The Devlin Deception: Book One of The Devlin Quatrology (45 page)

Jake looked over at Pam and saw her smiling. He chuckled and then
got serious.

“So, Pam, how was it? Only whatever you can tell me. Looks
like you're even more sculpted, maybe lost a couple pounds.”

“About five, actually. It was tough, but really good. And
they gave me an okay to tell you a lot … not everything, but a
lot.”

“You told them about me?”

“Yup. And they may be giving you a call; they were impressed
when I told them about your moves.”

“My moves? What moves?”

“How quick you were, like with that football and the Dunn guy.”

“What football? Oh, right. But those were both just lucky.”

“No, no, Jake; you've had some training.”

“Just that little bit from Dorothy.”

“More than that, I think.”

“Nah, just that.”

“Okay,” Pam said, still skeptical.

“So what can you tell me? Where was it, anyhow?”

“I don't know.”

“You don't know?”

“I really don't. I know it was a private island somewhere in
the Caribbean, but I don't know exactly where. It was a big island,
nothing but water all around. I got there by private jet from Miami,
where I met my mentor/trainers, Rona and Joel, ex-Mossad.”

“Israeli? Really?”

“Yup. Tough, but totally supportive. They refreshed me on
Krav Maga.”

“On what?”

“Krav Maga; it's a form of hand-to-hand combat.”

“Hmm.”

“Very aggressive; and they're experts. We really hit it off
right from the start, and it only got better after that.”

“That's great.”

“Let's see. Oh, one of the first things I had to do was give a
pint of blood, so they'll have mine on hand if I ever get injured.
They took another pint just before I left, and I need to give another
pint every two months from now on.”

“It's that dangerous? Geez.”

“Of course, Jake; it's bodyguarding.”

“Geez.”

“But what's really cool is the assignments. They post them, in
general terms, on a web site, with the per diem, the general location
and type of protectee, and I log in with my nickname and password …
I can't tell you those … and if I want to take the job, I just
check the 'Yes' box. I don't know how they decide who gets it, but
if I do, I'll be contacted and go off and do it.”

“And if you don't want to?”

“I just log out; that's it. I just need to work at least 50
days a year to cover the 50K draw at a thousand a day. But if the
jobs pay more, fewer days. Plus any more I want to work.”

“Oh; I guess that makes sense.

“So what else can you tell me?”

“There was a lot of training, seminars and field work. We had
a guy, Levi, from Moscow, worked with the ballet there, probably
ex-KGB, and he taught us a lot of new stuff on changing your walk,
your gait and posture when you're undercover.

“Then there was this one guy named Robert – not sure
where he's from – who taught us disguises, wigs, costumes,
makeup, even how to do fake teeth over our own. Lots more
cutting-edge stuff. He looked kinda familiar to me, but he was in
disguise, and told us so.

“Then there was Mauricio, ex-Nicaraguan secret police --”

“What?”

“You heard me. But it's ex. He's a pretty cool guy, taught a
quick course on camouflage.”

“What? You're going to guard somebody dressed as a tree?”

“Oh, Jake,” Pam said, laughing, then put a serious face
on and said, “If the guy's in a forest, absolutely.”
Then she chuckled. “It could happen. Like the one about the
two Irish guys who walked out of a pub.”

“Yeah, I love that one.”

“Anyhow, the segment I liked the most was threat assessment and
the psychology of assassination. We'd role play both sides, trying
to figure out how to get through to the target, and the other team
would try to counter that. And then we'd switch sides and run the
exercise again. That took me back to my early days in the Company.”

“Wow. You were okay with that?”

“With what?”

“Playing assassin?”

“Yeah; it's what we've got to protect against. We even had a
quick course on sniping; sometimes we've got to be preemptive, just
like in the Service, take out the bad guy before he makes his move.”

“Geez. No, I can understand that.”

“And the woman who taught that was superb, named Sharon. And I
felt sometimes like she knew me, that she was looking right through
me, that I couldn't get away with any BS with her.”

“Hmm.”

“And a pretty young woman named Kirbey led a good seminar on
tactical and foreign weaponry.

