She had met Miranda Keyes once, at some sort of DC function, its purpose unremembered. She could tell from that one encounter that Miranda was destined for great things. That’s what made what Helen had thought was an accident so much more tragic. A strong, charismatic, intelligent woman struck down long before her full potential was realized. That was the extent of what she’d known of the woman then, but that wasn’t the case now.
Her intercom buzzed. Reluctantly, she tore herself from the window and answered. “Yes?”
“Mr. Quinn is on the line again,” David said.
Of course he is. “Put him through.”
She sagged into her chair and stared at the display screen of her office phone before touching the blinking line. “I believe I said I’d be in touch with you.”
“You’ve had plenty of time to read what I sent you, and check what you needed to check,” he said. “But let me help you. Your client’s name is Griffin.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“Not important. I just need you to confirm.”
She clicked through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for. “Griffin is not the client,” she said, looking at the photo.
“You’re lying to me.”
“Griffin is not the client, but he does work for the client.”
A pause. “Then who is his boss?”
“You have a picture of him. It’s the enhanced close-up of the man at the crime scene.”
“You know him?”
“I do.”
“Who is he?”
“A story first,” she said.
“I don’t have time for stories.”
“It’ll be quick, I promise. It’s an age-old tale of ambition, jealousy, and greed.” The story she told was one she’d read in an archived FBI report she’d dug up after reading what Quinn had sent her.
When she finished, he said, “How reliable is this story?”
“I’ll need to check sources, but given what you…well, I guess it’s more what Peter unearthed, I would say very.”
He was quiet for a moment. “The enforcer. Griffin, right?”
“Yes.”
“And the second man — he’s the one in the picture?”
“Correct.”
“You want to tell me his name now?”
“Kyle Morten,” she said.
“And the third person? Morten’s client?”
“That, Mr. Quinn, is a bit trickier.”
CHAPTER 31
The rain had started an hour earlier. For the first few minutes, it had been an on-again, off-again sprinkle, but then the storm began to assert itself, and the smattering of rain became a downpour. The water beat against the roof in an endless series of crescendos, while the accompanying wind howled past the windows.
Daeng was used to hearing storms like this. In Bangkok, the clouds would roll in most afternoons and soak the city in minutes. But those storms were gone as fast as they came, and Daeng had the sense this one would last for a while.
“Did you touch anything over here?” Misty asked.
She was in the kitchen near the counter where the dishwasher was located, in one hand a bottle of bleach, in the other a wad of paper towels.
“I didn’t, but wipe it down anyway.”
While she splashed bleach onto the counter, Daeng finished removing any fingerprints from the chairs around the dining table.
Their cleaning frenzy was initiated by a call from Quinn ten minutes earlier.
“He’s definitely on his way to you,” the cleaner had said.
“How did he find us?” Daeng asked.
“The only way is if he figured out what kind of car you left in and traced it somehow.”
“How long do we have?”
“Assume no more than thirty minutes.”
“Okay,” Daeng had said. “We can be out of here and in a new car well before then.”
“Actually, I have something different in mind.”
Quinn’s plan started with their current task of destroying anything that might be used to identify them.
“I got it all, I think,” Misty said a few minutes later.
Daeng looked around, and nodded. They’d wiped down everything they’d touched and more.
“Let’s do the bedroom,” he said.
Daeng entered, hurried over to the bed where Howard still slept, and gave him a gentle shake. “Steve, sorry to do this, but we’ve got to go.”
Howard’s eyes cracked open.
“Come on, buddy. Time to leave.”
It seemed to take a moment for Daeng’s words to register. Then Howard tried to push himself up, but only made it partway before he paused, wincing in pain.
“You okay?” Daeng asked.
“Give me a second.”
Daeng looked back and saw that Misty had already started wiping down the dresser. That left the chair, the bed, and the nightstand. After that, the cabin would be clean.
“Okay,” Howard said. “I think I’m all right.”
“Let me help you.” Daeng slipped an arm around Howard’s back and helped him stand up. “Do you want to hang on to me, or do you want to walk on your own?”
“I can make it on my own. Just stay close. We’re going to the car?”
“Yeah.”
As they neared the bedroom door, Daeng said to Misty, “If you finish before I get back, grab the sheets and blankets, and come on out.”
Daeng escorted Howard through the cabin and outside.
“So what happened?” Howard asked.
“We’re going to have unwanted company soon if we stay here.”
“How much time do we have?”
Daeng opened the back door of the Volvo. “Enough.”
Griffin transitioned onto I-81 and drove for another nine minutes before taking the Trevor Hollow exit.
Unfortunately, Dima could only point him in the direction the Volvo had taken, but after that, there were no more cameras to track the car’s movements. If it weren’t for the stupid storm, they could have used satellite links to follow the car all the way to its destination. Now Griffin would have to hunt and peck.
At least Trevor Hollow was considerably less populated than Arlington or DC.
“You think you guys can walk from here?” Daeng asked.
He’d pulled the Volvo to the side of the road, about a quarter mile west of the collection of buildings that officially represented the town of Trevor Hollow.
“Should be okay,” Howard said.
“I’m not sure this is such a good idea,” Misty said. “You’re hurt, Steve. You can’t—”
“Not the first time I’ve had to work injured.” Howard opened his door, and used the frame to leverage himself out of the backseat into the rain.
Misty hurried out her door, popped open the umbrella they’d appropriated from the cabin, and raised it above Howard.
Daeng lowered the passenger window a few inches and leaned across the seat. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to be picked up. Until then, stay out of sight. If you don’t hear from me in ninety minutes, get someplace safe and call Quinn.”
While Misty looked scared and uncertain, Howard nodded and said, “Good luck.”
Daeng swung the Volvo in a U-turn and headed back toward the cabin. The rain was coming down so hard now that the wipers, even at full speed, were barely effective. But as much as his instincts told him to slow down, he knew he couldn’t. Every second could be crucial, so he powered past where the main road turned to dirt, and slogged through the mud to the cabin turnoff.
He had a fleeting thought that this Griffin person might somehow already be waiting for him, but the parking area in front of the cabin was empty. He parked the Volvo at an angle so that someone driving up the access road would not only see it, but know what kind of car it was. He then wiped down the interior.