Reach For the Spy (32 page)

“Better start daring,”
I said grimly.

“But he put the cameras
in himself,” Spider argued. “He’d have to be an idiot to go in
there and send that file when he knew he’d show up on the
video.”

“That guy’s so twisty,
he could make it look like anything he wanted.” I rubbed my
forehead again, feeling the precursors of what promised to be a
whopper of a headache. “Well, until further notice, we’ll have to
consider Stemp, Germain, and Connor under suspicion.”

Spider’s face fell. “I
really hate this.”

“Me, too. Let’s go,
we’ve already taken too long a coffee break. We don’t want anybody
to get suspicious.”

As we walked back to
Sirius, I turned to Spider. “Hey, Spider, can you sneak me one of
those scanning devices?”

“I thought you didn’t
want one.”

“Changed my mind.”

“Okay.”

My headache fulfilled
its potential after a couple more hours in the network, and I
groaned as Spider and I walked down to the main lobby to turn in
our security fobs. “God, I’m not looking forward to a two-hour
drive tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Are you going...”
Spider gulped. “Are you going to the funeral?”

“Of course. I fly out
tomorrow morning at eight-fifteen.”

“Germain and I got a
flight at eight. Do you want to ride down with us?”

“Depends, when are you
coming back?”

“We leave Winnipeg on
Sunday at two-thirty.”

I sighed relief. “In
that case, yes, I’d definitely like to ride with you. I leave at
one-fifty, so I’ll just hang around the Calgary airport until you
guys get in. Oh, and can I ride with you in Winnipeg, too? I was
going to bum a ride with Hellhound, but he went out this afternoon,
and he’s not coming back until Monday.”

“No problem.”

“Thanks, Spider, you’re
a lifesaver.”

“Can we pick you up at
five tomorrow morning?”

“That’ll work.”

I trailed into my
stuffy house and opened all the windows before scrounging for some
semblance of nutritious food. I nibbled without enthusiasm before
wandering outside to my garden.

There, I stood in the
moist aromatic soil and held back tears while I ate fresh peas.

Exhausted, I crept into
bed early, hoping to get a decent sleep before my early morning. At
last I found a position that didn’t aggravate my bruises too much,
and drifted away.

Kane’s anguished eyes
burned into mine. He raised his gun, black in the bright sunlight.
His expression changed to shock as he fell slowly. His limp body
sprawled in the mud. The gun slipped from his lax fingers, the
sunshine picking out the logo on the barrel as it settled in the
grass. Stemp stood over Kane’s body, firing into it again and again
while I screamed…

I bolted upright as the
last scream ripped from my throat. Panting with physical pain and
overwrought emotion, I curled down again, rocking with grief. Stemp
was the leak. He had to be. I knew it.

My mind wouldn’t let go
of the vivid imagery of the dream. Ridiculously green grass, the
logo on the pistol, Kane’s eyes. I whimpered and scrubbed at my
face. How long would I have to dream this, over and over?

I remembered the look
in Kane’s eyes. Nobody could fake that. Stemp had to be lying. In
the darkness, the image hung in front of me.

Suddenly I jerked
upright, my mouth dropping open. Stemp
was
lying. I knew it
for certain now. That hadn’t been a tranquilizer gun in Kane’s
hand. It was his Sig Sauer P226. My memory jogged by the detail in
my dream, I could remember the pistol lying in the grass. The Sig
logo on the barrel had been unmistakeable in the bright sunshine.
Kane was no traitor.

I curled up and
cried.

I was still awake when
my alarm went off at four A.M. Groaning my way through my morning
routine, I dressed in the blouse and slacks that I would wear to
the funeral.

When I heard the
crunching of tires on gravel at five, I closed up the house and
climbed into Germain’s SUV. His and Spider’s faces looked drawn and
tired in the dim light of the dashboard panel. We exchanged subdued
greetings, and fell silent while the highway unrolled in front of
us in the gray light.

At the airport Germain
offered to drop us at the departure area, and I gratefully
accepted. I was only carrying my small backpack, but I still felt
too stiff and sore to walk for very long. Spider and I stood by the
check-in, waiting for Germain to park.

I looked up at his pale
face. “Hey, Spider, I remembered something last night.”

