Chapter ninteen

  “I know! I know!” Sage’s eyes snapped open.

“What?” Vaughn’s voice was rough with sleep.

“There was something unusual that happened. But it was so bizarre, so ridiculous, I didn’t even realize.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sage sat up against the headboard. “You asked me about any unusual correspondence. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”

“Think of what?”

“Do you remember when we ran into each other outside the ballroom? I’d been pissed at you and avoided you. You asked me to lunch.”

“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Remember at lunch I told you I’d had an awful morning?”

“Vaguely.”

“That was because of my run-in with the head of the mailroom. I told you that at the time.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t you see?”

“Apparently not,” Vaughn said dryly.

“The classified mail clerk had just dropped off my mail. I read it, and there was one piece of correspondence that didn’t make any sense. So I looked at the envelope. It was addressed to the ambassador, not to me.”

“How did it get to you then?”

“It was in the pouch from Washington that had to do with the upcoming congressional visit, so the clerk assumed it should go to me, since I was the control officer.”

Now Vaughn sat up. “What did it say, and who was it from?”

Sage closed her eyes and tried to recall. “Something about camels being in place to spit and teaching the shrew a lesson at recess.” Sage opened her eyes again. “Like I said, it didn’t make any sense.”

“Can you remember who the memo was from?”

“I don’t think it said. That was one of the strange things about it. It was on plain white paper, not stationery, and there was no letterhead. It was so odd that I looked at the envelope again. On the bottom it said ‘Ambassador’s eyes only,’ but it was smeared.”

“What did you do with it when you realized it wasn’t for you?”

“I walked it down to Trindle, the head mail clerk.” Sage remembered what a jerk the man had been.

“What’s that face for?”

“What face?”

“That look, like you just stepped in dog shit.”

Sage laughed. “The man was a total idiot. He treated me like I was a moron, and then he called over the poor guy who had mistakenly delivered the piece to me in the first place and ripped him to shreds.”

“What happened after that?”

“Nothing. He sealed it back in the envelope and no doubt took it himself to the ambassador.”

“He didn’t read it?”

“No.”

“Did he ask if you had read it?”

“Yes, and I said I had, before I realized that it wasn’t meant for me.”

“Would the clerk who gave it to you have read it?”

“No, that’s not his job.”

“So the head clerk knew that you were the only one who read it?”

“Yes.”

“And he took it to the ambassador?”

“I can’t say that as an absolute fact, but I’m sure that’s correct. It was for the ambassador’s eyes only, and someone in the mail room screwed up. Trindle would’ve had to explain what happened.”

“That was the day before you were taken,” Vaughn mumbled. “Spitting camels and shrews at recess? Are you sure?”

“Positive, and let me tell you, if I never smell a camel or hear one spit again, it’ll be too soon.”

“What?”

Sage shivered involuntarily. “I said—”

“I know what you said, I just don’t understand why you’re saying that.”

“You try riding a camel blindfolded with your hands tied to the saddle.” Sage crossed her wrists in front of her to demonstrate.

“Is that how they got you up north?”

“Yes, we traveled by camel.”

“Sage, I need you to remember exactly how the memo was worded.”

Sage closed her eyes again. She had always had a gift for recall—it was one of the things that made her good at what she did. “The camels are in place and ready to spit. Your job is to give the shrew an education at recess on the twenty-third. She’ll need some fresh air between classes. Confirm receipt and destroy immediately.”

Vaughn scrambled out of bed and stood before the windows. The sun was not yet up, and the mountains appeared ominous in the inky darkness. “Remind me,” she said, her back to Sage, “what was the majority leader’s schedule?”

“First of all, if you want me to concentrate, you ought to put on some clothes.” Sage stared appreciatively at Vaughn’s shapely backside.

Vaughn turned and rolled her eyes, but threw on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. “Better?”

“No, but I did ask for it. The majority leader’s visit starts with a formal reception, an address to the National Assembly, then there are the trips to the schools up north…” Sage’s voice trailed off and her eyes opened wide. “Surely you don’t think…”

“Give the shrew an education at recess? That’s what you said, right?”

“Yes, on the twenty-third.”

“Do you remember what days the majority leader was supposed to be visiting the schools?”

“Not off the top of my head.”

“No matter,” Vaughn said, going to her duffle. She unzipped it and removed her briefcase. “I ripped this month’s page off your blotter.”

“You…”

“I was looking for clues, and I thought I might find something useful on it.”

Sage got out of bed and went to Vaughn. She put her hand on Vaughn’s face. “Have I said thank you yet? If I have, great. If not, I’ll say it now. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for coming after me. Thank you for risking your life and your career for me.” She blinked away the tears that formed on her lashes.

