Monster (44 page)

McDaniels leaned forward. “No, Tom, I don’t. We all have parts to play in this war. If you want nothing to do with this, say so. I’ll find another way. I came in here to get your help, not bypass you.”

“I appreciate that. Can I think it over?”

“Yep.” McDaniels shook Barrington’s hand again as he made ready to leave. “I’m going to be outside with the crew for the rest of the day going over the data they’ve gathered. How tight has security been on what happened over at the warehouse and the follow-up Pete and Kay did with me?”

“A hell of a lot better than when Dillon and Tamara were at their desks. The only team knowing all the pieces in the puzzle are right outside my door. Only Aginson and Reskova know everything about this operation. We haven’t even acknowledged Dillon’s situation to her Mother. No one has asked about Tamara yet.”

“Good,” McDaniels said, opening the office door.

“Hey, Colonel, don’t give Kay any more ideas other than work related suggestions, if you know what I mean.”

McDaniels glanced at Barrington in surprise, laughing as he spoke. “You think Kay needs me to come up with his material. Now that’s funny, Tom. I’ll be outside, awaiting your wisdom.”

* * *

McDaniels, Rasheed, Rutledge, and Donaldson sat in the break room drinking coffee when Barrington entered with Tamara, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. The prisoner’s hands were handcuffed behind her back. Tamara’s hair was tied in a pony tail tightly at the back of her head. Tamara looked sullenly at the group turning to face her.

“Here she is, Colonel. She’s outraged at her treatment here. She wants her lawyer. She wants better clothes, better food, better shoes, blah, blah, blah. Take custody of her before I shoot her.”

McDaniels laughed with the rest of the group. He waved a hand at Rasheed. Rasheed took the handcuff key from Barrington. After undoing the handcuffs holding Tamara, Rasheed handed them to Barrington. As Rasheed began putting a plastic tie around Tamara’s wrists she attempted to yank her hands out of Rasheed’s grip. Rasheed grabbed her by the back of the neck with his free hand. Tamara was on her knees gasping in pain a split second later.

“Do not move woman! I do not wish to hurt you but you will be restrained.”

Tamara stopped resisting immediately. Rasheed pulled Tamara to her feet a moment later. McDaniels waited while Rasheed plastic tied Tamara’s wrists behind her back before walking over opposite Rasheed. He watched the procedure impassively. Tamara stared angrily into McDaniels’ eyes. Her whole body tensed as if spring loaded.

“I’m an American citizen. I know my rights. You can’t just throw me into a dungeon without a trial.”

“We have a Russian agent who has named you as his mole inside Director Aginson’s office. We’ve found enough tying you to him to put you away for the rest of your life. We need to discuss a few more items with you. It would be best if we have your full cooperation.”

“Where’s Reskova and the dog. They got everything there was to get.”

“I don’t think so. I think you know someone above Kasyanov, even he and Dillon don’t know about. We found deposits in one of your off shore accounts in the six figure range. Dillon never received over fifty grand at any one time. I…”

“How the hell did you get into my…” Tamara broke in, before smiling arrogantly at McDaniels. “You bunch hacked into my personal records without a warrant. McDaniels, you might as well release me because I’m walking the moment I make a phone call.”

“You really are an idiot as well as a traitor. The moment we tied you into Kasyanov we received Carte Blanche to find out everything in your life. Back to the subject, work with us to entrap the rest. We’ll cut you a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“The kind where you get to live.”

“You’re bluffing,” Tamara said confidently. “I don’t scare, asshole.”

“We’ll see. Go sign her out, Kay. Put her in the big van.”

Tamara began resisting in earnest. “I’m not going anywhere! I’ll scream every second through this building.”

Tamara felt something jab her neck. She turned around in time to see Rasheed smilingly put a cap on the used syringe he held in his hands. Donaldson pushed a wheelchair over Tamara had not noticed. Her lips moved. She struggled to speak but within seconds she collapsed, guided smoothly into the wheelchair by Donaldson and Rasheed. Rasheed cut off his now unnecessary plastic tie. Donaldson put the safety belt built into the chair around Tamara’s waist, fastening her in quickly. Rutledge added a pillow behind her head.

