Jeff Abbott - Panic

Carrie said, ‘Please trace the e-mail.’

‘Already did. Sent from a public library in Dallas.’

‘So what next?’

‘We have a convergence of data in Dallas. I’ll see if we can connect any of our known enemies to the Dallas area.’ Galadriel paused. ‘You working this with Dezz?’

‘Yes.’

Galadriel made a noise in her throat. ‘Good luck on that, sugar.’

‘Thanks, Galadriel.’ Carrie hung up and knocked on Dezz’s door. He answered after a moment, clicking off a cell phone and slipping it into his pocket.

She told him about the leads. ‘What are we supposed to do if we find this Granger and find the whole U.S. government right behind him?’

‘Run,’ Dezz said. ‘Fast and far.’

‘They’ll kill Evan. He doesn’t deserve to die.’

‘What Evan Casher deserves could change from second to second. He goes public with what happened to him, he shoots us in the leg. We’re lame. We’d have to shut down, at least for a year, and we can’t afford that.’

‘It must be nice to have so little morality, you can just tuck it in your pocket.’

Dezz smiled. ‘This from the whore. Do you need me to loan you some conscience? I’ve got conscience to burn.’

‘Evan doesn’t have to die if he can help us. He’d listen to me. He doesn’t know anything, he’s not a threat.’

‘So you think.’

‘So I think.’

‘You think a lot,’ Dezz said. ‘Every brain cell firing all the time.’

‘News flash. Most people do.’

‘Most people don’t, including you. You messed up, not finding those files.’

She ignored him.

‘Tell me true, sunshine. Does he know about the Deeps?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘No, he doesn’t. I’m sure of it.’

She could see he didn’t believe her. She poured coffee. Jargo came out of his room, pale.

‘The bald man,’ Jargo said. ‘We got a positive ID from the elves, off the phone records for the voice mail and from the ID. His name is Joaquin Gabriel. He’s ex-CIA. The elves are tracking back every connection in Gabriel’s life to see where he might stash Evan Casher.’

‘Why would Gabriel want Evan? What did he do at CIA?’ Carrie asked. A slow curl of horror rose up her spine.

‘CIA. We are so fucked,’ Dezz said.

‘He got kicked out years ago,’ Jargo said.

‘Maybe he got kicked back in,’ Dezz said.

‘Gabriel cleaned up internal spills and messes,’ Jargo said. ‘He’s what folks call a traitor-baiter. Find the people on the inside who can bring the CIA down.’

‘Shit,’ Dezz said.

‘Mr. Gabriel’s got a score to settle with me.’ Jargo’s phone rang again. He listened, nodded, clicked off the phone. ‘Gabriel’s son-in-law has a weekend house near Austin. In a town called Bandera. Gabriel might run there. It’s just an hour or so away.’

‘Good,’ Dezz said. ‘I’m getting bored.’ And he made a gun out of his hands, fired it between Carrie’s eyes.

The bullet smacked into the wall six inches above the headboard. Gabriel jerked and flinched, his eyes widened.

‘My mother is dead. My dad is missing. No more chances,’ Evan said. ‘Where are we?’

‘Near Bandera.’

Evan knew it was a picturesque town in the Texas Hill Country.

‘It’s my son-in-law’s vacation house. My daughter married well.’ Gabriel watched the gun, not Evan.

‘Are you CIA or private security?’

‘Private,’ he said after a moment. ‘But I am ex-CIA, and your mother… knew of me and my work. That’s why she called me. I used to do internal security. Used to. The Agency ran me out because I was a pain in the ass.’

‘Go figure. Tell me how to reach my father.’

‘I don’t have a way.’

Gabriel was sticking relentlessly to that aspect of the story. Evan decided to turn the question the other way. ‘Does my dad know how to get in touch with you?’

‘No, he doesn’t. This was your mom’s arrangement. I had no contact with him.’

‘You’re lying.’

‘I’m not. Your mom didn’t think I needed to know.’ Gabriel gave Evan a crooked, slightly crazy grin. ‘Your mother stole Jargo’s files. Jargo has access to your dad because your dad works for Jargo, too. Your dad is missing. Do the math.’

Evan had not thought clearly, given the pell-mell rush and chaos of the past twenty-four hours. ‘Jargo has my dad.’

‘Quite likely. I suspect he was on an assignment for Jargo when your mom decided to run. Jargo found out, grabbed your dad to keep him under control. He probably gave them your mom’s computer password so Jargo could look for the files.’

‘I need those files. To ransom my dad from Jargo.’ But the files were gone, evaporated into nothing. His heart sank into his stomach. They’d gotten into his laptop fast. They knew his password. Probably from his dad, who handled the infrequent maintenance on Evan’s system.

‘All they’ll care about now is being sure you don’t know what was in the files, and that you have no copies of them.’ Gabriel gave Evan a sick smile. ‘I’m your only hope to hide from these people.’

‘How does Carrie fit in? She knew I was in danger, she tried to warn me.’

‘Who’s Carrie?’

‘Never mind,’ Evan said after a moment.

Gabriel closed his eyes. ‘Clearly I used the wrong approach in dealing with you, Evan. I should have trusted you.’

‘You think?’

‘Congratulations, you’ve proven yourself to me. But you don’t understand what’s at stake. These files your mother stole, they could take down Jargo, and he’s a very bad guy. I’ve got to have those files. They’re the evidence I need.’

‘Against Jargo.’

‘Yes. To prove I shouldn’t have lost my career, all those years ago. That Jargo has traitors inside the CIA working for him.’ Gabriel coughed. ‘The CIA, overall, is an organization with great, hardworking, honest people. But a few bad apples rot in every barrel, and Jargo knows the bad apples. Your mom came to me because she knew I wasn’t a bad apple, Evan. She was afraid to go straight to the Agency, because she didn’t want to give this information and warn Jargo. He’s got people in the Agency on his payroll, people in the FBI, too. They get wind of these files, or where you’re at, and they’ve got the same motive to get rid of you that Jargo does. They don’t want to be exposed.’ Gabriel licked his lips. ‘Evan. I bet files that valuable, your mom hid another copy. Where would that be? Think. If you have another copy, I can still help you.’

‘Or we can just call the CIA.’

‘Evan. Do you think the CIA wants this news going public, that a freelance spy ring operates under their nose, inside their own walls?’ Gabriel licked his lips again. ‘The CIA drove me out of work just for suggesting the merest possibility. Certain people in the CIA would rather kill you than let you harm the Agency’s credibility. You go public, you’re a dead man. They’re hunting you as much as Jargo is.’

The CIA. The thought made Evan’s skin prickle with cold. Jargo was a killer, but he was only one man. But if these files threatened the CIA, they could find him. He couldn’t hide from them forever.

‘Who do I call at the CIA to tell them to stop?’

Gabriel laughed, a cold, sick sound. ‘You don’t tell them shit, son. They don’t stop. They hunt you till they find you, they see what you know, and if you know too much, then they kill you. I wouldn’t run to the CIA if I were you.’

‘So they and Jargo both want the files. Are the files lists of traitors inside the CIA who help Jargo, or agents, or names, or operations that are under way?’

‘Names. See me trusting you now?’