Assassin (Assassin Series Book 1) Page 18

  On this warm June day, it was business as usual. Sarah was opening the mail and Jake was checking his e-mails, when Sarah gave a squeal of delight. “All right!”

  Jake looked up. “What’s up?”

  She smiled. “Good old Uncle Ari!”

  He realized what she was talking about. “You mean we got the contract?”

  She was re-reading the piece of paper. “Exactly! Two weeks for both of us in Tel Aviv, all expenses paid and a nice fee that’ll pay the office rent for the rest of the year!”

  Their quote had been for a joint assignment, Sarah to help train new Mossad agents to better understand the ‘behavioural predictability’ of possible enemies of Israel. Jake, in turn, would be training the same new recruits in detailed surveillance and effective ‘search and destroy’ techniques against proven enemies of the state.

  He smiled and switched on the TV where the CNN newscast was already under way and what was being discussed immediately caught their attention. They stopped what they were doing and watched as the newscaster announced that the next day in the nation’s capital, Senate hearings on the CIA ‘Murder Gate’ Scandal were to begin. He added that certain members of the CIA were being investigated regarding accusations by the families of US citizens, who were claiming that their relatives had been murdered by the Agency.

  Jake and Sarah exchanged knowing glances as the newscaster added that at issue in the landmark inquiry, which would be held in camera, with total media exclusion due to issues of national security, were accusations that murders had been committed by the US government of innocent American citizens who had not broken any laws!

  Jake looked pensive as the newscaster added that testimony on behalf of the families, was expected the following day from a former CIA operative who had been given special immunity to testify.

  Jake looked sad as memories came flooding back. The newscaster wound up the broadcast by stating that in the opinion of both the TV network and other pundits on the hill, an eventual motion of censure on the agency, could result in unprecedented compensation to the families of the victims and possible murder charges. He added that this could undermine the current Presidency, where the administration was already in imminent danger of spiralling out of control, particularly if the conduct of major security agencies continued to go unchecked!

  Jake was in total agreement with the comments of the network, even though he was still extremely skeptical of getting any retribution against Jennings. He leaned over and switched off the TV and smiled at Sarah. “Nice to watch those bastards squirm. Are you ready to leave?”

  She smiled. “Let’s go, we need a break.”

  Jake walked over to the closed door of his office and opened it, looking inside with a smile on his face. “Ready, Dude?” he asked.

  Marcus seemed diminutive, sitting in Jake’s big office chair. He looked up from the video game he was playing and grinned. “Sure thing, Jake!” he clicked off the game and came round the desk as Jake ushered him towards Sarah, who was standing in the doorway.

  “How does ice cream and the fun fair sound?” Jake asked with a smile.

  Marcus grinned from ear to ear. “Sounds awesome!”

  Jake ruffled his hair. “Let’s go then, we promised Mr. and Mrs. Merriweather we’d have you back by seven.”

  Sarah hugged Marcus to her as they walked towards the door. “So, how’s school, Marcus?” she asked. The boy didn’t even look up, he just uttered one word. “Sucks!”

  Jake and Sarah looked at each other for a second before they both burst out laughing, hugging Marcus to them as they headed out to the street.

  They had a great time at the fun fair, before Jake and Sarah had dropped Marcus off at the home of his foster parents. The transformation in the child was amazing.

  Somehow, the street-smart, gutter-dwelling kid was slowly disappearing and he was changing into the happy little boy he should have been. Mr. and Mrs. Merriweather, a kind, loving African/American couple, with no other children, had unconditionally taken the child into their hearts. Nothing was too much trouble for them, even going as far as hiring a part-time tutor to help him to catch up with the other kids in his class. His progress had been excellent, just confirming to Jake what a bright kid he was, given half a chance and the right kind of mentoring.

