The Mike Black Saga; Payback (28 page)

"She’s here. I saw her wondering around when we first got here. I didn’t want us to be seen together, you’ll meet her soon enough. She’s checkin’ out the house to get the lay out in case we need to come back again. In fact, do you see that woman over there with the blue dress?"

"The one with a patch over her eye?"

"That’s her," Nick said.

"She pretty, Nick."

"You’re not jealous are you, Wanda?" Nick hoped.

"No, of course not. Why should I be jealous?"

"Why should you?"

Truth be told, Wanda was beginning to enjoy Nick’s company and was just a bit jealous, but she wasn’t ready to admit it, not even to herself, so she changed the subject. "Have you spotted Marshall yet?"

"No, not yet," Nick replied and looked around the room. "But he’s here
somewhere,
I don’t think he’d miss his own party." 

While Wanda and Nick waited for Marshall to show himself, Travis sat outside in the van. It was like being a kid on Christmas morning, as Travis played with all of the devices that Monika had introduced him to. His assignment in this operation was to watch and listen. Monika explained that the image on screen before him was a satellite generated, 3-dimensioal thermal image of Marshall’s house. She told him that the red lines represented wall so he could see each room in the house. "What are those dots in each room?" Travis had asked earlier.

"Those represent everybody in the house. But we’re not gonna use that this time," Monika said and turned that function off. "Once we get inside you’ll see two moving indicators. One will be me and the other will be Nick. Are you familiar with the Greek alphabet?"

"Yes."

"Nick is
alpha
, I’m beta and you are omega. Once we identify Marshall, I’ll tag him and you’ll be able to track him too. He’ll be gamma."

The other
device that Monika had Travis monitor
and was a parabolic microphone. That device magnifies distant sounds allowing them to locate the source of sound and suppress background noises. "Because of its special design, it is capable of picking up and magnifying signals up to 75 times that of a normal
omni
-directional microphone," Monika told him.

While he waited for Monika to tag Marshall, Travis was amusing himself by listening to different sounds and conversations going on around the house. He listened to a couple of boring conversation at the party, picked up and identified where the kitchen and the bathroom were, he even overheard a couple having sex in one of the rooms on the second floor.

Travis was drifting from conversation to conversation when he found one that interested him. He knew he had something when he heard Black’s name mentioned and immediately began recording the conversation.

"- - - I don’t want there to be anyway this can come back and bite me."

"You worry too much, my friend. Once the word begins to spend about his involvement in this business, his political allies will run for cover and you will have no need to fear him."

"But if you can’t find that
package
or whatever you call it, and it becomes public it will put me and a lot of our friends in an extremely compromised position."

"If that happens, which it won’t, because I assure you that the package will be recovered, we have set these things in motion so the spot light will be on Mike Black —," the man said and laughed. "
and
others that I will make known to you when the time is right."

"There is one other thing that concerns me."

"What is that, my friend?"

"DeFrancisco. He’s shaky. I am not sure we can trust him to keep his mouth shut if anything goes wrong."

"How much does he really know? What have you told him?"

"I only told him what he needed to know to put the operation in motion. Still, he has me, and I don’t need any more heat. I just got somebody else’s stink off me."

"He is your man. When he has outlived his usefulness you will have to insure his silence."

"I’ve got to get back downstairs."

"I understand completely. I will leave through the service entrance."

After that, Travis heard what sounded like foot-falls walking and the door opening and closing. He tried to follow the walking sound, but he couldn’t stay with it.

"This is beta," Monika said into her wireless microphone. "Objective acquired. I’m moving toward him."

"Acknowledged," Nick said.

"Acknowledged beta. I have you," Travis said feeling like old times.

Monika began to approach Marshall, who was standing with a woman and a man. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter as he passed and stood close to Marshall. When he turned to walk away, Monika stepped in his path and purposely bumped into him. She placed a very small device on the sleeve of his jacket. Marshall smiled when he saw Monika. "I am terribly sorry, miss?"

"Ryan, Jeri Ryan," Monika said.

"Martin Marshall."

"I know who you are, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. And it is me who owes you an apology. I should watch where I’m going. A bit too much champagne," Monika said and raised her glass.

"Are you okay? Do you need somebody to drive you home?" Marshall looked at Monika the way a predator looks at his prey and took a step closer.

"No, I’m sure I’ll be fine," Monika said and tried to move away from him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I quite sure, but thank you for the offer."

