Assassin (Assassin Series Book 1) Read online

  She was now certain that things were going on at Midecon that were either seriously illegal or covert. Could this have been the reason why Nancy had been involved in a fatal accident she wondered? The fact that this may be true, sent a shiver down her spine.

  She walked over and pressed the ‘up’ button for her floor. When she turned, she was startled to see Benny standing there, smiling disarmingly. She didn’t remember seeing this strange-looking albino before, but then again, it was a relatively large apartment complex and tenants were moving in and out all the time. She made polite conversation. “Another chilly one?”

  Benny nodded. “Yes, hopefully it will be a better day tomorrow.”

  The elevator arrived, they both got in and the doors closed. On the 12th floor, Nicole reached the door of her apartment, unlocked it and entered. As she was about to close the door, Benny came suddenly bursting in as Nicole looked at him in terror.

  She started to speak. “What’s going....?”

  Benny put his hand over her mouth and dragged her kicking furiously onto the balcony. Nicole was still struggling desperately, but she was no match for Benny’s brute strength and ferocity. He pushed her straight to the balcony rail and coldly hoisted her over the edge. She screamed as she fell, landing on a parked vehicle below, causing the vehicle to emit a piercing alarm. It was like a scene out of a Hollywood movie!

  On the balcony, Benny, wearing gloves, swept the snow away to conceal any signs of a struggle. He left the balcony door slightly ajar, as if Nicole had stepped outside for a breather, before he exited the building unseen. It had taken 1 minute and 37 seconds, a full 23 seconds short of the time he had previously allotted. He coldly marvelled at his own efficiency.

  CHAPTER 11

  The next morning Jake woke up after another sleepless night. He had spent half the night trying to understand why somebody as personable and loyal to the organization as Nancy had been murdered.

  What was the agency up to and what was the connection that linked both himself and Nancy? The answer had to be with the ongoing operations of Ashram Energy. He decided that a visit to Midecon was in order and one where there had better be some straight answers concerning Nancy.

  He stumbled into the living room of the cabin and placed another log on the dying embers of the fire. He put some coffee in the pot and he switched on the TV as the newscaster was getting under way with the local morning news.

  Jake was ignoring the TV as the newscaster droned on with the weather forecast. He continued his morning ritual, fumbling for his cigarettes and started to make a cup of coffee. However, the next news item caught his attention when the newscaster announced the death of a possible suicide jumper from a high rise apartment building in the suburbs. It was when Nicole’s name was mentioned and her photo appeared on the TV screen that Jake literally froze and dropped his cup in the sink in shock.

  He was totally incredulous. “No goddamned way!” he growled. His mind was in total turmoil. What on earth could Nicole have discovered that could have ended her life? Was there any connection between him and his job that could cause people to keep dying around him? He also wondered if Nicole’s visit the night before could have had anything to do with her death. He started to dress quickly.

  * * *

  A worried-looking Peterson was working at his desk. He had also seen the news story of Nicole’s death and he had just finished speaking with the grieving parents, offering his sympathies. Suddenly the office door busted open and Jake came storming in, past the embarrassed Janis.

  She apologized. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  Peterson looked up and saw the determined look on Jake’s face. “That’s okay, Janis. Come on in, Mr. Harrigan, what can I do for you?”

  Janis withdrew and Jake was clearly in no mood to be trifled with. “Well, for a start, you can give me some goddamned answers?”

  Peterson tried to sound cooperative. “Of course, about what?”

  Jake was enraged. “About the reason why my wife and her friend Nicole were murdered?”

  Peterson waved his hands in the air, shaking his head in shock. “I’m afraid I don’t understand?”

  Jake looked at him in disgust. “D’you think I’m a fool? That was no damned accident on the freeway that killed my wife. That was a detonated tire and that was no suicide jump for Nicole either. Those women were murdered and I’m going to find out who did it! Nicole also told me that one of your maintenance guys could have been involved in Nancy’s murder?”

  Peterson feigned innocence and tried to look shocked. “My God! If you’re right, I’d like to know who did it too, but I haven’t a clue who’d want to do something like that. And the maintenance crew have been on strike for three weeks, so she must have been mistaken. Maybe we should call the police?”

  Jake shook his head. “No need for that bullshit, I’ll take care of it my way!”

  Peterson was still patronising. “If there’s anything I can do to help?”

  Jake gave him a piercing stare. “Well, you can fill me in on what Nancy was doin’ for you on the day she died?”

  Peterson continued with his helpless image, raised both hands in supplication. “She was doing what she always did, putting together all the shipping logistics on our contracts. Straight forward paper shuffling, and she did a hell of a job, we never ever had any mistakes. She was a gifted assistant and she will be sorely missed.”

  Jake was watching Peterson closely, not entirely sure if the shock being portrayed by the executive was really genuine, or part of some clever ruse to avert any suspicions that Jake may have had. He had only met him once before, at an office party, and on that occasion Peterson had come across as a pompous, egotistical jerk, who had little time for his subordinates. Somehow, he suddenly seemed out of character.

  Jake continued prodding. “And this, this Trojan Project?”

