Andrew Peterson - First to Kill

“Yes,” he said tightly.

“Nathan, use your best judgment when questioning her.”

Translation: Don’t get rough unless you absolutely have to. “No problem,” he said.

Holly continued. “We’ve copied all the video from the bombing and sent it back east to your father’s committee. They’re trying to glean as much as they can. We’ve implemented the largest manhunt in the history of the bureau. Hundreds of agents are on the case. Three more of our people died last night, the rest are probably going to make it. Six of them will never walk again.”

“I’m sorry, Holly.”

“This isn’t your fault. I’ve had a lot time to think about it.”

“Maybe I didn’t have to kill their little brother. Maybe I should’ve wounded him. I could’ve-”

“Nathan, listen to me, I’ve read all the reports. Don’t do this. Sammy Bridgestone was aiming a sniper rifle at our SWAT teams. You took the proper action for the situation as it existed at the time. If our sniper team had seen him before you, they would’ve done exactly the same thing. Any law-enforcement officer in America would shoot to kill in that situation. Don’t second-guess yourself. None of this is your fault. Clear?”

“Clear,” he said.

“Okay. We’ve set up a hotline. Tips are coming in by the hundreds with possible sightings. We’re checking them out. ASAC Perry Breckensen is in temporary command. Nathan?”

“I’m here.”

“Despite all the manpower we’ve got, I think you’re our best chance at finding them.”

Nathan said nothing.

“I’ve got to go, my nurse just came in. Will you ask Harvey to share anything he finds with ASAC Breckensen?”

“Sure, Holly. No problem.”

“Bruce, remember, you’re a sworn law-enforcement officer. Where Nathan is concerned, it’s don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“Understood,” he said quietly.

“If you haven’t heard back from me before you leave Fresno, call me from the air.”

“I will,” Henning said.

“I’ve got to go.” The cell went dead.

“She’s an amazing woman,” Nathan said.

Henning reached for his laptop. “Let’s pack up and get going.”

From his room Nathan called Harv and filled him in. Harv said he’d follow up and make sure he received the DUI news clippings and any other documents Fitzgerald had promised to send. Harv also told him Thorny came through with Leonard’s contacts from his deployment in Iraq.

“We just talked to Holly.”

“How’s she doing?” Harv asked.

“She sounded tired, but otherwise not too bad.”

“Listen, I got that tape of the Bridgestones torturing the two FBI surveillance techs. It’s pretty ugly stuff, but I didn’t hear anything we didn’t already know.”

“Okay.”

“All the techs could tell them was your name and that your father was Stone McBride. Incidentally, our personal info isn’t available. I had Mason try to dig it out. You know DMV, Social Security, IRS. He couldn’t come up with anything. I think we’re okay. They’d need someone on the inside of the DOD with high-level passwords to access anything on us, and I don’t see that happening. Your father’s a different matter. I don’t know how protected his personal information is.”

“Me either,” Nathan said.

“If they’re heading back east, it’s possible they could tail him from one of his public appearances. We should warn him to stay under the radar for the time being and hire some personal security guards.”

“I told him the score. Keep checking Leonard’s contacts. I have a feeling one of them is our financial insider. We’re looking for someone within a day’s drive, two max.”

“The list is pretty long, several hundred. And that’s a lot of territory to cover, basically the western third of the country.”

“You might need to call ASAC Breckensen and ask for some help.”

“I definitely will.”

“Does the FBI have a temporary field office up and running yet?”

“I don’t know. I’ll find out. Their building isn’t a total loss, but there’s no way they can operate out of there in its present condition. What about you? What’s next?”

“Fresno. We’ll be airborne in half an hour. I’ll call once we know something.”

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was boarding the Lear. As Nathan climbed the stairs, he looked at First Officer Williamson and decided to play his hand. Time for this covert bullshit to end. Nathan spoke in Arabic. “We are on the same side, okay? I have no agenda other thanfinding the Bridgestones.”

Williamson narrowed his eyes, but the spark of recognition in his expression couldn’t be hidden. Nathan knew he was considering his options. There were two. Continue playing the game or come clean. Henning turned at hearing Bridgestone’s name in a sentence spoken in Arabic.

Williamson came clean. “Understood,” he answered in Arabic. “I am just doing my job. For what is it worth, I am not real happy about it.”

Williamson headed for the cockpit.

“What did you say to him?” Henning asked.

“I told him the same thing I told you the first time we met, that we’re on the same side and my only goal is to find the Bridgestones.”

Henning’s expression was genuinely puzzled and Nathan now believed he didn’t know Williamson had been assigned as a watchdog. He wasn’t sure before.

“How did you know he spoke Arabic?”

“When I spoke to the cabdriver early this morning, I didn’t see any reaction from him at all. None. Most people show some degree of surprise.”

Henning lowered his voice. “You think Lansing brought him on board to keep an eye on things? To spy on you?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Why bring in someone who speaks Arabic? Al Qaeda isn’t involved with the Sacramento bombing. It doesn’t make sense.”

“It does if you consider Harv also speaks Arabic.”

“Good grief,” Henning said. “Sometimes I think there’s no limit to the cloak-and-dagger bullshit in this business.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s a safe play on Lansing’s part. There’s a lot at stake. He was concerned I might speak in a foreign language with Harv to hide things we discover about the Bridgestones. I’d be willing to bet Williamson also speaks Russian. Probably Spanish too. We aren’t going to conceal anything from you guys. If your people find the Bridgestones before we do, that’s fine with me. Don’t get me wrong, we’d love some quality time with them, but finding them is the primary goal.”

In the cockpit, Williamson lowered his voice. “He knows.”

“Is it going to be a problem?” Jenkins asked.

“He seemed okay about it.”

Jenkins was flipping avionic switches from a checklist as he spoke. “As far as I’m concerned, nothing’s changed. We keep reporting to Lansing as ordered.”

“Do we tell Lansing he knows?”

“Not unless we want egg on our faces,” Jenkins said. “He’d view McBride’s discovery as a blunder on our part.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that. McBride seems like a decent guy. It’s not hard to guess how he got those scars on his face. They aren’t random and he sure didn’t get them from any chainsaw accident.”

Jenkins started the engines, keeping his eyes on the gauges. “I think you’re right, he’s a spook. Someone carved him during an interrogation. Had to be hell.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Twenty minutes into the flight, Henning used the air phone to call Holly again. Nathan looked over, but there was no way to put the call on speaker. After a brief conversation, he hung up.

“She made contact with ASAC Pallamary from the Fresno resident agency. An agent’s going to meet us at the airport.”