“You’re welcome,” Vaughn said. She leaned down and kissed Sage gently. “I’m sorry it took me so long.” Her voice was hoarse with emotion.

“I knew you’d come. Every time I got scared, I reminded myself that you were out there looking for me.”

“So you told me. I’m glad you were so sure.”

“I’m glad I was right.” Sage kissed Vaughn, just because she could, and because the temptation was too great. She avoided looking at the bandage inches below the right shoulder and inches above the breast. She didn’t want to think about how close she’d come to never having this opportunity again.

“Anyway,” Vaughn said, pulling back and unfolding the blotter page. “Let’s take a look.” She spread the page out on a table, then recoiled as though she’d been slapped.

“What is it?” Sage asked.

“Trindle,” Vaughn said, and pointed to a doodle in the corner of the square of the day before Sage was taken. The disappointment was clear on her face.

“So?”

“Do you have any idea how many times I looked at this page? I never made the connection. I didn’t see it.”

“Why would you? You couldn’t know who he was.”

“I had a list of employees. I could’ve cross-referenced.”

“Vaughn, no human being would’ve known to check that.”

“It doesn’t matter. The issue now is to get answers.”

Sage could see that she was trying to shrug it off, so she let it go. Vaughn’s impossible expectations of herself would be a topic for another day. “The school visits are planned for the twenty-second and twenty-third.”

“That’s it, then. The majority leader is the shrew. They’re planning to take out the majority leader on the twenty-third and make it look like it’s the act of a band of renegade locals.”

“The camels spitting would be Tuareg assassins?”

“Yes.” Vaughn’s eyes were bright and her voice had lost its sleepy quality.

“Wait a minute. This doesn’t make any sense. Who would want to kill the senate majority leader? If the message was meant for the ambassador, that means he’s part of the plot, right?”

“So it would seem. Or, at the very least, he knows about it.”

Sage sat down on the edge of the bed. “So this is sanctioned by the U.S. government? Our government wants to kill the most powerful female elected official in the country?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But…” Sage’s head hurt.

“Let’s get dressed and find Justine. We’ve got a lot to discuss and not much time to work with.”

 

  “Where are you now?” Vaughn was trying hard to be patient, but time was slipping through their fingers.

“An hour closer than I was last time you called me. I’m glad you’re feeling better, Elliott,” Sabastien said. “You know how I can tell you’re feeling better? Because you have no patience.”

“I’m glad you think that’s a good sign. You’re going to have some serious gadgets with you, right?”

“Of course. Elliott, don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”

“Okay. Hurry.”

“I’m going as fast as I can.”

“You’re not being followed, right?”

“Actually, I thought it would be really cool if I led them right to your door,” Sabastien said.

“I’m sorry. It’s just—well, be careful and watch yourself.”

“Your concern is touching. I’ll be fine. See you in a bit.”

Vaughn terminated the call and sat down gingerly in an oversized chair across from Sage and Justine. “He’ll be here soon.”

“Good,” Justine said. “Here’s hoping he can find answers that fill in some of these huge gaps.”

Vaughn nodded. “We can start doing some of the research ourselves while we wait.” She pointed to the laptop sitting on the coffee table. “We need to know what political enemies the esteemed majority leader has made, particularly of late.”

“She’s a strong female in a male-dominated field. What enemies hasn’t she made?” Sage asked.

“She’s got a point,” Justine said, as she booted up the laptop.

“True, but we’re looking for someone who thinks her sins are egregious enough to warrant death. That ought to narrow the field significantly.”

“One can hope,” Justine said. “How about if we search the New York Times database, for starters? We can see what positions she might’ve taken that would be especially controversial.”

“You should check the Washington Post too,” Sage offered. “It’s the second paper we review here after the Times.”

“Anything you can think of off the top of your head?” Vaughn asked Sage.

“No. I’ve been following her since she got elected, because I just think she’s a smart politician and such a good leader. She’s taken some strong positions, and they’ve earned her plenty of heat from special interest groups and the Republicans but nothing that’s worth killing over.”

“What about members of her own party?”

“Someone who got passed over when she was named majority leader?” Justine asked.

“If that’s true, I don’t know about it,” Sage answered.

“Disagreements with the president?”

“She’s certainly no rubber-stamp for his policies, but if they have major differences, they’re not public. Heck, rumor had it that she was his choice, and that he was twisting arms behind the scenes to get her the post. I can’t imagine that he’d want to do her harm.” Sage’s hand was trembling.

“What is it?” Vaughn asked.

“I can’t believe this is happening—that someone wants to kill her for being a great politician.”

“We don’t know that that’s the reason,” Justine said. “I’m scrolling through all these articles, and I don’t see any major red flags. Just the usual posturing and public policy arguments.”

