The Target Page 12

  “No, he didn’t. He would never decline to execute a direct order. He’s not wired that way.”

  “But how could Tucker ever expect us to sign a confession?” said Reel. “Even if we were tortured?”

  “He’s not really CIA,” answered Robie. “He was never in the intelligence field. His appointment to head up CIA was a political payback. He probably thought waterboarding works on everyone.”

  “As if a coerced confession is valid,” noted Reel. “And he wanted us to sign it, despite the bullshit he tried to feed us back there.”

  “I don’t think he was going to use it in a court of law,” said Marks.

  Reel shot her a glance. “What, then?”

  Robie answered. “Probably proof to the president that we were bad guys.”

  Marks added, “And maybe the president signs off on your official termination. Not the kind where you clear out your desk and are escorted to the exit.”

  “If Tucker thought that was going to happen and he’s running CIA, America is in a world of trouble,” observed Reel.

  “I don’t know,” said Robie. “Maybe he just wanted to kill us.”

  “He might just want us to feel the pain,” said Reel.

  “Mission accomplished there,” said Robie.

  Reel stopped running and the others pulled up and looked at her.

  “Which brings us back to the question of why you’re doing what you’re doing, Deputy Director,” she said.

  Marks jogged in place, keeping her body warm and loose. “I’m a team player, Reel, make no mistake about that.”

  “But?”

  “But I draw the line at certain things. Waterboarding our own is one of those things.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Tucker said he wanted me to push you right to your limit and then beyond. He really wanted to see if you were fit for duty and redeployment. Either you could cut it or not. I assumed that was his goal. To find that out.”

  “And now?”

  “And now I don’t know. His instructions had undertones that maybe he didn’t want you to see the outside of this place again.”

  “And you chose to, what, ignore them?” said Reel.

  “I chose to think he couldn’t mean that,” said Marks.

  “Or convinced yourself that he couldn’t,” said Robie.

  Marks started to run again and the pair followed her.

  “So where does all this leave us?” asked Reel.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Marks. “But I can tell you that from now on I will train with you.”

  “Why?” asked Robie.

  “To be our guardian?” suggested Reel.

  “I’m just going to train with you.”

  “This is not your problem or your fight, DD,” said Robie. “Don’t hang your career on this. You don’t deserve the possible fallout.”

  “I’m the DD, as you pointed out, Robie. And the DD is responsible for her assets in the field. Well, you two are part of those assets and it’s my responsibility to look out for you.”

  “So you’re setting yourself up for a pissing contest with Evan Tucker over this?” exclaimed Reel. “Number one against two has a predetermined outcome.”

  “Maybe,” replied Marks cryptically. “But then number twos tend to try harder.”

  Reel said, “You looking to make an enemy of Tucker?”

  “I’m not intentionally making an enemy of anyone. What I’m trying to do is my job.”

  “I thought your job was to follow orders,” said Robie.

  “My job is to perform my duties as a DD to the best of my abilities. I intend to do just that.”

  She picked up her pace, leaving the pair of them behind by about ten yards. This seemed to be intentional to allow them to discuss what she had just said.

  “You think she’s on the up-and-up, or is she pretending to be our friend for some ulterior reason?” said Reel.

  “I don’t know. She seems sincere. And why the need to be our friend? She’s got us here. She can do what she wants with us.”

  “And it’s not like she’s asked us to do anything,” said Reel thoughtfully.

  “Not yet,” corrected Robie.

  “So what do we do?”

  “We let it play out. I think that’s all we can do.”

  “And if she is on the up-and-up?”

  “Then I hope she doesn’t end up being collateral damage. Because I don’t think Evan Tucker cares who gets in the way or who gets hurt.”

  Reel slowed down and then stopped.

  He came back to her. “What is it?”

  “Robie, I’m putting everyone in danger. You, her, Julie, anyone associated with me.”

  “Don’t be stupid.”

  “You just said it! Anyone who gets in his way. In his way to get to me. Because, let’s face it, I’m the one he really wants.”

