She's an Easy Target, page 26
part #2 of Quinton Target Series
The stretch, whether it was innocent or contrived, stimulated him enough to push him over the top. He gave her his version of what happened on Friday night.
“The NSA was concerned about the polygraph exam you took on Friday morning,” he said. “You revealed that you felt guilty about installing surveillance equipment in Dr. Harold Bitner’s house. I was instructed to have you polygraphed immediately after you completed your assignment to verify, you’d followed orders.”
“The NSA ordered my torture?”
“No, they would never do that. An NSA analyst was instructed to pick you up near your townhouse after you completed your assignment. Once you were in custody, he was supposed to notify Cayden to meet the two of you at the JUIAF where a standard NSA polygraph was to be administered.”
“So, you’ve known since Friday that Cayden was my attacker?”
“No, I had no idea. Cayden insisted he was never contacted to arrange the exam and the analyst confirmed he hadn’t talked with Cayden. He left a voicemail to tell him you never arrived at the townhouse.”
“How did you find out he was the one who attacked me?”
“The NSA conducted an internal investigation. Cayden was given a polygraph and asked point blank if he’d kidnapped you. He said no and the polygraph indicated that he was being truthful.”
“He knows how to beat the polygraph.”
“You’re right. That’s why I arranged to meet him at Starbuck’s after work today. I thought I could get him to open up to me.”
“And, did he?”
“Yes, he did. He admitted he hired an old UVA classmate of ours, Thomas Thomson to help him kidnap you and imprison you in the storage unit.”
“Why did he kill Thomson?”
“Thomson was a druggy. He was high that night and was acting crazy. He demanded that Cayden cut him in for fifty percent of the ransom instead of the pittance they’d originally agreed to. Mitchell lost his temper and shot him.”
“The ransom money was transferred to Cayden’s offshore account at around five today while the two of you were at Starbuck’s. Are you sure you weren’t there to collect your share of the ransom from Mitchell?”
“I had nothing to do with the attacks on you or the extortion.”
“Why would Cayden admit to you that he was guilty of murder and kidnapping?”
“Because he thinks he has leverage over me. He knows I’m with the GIA and he wants me to get him into the organization.”
“How did he find out you’re with the GIA?”
“He figured it out based on information he picked up while conducting polygraphs. I don’t think he has any proof. I’ve never acknowledged to him that his guess is correct, but he seems confident he’s right.”
“I still don’t understand why he’d admit his guilt to you. Doesn’t that give you leverage over him?”
“In his twisted mind he’s convinced that the GIA will be impressed by the ingenuity he’s demonstrated by successfully kidnapping you and collecting a two-million-dollar ransom.”
“Have you let the FBI know that Cayden admitted his guilt to you.”
“Of course not. I’ve reported it to my superiors at the NSA and GIA. If the FBI is unable to do their job and bring him to justice, rest assured, he’ll be punished one way or another.”
“Was the GIA as impressed by his ingenuity as he thought they would be?”
“No, they recognize him for what he is, an out-of-control psychopath.”
“Was Chloe Ripen working for the NSA or was she working with Cayden?”
“I hired her as a consultant to solicit security information from Bitner and recruit him into the NSA.”
“Who ordered her murder?”
“None of the intelligence agencies. It was a nonprofessional, sloppy attempt. It was most likely a personal matter involving a jealous boyfriend.”
Blaire sat with a pensive look on her face, digesting what he’d told her. After a few moments of silence, she said, “I think I could use that drink now. I’ll have a Scotch, except make mine a single not a double like you’ve been drinking.”
“That’s a good idea. It’ll relax you,” he said but she knew he was thinking, get her a little drunk and I might get lucky.
He walked toward the bar. While his back was turned toward her, Blaire took her lipstick out of her purse. She unscrewed the top of the secret compartment, dumped the sedative into Lucas’s drink, and stirred the mixture with her finger.
He was all smiles when he returned with her drink. He handed it to her and said, “Did I answer all of your questions to your satisfaction?”
“I tend to believe what you told me. I appreciate you being honest with me. That’s all the questions I have — for now.”
“I have a question for you,” Lucas said.
“About what?”
“About your FBI boyfriend.”
“What about him?”
“Do the two of you have an open relationship?”
“No, we’re exclusive.”
“Would you have a problem being with another man, if there were extenuating circumstances?”
“... I allow for rare exceptions.”
“Like Jeremy Glover?”
“... I suppose, a situation like the one with him qualifies as an exception to the rule.”
“Apparently, Agent Target allows for exceptions, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“While you were on assignment Friday, he was getting cozy with some redhead at Miller’s.”
Blaire smiled and said, “He told me he met up with some friends for a drink.”
“He left with a hot redhead and I followed them. He had his arm around her, and they were kissing. They looked like more than friends to me.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I was on lookout to alert you when Dr. Bit or his friends were headed your way. I snapped a couple of photos of the couple. See for yourself.”