  The foster parents had also been encouraged by Jake to help wipe all the bad memories away from the eight-year-old child’s mind, of those harrowing days with Sharon and they seemed to be succeeding. He had his own room and friends in his neighborhood. The good news was that Uncle Remo was also keeping his distance. Jake and Marcus had become good buddies and Sarah was also very fond of the child as well.

  * * *

  Prior to the Senate hearings the next day, when Jake was slated to give testimony, he and Sarah were having an early dinner in a quiet restaurant discussing the possible outcome of the proceedings.

  Sarah seemed nervous at the prospects of Jake testifying. “How do you think it will go tomorrow?”

  He took a second before replying. “Well, I guess everyone in the agency will be covering their asses like there’s no tomorrow!” he began. “The new Director will want to distance himself from the old regime, but the conservative senators will be making sure that he is still accountable.”

  Sarah gave a wry smile. “You can take that to the bank, and you can bet that Senator Johnson won’t be pulling any punches either!”

  Jake nodded. “Exactly, but you know, I still think they will all somehow weasel their way out of this.”

  She seemed surprised. “Really?”

  “Let’s face it, Sarah,” he began. “It’s more than the country can tolerate, knowing its external security service is going around killing innocent citizens for their own personal gain!”

  She looked concerned. “You mean that murderer Jennings may even walk?”

  He shook his head. “Hey, anything can happen. They can still say that Jennings was under orders from Davidson, who was acting without authority. He’s dead and not exactly a stellar witness for the prosecution!”

  She still looked concerned. “But what about the testimony of the families?”

  He shrugged. “It won’t carry much weight if they don’t have any proof, other than my testimony,” he sighed heavily. “And you can bet your bottom dollar that the CIA’s counsel will do everything possible to discredit what I have to say!”

  She shrugged philosophically. “I guess you just tell it like it was and see what happens.”

  “Yes, but whatever comes down, maybe there could be at least some undisclosed settlement for the families of the deceased, and hopefully the backing of the CLU should help the process along.”

  “Maybe not!” she sighed, “Especially if the CIA is cleared of any wrong-doing, meaning any hope of settlements would be lost. Thank goodness the whole thing will be in camera, otherwise our private lives would be a living hell!”

  “You got that right.” he replied. All things being equal, their private lives had progressed very nicely, in spite of the baptism by fire they had both endured during that fateful night.

  They had deliberately taken things slowly and mutual respect had come first, followed by what was clearly becoming more and more of a physical attraction. They both still had their own places, but it was becoming more apparent that they were getting closer to each other. Sarah respected the fact that Jake had loved Nancy dearly and knew that he needed his space. She also knew he needed to come to terms with the fact that he would eventually need to move on. They had plenty of time.

  He dropped her off at her place early, so that he would be well rested before his testimony at the senate hearings the following day. He walked her to the door and she gave him a hug of encouragement and affection. He returned her embrace and kissed her softly on the cheek. She looked at him and smiled affectionately. “Knock ‘em dead, Jake, don’t pull any punches, okay?”

  He looked at her and smiled knowingly. “Who me?”

  CHAPTER 4
6

  Jake arrived back at his apartment, poured himself a Scotch and sat back in his recliner, his thoughts wandering back over the events of the previous months, all of which would no doubt come into renewed focus at the hearings the next day.

  Dave, his neighbor, had left a message on the phone inviting Jake over for a beer, but he really wasn’t in the mood and had tactfully declined. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, in fact it was quite the opposite. Jake had become quite attached to Bruno over the past months and he and Dave practically enjoyed joint ownership of the lovable animal. Whenever Marcus came to visit, the trip wouldn’t be complete unless they took the irrepressible Bruno to the park.

  He looked around the apartment, now back to normal at the expense of the agency, but it still held many sad memories for Jake and he was slowly coming to the realization that perhaps he needed to move on, probably get a new place closer to the office and, if he were to truthfully admit it, closer to Sarah.

