by Dean Atwood
“Me, too.”
Quinton had barely ended the call with Blaire when his phone rang again. He wondered what it was like in the olden days when the only phones available were connected to wires. As long as he could remember, he’d been tethered to a mobile phone. He thought it’d be nice to be disconnected for a while — but not today.
“Quinton Target, here.”
“Hi Quinton, it’s Daphne.”
“What’s up Daphne? I was about to go to Anne Upshaw’s speech.”
“I have something important to tell you. Special Agent Warren cleaned out his office and permanently left the JUIAF.”
“What? When did that happen?”
“I gave Colonel Smithers a briefing on the murder investigation, late this morning. She sends her love, by the way.”
“I bet.”
“Anyway, as part of our discussion, I pressed her on Special Agent Warren’s chain of command. Basically, she told me it was none of my business. I must’ve shaken her up, telling her that you were in DC and asking about Warren’s boss. She went to Warren’s office and spent fifteen minutes talking with him.”
“When was that.”
“Around noon.”
“A couple of hours ago, I went by Warren’s office. The blinds over his front glass wall were open and I could see that his desk was cleaned off and all his personal items were removed. I couldn’t get an appointment to ask Colonel Smithers about it until a short while ago.”
“Did she tell you where Warren went?”
“She said he’d been reassigned effective immediately and had left the JUIAF, permanently.”
“I don’t suppose she told you where his new position was or who he’d be working for.”
“No, she wouldn’t tell me. I assume this means the task force is disbanded or will have a new leader. I’m going to see Blaire to find out if she knows about it.”
“I talked with her a few minutes ago. Apparently, she hasn’t heard the news, yet. She would’ve told me if she had.”
“I’ll keep checking around the office and let you know if I find out any additional details.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“What are partners for?”
QT liked it better when he knew where Warren was, so he could confront him if necessary. Now that he’d disappeared into the shadows, he’d be impossible to find until he surfaced of his own accord.
Quinton checked the time on his iPhone. He needed to hurry to reach the auditorium before Anne Upshaw began speaking.
Chapter 57
T he auditorium was packed in anticipation of Anne Upshaw’s introduction. Standing room only was available when Quinton arrived. That was alright with him because he wanted the flexibility to move around and check the crowd for anyone who looked suspicious. A uniformed policeman was posted at the entrance to make sure only ticked guests went inside. QT stopped and showed the cop his badge and let him know he was carrying a concealed weapon. After entering, he moved down the outside aisle that was closest to the entrance. He spotted Danziger’s distinctive hair in the front row.
A woman with long, auburn hair was sitting next to Danziger. She turned her head, as if she felt QT’s eyes on her and was responding to him. When she caught a glimpse of him, she smiled.
QT smiled back and looked into her green eyes until she turned her head to face the podium. The old Lieutenant Mad would’ve been wearing a UVA cap, he thought.
A nerdy, young man with stylish, black-framed glasses went to the microphone and said, “Ladies & Gentlemen, our speaker this evening needs no introduction, but I’m going to introduce her, anyway. She’s a true technology and communications visionary, the CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world, and an inspiration to all of us gathered here tonight. Please join me in welcoming the one and only, Anne Upshaw.”
When Anne Upshaw walked onto the stage, she was greeted with thunderous applause. Danziger remained seated and his tell-tale hair revealed he was shaking his head in disapproval of the enthusiastic welcome she was receiving.
Anne was wearing tight, black jeans; a white blouse that unbuttoned to reveal cleavage; and a black blazer. She’ll grab the attention of the men in the audience with that outfit, QT thought.
Behind the podium, at the edge of the curtain, one of her bodyguards was visible. He was positioned to take down anyone attempting to attack Anne by running onto the stage. Next to the wall on the other side of the crowd from QT, the other brawny security guard was posted. He was dressed in a suit and had an obvious earpiece and a small microphone on his lapel which he used occasionally to communicate with the other guard.
Not exactly inconspicuous, QT thought, but at least he’s a deterrent presence.
The lights above the audience had been dimmed when Anne reached the podium, so it was difficult for QT to read people’s faces as he moved up the aisle toward the back of the room. He could hear Anne speaking and occasional reactions from the attendees, but he didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. His objective was to find a potential assassin. A few people looked in his direction briefly as he walked by them and then returned their attention to Anne. He thought it was unlikely a professional would try to shoot from the middle of a crowd with a cop at the entrance and a security guard on the other side, but he had to be open to all possibilities.
When he reached the back row and looked up, he noticed a darkened balcony. There was a set of stairs on the right with a chain across them and a sign that said, No Admittance. On the other side of the balcony there appeared to be a matching staircase without a sign or chain. QT stayed a distance of thirty to fifty feet away from the balcony, so he could see whether anyone was up there.
While he was scanning from side-to-side, he noticed one of the dimly lit ceiling lights reflect off from something silver on the left-hand-side of the balcony. He put the side of his hand over his eyes like he was shading them from the sun. He saw what he thought was the end of a gun barrel. Before he could move toward the stairway he heard two pops that sounded like shots muffled by a silencer. The shots were followed by a thump against the balcony floor.
