Operation Sheba (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

She and Smitty were in the kitchen whipping up pancakes. Ace was heating syrup in the microwave. Con was still sleeping. A part of Julia wanted to be nestled in bed with him, but she was hungry and a sense of foreboding hung over her. What Con had said last night about Cari had stuck in her head.

“You’ve got the goods on her,” Ace said. “Why do you care what her plans are? Give Big Mike the low down, and she’s in the state pen.”

Conrad said, swaggering into the kitchen, barefoot and shirtless, only his jeans on, “It’s not enough.” He still looked tired, but Julia could see immediately there was less frenetic energy pouring out of him. The sleep had helped.

And possibly the sex too. She smiled smugly at him as she dropped chopped pecans into the batter.

He pinned her with his dark brown stare, smiled back and the next thing she knew, he had her in a full-body embrace with her back up against the counter. He kissed her, leaning her back slightly. Even with an audience, she couldn’t resist him. She opened her mouth and kissed him back.

Breaking the kiss, he patted her
derrière
and sent her a silent message with his eyes. He was happy.

Julia felt a rush of desire and her own happiness heat her cheeks. She avoided Smitty and Ace’s stares and went back to stirring the pancake batter, trying to bring her train of thought back on track.
O-kay, what were we talking about? Susan, right
.

“We don’t know who Susan has helping her besides Cari,” Smitty said, “and Cari’s last journal entry mentions another player she was escorting to America for Susan, but it doesn’t say who it was or what role this player has in bringing down Stone and Titus Allen. Cari must know why Susan wanted that person here, but she left out who it is and why they’re here to insure our cooperation.”

Julia considered this, adding cinnamon and vanilla extract, then a few spoonfuls of brown sugar to her batter. Smitty had the griddle warmed and ready. “There’s also a slim chance Cari’s confession is still part of Susan’s plan.” She poured rounds of batter onto the griddle and watched them start to bubble. “Maybe Cari is Plan A.”

Conrad poured himself a cup of coffee. “It’s a good possibility. If we take our information to Stone and Allen and Cari conveniently turns on us, we’re screwed. It’s simply our word against Susan’s and that, my friends, is a sure ticket to prison for us. No one, especially Stone, will take my word over hers.”

Julia flipped the pancakes over. “So we have to trap Susan. Either get a confession right from her mouth, or catch her in the act, preferably on video so we have visual proof.”

Smitty nodded, eyed the pancakes. “Tough to get either way.”

Con pulled another mug from the cabinet and filled it with coffee, topped it with milk and handed it to Julia. She accepted it and sipped at it, grinning to herself that he remembered how she liked it. When the first stack of pancakes was done, she loaded them on a platter, poured more rounds on the griddle and set the platter on the table.

Butter and syrup were passed between the four friends. “I can do it,” she said after a minute.

Conrad stopped chewing and looked up at her. “Do what?”

“Get Susan to confess.”

Shooting Smitty a sideways glance, he wiped his fingers on a napkin. “This ought to be good.”

“Oooh, I know,” Ace said, chewing a mouth full of breakfast. “We kidnap her, rough her up a little.” He made punching motions in the air, and then made a gun with his hand. “Julia can hold the gun to her head, force a confession.”

Conrad rolled his eyes, got up and flipped the second round of pancakes on the griddle. Returning to his chair, he patted Julia’s back. “While giving Susan a little pain appeals to me, Ace, it’s ineffective and could put us in even deeper trouble.”

Ace dropped his boxing/shooting routine and looked disappointed. “It works on
The Sopranos
, bro.”

Smitty passed Ace the platter with one pancake left on it and he perked up. “Torture is duress of the worst kind,” Smitty told Ace. “People will say and do anything to stop the pain—sign confessions that aren’t true, accuse innocent people of horrible crimes, betray their own mother if it means no more pain. No matter what the movies lead you to believe, it’s ineffective and it’s inhumane.”

Ace shook his head. “You guys are no fun.”

Smitty took the empty platter, retrieved the fresh pancakes from the griddle. “I’d like to hear Julia’s idea.”

Con smiled, a wicked grin that made Julia’s heart pick up speed. “Me too.”

Julia picked up her coffee cup and held it between her hands. “The missing piece with Cari is her biological father, but I know after years of trying to track down my own father, that finding that piece might be impossible. However Susan had an affair twenty-six years ago that culminated in her pregnancy. I was on the Internet this morning and it just so happens Susan put in for a transfer to the Russian office at about that time. I figure she got pregnant, decided to have the child for whatever reason and transferred to Russia in the hopes of hiding her pregnancy and giving the child up for adoption as secretively as possible.”

Conrad spoke between bites. “So?”

