Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

D EVINE TOOK HIS HAND FROM his pocket and drew closer to the woman, while Jackson stood her ground.

“Why are you so sure about that?” he wanted to know. “My description of King could apply to lots of women.”

“Your description of her was mostly generic.”

“But?”

“But the odd voice and the no prints available? The woman I’m thinking of suffered a serious throat injury a number of years ago and her fingerprints would definitely be on that database.”

“How do you know that?” asked Devine.

“Because I was the one who slit her throat. They clearly repaired her vocal cords, but apparently they never came all the way back.”

“And why did you do that?”

“I was trying to kill her before she could kill me.”

“Care to explain?”

“We had differences of opinion on how our agency work should be done. She pulled a knife, only I was quicker and used it against her.”

“What’s her real name?”

“Anne Cassidy.”

“Just to make sure.” He took out his phone and showed her the photo he’d taken of Mercedes King leaving the restaurant in Ricketts.

“Recognize her?” he said.

Jackson took the phone and enlarged the image. “That’s her.”

“You’re sure?”

“She’s changed her look, a lot. Colored her hair; she’s actually a brunette. Had work done on her face, good work, top dollar. Her eyes are blue now; they were brown.”

“So how can you be sure, then?”

“The eyes, Devine. They’re the same pair of vile, cruel headlights that came at me the last time we met. She could change their color, but not the evil behind the color.”

“But really how can it be the same person? She’s married to a police chief and she’s the mayor.”

“Let me tell you something, Devine. Our government owns lots of stuff. Most of the raw land in this country, office buildings, museums, national parks, military complexes, prisons, naval bases, we all know those things. But what most don’t know is that the government, particularly clandestine parts of it, owns people, and places.”

“I’m not following.”

“FYI, I know squat about Ricketts. But a government building it can’t afford, military-grade hardware? A seemingly normal town that gives off the vibe of being anything but. Ring any bells?”

“So you’re saying Ricketts is owned by—”

“Owned and run probably by my former employer, and let’s just state the obvious and say CIA . Which may be why it was chosen as the spot to murder the Odoms. That way their deaths are ‘investigated’ by their own people, and the conclusion that certain folks want is reached. Case closed.”

“And the odd person out, the medical examiner, blown up?”

“What?”

Devine explained what had happened to Dr. Coburn. “But what you’re laying out makes perfect sense. King invited me to dinner that night. Probably just to keep me in town so they could get a shot at me. She was late getting there and was obviously surprised I was still breathing. They wanted me dead because I was throwing sand into their arrangement with Glass. Never pegged the woman for a spy, though.”

“After 9/11, this country and its intel services took a good hard look at itself. The 9/11 terrorists got their pilot training in a small town with few resources. Mistakes were made that should have sounded alarm bells. So CIA, which is not supposed to operate domestically, has set up its own strategic outposts where it can gain intel, which is then fed to other agencies who do operate domestically. The stakes are high, because when I was active with the agency there were domestic groups that wanted to topple the U.S. government, and they’ve only grown increasingly active over time. And they could succeed.” She paused and ran her gaze over him. “It’s a different world, Devine, and the only thing you can be sure of is nothing and that includes people.”

“So that means I can’t trust you?” he said bluntly.

“Nor can I trust you.”

“Then how do we work this together?”

“I want to get back at the people who betrayed me.”

“Only I don’t see why you need me for that. Unless it’s also because you don’t want to see the United States government toppled.”

“Why should I give a flying fuck about that anymore?”

“And yet here you are. But since Mercedes King is probably on your to-do list, maybe you and I can achieve both goals at the same time. Although I’m not telling you anything you already haven’t thought of, am I?”

“You can tell me one thing I don’t know: How did you get on to us on that train?”

“A dozen little details that didn’t mean much alone but, cumulatively, told me that something bad was going to happen to me. I took countermeasures, and then when the men came after me, I did what I had to, to survive.”

“And me? You saw the knife in the window’s reflection, right?”

“But I’d already suspected you.”

“You mentioned I hadn’t added to my drawing.”

“That and you were trying overly hard not to look at your two friends .”

She nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. “And why didn’t you kill me, too?”

“You were no longer a threat and I don’t kill people who aren’t a direct threat to me and…”

“And what?”

“And I thought, however foolishly, that you might repent your evil ways.”

“I’m not sure I would have done the same, had our positions been reversed.”

“Nor would I expect it,” he said.

“The contract on you is still open.”

“And you can still earn your money.”

“I’m not sure I’m that hard up, Devine.”

“So do we work together, or not?”

A second later a shot zipped between them and splatted against the wall.