Girl Takes The Oath (An Emily Kane Adventure Book 5) (30 page)

Chapter Twenty Eight

One Last Sacrifice

Emily looked down again into Stacie’s face, bruised and swollen from her final ordeal, and yet somehow placid in death. She’d died a hero, and maybe it showed in the set of her jaw, and the shine on her lifeless eyes. But the sacrifice was too great, and Emily knew all too well that she wasn’t worth it. That she had survived to serve Princess Toshi mattered to her, but it could have made no part of the calculus that led Stacie to this moment. She brushed the dead girl’s hair aside, and closed her eyes, and wondered if the swelling would go down before her parents would have to see her.

“Your friend, he’s still alive,” Gunderson called out in a shaky voice.

Emily turned her attention to Kano. Blood had pooled around his body and seeped under one tire of the van. His breathing was labored and heavy, but his eyes still flashed with life.

“Kano-san, you shouldn’t have come,” she said to him in Japanese, a private sentiment she didn’t feel like sharing with Gunderson.

“I did my duty,” he replied.

“But it cost too much. I am not worthy of your sacrifice. Your training, the perfection of your skills, they have come to nothing, and all to defend someone as worthless as me.”

“You are mistaken. My skills have no meaning, unless they can be used in the service of something greater than myself. I am honored to have been able to give my life in your service. Your spirit, your
chi
, is beautiful,
Ohime-sama
. I see now what the Crown Princess knew all along, that I can entrust the safety of Princess Toshi to your capable hands.”

“No, Kano. You don’t have to die. We can get help.” She turned to Gunderson and said, “Quick, look for a cell phone, maybe in one of their pockets, or in the van.”

“It is no use,” Kano said, now speaking to both of them in English. “I don’t have much time, and there is one last service I must do for you. Place the sword in my hand, and when they ask, you must say I killed them all.”

Gunderson stared blankly at him, and Emily shook her head.

“But why, Kano-san. These people were not worthy of dying by your sword.”

“The conspirators will use it as a weapon against you if they discover that you killed her. If they think I did it, they will merely be discouraged.”

Emily nodded reluctantly and glanced at Gunderson, who nodded back at her.

“I’ll say whatever you need me to say. You saved my life, both of you, and I owe you…”

Kano smiled to hear this, until his face stiffened and took on the form of a mask, behind which no light shone any longer in his eyes. Emily bowed her head to the floor in front of him and held it there, until she heard the sound of whimpering and got up to investigate. Crouching behind the van, where she must have crept when Diao Chan’s men were focused on the fight with Emily, she found Ruochen Ma, face ashen and eyes red with tears. When she touched her shoulder, the girl shivered in fear.

“It’s okay,” Emily said. “You’re safe now. Diao Chan is dead.”

Tottering a little, and unable to believe the truth until she saw for herself the hated head lolling a few feet from its body, Ruochen shuddered to look at it, and then cried out, “But my family… they are still in danger. You don’t know these people.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve done what I can for them. A friend is trying to arrange a safe passage.”

“Who
are
you?” Gunderson asked, eyes wide and mouth agape, and perhaps not remembering what happened to the last person to ask that question.

“You know who I am, a classmate, a midshipman…”

“You know what I mean. How do you have the resources to do all these things, to help her family, who I assume is halfway around the world, to command the service of this man, whoever he is, to fight off these men with his assistance… I hardly know what to think. I owe you my life, I know that much, and you’ll have my gratitude ’til the end of my days, I suppose.”

“I am nothing,” Emily murmured, unhappy to be reminded of the outsize impact her troubles seemed to have on those around her.

“That’s not what
he
thought,” she said, gesturing to Kano’s lifeless body. “He spoke to you like you’re some sort of royalty.”

Emily grew impatient with this subject and searched in the pockets of the dead for a phone. “It’s getting late,” she said. “We need to notify the authorities.”

“Do you mean NCIS?” Kathy asked. Emily considered her suggestion while she continued to search. Everett and Horton would have to be notified eventually, because Naval personnel were involved, and especially because Caspar had been killed. But she didn’t like the idea of dealing with them just yet, given their blunt misreading of the events that led to this scene.

“There’s a phone in the van,” Ruochen said, and dug it out of the glove compartment. Emily looked at the time, just after oh-three-hundred, and groaned.

“I guess it can’t be helped,” she muttered, and punched in a number. When a groggy voice picked up, she said, “Ed, I need you.”

“Who is this?” he mumbled.

“It’s me, Tenno Michiko.”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“I’m sorry about that, Ed, but I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.” She told him how to find them. “It’s a bloody scene here, ten dead, another Chinese hit-squad. Contact NCIS for me, but it’ll be worth your while to make sure your people get here first.”