"I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I was wondering about the eye patch?"

"I was hurt in an accident recently. They weren’t able to save the eye."

"Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you all right?"

"Other than this, I’m fine," Monika said, anxious to get away from Marshall. "Well, Mr. Marshall it was a pleasure meeting you."

"And you as well, Ms Ryan." Marshall handed her a card. "Call me sometime. Maybe we can get together and have a drink."

"I’m sure that pretty wife of yours won’t like that at all," Monika said and walked away. When she had gotten far enough away she said, "Objective is tagged."

"Acknowledged beta. Omega, do you have him?"

"I have him, alpha," Travis said.

"Acknowledged omega, I’m coming to you," Monika said and began moving toward the front door.

"Advise me when you get there, beta," Nick said.

"Acknowledged."

"What happens now?" Wanda asked.

"We wait until Monika gets back to the truck and then we’ll make our move," Nick told her.

"I just gotta say
,
this is all very exciting to me."

Nick smiled. "What’s that, Wanda?"

"All this spy stuff. You know I don’t get out much, so like I said, I’m just glad to be a part of it all. Did Mike say anything when you told him I was coming with you?"

"No. He knows it’s you that has the contacts. What could he say?"

"Do the words conspiracy to commit a felony mean anything to you, Wanda?" she said trying to sound like Mike.

"You’re right." Nick laughed, knowing that she was right. Mike had always been very protective about what parts of the business he involved Wanda in. "Maybe it won’t be an issue for much longer."

"Maybe."

"You think we’re really gettin’ out?"

"I don’t know, Nick," Wanda said and looked into Nick’s eyes. She had the strongest urge to kiss him, but she ignored it. "We’ll just have to wait and see."

"This is beta. I’m in position," Monika said when she got to the van.

"Acknowledged, beta. Assume operational control."

"Acknowledged."

Travis started to get up.

"Where do you think you’re
goin’?,
" Monika asked.

"I thought that meant he wanted you in this spot," Travis said looking confused.

"I am assuming operational control. I am now in command here, that’s what that means to me." Monika looked around the van. "This is your baby, you handle it. I blow shit up." And with that Travis sat down.

"I got something I want you and Nick to listen to later. I recorded it
earlier,
I think it might be important." 

Back inside the Marshall house, Nick got ready to make his move. He asked Wanda if she would go and get
Glynnis
to walk him over and introduce him to Marshall. "I can introduce you to him," Wanda said. "I mean I do know him."

"I’m sure that you do," Nick said as they walked. "But if he knows you, then he knows that you work for Mike Black and I want to keep him out of it."

Wanda looked at Nick skeptically. "Okay. As long as you’re not just trying to protect me. I’m a big girl, you know."

Nick looked at Wanda the way a predator looks at his prey. "I can see that."

Wanda smiled. "I can take care of myself," she said as they found
Glynnis
.

"So, you guys ready to meet the man?"
Glynnis
asked.

"He is, I’m not," Wanda said. "Nick is afraid that Marshall will connect me to Mike.”

"Yes, that’s right. I didn’t think of that."

"Neither did
I
," Wanda frowned. "So I’m going home. Will you be all right,
Glynnis
?"

"Oh sure, Wanda, I’ll be fine with this crowd."

"Okay, then. Will you
please
call me later, Nick?" she looked at
Glynnis
. "Just to let me know how things worked out?"

"I promise
,
I’ll call you later."

Chapter Forty

Nick and
Glynnis
watched Wanda until she was out of the house.
Glynnis
turned to Nick. "Okay, handsome, let’s go."

"When we get to him,
Glynnis
, introduce me as Patrick Mitchell."

"Patrick Mitchell, right."

When Nick and
Glynnis
approached Marshall he was talking to two men. "Hello Martin,"
Glynnis
said and tapped him on the shoulder.

Marshall turned around. "
Glynnis
, it’s so good to see you," he said and turned to the men he was with. "Will you gentlemen excuse me?" he asked.

"I’ll give you a call, Marty. We can discuss this further over 18 holes," one of the men said.

"I’ll make some time on my schedule," Marshall promised and the men went away. "Thank you for coming to my rescue,
Glynnis
. Lobbyists, always want something."

"I know how that goes, believe me. I want to introduce you to Patrick Mitchell. Patrick, this is Martin Marshall, he’s a state senator."

"Patrick, right? Good to meet you."

"It’s an honor to meet you sir," Nick said and the two shook hands.