“Susan’s career is on the Internet?” Smitty said.

“If you know where to look,” Julia answered. After all the years trying to locate her real dad, she knew a lot of places to look. “But trying to blackmail Susan about that affair obviously won’t work if we don’t know who the guy was.”

“Could’ve been a nobody,” Ace offered. “A truck driver, or the mail man or some loser she picked up at a bar for a one-night stand.”

Julia frowned, shook her head. “I think Susan is too Machiavellian to have a one-night stand with a loser. It was probably someone she was in love with. It had to be someone politically important to her as well. Maybe someone in the CIA or at least in her political circles. That may be why she chose not to have an abortion, but still hid the pregnancy and kept Cari a secret.”

The three men were silent for a moment. Con got up, brought the coffeepot back and refilled their mugs. “That makes sense, but I’m still saying, so what? How does that help us?”

“Maybe it doesn’t,” Julia said, “but you’re the one who always says, ‘information is a bargaining chip in the game of life’.” Smitty snickered. He’d heard Con’s wisdom dispersed as many times as Julia had. “I think we should keep working to figure that out. Cari’s father could be a very important bargaining chip.”

She pushed her plate back and set her coffee mug down. “In the meantime, if I call Susan and tell her I know everything, and I’m pissed as hell at you two for lying to me”—she motioned to Con and Smitty—“and that I’m going to Michael and turn you all in, she’ll make her move. I’ll tell her I’m after her job so she either cuts me in for a piece of her rising star, or I’ll blow her out of water with you two.”

Smitty’s eyes lit up. “And because of your illicit affair with Stone, she’ll think he’ll be more inclined to listen to you than her.”

Julia avoided Con’s gaze. “There is nothing criminal or unlawful about my affair.”

Smitty held up his hands. “Illicit’s the wrong word, I apologize. Forbidden, maybe or…unethical.”

Julia raised an eyebrow. “I work for the CIA. So does Michael. There’s technically nothing forbidden or unethical about our relationship.”

“
Technically
,” Conrad said, his jaw set, “you no longer
have
a
relationship
with Stone, am I right?”

Pressing the palms of her hands into her forehead, Julia sighed. “Yes, but he doesn’t know that yet and neither does Susan.”

Smitty was still thinking about her idea. The light bulb behind his eyes was glowing brighter and a smile was spreading across his face. “At the very least, Susan knows Stone would start an investigation of her. No way can she afford for that to happen, even if she believes she’s set us up for the fall. An investigation of any kind into her activities could stop her career goals dead.”

“Exactly,” Julia said. “It’s time for the Wicked Witch to get a dose of her own medicine.”

Con leaned forward and rested his crossed arms on the table. “What if you blackmail her and she tries to kill you?”

“I’m the brains in this operation, Con. You’re the muscle. She tries to kill me? You run in with that scowl on your face and wave your gun around.” Julia waved a finger in the air. “You know, save the day like always.”

He stared at her for a long moment before a tiny grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. “I could do that.”

“Of course you can.” Smitty winked at Julia as he rose. “And since I’m apparently not the brains or the muscle, I’ll be the supervisor. Which is what I do best.” He stared into space for a half a second and then nodded at them. “I know how we’re going to do this. Let’s get to work.”

“What about me?” Ace asked.

Julia handed him her dirty plate. “Clean off the table and wash the dishes.”

Smitty and Conrad handed him their plates as well.

Ace’s face fell. “So I’m the grunt?”

“You’re the grunt,” the other three replied in unison, walking out and leaving Ace with the mess.

“Man,” he mumbled to himself, “this spy shit sucks.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Julia threw one in her tote bag and stuck the other in her bra. Smitty raised one eyebrow. Ace’s eyes widened. Con didn’t even blink.

“Next, more listening devices.” Smitty gave her three tiny plastic bugs. They really did look like bugs in a way. Ladybug-size, they were round with skinny, sticky legs and a single antenna. “Just like the last ones, brush your thumb over the sensor to activate them and then stick them to something with texture. Draperies, upholstery, that sort of thing. Not metal or finished wood. The only reason the last device stuck to your table is because the underside was unstained. Avoid carpets for the obvious reason.”

“Right.” Julia was due to be at Michael’s in half an hour. He’d called, asked her to come for lunch. He’d sounded strange, and she was worried. He was pissed about her no-show last night, but there was something else in his voice she couldn’t place. All she knew was that she had to go, act as normal as possible, and hope her Mata Hari skills would carry her through. She wanted to see him again anyway before she placed the call to Susan that would put her plan in motion. She needed to say good-bye to him in her head, take one more look around his house and remember the good times she’d shared with him.

“If you have the opportunity,” Smitty continued, “get one of these in Susan’s personal effects. Her briefcase, her purse, her office.”

