by Dean Atwood
“Neither Special Agent McCoy nor I told her. If she knows, she found out some other way.”
“Blaire, who else at the JUIAF knows that you and Quinton are a couple?”
“Some of my coworkers know that I date an FBI agent, but I’ve never mentioned his name. I didn’t tell the task force leader, DIA Agent Warren. I’ve always tried to keep my work and personal relationships separate.”
“Have you and Quinton discussed your excessively friendly behavior with Jeremy?”
“He’s well aware there was nothing inappropriate going on between the two of us.” Blaire looked at Quinton for his confirmation and he nodded his head in agreement.
“You refused to answer the question about your exact responsibilities on the task force. Have you told QT in private about it?”
“No,” she said emphatically.
Daphne looked at Blaire and then at Quinton. “Where do we go from here, Quinton?”
“Have you identified Warren’s boss yet?”
“No, I still need to follow up on that.”
QT said to Blaire, “If Warren’s boss is as tightlipped as he is about the task force, we’re going to pressure you for answers. I won’t tolerate stonewalling from the DIA or NSA. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Anything else we need to talk about before ending this interview?” QT said.
“I should mention that I’ve been officially welcomed back to the task force,” Blaire said. “I’ll be going out of town tonight on assignment.”
“What?” QT said. “I don’t like the idea of you being out in the open. We have to assume there’s still somebody out there who wants you dead and is waiting for the right time to strike.”
“It’s my job. If you were in my situation, you wouldn’t shirk your responsibilities.”
“That’s probably true, but I still don’t like it. You’re being reckless.”
“This sounds like a personal conversation,” Daphne said. “I’m going back to work.”
Daphne walked toward the conference room door. She cast a glance at QT and Blaire before exiting and closing the door behind her.
“I better not stay here too long,” Blaire said. “Daphne will think we’re keeping more secrets from her.”
“Truth is, we are keeping a big one from her. We didn’t tell her the assassin is dead.”
“The only one I’ve told about shooting him is Special Agent Warren, and he’s not about to tell Daphne or anyone else. By the way, you never did tell me how you found out that the killer knew my location and was coming after me.”
“Do you remember me pointing out the woman on the downtown mall? The one who calls herself Lieutenant Mad?”
“The homeless woman, who you have coffee with sometimes?”
“Yes, that’s her. Although, she isn’t exactly homeless. She lives in a room beneath the Jefferson Theatre. It turns out she has a military intelligence background.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“I know. I was skeptical at first, too. I had coffee with her in the morning before Jeremy’s murder. She warned me that somebody who looked like a hitman had been surveilling out townhouse. I didn’t take her seriously, which in retrospect was a big mistake. After Jeremy was killed and you were in hiding, she told me the hitman knew your location and was coming after you. I didn’t make the same mistake twice. I took her warning seriously and immediately called you.”
“She’s creepy, if you ask me. But, I suppose I do owe her for alerting us.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I should get going. I need to run by the house to pick up a few things for my trip.”
“While you’re at the townhouse, if you notice the guestroom has been recently used, Lieutenant Mad spent the night.”
“What? You let that woman stay in our home?”
“She called last night after you went to the JUIAF. She told me her room was under surveillance, and she needed a place to stay. What else could I do?”
“You could’ve put her up in a hotel. I don’t like the idea of another woman spending the night alone in our house with you, even if she is creepy.”
“You sound like a jealous girlfriend,” he said with a smile.
Blaire got up from her chair, turned QT’s swivel chair until it was facing her. She sat down on his lap and kissed him, while using her hips to swivel the chair back and forth.
“I’m not worried about other women,” she said as she slowly got up from his lap. “We’ll continue this conversation when I return tomorrow.”
She swayed her hips provocatively as she walked to the door and turned to blow him a kiss before leaving. Quinton smiled and shook his head. When it came to Blaire Saunders, he was weak, and he knew it.
***
Sitting at the conference table, lost in his thoughts, Quinton was startled when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the caller’s number, but he slid his finger on the screen to accept it. “Hello,” he said.
“Is this Quinton Target?”
“Yes, who’s calling.”
“Call me Clarence.”
“Clarence who?”
“It’s unimportant. I could give you a surname, but I’d me making it up, so let’s stick with Clarence. You know how these things are.”
“No, I don’t know how these things are. I don’t have the slightest idea what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I’m with the CIA.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“You recently ran a facial recognition inquiry against the intelligence agencies’ databases and it generated a match with a person of interest. Does that ring a bell?”
“Maybe. What’s it to you?”
“Our records show that the photo you submitted matched a Lieutenant Madeline Casey, who died in the line of duty. You can imagine our surprise when we were alerted that somebody had taken a recent picture of her.”
“If you’re really with the CIA, you know that facial recognition algorithms are much less accurate for women than men. In fact, with a single photo, best-case reliability is less than seventy percent.”
