Presidential Donor (20 page)

He went to the window, stepped over Cogswell and peered out across the street. He spotted McDermott immediately running across the side yard. Bahr bolted out the back door after him. He could see him move slowly, parallel to the woods and keeping in the shadows. He was in no mood to track him through the snow. Like a predator stalking his prey, Bahr kept him in sight till McDermott got to a clearing and stopped. Bahr dashed after his quarry and he was closing quickly. He thumbed the revolver in his jacket.
Almost got him!

And then Bahr was there. He fingered the revolver and brought it out.

"That's far enough," Bahr said. "
It's over
. I'm not going to hurt you. Just turn around and walk toward me."

Jack turned, put his hands on his head, and walked toward the barrel of Bahr's .38. Five-feet away, Bahr told him to stop, then walked up and frisked Jack. Satisfied he wasn't armed, he lowered his gun.

Jack looked puzzled. "Who are you?"

"Right now I'm your guardian angel. There are some people after you.

Until a little while ago, I was one of them. Now I'm not."

"Why should I believe you?"

"I don't see that you have a choice. Besides, if I wanted you dead, you'd already be lying in the snow back there."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "No, you just want my heart, right?"

"Not me, but there are some who do. With my help, though, they won't succeed."

"Why do you want to help me?"

Bahr hesitated. "Let's just say it's personal."

"I don't get it," Jack said.

Bahr holstered his weapon. "Let me show you."

They walked back to the road with Jack in front. Bahr had assured him that if he took off, he was certain to be killed by the other people looking for him.

When they got to Eva's they crossed the street and Bahr led Jack into the house where Cogswell's body rested in a large pool of congealed blood.

"Jesus," Jack said.

"Not hardly," Bahr said. "Mr. McDermott, I would like you to meet Denton Cogswell. At least what's left of him. He was my boss, and in charge of killing you."

"So this is, Cogswell," Jack said, staring down at the body.

Bahr, now also got his first close up of Cogswell. He bent closer to look at the face, and then realized it was gone. The left eyeball was completely obliterated, while the right dangled from the socket like a ball on a tether.

Chunks of bone and tissue were splattered on the window in front of him. He saw McDermott take a deep breath and the color drain from his face.

McDermott tried to put his hand over his mouth, but it was too late. He vomited right onto Cogswell's corpse.

Bahr smiled.
A fitting end for Cogswell.
He handed Jack his handkerchief.

"Wipe your mouth."

Jack gazed at Frank Bahr. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Bahr reached into Cogswell's coat pocket and took his wallet. "See," recognize the name?

"Yes," Jack said. "That's the name Jonah told me about."

Bahr nodded. "Sounds like you and your friends have done your homework."

"I'm just trying to stay alive."

"All right, Mr. McDermott, let me explain this mess to you. Then we'll figure out how to
keep
you alive."

Jack stood motionless as Bahr confirmed everything Jonah had already told him. Bahr also told him the worst news of his life--Steve Charles was dead. Killed on Cogswell's order by a missile.

Jack was in a freeze-frame of disbelief at that moment. He wasn't sure if he even wanted help. Steve had sacrificed his life for him. Could he live with that? He knew though that Steve would want him to go on. Otherwise Steve's life would have been lost for nothing.

He and Bahr moved toward the door, when Jack hesitated. "Tell me something," he said. "What made you change your mind about this plan of theirs'?"

"I'd had enough of being under Cogswell's thumb. Besides, it just wasn't right. You happened to be in the wrong place. The agency is not discriminatory when it comes to an operation. They'll do anything to achieve their objective."

"That's the understatement of the century," Jack said, allowing himself a smile despite his despair.

Bahr continued. "Cogswell had me morally castrated to where I forgot the difference between right and wrong. This was my chance to finally put an end to it, and give that prick just what he deserved."

"I couldn't agree more," Jack said. "You saved my life."

"And my own in the process," Bahr said.

"How did you ever let him get so much control over you?"

"Cogswell was good at what he did. Intimidating people."

Too good
, Jack almost said.