  Again, Peterson was ready with another glib answer. “Just like all the other projects. We simply offered the client security staffing and equipment for all their oil leases.”

  Jake realized the futility of his questioning, since Peterson had obviously been fully briefed on how to handle him. He headed for the door and turned. “I’ll be back if I need anything else.”

  Peterson seemed relieved. “Any time, Mr. Harrigan. If anything comes up, I’ll give you a call.” Jake nodded without speaking and left, closing the door behind him. Once the door was closed, Peterson picked up his phone and dialed a number.

  Jennings answered. “Yes?”

  Peterson lowered his voice. “It’s me, Harrigan’s suspicious and asking way too many questions. Maybe it’s time to raise the stakes!”

  Jennings was curious. “What does he know?”

  Peterson looked glum. “He’s already figured his wife was murdered, so he must have checked the car and he doesn’t believe that Nicole committed suicide.”

  “Leave it with me.” Jennings snarled and the line went dead as the CIA agent slammed the phone on the edge of his desk in anger.

  Peterson nervously looked at the phone in his hand. “This shit’s gettin’ out of hand!” he put the phone down, obviously stressed and his office door opened again suddenly as Jake popped his head back around it with an ominous look in his eyes.

  “If I find out you’re involved in my wife’s death,” he began. “I will kill you and anyone else involved! Have a nice day!” he left and Peterson quickly poured himself a large Scotch from his liquor cabinet.

  * * *

  Davidson and his pretty wife were eating lunch at an elegant DC restaurant, when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller and excused himself from the table. “Excuse me, darling, I need to take this?” She nodded her approval and he went to the lobby to continue the call. “Yes?” he inquired.

  Jennings was quick and to the point. “Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we have a development.”

  “I’m listening?”

  “Harrigan knows about his wife and her friend!”

  Davidson was an
gry. “Shit!”

  “And we still don’t know who the FBI mole is in Midecon.”

  Davidson thought for a second. “Very well, leave it to me, it’s about time Harrigan and I had a little chat. I’ll be in touch!”

  “Yes, sir.” Jennings put the phone down, a worried expression on his face.

  CHAPTER 12

  Jake walked back to his car outside Midecon and his mind was in turmoil. He already disliked Peterson, he certainly didn’t trust him, and he was more and more certain that something was going on between Jennings and Peterson. He had noticed at Nancy’s funeral that these guys were inseparable.

  He was also now convinced that whoever killed Nancy had made a serious error in their execution of the job. They should have destroyed any evidence of foul play and he now knew that the CIA were deeply involved in her death. He would have been even more concerned if he had seen the wreck of Nancy’s car currently going through the crusher at Bubba’s Auto Salvage, the result of a recent phone call from Jennings. It was too little too late by the CIA, however, since Jake had already seen the evidence pointing to the CIA’s involvement. Jake also made a note to check if the Midecon maintenance staff really were on strike in case Peterson was lying.

  Every time he thought about the connection between the CIA and Midecon, he kept returning back to the obvious link between those two and Ashram Energy.

  He knew from his briefing with Jennings on the Dubai job, that Mahmoud was being terminated because he wouldn’t support a CIA arms deal with ‘rebels’. Jennings had told him that the arms deal was of strategic importance to the US, but Jake was now wondering if perhaps the big arms deal had more to do with the personal bank accounts of certain government officials, two of whom could well be Jennings and his boss Davidson, as well as their associate Peterson in Midecon!

  His mind was still churning as he walked across the parking lot to his car. He was suddenly surprised by a voice alongside him and he looked up to see Sarah walking past him, looking straight ahead.

  She whispered. “Don’t turn your head, get in your car and follow me!”

  Jake was surprised, smiled briefly. “I’ve heard of fast pick-ups, but this is a first!”

  She whispered back. “Put your ego back in your pants, Agent Harrigan!”

  Jake shook his head, a curious expression on his face. Things were getting stranger by the minute and all these odd things seemed to be happening around Midecon. Who was this mystery woman? She was certainly easy on the eye!

  The woman ahead continued to her vehicle and climbed in. Jake reached his car, got in and followed her slowly out of the parking lot. He drove along, watching Sarah’s car ahead as she led him into the suburbs. She looked to be pretty normal and from her mannerism, she seemed to be genuine. He surmised that she must be with the department, since she seemed to know that he was a federal agent.

  He looked ahead, and could see they were heading out of town onto quieter roads. He also checked the rear view mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. He was wondering why this woman wanted him to follow her and he smiled after his initial comments to her thinking ‘this should be interesting’.

  Up ahead, Sarah was having mixed emotions after her first, brief encounter with Jake. Part of her sympathized with Jake’s loss, but the other part of her kept wondering if he was also a part of the same subterfuge that his senior colleagues were being suspected of?

  She drove up and parked in the corner of a local shopping precinct. Jake pulled up next to her, turned off the engine and he quickly slid out of the seat and climbed in beside her. Sarah felt a certain empathy for the rugged, tired-looking man next to her. What he had gone through the past few days, was more than anyone should have to endure.

  Tired as he was, Jake managed a smile. “Okay, I’m listening. Who the hell are you?”

  She smiled. “Same company, different department. Sarah Schaumberg, FBI!”