  There was a sudden knock on the door and Jake got up to answer it, thinking it might be Dave checking if he had changed his mind about the beer. He opened the door and there was a woman standing there nervously. Luckily, he was only on his first Scotch as he suddenly recognized her. “It’s Janis, right?’ he asked.

  She nodded timidly. “Yes, I...I wondered if perhaps I could have a word with you, Mr. Harrigan?”

  Jake’s mind was working overtime. What was Peterson’s secretary doing here on his doorstep? He remembered his manners. “Sure, c’mon in,” She entered his apartment and he offered her a seat. “You look like you could use a drink. How about a Scotch?” he asked.

  She smiled wistfully. “That would be nice, thanks.”

  He quickly poured her a drink and passed it to her. She took a quick sip. “Thank you.”

  Jake was trying to figure out the purpose of her visit on the eve of his testimony. He took a deep breath. “So, what can I do for you, Janis?” he asked.

  She collected her thoughts before replying. “As a matter of fact, I stopped by to offer you an apology, Mr. Harrigan.”

  “Call me Jake?” he tried to relax her. “Apology for what?”

  She finally blurted the words out. “For my involvement in the death of your wife!”

  Jake was thinking quickly. “Look, Janis, I certainly don’t hold you responsible for what your old boss and his buddies did. You were merely a loyal employee of Midecon. By the way, are you still with them?” he added as an afterthought.

  She nodded her head negatively. “No, when Mr. Peterson’s replacement was hired, he brought his own secretary with him and I was let go with full pension, you know, a decent severance package.”

  Jake nodded. “That’s good, Janis, so, exactly why did you think you needed to apologize to me?”

  Tears started to well up in her eyes. “Because I was the one who told Peterson that I had seen Nancy outside his office, inadvertently listening to his conversation with Agent Jennings of the CIA!”

  Jake was beginning to understand. “So, what happened?”

  She dried her eyes with her handkerchief. “I was trying to be a good, security-minded member of staff,” she paused. “As you can imagine, the old adage, ‘loose lips, sink ships’ was drilled into us and I thought that by simply mentioning that Nancy may have overheard something that she shouldn’t have, it would make them more careful in future.”

  Jake sympathized with her. “I can understand that, Janis.”

  She continued, welling up with tears once again. “However, when I heard the very next day that Nancy was dead, as a result of an auto accident, it didn’t seem that significant at the time, until just a few days later when her friend Nicole was also found dead as a result of an apparent suicide.”

  Jake encouraged her to continue. “Was that when you realized that things in Midecon may not be exactly what they seemed?”

  She nodded, still sniffling. “That’s correct and ever since then I’ve been consumed with guilt, concerned that I may have been the cause of the unfortunate sequence of events. I don’t sleep and I’m driving my husband crazy. In fact, he’s the one who suggested that I came to see you and get it off my chest and ask for your forgiveness.”

  Jake looked at the disturbed woman in front of him and a sudden sadness started to come over him. He touched her arm gently. “As far as I’m concerned, Janis, you were doing your job. You had no way of knowing that your boss and his cohorts were planning to do bad things and that they didn’t care who they had to hurt in the process to keep their plans intact. I can understand that whatever it was that Nancy had heard, was enough to make your boss and his buddies decide to do something desperate.”

  Janis nodded. “Exactly, I’ve been following the news and I know this inquiry tomorrow will probably bring a lot of things to light, which is why I came over tonight. I wanted to let you know how deeply sorry I am for the loss of your wife and Nicole,” she took another sip of courage. “I also want you to know that if my testimony is needed, I will be more than happy to oblige!”

  He placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “I’m sure it won’t come to that, Janis,” he was vividly remembering what had happened to the last woman who tried to help him. “But I’ll be sure to let them know, if they are looking for additional witnesses.”

  She stood up to leave. “Well, I’d better be going. My husband’s waiting in the car.”

  Jake also stood up. “Well, thank you for coming, Janis. Hopefully, you can now relax and get some rest and be sure to take care of that husband of yours, he sounds like an okay guy.”

