Secrets of the Dead (7 page)

“Since he’s unlikely to send agents who can be identified as his employees, I wouldn’t recognize them anyway.”

They spoke in Scottish Gaelic, as usual. “Our host is late.”

“Ten minutes.” He reached for his water glass. Took a sip. “We’ll order in another five, whether the approach is made or not.”

The restaurant wasn’t overly large, with room for no more than sixty. They’d been led to a secluded table in the far corner, although only a third of the tables and booths were occupied. The wait staff were a mix of nationalities, but like the hostess posted at the door, they all spoke excellent English.

Eve smoothed the narrow wool skirt she’d worn and eyed the rest of the dining room’s occupants surreptitiously. Besides the middle-aged males she’d just mentioned was a group of four German-speaking men two tables away. The hostess was conversing with an Asian woman inside the doorway and an elderly couple drank tea at a booth across the room, neither exchanging a word. As Raiker had mentioned, the clientele was an eclectic mix of foreign and American customers. The couple who had come in directly after them was still her best guess for those reporting to Raiker. They’d chosen the booth closest to Declan’s and Eve’s table and sat next to each other. The woman was a great deal younger than the man. Maybe she was supposed to be his daughter. Or posing as his trophy wife.

Even as she had the thought Eve saw the woman rest her hand on the gentleman’s thigh and slide it slowly upward to cup him intimately. Her cheeks heated and she quickly averted her gaze. So…that couple was out. Unless they were devoted to taking their disguise much further than duty required.

She focused on the menu. After studying it for a minute she said, “Just to forgo any snide comments, I plan to order enough for breakfast
and
lunch.”

His smile held a hint of indulgence. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“I must apologize again, this time for my tardiness.”

Eve’s head jerked up. The Asian woman who had been conversing with the hostess stood beside the table. “Mr. Gallagher, I presume?” She offered her hand to Declan. “Please, do not get up. May I?”

“Yes, of course. Please join us.” His tone was as polite as Eve had ever heard it, proving that the man did have manners when he chose to use them. The shock she was feeling wasn’t mirrored in his voice. Of all the possibilities they’d considered, she didn’t think even Adam Raiker had imagined their contact would be female.

Of course, the woman may only be a go between used by whoever had masterminded Royce’s kidnapping.

“My name is Xie Shuang.” The woman turned to Eve. “You must be Mr. Gallagher’s lovely wife. Thank you for meeting with me today.”

Eve sent her a vacuous smile. “Oh, it was our pleasure. You’re Japanese, aren’t you? We had a Japanese cook when I was little. She taught me to speak a little of the language.
Genki des ka
.” She purposely mangled the pronunciation.

Shuang’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, I am from Tokyo. How clever you are to guess that.”

Eve beamed. “She made the best sushi, too. Do you know how to make sushi? I can’t quite get the knack. I really don’t like to touch raw fish. I only like to eat it.” She gave a tinkling laugh. “I know that makes no sense, but there you go. Maybe that’s what I’ll order today, darling,” she said to Declan. She scanned the menu again. “Oh.” She made a moue of disappointment. “It’s not on the menu here.”

“We’ll find a sushi restaurant another time. Hush now while we discuss business.”

“Okay.” Eve hummed a little to herself as she looked over the menu in order to polish the impression she was trying to give of complete vapidity. The woman dismissed her with the flick of an eye and turned her attention to Declan.

“I have heard you were once in the employ of a man I very much want to meet.”

He set down his menu to regard the woman. “Since I’ve held a few jobs over the years, you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Of course. It is your most recent boss I am speaking of. Adam Raiker.”

Declan bared his teeth. “Raiker and I aren’t exactly on the best of terms these days. He cut me loose months ago, and burned me for any decent prospects in the future. Sorry. Can’t help facilitate a meeting. Bastard wouldn’t take my calls, much less make time to talk with anyone I recommended to him.”

“That is unfortunate. He sounds like a difficult man.” Something about her intense regard made Eve second-guess her earlier prediction. This wasn’t necessarily a woman who took orders from a higher up. “I, too, have found him difficult, at least to get close to. Perhaps you can help in another way. Why did Raiker, as you say, cut you loose?”

Declan drummed his fingers on the menu. “He’s a suspicious SOB. Paranoid as hell. He was afraid I’d learned too much about his security. I was just trying to make myself indispensable.” He lifted a shoulder. “He’s not one to give the benefit of the doubt.”

“I must say I find your words surprising.” Shuang reached for her water glass, fingers toying with the stem. Her nails were short, Eve noted. Unmanicured. No polish. Nothing about the woman suggested she was overly concerned with looks. Her dark hair was worn straight to brush the tops of her shoulders, without bangs. She wore no makeup, and her simple white cotton blouse was tucked neatly into a pair of black tailored pants. Her face was unwrinkled, but there was a hardness in her expression that had been etched by experience. She could have been anywhere between her early thirties to mid-forties. “I heard you were caught in an area of his compound where you had no business.”

