Sweepers (47 page)

Then she realized what had been tickling the edge of her memory. “That stuff-on the windows. I know what that is. It’s that plastic compound they were using to cover that helicopter-at the Quantico air base.”

Train looked at her and swore softly. A jet of intense n-orang I e flame hissed out of the engine compartment en the fire found the air conditioner’s Freonflask. Karen shivered in the wet darkness.

“So young Jack Sherman did his old man another little favor,” she said.

“He said he’ would. I wish I’d shot him when I had the chance.”

Train squeezed her hand. “Mcnair will have to move now. After this.”

Twenty minutes later, they heard a siren approaching, and then a second one. Train got up, helped Karen get to her feet, and put his arm around her. They began to walk sideways down the hill, keeping their distance from the burning hulk. The distant flickering of blue and red lights over the trees was a welcome contrast to the glowing metal carcass on the road.

Three hours later, they were in Mcnair’s car, headed back Washington.

Karen was lying crosswise in the backseat, to her legs up on the seat, her sleeping form wrapped in one of the Fenster County EMT blankets.

Train sat up front with are Mcnair, who had been listening c fully to Train’s debrief of the incident on the county road for the second time.

Train finished with the arrival of the first EMTS. Their clothes still smelled of char.

“Pissed me off,” he said. “Burning up my Suburban.”

“Goddamned lucky you both aren’t toast,” Mcnair replied, accelerating to pass a semi. “This wasn’t a warning.

You know’t ‘ hat, don’t you? This was for real.”

“Message received,”

Train said. He looked back over his shoulder at Karen, but she was still sleeping. “I think it’s time we went over to the offensive. I’m beginning to feel like the settlers barricaded in their cabin. I want to get out in the woods and start killing some Injuns.”

Mcnair shot him a skeptical look.

“Yeah, I know,” Train said. “But we need to break the pattern here. We need to act instead of always reacting.

What I can’t figure is why he upped the ante.”

“Maybe the commander’s little courtesy call on the Sherman kid had something to do with it.”

Train nodded silently. He had been thinking the same thing. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s look at that. Galantz wants us out of the way now because we’ve attracted daylight to Sherman’s son. If this is still all about Sherman as the target of revenge, why’s the kid important? Guy like Galantz surely doesn’t need help.”

Mcnair did not reply. Train let him think about it.

“Okay, I give up,” Mcnair said. “I can see the ‘what’ part of it but not the ‘why’ part.”

“My theory,” Train said, “is that Galantz has been planning to fold the kid into his little scheme for a long time.

From what the kid told Karen, they met back when Jack was still in the Corps, at recon school, where Galantz was probably an instructor. That’d be a good stash for a sweeper.

Then something happened, maybe even something his new I old man’ engineered, and then Jack was out with a BCD.

The only friend he’s got in the world now is the guy that got him through recon training.”

“But what’s the game?” Mcnair said. “Like you said, it’s not like Galantz would need the help of a shitbird like that to off the admiral.”

“It’s not about killing Admiral Sherman,” Train said.

“This is about destroying him. Ruining his reputation. Provoking a Navy rubbed raw by a string of scandals to force him out, right when he’s made it to the top. Using the guy’s‘ son would be icing on the cake in that program.”

“But how?”

“Picture the headline: ADMIRAL’S SON A MURDERER. Galantz has been thinking ahead of us. He knows you guys will never catch him, so you’ll settle for what you can catch Sherman’s son. Hell, it’s already working.

Sherman did nothing but attract a homicide cop., and they’ve stashed him sideways over in the Bureau. Then he gets spooke . d and bolts for the hospice. Goes A.W.O.L.. An admiral, for crying out loud. And after this caper tonight, you guys are going have to move. And you’ll move against Jack Sherman, because you know you can pick him up anytime you want.

Arresting Jack Sherman’ gives the Fairfax County cops a: suspect in custody,’ and any potential political heat dies away.”

Mcnair shot him a look. “We’re desperate guys,” he grunted. “But not that desperate. And we’re just supposed to forget about Galantz?”

Train glanced back at Karen, but she was still asleep.

“Isn’t that what certain federal agencies have already asked you to do?

