She wasn’t buying it.
“All true,” Sam waved a finger at her, “but a desk job and a government salary don’t do a lot for the more ambitious souls of the industry.”
“Eric’s made plenty of money,” she argued. “He has to make at least in the low six figures with his years of experience.”
“A couple hundred grand won’t buy what it used to. Jennings has some expensive tastes and habits.”
As he finished the last sentence, Townsend pulled out some photos and slid them across the desk. Emily picked them up warily. They were photos of Jennings with various women. Some were on a sidewalk, outside of hotels, and in other random locations. “Looks like you already have someone watching him,” she dropped the pictures on the desk. “He can’t be spending all his money on women.”
“Not all of it. But he has other vices too. Eric has never managed his money well. And that also spills over into his professional life as. You don’t have to look very far to see that his agency is almost always over budget, recklessly spending in areas where agencies like yours and others always come in under.”
She still wasn’t convinced. The gears in her mind were turning. Emily knew Townsend was a slime ball. He wasn’t a man to be trusted, but he wasn’t a man to meddle with either.
“Again. It looks like you already have someone on him. So why do you need me, Sam?”
He smiled like a kid who knew a secret that everyone else wanted to know. “It’s not just why I need you, Emily. I think whatever he’s up to will interest you as well.”
Will awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing and vibrating violently on the nightstand next to his bed. Groggily, he reached over and picked it up. His partner, Trent Morris was on the line. That could mean only one thing. Someone had been murdered. Technically he was still on vacation for three more days but he’d learned that when his partner called, it was important.
“Where?” He already knew the answer. He was somewhat surprised it had taken that long for the call to come in.
“Piedmont Park. Happened last night. Double tap, chest and head.”
“On my way,” he said and ended the call.
“What do you mean it will ‘interest’ me?” Emily sat down in her plush leather chair and peered at her counterpart.
“Jennings was the one who tried to take you out in Vegas. Not only that but as of late he has taken a keen interest in your friends with the IAA.”
That got her attention. She pressed him. “So, you were observing them, but you didn’t have your team try to stop them? Thanks a lot.”
He laughed. “Who am I going to use? I didn’t have a team I could call at that point. My division is primarily used for observing and collecting information. I only had one guy on it.” That part was true. Townsend’s portion of the CIA had been dubbed a paper tiger of sorts. They could bring down just about anyone without ever firing a weapon. She figured that most of his agents were capable of lending assistance in the field. If there were only a few on the assignment, though, it really would have taken a lot time to get members of another agency’s team into the area in time to help.
“So what were you doing in Vegas?” she asked after a few moments of reflection.
“Like I said, we were observing.” He knew what her next question would be so he went ahead and answered it. “Specifically, we were watching Jennings’ agents.”
Emily appeared incredulous. She had a hard time believing that so many government agents could be recruited and operating outside the boundaries of their organizations without being noticed.
“Are you trying to tell me that all of those operatives in Vegas work for the Justice Department and you were there to see what they were up to?”
He shook his head, uncrossed his legs then leaned forward slightly. Apparently, he understood her problem with that idea.
“No. We don’t think any of them do. We believe they’re all mercenaries, probably international contractors. They were recruited by Jennings.”
“Who are they?” she asked, her interest piqued just slightly. “There was a man and a woman. What do you know about those two?”
He placed a manila folder on the desk and slid it over to her. Emily eyed the packet then opened it up, revealing two photographs. One was a young man and the other a young woman. Their appearance was neat and professional looking. Both were attractive, probably in their mid-twenties. There was a coldness to their faces that seemed to emanate from their eyes.
“James Collack and Angela Weaver,” Sam said as he leaned back. “I want to know who they are working for.”
“Couldn’t find that out on your own?” she asked in a snide tone.
He ignored the barb. “We believe that they may be working for a secret organization known as ‘Golden Dawn.’ However, it appears that this secret society has a reach into our government, of which we had previously been unaware.”
“So you think they are connected with someone? Who? White House? Senate? Supreme Court?”
He shrugged. “Maybe all of those. Maybe none of them. There is one particular part of government, though, that we know Golden Dawn has infiltrated.” Townsend let the thought hang for a moment, building the suspense before he continued. “How much do you know about Eric Jennings’ agency?”
Emily’s eyes widened slightly. “The Hoover Directive?” He nodded. “Not much, really. It’s a branch of the FBI that J. Edgar Hoover put together as a sort of ‘black cell’ operation to work outside the bounds of the laws the bureau has to obey. No one outside of their little group really knows what they’ve been involved with, although we usually have a pretty good idea. “Surely your operation knows more than I do.”
Her placating tone bounced off of him like a rubber ball. Nothing fazed him. “We know a great deal about their operations. However, most of what we know has to do with financial information and use of resources. My team does not usually get involved with much of the actual engagement.”
Then it hit her. That was why Townsend needed Axis. It was all starting to make sense. “So you need someone to do the grunt work?”
He smiled. “In a manner of speaking, yes. But more than that, I need someone I can trust.” The irony was not lost on him. He knew people didn’t necessarily trust him. Nor did he care. “I realize,” he added, “that you don’t trust me and that is fine. But your reputation and career have been exemplary. I know that if I ask you for assistance you will do everything in your power to make sure that justice is done.”
“Justice?” She asked warily.
“Yes.” He waited for her reply without adding anything else. His expression was serious and anxious.
She considered what he was asking. All of her agents were in the field at the moment. Her best one had left a week ago to head to Uganda on a special assignment. He was the last one available for the foreseeable future.
“I suppose I can look into it,” she said finally. “But I can’t make any promises. And I’ll have to use some external resources.”
He held out his hands. “That’s all I’m asking for.” Then he stood and headed for the door. He stopped and turned around and said, “Thanks Emily. I owe you one.” With that, he closed the door and disappeared into the hall.
She looked down again at the photographs. The faces definitely belonged to the two attackers from Vegas. She’d recognized them immediately. Now Sam Townsend wanted to know who they worked for. Something didn’t quite make sense. If he believed they worked for Eric Jennings and the Hoover Directive, what else was there to know? Plus, he’d already made the connection to Golden Dawn. It seemed like he already had it all figured out. Townsend must have believed the story went deeper but couldn’t figure it out, something that also didn’t add up. Sam had just as many resources as she did.