very friendly. They always sat next to each other during task force meetings and sometimes they whispered to each other.”

  “Did you find that unusual or disturbing?”

  “Not really. They were partners responsible for working on the outside to set up surveillance equipment. Todd and I were the inside Analysts.”

  “Todd?”

  “CIA Cyber Analyst Todd Andrews. The task force includes Special Agent Warren, Jeremy, Blaire, Todd, and me. Well, it did include Jeremy and Blaire before he was killed, and she disappeared.”

  “Did you suspect that Jeremy and Blaire were having an office romance?”

  Karen looked alarmed by the question but remained cool. “It was none of my business if they were, but they didn’t do anything overt, like holding hands or kissing in public. They were friendly, but professional.”

  “So, you never noticed any touching or looks between them that would signal that something inappropriate was going on?”

  “I don’t really feel comfortable speculating. I like Blaire.”

  “I’m just asking for your opinion.”

  “You have to understand about Blaire. When she walks into a room, men look at her. Jeremy was no exception. You could tell right away, he couldn’t take his eyes off from her. But, she didn’t do anything special to encourage it. She was being Blaire. Sometimes, he would touch her on the arm when he was making a point, but I didn’t think it was sexual in nature. Blaire didn’t complain.”

  “Did Blaire reciprocate the casual touching.”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Did you ever see them leave the office together?”

  “Yes, but they were partners, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Occasionally they went to lunch together. I assumed it was to talk about their job-related plans.”

  “Did they ever argue or have disagreements in task force meetings?”

  “No, they always seemed cordial and were in lock step at the meetings.”

  “What was your impression of Jeremy?”

  Karen looked away as though she were trying to formulate a tactful answer. “From what he presented at meetings, he seemed competent.”

  “What about personally?”

  “To be honest, I thought he was an arrogant ass … Not that I wanted him dead or something bad to happen to him.”

  “Did you and the other women in the office find him physically attractive?”

  Karen blushed a little
and rubbed her index finger on her lip. “You know how people talk when someone new joins the group. There were women who made comments about him being sexy or wanting to jump his bones. You know, silly talk that sometimes happens when a group of people are together.”

  “You’re a bright and attractive, single woman and Jeremy was an unattached man about your age. Did he ever hit on you?”

  Karen laughed nervously. “God, no. He wouldn’t give me a second look, especially when Blaire was in the room. But, there was nothing unusual about that, either. As far as men are concerned, I’m invisible whenever I’m in the same room with Blaire.”

  “Did Jeremy ever talk to you about his personal life?”

  “No, it was business only. I tried to be friendly at first, but he acted like he was too good to associate with me, unless he needed my help on something. Then he’d turn on the charm, but I saw right through him.”

  “What business things did you talk about?”

  “Mostly the security system details for the sites that he and Blaire were going to break into. Sometimes he’d try to pump me for other confidential information.”

  “What type of information?”

  “Background information on business associates of the CEO we were investigating. He was particularly interested to know whether there was anything incriminating on the files we retrieved from the cottonmouth Blaire installed.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I was evasive, but the truth is, we haven’t gotten by the encryption yet, so there was nothing to tell him. I still didn’t like him asking. His job was to help Blaire get access to install the surveillance systems. The data analysis was my job. It was like he wanted advanced warning before I presented anything to Agent Warren and the rest of the task force.”

  “From what you’ve said, Blaire and you are friends. Perhaps not close friends, but still friends. Can you share more about her with me … both personally and professionally.”

  “It’s difficult to dislike Blaire. She’s the center of attention wherever she goes, but she doesn’t put on airs. She’s friendly with everyone. I’ve never heard her put down anyone. There are a few women employees who are jealous of her. I’ve heard them make comments about her sleeping her way up the ranks. But, the naysayers are wrong about her. Blaire isn’t just a pretty face. She’s as good a cyber analyst as I am … well, almost as good as I am.”

  “Is there anyone who has a problem with her relationship with Jeremy?”

  “Maybe, Todd … Don’t get me wrong, he wouldn’t say or do anything about it.”

  “Why would Todd have a problem with Jeremy and Blaire.”

  “I think Todd misinterpreted Blaire being nice to him for something more. He kept telling me he was going to ask her out, but he never worked up the nerve. Through office chatter it became commonly known that Blaire was in a relationship with an FBI agent from Charlottesville. After hearing this, Todd accepted he didn’t have a chance with her. But, then Jeremy shows up from the Richmond FBI office. Todd saw the two of them huddling together, and I could tell it bothered him — not that I’m saying anything was going on between Jeremy and Blaire.”

  “Are you and Todd close?”

  “Todd and I speak the same language. We’re more comfortable in Cyberspace than the real world. We work well together, but there’s nothing romantic between us, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “What do you know about him personally? Any chance he could be bought to disrupt the task force?”

  “Who, Todd? That’s laughable. He’s a computer nerd, not a double agent.”

  “Edward Snowden was a computer programmer. A lot of fellow employees viewed him as harmless, too. Has Todd mentioned any new women he’s met recently, maybe one who you’d think was out of his league?”

  “You mean a girl like Blaire, but not her?”

  “Yes.”

  “None that I know about.”

  “Has he recently come into money? Have you heard him brag about buying any expensive items?”