Instinctively, he looked back at the podium to see if the shots had been fired at Anne. She was still speaking. When he returned his gaze to the balcony, a man with a long beard was standing there, staring at him. Quinton looked back at Anne to doublecheck that she was OK and when he looked back at the balcony, the man was gone. He ran toward the stairs, pushing the sign and chain aside as he ascended. At the top, he pulled out his gun and approached the area where he’d seen the bearded man. A body was lying on the floor with a couple of bullets through the head. A rifle was lying beside the body.
Although he’d never been introduced, QT presumed the bearded man who had shot the assassin was the lieutenant’s friend, Rasputin. Was Danziger brazen enough to have somebody kill Anne while she gave her speech and then expect Sandy Foot go back to his suite for dinner with him like nothing had happened? Perhaps, he’d contracted the killing and left the when and where up to the killer.
Quinton left the balcony and watched the rest of Anne’s speech while standing by the entrance. He’d notify the police about the body after the lieutenant’s dinner with Danziger. There was no way Danziger would open up to her, if the police were swarming all over the place.
The assassin’s body would be found sooner or later. He preferred later.
Chapter 58
A fter she was done speaking, Anne stepped away from the podium and stood in the middle of the stage. The crowd roared their approval. She waved to the audience like a political candidate running for president of the USA. When the cheers subsided, she made brief eye contact with the lieutenant and then walked off the stage.
“Let’s get out of here,” Danziger said. “I can’t stomach anymore.”
“Do you still want to have dinner?”
“Yes, of course. I can’t stomach another minute of the ignorant masses worshipping her. I still have an appetite for food
... and you.”
“Who says I’m on the menu?”
“Still playing hard to get? Maybe the dinner wine will loosen you up.”
Danziger took Sandy’s hand and rushed to the exit to beat the throng. They were the first ones to the elevator. Once inside, he inserted his special keycard that gave him the privilege of going to the floor where his suite was located. He pushed the close button before anyone else could join them.
The lieutenant looked nervously at the elevator camera. The last thing she wanted was for some government agency to get a hold of footage of her in the elevator with Danziger.
“Are you alright? You seem a little nervous,” he said. “You don’t have an elevator phobia, do you?”
“I’m fine. My adrenalin is still flowing from racing to beat the crowd.”
The elevator opened on the top floor and they walked the short distance to his suite. “Here we are,” he said as he inserted his key. He flipped on the lights after they entered.
“So, this is how the top one percent lives,” she said.
“It doesn’t compare to my house,” he bragged, “but it’s a lot more comfortable than the cookie cutter rooms.”
In addition to two bedrooms and a kitchen, the suite included a dining area with a bar and a sitting room with a sofa and chairs. The view from the sitting room was magnificent. A large picture window gave them a view of Crystal City. The sun was setting and the lights in the buildings were brightening.
“I’ve stayed in an ordinary suite before. This is more than a standard one,” she said.
He ignored her observation and said, “Our timing is perfect. I told the restaurant to serve our meal at eight. The waiter will be here any minute.”
Thirty seconds later there was a knock on the door and a man said, “Room Service.”
“We’ll be eating at the dining room table,” Danziger told the waiter.
“Yes, sir.”
Danziger sat down in the chair at the head of the table. Rather than pulling out Sandy’s chair for her, he motioned for her to sit in the chair next to him.
“I took the liberty of ordering for you, again.”
“What did you order?”
“Pan seared filet mignon with garlic and herb butter, baked potato, a house salad, and of course, the most expensive red wine they have.”
“How do you know I’m not a vegetarian?”
“Are you?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“No problem. Dinner sounds delicious.”
After the waiter placed the silverware, napkins, and plates of food on the table, he lit the candles in the center and dimmed the dining room lights. After going through the traditional wine tasting routine, Danziger nodded his approval and the waiter poured them each a glass.
“Put the after-dinner brandy and white chocolate cheesecake on the bar,” Danziger said. He signed the check and handed it to the waiter. “Leave us now,” he said in way that made it sound like the waiter was making a nuisance of himself.
“Yes sir,” he said and humbly left the suite.
They ate their food without conversation. Danziger looked at her now and then to assess whether she was enjoying her dinner. When he was done, he dabbed his mouth with his napkin and said, “How was it?”
“Great,” she said. “You made another excellent selection for us.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Let’s adjourn to the sitting room for brandy and cheese cake. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable on the sofa. I’ll bring it to you.”
He brought two brandies and two pieces of white chocolate cheesecake to the sitting room and placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
“It looks wonderful,” she said.
“Lady’s first,” he said, which was odd coming from him since he hadn’t done a single gallant thing since she’d met him.”
She took her first bite of the dessert and he followed with a bite of his.
“What’s that building over there with the circular top floor?” she said while looking at the structure directly across from them.