“Because you want me to put a sympathetic twist on the scene?”

“No. Because you deserve a heads-up, and besides, you owe me.”

In the time it took Braswell to round up his partner and get to the mall, Emily tried to help Kathy and Ruochen find their sea-legs.

“If anyone asks you, Kano killed them all, except for the people Diao Chan shot.”

Ruochen nodded. “I didn’t see most of it, because I was hiding behind the van,” she said.

“I’m sorry to ask, but it’s important. Other lives may depend on it.”

“You can count on me,” Kathy said. “I owe it to Stacie, and I owe it to you. I was such an ass to both of you, all year long. I hope you can forgive me.”

“You don’t need my forgiveness,” Emily said. “Maybe you just need me to trust you.”

“Thanks, Tenno.”

“My friends call me Em.”

“M for Michiko?”

“Yeah. Or for Emily.” When the expression on Kathy’s face showed puzzlement, she added, “That’s what my family call me.”

“Thanks, Em,” Kathy said, and Ruochen nodded behind her.

They heard the squeal of tires turning on concrete a few minutes later, and Emily walked up the ramp to wave Braswell and Padgett over.

“Holy crap,” Braswell said when he saw the carnage. “This looks just like the bridge… except for that guy,” he added, when he caught sight of Caspar.

“Who’s he?” Padgett asked.

“And this guy, with the
wakizashi
, is that who I think it is?” Braswell asked.

Emily nodded, and walked through Kano’s version of events for them.

“So these are General Diao’s people?” Braswell asked.

“Yup, and I think you’ll find that they were behind the attempt on Ambassador Zhang’s life, and they probably killed Dong Zhuo, too.”

Another DSS car pulled up, followed a few minutes later by an FBI forensics team. More work lights, yellow tape and chalk outlines, and the bustle of hundreds of photographs pushed Emily, Kathy and Ruochen to the side. Padgett interpreted the scene to a supervisor a few feet away—“…and the headless chick over there seems to have been the leader”—while Braswell spoke to Everett and Horton, who had arrived in the meantime.

“I think the girls have been through a lot. If it’s okay with you, I’ll take ’em back into town, and you can take their statements in the morning.” Everett frowned at the idea of letting Emily out of her sight, since she had obviously violated an order to remain on the Yard. But Horton seemed more interested in taking control of the crime scene, and Braswell’s offer must have seemed like a way to achieve this.

“You were right,” Emily said, as Braswell’s car turned onto Rt. 50. “There were two separate groups.”

“They seemed to be at war with each other,” Padgett said. “I’m surprised CIA didn’t already know about this.”

“Are you worried that there may be more than two?” Braswell asked Emily.

Bac
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Chapter Twenty Nine

Two Funerals

The first sign of a change emerged at lunch on Wednesday, when Kathy Gunderson walked over and sat between Emily and CJ. The plebes noticed it before the others, probably because they’d gotten used to having Emily sit with them over the past few weeks, and even though she’d moved back with the other 2/Cs, they still paid more attention to her comings and goings.

“What the…” McDonough began to say, before Zaki jammed an elbow into his ribs.

Funderburk leaned over and whispered to CJ, “Is there something I should know?” She turned and shook her head, unable to conceal a little grin. “Tenno?” he said, moving on to someone who might be more informative. The whole time, Gunderson herself sat quietly, like a cat during a thunderstorm.

“Is there something in particular you’d like to know, sir ?” Tenno replied.

“I’d like to switch companies,” Gunderson blurted out, and then fell silent, embarrassed by the vehemence of her statement.

“We’ve got room, sir,” CJ said, helpfully. “She can bunk with us, and we can make it official for next year.”

“I’ve already submitted a chit to Commander Gangalal, sir,” Gunderson said.

“A love chit or a hate chit?” Funderburk asked.

“Not really either, sir… though more like a hate chit, I guess. It’s just that after all that’s happened…”

“And this is okay with you, Tenno? I seem to recall a good bit of tension between you and… well, Gunderson’s friends.”

Emily turned to Gunderson and smiled: “All a misunderstanding, sir. The three of us will be good together.”

“Thanks, Em,” Gunderson whispered, as CJ rubbed the back of her neck.

“I hope this means we can continue our morning hand-to-hand sessions,” CJ said. “And Kathy can join us, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Emily said, “…at least for the next couple of weeks.”

“Me, too, right?” Zaki added, full of hope.

“What about me?” McDonough asked.

“Is this the early morning PT you were running, Tenno?” Funderburk asked, in a very gruff, official voice. When Emily nodded, he continued: “I think it will make approval of Gunderson’s request much smoother if you open those sessions to all the 2/Cs.”