“Let's see. Dick and Jane … really … covered
what they called 'aqua-surveillance,' all kinds of under- and
over-water audio stuff, on and from boats, subs, even jet skis.

“Then … let's see … ah. Another couple, Coco and
Nobo, led --”

“Who?”

“Coco and Nobo; nicknames, I think. They did a basic seminar
on forensic accounting; old stuff for me, but a good basic overview.

“And a guy named Dayne gave a fascinating seminar on some very
cool new photographic and video techniques and technologies.

“John and Dot did a quick seminar on adapting to local
cultures, trying to fit in as a local, if you're physically
compatible.

“Roger and Toula … now, there was a cute couple …
did a whole morning on false flag ops.”

“False flag ops?” Jake asked.

“When you do something that can be attributed to an enemy, or
an infiltration op, like Hoover's COINTELPRO.”

“Oh, I read about that; infiltrating the antiwar movement back
in the '70s.”

“And lots of other groups, too.

“Then another couple, Dick and Mary .. again, really ... did an
intro to covert surveillance. Some VERY cool equipment that I never
even knew existed. Can't tell you more about that, though.”

“You gonna plant a bug on me?”

“Oh, Jake, of course not – hmm. That would be fun.
Maybe we could post some of that online.”

“There's enough of that out there already.”

“But I'm thinking we're not out there.”

“And I'm glad we're not. I like things between us staying
between us.”

“Like Vegas?”

“You know what I mean, Pam.”

“Yeah, I do. Okay.

“Let's see … oh, a couple of really cute girls, Shauna
and Bridget, taught a quick course on … well, it was on honey
trapping.”

“Really? Your expertise.”

“C'mon, Jake. You should know by now that I wasn't doing that
to you … at least not for any ulterior purpose.”

“I know; just pulling your leg a little. Gotcha.”

Pam started to say something smart in response to that, but bit her
tongue. “Ouch.”

“What's wrong?”

“I just bit my tongue.”

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?”

“When we get home, absolutely; and I'll kiss a lot of other
parts of you.”

“Whee!”

“I actually probably could have taught that course a bit
better, but they did a good job. One nice idea they had was 'Use
what you got.'”

“Ah; nice phrase.”

“I'll let you use what I've got if you let me use what you've
got.”

“Once we get back to your place, I'll take you up on that, in a
big way.”

“Now that you've quit smoking, I expect nothing less.”
She smiled; so did Jake.

“Let's see. Then there was Kathy, with a Y, who taught us
evasive and anti-ambush driving. Young, but amazingly effective. By
the way, you know we've picked up a tail, right?”

“The white convertible?”

“You got it.”

“Been with us since we left the garage. I'm getting used to
it.”

“The convertible?”

“No, being followed.”

“Really? How long has that been going on?”

“I don't know. I guess I first noticed it just after I met
you.”

“Oh, geez, Jake. Have they tried anything?”

“Nope, just following; I've lost them a few times, running
those – what did you call 'em?”

“Oh. SDR's, surveillance detection routes, you mean?”

“Right; that's it.”

“And they broke off after you did those?”

“I think so, far as I could tell.”

“Well, once they know you're onto them, that's what they'd do,
and then probably swap out vehicles until you catch them again.

“Tell you what. Why don't we just go straight to the condo, no
SDR, see what they do? Okay?”

“Okay. I can do that.”

-92-

Friday, February 24, 2012

8:47 a.m. EST

A network morning talk show

After another week of promos for Donne's interview, using the first
and second questions, Lindsey smiled at the camera after a commercial
break.

“Welcome back. I'm Lindsey Framingham, and I've now got a
third clip from my exclusive interview with Gordon Donne, the man we
all now call boss.”

The screen cut to the same shot of Lindsey and Gordon Donne on the
chairs in the Oval Office that was used in the first two promos.

“Mr. Donne,” Lindsey began, “without elections,
aren't we all subject to taxation without representation?”