“The bottom floors are corporate offices. The circular structure on top is a rotating restaurant.”
“Really. It’s quite impressive. I feel like I could almost reach out and touch it.”
“Tell me, after talking with Anne at breakfast and hearing her speak, what did you think of her?”
“You get right to the point, don’t you?”
“It’s the fastest way to get an answer.”
“She’s very charismatic and likeable.”
“I had hopes you’d be perceptive enough to see what she really is, which is all fluff and no business acuity.”
“I heard that Upshaw Corporation was coming out with a revolutionary new product line, but Anne didn’t say anything about it in her speech.”
“The time’s not right, yet. What do you know about it?”
“Nothing. Only that there’s top secret development underway.”
“It’s safer for you, if you don’t stick your nose into that. Upshaw is very protective of its secrets.”
Sandy took another swig of her brandy. “How far are they willing to go to protect their secrets? Are we talking lawsuits or murder,” she said, slurring her words.
“Suffice to say, you don’t want to find out.”
“Anne does seem more like a big picture person than an operational leader like you.”
“Well, at least you picked up on that.”
“You don’t like her very much, do you?” she said as she wagged her index finger at him and laughed a drunk laugh.
“If you got to know her better, you’d realize she’s a conniving bitch.”
“Do you think the company would do better with you at the helm?”
“Absolutely.”
“Would you be willing to do anything to gain control?”
“What did you have in mind?” he said and smiled.
Sandy took another swig of the brandy. She was having a tough time concentrating and keeping her eyelids from drooping.
“Did you put something in my drink?” she said slurring.
“I warned you the after-dinner drinks would be strong.” he said and smiled.
She took another drink. “I don’t think you’re very nice. I think you’d kill somebody to take Anne’s job.”
His smile evaporated as he looked at her. “That’s the drink talking.”
“I don’t think so,” she said and wagged her finger at him. “Teddy has a secret,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“Be very careful,” he said.
Sandy lifted her finger again and was about to say something. A look came over her face like she was trying to remember. Her eyes rolled up and her eyelids closed as she slumped on the sofa.
Danziger raised his glass toward Sandy’s slumped-over body like was going to make a toast to her and then without saying anything took another drink before setting his glass on the coffee table.
He lifted Sandy’s passed-out body, wrapped her left arm around his shoulder, and placed his right arm around her waist. He dragged her feet along the floor. “Let’s get you into bed,” he said as he guided her into the bedroom. After he had her stretched out on top of the bedspread, he removed her shoes and pants and unbuttoned her blouse.
“Let’s get you comfortable,” he said. “Oh, I forgot my drink. Don’t go away. I’ll be right back.”
He casually walked to the coffee table and picked up his glass of brandy. He moved closer to the picture window and watched as the circular restaurant made a quarter turn. At the same time that he lifted his glass to take a drink, a bullet penetrated the picture window and hit him directly between his eyes. Blood trickled down his face. It took his body a second to realize that no signal was coming from his brain, and then he fell straight backward onto the floor.
QT inserted the keycard into the reader and pushed the door open. He moved forward with his gun in front of
him, ready to shoot. He saw Danziger’s body lying on the floor and stepped over it.
“Lieutenant Mad,” he shouted.
He heard a moan coming from the bedroom. When he entered, he saw the lieutenant lying on the bed in her panties with her blouse unbuttoned.
“Are you OK?” he asked
She reached up, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips. “I like you, QT” she said before passing out again and slumping onto the bed.
He put her pants back on her, buttoned her blouse, and put her shoes onto her feet. “Come on, Lieutenant, we have to get you out of here. You don’t want the CIA to find out you’re alive and active, do you?”
She moved her legs as well as she could as he walked her down the stairwell and up the hallway into their hotel room. Once inside, he helped her into the bed.
“You sleep it off,” he said. “I have to report two dead bodies and try to explain how they were killed and by whom.”
Chapter 59
S pecial Agent McCoy sat in his office chair and looked at QT, who was sitting in the visitor’s chair across the desk from him. “You had a busy night,” he said. “I’ve been putting off calling the Richmond office until we talked. How about telling me what happened?”
“Do you want the full story or the sanitized version?”
“Give me the full story. I’ll decide how much sanitation is needed before passing our report up the chain.”
“When I called you yesterday, I told you I was in Crystal City to talk with Anne Upshaw. I used an informant, let’s call her the lieutenant, to arrange the meeting with Anne. The lieutenant told Anne that a mind control device was installed in her home by an intelligence agency.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it was installed by the NSA under orders from Special Agent Warren of the DIA.”
“Good God.”
“The lieutenant also told Anne and me that a contract had been put on Anne’s life. I told you yesterday, my prime suspect for ordering that hit was Ted Danziger.”
“I remember.”
“While Anne was giving her speech at the symposium, I was on the lookout for the assassin. I spotted him in a balcony. He was ready to take a shot. I started toward the balcony, but before I could get to him, someone else killed him.”
