Dangerous Secrets (46 page)

‶
But you were only in
college,″ she protested.

‶
I remained in college, but I
turned down going to the Olympics.″ Jack had always wondered what he
would have done if he′d made the other decision. During lonely nights in
the jungles or while hiding in the hot sands of some foreign country, he had
thoughts of how different his life might be if he′d turned down the CIA
and gone on to try for the gold medal.

Morgan, ironically, had made the same decision.
She′d done exactly what he did, but her choice took her to the limelight,
center stage of the world. Not only did she complete her mission, however bad
the circumstances, but she went on to show the world that she was championship
material. Jack admired her for that Even the tears she cried when it was over
didn′t take away from the strength of purpose she needed to do what she
had done. He wasn′t sure his masculine and supposed greater physical
strength could have matched hers if he′d been in the same position.

‶
When I graduated I went to work
for the police department in Chicago. That′s where I met Jacob
Winston.″

‶
Did he recruit you?″

‶
Jacob works for the FBI. He
didn′t recruit me. He left Chicago for Washington a few months after I
joined the force. We had become friends and have stayed that way.″ Jack
didn′t elaborate on who had actually approached him. It was a story he
didn′t tell. Not even his family knew how he′d gone from police
officer to Middle East expert. Somehow he wanted Morgan to know the truth.

‶
I stayed with the department
two years. The city changed drastically in some areas. A huge number of Koreans
escaping oppression in their own country settled in an area called Little
Korea. It was my beat. I picked up the language enough to communicate with the
locals. Then people started dying in that area. A serial killer targeted
Koreans. The city was in an uproar to find the killer. Factions split along
racial lines and the newspapers were increasing circulation with stories on the
ineptitude of the police force or its lack of concern due to racial
ethnicities.″

‶
I remember that,″ Morgan
said.
‶
It
was my first year in college. There was a Chinese student in my dormitory. She
did some modeling to pay her tuition. So many people mistook her for Korean.
They asked her a lot of embarrassingly racist questions.″

‶
I was assigned to the detective
in charge because of my knowledge of the language and my friendship with some
of the people. We found the killer, the husband of one of the victims. He was
trying to cover up the death of his wife by killing other innocent
people.″

‶
How did that get you into the
CIA?″

‶
Shortly after the trial ended I
took a few days off. I went up into Michigan. I was to meet some friends and we
were going skiing. Instead of meeting them, a man named Brian Ashleigh was
waiting for me at the cabin we′d rented. He laid out the plan for me to
join a special forces group of the CIA and I′ve been there ever since.
When Brian moved I moved. He′s the director now. I still work for him,
although indirectly. I report to Forrest Washington, director of anti-terrorist
activities in the Middle East.″

‶
How did you end up a swim
coach?″

‶
It was a cover. They assigned
me because of my former status and because I′d been tapped by the Olympic
team. If you failed to get Hart out, we were your backup. We were going in even
if we had to storm the place.″

‶
The information he had must
have been sterling for so much effort to go into his rescue.″

Jack knew no one had ever told her the complete
truth of what Hart actually had in his head. Jack couldn′t tell her now
either. It was still classified information.

‶
It was,″ he said, without
committing anything.

‶
I guess it′s lucky we got
him out. Look at where he is now.″

***

Brian Ashleigh stared at footage he′d
seen hundreds of times. He didn′t see the need to go over it again, but
Jacob had been excited when he called. Brian leaned back in the rose velvet
chair at CIA headquarters. His eyes were heavy and he wanted to go home, but he
watched the flickering image of Morgan Kirkwood singing the national anthem.