  Jake was curious. “So, what were you doing in Midecon?” Suddenly, he recalled Nancy’s death bed message, as she struggled to say ‘FBI - embedded’.

  He was now getting the picture as he answered his own question. “Lemme guess, you’re working undercover?”

  She smiled. “And here was I thinking you CIA guys were all just testosterone!”

  Jake looked serious. “So, what do you want with me?”

  She looked him in the eye. “Well, I would hazard a guess that we are both at the same conclusion.”

  Jake was losing patience. “And that would be?”

  “That your wife and her friend were murdered!”

  Jake looked surprised. “I’m listening?”

  She took off her driving gloves. “I’ve been watching you and I know you’re not buying Peterson’s story.”

  The hairs were standing up on the back of his neck and Jake decided that he was not disclosing anything at this stage. “Look, lady, you do your spook stuff and leave me the hell alone!” he got out of her car and walked over to his car, climbed in and drove off.

  Sarah watched him go, an empathetic look in her eye. “So sad!” she whispered.

  As Jake drove off, his mind was in a whirl. It seemed that the conclusions he had come to regarding Nancy’s death, were virtually identical to those being reached by this undercover FBI agent in Midecon. If Nancy had been right and the FBI were undercover in Midecon, a fact that this attractive woman had just virtually confirmed to him, then what were they trying to uncover?

  He wondered if, having been told to terminate Mahmoud Ashram because he wouldn’t condone illegal arms dealing, that this was perhaps the very thing that the FBI were trying to uncover and maybe it was this sensitive information that Nancy had overheard, that led to her death.

  CHAPTER 13

  Jake stopped by his cabin, picked up his gear and returned to his apartment building in town. He entered the apartment, turned on the fireplace and threw his mail on the table. He walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a stiff Scotch, lounging on the sofa near the fire.

  Staring into the fire, his mind was miles away. He now had a new complication. An FBI agent, seemingly more than willing to help him, or, knowing the bureau, probably themselves, he mused cynically. He looked at the dresser to see a picture of himself and Nancy. He picked it up and looked at it lovingly, thinking of better days. “What were you trying to tell me, darling?” he whispered. He took another drink. “FBI embedded, is that what you meant, the FBI were embedded in Midecon? Maybe this woman knows something that I don’t know.”

  His focus was suddenly broken by a firm knocking on the door. Instinctively, he grabbed his gun from the drawer. “Who is it?” he called out.

  A voice answered. “It’s me, Senior Agent Davidson, open up, Jake?”

  Jake put the gun away and opened the door to see Davidson standing there. He held the door open, didn’t speak, as Davidson walked in past him.

  Jake closed the door and Davidson turned towards him, moody, but trying to control himself. Clearly, there was no love lost between the two men and this was the first meeting that Jake and Davidson had had since before Jake left for Dubai.

  He knew that Davidson was calling the shots for Jennings and he now assumed that he was also deeply involved in what was going on. The very fact that Davidson had even driven over to his place, piqued his interest and he was surprised by his senior boss’s opening remarks.

  “I have a question?” Davidson began icily, “What part of ‘Make it look like an accident’, didn’t you understand?”

  “I can explain.” Jake answered, but Davidson cut him short.

  “Explain to me if you can how you wreaked havoc on half a dozen Dubai city streets, showed blatant disregard for citizens and property, left a corpse lying around like garbage, a dead cop in a goddamned car dealership, bringing in a total shit storm and in case you hadn’t noticed, it runs downhill!”

  Jake was unrepentant. “It was going exactly as planned, till the goddamned bodyguard walked in. Speak to your
master planner Jennings. He’s the asshole who expected me to make the kill undetected in a bustling convention center, dripping in security and bodyguards!” he was on a roll. “I waited two and a half fuckin’ hours to get the son of a bitch alone and then it all suddenly went to rat shit!”

  Davidson interrupted him. “And that’s your explanation? You’re freakin’ right it did. Half the fuckin’ city is screaming CIA assassins and the other half is laughing their nuts off at the department’s incompetence!” he finally calmed down. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

  Jake was still enraged. “Who cares? Look, I got the job done, didn’t I? That bastard was being watched better than the damned President!”

  Davidson changed the subject. “I’ve got another assignment for you.”

  Jake waved him off instantly. “Not interested!”

  Davidson thumped the table. “I’ll tell you whether you’re interested or not, so listen, goddammit!” Jake simply shrugged as Davidson tried to be conciliatory. Who the hell did this mere operative think he was?

  He started to explain. “Everything we do in the CIA, has much deeper significance than field agents like you ever realize.”

  Jake couldn’t resists a little sarcasm. “What kind of deeper significance? Surely, you’re not telling me we’re doing things that could be considered illegal?”

  Davidson was desperately trying to control his temper as he glared at Jake. “We’ve got a problem with the FBI!”

  Jake’s mind focused instantly at the mention of the FBI. So, what was happening now? After what Sarah had told him, here was his senior boss, breaking cover, driving all the way out to his place, just to tell him, unknown to Davidson, what Jake already knew.

  Jake feigned surprise. “Jesus, I thought we were on the same side. I’m still not interested!”