"Well, it's over. Now we just need to figure out how to get in to see the President, if he's even alive. He may be the only one who can stop this."

"That may be impossible," Jack said.

Bahr looked at Jack and raised his brow. "Maybe not."

They walked out the door and padded through the snow to Bahr's car. A metallic click got their attention.

"That's good, Frank. Now turn around."

Jack turned around long enough to see someone holding a gun to him and Bahr.

"What is this, Rye?" Bahr asked.

"Just following orders, Frank. Nothing personal."

"Orders from who?"

"Who do you think? Our boss, who else."

"Cogswell is dead, Rye."

"I don't believe you."

"I'll take you to him if you want."

"Yea I just bet you will. Enough talk, get away from the car and step over to the woods."

"Listen to me. Cogswell used you. Just like he used me for twenty years.

He didn't care about you or anybody else. Only himself. Anyway, it doesn't matter, he's dead, and this thing is over. I'm going to take, Jack here, in, and get this mess straightened out."

"Fraid not, Frank," Ryekoski said, screwing the silencer on his weapon.

"Rye, listen to me, it doesn't have to be this way."

"I have no choice. Orders are orders."

As if in a dream, Jack McDermott turned around and watched as another drama unfolded ten feet away.

The man with the gun turned toward a noise that had erupted behind them.

He never had time to react as the small car slammed into him with unimaginable force. The man went flying like a rag doll. He landed against a pine tree with a sickening crunch, his weapon still airborne. The car came to an abrupt stop and the hulking figure of Jonah Bailey climbed out from behind the wheel.

"Are you all right, Jack?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Jonah. How did you find us?"

"I saw your car abandoned down the road. I was headed to Eva's when I recognized that guy's car. Same one from the airport. Closer I got, the more I saw. When I saw the gun, well, I had to act."

"And act you did," Bahr said.

"Jonah," Jack said. "This is agent Frank Bahr, CIA. He's gonna try to get this nightmare straightened out."

"Pleasure to meet you, Agent Bahr. With all due respect, though, isn't the CIA the ones who started this whole mess?"

"Not exactly. It's much more complicated than that. In the interest of time, I'm sure you understand I can't explain it all now. I promise you I only have Jack's best interest in mind."

"Jack, are you sure about this?" Jonah asked.

"I'm not sure about anything anymore, but this is my best chance right now. By the way, is that guy dead?" Jack asked, looking at the heap by the tree.

Bahr looked over. "We don't have time to find out. We need to go. I'll send somebody after him."

"I'm going to go get Eva," Jonah said.

"That's a good idea," Bahr said. "She's still in danger till this thing is over. Get her and keep her safe. I don't want another death on my conscious."

"Don't worry; she's like a daughter to me. And Jack, if this doesn't work out, I have a plane ready to get you out of the country."

"I don't want to sound ungrateful, Jonah, but he says he can put an end to it once and for all. I'm tired of running."

"Are you sure you can trust him."

"I'll explain later, but believe me he's already proved himself."

"Okay, Jack, but if it doesn't work, get to Layton's office by seven o'clock. He'll take it from there."

"Bahr looked up. "I understand your doubt, Dr. Bailey. I think everything will work out fine. In the event it doesn't, you have my word I'll do everything I can to get him the hell out of here."

"Somehow I believe you, Agent Bahr."

* * *

Jonah Bailey had never killed anyone, but he had now. The man's body was twisted and mangled against the huge pine tree. Under the circumstances, he found it unavoidable. Still, maybe he could help him. After all, he was a doctor. He walked over to the man and carefully knelt down. One look told Jonah he was dead.
Jonah certainly knew dead.

Jonah dropped to the ground and collapsed on the pine needles. For the first time in memory, Jonah felt tears well up. He shook them off. There would be time for emotion later; now he needed to get back to Eva.

As he studied the twisted body before him, his trained eye made it obvious blunt force trauma had killed him. Jonah pulled on the shoulder to turn him over. At that point he had a clear view of the details of that trauma. To the right of his nose, a large tree branch about six inches in diameter was lodged in the man's face. The branch, broken off previously to about eight inches had been sticking out from the trunk and when he landed it had impaled him through the base of his neck.

