“Hold up your hands, Mom.”
She let him scan her fingerprints and palm prints into the device, and he told her it was so he could remove them from the equation. He then showed her how to activate the XHD3’s thermal-imaging system and held the device steady over the book. He explained that it worked on the premise that materials absorb and release heat in a specific manner. If there was a slight alteration to the material — in this case the amino acids from human contact — it would produce a noticeable change in the book’s thermal signature.
“Mom, I’ve got something here, but I need to go now — there isn’t much time. Could you draw the man you saw?”
She shrugged her shoulders, and he pulled up the EtchMe application on the screen and handed the device to her.
“You and your brother were two peas in a pod,” she said with a smile. “He loved his tech gadgets too, you know. I’m surprised you’re not wearing the same shoes.”
She was amazed with how quickly she was able to assemble the features of the assassin. What started off as a crude outline was quickly transformed into a detailed visage through a series of questions, where she would select shapes and trace lines on the display with her finger. Within a couple of minutes, the heartbroken mother was staring at a likeness of the man she despised most in this world.
“That’s him,” she said.
“Okay, listen. You and Dad need to be very careful. You need to get in touch with Uncle Jack, okay?”
“We’ll be fine—”
“You need to tell Dad to get in touch with Uncle Jack.” He put his hands on her shoulders, and the severity in his eyes filled her with fear. “Tell him that the same people who got Ryan may come looking for you.” Even though his mother was still alive after having made contact with the assassin, he wasn’t about to take any chances. “Ryan’s family too.”
“But—”
“Do it, Mom. Please. Promise me it will be the first thing you do.”
She looked at her son and the man he’d grown into. He was tall, fit, and handsome. His piercing blue eyes were still able to disarm her after all these years.
“Okay, honey. Okay.”
“I love you, Mom. And please be careful.”
“I love you too, honey.”
Chapter 16
TRENT TURNER STUDIED the image of his brother’s assassin on the screen of his XHD3 and headed back to his car. He knew there was something familiar about the man but couldn’t quite place him. A vibration from the device broke his train of thought. An envelope flashed in the corner of the screen. He opened up the secure-messaging application and began to read.
Heckler: Tak is off the grid. Message loud and clear. BOMBTRACK received, stealth confirmed. You’re clear on this end. Let me know what you need.
The message took him by surprise. He knew the delayed response meant something had been going on with his handler. The fact Tak had shared their secret with someone else meant one of two things. Either Tak was passing him over to The Island so they could bring him in, or he had been put on another operation, and Heckler was someone he could trust for help. He wondered if he was just being paranoid. It wasn’t out of the question that the handlers at The Shop were a tight-knit group and could trust one another implicitly.
The icon on his screen showed Heckler was online. They had worked together on several operations in the past, but Trent still had doubts about his intention. He launched the chat interface and responded.
Finger: Hi, Heckler, I was expecting Tak, considering the situation.
Heckler: I know. He would be here if it was an option. I’m sure you understand that. Tak left me clear instructions on this. We’re very close. You can trust me.
Turner had no way to confirm whether Heckler was on his side. He struggled as he mulled over the options and decided he couldn’t take a chance with trusting him.
Finger: Sorry, but I think I’m going to have to fly solo on this one. I appreciate the offer.
Heckler: Tak told me to expect this. His instructions were to tell you to “feed Cannibal himself and your flick.” I have no idea what that means, but he said you would understand.
Trent cracked a smile and realized Tak would have already thought every possible outcome out. This was as funny as it was brilliant. Nobody at The Shop would understand what that meant. Energized, he opened up the Cannibal application and typed in three words—“Eddy Merckx Goldfinger”—and submitted the search. The double entendre in the application’s name was something they had kept to themselves. Cycling was another thing the pair had in common, and Cannibal was the nickname of legendary cyclist Eddy Merckx. Less than a second later, a note from Tak popped up on his screen.
Finger,
If you’re reading this, there’s no doubt you’re working with Heckler on something and he’s followed my instructions. I obfuscated this note within Cannibal’s code in case of a rainy day. It will only show on your device, so don’t sweat it being discovered. Good thing you don’t suck at trivia or you’d be up shit’s creek right about now!
Listen, you can trust Heckler as if he were me. This note is meant to be a failsafe in case something critical is in the works preventing me from giving you the news myself. No worries here on my end. I’ve probably just won the lottery and bugged out to paradise! Seriously, though, take care of yourself, and keep Heckler online. Knowing the kind of situations you get yourself into, you’ll probably need him!
Catch you on the flip side,
Tak
He shook his head and laughed. The note was vintage Tak and quickly erased any doubts he had about Heckler being on the level. He needed some good news right about now, and this had been a welcome relief.
Finger: Heckler, we’re good. Thanks for the support. Could you check to see if Cannibal has any intel on the image I’m about to send you?
Heckler: Sure thing. Just pass it along.
Finger: Check your contacts with MI6. He may be Czech or Russian, and he’s likely been around the Brits.
Heckler: Got it.
Finger: I’ll also need you to check the Washington, DC area for possible connections to the death of Ryan Turner. I’ll need everything you have on that. I’ll send you a fingerprint to go with the photo if my device manages to pull one up.
Heckler: Anything else?
Finger: There’s one other thing. Cannibal’s proximity search reported a homicide in DC. There were some interesting details about it in the FBI’s system. Some sort of wireless hacking device and a laptop were found at the scene.
Heckler: Sounds like it’s right up your alley.
Finger: It’s probably nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to run the correlation algorithm to see if anything pops up. It sounds like there could be more to it, based on the collective freak-out they’re having at the bureau. The dead guy is the son of a man who will be of particular interest to Addy.
Heckler: Should I pass the info along then?
Finger: If there’s anything to it, I’ll work on it while I’m taking care of my current situation. If I can find anything interesting on this, it might help me get a warmer reception when I come back online. After pulling this move, I’ll need all of the help I can get.
Heckler: Roger that. I’ll analyze the results and get them to you directly.
Finger: Tx.
Chapter 17
Bruce Campbell contemplated being on Pavel Kozlov’s shit list. He was absolutely furious with himself for letting the skinny bastard outsmart him at the Metro station. The morning’s six-mile run was meant help him to blow off some steam, but it did his temperamental mind little good.