After capturing her, Zane tied the woman up and left her near the house, which was now burned to the ground. He knew French authorities were on the way, which meant they could deal with her when they got there.
“If this is the same woman who followed you in Paris, wouldn’t you have recognized her right away?” Ross asked.
Zane shook his head. “First of all, my memories of Paris are hazy at best. Second, her appearance is different now. And I don’t just mean the blond wig. She still looks exotic, but she’s changed her facial features somehow. She looked Asian before, but now it’s hard to determine her ethnicity.”
“Plastic surgery?” Ross asked.
“Possibly, or perhaps something more temporary. It’s hard to say.”
“If she changed her appearance, then how can you be sure it was her?”
“When I saw her in Lugano, I knew there was something familiar about her. At first I thought it was her face, but I eventually realized it was the way she walked. She has a distinctive stride. We all know people who move in a peculiar way, and she’s one of those people. Even though she had done everything possible to alter her appearance, she missed the one thing that makes her stand out above all else.”
“If it’s her, then how do you explain what happened in Paris? In your final report, you said you tied her up for the French authorities to find when you arrived.”
“Did you ever confirm they found her?”
“No, I didn’t. We had a tough enough time putting out all the diplomatic fires.”
Zane remembered relations between the French and US intelligence agencies had chilled in the aftermath of the events in Paris. In addition to finding a number of dead bodies, the French soon figured out that the rural farmhouse was actually an unauthorized CIA outpost. Not only did the US have to explain the bodies, but they also had to explain why they were operating on French soil without permission.
Eventually, tensions grew to the point where permanent damage to the relationship seemed inevitable. The US vice president stepped in before it reached that point. A French speaker and self-described francophone, he traveled to Paris to meet with the French president. After three days of meetings, several bottles of wine, and some undisclosed promises from the US, the relationship soon found a measure of healing.
“So they never even mentioned finding someone at the site?”
“Not even once, and we didn’t ask. We assumed they must have found her and were handling it in a quiet way.” Ross took another draw on his cigar then continued. “We had already poked the bear enough. I figured if they wanted to know more, they would have asked.”
It was the first time Zane had heard that the Chinese agent hadn’t been found at the safe house. After being brought home, he had been forced to take a full month off. Zane thought a few days off would be enough, but Ross knew that Zane’s mind and body had been through unthinkable damage. He also knew the health of his employees was more important than anything else.
So Zane took the time off and was subsequently kept out of the loop. Ross had made it clear that if anyone tried to contact Zane to discuss Delphi business, they should expect swift and severe discipline. When Zane returned, he did learn a few things about the operation, including the fact that it had hit a dead end. After relations between the US and France had returned to normal, a joint team of intelligence officers were sent to the research facility where Zane and Danielle Holland had been held. When they arrived, they found the building empty. It had been so thoroughly cleaned out that not one piece of valuable forensic evidence was obtained. The owner of the property told French law enforcement that the facility had been leased to a limited liability company operating out of Luxembourg, but when the French researched the name, they discovered it didn’t really exist. The financial statements had been falsified, as well as the identities of the company’s principals.
With no leads to follow up on, Delphi had moved on to other matters. The only thing they knew with any certainty was that the group had been conducting experiments on human subjects, including Danielle Holland. They were somehow altering the subjects’ DNA in a way that gave them enhanced physical strength.
“If this is indeed the same woman you encountered before, then it also means Jonas Brehmer may be connected to that research facility outside Paris.”
Zane nodded. “It would seem so, yes.”
“It also means something else.” Ross held Zane’s gaze. “Your Chinese friend is probably on her way to the Caribbean.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CARMEN CAME OUT of her drug-induced slumber in fits and starts, like a weakened swimmer trying to break the surface of the water. At times, she grasped consciousness for a few seconds, only to sink back into the murky depths. When she finally pushed through, she wasn’t sure if she had truly made it because the world around her was pitch-dark.
She blinked several times, and the movement of her lids confirmed that she was awake. As her nervous system came alive, she noticed she was lying on her back. Despite her desire to sit up, she remained perfectly still, a product of her training. She took long, deep breaths, infusing her blood with much-needed oxygen. She hoped to see more as her eyes adjusted, but the space around her remained featureless. She was undoubtedly in a room without windows, perhaps even a basement.
After five minutes of deep breathing, she tried to move her arms. Her muscles responded, but she quickly realized her wrists were cuffed to rails on either side of the bed. Then, just as she was about to test the restraints, she heard voices outside the room, voices that grew louder by the second. Is someone about to enter, or are they just passing by?
As she waited, Carmen remembered something she’d learned years ago in a class on what to do if held captive. Her instructor had told them that if they came out of unconsciousness and discovered they were being held against their will, they should try to let the captors believe they were still under for as long as possible. He described at least two potential benefits. One, it could delay any actions the captors might take against them once they realized the captives were awake: torture, intense questioning, or the administration of drugs. But there was also another reason — it gave them an opportunity to gather information. If the captors thought the victims couldn’t hear them, they would often say or do things they wouldn’t do if they thought the captives were awake.
The voices were outside the door. Carmen tried to hear what they were saying, but their words were muffled. A moment later, she heard a series of beeps that sounded like buttons being pressed. An entry code. They’re coming in.
Turning her head to the side, Carmen focused on taking shallow breaths, which would make it appear she was still unconscious. And even though she couldn’t see it, she also focused her eyes in the general direction of the door. Seconds later, there was a loud click, and the door opened. Carmen took in as much as she could. Two women wearing white lab coats stepped inside. One had dark hair, and the other had red hair.
Interestingly, they didn’t turn on the overhead light, allowing Carmen to observe for a few more seconds.
“The shipment arrives today,” the dark-haired woman said in German.
Carmen was pleasantly surprised to hear them speaking that language. Her German wasn’t great, but she knew enough to follow casual conversations.
“They’re a day late,” the red-haired woman said.