  “So what?”

  “So I need to go this alone, Robie.”

  “Go it alone? Against the CIA?”

  “I’m not putting you or anyone else in danger. Any more danger. I’ve nearly gotten you killed more times than I can count.”

  “Do you remember what I told you while we were standing in the rain, Jessica?”

  “I know that, but—”

  “I’ve never said that to anyone else. Ever.”

  At his words Reel’s eyes glimmered, and she seemed taken aback, but quickly regrouped.

  “But this is not survivable, Robie. They waterboarded us last night. What’s next? A firing squad?”

  “Whatever it is, we’ll take it on together. That way we double our chances of survival.”

  “No, we just double the potential number of casualties.”

  “Let’s go. Marks gets too far ahead she might hold back dessert tonight as punishment.”

  Robie ran off. Reel waited a few more seconds and then shook her head and ran hard to catch up. But the worried look in her eyes remained.

  Chapter

  17

  MR. FONTAINE?”

  Earl, who had been dozing in his prison hospital bed, roused, opened his eyes, and looked around.

  “Mr. Fontaine?”

  He focused on her, the young doctor. He sat up straighter. “Yeah, Doc?”

  She pulled up a chair and sat next to him. Earl noted that a guard other than big Albert was with her. But the man was still keenly watching Earl. He probably knew Earl’s crimes even if the young doctor didn’t.

  “I wanted to let you know that I made some calls.”

  “Calls?”

  “About your request.”

  Earl knew what she was talking about, but he had decided to play to the hilt the doddering old man with not much time to live.

  “’Bout my little girl, you mean?”

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “Sweet Jesus, thank you so much, Doc.”

  “I spoke to some people up in Washington.”

  “Washington! Holy Lord! Thank you, thank you.”

  “They put me in contact with other people after I explained the situation. Now, there are no guarantees.”

  “’Course not, Doc, never expected none. But what you did, well, I don’t know enough words to properly thank you. It just means the world. The world to me.”

  The doctor seemed embarrassed by this outpouring of gratitude. Her cheeks tinged with red, she continued. “These matters are very delicate, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

  Earl hastily said, “O’course I understand. All hush-hush, you mean?”

  “Yes. Now, this isn’t exactly my field of expertise, but I explained the situation as best I could. The U.S. Marshals—”

  “The Marshals, Lordy, Lordy,” exclaimed Earl. “My little girl is okay, ain’t she?”

  “The Marshals oversee the Witness Protection Program, Mr. Fontaine.”

  “Oh, hell, that’s right.” He pointed to his IV lines. “These drugs, Doc, these dang drugs mess up my head. Can’t think straight. Half the time ain’t even know my own nam
e.”

  “I’m sure,” she said, giving him a sympathetic smile. Then she hurried on. “They said that the request was very unusual and that they would have to check it out. I’m not sure how long it will take. But I did tell them of your personal circumstances. That is—” Here she faltered.

  “Meaning I ain’t got much longer to live,” Earl said helpfully.

  “Yes, I told them that. I didn’t go into specifics because that would be a violation of patient confidentiality.”

  “Course, course,” said Earl encouragingly. “Hell, glad you did. Not like I care who knows. Dying is dying.”

  “But they said if it proved legitimate, they would take steps to contact your daughter and at least put her in possession of the facts.”

  “A damn dream come true and I say that right from here,” said Earl, with tears sliding down his cheeks as he touched his chest.

  “Now, Mr. Fontaine, please understand, simply because they might reach out to her in no way assures that she will accept your offer to come and visit.”

  “Hell, I know that, Doc, but at least she’ll know she has a choice, right? Mor’n I had before.” He put out a shaky hand for her to take. “I ain’t know how to thank you properly, Doc. I just hope when it’s your time to go, you remember back to this here moment. To how you made an old man happier than he’s been in a long, long time.”

  The doctor took his hand and shook it lightly while the guard hovered nearby rolling his eyes.

