“The Mall is filling up. I have a prime post. All the players are in place or soon will be. When will you be on the ground?”
“Three hours and twenty minutes.”
“I hope to have good news to welcome you with, sir.”
“Not that you need a reminder, but you pull this off, there’s fifty million dollars waiting for you, tax free. And I’ll throw in another ten million as a bonus. You’ll never have to work another day in your life.”
“I appreciate that, Mr. Quantrell. More than you know.”
“Good luck, Harkes.”
As Harkes clicked off he thought, None of this will be about luck.
He made another call.
This too was answered on the first ring.
Ellen Foster was at her home sitting on her bed. She was still in her nightgown, her hair unkempt and her gut full of acid. Today was Saturday. She had had an event planned for out of town but had her people reschedule it, citing illness. Which wasn’t far from the truth. She felt quite sick.
“Harkes, how’s it going?” Her voice was high-pitched, riddled by nerves barely held in check.
“Things are coming into place. But you need to take a few deep breaths and get yourself under control.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
He heard her following his advice. One-two-three deep breaths. When she came back on the line, her voice sounded almost normal.
“Have you spotted them yet?”
“No, but I wouldn’t expect to. They have a while yet. And knowing them, they won’t show themselves a second before it’s necessary.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because if it were me, I wouldn’t either.”
“You really think they’ll come?”
“Frankly, I can’t control what they do, Secretary Foster. All I can do is create an atmosphere where the probabilities are that they will do what we want them to do. And I think that we have.”
“How do you see it going down?”
“They get Riley. We get Roy and Bunting.”
“I disagree. Kelly Paul won’t let it go that easily. When she trapped me in that bathroom at Lincoln Center she was very clear. She wanted her brother back. If she has him she won’t let him go without a fight. It’s just not possible.”
“She lied to you,” said Harkes. “She had her brother the entire time. She was trying to turn you against Quantrell. If she didn’t have her brother, why would she have agreed to come to the exchange? We called their bluff and it worked.”
“You’re right, I’m still not thinking clearly.”
“But I don’t disagree with you about Kelly Paul’s intentions. She’ll try to offer up Bunting only on this exchange. They’ll figure we won’t retaliate if we get something in return for giving up Riley.”
“But what about Roy?”
“I have a plan for that.”
“You mean follow them back to where they’re holding him?”
“Something even better. Look, I’ve got to go. Things are starting to heat up.”
“James, I will be very appreciative when this is all over. I mean that.”
“I understand… Ellen.”
After she put down the phone, Foster gazed thoughtfully out the window of her bedroom. She had not told James Harkes the exact truth. She had kept something back.
Her fail-safe.
And she had done that for one simple reason. While she trusted Harkes, there was only one person in the world that Ellen Foster trusted fully.
And that was Ellen Foster.
Harkes looked down at the Mall teeming with people rallying to restore peace in the world. They were completely unaware that the potential for violence lay right in their tranquil midst. Down there were a dozen of Quantrell’s paid mercenaries set up in precise tactical positions. They were armed and unafraid to use their weapons. They took orders from James Harkes. It was his job to make sure they were where they needed to be. Also down there somewhere was Kelly Paul.
Harkes walked briskly down the steps.
On the way he checked his watch.
One hour and twelve minutes to go.
CHAPTER 83
KELLY PAUL GAZED up at the Washington Monument. If she were going to have an observation post here, that would have been the one she would choose. As she continued to watch, her surveillance seemed to pay off.
James Harkes exited the monument, turned left, and headed toward ground zero. She followed his path until he disappeared into the crowds.
Paul walked for a while longer before glancing at the man next to her.
Peter Bunting was dressed in faded jeans and a college sweatshirt. A ball cap was on his head and he was holding a sign that read, Make Babies, Not War.
“You blend in nicely at a peace rally, Peter, particularly for a defense contractor,” she told him dryly.
Bunting did not smile at her little joke. “How many do you think they have here?”
“More than they need. Overwhelming force is not just a government prerogative.”
“Do you think Quantrell or Foster are here?”
“Nowhere near the place. Leaders invariably let their minions fight it out.”
“Do you think it will become violent?”
“I have no way to know. I hope not, but it’s really out of my control.”
He gazed at her with respect. “You don’t seem nervous.”
“On the contrary, I am very nervous.”
“You hide it well.”
“Yes I do. And you need to do the same.”
The whole time she was talking she was watching everything going on around them.
“What do you think they did with Avery’s body?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’d like to give him a proper burial.”
“Fine, Peter. But for now let’s focus on those still breathing.”
She looked at her watch.
One hour to go.
Megan Riley was wedged between two large men who had guns under their parkas. Her hair was filthy, her face was unclean, and there was a deep bruise on her left cheek from a blow she had suffered. Her wrists were rubbed raw from handcuffs she’d worn. Her blouse underneath the jacket was smeared with blood. She had lost weight and her eyes seemed unfocused. She trudged along, her gaze downcast.
Up ahead was the Air and Space Museum. If she recognized it, Riley gave no reaction.
There was now only ten minutes to go.
James Harkes moved through the crowds at a measured pace. He knew exactly where each of his men was positioned. The timing had to be precise. He looked ahead and saw Riley and her two bodyguards heading toward the museum. Riley had been told that she would be killed if she made a sound.
He looked in the other direction. The woman was tall and wore a dark trench coat nearly down to her ankles. The man next to her was taller. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and held a sign. They were working their way toward ground zero.
On the north side of the Mall Harkes spotted the man in the wheelchair. He was being pushed along by his companion. The dark-haired woman marched beside them. Their destination seemed to be ground zero too.
Harkes picked up his pace and reached in his pocket. He had to assume that everyone would be armed. If they weren’t they were fools. He said a few words that were picked up by a communication device in his ear.
He glanced at his watch.
Two minutes to go.
Sean and Michelle were almost there. He tapped Roy on the shoulder.
“One minute,” he said softly.
Roy nodded and put his hands on his thighs, tensing his body.
Michelle said, “See any of them yet?”
“Not yet. But they’re here.”
She nudged him with her arm. “Megan between two goons at five o’clock.”