It was Julia who raised an eyebrow this time. “You want to me to bug the CIA’s counterterrorism chief’s office?”

“Headquarters is swept for bugs every couple of weeks,” Con said. “So be careful. Don’t leave any telltale fingerprints on the bug or the site.”

Smitty tapped his chin. “As far as I know, CIA technicians have never found a listening device inside the buildings. It would be interesting to see how security would react to such a thing.”

Julia knew how they’d react. “I’ll be running mostly on instinct. I’ll try to keep you guys in the loop at all times, but Michael’s already suspicious so don’t freak if I don’t make contact every five minutes, okay?”

Smitty nodded. Conrad ignored her. Julia continued to walk through the plan. “As soon as I’m ready to place the call to Susan, I’ll let you know so you can tail her.”

“At that point, one of us”—Con pointed a finger at his chest and then at Smitty—“will be on your tail at all times as well, except, of course, when you enter CIA headquarters.”

“Do you really think Susan might try to kill me?”

He answered without hesitation. “Yes. If she’s guilty, she’s spent the better part of the last ten years putting this plan together, and she won’t let you or me or Smitty screw it up for her. If we’re alive, we can talk, and even if Stone and Allen don’t believe us, our stories will throw doubt on hers. Like Smitty said, Susan’s career can’t risk a criminal investigation and she knows that. The easiest way to avoid that is to take all of us out. I’m not sure how she’ll try to do it, but she will.”

Julia suppressed a shudder and picked up her big black tote bag—she’d switched from her purse to the larger bag to carry everything she needed, including both the Beretta and SIG Sauer, concealed. She checked her cell phone and both guns. Everything was ready.

She turned to Smitty. “In the meantime, you’ll work on finding out who Cari’s father is, right?”

“Will do.” He patted her cheek and nodded. “Go get her, Sheba. We’ve got your back.” He gave her a smile and walked out of the room, forcing Ace to go with him. Ace gave her a thumbs-up sign over his shoulder.

Julia looked at Conrad. Her heart hurt at the thought of leaving him. He reached out and drew her into his arms. They stood that way for long minutes, and Julia rested her head against his shoulder.

“I don’t want you to do this.” Con spoke into the top of her head.

“I know.” She laid her fingers at the base of his throat, felt his pulse beating under them. “But I’m the only one who can make this happen. We have to stop Susan, and when it’s all done, if Cari’s kept her part of the deal with me, I want to help her if I can.”

Con laughed in disbelief. “Why would you want to help her?”

“We’ve both been used and hurt by Susan. I know Cari’s made some bad choices, but I think she deserves a second chance. If she comes through and testifies against Susan, then I’ll talk to Michael and whoever else I have to and see if they can help her stay in the States. Get her a job. I really believe she deserves another chance.”

Con pulled back and looked down at Julia. “Damn, you’re a better person than I am.”

“This is just dawning on you?”

The side of Con’s mouth quirked, and then fell again. “Susan’s the most cunning and devious person I’ve ever met. Don’t take any unnecessary chances, Jules. Be prepared.”

She understood the message behind those words:
I just got you back, I can’t lose you again.

“There’s a part of me that still can’t believe the Susan Richmond I know would turn against her country or betray the people she worked side-by-side with.”

Con nodded in understanding as Julia went on. “That part of me still hopes she’s innocent. That she’s at Langley poring over the latest briefings out of the Middle East, itching to find a germ cell of information that might warn us about a terrorist strike. It believes she’s too damn dedicated to value us so little, and there’s no way she could be the CIA’s mole.”

“I know.”

“But the other part of me…” Julia shook her head, blinked back a stray tear. “The other part of me knows it’s her. I think about how she set you up, how she gave up those other operators, how she used her own daughter to further her career, how she’s setting Michael up to clear the way for herself.” Her voice had risen and now she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to tear the limbs from her body. She’s not going to get away with it. I won’t let her.”

Con rubbed her arms. “Just be careful.”

She pulled on her jacket and slid the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “I love you too,” she said, giving him a kiss.

“You’ve got my cell number?”

“I memorized it and programmed my phone with it.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “What are going to do if Stone, you know, tries to, um…”

Julia smiled, enjoying Con’s discomfort. “Kiss me?”

“Well, yeah, that, but more than that…”

Julia reached into her tote and brought out a box of tampons and flashed them at him. “I set these on the bathroom counter. Works every time.”

“Right.” Con avoided looking at the box. “Good one.”

Dropping the tampons back into her tote, she threw her arms around him. “Don’t. Worry.”

“Sorry, kiddo. That’s my job.”

She kissed him once more, long and deep, and then she left for Michael’s.