Undercover (24 page)

“And what if I won't go?” she said stubbornly, suddenly looking and acting her age.

“You'd be taking an enormous chance, and living with that risk every day. Like you just experienced in Paris. We can help you pick a location—there are several we prefer. In rural communities, states with low crime activity, and where you wouldn't attract attention. Obviously not in a city like Washington or New York.” She hadn't been far off with Montana. Wyoming was one of their favorite states for Witness Protection. “We really think this is the wisest course for you right now. Normally the Witness Protection Program is for people who are going to testify in a trial, and we need to protect them until then. Your case is somewhat different, because you are a potential victim of people who kidnapped you once before, and we want to protect you from them. But a trial could arise from this at some point, and you would be subpoenaed to testify. But what we're really focusing on right now is your safety.”

He explained to her then that before making her the offer of protection, they had already gone through the appropriate channels to put it into effect immediately. While she was still in London, they had gotten approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Enforcement Operations, who had agreed to her admission into the program, and Marshall's. And their admission into the Witness Protection Program had been confirmed by the U.S. Attorney General's Office, according to their normal procedures. Sam had asked all the agencies involved to speed their applications through, so they could move quickly. Ariana had been shocked to hear that her application to the Witness Protection Program had already been made and approved. It made it feel like a done deal, which upset her even more.

There was no one to advise her or tell her what to do. She was entirely on her own, which was a disadvantage too. She was young to make such a major decision, which might impact the rest of her life, or even her survival. “Why don't you take a day or two to think about it? We know it's a big decision and a lot to absorb. We can give you a list of the places we're considering. And we'll do everything to make it work for you. We can help you both find jobs, we have housing for you, and we can provide you a stipend of up to $60,000 a year. We'd handle all the documents, and counseling if you felt you need it.” Her head was spinning as she listened. She was also in a very particular situation, because she had inherited a great deal of money from her father, and could set up an extremely comfortable life somewhere, more so than most people. She nodded, and looked like she was in shock when they left the office. She felt totally overwhelmed.

Marshall had turned over the journals and letters to Sam in a manila envelope before they began the meeting. Now Sam turned to Marshall as they left. “We feel the same way about you, Everett. You're at high risk right now too. If the four operatives who saw you in Paris took photographs of you, they'll be after you in no time. We want you in the WPP too. With Miss Gregory, once she decides on a location, or on your own. That's up to both of you.” Sam handed both of them a list of preferred places and states where they felt the Witness Protection Program would function best for them.

“You want me put away too?” Marshall asked him, surprised, and Sam Adams nodded.

“You have just as much reason to be in the WPP as she does. Maybe more, given your history and now that you've been seen with her,” Sam said seriously. He escorted Marshall and Ariana from the room, and took them to his office, where they discussed it for a few more minutes. Ariana was fighting back tears, and Marshall looked subdued.

“It's like sending me to prison, or Siberia,” she said to Sam as they left the meeting.

“It's about saving your life,” Sam said somberly. “We worked hard to get you out of Jorge's camp. We don't want to lose you now.” And he knew they could. Marshall knew it too.

They went downstairs to the waiting car then, and Ariana burst into tears the moment they left the building, and cried all the way back to the hotel. Marshall hated to see her so distraught—it had been an overload of information for her. And when they got back to the suite, he put his arms around her, and she cried against his chest.

“I know it sounds awful. But it won't be so bad. And it won't be forever. Guys like me find guys like Muñoz all the time. You just have to give them some time to do their job. And now I'm in the same boat as you are. They want to lock me up too. Or send me to Siberia, as you put it.” But he didn't look as distressed as she did, just startled. He was used to going to far worse places under bad conditions, for extended periods of time.

“I'm sorry,” she said miserably, as she blew her nose when he handed her a tissue. “It's all my fault.”

“No, it's not. This is what I've always done as my job. I've been having people try to kill me for years. When I left Colombia, there was a leak.” It was the first time he had told her about himself. “I had to get out in a hurry, like within minutes. I had a woman and a baby, her brother was the drug dealer whose camp I had infiltrated for three years. He killed her and the baby the day I left. These people don't play for small stakes. Sam is right. Muñoz will kill you if he can. Let's not let him do that. You have a long life ahead of you, and this will only be for a while.” He tried to make it sound as benign as he could, and just an intermission in her life.

“It could be years,” she said, and blew her nose again. She couldn't stop crying, thinking of what was ahead, and then she looked at him. “Will you go to the same place?” He was becoming her only friend, and the thought of “disappearing” alone scared her. At least if he came, she'd know someone, and she felt safe with him. And she was touched to hear about the woman and the child. “I'm sorry about what happened to you. Why are these people so awful?”

“They just are. No morality, no conscience, twisted ideals, and motivated by money, or power, or both. That corrupts people. And I guess some people are just made that way.” He had seen a lot in his years in the DEA, and it showed in his eyes.

He handed her a glass of water then, and they sat down to look at the list of options. Wyoming was at the top of the list. Washington State, Alaska, North and South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico. There were a lot of rural, less populated, and farming states, none of which appealed to her, and she burst into tears again. And then she thought about Wyoming.

“I used to want to live on a ranch when I was a kid. For about ten minutes.” She smiled through her tears. “I rode a lot when I was young. Maybe we could start a horse farm.” She didn't really want to, but it made it sound not quite so bad. At least she'd have something to do if they bought horses and she could ride.

“If we pick something near a university town, I could come with you, and teach, if they let me,” Marshall suggested with a thoughtful look. “I don't think I'd be much help as a ranch hand.” He smiled ruefully and pointed at his left arm.

“I had a riding master with one arm once,” Ariana said, smiling at him. “He was the best teacher I ever had.” She looked sincere.

