Bloody Truth: A Granger Spy Novel

  “Protocols, Hodges. Clean the scene, and report back here ASAP, and bring Ryan. Zach,” she said, ending the call with Hodges, “I need you in the police system, and as soon as they post the information about the dead American, I need you to work your magic, got me?”

  “I’m on it now, boss,” Zach said. “I’m also searching CCTV cameras in the area for any clue as to where the sedan and the van are going.”

  “Great. Good thinking,” Wakefield said, answering the ringing mobile phone. “Yes.”

  “We’re just going to leave Franks in the street like this?” Hodges asked.

  “Listen to me, Hodges,” Wakefield said, leaning forward, a palm pressed down on the tabletop. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s SOP. Follow the procedures, and get back here. Where in the hell is Ryan?”

  “Jumped in a cab. He’s chasing the Mercedes.”

  Disconnecting the call with Hodges, Wakefield said, “Get me Ryan.”

  “I’m here,” Ryan said, his voice erupting in her ear.

  “How’s that possible?” Wakefield asked, looking at Zach. “You said we were jammed.”

  “The effective range of one of those portable jammers is less than a fifty-foot radius. Ryan must be outside that effective range. If the device was off, I’d be receiving the tracking signal from the Grangers, and I’m not receiving anything.”

  Then, turning her attention to Agent Ryan, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m in pursuit of Tia. She killed Franks.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  “To follow and apprehend her.”

  “In a cab?”

  “Well, I…”

  “Yeah, I know, you didn’t think that through. Your little plan involves a civilian witness. Turn around immediately and report back here. That’s an order. Do it now.”

  “But she could lead me to wherever she’s taking the Grangers.”

  “And she could just as easily lead you on a wild goose chase. Return here immediately. Final order. Follow it or…”

  “Or what!” he raged. “You’ll fire me? You need me more than ever, now. You’re four men down.”

  “Agent James Ryan Taw,” Wakefield began calmly, “it’s my duty to inform you this transmission is being recorded and will be entered into evidence against you at your dismissal hearing, along with other similarly recorded acts of insubordination, if you do not follow my order to return here immediately.”

  “Ten-four, I’m en route to your location, abandoning my pursuit of the person that killed Agent William Bubba Franks.”

  Staring out the window, Wakefield said, “Zach, anything on those CCTV cameras in the area? Any sign of anything that might help us? Maybe we’ll get lucky and can ID the vehicle transporting the Grangers. But I suspect Tia probably jammed those camera signals, too, since she was prepared to cut off our communications.”

  Typing quickly, he said, “That’s an accurate assumption, but,” he paused and pointed at the TV screen, “she made one mistake. Check this out.”

  “What am I looking at?”

  “Camera view from the ATM machine of the bank located across the street from the bus loading and unloading zone.”

  “What am I seeing?”

  “That’s,” Zach said, looking up at the TV screen, “Ron Granger being loaded into the rear of a van by two men that fit the descriptions Ron gave us of Hector and Lee, and,” he paused to enlarge the image, “that’s the license plate.”

  “How did those idiots get the jump on Ron? That’s just impossible. We’re missing something here, or those MMA guys are more highly skilled than we thought. Or maybe…”

  “Or what?” he asked. “What’re you thinking?”

  “As we were leaving the park, I received word the CIA databases had been breached. I wonder…”

  “You’re thinking Tia hacked the CIA?”

  “That would be one explanation for the sudden turn of events.”

  “Sure it would, but you’re forgetting one thing.”

  “What’s that?” She asked.

  “Even if the CIA database was breached, it’s just a storage facility housing hundreds of servers and too many terabytes of data to imagine. No way she finds out anything about the Grangers or us. The search would take days.”

  “Okay, so if not that, then what caused her to change her mind about Peter Heely and his team? And how the hell did they get the jump on Ron and Val? Do you think those two MMA goons planned this?”

  “No,” Zach said, “it’s not the MMA guys. I think we’re right about those two.” He paused and typed furiously. “I’ve blown up the image. If you look where my cursor is on the screen, you’ll see a bald head in the reflection of the rearview mirror.”

