Webb turned to face them again and nodded.
‘As you would expect it to,’ he said.
‘Then what?’
‘He stopped. I mean, after seven purchases in the space of six months he just stopped.’
‘So?’
‘He also sold his house. Didn’t buy another one that we’re aware of. No record of him renting either. At least, not under his real name.’
‘He was working?’
‘He quit. Didn’t take up another job.’
‘Gets you thinking what is he up to?’
‘Correct.’
‘Then what?’
‘We start working in the background to find out what he’s doing. He’s got our attention now. We start to look at some associates. Turns out a few of them have also given up steady, decent-paying jobs and don’t seem to have replaced them with anything.’
‘Associates?’ Logan asked.
‘All ex-military.’
‘They served together?’ Cahill asked.
‘Afghanistan.’ Webb nodded.
A thought occurred to Logan.
‘These activities you spoke about,’ he said. ‘The stuff that initially brought him to your attention. Was it related to the conduct of the war over there?’
‘Something like that.’
‘So,’ Cahill said. ‘You manufacture Tim Stark getting sacked. He has a legitimate anti-government gripe and can find a kindred spirit in this soldier. Ex-soldier.’
Webb nodded.
‘Stark was brought in to infiltrate the group.’
Another nod.
Logan frowned. ‘I don’t get it,’ he said. ‘I mean, if Stark was fired to give him a reason to be pissed off at the Government so he could use his real name and background, why was he using an alias when he got on the flight?’
‘To avoid detection,’ Cahill said. ‘Am I right?’
‘Yes,’ Webb said. ‘The alias was to send us a message. To let us know that he had been compromised and was coming home. The op was being run out of our headquarters in Washington. That’s where Tim was going.’
‘So you knew that they were on to him,’ Logan said. ‘Which is why you thought the plane crash might have been deliberate. To kill Stark?’
‘Correct.’
‘Turns out it was just his bad luck,’ Cahill said.
Webb sat down again. ‘You can see why this is sensitive,’ he said. ‘These people are still out there. Still planning whatever it is that they are going to do.’
‘Except now you’re blind because your man on the inside is gone.’
‘Yes.’
Cahill was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.
‘Do you need a replacement?’
10
‘You can’t be serious,’ Logan said to Cahill, sitting in the back of a taxi heading for their hotel.
‘Why not?’
‘Your life isn’t exciting enough already?’
‘Look, he said he’d think about it but he wasn’t really serious.’
‘Why not?’
‘I haven’t been in the States for a while and I’ve been out of any recognised agency for even longer. They don’t want someone like me. Someone they can’t control.’
‘So what was that all about? I mean, him saying he’d think about it.’
‘He was humouring me.’
‘But we ’re done here, right?’
‘We’re booked in the hotel for three nights. Why don’t we make the most of it?’
‘You want to do something about this, don’t you? I can see it in your face. Even if Webb wasn’t serious about taking you on in some official capacity. You want to be involved.’
Cahill shrugged.
‘Christ. You are unbelievable, Alex. You know that?’
‘Calm down. I mean, Bruce still has to get back to us on the “D. Hunter” thing that Melanie found, so why don’t we at least check on that while we’re here?’
‘And we can feed whatever we find out into Webb, right?’
‘Sure.’
‘That was the single most unconvincing thing you have ever said to me. And that’s saying a lot.’
They got to the hotel after six. It was a modern four-star affair with a restaurant on the ground floor and a spacious reception and bar area on the next level. They checked in quickly and went to the room — a decent-sized space with two double beds.
‘Cosy,’ Cahill said when they walked in.
Logan found a TV concealed behind doors in a unit opposite the beds and turned to a local news channel. They unpacked their gear in a few minutes, storing the bags in the unit beneath the TV.
‘You going to call Melanie Stark?’ Logan asked.
Cahill looked at his watch. ‘Yeah, I guess I should.’
‘At least it’s good news.’
Cahill stared at him.
‘I mean, sort of.’
‘I suppose.’
‘I’ll go explore the hotel. Give you some time to make the call alone. Then we can grab some dinner.’
Logan went down to the ground floor and got a coffee to go from an outlet there. After that, he went to the reception level and saw signs for a shopping mall which he followed to a set of double doors that led directly on to the first floor of the mall. He wasn’t sure if the mall or the hotel was there first.
He wandered along looking at the shops and went down to the ground level where he found a rent-a-car desk. He figured they would be better off with a car than taking taxis or being on foot.
He sat on a bench outside a fast-food outlet and felt the nausea that Cahill had warned him about. It was low level, but still unpleasant. He couldn’t stand sitting there with the smell wafting out of the place so he walked back up the stairs, following the signs for the hotel. He pulled out his phone and saw that he had a voicemail message.
Ellie had left a short message telling him that she was fine and not to worry. That he could call her any time anyway. He smiled when he heard her voice.
Back in the room, Cahill was sombre.
‘Tough call?’ Logan asked, sitting on his bed.
Cahill nodded. ‘How did you get on?’ he asked.
‘Other than feeling sick…’
‘What did I tell you?’
‘… I found a car rental place. I figured we should get a car while we’re here.’
‘Good idea. You can do that tomorrow after breakfast.’
‘You mean we can do it?’
‘No.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’ve got an errand to run.’
‘Alex…’
‘It’s nothing. Just personal.’
Logan squinted at him, unsure if he was being lied to. He decided to leave it for now.
‘Oh, and Bruce sent me an e-mail.’
‘Anything interesting?’
‘Only four D. Hunters in the metro Denver area.’
‘Bruce get backgrounds on them?’
‘Of course. All pretty bland.’
‘We’re still going to give them to the FBI to check them out, though. Right?’
‘Not right now. I mean, we can do some preliminary digging around now that we’re here.’
Logan didn’t have the energy to argue with him any more.
‘Whatever. Look, I’m going to watch some TV and then get to sleep.’
Cahill looked at his watch.
‘It’s only gone seven. What about dinner?’
‘If I make it to nine I’ll be doing well enough. And I’m not in the mood to eat.’
‘Suit yourself. I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll grab a burger or something.’
Logan couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to ask him if that was a casual walk or something else altogether.
Cahill saw the look on his face.
‘Jesus, it’s just a walk.’
11
Thursday
Irvine logged on to her computer at Pitt Street and checked her e-mails. There was one from Armstrong timed at six-thirty the night before telling her about his visit to the agents who handled the lettings for the accountants. It was short and to the point:
Dead end. Speak tomorrow.
Irvine took her file of papers out and went through what they had so far. It might not lead her anywhere, but at least it would focus her mind on things. Maybe it would allow her to figure out where they went with the inquiry now. She jotted down some brief notes on a pad as she read. When she was done, she looked over the notes she had made: Fentanyl/Heroin — Russia? Overdoses — bad drugs Lewski body dump — dealer did it? Dealer and Lewski involved — sex Cops and Lewski? Accountants and Lewski? Suzie Murray — is she lying + does she know the dealer?