Неизвестный - 06. Honor Under Siege

“I seem to be limiting my options, don’t I?” Valerie met Cam’s eyes.

Savard smiled. “Looks like you’ll just have to stay.”

“Well then, put me to work.”

Felicia turned a laptop in her direction. An array of photos filled the screen. “Start looking.”

Six hours later Valerie pushed away from the table in disgust. “If he’s in here,” she said, gesturing toward the computer, “I don’t recognize him.”

“When you met, did you ever get the feeling that he was disguised?” Felicia asked.

Valerie shook her head. “No. He always looked like a nondescript guy in an off the rack business suit.

“Which I’m sure is exactly how he wanted to look.”

Valerie rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Maybe we should try military archives.”

“And start where? What branch, what years?”

“Matheson served. Let’s look at everyone he might have met from boot camp until the day he was mustered out.”

Felicia nodded. “I’m working on it, but accessing those kinds of military files… I have to use a little finesse.”

“Can’t Cameron use her Homeland Security go-anywhere-free pass to access those records?”

“She could,” Savard said from across the room where she worked at her own computer station. “But it would alert any number of individuals, and that’s exactly what we don’t want.”

Valerie nodded. “I guess until we find out how deep this goes, it’s safer to trust no one.” She looked from one to the other. “So, when will I have more photographs to look at?”

“Later today,” Felicia said.

“All right. Until then, if you give me a secure line, I’ll try contacting some of my previous sources. I might be able to pick up a hint of what’s happening out there.”

“We should be able to arrange—” Savard tensed and swiveled toward the front door at the sound of it opening. She relaxed when Cam walked in.

“Stark says there’s no one suspicious at the marina.”

“Excellent,” Savard said.

“Where are we?”

“I didn’t get anywhere with the photographs. I’m sorry,” Valerie said.

“It was a long shot with no reference point. Are you at a place where you can take a break?” Cam asked.

Valerie stood. “Yes, of course. Whatever you need.”

“I thought we’d try to work up a sketch of your handler.”

“We don’t have a sketch artist here, do we?”

“No.” Cam smiled. “We’ve got something even better.”

Blair closed the French doors to the living room and carried her supplies to the sofa. She pushed back the sleeves of her long-sleeved T-shirt, kicked off her ankle high boots, and sat cross-legged on the sofa with her sketch pad propped on her knees. “Have you ever done anything like this before?”

“No.” Valerie settled into an adjacent chair and crossing her legs. After waking with Diane and working with the team all morning, she felt almost normal again. “Have you?”

“No. It should be a challenge.”

Valerie smiled thinly. “Well, what else is new?”

Blair glanced up. “I guess it’s new ground for all of us.”

“I thought I had learned to expect the unexpected a long time ago,” Valerie said, draping her hands over the ends of the arm rests. “Apparently, I was wrong.”

“Because of 9/11?” Blair asked, sketching Valerie’s profile. It wasn’t why they were there, but she couldn’t help but be captivated by the classic lines of her face.

“That, and being asked to usurp information from an ongoing investigation and,” Valerie said as Blair drew rapidly, “falling in love with Diane.”

Blair’s hand stilled. “Is that what happened?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“You approve?” Valerie inquired with a hint of surprise.

Blair turned over a fresh page in her sketch pad. “I could say it’s not for me to approve or disapprove, but Diane is one of my two oldest friends and I love her. She didn’t ask for my opinion, by the way.”

“Which is?”

“I think you’re a terrible choice for her. You’re involved in dangerous work that requires you to lie to everyone, probably even yourself, about what you do and what you feel. Anyone with sense would find that scary.” Blair met her eyes. “Speaking as her friend, I’d rather she got involved with someone who wasn’t so likely to break her heart.”

“I’m going to try very hard not to.”

“I believe you, and like I said, that’s good. Because you’re the one she wants, and in the end, that’s the only thing that matters.” Blair picked up her pencil. “So, just off the top of your head, who does this guy remind you of when you see him?”

“Bob Hoskins, only thinner.”

“Roundish face, broad eastern European features…” Blair sketched quickly and asked without looking up, “Hair?”

“Dark brown, thinning, no obvious balding spots. Subtle widow’s peak.”

“Good eye. That’s great.”

“Thanks,” Valerie said. “For this and for looking after Diane.”

“You’re welcome.” Blair continued to draw. “And by the way, I’m glad you showed up.”

“Pale blue eyes, five o’clock shadow.” Valerie sighed. “I should’ve thought to wear one of those little lapel cameras to one of our meets.”

Blair stopped drawing and stared. “You actually use those things?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to.”

Blair shook her head. “Like I said. Scary”.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Wednesday

“Yes, that’s correct. 777-3214. I’ll pay by credit card.” Valerie turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Cam stood in the doorway watching her intently. “I’m sorry. Here it is.” Holding Cam’s gaze, she recited her account number. “And you’ll be sure that goes in tonight. I understand. That’s fine. Thank you.”

Valerie closed her phone. “Did you need me?”

“Phone drop?” Cam asked neutrally.

“Yes. I change the contact number weekly and reprogram my cell.”

Cam crossed the guest house kitchen to the window that looked out onto the wraparound deck. It was late afternoon and the sky was a solid blanket of hazy gray clouds. “Storm coming. I think it’s cold enough to snow.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m planning on disappearing again?” Valerie joined Cam and their shoulders touched lightly. She might have imagined the heat that penetrated Cam’s shirt and her own blouse, but she knew the sensation was real.

“No. That’s not what I was thinking. I know you’re not ducking out.”

“Thank you.”

“I do have a few questions, though.”

Valerie smiled. “What do you want to know?”

“It sounds like you’re anxious to get a new number to your handler.”

“He won’t use one more than once, and I ignored his last message a week ago.”

“Any particular reason you want an open line to Henry right now?”

Valerie shrugged impatiently. “Cameron, in the last two days I’ve looked at hundreds, probably thousands of photographs. Felicia has worked on a regression image of the sketch Blair did. It’s a good approximation of him when he was younger, and we’ve run that, plus an age-appropriate computer-generated image, through every database that exists, including Interpol. We can’t find him, not this way.”

“Eventually we’ll sort out Matheson’s other contacts, we’ll find Matheson, and he’ll lead us to Henry or someone else will.” Cam turned her back to the window. She was inches from Valerie. “This is the tiresome part of investigative work.”

“Believe me, I understand that some things take time. I spent five years creating my cover in DC before I’d even met you.”