  “Furukawa?” Tammy asked.

  “Yes, Furukawa. He’s the great unknown, and he has to be the mastermind behind what just happened.”

  “All of it?” Wakefield asked. “Including killing Franks, or just the takedown of the Grangers?”

  “Just the takedown. I think killing Franks was Tia acting on impulse. Maybe he startled her when he ran into the situation like he did.”

  “That’s certainly plausible,” Tammy said, looking in the direction of the door opening as Hodges entered the suite.

  “Here are his personal items. Isn’t much,” he said, carefully placing the mobile phone, earpiece, and Indian head penny Franks always carried for good luck on the table near the door.

  “Bag it and tag it, Hodges,” Wakefield instructed. “We’ll be resting in shifts till we find the Grangers. You’re taking the first shift. Thirty minutes to get washed up and eat. It’s going to be a long night. Report back here at 2030 hours. Dismissed.”

  Bagging and tagging Frank’s personal belongings, Hodges placed the bag on the table next to Zach’s computer. Turning toward the sound of the opening door, he saw Ryan. “Where were you?” he asked.

  Ignoring Hodges’ question, Ryan brushed past him. Hodges grabbed Ryan’s left arm, spun him around and punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor. Wakefield and Zach rushed to separate the two men, but not before Hodges kicked Ryan in the side.

  “You killed him! You were out of position!”

  “Fuck you, Hodges! It’s not my fault. Wakefield sent him in there!”

  Pushing Hodges toward the door of the suite, Wakefield said, “Go on. Get cleaned up and rest. Take an hour. I’ll see you at nine. That’s twenty-one hundred, sharp. Now go. Let me handle Ryan.”

  Closing the door, Wakefield turned to face a now-standing Ryan.

  “I’ll get to you in a moment. Right now, we need to focus on finding the Grangers. Any thoughts?”

  “CCTV cameras in the area?” Ryan asked.

  “Only image we’ve found is the one on the screen,” Zach said, pointing to the TV mounted on the wall of the suite.

  “She came prepared, didn’t she?” Ryan asked, rubbing his jaw with his hand.

  Ignoring his question, Wakefield said, “Zach ran the plates. The van was reported stolen today. So whatever she came prepared to do, she prepared it today and in a hurry.”

  “So, we’ve got nothing?” Ryan asked.

  “Zach’s compiling a top ten list of the most likely locations she’d use to house and question the Grangers. We doubt she’d bring them back to the offices of CCP.”

  “We’d know where she was bringing them if you had let me follow her.”

  Smiling, Tammy said, “Yes… about that, or more precisely, about you. I think now is as good a time as any. Account for your actions tonight.”

  “Is this a formal review?”

  “Yes, it is, and may I add it’s long overdue. Zach will video the session and act as witness.”

  Ryan, seeing Zach aiming his iPhone at his face, smiled, rubbed his jaw, and said, “So this is it, then? I’m finished at the Agency?”

  “I can’t answer that. You know how the process works and how long it takes, but even though you haven’t done yourse
lf any favors these past few days, the mission isn’t over yet. You still have an opportunity to add something positive to your file.”

  “Really? And just how do I do that?”

  “Finish strong, Agent Ryan. If you stop complaining and defying orders, and help wrap this thing up with Tia in a nice little bow, and get the Grangers back in one piece, I’ll make note of your actions in your file.”

  “That’ll help?”

  “It certainly won’t hurt. So you want to get to work finding the Grangers, or what?”

  “Yeah bring me up to speed.”

  “What’d you find?” Wakefield asked, turning her attention to Zach.

  “I searched all known CCP holdings and identified two possibilities.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, that’s it. Though the company is heavily invested, it doesn’t have many brick and mortar holdings other than the office space in the city. A hangar at the airfield and the plane inside, that’s it.”

  “A plane?”

  “It’s a nineties relic that hasn’t been in service for twenty years. I wouldn’t worry much about the plane.”