As he sat alone and collected his thoughts, Jonah took off his coat and placed it over the body. He didn't know what else to do. He felt guilty for taking another man's life, but he had acted on instinct when he thought Jack's life was in danger. He took one last look then stood. He needed to get to Eva's in a hurry. Finding new resolve, he jumped in the car and sped off, hoping someone had not beaten him to her.

* * *

Frank Bahr's plan was simple. He and Jack would sneak into Brighton through the back entrance. Once inside, they would find a stretcher, put Jack on it, and take him to the designated area. By that time, Bahr would have the FBI waiting to brief Ron Fletcher, the acting President, after Ritter and the other conspirators were arrested. Bahr knew President Lloyd would never stand for someone's murder, even if it were to save his own life. Besides, a contingency had allowed for another donor to be delivered--
point of origin--unknown.

Viktor Chemonovik had seen to that.

Ron Fletcher was already waiting for Frank Bahr when he arrived at Brighton Heart Center. He had arranged to meet in a private room on the basement floor. Fletcher had accompanied the FBI to Zurich due to the tone of the fax they received. If it were true, he would be needed to make high-level decisions in the absence of other cabinet members.

"Speaker Fletcher, I'm Frank Bahr."

"Yes, I know who you are. I think we need to discuss this immediately," Fletcher said. He pulled the wrinkled fax from his breast pocket.

"There's more to it than that, I'm afraid."

Fletcher looked at him as if Bahr had just backhanded him.

"Well," Fletcher said. "Just let me get the Vice Pres--"

"No!" Bahr said. "He's involved."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Bahr explained everything to Fletcher, as well as showed him the memo Jonah had found in Bradley's office.

Fletcher sat in numb silence, but when Bahr played the tape he had secretly taken of Cogswell and Ritter discussing their plan, his numbness turned to anger. He knew Cogswell was bad news, but for Ritter, it was unfathomable that he would want Lloyd dead. Still, the evidence was irrefutable. Fletcher would invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution.

It provided a logical order of succession for an acting President should the President become incapacitated. Shortly, Ritter would be extricated from his role as Vice President. Fletcher was next in line and needed no approval from the other members of the cabinet to invoke the amendment. Especially in this case. Some of them were the reason to invoke it in the first place.

Fletcher summoned the FBI agents to accompany him.

The game was over.

* * *

The nurse had her back to President Lloyd's telemetry monitor preparing a new IV bag when she heard the alarm. When she turned around, the monitor was a mess of wavy lines that indicated his heart was in deadly ventricular fibrillation. He was blue and the ventilator alarm screamed out a drop in respiratory pressure. The nurse scrambled to the door and called to the nurse at the desk.

"Call a code. Now!"

The desk nurse picked up the phone and pushed the intercom.

"Code Blue ICU room three. Code Blue ICU room three. Code Blue ICU room three."

The other nurses in the ICU dropped what they were doing and bolted to Lloyd's room. His bed was already in the CPR position and the first nurse in the room grabbed the ambu bag off the wall and disconnected the ventilator.

She connected the bag to his breathing tube while the other nurse bent over him and began chest compressions. "One and two and three and four and five and--"

* * *

The call Roy Gregg took was almost cryptic. The man spoke in a thick Russian accent, in not much more than a whisper. "I have your heart for Thomas Lloyd."

"Who is this?" Gregg asked.

"It doesn't matter. Check with EOPN in Bern. They will verify. It will arrive in Zurich in two hours aboard a Russian military transport. Have your liaison meet it at gate 12. Thank you."

Gregg was dumfounded. He thought it might it be a hoax, but he contacted Bern, and they indeed verified the match. It was unbelievable. He had never received a donor from Eastern Europe. In fact, Bern didn't even handle donors outside of their jurisdiction. Still, it had been approved by EOPN.

Someone had pulled some strings. He rushed out of the doctors' lounge just in time to hear the code alarm.

* * *

Gregg burst into Lloyd's room a minute later with two other cardiologists in tow.