He pulled up two photos on his phone. One was taken at the downtown mall. QT was walking with his hand resting on the lieutenant’s bare shoulder. They were smiling and looking into each other’s eyes. The other was taken in the townhouse parking lot. It was more damning. QT and the lieutenant were locked in a passionate kiss.
“Did they go inside my townhouse together?”
“I don’t know whether they did or not because I went back to Miller’s to watch for Dr. Bit and Chloe to leave. But the way they were kissing and fondling each other, they might have been too turned on to make it inside They might have done it in the parking lot on top of a car,” he said and laughed at what he considered to be a joke.
“Those photos are taken out of context. It was nothing.”
“I’m glad to hear you and Agent Target are so understanding of each other’s dalliances. After all, this is the twenty-first century.”
Blaire looked at him for signs of drowsiness, but he wasn’t displaying any yet. She expected the sedative would take effect within fifteen minutes. She wanted him to stay awake long enough to make an offer and for her to respond, but not long enough for him to try to collect payment.
“It’s getting late. Are you ready to present the details of your proposal?” she said. “A promise of an NSA promotion in the future and a nebulous job in the GIA isn’t specific enough for me to make a decision.
“It’s still early evening, but I’m ready to make my offer, since you’re in such a hurry,” he said in a tone that indicated he didn’t appreciate her attempt to rush him.
“I’m listening,” she said.
Chapter 56
Blaire didn’t want to appear suspicious by rushing Lucas into making his offer, but she was under a time constraint. It wouldn’t be long before the sedative she’d given him would take effect and he’d be incoherent or unconscious.
“I’m in a hurry because I’m anxious to hear what you have to say,” she said. “The sooner you tell me what you’re willing to give me, the sooner I can tell you what I’m willing to give you in return.”
“I was notified by my GIA handler, who happens to be an upper level NSA manager, that I’ll be transferred to a new job, two weeks from now.”
“You’re leaving already? You just got here.”
“I told you promotions come quickly when the GIA is behind you pulling the strings. After I leave, my position here in Charlottesville will be open. If you join us at the GIA, I can guarantee you’ll be named my replacement. And, that will only be the beginning. You’ll move up the ranks rapidly, like me. In addition, you’ll be given an official, albeit secret, position within the GIA. The title isn’t important. What is important is that you’ll receive a salary that’s double your NSA salary in addition to your current salary. The money will be deposited every month into a nontraceable account that you control.”
“What will be expected of me to pay for this privilege.”
“You’ll be expected to be loyal to the GIA. Any orders from them supersede any from the NSA.”
“Will I have to do anything illegal?”
“The members of the GIA are patriots. Rest assured, they won’t ask you to do anything that’s not in the best interest of the country and they’ll have your back covered no matter what happens. As long as you’re loyal to them, they’ll be loyal to you.”
“I can live with that. Is that it?”
“As far as the GIA is concerned that’s all that’s required. But there’s also my recruiting fee for you to consider. That’s private between you and me.”
“Recruiting fee?”
“You’ll have to become my paramour as part of the bargain.”
“Paramour? Don’t you think that’s a rather open-ended status for a woman. You must realize I’m not going to agree to be your lifetime sex slave.”
“I could dream,” he said with a smirk. “I’ll settle for an agreed number of nights together. How about ten?”
“How about one?”
“Let’s compromise on five. Who knows, you might like being with me so much it’ll become unlimited and you’ll become a true paramour.”
“Maybe,” she said.
“So, you agree to five?”
“Yes, but I won’t deliver on my side of the bargain until I’m confirmed in my new job.”
“Come on,” he whined. “You have to give me something upfront to let me know you’re serious,” he said with his words starting to slur. “Otherwise you could get the job and then renege on your promise.”
“What did you have in mind?” she said, hoping he’d pass out before she had to deliver.
“I want you to let me touch you tonight,” he said. He placed his hand on her back and began rubbing it slowly in circles. When she didn’t say no, he became emboldened. He kissed her on the neck a few times and when she didn’t resist, he kissed her on the lips.
She kissed him back, all the while hoping the sedative would take effect. He reached out his hand to pull aside the white fabric that was loosely draped over her right breast. She could hear his heavy breathing as he stared at it. She was repulsed but placed her hand on the back of his head to pretend she was urging him to continue. Just when she thought she’d reached her limit and couldn’t bring herself to allow him to touch her for another second, his head drooped forward, and he collapsed onto her chest. She pushed him back until his body was cradled between the couch arm and back.
“Lucas are you awake?” she said as she shook him to test his consciousness. The combination of the drinks and sedative had finally resulted in the desired effect. He was out cold.
“If you can hear me, QT, Lucas is asleep. I’m going to the bedroom to find the safe.”
She walked down the hall until she came to a bedroom which she determined was large enough to be the master bedroom.
She checked the walls for paintings and found two. Both were painted by local artists and both had a naked woman as the subject. One was a brunette who was standing, leaning against a tree. The other was a blonde who was lying on her back in bed.
