Chapter 63

CHAPTER 63

D AVENPORT AND CHAMBERS HAD FINISHED their talk with Devine and Campbell and left. Plans were apparently being laid by the feds. Complex and dangerous plans. Which, to Devine’s mind, had little chance of actual success.

A thoroughly frustrated Campbell had eventually gone back to his room, while Devine sat in a chair staring out the window at the Seattle darkness. It was quiet and he needed the solitude to process everything. And Davenport’s advice kept coming back to him: That is the Bureau’s business. Ask them .

Twenty minutes later, certain things had crystallized in his mind. Possible answers to questions that had been troubling him clicked into place. It was like the final few pieces of an exasperating puzzle coming together.

And I made assumptions I shouldn’t have. And now I have to make sure, or as sure as I can be, when everyone keeps lying to me.

He called Campbell and asked the man about some inquiries he said he was going to make.

Campbell said, “Right, Devine, sorry. With everything going on I forgot to fill you in. It will interest you greatly, I think.”

After Campbell finished telling him what he’d uncovered, Devine clicked off and immediately made another call.

FBI Special Agent Ellen Saxby answered on the second ring.

“Enjoying the quiet and your cigarettes?” he asked.

“I’m actually a little lonely.”

“Want some company?”

“What about Betsy…?”

“I called in reinforcements.”

“All right.”

“That coffee shop right down the street from your place? Twenty minutes?”

Without letting her answer, Devine clicked off, and called Campbell to once more look after Betsy. He also had one question for his boss before he met with Saxby.

“How exactly did my getting assigned to this mission go down?”

“Like I told you.”

“In more detail, it’s important.”

Campbell eyed him for a moment before saying, “Well, actually, my friend at the Bureau said he’d heard of a former Ranger I’d recently brought on who’d done good work overseas. I asked him if he was referring to you and he said yes. So off you went.” Campbell stopped and stared hard at Devine. “So, you’re thinking…?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“And where are you going now?”

“To find out the truth.”

Saxby was already waiting for him. The place was half full and they sat at a booth away from the other customers. They ordered their coffees and Devine remained silent until their drinks arrived.

He took a sip and said, “I came to talk about 12/24/65. See, I figured it was time to cut to the chase. You up for it? Because I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

She had been stirring sugar into her coffee and he saw her hand tremble at his words. It was subtle, but it didn’t escape his notice, because he had been looking for just that sort of visceral reaction.

She put her spoon down and took a swallow of coffee.

“FYI, I’m not really into Christmas. And I wasn’t even born until 1980,” she added.

He stared at her for a long time before speaking, because he wanted her to understand the gravitas of the moment.

“I’ll let you take another swing at that, Ellen. You answer with more bullshit, I’ll take matters into my own hands and to hell with whatever the Bureau’s planning. I’ll blow the whole thing up. Is that what you want?”

She broke off eye contact and took a sip of her coffee. “Now, if you’re referring to a certain organization that goes by that name?” she began.

“I am.”

She shifted her gaze to meet his eye. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“That’s a big word.”

“Just start with the basics then. I think I’m entitled to that.”

She dropped her gaze and nodded. “Okay. Generally speaking, we’ve seen connections to them in large-scale marches with followers in hoods and carrying guns, and also interference in local elections. They are suspected of having ties to robust social media presences and indoctrination campaigns, and have even gained influence and a presence in myriad private school academies. And we believe that affiliates of theirs have their very own tax-exempt and so-called religious platforms that illegally funnel money to them. But again, we’ve never been able to run the thread directly back to any verifiable source.”

“So you really can’t make a case against them?”

“We have gone after those that we believe act in concert with 12/24. But they are well financed and have first-rate lawyers, so successful prosecutions have been few and far between. Witnesses get scared or die. Or evidence goes missing because local cops are members. But no one has ever truly spilled on them.”

Saxby seemed to be getting really worked up and Devine just decided to let her keep rolling. “And?” he said.

“You ever hear of the Black Hand back in the 1920s?” she asked sharply.

“No.”

“Sort of the precursor to Cosa Nostra. Hundreds of murders, bombings, kidnappings, from citizens on the street to the wealthiest in the land, to top-tier politicians. Even the U.S. president back then was targeted. There was fear in all fifty states. And they damn near toppled the federal government. We would have been a banana republic or else like Nazi Germany.”

“So that’s the blueprint for these guys? The Black Hand?”

“They’re actually more sophisticated,” said Saxby. “They exhibit a mainstream, reasonable-looking facade in many quarters to draw in as many ordinary folks as possible. And then they lead them down the rabbit hole conspiracy track, mostly on social media or in their indoctrination academies to capture the youth, until they’ll believe anything these people tell them. You see, even though our society is economically inequitable, the government does pass and enforce laws that try to keep some of that domination in check. And these people don’t like that. They want all the wealth and power, along with a population that looks the same, prays the same, speaks the same, and where white men dominate everything. Just like the KKK.”

