Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3) (36 page)

“I was already planning to tell them everything.”

“That’d be your first smart move in a long time.”

With Jin in Voda’s hands, the situation became critical. Nathan had to consider his next moves carefully, yet his options were substantially diminished. Any action he took against Voda might result in Jin’s death, if she weren’t dead already. Meanwhile, Voda could be wringing classified information out of Jin — information that could be devastating not only to Harv and Nathan, but also to the nation.

Holly needed to know about these new developments right away. He pulled out his cell and called her.

“Nathan, what’s your situation?”

“Voda’s men had Marchand. I have him with me. In a few minutes I’ll be back with Grangeland and turn him over to her.”

“Wait. He’s not dead?”

“No, they’d been interrogating him. Voda has Jin as well. And he knows she’s my sister.”

“Nathan, I’m so sorry. Where did you find Marchand?”

“Some kind of furniture store near Montgomery Field.” He gave Holly the address. “There are five more casualties. Two of them are Voda’s, the others looked like mercenaries, probably coyotes. They were armed with AKs and tried to ambush me. Can you get some local agents over there right away?”

“I’ll call the San Diego SAC as soon as we hang up. It’s SDPD’s crime scene, but I want some of our people there too.” Holly paused for a moment. “I can’t withhold this from Director Lansing. I normally report to the deputy director, but Lansing’s given me a green light to contact him.”

“Are you sure this won’t compromise your new position in DC?”

“No, but withholding it definitely would.”

“Holly, I’m still working independently. You understand that, right?”

She paused. “Yes.”

“Grangeland’s going to need some help taking custody of Marchand. He needs emergency care.”

“Where is she?”

“The Rancho Bernardo Inn. Could you call her and let her know I’m coming?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. Tell her I can’t walk through the lobby with Marchand. He’s a mess. Ask her to bring Abrille and Lauren down to the valet area out front. I’ll meet all three of them there. I’ll leave Marchand nearby in a white Taurus that can be seen from the valet stand. Lauren and I will catch a cab and leave Grangeland with Abrille and Marchand. Oh, and when you call Grangeland, be careful of what you say. Lauren will be listening, and she doesn’t miss much. I should be the one to tell her about her mom.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful.”

“What’s Abrille’s legal situation at this point?”

“I’m still working on it,” Holly said. “She’s going to be admitted into the witness security program, where she’ll be safe. I’m also arranging counseling.”

“About that…” Nathan said.

“What is it?”

Nathan told Holly about the cache of alexandrites that had been implanted in Abrille’s abdomen.

“Then this whole thing is an elaborate smuggling operation?” Holly asked.

“It looks that way. Are you in any position to make an inquiry with the San Diego medical examiner’s office?”

“Sure. About what?”

“If the previous border murder victims were Bolivian orphans, like Abrille, then they might have a similar incision on their stomachs in roughly the same location — sort of like a fresh appendectomy. The slashing of the victims’ torsos might’ve been done to mask the kind of wound Abrille has. The surgical staples would be gone, but they could’ve left tiny puncture marks underneath. If what I suspect is true, an extra quarter inch of skin will be missing around the wound. I don’t know if the ME can determine that, but it’s worth a look.”

“I’m making a note…I’ll make sure the ME’s aware of it. So what are you going to do next?”

“Get Jin back safely if I can.”

“How?”

“I’m still working it out. Voda will want to recover the gemstones. They’re worth a small fortune, and I’m willing to bet he’s out of pocket on the deal. I think he’s a middleman.”

“He is,” Marchand said from the backseat.

“Hold on, Holly. Marchand’s talking.” Nathan raised his voice and held his phone out so Holly could hear both of them. “Is what?” he asked Marchand.

“A middleman,” said Marchand. “He’s an independent buyer. He pays for the gemstones, then turns around and sells them to someone else for a huge profit. So, like you said, he’s out serious money for any gemstones he loses. Plus, he’ll lose credibility with his buyer if he doesn’t deliver what he’s promised.”

Marchand’s tone pissed Nathan off. The guy sounded indifferent. “Voda’s been slaughtering young girls like cattle. How can you just turn a blind eye to that?”

“I never knew that!” Marchand protested. “I mean, I found out recently that he was using girls as couriers, but I never knew he was killing them afterward until it was too late. Get a clue. Why do you think I wanted out?”

“Let’s assume I believe you,” said Nathan. “Then why are you involved in Voda’s world?”

“He launders money through my businesses.”

“Are you telling me that was your only tie to Voda? Laundering his money?”

“Yes.”

“Then how do you know about the girls and the alexandrites?”

“Voda was drunk one night and bragging about it, saying how brilliant he was. I even bought one of them from him. I gave it to Jin, but I didn’t know anything about the girls being murdered. Look, Voda never told me every little detail of what he was doing. He’s a very secretive man, and I wasn’t about to ask how he got his money.”

“It’s easier that way, isn’t it? You drive around in expensive cars while young girls are being butchered.”

“That’s a — ” Marchand tried to yell and coughed more blood. “I just told you I didn’t know about that!”