‶
I don′t see anything I
haven′t seen before, Jacob.″ He rubbed his eyes.
‶
I
can watch this on the nightly news. I don′t need to use this room to see
it.″

‶
That′s right, Brian.
We′ve seen it so much we don′t see what′s there. Look at her
hands.″

The film started again. Brian stared at the
screen. Morgan went through the routine prior to her last one. It was on the
floor. She moved quickly and competently. Brian knew this routine well enough to
perform it himself, but he gave it his undivided attention, taking special note
of her hands. When she finished the minute-and-a-half exercise summary and
raised her hands to salute the judge, there was nothing special about them.
They had a little chalk on the palms, but nothing extra. No cuts or bruises.
Then the film moved to her last routine. She ran toward the beam and did the
now-famous somersault with her special precision landing onto the apparatus.
Since that time, every gymnast in the world tried to duplicate that same
action.

Brian leaned forward, studying her hands with
new resolve. Something about her right hand was different, but she kept moving
it. Then the routine ended. The sound of the crowd exploded in the room, but
Brian could clearly see she wore a ring. The spliced film went on to the
singing sequence. Morgan clutched the roses to her breasts as she sang. Tears
flowed down her cheeks. Brian recognized the photo that had made worldwide
news. Only this time he could clearly see the ring on Morgan Kirkwood′s
finger, an addition that had not been there during the floor exercise, but had
appeared for her next routine.

‶
That′s got to be
it,″ Brian stated aloud, coming out of his chair as if the small
auditorium had just been filled with flying bullets.
‶
I want that segment
of the film blown up in detail.″

‶
I′ve already had that
done,″ Jacob told him.
‶
The ring is that of a Korean emperor. If it′s
not a reproduction, it′s extremely expensive and no one in Korea would
have given it up voluntarily. According to the report I′ve received, the
ring was lost. The president gave it to his wife on their wedding date.
It′s assumed the ring was stolen.″

‶
How did Ms. Kirkwood come to
have it?″

‶
I don′t know.″

‶
She didn′t have it going
into the prison,″ Brian said.
‶
Directly after getting Lewiston
out she was taken back to the Olympic Pavilion. She had to have gotten it
somewhere between the two. The only stop she made was at the prison.″

‶
Why would such an item be in
the prison?″ Brian asked.

‶
I guess that′s the next
question in the riddle.″

‶
Riddle?″

‶
Brian, why is Morgan Kirkwood
such an important person?″

‶
She isn′t.″

Jacob stretched his long legs out in front of
him and, resting his elbows on the chair arms, and threaded his fingers
together.
‶
I
sat in a conference room with the two top people responsible for defending the
laws of the United States, discussing a woman who shouldn′t have as much
clout as that kind of meeting would require. Now who is she?″

Brian glanced at the control room and both he
and Jacob left. They didn′t speak on the way to Brian′s office.
Inside, Brian closed the door. Both men sat in front of the desk.

‶
We thought we had everything
under control before we sent Ms. Kirkwood into the prison. In truth, nothing
went right from the moment she entered the facility. The blueprints we′d
received had never been updated. New walls existed that weren′t in the
plans. Surveillance equipment had been installed that was unknown to us. She
went in blind.″

‶
I′m sure that kind of
thing has happened before. It doesn′t make her a top priority for two
phases of law enforcement twelve years after the fact,″ Jacob commented.

Brian sighed. He knew Jacob was thorough and
that he was extremely perceptive. He′d often wanted him on his team, but
Jacob′s allegiance to his job and to Clarence Christopher were deeply
rooted.

‶
She′s the granddaughter
of a very powerful man,″ Ashleigh said.

‶
I thought the report said she
had no family. That she was adopted as a homeless child.″

‶
It does,″ Brian admitted.
‶
We
didn′t find out until she was well into her training.″

‶
Does she know?″

Brian shook his head.
‶
Neither does her
grandfather, but we have to keep her safe nevertheless.″

Brian wondered if Jacob was quick enough to
know that protecting her under the auspices of the CIA meant under orders to do
so.

‶
How come her mother never told
her?″ Jacob asked.

‶
We don′t know. She was
left alone as a child. She could have been too young to remember. When she came
to work for us she was a legal adult.″

Jacob nodded.

