She's an Easy Target, page 19
part #2 of Quinton Target Series
“Agent Target,” he said. “Finally, we formally meet.” He extended his hand. QT grasped it with an extra firm grip and squeezed it until Lucas grimaced slightly.
“Let’s hope this is more productive than our initial meeting at the Downtown Mall and our phone conversation on Friday night,” QT said.
“I’m always ready and willing to cooperate with our colleagues at the FBI. Of course, I’ll have to adhere to NSA confidentiality policies.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
“It’s a pleasure seeing you, Daphne,” Lucas said with his eyes glued to her chest. “I didn’t realize this was going to be a two-on-one interview. Perhaps I should’ve insisted my lawyer be present.”
“Why? Have you done something illegal?” she asked.
“All of us have been in the intelligence game long enough to know that legality is open for interpretation.”
“I was hoping to keep this informal,” Quinton said, “but if you want a lawyer present that’s your prerogative.”
“Let’s keep this among friends,” Lucas said. “Two-to-one odds seem fair to me.”
“Please sit down and make yourself comfortable,” QT said while pointing to the chair across from Daphne and him. “There’s no reason why this has to be confrontational. We all have a vested interest in finding the person or persons who had the audacity to kidnap an NSA Analyst.”
“Persons? Are you seriously considering the possibility that there’s some type of conspiracy at play? Based on my longstanding personal and professional relationship with Blaire, I suspect this is most likely connected to her lifestyle choices rather than being NSA related.”
“Tell us about your professional relationship with Blaire,” QT said.
“Blaire and I go way back. We joined the NSA at the same time and our first jobs with the agency were together at the Maryland Headquarters.”
“Did you stay in contact with her after she took a job in Charlottesville.”
“Occasional emails until we were reunited recently when I was promoted and became her manager.”
“What can you tell me about Blaire’s most recent NSA assignment?”
“Very little, I’m afraid. It’s classified.”
“I’m aware that on Friday night, Blaire broke into a house on Rugby Road and installed surveillance equipment. Since it’s no longer a state secret, why don’t you fill us in on the details of her mission?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny whether the NSA approved such a break-in.”
“Do you know a woman named Chloe Ripen?”
“No, should I?”
“How about Savannah Clayborn?”
“No, I don’t know her either. Are they friends of Blaire’s? Do they hang out together at the local pickup bars?”
“If you really want to help us to find the kidnappers, you could tell us about Chloe’s involvement with the break-in on Friday.”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself? It’s my understanding you had drinks with her on Friday night.”
“I thought you said you don’t know Chloe?”
“I don’t have to know her to know about her. Blaire told me you had drinks with a woman named Chloe. Blaire tells me everything. It’s a job requirement.”
“Tell me about your personal relationship with Blaire,” Daphne said.
Lucas turned his head toward her and stared straight at her breasts.
“We have a history?” he said with a smarmy smile.
“Can you be more specific?”
“We dated briefly when we were stationed in Maryland together.”
“What does that mean, dated? You went to the movies, went out to dinner, or did something else?”
“A gentleman doesn’t talk about what happens on dates.”
“Yeah, but we know you’re not a gentleman, don’t we? Guys like you tend to exaggerate what happens on dates.”
“All I’ll say is that it wasn’t a serious relationship, but we had a connection.”
“It’s my understanding there was only one date and it wasn’t really a date. The two of you met at a bar for a drink after work, you hit on her, and she left,” QT said.
“Is that what Blaire told you? We both know Blaire doesn’t always tell you the truth when it comes to other men, don’t we? Remember her colleague, Jeremy Glover?”
“Do you get angry when women reject you?” Daphne asked.
He stared at her breasts with a smirk but didn’t answer.
Daphne pointed to her face and said, “Look up here. The words come out my mouth, not my breasts.”
“I’m sorry, did you ask a question? I was distracted.”
“Did it make you angry when Blaire rejected your sexual advances?”
“I thought I was clear. I’m not one of those guys who kisses and tells.”
“The real question is, are you one of those guys who doesn’t take no for an answer? Did you stalk her after she rejected you?”
“How is this line of questioning pertinent to Blaire’s kidnapping?”
“We’re trying to ascertain whether a sexual predator, like you, had unfulfilled fantasies about Blaire and kidnapped her for gratification.”
“If my lawyer were here, he’d say that was a slanderous remark. You have no basis for labeling me a sexual predator.”
“I base it on my own observations. I’ve seen the way you look at Blaire. QT has seen you touch her inappropriately. Other women in the office have commented that you creep them out, leering at them. And, you’ve been staring at my breasts during this entire interview.”
The smirk evaporated and Lucas’ tone turned serious. “Look at the way you’re dressed. You women expose yourself like that and then try to act all innocent when a man checks you out. You’re asking for it.”
“The same way Blaire was asking for it?”
“I’m not saying it’s OK for someone to kidnap Blaire because of the way she dresses or acts. But actions have consequences. If she makes a habit of behaving promiscuously, sooner or later some man is going to take it as an invitation.”
