«Just about.»
Tanner turned from the stove and looked at Jenkins. «Are you one of them?»
«I beg your pardon?»
«I asked if you were one of them. This afternoon you used the name Omega. That means you’re one of Fassett’s men.»
«I was instructed what to tell you. I’ve met Mr. Fassett of course.»
«But you’re not a small-town policeman, are you?»
Jenkins did not have time to answer. There was a cry from the grounds outside. Both men in the kitchen had heard that sound before, Tanner in France, Jenkins near the Yalu River. It was a scream in the instant of death.
Jenkins bolted to the screen door and raced outside, Tanner following at his heels. Two other men came out of the darkness.
«It’s Ferguson! Ferguson!» They spoke harshly, but they did not yell. Jenkins rounded the pool and ran towards the woods beyond Tanner’s property. The news director stumbled and tried to keep up with him.
The mutilated body lay in a clump of weeds. The head was severed; its eyes were wide, as if the lids had been pierced and held with nails.
«Get back, Mr. Tanner! Stay back! Don’t look! Don’t raise your voice!» Jenkins held the petrified news director by the shoulders, pushing him away from the corpse. The two other men ran into the woods, pistols drawn.
Tanner sank to the ground feeling sick, frightened beyond any fear he’d ever known.
«Listen to me,» whispered Jenkins, kneeling over the trembling man. «That body in there wasn’t meant for you to see. It has nothing to do with you! There are certain rules, certain signs we all know about. That man was killed for Fassett. It was meant for him.»
The body was wrapped in canvas and two men lifted it up to carry it away. Their moves were silent, efficient.
«Your wife’s still sleeping,» said Fassett quietly. «That’s good… The boy got up and came downstairs. McDermott told him you were making coffee for the men.»
Tanner sat on the grass on the far side of the pool, trying to make sense out of the last hour. Fassett and Jenkins stood above him.
«For God’s sake, how did it happen?» He watched the men carrying the body and his words could hardly be heard. Fassett knelt down.
«He was taken from behind.»
«From behind?»
«Someone who knew the woods behind your house.» Fassett’s eyes bore into Tanner’s and the news director understood the unspoken accusation.
«It’s my fault isn’t it?»
«Possibly. Jenkins left his post. His position was adjacent…. Why were you downstairs? Why were all the first-floor lights on?»
«I couldn’t sleep. I got up.»
«The lights were on in the garage. Why were you in the garage?»
«I … I don’t remember. I guess I was thinking about this afternoon.»
«You left the garage lights on… I can understand a man who’s nervous getting up, going downstairs—having a cigarette, a drink. I can understand that. But I don’t understand a man going into his garage and leaving the lights on… Were you going somewhere, Mr. Tanner?»
«Going somewhere?… No. No, of course not. Where would I go?»
Fassett looked up at Jenkins who was watching Tanner’s face in the dim reflection of the light coming from the house. Jenkins spoke.
«Are you sure?»
«My God… You thought I was running away. You thought I was running away and you came in to stop me!»
«Keep your voice down, please.» Fassett rose to his feet.
«Do you think I’d do that? Do you think for one minute I’d leave my family?»
«You could be taking your family with you,» answered Jenkins.
«Oh, Christ! That’s why you came to the window. That’s why you left your …» Tanner couldn’t finish the sentence. He felt sick and wondered if he threw up where he could do it. He looked up at the two government men. «Oh, Christ!»
«Chances are it would have happened anyway.» Fassett spoke calmly. «It wasn’t … wasn’t part of any original plan. But you’ve got to understand. You behaved abnormally. It wasn’t normal for you to do what you did. You’ve got to watch every move you make, everything you do or say. You can’t forget that. Ever.»
Tanner awkwardly, unsteadily, got up. «You’re not going on with this? You’ve got to call it off.»
«Call it off? One of my men was just killed. We call it off now and you’re also dead. So’s the rest of your family.»
Tanner saw the sadness in the agent’s eyes. One didn’t argue with such men. They told the truth.
«Have you checked on the others?»
«Yes, we have.»
«Where are they?»
«The Cardones are at home. Tremayne stayed in New York; his wife’s out here.»
«What about the Ostermans?»
«I’ll go into that later. You’d better get back inside. We’ve doubled the patrol.»
«No you don’t. What about the Ostermans. Aren’t they in California?»
«You know they’re not. You placed a call to them on your credit card at four-forty-six this afternoon.»
«Then where are they?»
Fassett looked at the news director and replied simply. «They obviously made reservations under another name. We know they’re in the New York area. We’ll find them.»
«Then it could have been Osterman.»
«It could have been. You’d better get back. And don’t worry. We’ve got an army out here.»
Tanner looked over at the woods where Fassett’s man had been murdered. His whole body involuntarily shook for a moment. The proximity of such a brutal death appalled him. He nodded to the government men and started towards his house feeling only a sickening emptiness.
«Is it true about Tremayne?» asked Jenkins softly. «He’s in the city?»
«Yes. He had a fair amount to drink and took a room at the Biltmore.»
«Anyone check the room tonight?»
Fassett turned his attention from the figure of Tanner disappearing into the house. He looked at Jenkins. «Earlier, yes. Our man reported that he went—probably staggered—to his room a little after midnight. We told him to pull out and pick Tremayne up again at seven. What’s bothering you?»
«I’m not sure yet. It’ll be clearer when we confirm Cardone’s situation.»
«We did confirm it. He’s at home.»
«We assume he’s at home because we haven’t had any reason to think otherwise up to now.»
«You’d better explain that.»
«The Cardones had dinner guests. Three couples. They all came together in a car with New York plates. Surveillance said they left in a hurry at twelve-thirty… I’m wondering now if Cardone was in that car. It was dark. He could have been.»
«Let’s check it out. With both. The Biltmore’ll be no problem. With Cardone we’ll have Da Vinci make another phone call.»
Eighteen minutes later the two government men sat in the front seat of an automobile several hundred yards down the road from the Tanner house. The radio came in clearly.
«Information in, Mr. Fassett. The Da Vinci call got us nowhere. Mrs. Cardone said her husband wasn’t feeling well; he was sleeping in a guest room and she didn’t want to disturb him. Incidentally, she hung up on us. The Biltmore confirmed. There’s no one in room ten-twenty-one. Tremayne didn’t even sleep in his bed.»
«Thank you, New York,» said Laurence Fassett as he flipped the channel button to OFF. He looked over at Jenkins. «Can you imagine a man like Cardone refusing a telephone call at four-thirty in the morning? From Da Vinci?»
«He’s not there.»
«Neither’s Tremayne.»
15
Thursday—6:40 A.M.
Fassett told him he could stay home on Thursday. Not that he had to be given permission; nothing could have dragged him away. Fassett also said that he’d contact him in the morning. The final plans for the total protection of the Tanner family would be made clear.