‶
Who′s her grandfather?″

Brian wasn′t required to reveal that. It
wasn′t germane to finding her or to keeping her safe. Her
grandfather′s ignorance of her existence and Ms. Kirkwood′s
ignorance negated any reason to reveal the association. But Jacob had come to
him with the ring. It was the only link they had and it gave him more
information than they′d received since Jack disappeared in St. Louis.

‶
Supreme Court Justice, the
Honorable Judge Angus Lewiston.″

‶
Hart Lewiston′s father!
Morgan Kirkwood had gone into a prison and saved the life of her own uncle and
neither of them knew it?″

‶
Hart Lewiston is not her
uncle,″ Ashleigh corrected.

‶
He′s her father?″
Jacob′s face showed more surprise than Brian Ashleigh had ever seen him
display.

‶
If Hart Lewiston wins the
election, Morgan Kirkwood becomes the First Daughter.″

Chapter 11

Ohio Route 821 intersected Interstate 77 at
Exit 6. Jack brought the SUV to a stop at the highway entrance. He waited
longer than necessary at the road sign. Morgan expected him to consult the cache
of maps he′d stored in the pocket next to the driver′s door or two.
She heard no paper rattling and Jack made no move either. She looked right and
left before turning to face him, a questioning frown on her face.

‶
What′s wrong?″ she
asked.

‶
South leads to Kentucky and my
parents in Lexington. East leads to Clarksburg, West Virginia, the closest FBI
office.″ Morgan was reluctant to go to the FBI. Instinct told her
something was wrong. The road between here and there had few places to hide. If
they got into trouble, there would be nowhere to go. On the other hand she
didn′t want to do anything that might put his parents in jeopardy. Morgan
knew Jack had never laid his problems at their door.

‶
Which way are we going?″

Jack hugged his arms around the steering wheel
and looked her way.
‶
It′s your call.″

Morgan′s lips turned up in the corners,
but she didn′t say anything. She looked at the road, first left, then
right. Jack had once told her she had no say in what he decided.

She wanted to choose Lexington. She would have
if their lives were normal. If they were two lovers sightseeing in mountainous
beauty she would love to meet his family. She wanted to see his parents, see if
she could see Jack in their faces. She wanted to meet his sisters and their
children, but this wasn′t a normal situation. They weren′t
vacationers out for a good time.

‶
West Virginia,″ she said
after a moment.

Jack made no protest, no comment on her
decision. He headed up the entry ramp. Pulling into the light flow of traffic,
he turned the radio on. Static poured out loudly. Turning the volume lower he
pressed the Scan key. The first station the electronic device found was a
country station. Bonnie Raitt′s whiskey-hoarse voice sang
‶
Something to Talk About
.″ Morgan
usually sang along, even going so far as to dance around her kitchen when this
song played. Today she sat still.

She sat with her private thoughts for a long
time. Jack was quiet too. Morgan wondered what he was thinking. After last
night when the two of them had made love with such abandon, she wondered if he
regretted it. When she got to the FBI what would happen? She knew she
couldn′t say she wanted to go to Kentucky. She wanted to go to the ends
of the earth as long as the two of them could go there together.

‶
Who′s going to meet us at
the FBI?″ she suddenly blurted out.

‶
Brian Ashleigh and Jacob
Winston.″

‶
Have you talked to them?″
She swallowed hard as if the office was only a mile away and they′d be
parting within the hour.

‶
No,″ he said.

How could they have shared last night and he
turn her over today as if she were some rag doll? Didn′t last night mean
anything, or this morning? He was there when she opened her eyes and she had
the feeling he′d been watching her for some time. Her hair was still wet
from the pond she′d used to wash up. The water was cold to touch, but she
submerged her body in it. She needed to defuse the temperature gauge that Jack
had the ability to elevate. The pond was clear and beautiful and she suddenly
wanted a bath.

She felt great when she returned to the
vehicle, and the way Jack had looked at her, she thought they were on the right
road. That the two of them would have a future together. It had been a long
time since she thought of a future, and in her circumstances it was almost
laughable to think that the two of them could have anything together.