  “Okay,” Wakefield said, turning to face Ryan, “you’ll stake out the CCP office and, using your mobile, notify me of any activity. I’ll head to the airport and check out the hangar and the plane. If they’re there, I’ll call for all three of you. If not, I’ll wait for the arrival of the CIA team and Agent Leeds. Text me the location of the hangar, Zach, and then you keep digging. There’s got to be more. If you find anything else, put Hodges on it immediately.”

  “Roger that,” Zach said.

  As Ryan left the hotel room, he asked, “You sure you want to go the airport alone? It could be the place, and if it is, you’ll have to hold the fort till we can get there to help you.”

  Hailing a cab, Wakefield said, “See, that’s exactly the kind of thing I’ve been talking about for over two years now. I’m not going to engage them by myself or ‘hold the fort,’ as you call it. If they’re inside the hangar, I’ll wait for you, Zach, and Hodges to back me up. Now, I can drop you near the CCP building if you like; it’s on the way to the airport.”

  “No thanks, it’s a short walk from here.”

  “Remember,” she said, opening the door to the cab, “mobile phones. She’s using a jamming device.”

  “Yeah, I got it.”

  Watching the cab drive away, he started walking south toward the train station till the cab was out of sight, and then turned around, running back toward the hotel.

  “Zach,” Ryan said, entering the suite and startling the kid.

  “What the hell?” Zach responded. “You’re supposed to be on a stakeout. What are you doing here?”

  “Yeah, well, she changed her mind and asked me to help you with your search.”

  “Really? Why didn’t she call my mobile and tell me herself.”

  “Because I was standing right next to her when she changed her mind, and she told me to come up here and tell you.”

  “All right,” Zach said. “You can use Wakefield’s laptop to begin searching for CCP holdings. She was using it before you two left, so I know it’s still hacked into the German business filings database.”

  “Okay, what now? Keyword search?”

  “Yeah, and don’t worry if you don’t know any German. I’ve got a translation program running in the background. All you have to do is type, and the program takes care of the rest.”

  “Easy enough.”

  Minimizing the open windows on Wakefield’s computer, Ryan began searching for his disciplinary file. Finding it was easier than he’d imagined. A file with the heading “Mission Brief” was open beneath the windows he’d minimized.

  Reading the contents of the file, he realized not only was he in more trouble than Tammy had led him to believe, but Leecy Granger had killed a man. He wondered briefly if there was a way to use this new information on the prodigy to his advantage, but quickly moved on. He continued reading, finding all of his actions, both good and bad, accounted for and listed in chronological order, including his latest breach of protocol, which Wakefield linked directly to the death of Franks. He quickly changed that entry.

  “Hey,” Ryan asked, “any word on Franks?”

  Looking up from his computer, Zach answered, “Yes, the body was discovered shortly after you guys left the train station. The police have issued APBs for the two men and the woman seen fleeing the scene. The descriptions witnesses gave the police match you, Hodges, and Tia perfectly.”

  Reading his own file, Ryan knew that was spot on, because the information was included in the disciplinary report.

  “Oh, that’s not good.”

  “Which part? The part that Franks is dead and now officially known as Bill Kirby from Kansas City, Missouri, or that you’re wanted for questioning in connection to the crime?”

  “Yeah, you’re forgetting I know the protocols, too. You’d be required to change any description the police have of an agent. So I know you’re messing with me.”

  “I was, but Tia isn’t part of our team so I left her description as is.”

  Smiling at Zach’s comment, Ryan began changing the negative entries in his file. He’d adjusted about half the entries when Hodges entered the suite.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Hodges asked. “I just spoke to the boss, and you’re supposed to be on stakeout.”

  Scrolling to the end of the document, leaving the cursor exactly where he’d found it, he hit save. He quickly reopened the search window and typed “CCP holdings” in the address bar.

  “Yeah, I know,” Ryan said, standing and closing the laptop. “She thought I might be able to help, but honestly it looks like a dead end.” He walked toward the door. “The old boy has his fingers in many pies, but nothing made of brick and mortar.”