“What?” he asked
listlessly.

“I know for sure Stemp
was lying. He said John was going to shoot me with a tranquilizer
gun and take me to Fuzzy Bunny, but it wasn’t a trank gun in John’s
hand.”

“Are you sure?” His
brow furrowed. “What does that really mean?”

“I’m positive. And what
it means is that John really intended to shoot me.”

Spider’s eyes widened.
“Kane was going to kill you? And you’re still coming to his
funeral?”

“Yeah, of course.” I
took another look at his horrified face. “Hey, Spider, that’s a
good thing. It’s good that he was going to kill me.”

“Aydan, that’s awful,”
he wailed. “That’s not a good thing at all!”

“No, no, it’s good. It
means he was following orders. He wasn’t a traitor! And there’s
more. Right after those guys took me out, I was lying there with my
face squished into the dirt, and Stemp said ‘I didn’t think he’d
really kill you.’ What does that tell you?”

Spider shook his head
in bewildered dismay. “I don’t know. What?”

“It tells you he knew
John didn’t have a trank gun in his hand. He knew John was holding
his Sig. And then, a few minutes later, Stemp lied to me and told
me it was a trank gun. He’s a filthy, disgusting liar. And a
murderer.”

Spider’s mouth dropped
open. “Then we’re in serious trouble. And you’re in serious
danger.”

I twitched an impatient
shoulder. “Same old, same old. That’s not what matters. What
matters is that we were right. John died a hero. And when we
finally nail Stemp’s ass to the wall, John can rest in peace.”

“Do we tell Germain?”
Spider whispered. “Here he comes.”

“No, not yet.” I turned
to greet Germain. I believed in him, but I wasn’t quite ready to
share my theories. I needed more time to think about our next
step.

By the time we sorted
out the rental car paperwork and left the Winnipeg airport, we had
just enough time to stop for lunch before heading for the chapel.
We picked at our food, and then Spider and Germain carried their
bags into the men’s room to change.

They emerged a few
minutes later, Spider in a dark suit that made him look even paler,
and Germain in an impeccable dress uniform bearing a double row of
medals, his usually cheerful face grim and withdrawn. The drive to
the chapel was very quiet.

I clamped down hard on
my emotions as we entered the lobby. Kane had been a brave man. The
least I could do was show a little courage of my own. A few men
stood around the lobby, most of them in uniform. I glimpsed General
Briggs, but fortunately not Stemp. As we made our way toward the
chapel doors, I realized with a shock that Hellhound was standing
near the entrance.

Somewhere in the back
of my mind, I had known he wouldn’t be wearing his usual jeans and
T-shirt, but the imposing man in the immaculate uniform made my jaw
drop. He’d never be handsome, but his stern, ugly face had a stark
magnetism.

His expression softened
as I came up to him. “Hi, darlin’.” He folded me into his arms, and
I pressed against him for a few seconds of comfort. As I drew away,
he turned to the ramrod-straight uniformed man beside him. “Sir,
this’s Aydan Kelly. John’s partner. Aydan, this’s John’s dad.”

I recognized Kane’s
intent grey eyes when they surveyed me from his father’s wrinkled
face. He extended a hand. “Doug Kane. Pleased to meet you.”

I accepted his firm
handshake. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Bleak eyes met mine,
but his face was composed. So like his son. “Thank you.”

I turned away before my
eyes welled up.

I managed to hold it
together for most of the short service. I avoided looking at the
urn at the front of the chapel. Such a small resting place for such
a big man. Germain sat stiffly to my left, his dry-eyed face etched
with hard lines. On my right, Spider wept openly and
unabashedly.

As the service drew to
a close, the chaplain stepped away from the pulpit and Arnie stood
and made his way to the front. He leaned down to the microphone.
“Ya know I ain’t much for words. But I gotta say goodbye to my
brother.”

He stood tall and
straight and began to sing ‘The Wings That Fly Us Home’ completely
unaccompanied, his voice strong and sure. I gulped helplessly at
the lump in my throat and held my head high, but I couldn’t stop
the tears trickling down my cheeks.

After the interment at
the cemetery, I drifted away from the group. I was gazing blankly
out across the headstones when I sensed someone behind me. I turned
to see Arnie’s uniformed bulk.