‶
Jack, take the next
exit.″ Morgan sat forward suddenly and pointed.

‶
What?″ His foot was
already on the brake and the SUV was slowing.

‶
Go toward Belpre.″

‶
Why?″

‶
We can take Route 14 from
there.″

‶
Where does that lead?″

The green and white sign said they were one
mile from the exit.

‶
We′re going to get the
ring,″ Morgan told him.
‶
It′s what you′ve wanted all along. I
told them about everything I saw and did. The ring and the papers are the only
things I held back. That′s what I took from the Korean jail. The pieces I
never gave to the CIA.″

Jack took the exit when it came up. He turned
the SUV south and drove until he saw the junction for Route 14.

‶
The town is called Clay,″
she informed him.
‶
It′s small and sits near the Elk River.″

‶
This is where you hid the
ring?″

‶
It′s where it′s
hidden. I was wearing it during the final rotation of the competition. During
the interviews I kept my hands under the desk.″

When she saw reruns of that film, she looked
nervous. Of course, she was nervous, and it hid the fact that she was hiding
her hands.

‶
I thought you′d never
been in this part of the country.″

‶
Why would you think
that?″

‶
The way you act. The way you
look at it.″

‶
I′ve been a lot of
places,″ she told him. Morgan understood what he meant. It was the wonder
element. She′d seen it on her own face and that of other competitors when
they went to competitions and then got to see cities they hadn′t been to
before. It was the wide-eyed wonder look. Morgan knew she had it. The land was
beautiful and the moonlight last night had been breathtaking. She
couldn′t help seeing beauty in the things around her, and Jack was a
contributor to that beauty. Her eyes were open a little wider today and she
looked at the world as birds flying in the sky and corn waving along the road.
It wasn′t just scenery blurring past them, life moving at the speed of
light, it was specific. She wanted to see every blade of grass and listen to
the cry of the birds performing their own acrobatics.

‶
I′ve been to Clay once. I
only stayed for one night.″

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, stretching
tired muscles.
‶
I′m
not even going to try to figure this out. Why don′t you just tell me the
story.″

‶
The women on the news, Jan and
Allie.″

Jack nodded.
‶
I remember them.″

‶
Jan owns a gymnastics school
and camp in Clay. The ring is hidden there.″

‶
Tell me what′s so
important about this ring?″

‶
I think it belongs to the
president of Korea.″

***

Janine Acres kicked the door closed. She had a
large glass of her own personal recipe for pineapple surprise in each hand. The
drink consisted of blended pineapple juice, ginger ale, a banana and coconut.
Allie lounged in one of Jan′s leotards on the floor in the gym. Both of
them had completed the exercise program Jan often required of her students.

Jan sat cross-legged on the blue carpet and
handed a glass to Allie, who sat up and sipped it through the long red straw
Jan had added to the pastel yellow liquid.

‶
What is this?″ she asked.

‶
Something that′s good to
the taste and good for you.″

Allie took a long swig.
‶
This is positively
sinful. I′m not even going to think about how many calories are in
this.″

‶
You haven′t gained a
pound in decades.″

‶
Due to hours of hard
work.″ She frowned.
‶
Did you think to give our two friends one of
these?″

‶
I did not.″ Jan sipped
from her glass.
‶
After
they held us for days.″

‶
They let you come home or I
should say James Burton let you come home.″

‶
He followed right along with
us,′′ Jan reminded her. ″And if you haven′t noticed
he′s keeping us under house arrest.″

‶
We must not be in much
danger,″ Allie surmised.
‶
He′d never have let us come here if it would
put the school in danger.″

‶
Well, more than one parent has
noticed the presence of two strangers. This is a small town.″

Allie′s smile was wide.
‶
You
think the parents have noticed that you′re attracted to Agent
Burton?″

Jan stopped still, holding her glass out for a
moment as if she were about to drink from it. Then she dropped her hand and the
glass to the floor and leaned toward her friend.