“I'll leave the horses to you,” he said again, but he was willing to go with her. That reassured her somewhat, but she needed to think about it. They went for a walk in Rock Creek Park with four agents, and talked about the plan again. Wyoming was definitely the state they both preferred on the list. And the idea of a horse farm was growing on her, as long as it was only for a year or two, or hopefully even less, if they caught Luis. Marshall had almost convinced her that that would most likely be the case. He hoped he was telling the truth. It was also possible that Muñoz would disappear for many years, or forever—and she'd be stuck in Wyoming indefinitely.

“What would you teach?”

“Political science, with a specialty in South American countries. I could teach Spanish, if they have nothing else. But I'd rather do poli sci. Or both.” He was ready to get busy again, and he liked the idea of going into seclusion with her. He didn't want to be in the Witness Protection Program on his own either. He was a solitary, independent person, but going to an unfamiliar place, knowing no one at all, with a new identity, sounded lonely to him this time. He had done something similar in undercover work, taking on different identities, but there it had been far more exciting. He had been active and living by his wits all the time. This would be a lot tamer, less interesting, and a lot more comfortable than some of the places he had lived. But it was less liable to keep him busy, which he missed. He told her about Raul's jungle camp then, and she asked about Paloma. He talked about her for a few minutes, and then changed the subject. She could see that it was still painful for him, just as Jorge was for her.

They called Sam the next morning and asked him to come to the hotel. Marshall spoke for both of them and said that they would agree to go into the Witness Protection Program, and they were considering Wyoming, but they wanted to know more precisely the locations the CIA had in mind. He said they'd like to be near a college town, and Ariana wanted to start a horse farm, which she intended to fund herself, and was well able to do so. She had even come up with the idea of having underprivileged kids come to ride, and giving them lessons, although Marshall had told her he didn't know how many underprivileged kids there were in Wyoming, away from urban areas. But they liked the idea. And Sam surprised them.

“We actually own a fairly large ranch in Wyoming, which we've used for these purposes before. It's unoccupied for the moment. And it probably needs some work. It has a good-sized main house, large enough for a family. Our last witness who stayed there had four kids. And there's a house for a foreman, and several other smaller buildings on the property. You'd have to do some work on it when you got there, at our expense of course. And there is a college town nearby. It's not Harvard, but it's a respectable school. It sounds like that might fit the bill for both of you.” Sam looked enormously relieved, and Ariana was still cautious.

“How would I access money?” It was a problem most members of the WPP didn't have. But in her case, it was an issue, which they had foreseen.

“You can have funds wired into one of our trust accounts. We can handle it for you, so nothing is directly traceable to you. And we would disburse the funds you want into your account under your alias in the program. Retrieving your funds shouldn't be a problem. And you'll both have to pick new names, by the way,” he reminded them.

“Can I do whatever I want to the house?” Ariana asked as Sam smiled.

“Yes, within reason,” Sam answered. “If you paint everything shocking pink with purple stripes, the next witness who lives there might not be too pleased. But I guess we could work that out later.” He wanted her to be happy, as much as she could be in the circumstances. She liked what Sam had said, because it made it sound like they weren't going to be there forever. And maybe it would be okay for a year or two. And at least Marshall had agreed to go with her. Facing it alone, in isolation, would have been infinitely harder. She didn't know Marshall well, but she had come to trust him in the short time since they'd met. He had already proven himself to her.

“When do we have to go?” she asked Sam with a look of dread.

“Soon,” Sam said seriously.

“Like tomorrow?” Ariana looked panicked. It was Tuesday.

“Let's say by Friday. We want you two to disappear as soon as possible. For all we know, they're looking for you here, or someone might happen to see you. The world is a small place, and we don't know where Muñoz is. That makes us very uneasy. He could be here, using an alias and a false passport. Let's get you out as soon as we can.” Marshall nodded agreement.

“Can we take our dogs?” she asked, looking worried.

“Of course. And we want to work on your identities and your stories. Where you came from, why you're moving there, what you did before. Where you went to school. You can make friends in the community, but there can't be any slip-ups. Marshall here can show you how it's done.” Sam smiled at him, knowing he was an expert in taking on a new identity and sticking to the story. His life had depended on it for six years. He had literally learned to become the person he pretended to be.

Members of the WPP came to show them photographs of their new home that afternoon. It looked like a large, slightly battered farmhouse, and Ariana made an immediate decision to repaint it out of her own funds, and put up new fences. And the furniture looked battered—she wanted to improve that too. The house Marshall would be using looked spacious and had been decorated for the foreman when it was a ranch, before the government bought it. And Marshall said it was fine for him, he didn't need anything fancy, and didn't care about how it looked. He had lived in a hut for three years in Colombia, and a tent in Ecuador before that. Living in a house would be a vast improvement for him.

“You'll be going as…friends?” the agent from the WPP inquired politely. “Husband and wife? Brother and sister? Employer and employee?” They hadn't thought of that, and Ariana spoke for both of them.

“Friends. He came out to help me start the horse farm, after he lost his wife. And I just lost my father.” In a way, it was true. Masquerading as brother and sister seemed too weird, and he wasn't her employee. Going on equal footing, as friends, was more comfortable for both of them. And staying closer to the truth was less confusing.

Marshall was planning to apply to the college for a job, once they arrived. And the WPP offered to help him locate a job opportunity, and provide him the necessary credentials, which they always did. They were told to select new names and said it usually worked best if they kept their own first names, or the same initials, which was standard procedure too. Marshall was going to use his mother's maiden name of Johnson. And Ariana was going to use “Robert,” after her father. They had to get credit cards, ATM cards, passports, drivers' licenses, bank accounts, and a host of other ID in place in their new names by the end of the week. The WPP would handle it all for them.