“If you believe that, why did you do the search?”
“I met a homeless woman at the downtown mall. We’ve had coffee together a few times. I was concerned about her mental health and thought I’d see whether I could find a relative who could get her some help.”
“Why didn’t you use the contact information that was displayed on the notice that said the woman in the photo was a person of interest?”
“I assumed that I’d gotten a faulty recognition result. I didn’t want to explain to anyone why I was doing the search, since it was a personal rather than an FBI related inquiry.”
“That sounds plausible.”
“The truth usually does.”
“Have you involved Lieutenant Casey in any FBI cases?”
“I don’t know Lieutenant Casey. I only know a homeless woman, who apparently has some similarities in appearance to your Lieutenant Casey. I’m not in the habit of soliciting the advice of random homeless people to conduct FBI investigations.”
“Where can I find this woman, who you befriended?”
“The only place I’ve ever seen her is at the downtown mall. But, I don’t want you to harass her. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“We aren’t going to harm her. It’s normal procedure to follow up in these situations. You know how things are.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said that. I don’t know how things are at the CIA, but I know at the FBI we abide by the law of the land. Congress doesn’t take kindly to the CIA operating against citizens within the borders of the USA.”
“No need for you or your friend to feel threatened, Agent Target. You and I are on the same side, fighting to keep America safe, right?”
“Clarence or whatever your real name is, my friend isn’t a threat to the CIA or anybody in the USA. She’s just a troubled woman, trying to find her way in
life. I suggest you back off.”
“Goodbye, Agent Target.”
***
QT had barely ended the call with Clarence, when his phone rang again. He checked the caller ID before answering. “Good afternoon, Lieutenant Mad. I was just thinking about you.”
“Pleasant thoughts, I hope.”
“Yes, very. After last night, my thoughts about you are much different than they were when we were simply coffee buddies.”
“I’m glad I made an impression.”
“That’s an understatement. Did you call for any special reason?”
“Do you mean, have I become a crazed lady stalker who’s going to call and text you incessantly from now on?”
“No, that’s not what I meant at all. I welcome personal calls or texts from you. But, unless you’ve changed significantly overnight, there’s usually a reason for your calls.”
“You’re right. No matter how memorable it was, one roll in the sack can’t fix my personality flaws,”
“I don’t find you flawed. You’re amazing, don’t you know that?”
“Now you’re embarrassing me — but thanks for the compliment. Let me get down to business.”
“Go right ahead.”
“Don’t get overly concerned by what I’m about to tell you. I have a friend who’s a professional assassin and he’s been contracted to kill Blaire.”
“And, I shouldn’t be concerned by this news?”
“He’s called Rasputin and he’s one of the best, but he’s retired. As a favor to me, he put the word out that he was available for hire, hoping to get the contract for Blaire after Scarlatino was out of the picture.”
“Do you have the name of the person who contracted him?”
“No, he was hired anonymously, but he’s quite sure the person who put out the hit doesn’t work directly for an intelligence agency. Is Blaire still under security at the JUIAF?”
“Yes, but not for long. She’s resuming her job on the interagency task force. What’s Rasputin’s plan?”
“He’s going to follow the steps he would normally follow for a hit, up to the point of pulling the trigger.”
“Is Blaire in danger?”
“Not from Rasputin. But, he’s concerned that his employer put an open hit on Blaire, contracting more than one professional to make sure the job gets done this time.”
“I’ll let Blaire know what’s going on, although it probably won’t make a hell of lot of difference. She’s insistent that she’s rejoining the task force regardless of the risks.”
“You should at least let her know we’ve confirmed that the person behind Jeremy’s murder is still trying to kill her.”
“Isn’t there any way we can find out who hired Rasputin?”
“We’re working on it, but it won’t be easy.”
“Let me know if anything comes up that I need to worry about.”
“I will. There’s something else you should know. In addition to Blaire, Rasputin was hired to kill Anne Upshaw, the CEO of the company that the DIA and CIA are investigating.”
“I need to find a way to warn her without interfering with the task force.”
“Leave it up to me.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve got it covered,”
“OK. By the way, you were right again.”
“About what?”
“I got a call from somebody, claiming to be with the CIA.”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to know what my connection was with Madeline Casey. I told him I didn’t know a Madeline Casey and that I searched the facial recognition database because I was trying to help a homeless person I’d met.”
“Did he believe you?”
“Probably not. I told him that facial recognition searches weren’t always accurate, but he didn’t sound convinced. He said the CIA wanted to talk with you. He assured me, they wouldn’t harm you, if I helped them track you down.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No, I think you need to be careful. I’m not sure how long you’ll be able to avoid them by staying at my townhouse, but you can remain as long as you want. Are you there now?”
“Not yet, but I’m on my way. When are you planning to be home? I have a surprise for you?”