  “He was telling me about buying a new home computer and a flat screen TV, but nothing he couldn’t afford on his CIA paycheck. You think he might have a girlfriend bribing him with sex or money to sabotage the task force?”

  “I don’t know anything about him, but you’d be surprised how frequently things like that happen.”

  “Well, I haven’t seen any evidence of it. Computers and his job as a CIA cyber analyst are his life.”

  “OK, I had to ask.”

  “Give me your impression of Special Agent Warren.”

  “He’s very military, no bull type of person, stickler for the rules. He’s organized, but not very tech-savvy. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you anything about the guy. He doesn’t mingle with the troops.”

  “Let’s talk about the task force objective. Can you summarize the project for me?”

  “It’s straightforward. The project code name is Typhon. Our purpose is to set up surveillance of the senior managers of the Upshaw Corporation and determine whether they’re selling trade secrets to China.”

  “What exactly does Upshaw Corporation manufacture?”

  “Laser products used for national defense.”

  “When was the task force formed?”

  “About a month ago.”

  “And, what’s the status?”

  “We’ve established electronic surveillance for all of the company’s Executive Vice Presidents. We’re in the process of installing equipment at the CEO’s home.”

  “Have you found any evidence of espionage?”

  “Nothing yet, but it’s early. Todd and I are working through encryption roadblocks and Jeremy and Blaire are working on hooking up CEO Anne Upshaw. Well, at least they were.”

  “I understand you had a task force meeting this morning. Anything out of the ordinary happen?”

  “Not that I can think of. Last night, Jeremy and Blaire posed as service technicians and reprogrammed the CEO’s security entry system to allow them to enter at a later date. They were going to return to the home to install the equipment after we identified a time when the CEO and her bodyguards were going to be gone for an extended period.”

  “Was there any indication that anyone in the Upshaw corporation had detected the surveillance already in place or the attempt to break into CEO Upshaw’s home?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “And you’re sure, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the proceedings of your meeting today?”

  “… There was one thing. After the meeting, we all got up to leave, but Special Agent Warren asked Blaire to stay behind so they could discuss something.”

  “You don’t know what they discussed?”

  “No, you’ll have to ask Blaire or Agent Warren.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “I have no reason not to trust him. I don’t particularly like his style, but he’s the task force leader and I do what I’m told. I’m glad he’s not my permanent boss.”

  “Do you think he’ll talk openly with me?”

  “I have no idea. He’ll probably have to OK it with Colonel Smithers and the DIA chain of command first, if he hasn’t done that already.”

  “I appreciate your openness, Karen. If you think of anything else that’s pertinent, please contact me.” He handed her his card with his mobile phone number and email address printed on it.

  Karen looked relieved the interview was over but hesitated before leaving. “You said that the murderer might come after me. Should I take any special precautions?”

  “You probably have nothing to worry about but be extra watchful and observant. Keep your doors locked at home and your burglar alarm activated, if you have one. Don’t hesitate to call me immediately if you suspect somebody is stalking you.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “Can I go now. I need to get back to Project Typhon unless it’s been canceled, and nobody told me.”

  “Yes, you can leave. But, can you do me a favor?
”

  “What?”

  “Tell Todd Andrews to meet me here right away for an interview.”

  Chapter 18

  I nstinct, intuition, sixth sense — whatever you want to call it — every fiber in Blaire’s body was telling her that the room at Wintergreen Resort was a deathtrap. It wasn’t that she distrusted QT. She believed him when he said he was trying to keep her safe. But, she’d worked for the NSA long enough to know that whoever was after her already knew about her relationship with Quinton. It wouldn’t take them long to find the hotel reservation in his name and come looking for her there.

  She took a close look at the key she’d removed from Jeremy’s pocket after he was shot. It was connected to a rectangular, transparent plastic keychain, which had an address tag inserted in it. Blaire was betting that it unlocked the door of the house which he’d referred to as his secret hideaway when he’d tried to lure her to it moments before the bullets had hit him. Had he covered his tracks well enough that the residence he’d called a secret hideaway was indeed off the beaten path and unknown to anyone except for him? It would be chancy for her to go there, but she reasoned that she was probably in more danger sitting in her room at Wintergreen. What should she do?

  She picked up the hotel phone and dialed the number for QT’s personal phone. It rang three times with no answer. “Damn it QT, answer your phone,” she said.

  It rang two more times before a voice came on the other end. “This is Quinton Target …” Blaire said nothing while she waited for the boiler plate message to follow, instructing her to leave a message, but instead she heard, “Hello, this is Quinton, is anybody there?”

  “QT, it’s me,” she said. “God, I thought you weren’t going to answer. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”

  “What’s the matter,” he said in a panic. “Has the man in the white SUV tracked you to Wintergreen?”

  “Not yet, at least not that I know about, but that’s why I’m calling. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced I’m not safe here. If I were an NSA cyber analyst looking for me, I’d check my home address, which would immediately lead me to a rental contract in both our names. After dispatching somebody to our townhouse to see if I was stupid enough to go there, I’d begin searching for other places that you or I would go in a crisis. I probably wouldn’t search hotel reservations in both of our names immediately because it wouldn’t be first on my tracking checklist, but I’d get to it eventually.”