“A man like you?”
“You can’t seriously think I had anything to do with Blaire’s kidnapping. She came on to me in Maryland and we got together, but that’s the extent of it. I’m her manger now. Yes, she is still sexually provocative, trying to get my attention but I don’t cross that manager and employee line.”
“I suppose slapping a female subordinate on the ass isn’t crossing the line?” Daphne said.
“Apparently it isn’t. Blaire called me yesterday and asked me when she could come back to work with me. She’s going to report for duty on Monday.”
“So, you think that means she secretly liked it when you touched her, even though she kneed you in the balls after you did it.”
Lucas shrugged and smirked again. “I can’t say for sure. With women like Blaire, sometimes no means no and sometimes no means yes.”
“It sounds to me like you’re fantasizing that Blaire is seducing you, which gives you permission to respond by touching her inappropriately — or kidnapping her and demanding sexual favors.”
“You have no proof of such a ridiculous theory.”
“Not yet,” Daphne said.
When she didn’t pursue it further, QT changed the line of questioning. “Do you know a man by the name of Thomas Thomson?”
‘Never heard of him. What does he have to do with Blaire or the NSA?”
“He was found dead in the trunk of Blaire’s car after she was kidnapped. Was he part of the NSA team that broke into the home on Rugby Road?”
“I’m not acknowledging there was such a break-in but if there was, Thomas Thomson wouldn’t be involved because he wasn’t part of my NSA team.”
“Are you aware of any NSA related reason that Blaire would be a kidnapping target?”
“No, like I said at the beginning of this interview, in my opinion, the kidnapping is tied to Blaire’s personal lifestyle, not the NSA.”
“Sometimes the lines between personal and professional blur and are hard to separate,” Daphne said. “Is that the way it is between Blaire and you? Do you find it difficult to separate your managerial responsibilities to Blaire from your personal desire for her? Sometimes lust can make a person do outrageous things, like kidnapping for example.”
Lucas’ face muscles tightened, and his face turned red. His body leaned forward as if he wanted to dive across the table at her, but he put on the breaks and leaned back in his chair.
“Are we done here? If you have a serious question then ask it, otherwise this interview is over.”
“Do you have any other questions, Daphne?” QT asked.
“Not now but I might later.”
Lucas gave Daphne’s breasts one more stare and then glared into her eyes before exiting without saying a word.
“I think you got under his skin,” QT said.
“I don’t know if he kidnapped Blaire, but we confirmed he’s obsessed with her and harbors resentment against her,” Daphne said.
“Do you know anyone at NSA headquarters, who you could contact to inquire about Lucas’ reputation at the Maryland office and his obsession with Blaire?”
“I know a few people there. I’ll reach out and see what I can find out. What are you going to do next?”
Before he had a chance to reply to Daphne, his phone rang and the decision on his next move was made for him.
Chapter 40
Quinton grimaced when he saw the name Stephanie Winters displayed on his iPhone screen. “I have to take this,” he said to Daphne. “We’ll talk later. By the way, I like your new look,” he said with a smile. She smiled back but didn’t reply.
The phone stopped ringing and QT was about to dial back Stephanie, when she called him again. “This is QT,” he said. “Aren’t you supposed to be in church or at a family dinner on a Sunday?”
“You must have me confused with one of your other exes.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m at the UVA hospital. I have a shooting victim who insists that the only law enforcement officer he trusts to talk to is FBI Agent Quinton Target.”
“What’s the victim’s name?”
“He says his name is Dr. Bit. I don’t know if he’s a medical doctor or some other kind and he refuses to tell me anything about himself.”
“How bad are his wounds?” he said with concern in his voice.
“Serious but not life threatening. I can’t say the same for the woman who was with him. She just got out of surgery and is in critical condition.”
“Did he say anything about ‘Mad’,” he asked with urgency in his voice.
“No, he didn’t say he was mad, he just doesn’t trust police.”
“Has the woman been identified?”
“She didn’t have any ID on her. We canvassed the apartment building where the shooting took place. Based on feedback from a couple of the tenants, we think the victim is a woman named Chloe Ripen, but your friend, Dr. Bit, won’t confirm it.”
“What does she look like?”
“She’s a brunette in her thirties.”
“When and where did the shooting take place?”
“In front of a two-story apartment building near UVA at about nine last night. I would’ve called you sooner, but doctors wouldn’t let me talk to Dr. Bit until a short while ago and I wasn’t aware you were acquainted with him until he insisted on talking with you.”
“I’m close to the hospital. I’ll be there in ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Meet me in the main entrance lobby.”
After hanging up with Stephanie, he immediately called the lieutenant. He was relieved when she answered the phone and said, “This is Mad.”
“We have an emergency,” he said.
“What kind of an emergency?”
“Dr. Bit’s in UVA hospital with a gunshot wound.”
“How bad is it?”
“Not life-threatening. When did you last see Dr. Bit?”
“He went over to Chloe’s at around eight last night. When he didn’t come home, I assumed he spent the night with her.”