  After she moved off, Earl lay back on his bed. He could feel his heart beating madly. He breathed deeply, calming his weak chest.

  Can’t die now, old man. Got to keep going. Got to keep going.

  He looked over at Junior, who was staring at him from his bed. There was something in the other man’s look that Earl did not care for.

  “Sumthin’ on your mind, Junior?” said Earl.

  “What you got going on, old man?” said Junior.

  “Anything I got going on ain’t any of your damn bizness, now is it?”

  Junior eyed Earl with a smile. “Know you, Earl. I’m a damn killer. Killed bitches all over Alabama. Can’t help myself, just got to do it.” He tapped his head. “Up here. Wired funny, doctors say, not that the damn jury gave a crap about that.”

  “Only thing funny ’bout you, Junior, is your face. Like a hog’s backside. That’s why you had to cut them gals up. They ain’t screwing somebody ugly as you without a knife to their throat.”

  Junior did not appear to have heard him. “But you, Earl, now you are one sick son of a bitch. You are an evil prick and you got something cooking. I can smell it.”

  “What I smell is a pile of crap, and it’s coming from your damn bed. You shit your sheet again like a damn baby?”

  But Earl’s heart wasn’t in his zingers back at Junior. He didn’t like it that Junior was suspecting something. What if he told somebody? Made up shit? What would it do to his plan?

  “I can smell it, old man,” Junior persisted. He smiled menacingly. “And I ain’t got nothing else to do ’cept think on it. Mebbe I figure it out. And if I do, mebbe I tell somebody, like the doc.”

  “And mebbe they ain’t going to execute your ass, Junior. But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.”

  He looked away from Junior and hollered for the nurse. When she came over he said in a low voice, “I got me a phone call to make. You set that up for me, honey?”

  “Who are you calling?”

  Earl glanced over at Junior, whose eyes were once more closed.

  “Some friends of mine. Feeling lonely. They say I get one call a day. Ain’t had none in four days. Can you do it for me, sugah?”

  The nurse said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Earl smiled at her and said, “Now, I’ll be right here when you get back.”

  She snorted at his quip and moved off.

  The smile faded from Earl’s lips. He looked back over at Junior.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  Chapter

  18

  I NEED TO KNOW UNEQUIVOCALLY where you stand.”

  Evan Tucker stared across the width of a conference room table at the man sitting there.

  If Andrew Viola was surprised by the question, he didn’t show it. “I stand where you want me to, sir,” he replied evenly.

  “Words, Viola, are easy.”

  “I think I’ve done more than words, sir. I carried out your orders to the letter.”

  “No confession, though.”

  “We did three sessions on them, sir. One more and maybe they’re dead. Didn’t think you wanted it to go down like that. And they’re tough, you have to give them that.”

  “I don’t give them anything, particularly Reel.”

  “I understand you visited the Burner?”

  “I did. I spoke to Robie and Reel.”

  “And did it go according to your plan?”

  “Exactly what plan is that?” asked Tucker suspiciously.

  “I meant did you accomplish your goal, whatever that is?”

  “I told them I needed their assurance that they were totally committed to this mission. I told them the waterboarding was to see if they could withstand such torture if captured.”

  “Okay,” said Viola evenly.

  “And I was speaking the truth, if you care to know.”

  “I never assumed otherwise, sir.”

  “The fact is, they are the best we have in the field right now, and this mission needs them. I don’t necessarily like it, but I have to put my personal feelings aside for the greater good.”

  “I understand.”

  Tucker drummed his fingers on the table. “Marks has been a disappointment.”

  “She’s a first-rate agent,” said Viola. “Can’t say anything against her.”

  Tucker looked keenly at Viola. “If you play your cards right, you might find yourself as DD.”

  Viola looked uncomfortable with this. “With all due respect, Director, I’m not sure I’m cut out for that. I’m a tactical field guy, always have been. Politics and long-term strategies are not my strengths.”