His face was still
stern and emotionless, but his eyes broke my heart. I reached to
touch his cheek, and he closed his eyes and leaned into my palm for
just a moment.

When he spoke, his
voice was controlled. “You’re invited back to the house. It’s just
gonna be a few friends.”

I cleared the huskiness
from my throat. “I wouldn’t want to intrude. I have to go back with
Germain and Spider and find a hotel anyway.”

He reached for my hand.
“I’d like ya to be there.”

I stroked his strong
fingers. “Then I’ll come. What’s the address?”

“Ya can ride with me.”
He moved back to the group, and I turned and stood alone for a few
more minutes.

When I heard footsteps
approaching behind me, I expected Arnie again. Instead, Doug Kane
came up beside me and we stood quietly watching the dispersing
group around the grave.

He spoke without
looking at me. “Arnie tells me you were with John when he
died.”

“Yes.” I didn’t know
what to say. “He was doing his duty. He died a hero.”

“You can’t tell me any
more than that, can you?”

“No.”

It sounded so final. I
had no comfort to offer. This should never have happened.

“I’m sorry,” I
stammered finally. My voice came out in a whisper. “I’m sorry I
couldn’t save him.”

The grey eyes turned to
assess me then. “Arnie says you fought through five men to help
John.”

“I didn’t get through.
And it was too late anyway. I’m so sorry.”

He eyed my scrapes and
bruises. “Nobody could have done more. And John told me you saved
his life twice before. You gave me my son for a little longer.”

“He told you that? I
didn’t think he would have discussed...”

“No details. He just
said that he was working with a new partner, and that he thought
very highly of her.”

I stood in silence,
fighting for control.

“I hope you’re coming
back to the house,” he said.

I managed to find my
voice. “Thank you, I will. Arnie invited me earlier.”

The piercing grey eyes
appraised me again. “You’re fond of Arnie, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a good man.” He
rocked back and forth, heel to toe. “He’s fond of you, too, I can
tell.” He glanced quickly at my face. “Don’t hurt my boy.”

My throat closed up.
“I’ll do everything in my power not to,” I said huskily.

I’d caused the death of
one of his boys, just through my own existence. God help me.

His face softened. “I
believe you. But I need to tell you something to keep you from
getting hurt, too.”

He sighed and rocked
heel to toe again. “You need to understand Arnie will never give
you a committed relationship. He’s been hurt too badly to offer
that to anyone. Don’t fool yourself into thinking he will.”

I gazed at him, touched
that he’d care enough to protect me as well as his adopted son.
“Arnie and I had that conversation,” I told him gently. “I don’t
want that from him, or from anybody. All I want from him is what we
have now.”

His smile was like the
sun coming out, his steady eyes framed by a maze of wrinkles. “Then
I’m glad he has you.”

At the house, a handful
of men reminisced in the living room, chuckling over stories of
John playing hockey, winning track and field competitions, and
chasing girls. I discovered he’d gotten his love of all things
automotive from his father, who’d owned a speed shop after he
retired from the army. We chatted easily about cars, and as the
guests gradually drifted away, I realized the afternoon was gone
and it was supper time.

I rose. “I should get
checked into the hotel. I’ll just give Germain a call and ask him
to pick me up.”

“You’re welcome to stay
here,” Doug Kane offered courteously.

“Thank you, but I
wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

“No trouble,” he
assured me. The lines crinkled around his eyes, so much like John
it wrenched my heart. “Especially if I’m correct in my assumption
that I wouldn’t need to make up another bed.”

Heat rose to my cheeks.
You never really get over the idea that parents shouldn’t know
about your sex life. But what the hell, I wasn’t embarrassed about
my relationship with Arnie.

I grinned back at his
adopted dad. “True.”

“Stay?” Arnie slipped
his hand into mine, and I looked up into his desolate eyes
again.

“Okay. I’ll just have
to get my things from Germain. I left my backpack in the rental
car.”

“I’ll take ya over to
the hotel to pick it up. It’s time ya ate anyway, so we can get
some supper on the way.” He turned to Doug. “Come along with us. Ya
gotta eat somethin’, too.”