“Yes, sir,” Emily said, and prepared to make an announcement. Zaki cringed to hear what she would say.

“Please not Jonas Green,” he whispered in some sort of preposterous prayer.

Emily smiled at him and said in a much louder voice than anyone was used to hearing: “Morning hand-to-hand training for all 2/Cs in the Fightin’ 28th tomorrow morning at oh-five-hundred on the far end of Sherman Field.”

Funderburk clinked his glass and repeated the announcement. “Sherman Field?” he asked in a whisper afterwards. “Isn’t that kind of far?”

“It’s that or Jonas Green,” she replied.

“Sorry about bringing all this attention, Em,” Gunderson whispered.

“Make it up to me by coming out with us, okay?”

~~~~~~~

“Have you talked to them yet?” CJ asked, sitting on a duffle she hadn’t unpacked yet.

“Yeah,” Emily said. “This morning, when they first got here, I helped carry Stacie’s stuff to the car.”

“They want to see us after the ceremony. I’m a little nervous about it. What should we say to them?”

“I don’t know. What do people usually want to hear in situations like this? Maybe just a reminder that their daughter’s friends loved her and that we’ll miss her.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“C’mon, CJ. You know them. We visited them last year. They’re sweet people, and Sadie is with them.”

“How old is she now? Thirteen?”

“She’s tall for thirteen,” Emily said. “I would have guessed fifteen.”

Kathy stumbled in, carrying the last of her gear: a load of books stacked precipitously on her forearms, and a large duffle pulling one arm down.

“Which bunk is mine?” she asked.

“Since it looks like we’re starting over,” CJ said, “Why don’t we do rock-paper-scissors for dibs?”

“Do you have a preference?” Emily asked. “Because I don’t think either of us does.”

“Not really.”

“Then we’re at an impasse,” CJ chirped. “How about we number the bunks and draw from a hat?”

Kathy opened her mouth, and then closed it again, looking for the right word. “I heard something on the way up here… It’s just… Em, there’s a rumor’s going around that you’re responsible for Caspar’s death.”

“Of course there is,” CJ grumped. “What else is new?”

“Well, but…” Kathy stammered.

“Spit it out,” Emily said.

“His parents got wind of it, and they’re making noises about demanding an inquiry. I think I should set ’em straight.”

“Do you know who’s behind the rumor?” CJ asked.

“Martens, probably,” Emily said.

“We ought to kick his ass,” CJ roared, suddenly full of beans.

“I think we can leave that to Zaki and Trowbridge.”

“What about Caspar’s parents? They deserve to know the truth,” Kathy said.

“No,” Emily said. “They don’t need to know this truth.”

“What truth?” CJ asked.

Kathy was about to respond, until Emily shook her head.

“But they think it’s your fault… that you got him killed.”

“Let ’em. What’s one more dead body in my closet?” Emily said, hanging her head. “Someone’s gotta bear the responsibility in their minds. It might as well be me.”

“C’mon, guys,” CJ said. “Let’s go find Stacie’s parents. We don’t need to wait for the ceremony.”

Out in the hall, Emily pulled Kathy aside and whispered in her ear. “I don’t care about Martens.” This was a lie, of course. The idea of letting a couple of weasels off the hook for their misdeeds really rankled her. It didn’t make it easier to swallow that she also had to let people think badly of her. But she figured this was a sacrifice she needed to make, and she tried to convey this to Kathy. “All that matters to me is honoring Kano’s last wishes; he died for us. And if we make a fuss about what Caspar did, NCIS might look more closely at that crime scene, and question our story. You know the truth. That’s enough for me.”

~~~~~~~

“What’s the news?” Andie asked, amid the clatter of Michael depositing his bag and rifling through papers on the kitchen table after a long day.

“O’Brien’s agreed to have NCIS close the case. Apparently, a couple of operatives didn’t buy her story and wanted to keep it open.”

“But they’re buying it now?” Yuki asked, trying to look like she was only tangentially interested. She and Andie focused their attention mainly on a large bowl of pea pods.

“What can they do? SECNAV has spoken, and there’s no evidence against her, other than being AWOL that night. Those cryptic notes corroborate her story, plus it looks bad for them that she found them and they didn’t. And the other mids are lining up behind her, even the one who accused her earlier.”

“Will there be any charges for being AWOL?”

“I’d imagine just some sort of reprimand,” Connie said. “The Commandant has to do something once it’s brought to his attention.”

Ethan nodded, holding a large basket of corn, from which Connie removed one ear at a time, peeling back the husk and stripping out the silk. As she finished each one, she exchanged it for another from the basket. He might have placed the basket on the counter, but for some reason preferred to bear a burden, perhaps hoping it would absolve him of the duty of formulating an opinion about the meaning of recent events.