  “The old boy?” Hodges asked.

  “Yeah,” Ryan said, reaching for the doorknob. “You know. Heinrich Laird.”

  “You weren’t much help,” Zach said, watching Ryan open the door. “You put in ten minutes at most.”

  “Hodges can help you. I’m headed to CCP. I’ll call you when I’m in position.”

  The two men watched Ryan leave the room and Hodges said, “Heinrich Laird my ass. I’m willing to bet my paycheck he wasn’t searching for anything to do with Heinrich Laird.”

  “You’re right, he wasn’t,” Zach said. “He was searching for CCP holdings.”

  Pulling out the chair Ryan had been seated in, Hodges said, “No, I mean he wasn’t helping you.”

  Looking up from his computer screen, Zach asked, “What was he doing, then?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. But I do know Ryan, and he only helps himself. He wouldn’t waste his time with a computer unless it benefited him in some way.” Smirking, he repeated, “Searching for Heinrich Laird, my ass.”

  Zach stopped typing and looked at Hodges for a long moment before saying, “That’s exactly what we should be doing.”

  “What?”

  Typing again, Zach answered. “Searching Heinrich Laird, not CCP.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE INTERROGATION

  “Remove the tape from their mouths,” Tia said.

  Furukawa did as instructed, ripping the tape off of our mouths.

  “Christ, that hurt,” I said, shaking my head from side to side. “Care to tell me what this is all about?”

  “Damn, that stings,” Leecy added. “What the hell, lady? First, we’re tazed and now what? You’re going to torture us?”

  “Hey,” Val said, “I think you need to be aware of something. You need to review the CCP Human Resources manual, ‘cause I’m pretty sure you’re violating every code in the book.”

  “Shut up,” Tia said. “That’s enough.” Walking toward me, she added, “I’ll do the talking from now on. And the first thing I want to talk about is you, Peter Heely.”

  “What about me?”

  “I’ll tell you what I now know to be t
rue.”

  “Well, as you can see, I’m not going anywhere so take your time.”

  “Always with the jokes. We’ll see who’s laughing soon enough.”

  “Sure,” I said, “let’s hear the truth as you know it. But first, tell me just how much crazy should I factor in.”

  Smiling and ignoring my comment, she said, “You, Peter Heely, are with the CIA.”

  “Really, since when? ‘Cause last time I checked, I’m Peter Heely, mercenary for hire.”

  She began circling me slowly. “Peter Heely is what men in your line of

  work call a cover identity.”

  “My line of work? I’m a mercenary for hire. We’ve been over this. What are you talking about, anyway? Where’s this coming from? Don’t you remember? You ran my fingerprints. You know who I am. I’m Peter Heely.”

  Grabbing a fist full of hair and pulling back on my head, forcing me to look at her, she said, “Stop lying to me, or I’ll lose my temper and kill you like I killed your man at the train station.”

  Looking at her upside down, I said, “First off, threatening to kill the person you want to make talk is counterproductive. If the prisoner thinks there’s no chance of walking away, what reason does he have to be cooperative? See, it’s mistakes like the one you just made that make working with amateurs futile. And now you tell me you killed someone at the train station? Why? Because you thought he worked with me? You met my team, and I’m the only man on the team. Sorry, lady, but you killed a bystander. You murdered a tourist or a local, not anyone I know. Where’s this line of questioning coming from, anyway? Why do you think I work with the CIA?”

  “Stop lying,” she seethed, letting go of my hair and slapping the back of my head before spinning me around in the chair to face her.

  Facing in the opposite direction, I could see Leecy’s face. She was now on my left. I winked at her, trying to assure her everything would be okay as Tia continued.

  “Did you search them, Mr. Furukawa?” Tia asked, walking toward Leecy.

  “Yes.”

  “And what did you find?”

  “The women were carrying guns, but we knew they’d be armed. We expected to find weapons. Heely isn’t carrying a weapon. All three had some cash, but not much. No IDs.”