R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“And don’t tell me about the commute either,” Hawk said.

“Touche,” Morgan said. “Now, let’s get down to business. We wanted to loop you in on this because we’ve had a breakthrough in our investigation. Well, to be more exact, Mia’s had a breakthrough.”

The camera shifted over to Mia, who was holding up a cell phone. “Reaper wouldn’t talk, but he didn’t need to. This little guy did all the talking for him.”

“What’d you find out?” Hawk asked.

“I went through all his recent calls and was able to identify the phone number of a call he received right before the ambush on Sonbong.”

“And?” Alex said.

“I tracked it back to a cell phone located at the Pentagon,” Mia said.

“Great,” Hawk said with a sigh. “That only narrows it down to one of several thousand people.”

Mia shook her head and smiled. “Don’t underestimate me, Hawk.”

“You narrowed it down to several hundred?”

“Guess again.”

“Several dozen?”

“Try one,” Mia said. “I created a list of officials who would’ve had access to the information as well as all their aides. I then cross-referenced their phone locations with the location of the burner to see if they coincided out of the office. And I was able to trace it back to one person.”

“Was it Admiral Gaston?” Alex asked.

“Good guess,” Mia said. “But he wasn’t the one.”

“Out with it,” Hawk said.

“One of President Norris’s most trusted members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” she said. “None other than vice chairman James Miller.”

“He was working to create a pretext for war,” Hawk said. “That’s a sick man.”

“He’s a man I want you to visit,” Morgan said. “Can you do me the favor of closing this case by bringing in Miller?”

Hawk looked at Alex. “Go,” she said. “I’ll be fine here with John Daniel.”

“Looks like the boss is okay with it,” Hawk said. “Let’s finish this.”

“Fantastic,” Morgan said. “I’ll send the plane to pick you up in the morning.”

Alex ended the call. She patted Hawk on the hand.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me going?” he asked.

“Absolutely. You need some closure with this case.”

“What I need are answers.”

Alex nodded. “Let’s hope you get some from Miller.”

Wynn’s Island, Virginia

HAWK STEPPED OUT OF the SUV and zipped up his jacket. The wind whipping off Chesapeake Bay chilled him, and he was grateful Alex had told him to prepare for colder weather. He glanced at Big Earv, who was sporting short sleeves, apparently unbothered by the temperature.

Hawk gawked at the Victorian-style home surrounded by thick pine trees. However, he could still see the water in the distance behind the house.

“Nice place,” Hawk said.

“A place fit for a history buff,” Big Earv said.

Hawk nodded. “And for a Navy man, too.”

Their feet crunched beneath the pebble rocks comprising the walkway up to the house. Hawk continued to scan the area, noticing a dock stretching out into the water.

Seconds later, the front door swung open and a pair of black Newfoundlands bounded onto the porch and raced toward Hawk and Big Earv. Hawk held his hand out for the dogs to smell him before kneeling and petting them. Big Earv stood back, not quite as enthusiastic about the two canines.

“It’s okay, Big Earv,” Hawk said. “You’re bigger than they are.”

Big Earv mustered a chuckle before the two continued up to the porch where Admiral James Miller was standing with a bemused look on his face.

“Lewis! Marion! Get back here,” Miller said.

“Sorry, sir. We didn’t realize we’d create such a ruckus just by showing up.”

Miller stared intently at his guests. “Now, that’s certainly unusual.”

“What’s so unusual, Admiral?” Hawk asked as he glanced down at the hundred-and-fifty-pound animals. “Are your dogs not normally that friendly?”

“Always,” Miller said, “Those dogs would nuzzle up next to Hitler while he was shoveling dirt on a mass grave. I’m talking about you two visiting my property. I don’t recall having a scheduled meeting with anyone from the administration.”

“Don’t worry,” Big Earv said. “We’re not from the administration.”

Miller scowled. “Now that really worries me because nobody else even knows I have a place out here.”

“Sorry,” Hawk said, offering his hand. “Where’s our manners? I’m Brady Hawk, the bastard son of Thomas Colton of Colton Industries. And this is Malik Earvin. We have a few questions for you.”

“I’m not sure I like the looks of this,” Miller said.

“We just want to have a conversation,” Hawk said, “about some recent events overseas.”

“Who are you guys with?” Miller asked, eyeing them closely.

Hawk put his right hand behind his back and wrapped his palm around the grip of his gun, keeping it there in case Miller made any sudden moves.

“Like I said, we’re just here to ask a few questions,” Hawk said.

“You still haven’t answered any of mine,” Miller said with a growl.

“You asked who we are, and I gave you our names,” Hawk said. “This doesn’t have to be that difficult.”

“Actually, you’re making this incredibly difficult,” Miller said as he put his hands on his hips. “Now, if you’re with the media and you want to do an interview out here, contact my office and we’ll arrange a time to talk. But this is my time off and my private property, and I’d appreciate it if you’d respect my wishes and leave.”

Big Earv cocked his head to one side. “Sir, is there a reason why you were recently in contact with a former Navy SEAL named Doug Mitchell?”

“Damnit,” Miller said. “I knew something wasn’t right. Who are you? NSA? Spooks? I’m not gonna warn you again. Unless you have a warrant to be here, leave or face the consequences.”

Hawk put his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. “All right, Admiral. Just calm down. We don’t want any trouble.”

“That’s right,” Miller said. “Now get the hell outta here.”

Not wanting to take his eyes off Miller, Hawk walked backward as did Big Earv. The dogs had returned to the porch and were lapping up water from their bowls. But Miller hadn’t acknowledged their presence, his steely gaze fixated on his two visitors.

Hawk and Big Earv eased back into their car.

“Now, scram,” Miller shouted, waving his hand at them.

Miller remained on his porch, refusing to move until they left. But Hawk wasn’t going anywhere.

“Stubborn sonofabitch ,” Hawk said after two minutes had passed and Miller hadn’t moved.

“Well, we can’t stay here all day,” Big Earv said. “We need Miller to talk, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen how we envisioned it.”

“How we hoped it would happen,” Hawk said, wagging his index finger. “We wished he would just sit down and tell us everything, but this is exactly how I envisioned it.”

“He’s a dyed-in-the-wool patriot,” Big Earv said. “If he thinks that his way is what’s best for the country, he’s going to stick with it until the bitter end, like a soldier dying on a hill actually worth dying on.”

Hawk ignited the engine and then goosed the gas pedal a few times.

“What’s that going to accomplish?” Big Earv asked.

Hawk shrugged. “Put a little fear in him. Desperate people do desperate things. If I make him realize this is a desperate situation, he might make a mistake and play right into our hands.”

“You mean, like that?” Big Earv asked, pointing at the house.