The painting of the brunette was hanging above the headboard of the king-size bed. It didn’t seem likely the safe would be put on a wall that would require a person to stand on the bed to open it. The blonde was hanging on the opposite wall. The woman in the painting bore a striking resemblance to Blaire. She wondered if Lucas had commissioned it and given the artist a picture of her as a guide.
She lifted the frame off the hook and laid it on the bed. As she’d anticipated, the safe was behind it. She removed the compact from her purse and opened the cover, revealing the electronic safecracking device that L. Ron had given her. As he’d instructed her, she used it to identify the combination and open the safe.
Inside she found a stack of hundred-dollar bills that added up to less than a thousand dollars, a passport, birth certificate, and a Manilla folder. Inside the folder were five pages of names. Beside each name was a job title, address, phone number, and email address. This was what Cayden Mitchell wanted. It was a confidential list of GIA members.
Blaire laid the pages on the bed and used her camera to snap a separate picture of each page. When she was done, she carefully returned the pages to the folder and put all the items back into the safe, precisely in the same place they were situated before she’d removed them. After closing the door to lock the safe, she rehung the painting of the woman who could pass for her twin.
She estimated it would be at least a couple of hours before Cayden would awaken and when he did, he’d be groggy. She worried about how much of the evening he’d remember. She wanted him to recall he’d made the offer, they’d agreed to terms, and she’d provided him with an upfront payment to demonstrate good faith. It was to her advantage for him to believe more happened between them than actually did; however, she wasn’t prepared to hang around for several hours so he could awake to find her half-naked body, snuggled next to him.
She did the next best thing. She wrote a note and left it next to him on the couch. It said, “We won’t count tonight as one. You still have five remaining. Next time, you might want to switch your drinks from doubles to singles.” As an added touch, she removed her white panties and placed them next to the note.
Chapter 57
When Blaire finally came out of Lucas’ house at nine-thirty, she was frazzled. She’d walked a fine line. She’d been enticing enough to lure him into revealing what he knew without actually giving him what he wanted — her in his bed. She hadn’t come away scot-free, though. She felt dirty from the touches that she’d endured to get him to cooperate.
The police officers got out of their cruiser as soon as she opened the front door and stepped onto the porch. She glanced at them as she was walking down the sidewalk. The two men observed her disheveled appearance. Her hair was messed up, her lipstick smudged, and the sexy, white dress was twisted toward the right side, almost to the point of a wardrobe malfunction. They smiled at each other and whispered something. They were behaving like schoolboys talking about the hot girl they caught kissing a boy under the bleachers. They both eyed her in a desirous way. She could almost hear what they were thinking. If she’d sleep with that loser, she’d give herself to us under the right circumstances.
She avoided any further eye contact while walking to her car. Once she was seated with her seatbelt fastened, the cruiser pulled out and she followed it. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw QT behind her. What was she going to tell him? He must’ve noticed the lull in conversation while Lucas was touching her.
“Why am I feeling guilty?” she said out loud. “He’s the one who has explaining to do. I knew he was lying to me about what happened with the lieutenant after they had drinks together.”
Blaire tuned the radio to light rock 95.1. She was drained and wanted to put the whole evening and its repercussions out of her mind, even if it was only for a little while.
It didn’t take long for the motorcade to reach the townhouse parking lot. Blaire parked several parking spaces behind and to the left of the police car, so she didn’t have to interact with the officers. QT parked his car next to hers. Blaire got out of her car before QT got out of his. She didn’t wait for him. He quickened his steps to catch up with her.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “Wait up.”
She turned her shoulder away and moved a step ahead of him again. They both knew why she was miffed.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said.
“Fine? Are we back to that again?”
Blaire hurried ahead without replying. She went by the guards without looking, entered the house, and left the door open for QT who was lagging behind. She scurried upstairs to the master bedroom. QT followed her at a much slower pace. When he entered the bedroom, she was already in the bathroom with her back to him and the shower was running. She slid off her dress and let it fall to the floor. Sensing that QT was watching her, she pushed the door closed without saying anything to him.
As she walked into the warm shower, she wondered whether QT had noticed she wasn’t wearing panties beneath her dress. Serves him right, if he did notice and is jealous, she thought.
***
Blaire came downstairs dressed in a white, terrycloth bathrobe. She tilted her head to one side to shake the water out of her ear while simultaneously rubbing the towel on her hair to remove the excess moisture.
“Feeling better,” QT asked.
“Feeling cleaner,” she said, making the subtle distinction.
“Do you want to talk about what happened at Lucas’?”
“You recorded it, didn’t you?”
“Audio, not video.”
“Do you believe his story about Cayden being the guilty party and acting alone to extort the ransom money?” she asked.
“I hate to admit it, but he sounded convincing to me. What do you think? You got to see his facial expressions while he was talking.”
“I believe him. It isn’t beyond him to take full advantage of the situation to get what he wants — which is me,” she said. “But I don’t think he was complicit with Cayden Mitchell and Thomas Thomson.”
