“I believe you know Mr. Carlson.”
“I did,” Jensen confirmed, fascinated by the fact that they knew of his connection to Carlson. Carlson must have had a hidden hand in today’s meeting. “Roger was my mentor early on in the Corps. But he disappeared ten years ago.” No one knew what had happened to Carlson. Now it all made sense. The same thing was about to happen to him. “I never heard from Roger again.”
“Well, you’ll be hearing from him again soon, after your New York trip.”
“Are you prepared to do this job?” President Reagan asked solemnly as he reengaged. “It’s one of the most important things I could ask of you, son. It will make Red Cell Seven untouchable, and that’s crucial for the continued national security of this great nation. Do I have your commitment?”
Jensen nodded. It was interesting how Reagan went in and out of conversations so often. Interesting and a bit frightening, so thank the Lord for James Baker.
“Yes, sir, I’m absolutely committed to Red Cell Seven. Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll make you proud.”
“I know you will, Captain Jensen. I know you will.”
PART 1
CHAPTER 1
“Jack’s gone,” Troy Jensen muttered to himself. “He’s really gone.”
Troy stared at the large photograph of his older brother, which was sitting on an easel in the middle of the church’s anteroom. Cheryl, their mother, was standing a few feet away with another woman. They were crying softly.
“You okay, son?” Bill Jensen asked as he moved to Troy’s side.
Troy cleared his throat. “Of course, Dad.”
Troy glanced at the two FBI agents who were standing in front of the anteroom door in dark suits. They were here on direct orders from David Dorn, the president of the United States. More agents were outside this room, in the main part of the church. In their dark suits, they blended easily into the large congregation that had gathered to pay last respects to Jack Jensen. Even more agents formed a perimeter outside the church in the picturesque countryside west of Greenwich, Connecticut.
But Shane Maddux wouldn’t have a problem getting through those defenses if he chose to, Troy knew. Maddux was eerily good at slipping through life undetected, like a specter, though he turned into a ferocious predator at the final, critical moment.
Troy had witnessed that fury firsthand, as well as Maddux’s ability to glide through the world invisibly. All of which had Troy carrying a 9mm Beretta in a shoulder holster beneath his suit jacket. The first bullet was already chambered — a dangerous but necessary precaution. You could never be too careful if Shane Maddux had you in his sights. The coffin on the other side of the door was a testament to that harsh reality.
“It’s hard,” Troy admitted.
“I know.” Bill shook his head sadly. “One second your brother is sitting with us on the porch. The next he’s on the floor, dying.” Bill gritted his teeth as he gazed at the picture of Jack resting on the easel. “So help me God, I’ll find out who shot him. And no one will be able to help that person when I do.”
The deadly shot had come from a tree line hundreds of yards away as the three of them were sitting on the porch together, from across the horse fields of the Jensens’ sprawling property outside Greenwich. As Bill frantically called 911, Troy sprinted across the fields to chase down the shooter. But Jack’s murderer was long gone by the time Troy made it to the trees.
“Come on, Dad. We both know who killed Jack. It was Shane Maddux.”
“You can’t assume that, son. We never saw the shooter. The bullet came from the woods. That tree line is a long way from the house.”
“It was Maddux,” Troy said confidently.
“If it was Maddux, wouldn’t he have been aiming at you or me? That would make more sense. And if it was Maddux, we both know he hits his target. He doesn’t miss.”
“He was furious at Jack for saving President Dorn’s life. It was a revenge kill for derailing the assassination in Los Angeles. For calling Rex Stein at the last minute so Stein could deflect the bullet. It was for saving me in Alaska, too. And for calling the Navy jets out on that LNG tanker Maddux had heading for Virginia. That bullet was for all those things.”
“You knew Shane Maddux personally, Troy. I’ve only met the man a few times, and none of those meetings ever went long. But everything I’ve heard about him paints the portrait of an individual who takes emotion out of everything. And those meetings I had with him only reinforce my belief in that. His mind is so strong. Everything he does is motivated by purpose and objective, never by anger or retribution.”
Troy nodded. “He’s a focused son of a bitch.”
“It’s worse than that. He’s obsessed. He’s clinically insane.”
“I don’t know about that, Dad. If Maddux was insane, I don’t think he’d be able to—”
Troy interrupted himself as Karen Morris, Jack’s girlfriend, approached. She was a pretty brunette with a vivacious smile that wouldn’t show itself today. She and Jack hadn’t been together long, but they’d fallen deeply in love after surviving everything that had happened to them in Alaska and on the way there. Now their relationship was over before it had really gotten started.
“Hi, Troy.”
“Hey.” He slipped his arms around her and guided her cheek to his shoulder. She was trying hard to keep her emotions in check, but that wouldn’t last. He could feel her shaking. “It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Me neither,” he agreed softly.
“I wish I could have seen him one more time. I wish I could have told him how much I loved him one more time.”
“I know.”
Karen gave Troy a gentle kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to hug Bill as a single tear rolled down her face.
Troy’s gaze flickered back to the photograph on the easel. Jack had dark hair, brown eyes, and olive-hued skin. Troy, who at twenty-eight was two years younger than Jack, had blue eyes and dirty-blond hair that fell to the bottom of his collar in the back. They looked nothing alike, and there was a good reason for that. Both brothers had been told all along that Jack had been adopted just after birth — which was why they looked so different. But it was a lie, and the truth had finally spilled out into the open only recently. Troy loved Bill as much as a son could love a father, but he still hadn’t forgiven him for the long-standing deception. He wasn’t sure he ever could.
“You’re sitting with us today, Karen,” Bill said as he stepped back from their embrace.
“But I—”
“You’re sitting with us,” he repeated firmly. “You’re family now.”
She reached out and touched his arm gently in appreciation. “Thank you.”
Bill patted Troy gently on the shoulder as Cheryl walked away. “We have to get down to Washington as soon as the funeral’s over.”
“I know,” Troy said curtly.
“The plane’s waiting for us at Westchester.”
“I know.”
Bill exhaled heavily. “Are you ever going to forgive me, son?”
“I’m not sure,” Troy answered honestly. “What you did was terrible. Telling everyone Jack was adopted for so long. It made him feel like an outsider for thirty years.”
“I was a coward.” Bill took another deep breath. “I’m sorry, very sorry. I wish I could say that to Jack, but I can’t.” His lower lip trembled slightly. “Will you help me bury him, son? I need to know you’re in my corner today. I don’t know if I can get through the eulogy if I look down at you from the pulpit and I see that same expression in your eyes I just did.” He hesitated. “Are you there for me?”