You’ve got two probable homicides, and two attempted homicides. You grab up a viable suspect, your face is saved, and you can leave Galantz to the spooks and hope he doesn’t get Sherman, about whom the Navy no longer cares.”

Mcnair nodded again in the darkness. “it reads,” he said finally.

“Except for maybe when I take it to a commonwealth’s attorney. Which leads me to believe that this is a really good time for you two to hole up somewhere.”

“Yes and no Train said. “After tonight, I’d rather be the finder than the findee. I think this guy just wants us dead.” He looked back over his shoulder. Karen’s face was illuminated momentarily in the light of some passing headlights. “I don’t want her exposed to any more of this, and I also want a crack at the real bad guy here. Especially if you guys are gonna back off.”

Mcnair didn’t answer. He patted the pocket of his suit coat and then sighed. “Goddamn,. I’d like a cigarette. Quit two years ago, and not a day goes by that I don’t crave one., Look, I’ll make a deal with you.

Give me a day or so. You two get your heads down and stay low. Take her back to your house. I’ll get Stafford County to put some protection on for you, whatever. But basically, you agree to stay put.

In return, I’ll see what I can do about putting some heat on Galantz.”

Train thought about it. “Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“Because he’s killed two people on my turf, and tried for two more. That pisses me off-personally. I want his ass.

Deal?”

Train thought about it. As they approached Washington, the traffic out on the interstate was heavier, even at this late hour. The stream of red and white lights still had a purplish corona to them. “Okay,” he, said finally. “Deal. Two days. “

“Okay,” Mcnair said. “And leave Sherman to me. I’ll break the news to him about his kid’s involvement.”

Mcnair dropped them off at Karen’s house in Great Falls.

Karen needed some clothes, and with the Suburban destroyed, they needed a car. Karen’s Mercedes was in the garage. Mcnair stayed in his car to make call while Karen extracted a spare key from its hiding place.

Once they were in the house; Mcnair left. He had given Train a beeper number in case something came up over the next two days.

Twenty minutes later, they were out of there and headed for Aquia.

Karen, refreshed after her long nap in Mcnair’s car, was elected to drive, while Train kept watch behind them, the Glock stuffed between the front bucket seats. He was not going to be surprised by this bastard again. The sodiumvapor lights along the highway still had a reddish purple tinge to them.

“I’d be happier if Mcnair had come with us,” she said as she pulled the car onto the Beltway.

“He’s just as tired as we are,” Train said. “Actually, with all this traffic out here, I think we’re reasonably safe.”

We hope, he thought.

“Nobody’s safe on the Beltway,” she said. “But at least there’s a phone signal.”

At which point, the car phone started to ring, startling both of them.

After a moment’s hesitation, she reached down and hit the button so they could both listen.

“Hello?” she said.

Congratulations.

Karen actually closed her eyes for a moment before she remembered she was driving. Train leaned over to speak into the remote microphone.

“Gonna try again, Galantz?” You were lucky. Again. As I think I told you, you have to be lucky every time. I have to be lucky only one time.

“You some kind of ghost, Galantz? Only come out at night?”

Not a ghost, von Rensel. A grotesque, to be sure. I have one eye, a scar that bisects my face, a stainless-steel hand, and a Teflon larynx. I am memorable.

“So what now, Galantz? Calling to tell us you have the admiral tied up somewhere?”

There was an audible wheeze, a precursor breath each time before the voice replied.

You don’t understand, von Rensel. If I’d wanted Sherman dead, he’d have been extinguished a long time ago. That’s what I do. What I’ve done for years.

“So what do you want?” Karen asked, speaking for the first time.

His destruction. At the hands of his own kind, Commander. I’m provoking his precious Navy to turn on him at the peak of his professional success. I’m going to take away everything of value to him and leave him to contemplate that for the rest of his life. And there’s nothing you two can do about it.

“The Navy knows what’s going on here, Galantz,” Train said. “They’re not going to fall for this.” But as he said it, he wondered.

The admirals will do precisely what I want, von Rensel In a manner of speaking, they’re part of this. That’s why you’re going to Aquia now.

And that’s why I’m making this little courtesy call-to reinforce your orders. Stay out of this. Stay out of this or I’ll extinguish you both, understand?