“Nathan,” Holly said. “Let us interrogate him. You’re too close to this.”

“Okay. You’re right. It just pisses me off.”

“Me too. With Marchand’s testimony, we’ll bury Voda.”

Nathan didn’t say what he was thinking. “Thanks, Holly. I’ll call you later.”

He ended the call, wondering how he’d tell Lauren that Voda had her mom. He favored not telling her, but that would create trust issues further down the road. Nathan knew Lauren would feel betrayed if she wasn’t told the truth right away. He’d need to choose his words carefully….

Ten minutes into his drive back to the Rancho Bernardo Inn, he felt his phone vibrate. He checked the screen. His father.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Nathan, what’s going on? I just stepped off the Senate floor. You said it’s urgent. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. I’m driving right now. Can I call you back in two minutes or less?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Nathan looked for a place to pull over. Seeing none, he diverted into a small office complex and drove to a remote corner of its parking lot. He didn’t want Marchand to hear the conversation with his dad, so he turned on the radio, cranked it to a medium volume, and climbed out. Fifty feet from the sedan, he made the call.

“It’s me again.”

“Nathan, what’s going on? Are you in trouble?”

“It’s not about me. It’s about you. Do you remember Han Choon-Hee?”

There was a marked silence on the other end. “How do you know that name? Nathan, what’s this about?”

“Dad, I don’t know how to say this…Choon-Hee was pregnant when you left Korea.”

“Pregnant? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I have a half-sister. Her birth name is Han Jin-Kyong, but she’s using Jin Elizabeth Marchand now.”

“Nathan…This is…difficult to believe.”

“I know. I felt the same way when I found out. I’m going to read you a note Jin left me last night.”

“Nathan, I assume you’re serious about this. If you are, now’s probably not the time — ”

“That’s the problem, Dad. I’m short on time. Look, this woman, your daughter, is mixed up with Hans Voda, a Spanish-born international criminal. He’s on Interpol’s ten-most-wanted list. It’s a serious situation, and it might get a whole lot worse.”

“What are we dealing with here?”

“I’ll explain everything, but you need to hear this note first.” Nathan removed the photocopied note from his pocket and read it aloud.

His dad listened silently, then spoke in a much softer voice. “I gave my dog tag to Choon-Hee the night before she disappeared. It was the last time I ever saw her.”

Nathan heard the pain in his voice. “I’m sorry, Dad. It sounds like you two loved each other.”

“We were going to be married. When I returned to the pub the following night, she was gone. No one would talk about her. I waited all night. Later, I found out that North Korean sympathizers were rounding up any English-speaking citizens and smuggling them north across the border for money. I loved her, Nathan. She was the kindest, most giving person you could ever know. Three days after she vanished, the Chinese entered the war and all hell broke loose. I had to assume she ended up in a North Korean prison camp. I did everything possible to find her, but it was hopeless. I never knew she survived, and I certainly had no idea she was pregnant. We’d only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, Jin’s in serious trouble, but her daughter’s safe with me. The girl’s name is Lauren, and she has our eyes. Nearly identical to mine.”

“I’ll bet she’s beautiful.”

“She is.”

“Tell me about Jin’s situation.”

“That’s the worst news: Voda has her.” As briefly as possible, Nathan proceeded to summarize what had happened over the past eighteen hours.

Stone McBride had many faults, but being a poor listener wasn’t one of them. He absorbed all the news, asking occasional questions. It took a few minutes. “Okay,” Stone said at last. “How can I help?”

“I’m not sure, but obviously we’ll do our best to keep this under the radar. It could create a nasty scandal for you.”

“Nathan, I don’t give a damn about any scandals. My only concern is getting Jin back and keeping Lauren safe.”

Nathan was relieved to hear his father say that. “Still, this has to be hard on you, finding out you have a daughter. How will Mom react?”

“She knows about Choon-Hee. I told her about my life in Korea when we were dating. She’ll be stunned by the news, but she’ll be okay. We’ve been married for over fifty years. She knows I don’t hide anything from her, and I’d never conceal something like this.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

“Do you have any theories on how Jin knows your old CIA call sign?”

“No.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

“I suppose a call to CIA Director Cantrell might be in order, but you’d have to go through the DNI, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. Anything else undermines the chain of command. But there’s no reason
you
can’t call Director Cantrell.”

“I might do that.”

“But not now?”

“No.”

“Then you’re going after him?”

“He’s murdering young girls.”

“I’m taking the first available flight out there.”

“Give me twenty-four hours. Lauren’s safe with me, and Harv’s on his way back from overseas.”

“What’s your plan?”

“I’m taking Voda out to the desert.”

Chapter 28

Nathan waved at Grangeland and drove twenty yards past the entrance to the Rancho Bernardo Inn. He pulled to the curb and told Marchand to lie still and not sit up. As he walked toward Grangeland, the valet approached, but Nathan gave the young man a negative wave.

Grangeland had both girls in tow. Lauren looked alert, but Abrille’s emotionless expression told all — the poor kid.

“I found your stepdad,” he told Lauren. “He’s in the back of the car, but don’t go over there.”