“Why else would the administration want her dead?” Sage asked.

“Maybe it isn’t the administration at all,” Vaughn answered. “So far, all we know for sure is that Fairhaven has issued the orders. Pordras is at least complicit, and so is the ambassador. Hence the reason they were able to put Torgensen in play. We don’t have anything solid to assume it goes higher than that.”

“Rogues?” Justine asked. “I have a hard time believing that even a blowhard like Fairhaven could be so bold.”

Vaughn raised her eyebrows. “It goes down in a remote area of a third-world country, at the hands of a tribe of nomads known to have warrior-like roots and a history of unrest in the not-too-distant past. It’s the perfect setup. Nobody need ever know.”

“Except that Sage knew, or at least they thought she did,” Justine added.

“Which upset the applecart, big time.”

“Because if nobody knew, nobody could point a finger, and they could be as bold as they wanted.”

“Exactly. You know they would’ve sent a cleanup crew,” Vaughn said.

“Of course. You can’t leave any loose ends.”

Sage held up a hand. “First, what is a rogue?”

“Someone acting without higher authority,” Vaughn answered.

“Okay. So you’re saying this Fairhaven might be acting on his own and taking the secretary of state and the ambassador along for the ride? That’s pretty far-fetched, isn’t it?”

“That depends on what he has on either or both of them. We already know that Fairhaven and Pordras were boyhood friends, and that Fairhaven managed to bury Pordras’s drug issues so deeply that there’s virtually no remaining record of it.”

“What drug issues and, if they were buried, how do you know about them?” Sage asked.

“Pordras got arrested for drugs when he was in his twenties and Fairhaven made the whole thing disappear,” Justine said. “If you dig deeply enough, you can find almost anything that ever existed.”

“That’s comforting—not. By cleanup crew, I assume you don’t mean housekeepers.”

Vaughn laughed. “I guess in a sense you could call them that. A cleanup crew is a hit team that takes care of any potential problems. In other words, they would come and kill the Tuareg who carried out the plan so that they could never be tortured into telling.”

Sage’s jaw hung open. “This stuff happens in real life?” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Unfortunately, it does,” Justine said quietly.

Sage jumped up from the sofa, outrage and disgust plainly evident in her expression. “And this is part of what you do? This is the kind of thing our government sanctions?” She was staring directly at Vaughn, disillusionment darkening her pupils.

“Sage—” Justine started.

“It’s all right,” Vaughn interrupted. “I tried to tell you several times that I was not someone worthy of a woman like you, Sage. You wouldn’t listen. Now you know the truth.”

Without a word, Sage pivoted and ran from the room. Vaughn closed her eyes to shield her pain from Justine’s penetrating gaze.

“Why did you let her think that?”

“Is she so wrong?”

“She is, and you know it. You’ve never killed anyone who wasn’t a direct threat. You’ve never been part of any cleanup crew that I’m aware of.”

Vaughn shook her head. “But I could’ve been.”

“You could, but you wouldn’t do that, and we both know it. Why let her believe an untruth?”

“Heaven knows I’ve killed when it was required. Besides, you saw for yourself—she assumed the worst. I don’t want to live with someone constantly wondering whether I’m a good guy or a bad guy. Better to disabuse her of any illusions now.”

“Those aren’t illusions, Vaughn. Those are outright falsehoods. Maybe you’re so afraid to let that woman in your life that it’s easier for you to let her think outrageous things about you.”

“What’s your point?”

“It’s cowardly, and you’re no coward.”

Vaughn simply shrugged. “Sabastien will be here soon. I’m going to lie down.”

 

  Justine found Sage standing rigidly on the upstairs balcony. She had her good arm folded across her midsection, and her jaw muscles stood out in sharp relief.

“Sage—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe not,” Justine said. Her temper made her enunciate the t.

“But you’re going to make me, right?” Sage turned to face her.

“Yep, that’s right, and do you know why?”

“No, why?”

They were standing toe-to-toe.

“Because you were way out of line, and Vaughn doesn’t deserve your haughty assumptions and sanctimonious judgments. Because Vaughn Elliott is a hero with more commendations for valor and bravery than could fit on her chest.”

“But—”

Justine held her hand up when Sage tried to interrupt her. “What did I just say? You listen to me, Sage McNally. That woman has saved more lives than any other agent I know. When she’s taken a life, it has always been with cause, and always with remorse. She is a fine, upstanding human being, and I am proud to serve our country alongside her. Save your recriminations for someone who deserves them. Vaughn Elliott isn’t that person.”

The doorbell rang and Justine retreated inside. “I have to go. That should be Sabastien. We have to focus on the real bad guys.” She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder to see if Sage was following her. She was too angry to care.