Andrew Grant - Even

“Or an Airbus 320?” Weston said. “Another hijack?”

“No,” Maher said. “It’s not a number. It’s a date. Like 9/11.”

“March 20?” Lavine said. “Why pick that?”

“Where were those photos taken, do you think?” Maher said.

“Iraq, obviously,” Lavine said.

“What happened to Iraq on March 20?” Maher said.

No one answered.

“Two thousand three?” Maher said.

Silence.

“Shock and awe got your tongues?” Maher said. “That’s when we invaded the place.”

“Are you sure that was the date?” Varley said.

“Certain,” Maher said.

“Then it can’t be a coincidence,” Varley said. “But March 20? That’s tomorrow. We’ve got less than twenty-four hours.”

“Much less,” I said. “If they’re really being symbolic.”

“Of course,” Varley said. “The time, as well. They’ll go for 3:20 A.M. ”

Lavine checked his watch.

“That’s less than four and a half hours,” he said. “We’ve got no chance.”

“Yes we have,” Varley said, getting to his feet. “Make the call. Right now. You know the codes. Kyle, get the car. La Guardia, on the double. Doc, you get to the lab. David, are you coming with us?”

“No,” I said. “I can’t help feeling we’re missing something.”

“Yeah,” Varley said. “The chance to save lives, if we don’t haul ass.”

“Think about it,” I said. “Something here doesn’t add up. Why did Tungsten use Tanya to deliver the warning, for a start?”

“I don’t know,” Weston said. “But it does seem strange.”

“We know she was curious,” Lavine said. “Maybe she went snooping around and they caught her?”

“I can’t see it,” Weston said. “That video must have taken time to produce. They must have had a plan for delivering it. Relying on catching a snooper wouldn’t work. And was Tanya really stupid enough to go down there, alone?”

“No, she wasn’t,” I said. “And anyway, she told me they were waiting at her apartment.”

“Which begs the question, why would Tungsten be staking her out?” Weston said.

“Good questions,” Varley said. “I don’t know the answers. We can unpick it later. But right now, stopping the bombs is our priority.”

“You should hold fire until we’re clear about what’s going on here,” I said. “You have hordes of guys in Washington. Can’t you put them on it?”

“No,” Varley said. “This is too high-profile. We need to get our boots on the sidewalk.”

“Here’s another thought,” I said. “Why ask for me in particular?”

“Tanya knew you,” Lavine said. “She trusted you.”

“But Tungsten didn’t,” I said. “Why would they want me at the clinic? They didn’t know I existed when they made that video. Delivering it was critical. Why make that hinge on me?”

“Time’s up,” Varley said. “We’ve got to move. Come with us, David. We’ll piece it together on the plane.”

“No,” I said. “You go. I’m staying here. I’ll figure it out, myself.”

“If you must,” Varley said. “But be honest. This is about guilt for losing Tanya. Talking isn’t going to help you find her.”

“I won’t find her in D.C.,” I said.

“You won’t find her here, either,” Varley said. “Face it, David. It’s been too long.”

“I told her I was coming for her,” I said. “And that’s a promise I’m not about to break.”

“You’re one guy, on your own.” Varley said. “What will you do? Sit around and wait for them to call? Forget it, David. Come with us. Help us do some good.”

Waiting for them to call wasn’t part of my plan. And if it had been, I wouldn’t have got very far. I’d switched my phone to silent before setting off for the clinic. Old habits die hard. Varley’s comment reminded me. I pulled it out of my pocket. I was going to switch it back to normal when I saw an envelope symbol was bouncing around the screen. A new text had arrived. having fun playing with my boys? hope so. i’m having fun playing with your girl

I showed Lavine.

“Doesn’t sound good,” he said. “Who’s it from? Do you recognize the number?”

“No,” I said. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“Call it back,” Weston said. “See if anyone answers.”

I dialed, then hit the key to activate the phone’s tiny built-in speaker.

A recorded voice answered after one ring. It was Lesley’s.

“Please choose from the following three options,” it said. “If you’re David Trevellyan calling in a panic about your soon-to-be-late friend Tanya, press one. If you’re the FBI wanting to know the difference between your head and your ass, press two. Everyone else, please call back later. I’m having too much fun to come to the phone right now.”

I looked around the table and saw three shocked faces. Dr. Maher just looked confused.

“I don’t understand,” Lavine said. “I thought the Tungsten people had Tanya. If Lesley has her, why did she send David to the clinic to find Tungsten’s message?”

“The woman is obviously working with Tungsten,” Maher said. “Surely this clarifies things?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Weston said. “It does the opposite. Lesley and Tungsten are totally separate. Completely unrelated. We proved that.”

“The evidence suggests otherwise,” Maher said.

“Wait, back up,” Lavine said. “How can Lesley have her? She’s in jail. After her run-in with David on Tuesday night.”

“Enough,” Varley said, slamming his palm on the table. “Come on. We’ve got bombs to find. I don’t get this, either, but we’ll make some calls from the car. Now move it, all of you.”

Twelve chair legs scraped across the floor as Weston, Lavine, and Maher got to their feet. I stayed where I was, looking at the phone, trying to force all the pieces back into place in my head. I was still holding it three seconds later when another text arrived. It was from the same number. sorry i missed u. 2 busy 2 talk. u can have tanya back when i’m done with her. meantime have attached picture. promised before but 4got. am i bad?

I pressed the button and a blurry image slowly filled the screen. Dark thoughts started to form in my mind. I looked at the photograph for another moment, then handed the phone to Weston.

“Ignore her face,” I said. “Look at her right wrist.”

“A leather strap,” he said. “And a metal frame. Like that wheelie-cage thing. At Lesley’s house.”

“Or could it be that cellar place?” Lavine said. “That had white walls, too.”

“No,” Weston said. “I can see a window.”

“Give me some car keys,” I said.

“You’re going there?” Lavine said.

I didn’t answer.

“You can’t go on your own,” Weston said. “It’s the same deal as here. She’s a hostage. We need to send a team.”

“Forget it,” Varley said. “There’s no time. And we know who we’re dealing with, remember. If Lesley has her, we don’t need hostage rescue. We need a mop and a bucket.”

“I’ll still be needing those keys,” I said.

“Where is it?” Lavine said, sliding his Bart Simpson ring across the table. “Westchester, somewhere? I’ll call the local PD. Have them meet you there.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I said.

No one ever lost anything during our navy training.

That wasn’t because we were particularly careful with our stuff. Or due to any fines or punishments we might have suffered. It was because of the quartermaster. He was the most practical person in the barracks by a country mile. Whenever part of anyone’s kit was missing he didn’t waste time getting angry. He wasn’t interested in where it had last been seen or if you’d sold it or who might have stolen it.