“But now you have a shot to really take them down?”

“Yes, thanks to Danny Glass, of all people.”

“So why did the FBI take custody of Betsy Odom?”

“Come on, Devine. We’ve been through this.”

“No, I’ve asked the question and got bullshit in response, time and time again. And that needs to stop. Now.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Well, let me tell you what I think. How about that?”

“Go right ahead but I make no commitments.”

“One guard around Betsy?”

“I told you—”

“Let me finish. You presented to me like you were a washed-up, has-been agent in full midlife crisis. A sometimes bumbling, chain-smoking, fly-off-the-handle time bomb with a gun.”

She took a sip of coffee and looked away.

“But my boss checked on you with some buddies of his at the Bureau and he just filled me in on what he learned. About you .”

“Really?” said Saxby in a challenging tone. “And?”

“And you’re none of those things. You’re happily married, got three great kids. You didn’t get assigned here because your boss dumped on you for calling out his misogynistic fav boy. You were assigned to this because you’re one of the Bureau’s best. Which, by the way, despite your best efforts, you allowed flashes of to show through at times.”

She looked at him, her eyebrows peaked. “And what? Now you want some sort of explanation?”

“No, I doubt you’re allowed to give it. So let me just keep going.”

“Fine by me. I have nothing else to do today.”

“Then I come into the picture. I wonder why?”

“You tell me, Devine. You’re going so good now, got quite the head of steam up.”

“Your people knew that Glass and I had a connection from our time in the service, which was why I was brought into this. Then I hit it off with Betsy, while you play the wicked stepmother, literally forcing her onto my side. We bond, you subtly give up more and more territory to me. Then people try to kill me in Ricketts. They try to blow me up in that house with Dr. Coburn. Now suddenly I’m Betsy’s guardian.”

“So now you’re Betsy’s guardian, so what? I had nothing to do with that. That was her decision.”

“Manipulated by you! What did you tell her about me when you went shopping? That I was a great guy who wanted the best for her? You must have been laughing your ass off when you advised me to take her to the bookstore, get her a book, buy her a drink and something to eat, and wait for her to confide in me. You manipulated and fooled me and Betsy. Well done, Ellen, well done.”

“I have no idea—”

He broke in, “How long have you been working on this with CIA?”

“CIA? Are you nuts? The Bureau and CIA are oil and water. Everyone knows that.”

“Don’t think so, Ellen. They made contact. Filled us in. They said the Bureau was fully engaged in this whole op. And you just conceded that the Bureau has been after these KKK guys for a while.”

“Filled us in?”

“Me and my boss.” Devine hunkered down in his seat. “So let me get to the gist of it. One guard on Betsy. Sure, I know Glass had his goons around her, too, but it’s not the same. But it is enlightening, right? Why is Glass so concerned about Betsy’s safety?”

“He’s afraid his enemies will hurt her to get back at him. Pretty straightforward.”

“So she’s an important part of all this and yet she’s right here in Seattle with just you guarding her in a crappy hotel. How does that make sense?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

“I thought that maybe CIA had killed Alice and Dwayne Odom to open the door for Glass to adopt Betsy. They denied that, vehemently, I might add. And they also denied responsibility for the murders of the three RICO witnesses. And I believe them. Now, if I was in this 12/24/65 crew, what would I be thinking about all this?”

“Tell me,” said Saxby irritably.

“Kill off the RICO witnesses so the case falls apart and Glass has no incentive to cooperate with the feds. Then, as belts and suspenders, kill Betsy’s parents as a warning to Glass not to cooperate, but leave Betsy alive. You kill her off, too, what leverage do they have left? Hell, if she dies, he has nothing to lose. He’ll tell all, just to get back at the bastards.”

Saxby cleared her throat and now appeared uncomfortable. “Look, Travis, I—”

He didn’t let her finish. “You were setting Betsy up. Making her look to be an easy target. Your feigning surprise and anger at DOJ’s dropping the RICO charges was bullshit. You knew all along they were going to be ordered from up high to do exactly that. And when I said I didn’t want to be Betsy’s guardian you jumped all over me, telling me I had to do it.”

“Travis, please—”

But Devine kept right on going. “The FBI wants Betsy to die so that there would be no question that Glass will cooperate. That’s why you got the court to grant me guardianship. The Bureau walks away. I take Betsy to some place where not even Glass’s goons can protect her. And when I suggested that was what I was going to do, I got no pushback from you or anyone else. And then what? The location gets slipped to the KKK assholes? Betsy and I end up dead, and are classified as collateral damage for the greater good, right? And Glass becomes the star witness in the federal prosecution of the century that will make all of your career highlight reels.” He tapped the table and eyed Saxby. “But if they kill Glass, your plan is screwed. So how many agents do you have covering him , in addition to his own army? Ten? Twenty?” When she didn’t respond, he struck the table so hard with his fist, it spilled both their coffees. “I deserve a goddamn answer, Ellen.”