“Ah, she looks so peaceful,” Rutledge commented.

“Let’s get going, Kay. I’ll push Nancy. We’ll see you tomorrow, Tom, thanks.”

“Be careful, Colonel.”

After McDaniels and Rasheed left the office and were heading toward the elevator, Donaldson jogged after them.

“Colonel, I’d like to come along,” Donaldson requested, coming abreast of the two men.

“I don’t know, Pete.” McDaniels returned Donaldson’s look appraisingly. “This won’t be the same kind of gig as the last time. It would probably be best if you held on to your deniability quotient, depending on how things work out. Besides, we can’t leave Tom and Jen alone in the office together.”

Rasheed and Donaldson both laughed in appreciation.

“Let him come, Mr. Reskova. The newbie can help with the digging. It is freezing out there.”

“Digging?” Donaldson asked hesitantly.

“See, I told you deniability would be best.”

“I’m in, no matter what. You can count on me, Sir.”

Rasheed put his arm around Donaldson’s shoulders. “We will be like the three Mouseketeers.”

“That’s Musketeers, Kay,” McDaniels corrected. “You’re mixing the French up with cartoon rodent fan clubs.”

Rasheed paused for a moment and then shrugged. “Yes, I believe you are right. Suraya holds little Cold while watching the Disney channel. I saw the mouse you spoke of… ah… Mickey… yes, Mickey Mouse. The Goofy dog, raging Duck, and the Mickey were pretending to be swordsmen. I have seen the Three Musketeers though. That was from the time when the French at least pretended they could… what?”

By this time both McDaniels and Donaldson were laughing, their wheelchair bound prisoner completely forgotten. McDaniels held up his hand in a stopping gesture.

“Enough, Kay - let’s get going. I’ll change out of my uniform in the van. Okay, Pete, let
d’Artagnan
wheel Nancy while you go and grab some clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.”

“The ground is frozen, Mr. Reskova.”

“Relax, Kay, I have it all set.”

“I remember you saying that in Iraq when you thought our safe-house was compromised. You decided we should lay in wait for the perpetrators,” Rasheed reminded McDaniels, who was already hanging his head comically.

“Why, what happened, Kay?” Donaldson had turned back to hear the story.

“They blew up our safe-house with mortar fire while we watched,” Rasheed answered, evoking a sigh out of McDaniels. “It is too painful to remember all the personal belongings I lost when they obliterated the building.”

“You weren’t in the building, were you?” McDaniels commented with some exasperation. “We got the guys, didn’t we?”

“Yes, after every extra piece of clothing and gear I owned was reduced to atomic dust,” Rasheed mused as Donaldson stifled his laugh impulse and endured a warning look from McDaniels. “Hopefully you are more ‘all set’ this time.”

* * *

“Well, Kay, what do you think, not so bad, huh?”

The men were standing around a mound of earth with a half-inch inner diameter plastic tube angling out of the loose dirt.

“Adequate, Mr. Reskova, and not too much work,” Rasheed admitted.

“That box you put Tamara in with the readymade com unit and tube was ingenious, Colonel,” Donaldson complimented him. “The box looked like the packing crate for a shoulder fired rocket launcher.”

“I confiscated it from the stuff we found around the warehouse. I came back when the demolition boys arrived. I had them excavate a spot here in the warehouse leaving some of the loose dirt from outside next to it. I knew I’d have to hear Kay whine for hours otherwise. She’s the perfect size for the launcher crate.”

“Man, when she wakes up we better not be close to the speaker,” Donaldson remarked.

“I believe you’re right,” McDaniels replied with some satisfaction. “Nancy will be putting out stereophonic screams for a while. I brought along some laughing gas to pipe down there if she won’t shut up. I guess we can feed her some oxygen and get her woke up. It’s the green bottle, Pete. Check the knob on the speaker. Make sure the volume is turned down.”

