Max was stunned. He pressed the play button and listened the the message again. Thoughts racing through his mind.
When the message finished, he looked at Trent, who was watching him with a concerned look. Max said, “Karen Becker was killed right when they hit the safe house.”
Trent said, “Yeah, I know, Max. Hey, maybe you should sit down, man?”
What had Senator Becker said to his daughter? They won’t have anything on me after this week.
This was part of his plan.
“He knew about it,” Max said.
“Knew about what?” said Trent.
“Senator Becker knew. That bastard knew his daughter was going to be killed. Becker didn’t have a plan to escape Ian Williams and the ISI. He has a plan to cover up his involvement with them.”
Renee was shoved out of the SUV by Williams’s gunmen and made to follow him up the large flat steps and through the mansion’s entrance. The opulent home was empty inside, but Renee heard raucous laughter coming from the rear garden area. Through open French doors, Renee saw a group of six men sitting around an open fire pit.
A dark-featured man walked up the expansive lawn towards them. He looked at her with surprise and fear.
Syed, Renee realized.
“What is she doing here?” he whispered to Williams.
Williams, who was nearly a foot taller than the Pakistani man, craned his neck to look at him as he spoke.
“Don’t worry about her. What happened at the air show? I heard on the radio there was a crash.”
Syed looked at Renee.
Williams snorted. “I told you to relax. Say what you want. Did your man Hugo have any problems?”
“No, I didn’t,” came a voice from behind them. Renee turned and saw a younger man in a gray flight suit, two-day old stubble on his face. She thought she recognized him. Evidently, he was thinking the same thing, staring her down with menacing brown eyes.
Williams said, “She’s dead?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“One hundred percent. Now I need to clean up and collect my payment. Then I’ll be gone.”
Syed said, “I’ll be leaving with you shortly. Mr. Williams and I need to take care of something first. You will need to remain in the house. Out of the backyard.” The tone and look Syed used were ominous. The men in the room exchanged glances.
Williams said, “You can babysit her.” He pointed to Renee. “Have a seat, darling. We’ll be a few minutes.”
Syed and Williams walked outside. The group of men around the fire pit were smiling and holding up their drinks. They were trying to get them to come join them, but the two men kept walking, out towards the lake. They walked down the dock and sat in a little wooden gazebo that stood over the water.
It was just the two of them now. Renee needed to find out what was going on. Understand who she was dealing with. Figure out more options. She was scared, but she was also raging inside.
She looked at the man standing in the room and said, “You were in Virginia, weren’t you? Two weeks ago. In the park. I saw you get on your bike and ride away.”
The man looked at her, expressionless. “Why has he let you live? Williams?”
“I don’t know.”
“I would be concerned about that if I were you. He’s not a nice man.”
Renee let out a scoff. “You killed someone. You’re not a nice man.”
“I’ve killed a lot of people.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
She spoke softly. “I can get you money. Help me. They’re all outside. You could help me get away right now. I… ”
He shook his head, looking at her with a skeptical eye. “Don’t waste your time. If I betrayed them, I would be hunted down and killed. And I wouldn’t be paid. Nor would I get any more work. No offense, but your proposal is illogical.”
She exhaled, looking outside. “Baptême.”
He turned and looked at her with renewed interest. “You’re from Quebec?” he asked in French.
“Yes. I lived there until I was eighteen,” she said, also in French. “You?”
“I’ve spent time there. Also in France.”
For a moment, Renee thought she saw an opening, but then he switched back to English and turned away. “But that was long ago. What do you think is going on here?”
“I assumed you knew more than me.”
“They only tell me what they need to.”
“And you trust them?”
“No. But I trust money and leverage. Both of which are working in my favor. Syed knows what will happen if he double-crosses me. And I know the same. It’s a healthy relationship.”
Outside on the gazebo, Ian Williams and Syed were standing up now. It looked like they were talking to someone on some type of oversized phone.
The senator was numb, but he remained focused on the task at hand. Charles Fend had wanted to accompany him home, but Becker had insisted on being alone. Only the local police security detail had accompanied him back to his lake house after the crash.
The maid was in tears when he entered, and the police officers stood by the door with awkward and curious looks. Not wanting to intrude, but also keenly aware that the man they were tasked to protect was still at risk and shouldn’t be left alone.
“Gentlemen, you can stand watch in the front yard, but I don’t wish to be disturbed. Please keep off the property for the evening.”
The police officers nodded and kept their vehicles where the long drive met the main road. The senator’s backyard was on Lake Winnebago, so that was secure. The policemen figured as long as they monitored the entrance, the security risk was low. The man was in mourning. Anyone could see the despair in his eyes. He deserved his solitude.
“Your wife called, Senator.”
The maid had been with the family for decades, although she was only asked to come occasionally now that the senator spent most of his time in Washington. She knew Karen’s mom from before the divorce, and Becker suspected that she liked her better than him.
“No calls for now.”
Senator Becker walked up the creaky stairs into his office, which overlooked the lake. He closed and locked the office door.
Alone at last, he allowed himself a moment of reflection. His daughter was dead. It wasn’t his fault. It was her own. If she hadn’t been so stubborn and nosy, like her mother. He told himself that the feeling of guilt would pass. He willed it to pass. This had been the only course of action, he told himself. His was too important a career to sacrifice.
Thankfully Karen hadn’t told anyone else about the annual meetings with the cabal. While this was her first performance at the show, Karen was at Oshkosh each year, often in his presence. Because of that, she had seen things she shouldn’t have. She had seen Dahlman, Dicks, and the senator together with Ian Williams. She might have even seen Syed there, once.
Four or five years ago, Ron had told the senator about a conversation he’d had with Karen. After witnessing the group at Oshkosh, Karen had privately admonished Ron for the continued relationship with the international investors. Senator Becker had gone to her after that and apologized. He’d assured her that it was only a meeting. That no further partnership was underway. Becker partly blamed himself. He never should have told Karen so much. For a long time, Becker thought that Karen was like him. A future politician, sharp as steel and able to look past the rough spots of the game. But for that damned afternoon where his daughter had caught him with Jennifer Upton. The girl had changed after that.