“Any idea why Tom is being so obliging?” Andie asked. “I thought you said he was doing some sort of deal with the Chinese. Didn’t Emily just throw a huge monkey wrench into whatever plan they were hatching?”

“The situation’s probably more complicated than we thought, at least on the Chinese side,” Michael said.

“Complicated how?” Connie asked.

“Kravitch at DSS told me how Ambassador Zhang reacted to the news that Diao Chan was dead. He said it looked like he’d just heard his rich uncle had died. Of course, he composed his face immediately after, so you’d never guess it now.”

“It sounds like General Diao’s operation isn’t just a few renegades,” Connie said. “If someone as well-connected as Zhang is afraid of them, Diao must have some substantial support within the PLA.”

“The only question is how high it goes,” Michael said.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Connie said. “I mean, if the Director of Clandestine Services doesn’t know the answer to that, either it’s not very high, or they have someone on the Central Committee.”

“One thing I think we can conclude is that they don’t have anyone on the Standing Committee,” he said.

“Why is that?” Andie asked.

“Because if they’re connection goes that high, then they’re already running the country. At that level, they don’t need an intrigue. They
are
the state.”

“This is starting to make my head spin.” Andie said. “Do we even know what they wanted with her?”

“Or if they still want it?” Yuki added.

“It sounds like Zhang’s people wanted her for the same old reason,” Connie said. “That’s what Jiao Long’s apology suggests. But General Diao’s people may have something else in mind, I mean, if your interpretation of Jiang’s information is correct.”

“If Diao Chan was a Predator, or some other sort of genetically modified soldier…” Michael began, then hesitated before finishing the thought. He held his arms out to the side and let out a breath and turned to look at Yuki. “I mean, if the General managed to fully recreate your father’s research, then there’d be no need of Emily for that purpose.”

“What do they want from her, then?” Ethan asked, finally ready to speak.

“It may have nothing to do with genetic research,” Michael said. “They may want to use her because of her connection to the Crown Princess.”

“Whose hands are these?” Yuki asked, and reached down to tickle some ribs and elicit some convulsive giggling. She would have scooped Li Li up in her arms if she weren’t already too big, so Connie obliged and held her high above the table. When Stone uttered an inchoate squawk of protest, Ethan traded the basket of corn for a heavier burden, and hoisted the boy even higher than Li Li.

“Is Emmy here yet, Mom?” Li Li asked.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” Andie said. “She won’t be here until after your bedtime. Can you wait until morning?” Li Li shook her head vigorously and reached out for Andie.

~~~~~~~

“Is she always like this?” Kathy asked, as they walked back from the chapel to Bancroft Hall.

“Like what?” CJ asked.

“You know, stoic… well, more like tolerant. I mean, Caspar did such evil things to her, and his parents are convinced that she somehow wronged him.”

“What, exactly did Caspar do to her?”

Kathy hesitated before responding. She knew Em wouldn’t like it if she told CJ what Diao Chan revealed about Caspar’s treachery. But the nasty business in the fall… maybe she could tell CJ about that in the name of disclosing her own shame.

“There was an incident last fall. We were out on liberty, Casey and Trowbridge, Caspar, Martens and me, and it was late, and we bumped into her. And those guys wanted to give her a hard time, you know, put her on report for stuff… and it got out of hand, mainly because Caspar needled Casey to do something more to her. So they ordered her into that alley off Cumberland Court…”

“They what?” CJ said. “And you went along with it?”

“No… I mean, yeah… I told them to cut it out. But… no, I didn’t do much to stop them.” She hung her head for a second, unable to meet CJ’s eyes.

“What happened?”

“What do you think happened?”

“She kicked their asses, right?”

“Yeah, but she never said anything about it… like, not even to you.”

“That’s just like her. She doesn’t like secrets and she doesn’t tell tales,” CJ said. “Wait, is this how those guys got injured? I thought they said it was a car accident.”

“They had to say something, ’cause they sure weren’t gonna admit that she’d given them all a beat-down.”

“Is this what she doesn’t want you to tell his parents?”

“No,” Kathy said. “It’s something much worse.”

“Worse than attempted rape?”

“Yes.”

“There’s only two things I can think of worse than that,” CJ muttered. “Murder… and treason.”

“She’d rather let his parents think the worst about her than let them know the truth about their son. There’s no way he deserves that kind of treatment. I mean, he gets a military funeral right alongside Stacie. That can’t be right.”

“When she makes up her mind, there’s no arguing with her. Just get used to it.”

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