Donaldson walked over to where two tanks were hooked to a manifold. A small feeder tube from each bottle snaked into the plastic pipe slanted out of the earth. Three chairs were placed around a small table near the tanks. On top of the table, McDaniels had arranged a speaker and beside it a transmitter. Tamara would only be able to hear outside noises if the transmitter button was pushed. Donaldson cracked open the oxygen valve slightly before sitting down on one of the chairs. McDaniels and Rasheed took their places next to him.

“You are indeed the Cold Mountain,” Rasheed stated. “I think perhaps it would be a good idea to lock you up.”

McDaniels chuckled. “How about you, Pete? You want me locked up too?”

“No Sir,” Donaldson said quietly. “I was over at the hospital yesterday to see my guys. Whether Tamara talks or not, you can leave her there for all I care. I vote we go get Dillon when we get through with the bitch in the box.”

“We’ll have to settle with Dillon sometime in the future,” McDaniels replied seriously. “Her leaving out the little detail of recruiting Nancy makes me wonder what other little tidbits of information she has. Maybe we should just go tell her how much more money Tamara received than her. That’ll piss her off. Some time will have to go by first. As soon…”

Tamara’s groan came through the speaker. The men heard a rustle of clothing as Tamara moved inside the sealed crate. A moment later her screams began ululating out of the speaker. McDaniels waited nearly five minutes before speaking into the transmitter. He repeated her name until finally Tamara’s screams quieted to horrified gasps and sobs.

“Quiet down, Nancy and we’ll get down to business,” McDaniels told her.

“Oh…oh my God!” Tamara shrieked. “You…you’ve buried me alive. Wha…what kind of monsters are you?”

McDaniels looked over at Donaldson. “Want to take that one, Pete?”

“No, Sir, let’s get what we can out of the bitch before she has a stroke.”

“Are…are you still there… answer me… what…”

“We’re here, Nancy. Now then, reach down by your right hip. There’s a small flashlight there. Do you feel it?”

“Yes…yes, it’s here.”

The men could hear Tamara turn it on. She began to sob piteously again.

“Let…let me out… I’ll tell you everything,” Tamara pleaded.

“No can do, Nanc. You may say yes down there and then no back up here. The faster you get to talking, the faster we get you dug up. In case you’re wondering, you’re in a place no one will be stumbling across. If you don’t tell us everything you know and quick, we’ll just leave you where you are to mellow for a day. I think even your bargaining attitude will have changed by then.”

“You’ll all go to prison for this,” Tamara said, her voice raspy from screaming. “I’m an American. You…”

“Don’t play the citizen card again, Nanc,” McDaniels interrupted her sharply. “By God I’ll leave you this instant.”

“No…no… wait… I’m sorry. Wha…what do you want to know?”

“First off, who recruited you?” McDaniels figured to ask her a question he thought he already knew the answer for.

“Di…Dillon recruited me. It’s cold down here. I’m freezing. Can’t…”

“It’ll get a lot colder if you don’t keep talking.”

“I cannot believe Dillon did not give her up when Reskova interrogated her,” Rasheed remarked with some surprise, not having fully trusted McDaniels’ assumption.

“It seems Dillon did guess how far Diane would go. I thought maybe we weren’t getting the whole story. Dillon’s no dummy. She knew Diane wouldn’t let Dino rip her apart and it was all a bluff.”

“Cold, even I did not know if the Boss was going to allow the hellhound to eat the woman. If you had been there…”

“I know how it must have looked, Kay,” McDaniels cut in. “Maybe right after Diane came out of the minefield it wouldn’t have been a bluff. Later after Dillon was in custody she knew how far Reskova would go.”

“Jesus… are any of you still there… I…”

“We’re still here for the time being,” McDaniels answered her. “Be still for a moment.”

McDaniels released the button on the transmitter. “In Iraq from your childhood on you knew the authorities could order the torture of anyone. Dillon grew up just the opposite, Kay. You’ve already seen how we’ve turned America’s justice system upside down in favor of even the most vicious criminals. Believe me, she knew.”

“I see your point,” Rasheed acknowledged.

“Nancy is in a little different situation, Colonel,” Donaldson said quietly.