“If you look at it one way, yes. But I think that whole idea
went out the window decades ago, with the corruption that envelops
the whole election process, and the special interests that have
controlled that process. So what I've done has --”

The screen cut to a medium closeup of Lindsey in the studio.

“If you want to see the rest of his answer, we'll be running
the whole interview on this show on Friday, March 16th. Be sure to
mark that on your calendar. But now, back to Bob and Rene and their
guest, a shrimp fisherman who's started a 'Save the Mosquitoes'
nonprofit. Bob, just how crazy is this guy?”

This clip was added into the rotation with the first two promos and
the three clips played ten times each each day until March 16th.

-93-

Six Months Earlier

Sunday, September 18, 2011

9:25 p.m.

Bonita Springs, Florida

Jake pulled into the lot at Pam's condo and watched as the white
convertible, which had stayed with them, but far behind, often out of
sight, passed on by and headed up Hickory Boulevard.

“Whew,” Jake sighed. “As usual.”

“So it looks like you're not a target, just a surveillee.”

“A what?”

“Surveillee, the subject of surveillance.”

“But who are they? And why are they watching me?”

“I don't know, Jake. But let's get inside. We can leave the
luggage here.”

“No, no, they're gone. Let's get the luggage, too. We should
be okay for now.”

“Well, if … okay.”

Six minutes later, snug on a couch inside Pam's condo, they both
breathed a sigh of relief, as Sharon's recording equipment three
floors above turned itself on and alerted Sharon that it was running.

“Okay, Jake, let's try to sort this out. You first noticed
them about the time you and I met, right?”

“Right; before you got me all paranoid that afternoon at the
Seabreeze, I wasn't looking for anything like that.”

“So it could have been going on before that.”

“Could have.”

“That wasn't a question, Jake; I was just talking to myself.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I do that sometimes.”

“Don't we all? Oh, did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, Jake, you did.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“So here's what I think. I think you've been way too free
about giving that link to the JakeDevlin.com site out, and somehow it
got to the people who set up the surveillance. Now, they may be
friendly to you or they may be hostile, but if they were hostile, I'd
think they'd have made a move on you by now.

“Since they haven't, I'd guess it's either friendlies or maybe
it's what you most suspected when we first met, that maybe they're
from some publisher looking to keep tabs on you before you get the
book done, maybe steal your ideas.”

“But after you investigated me, that changed for me, 'cause you
made me paranoid that someone in government, like your ex-boss, might
still be coming after me. And all over a stupid little novel.”

“Hey, Jake, you can't expect everybody to be rational. You
have no idea what big egos some people in government, especially the
political ones, can have, and how irrational and stupid they can
behave as a result. And they have very long memories and can carry
irrational grudges for a long time. And you've got to admit, there
are parts of your novel that'll piss political types off … a
lot.”

“Yeah, but I can't help that; he IS anti-political, and that's
a big part of the whole basis for the book.”

“I know, I know, Jake, and I know it's important to you, and I
do want to help, in any way I can, but I think you need to be a whole
lot more careful about discussing it with just anybody. You never
know who might pass it on to the wrong person.”

“Oh, geez; hmm – ah; Wendi. I think I have an idea of
how that might have happened.”

“Yeah?”

“There's Wendi, this woman I knew up in Myrtle Beach who was a
total Obamabot, and I emailed her a link when I had Donne's speech
done.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yup. She emailed back and told me in no uncertain terms that
she did NOT like my dissing her 'kid.' That's what she called him.
She could well have passed that along to some higherup Dems.”

“And she was a fanatic?”

“Oh, god, yes. But I think it was more anti-Republican and
that her kid filled the bill for her when he made his appearance. I
mean, before any of us had ever heard of him, she would do things
like … if someone pointed out a pretty tree, she'd say, 'Tree?
Reminds me of Bush, arrrrgggghhhhh,' and go off on a passionate
anti-Bush rant. And she had a whole coterie of libs with similar
feelings, and they'd reinforce, coddle and support each other.”

“I know how that works, on both sides. Like pep rallies in
high school.”

“Yeah. Or sports fans as so-called adults, like Boston fans
versus New York fans.”