“This is Special Agent Alexia Reis. She’s a member of the task force, and was the Agent in Charge in Phladelphia. She’s the one that discovered Perry Watson’s I.D. and the fact that it didn’t match the shooter who had used it. Agent Reis, Mr. Graves here says there’s no way that Mr. Watson is involved.”
“Really? And how is that, Mr. Graves?”
“Because, Agent Reis, Perry Watson is dead. Has been for six months.” Graves voice had a higher pitch than she’d expected, with an irritating nasal whine.
“Are you sure?”
“Quite. But I will tell you that his body was not recovered. That means his I.D. was not recovered either. It’s possible someone took his badge, and used it.”
“No, they used parts of his badge.” Cliff said. “It was altered to appear as FBI identification.”
“But, Mr. Graves,” Alex interrupted, “if you didn’t recover the body, how do you know he’s really dead?”
“Because I killed him.”
The statement was made quietly, spoken in low tones by the woman in shadows.
Alex met her eyes. “May I ask why?”
“Because he asked me to.”
“I see.”
There was a tense pause. Cliff coughed gently.
“Could we ask about the situation, Ms. Mylos? It might help clarify how his badge ended up in our killer’s hands.”
Teren fixed her eyes on the desk. “Perry was my partner. We were on an assignment to infiltrate a terrorist organization. They were dealing drugs for weapons, and the weapons were coming from somewhere in eastern Europe. We were to infiltrate, and take out the head of the organization, along with the head of the Asian cartel who was supplying the drugs. We had almost completed our objective when our cover was blown. Instead of two quick kills, it turned into a blood bath. Perry took a bullet in his spine, I got one in the shoulder and another in the abdomen. I barely made it to the extraction point. Perry, knowing he wouldn’t make it out, asked me to shoot him.” She raised her head to meet Alex’s eyes. “I did.”
Alex listened carefully as Teren spoke. She took note of the even tone, and the lack of inflection in the voice. It matched the emotionless features on Teren’s face. She suddenly realized Teren was one of those fabled CIA assassins.
“I would gather, Ms. Mylos, that you are not currently working for the Agency?”
It was Graves that answered. “That is correct, Agent Jackson. Due to injuries sustained in her last assignment, Teren has been placed on inactive status. Currently she teaches Karate and self-defense to both CIA and FBI agents, making sure they keep up their certifications. I brought her along this evening because I thought she would be useful in explaining why Perry Watson was definitely not your suspect.”
Cliff nodded. Alex was still examining Teren. “Is there anything else you can tell us, Ms. Mylos?”
Teren returned the look. She nodded. “I believe there is, Agent Reis.”
Alex noticed Graves become tense. “Please, continue.”
“I’ve been aware of what happened in Philadelphia. I’ve also seen the sketches of your shooter and his driver. While I’m not positive of the driver, I’m fairly certain I know the shooter.”
“Can you give me a name?”
“His name was George Mather. I can’t prove it was him, but the sketches match him almost perfectly.”
“What can you tell us about Mr. Mather?”
“Well, he used to live here in Washington, but he packed up his apartment about eight months ago. I’m not sure where he moved to, but I know he was in New York for a short while, possibly when Mr. Fletcher was killed.”
“You think he could have been the shooter there?”
“Anybody could have been the shooter, Agent Reis. But George was known to dislike gays, he was definitely a killer, and his skill with a rifle was well-known. He also owned a Romanian Dremov semi-automatic rifle with a sniper’s scope. It takes the same kind of ammunition as your shooter used in New York.”
“Sounds like you knew him pretty well.”
Teren shrugged. “I thought I knew him.”
Alex leaned forward. “You thought? What does that mean? Was he a fellow agent?”
Graves was visibly tense, and he reached out. Teren knocked his hand away.
“Yeah, George was an agent. He was the one that blew my and Perry’s cover.”
Graves interrupted. “Uh, Agent Reis, George Mather is not currently a CIA agent. He disappeared in eastern Europe shortly after the death of Mr. Watson. According to the Agency he is listed as missing while undercover. His current whereabouts are unknown.”
“Well, Mr. Graves, it looks like we might have found him for you.” Agent Graves frown deepened at Cliff’s statement.
Alex and Teren were still staring at each other. No one spoke.
Cliff was the first one to break the silence. “Is there anyway we can prove that this man in Philadelphia was or was not George Mather?”
The CIA man scratched his head. “Well, I suppose we can give you access to his dental records. But I’m not positive about that. It’ll be up to my superior, of course.”
“Of course.” Cliff noticed Alex and Teren hadn’t blinked in their staring contest. “Any other questions you’d like to ask Ms. Mylos, Agent Reis?”
“Several. I also thought I’d show her the tape from Philadelphia. That should give us a witness I.D. Would you have time for a conversation, Ms. Mylos?”
“I teach an evening class at seven thirty, so I can’t give you too long, but I’ll answer what I can.”
“Um, Teren, I don’t —” Graves voice was pitched even higher than normal. Teren interrupted him.
“I know the rules, Ron. Anything that goes into security, or previous operations, or could possibly endanger another agent, is off limits. I believe that Agent Reis knows the rules, don’t you?” She gave a hint of a smile for the first time, and suddenly Alex knew where they’d met before.
Alex nodded. “Yes, Ms. Mylos, I know the rules. Would you follow me to my office, please?”
“Lead the way.”
Cliff was left to politely bid Mr. Graves a goodnight.
*******************************************************
Alex wound her way through the maze of cubicles to the one that served as her office, with the taller woman behind her. She motioned for Teren to sit in the extra chair, while she slid behind her desk.
“So, Agent Reis, have you figured it out yet?”
Alex opened her notebook, and looked up. “Figured what out?”
“Where you know me from.”
Sitting back, Alex nodded. “You were one of the agents that agreed to speak with me when I was doing my CIA paper in grad school. I suppose I should thank you for your help then. It was that paper, along with my thesis, that got me noticed by the FBI.”
“Glad to help. I am surprised you decided to work for the government, though, after everything you learned from us.”
“Well, I will say you definitely discouraged any desire to work for the Agency. But the Bureau seemed a challenge, and I’ve done well here, I think.”
Teren gave her an amused smile. “Yes, you have. I must say, when Graves called me in and told me what you found, he was very upset. He’s not used to having mistakes come back to haunt him.”
“Mistakes?”
“Yes. It was Ron’s decision to send Mather with Perry and I to eastern Europe. Both of us told him we didn’t trust the guy. It’s taken me the last few months to be able to sit in the same room and not want to rip out Ron’s throat.”
The blatant admission surprised Alex, but she didn’t show it. “I imagine losing your partner was hard. It must have been worse to realize you’d also been betrayed.”
“It wasn’t pleasant. So, what questions do you have, Agent Reis?”
“Please, call me Alex. You indicated you might have an idea who the driver of the car was. Unfortunately, he doesn’t show on the video tape, but we do have a few sketches.”
“I know, I’ve seen them. Like I said, I’m not sure. But it might be Darryl Wilford. He was George’s brother-in-law. He was blond, medium build. Wanted to get into the Agency, but he flunked out. He idolized George.”