“That sounds intriguing. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be at work. I have an unpleasant meeting to attend that could last for a while.”
“I have some place I have to be at around seven, so if you’re not back by then, I won’t see you until tomorrow.”
“I’ll try to see you before you leave. You be careful.”
“I always am.”
Quinton tapped the end call button, shook his head, and smiled. It wasn’t like him to be involved with more than one woman at a time. He always had felt morally superior to guys who were players. He told himself this was different. His actions were justified because Blaire had cheated on him. He had every intention of breaking it off with Blaire after interviewing her, but he was finding it difficult to let her go. Her gyrating hips and seductive manner weren’t making it any easier. On the other hand, the cleaned-up Lieutenant Mad was hard to resist, too.
He was sure it was going to end badly, but right now he was rather enjoying living on the edge with two, beautiful women.
Chapter 38
B laire glanced at FBI Agent Joseph Thomason as they made their way from the parking lot to her townhouse. Physically, he couldn’t be more different than Jeremy. She guessed he was in his late forties or early fifties. It was difficult to tell for sure because he had the leathery, wrinkled face of a lifetime smoker. The thin, gray hairs remaining on his head were brushed from left to right in a combover. It had been Blaire’s experience that as men aged and became too large for their britches, they either hiked them up or pulled them down. Thomason had lowered the waist of his pants to accommodate the overhang of his growing beer belly. It made his already short legs appear even shorter.
When they reached the front door of her townhouse, Blaire said, “Wait here. I won’t be long.”
“You sure you don’t want me to go in first and verify it’s safe for you to enter?”
“No, I’ll be fine.” The thought crossed her mind that if it had been Jeremy asking the question, she might have invited him inside while she changed her clothes.
As she closed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt, she heard a voice coming from the guestroom. “I thought you said you were going to be working late?” The voice grew louder as the woman moved from the bathroom to the bedroom door. “I won’t need to use your washer and dryer today. I bought some new clothes,” she said as she emerged from the bedroom wearing only a bra and panties.
Blaire stood with her mouth open, like she was going to speak, but no words came out.
“I’m sorry,” the lieutenant said. “I thought you were QT ... I’m Lieutenant Mad. You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.”
Finding her voice Blaire said, “We’ve never been formally introduced, “I’m Blaire Saunders.”
“Yes, I know. I didn’t mean to impose. I didn’t think anybody would be here. QT said it would be OK for me to use the shower and guestroom.”
Blaire couldn’t get over the change in the lieutenant’s appearance. The drop dead gorgeous redhead in Victoria’s Secret underwear, she was looking at, was a far cry from the unkempt homeless woman whom she recalled. “It’s not a problem. I was just surprised to find someone here. QT said you spent last night in the guestroom.”
“He did?”
“Where are my manners. I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are?”
“Yes, I am. I want to thank you for saving my life. If you hadn’t let QT know that the assassin had located me, I wouldn’t have been prepared for him. He would have killed me for sure.”
“You’re welcome?” she said with an intonation that sounded more like a question.
“Are you going to stay here again tonight? I’m g
oing out of town on business, but QT will be here.”
“No, I have a room reserved at a hotel tonight. It’s very nice of you to offer, though.”
“Oh, good. Not good that you’re not going to be here alone with QT, good that you have a place to stay.”
“I knew what you meant.”
“QT told me government agents are looking for you. Do you know which agency has you under surveillance? Maybe, if QT and I put in a good word for you, we can get them to leave you alone.”
“That’s sweet of you, but it’s way more complicated than a call from QT or you could resolve.”
“Before I left the JUIAF today, QT told me that you talked with the hitman who now has the contract to kill me? How’s that possible?”
“The man is an ex-military sniper, who’s done a lot of work for US intelligence agencies over the years. He’s retired, but still well-known. We were able to arrange for him to get the contract on you.”
“I’d much rather be killed by a friend of yours than a stranger,” Blaire said and smiled.
“You don’t have to worry about him, he’s on our side. But as I told QT, there could be multiple contracts out on you. My friend will do what he can to watch out for others intent on taking a shot at you.”
“At least a sniper’s bullet would be quick and painless.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I have other friends who are trying to find out the identity of the person making the hire.”
“You seem to have a lot of connections to people in the know. By any chance was it you that gave QT the video of Jeremy and me at the security company parking lot?”
“I’m sorry if it caused personal problems for you. We came across it unexpectedly. I wasn’t sure whether it was important to QT’s investigation or not, so I left it up to him to decide.”
“It was embarrassing to explain it to QT, but I’m confident we’ll get through it.”
“Is that right? He must be very understanding. Now that we’ve introduced ourselves to each other, if I find other videos like that one, I’ll bring them to you, first.”
“I can see you have a low opinion of me, but I can assure you that you won’t find any others like it. I don’t expect you to believe me, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked. I got caught up in some dirty dealings dictated by the agency.”