  She gave a relieved smile. “I will and thank you again, Mr. Harrigan. Goodnight.”

  He opened the door for her to leave. “Goodnight.” he closed the door after her, shaking his head sadly. He sat down and took another drink. “I’ll be damned!” he murmured to himself.

  CHAPTER 47

  The next morning, Janis and her husband Bob, an amiable, dark-haired beat cop in his forties, were having breakfast. For the first night in weeks, Janis had slept reasonably well and Bob was delighted to see her looking more rested. He smiled at her. “So, this guy Harrigan was a decent guy, right?”

  She nodded as she buttered her toast, sitting there in her robe and slippers. “Under the circumstances, I think he was very understanding. That guy must have gone through hell after his wife and Nicole died. I remember how Midecon and the CIA would close ranks on anyone who stood in their way and believe me, Jake Harrigan was such a man!”

  Bob was finishing his toast, draining his coffee. “Did you ever find out what Harrigan did for the CIA?”

  She nodded her head negatively. “Not really, but I’ll tell one thing, he is not a man to piss off, unless you are ready for immediate retaliation. He stormed in the office one morning, really angry and he scared the hell out of Peterson!”

  Bob nodded. “Well, now you can take it easy today, honey. My shift ends at five, d’you want me to pick up a pizza on the way home?”

  She smiled. “Yes, that would be nice.”

  He kissed her and headed for the door. “Okay, honey, see you later. I love you!” he left closing the door behind him.

  Janis sat back and relaxed, finishing her toast and coffee, with a renewed feeling of calmness. She finished reading the newspaper and was heading towards the bedroom, unfastening her robe, ready to take a shower, when the doorbell rang. She re-tied her robe and went to the door, talking to herself. “What have you forgotten this time?” she smiled to herself as she opened the door. Suddenly, her expression changed as she involuntarily put her hand to her face!

  CHAPTER 48

  The closed senate hearings were almost ready to begin and at the head of the presiding Senate Panel was Senator Farley, a hard-nosed republican from Texas. The CIA Director and his staff, were there, supported by their advising counsel and they were nervously awaiting the outcome of the upcoming session.

  Outside the high-security venue, the world’s media were salivating at the pro
spect of any information that may be forthcoming from the hearings. Consequently, the safety and privacy of the witnesses, who had been brought in to testify, had been zealously protected. Jake had been picked up at a remote location in a black SUV with smoked glass windows and driven into the underground parking lot of the building. He was then rushed up the elevator and into the sealed room where the panel were anxiously awaiting his arrival.

  Five additional senators were sitting alongside Senator Farley, as he commenced his opening remarks. On the CIA bench, was the New Director, David Rathbone. He was in his 60’s with grey hair and glasses and he had taken over as a result of the resignation of Ben Rogerson. Rathbone was conferring in whispers, with his deputy director, Jim Handforth, as Senator Farley called the inquiry to order.

  He began. “Ladies and gentlemen, for national security reasons, this senate hearing is being held in camera, with a media blackout and all testimony and findings will be submitted to the President of the United States as well as to the leaders of the Senate and Congress,”

  He looked straight at the CIA bench. “As you are aware, gentlemen, extremely serious charges have been laid against the Central Intelligence Agency, by US citizens, who claim that their relatives were terminated by the agency without provocation. The deceased were citizens of the US, whose relatives and their respective representatives, claim had done nothing whatsoever contrary to the interests of the current government or indeed their country!” Rathbone and Handforth exchanged tense glances as Farley continued.

  “In addition, allegations of premeditated murder with extreme prejudice, have been made by the families of the deceased, against Agent Jennings, a senior operative of the agency. Any testimony received during these proceedings will be admissible in any future criminal proceedings that may be levied against any operative involved, at the discretion of the President and Senate.”

  The CIA team sat their stone-faced as Senator Farley continued. “Do you have any comments to make before we call the first witness, Director Rathbone?”