‶
Me? Attracted to that
big—″

‶
Tall, strong, good-looking,
unmarried man who fits the right age, height, weight and personality
profile,″ Allie interrupted her.
‶
You better believe I do.
He′s attracted to you too.″

‶
Allie, you′ve been
reading too many of your own scripts. This is not a television program or the
movies.″

‶
It′s also not a script.
If it were, there would be much more action. And you′d have already slept
with him.″

‶
Allie!″

‶
Oh, don′t go acting as if
you′ve never thought of the idea or that your morals are as Victorian as
the last century′s. I′ve seen you looking at him when you
didn′t think I noticed. The lust in your eyes is true. I′m
surprised you didn′t spontaneously combust there on the spot.″

‶
You are out of your
tree.″

‶
And when you tripped over that
rock while we were out jogging,″ she went on as if Jan had said nothing.
‶
I
thought our dear agent was going to pick you up and carry you off right then
and there.″

‶
Allie, you′re dreaming.
The man no more notices me than he realizes he wears the same three ties over
and over. And can we change the subject?″

Allie didn′t say anything. She looked
about the gym, leaving Jan to her own thoughts. Jan admitted to herself that
she did think of Jim Burton. She didn′t know her face showed how much she
was attracted to him, but he rubbed her in all the wrong places and sometimes
she wanted to scream at him. There were equal times she wanted him to take her
in his arms.

‶
How many kids do you have
working out here?″ Allie asked.

Grateful for the distraction and glad to be on
safer ground, Jan told her about the school.
‶
I have a manager who runs the
regular school. There are about two hundred kids going through each week. The
team school has eighteen dedicated young women and seven young men. In the summer
about two thousand campers go through here.″

‶
Wow, Jan, I′m impressed.
I had no idea you were doing all this.″

‶
That′s because
you′ve only come to visit once in ten years.″

‶
You could visit me too,″
Allie said.

‶
I could if I could get through
that wall of secretaries, assistants, script people, best boys, producers,
actors, grips—″

‶
Stop,″ she laughed.
‶
I
get the picture.″

‶
Truly, Allie. We should keep in
touch.″

‶
We will,″ she agreed.
‶
All
this equipment looks fairly new.″

‶
Most of it is.″

‶
You said Morgan sent you
equipment when you first started.″

Jan pointed to the trampoline at the end of the
room.
‶
She
sent the tramp, the vault, those two beams and various mats. When she visited
the one and only time she was here she brought the beams herself. With what she
sent me I had enough to open the doors.″

Allie set her glass on the floor a distance
away from both of them. She uncoiled her legs, leaned back and rolled over in
the graceful manner Jan tried to instill in her female students. Lying flat on
her stomach, close enough to whisper to Jan, she said,
‶
Look over
there.″ She indicated the double glass doors that led into the cavernous
room. The only natural light that filtered into the gym came from those doors.
Blocking what little there was with his huge frame stood Jim Burton.

Allie waved him in.

Jan′s heart thudded.
‶
Don′t
do that,″ she said anxiously, but Allie continued to wave.

He opened the door, holding it that way with
his foot. Both women stared. He was looking somewhere else, not at them, not
even inside the gym, but at something that was outside. Jan′s anxiety was
replaced with fear. Had someone come? Did they really need protection? But Jim
didn′t appear afraid. He hadn′t said anything and he wasn′t
going for the gun she knew he carried. She′d seen it on occasion, and
once when they′d both come around the same corner from opposite
directions she′d walked into him. Using her hands to keep from falling,
she′d grabbed for him and found the hard outline of the gun.

‶
Jim?″ Allie sat up.
‶
What′s
wrong?″

He didn′t have time to answer before two
people came through the door—Morgan Kirkwood and Jack Temple.

***

Astonishment showed vividly on the faces of her
two friends. Morgan greeted them with a huge smile. She didn′t know how
much she missed them until this moment. Neither Jan nor Allie moved from their
places on the floor. Morgan looked about the room, taking in the placement of
equipment, looking over the expanse of floor as if it were a blue sea.