A few nearby onlookers glanced nervously over before turning back to their drinks and whispering furiously.

A trembling Saxby sat back, took a breath, and ran a shaky hand through her hair. “An even dozen, to answer your question about the agent coverage on Glass. They’re embedded at the hotel. Whenever he travels somewhere, a silent, invisible army of agents goes with him. Strictly need to know, no leaks, no mistakes. Like you said, the trial of the century.”

“How did you know I’d hang on to this case after I took Betsy to the meeting with her uncle? I could’ve just walked after that.”

“We… we had reviewed your personnel file and current psych workup. You never walk away, Travis, not from someone in need. And… and I made sure you knew Betsy was in need by playing the role that I did.”

Devine looked at her with fury. “You’ve played me for a sucker this whole damn time. I thought maybe feds would treat other feds with respect, but I guess I was wrong about that.”

“I… I didn’t like doing that.”

“And how long were you all going to wait for Betsy to die? And if she didn’t, would you shoot her yourself and blame it on the KKK assholes?”

“We don’t kill children, Devine,” hissed Saxby.

“Forgive me for not believing one damn word that comes out of your fucking mouth.”

She started speaking in a low voice. “The plan was not to let them kill her. But attempt to kill her. We had other agents around her, only you never saw them. That way Glass would know that the only way forward was to fully cooperate with us to put these bastards away for good. Then he could ride off into the sunset with his niece.”

“A global criminal in charge of a young girl? That’s your idea of a perfect ending?’

“My mission does not require a perfect ending. Otherwise, why attempt anything if that’s the bar? Would I prefer Betsy to be with someone else? Yes, of course. But that’s not my call.”

“I need to know everything because my ass is on the line along with Betsy’s.”

Saxby now looked truly torn. “I can’t tell you anything more. And even I don’t know it all.”

“This stinks to high heaven.”

“Are you telling me you never executed a mission you didn’t agree with or had doubts about morally? Either at DHS or the Army? You really expect me to believe that ?”

Devine sat back. He had done missions he didn’t agree with, on any level. Missions that had actually used civilians as bait, or decoys. And some had died.

She watched him closely and seemed to read his thoughts. “It’s not easy. None of this is easy. For either of us. Or Betsy.”

“Ricketts, Washington, is the mother ship for 12/24/65. Did you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Nice if you had mentioned that before I went out there and almost got killed.”

“I’m sorry, Travis, I really am.”

“If you know it’s the mother ship, why not arrest the Kings and their minions?”

“There’s the necessary element of proof.”

“The man who tried to kill me in Seattle was one of the police officers from Ricketts. Isn’t that proof?”

“And you won’t be surprised to know that we’ve been told by Chief King that this same officer had been fired the day before the attack on you for insubordination and for theft of police property.”

“In other words, they’re disclaiming all responsibility for a rogue cop?”

“And let’s say we swoop in and take out King and his people. But what about all the others? Devine, you have to realize that this group spans the entire nation.”

“If it’s so widespread, how can you possibly catch all of them?”

“We don’t have to. We just have to catch enough of the right ones to topple the entire organization. Then the rank and file will crawl back under their rocks.”

“Until the next time, you mean?”

“Yes,” she conceded.

“So placing Betsy with me?”

“You’re actually a much better bodyguard to her than I ever would have been. That was also figured into the plan.”

“But DOJ dropped the charges. What else does Glass need?”

“The charges were dropped without prejudice, meaning DOJ can refile them.”

“He told me he was pissed that you guys forced his hand. With the charges gone, 12/24 will know he’s agreed to cooperate. You put a bull’s-eye on him and Betsy.”

“We can’t wait forever, Travis. And 12/24 is certainly not going to wait much longer. We’ve had chatter enough to show that something big is being planned. And we needed to push Glass to fish or cut bait. We need what he knows, now!”

“Seems he’s sacrificing everything for Betsy.”

“Agreed.”

“But why does a man who’s never even met his niece until now put his entire life and empire on the line for her?”

“I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t. Truly, I don’t. I swear.”

Devine had other issues that were also bedeviling him.

Who was financially helping Dwayne Odom, including the day he and his wife died? And what dirt did Perry Rollins have on Glass, and who had killed him and why?

“Are you still with me?” asked Saxby.

He broke from these thoughts and said, “So I take Betsy, we go to her trailer in the woods with two of her friends, and wait to be slaughtered?”

When Saxby didn’t answer right away, he said, “Jesus Christ, Ellen!”

“Not exactly, Devine.”

“Not exactly, my ass.”

“We will be there. This will not end well for 12/24/65. And good riddance.”

“And if it doesn’t end well? If Betsy dies?”

Saxby did not answer him.

Devine knew she didn’t have to. If Betsy died, Glass would sing until the cows came home to bring down the people who killed his beloved niece. So for the FBI, it was heads they win, tails they win.

And it seems like I lose no matter what.