Foster was clearly now in full retreat mode. “I didn’t… I mean– We can get Bunting–”
Paul didn’t let her finish. “Good God, haven’t you been listening to me? Your people lost track of Bunting. They have no idea where he is. The man is gone!”
Foster said nothing to this. Her mouth was moving but no words came out.
“You backed Bunting into a corner, but the man always has an out. And Quantrell was stupid enough to deliver it to him. But Quantrell was also smart enough to obviously recognize something you apparently didn’t.”
“What are you–”
“Edgar Roy? A true E-Six? Only one on the planet? Do you know what he would be worth to this country’s enemies? Do you know how much Quantrell could sell him for?”
“He would never work for another country.”
“Who, my brother or Quantrell?”
“Either.”
“Did you know that when Quantrell was first starting out he was almost banned from government contracting work because he sold restricted weapons parts to China? He only got out of it through his fancy lawyers and blaming it on a subordinate. He’d sell his own mother to Kim Jong-Il if he thought he could make money. And while it’s true my brother would never knowingly work against his country, don’t you think the Russians or the North Koreans or the Syrians couldn’t find a way to persuade him? Their torture techniques are old-school but they’re still highly effective. Trust me, I know.”
“So you’re saying Quantrell–”
“Of course he double-crossed you. That’s how he’s wired. And now that Bunting kicked his ass and saved himself, Quantrell’s going to throw you under the bus to save his ass. It’s called dominos for adults. Which leaves my brother in total limbo right now. Which is not good. He’s a loose end, and they don’t have long life expectancies.”
Foster was now tottering a bit in her three-inch heels.
Paul took the woman’s hand off the doorknob and unlocked it. “But since it’s now quite apparent that you were too stupid to see any of this coming and you possess absolutely nothing that can help me, I’ll just have to look elsewhere for what I need. Besides, what can you do from a jail cell, anyway?”
She pointed at a corner of Foster’s mouth. “You went outside the lines a bit there. Might want to fix that for your mug shot.”
Paul closed the door behind her.
CHAPTER 76
MICHELLE WAS DRIVING.
Sean was shotgun.
Edgar Roy was in the backseat of the van.
The drive had been long and they had stopped only twice, for bathroom breaks. When they pulled down the country lane, Michelle slowed the van.
“I know Bunting told us we were off grid when we came here before to meet Kelly Paul, but this case has given me a large case of paranoia.”
Sean nodded as his gaze swept the area. It was the perfect place for an ambush.
“But other things being equal it’s better than checking into a motel.”
“Only if we don’t end up getting killed,” Roy said.
Sean looked at him in surprise. Roy had spent most of the trip in silence.
“A brilliant observation,” said Michelle sarcastically. She put the van in park and glanced sideways at Sean. “Plan?”
“I can always sneak up there, and if someone is waiting for us, they can kill me and you can get away.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I was kidding.”
“I know. I’ll go.”
“I’m not letting you do that, Michelle.”
“I don’t remember asking for permission, sire.”
“Do you two always talk this way?” asked Roy.
They both stared at him.
“What way?” barked Michelle, her gaze boring into him.
“Uh, never mind,” said Roy. He looked down at his hands.
Sean said, “We can drive past, see if anyone comes after us.”
“Or we can set up a recon point on that hill over there, hunker down, and watch the place,” replied Michelle.
“Or we can just do it the old-fashioned way,” said Sean.
“What does that mean?” asked Roy.
“Wait in the van,” said Michelle. “And don’t open the door to strangers.”
They approached the house from back and front. It took them all of ten minutes to clear it. The farmhouse was empty and looked just like it had when they had been there previously. Michelle drove the van into the barn behind the house, and she and Roy got out and walked toward the house after Michelle closed the barn doors.
“This is my sister’s place?” said Roy, gazing around.
“For now, I guess. I assume she doesn’t stay in one place for long periods of time?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“But you two have obviously stayed close. She’s risked a lot to help.”
“She’s always protected me.”
Sean came onto the front porch and overheard this. “Have you needed protection a lot?”
“Yes, I guess I have.”
“Let’s get inside,” said Michelle, looking around. “I’m not too keen about the surroundings. Sniper heaven.”
Inside, they found a pantry full of food, wood for the fireplaces, warm coats and boots, flannel shirts, pajamas, and clean sheets on the beds.
Michelle lifted up one of the coats. “I think I’ll put this on right now. It’s freezing outside and it’s not much better in here.”
“I’ll get a fire started,” said Sean.
“I can cook if you want,” said Roy.
Michelle shot him a glance. “You can cook?”
“Yes, but if you’d rather do it, that’s fine.”
“She’d rather not,” said Sean quickly, ignoring a dirty look from Michelle.
After a meal of pork chops, vegetables, biscuits, and a slice each of a store bought apple pie that Roy had found in the freezer, they settled in front of a blazing fire.
“Any word from Kelly or Bunting?” asked Michelle.
Sean said, “Just got a text. They each made contact with their respective targets. And each was apparently very successful.”
Roy nodded, his eyes on the fire. “They’re playing Quantrell and Foster against each other.”
Sean said, “Did your sister tell you that was the plan?”
“No, it’s just the most obvious one. I met Foster twice. She’s clearly a megalomaniac. Mason Quantrell is just greedy and jealous. A lethal combination.”
Sean put another log on the fire and drew closer to the flames. “Tell me about the bodies in the barn.”
Roy turned to him. “Why?”
“We’re investigators. Ted Bergin hired us to help you. That’s what we’re trying to do. In order to do that we need information. And this is the first real chance we’ve had with you.”
Roy took a moment to rub his glasses lenses clean on his shirt. He settled them back on and said, “I was taking a walk before dinner. I usually did that. I hadn’t been in the barn in a long time. It was just a whim I decided to go in. Everything looked the same until I spotted the disturbed dirt on one side. I grabbed a shovel and started digging, to see what was there. That’s when I saw the face. I was about to call the police when I heard the sirens. They arrested me. I can’t blame them, really. I had the shovel in my hand and the bodies were there. It must’ve looked like I was just burying them instead of trying to dig them up.”
“And that’s when you went into…?”
Roy looked embarrassed. “That’s when I retreated into my head, yes.”
“But you remember everything that went on?” asked Michelle.