How in the hell did he know that? Train wondered. He tried to think of something to say, but he sensed that Karen was getting truly frightened.

Hell, -so was he. There was absolutely zero emotion in that machine voice.

You listening, von Rensel? I’ve been setting this up for years. Years of watching Sherman. Years of cultivating his wretched son. But time t’ s growing short. My employers are ‘ a little upset with me just now, and I don’t need any distractions in the end game. Go to your pretty little estate. Stay there. This will be over soon. Now, look behind you.

Train snapped his head around. Their Mercedes was all alone out in six lanes of the Beltway. There was a wall of headlights farther back, but all of the traffic was holding back because of the police car that was a hundred feet behind them.

“Oh no,” Karen whispered.

Train reached for the Glock, but then he saw the police car begin to fall back, signaling an exit, merging into the phalanx of headlights ahalf mile behind them.

Go to Aquia. Live a lot longer. Then there was only the hiss of static.

“Now what?” Karen said.

“We call the cops, that’s what,” he replied. “What’s this number?”

She gave it to him while he reached for the phone, recycled it, and dialed the beeper number Mcnair had given him. The beeper tape came up, and Train punched in the car phone’s number and hung up. The phone rang one minute later.

“Von Rensel,” Train said.

“You called us,” -a male voice replied.

Train hesitated. Us? Who the hell was us? “I have -a message for Mcnair,” he said.

“Go ahead.”

“Tell him Galantz caught up with us on the Beltway, gave us a friendly phone call. We’re headed for Aquia.”

“Your ETA?”

“An hour from now. Maybe less.”

“Your route?”

Train hesitated again. Who was this guy? But then, if they wanted protection, the cops would have to know their route.

He told the voice they would take the Beltway to 1-95, and then straight down to Aquia. “Us” broke the connection without replying. Train hung up the phone.

“Who’d you get?”

“An ops center, from the sound of it. They knew Mcnair, though.”

“That voice scared the hell out of me.”

“Me, too. Rock and roll, Karen.” She kicked it up to seventy.

An hour later, they arrived at Train’s estate. Train had called ahead and raised Kyoko to tell her they were coming in.

Hiroshi was waiting for them at the front steps when Karen pulled the Mercedes to a stop. The two Dobermans, who had accompanied the car up to the house from the front gates, sat attentively on either side of the car until Hiroshi gave them an order that sent them back out into the morning twilight. Karen slumped behind the wheel and turned to look wordlessly at Train, her eyes betraying her exhaustion.

“For the moment, I think we’re safe,” he said, not entirely believing it even as he said it.

“Only for the moment? I thought Mcnair said we weren’t targets anymore.”

“Yeah, but what does he know?” When they got out, Hiroshi signaled that he had something to tell Train. Karen took her bag and went into the house to use the bathroom.

Hiroshi waited until she had gone into the house. “There is la visitor,” he announced.

“Visitor?” Train asked. “At this hour?”- And then he knew. “Admiral Sherman.”

Hiroshi nodded. “Arrived three hours ago. He is asleep in the study.”

Train was wondering where the hell the good admiral had been all night.

He ‘was still bothered by what he thought of as the feasibility problem.

Then he dismissed his suspicions: As Galantz had said, Sherman was in end game and didn’t know it. He took Hiroshi aside.

“Go in and wake him up. Take him some coffee. When Commander Lawrence comes back out, we’ll take a little walk around the grounds, give him a few minutes to get himself together. Then we’ll come in.”

Hiroshi gave a short bow, then hesitated.

“Yes, Hiroshisan?”

“He has a gun, I think. In his coat pocket.”

Train nodded. Why not, everybody else was packing tonight. “It’s been a long night, Hiroshi,” he said. “We were ambushed up in Maryland.” He told Hiroshi about what had happened.

“Ninia,” the old man murmured thoughtfully. Train caught the note of approval. But then he realized that it was respect being given to a worthy and capable opponent and not admiration for what Galantz was doing.

“Yes, ninia,” he replied. “But a ninja without honor. He kills women and old men. His real objective is the destruction of this senior officer, this Admiral Sherman, the man inside.”

“This is the senior officer?

The ninja will kill him?”