“There was a woman with him. I think it’s Chloe. She’s in critical condition.”
“I knew that woman was trouble.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“One of the intelligence agencies must be behind this.”
“Dr. Bit won’t talk to the police. He told the detective assigned to the case he’d only talk to me. I’m going to the hospital now.”
“I can’t go there if police or intelligence agencies are present.”
“I understand. The police or one of the intelligence agencies might get a warrant to search Dr. Bit’s house. Do you have a safe place where you can go?”
“I’ll find a place. Thanks for the heads-up.”
“I’ll call you after I talk with Dr. Bit.”
“Yes, do that and let me know what Rasputin and I can do to help you find the person responsible.”
“Count on it.”
***
After making a quick call to update Special Agent McCoy on the case, QT called Blaire. Once again, Lucas Taylor had planted seeds of doubt in his mind about Blaire’s faithfulness and her lack of sexual discrimination. The thought of her having a fling with Taylor, whether she was drunk or sober, made him sick to his stomach.
Blaire answered on the first ring and said, “It’s about time you called me. I’ve been pacing the floor, wondering how the interview with Lucas went. I would’ve loved to have been there to watch him squirm. How’d it go?”
“About as expected,” he said.
She waited for him to say more and when he didn’t, she said, “Is that it? You have to give me more than that. What did you find out?”
QT said in a teasing manner, “FBI interviews are confidential, you know. I’m not supposed to discuss them with an NSA Analyst.”
“Somebody’s trying to mutilate or kill me and you’re not going to tell me anything about the investigation because of a technicality?”
“Oh, it’s a technicality when the shoe is on the other foot,” he said and laughed. “It works both ways, you know. I share with you and you share with me. It’s called Quid pro quo.”
“I’ve explained to you that I have to be careful what I reveal because the NSA does frequent polygraphs. I fully expect, they’ll test me on Monday when I return to work.”
“Surely, they’ll understand if you answer questions directly pertinent to your kidnapping. Don’t wait for Lucas Taylor to dictate what you can and can’t tell me.”
“I’ll try to be more open with you, but I have limits. Now, are you going to tell me what happened at the Lucas Taylor interview or are you going to be sleeping in the guest room by yourself for the foreseeable future?”
“Since you put it that way, you leave me no choice ... What do you want to know?”
“For starters, what did he say about me?”
“Daphne and I grilled him about his professional and personal relationship with you. He didn’t give any details, but he implied that the two of you had a short affair while you were stationed in Maryland.”
“That’s ridiculous. It happened like I told you it did. He hit on me at a bar and I left him there. We never hooked up.”
“I don’t know if he’s delusional and has convinced himself something sexual happened between the two of you or he’s just a liar. Maybe a little of both.”
“Did you learn anything that would tie him to my kidnapping?”
“He insisted there wasn’t any NSA link to your kidnapping. His opinion is that it was motivated by your promiscuous behavior.”
“What? That little pervert. I’m going to give him another kick between the legs when I see him at work tomorrow.”
“That might be satisfying but probably not the best approach to getting to the bottom of this.”
“I know. I’ll play it cool ... unless he tries something again like he did at the downtown mall. Are you still at the JUIAF?”
“No, I’m on the way to the UVA hospital to meet Stephanie.”
“Why?”
“Because Dr. Bit and Chloe were shot in front of her apartment last night.”
“Oh, no. Are they alright?”
“Dr. Bit is awake, but Chloe’s is in critical condition.”
“Do you think the shooting is connected with my kidnapping?”
“Yes, I do. Lucas claims he doesn’t know Chloe and she doesn’t work for the NSA. I need you to level with me. Was she involved with the break-in at Dr. Bit’s home?”
“... I don’t know for sure. As I told you when you asked me before, I saw a blonde version of Chloe at the JUIAF, but she was never introduced as a member of Lucas’ organization. She might have been the inside person on our team, whose responsibility it was to monitor Dr. Bit’s activities and identify deficiencies in his security systems. Lucas provided me with a security code that I needed to enter Dr. Bit’s house. He could’ve gotten it from Chloe.”
“I’ve thought all along she was involved with the NSA.”
“I didn’t lie to you about Chloe. This is pure speculation on my part.”
“You must know the purpose of your break-in. Do you have any idea how it might be related to your kidnapping and the attempted murder of Dr. Bit and Chloe?”
“Lucas kept the goal of the operation to himself. He didn’t have team meetings to discuss it and he shared as little as possible with me.”
“You don’t have any idea what the NSA was after?”
“I heard through office chatter that we were investigation Upshaw Corporation again. This time to determine whether they’re working with the Chinese to develop mindreading devices.”
“And, the NSA thinks that Dr. Bit is somehow involved?”
“Not exactly. They don’t think he’s complicit with Upshaw, only that he might have access to information about the conspiracy that the NSA doesn’t.”
“Why kidnap you and try to kill Chloe and Dr. Bit?”
“The NSA wouldn’t sponsor actions like that. We’re in the information game. We don’t conduct murders or forced interrogations.”