Declan’s brows skimmed upward. “Did you, now? Raiker’s security consists of layers. I was fired because he thought I was taking too much an interest in how those layers connected.” He sat back in his chair indolently.

“And were you?”

He let her question hang for a long moment before flashing a feral smile. “Yes.”

The woman couldn’t quite hide the flicker of satisfaction on her face. “Then perhaps we can help each other.”

Declan picked up his water glass and saluted her with it. “Perhaps we can.”

The other woman slanted a quick look toward Eve who quickly fell back into character. Twisting around in her seat she scanned the room and asked plaintively, “What happened to our server? I’m
starving
.”

With a quick wave of her hand, Shuang summoned a waitress who moved immediately in their direction. “Of course. I have been inconsiderate. Please order. Our business can wait.”

Eve certainly hoped that the irritated scowl Declan aimed in her direction was as much a pretense as she was engaged in herself. She prattled on mindlessly to the young server who’d hurried over, dithering between menu options, all the while aware that Shuang’s inscrutable gaze was fixed on her with single-minded focus. She shot the woman a blinding smile. “I’ve already decided what dessert I’ll order later. Declan absolutely abhors when I eat sweets. He’s afraid I’ll get fat.”

“Please bring an assortment of cheese and crackers for Mrs. Gallagher to snack on immediately while her meal is prepared.” There was command couched in the other woman’s request. Declan ordered and looked expectantly at Xie Shuang who shook her head. “I’m afraid I cannot stay to eat. But I would like to continue our conversation while you wait for your lunch, if that meets with your approval.”

“I’m interested in the specifics of your needs.” He waited for the waitress to collect the menus and move swiftly toward the kitchen before continuing. “If it is to bring Raiker to you, I’m afraid I can’t deliver that. As I indicated earlier, I have no influence with the man, especially now. If, instead, you would like to go to him…that’s where my area of expertise would be helpful.”

“Once I am able to reach the man, he will be persuaded to speak with me.” There was something chilling in the other woman’s smile. “Unfortunately, I am told his security is even tighter in the past few months. How can you be certain your information remains current?”

The waitress was back with a small plate of assorted cheeses and crackers. Declan responded, “I still have friends in Raiker’s employ. Friends who are…ah…as disenchanted as I’d been with the terms of my employment. I would of course use my contacts in Raiker’s network to be certain I have the most up-to-date information.”

Eve forced herself to enthusiastically choose some snacks, but her usual appetite had vanished. Whether Shuang was working for herself or here on behalf of another, it was all too clear what the woman was after. And Declan was playing his part of a mercenary ex-employee harboring a grudge to perfection.

“Ah, but do you have similar information about the whereabouts of his family?” The words sent a chill trickling down Eve’s spine. “I have always found that a man becomes more reasonable when concerned for his loved ones’ welfare.”

“No one knows for sure where Raiker hid his wife and son after the boy was almost kidnapped,” Declan said bluntly. He reached over a pluck a piece of cheese off the plate in front of Eve. Bit into it. Swallowing, he added, “But I do know that the man doesn’t trust any other security in the world like he does his own. He can’t afford to rely on others to protect him—he has too many enemies. So that leaves one place for him to be holing up.” His gaze did battle with Shuang’s.

“You mean his home in Manassas?”

“You know he’s not there.” Unperturbed he polished off the rest of the cheese. “You would have checked before ever approaching me.”

The woman clenched her hands together on her lap. “So he is on his compound?”

“That would be the most likely place, but it will take money to persuade my contacts to part with the knowledge. And once I have that, I’m the only person who could get you inside.” He quickly glanced at Eve, who was nibbling on a cracker. “Raiker would know exactly who had given him up and he’ll come after me with all his considerable resources. Eve and I would have to disappear abroad. So as you can imagine, my assistance will be costly.”

_______

“She seemed shocked.”
Eve huddled inside her coat as she walked beside Declan down the sidewalk blocks away from the hotel. “I hope you didn’t price yourself out of the market.”

“Xie Shuang—if that’s her real name—would expect to pay for the kind of help she’s requesting. And she doesn’t expect to meet the asking price. I’m sure I’ll find an email shortly beginning the negotiation.”

“She mentioned Royce only obliquely.” And that was certainly by design.

“On purpose, I’m sure.” He led her to the curb and threw a quick look up and down the street. “She risks losing my sympathy if she brings the boy into it. I’m conditioned to not give a damn what she might have in store for Raiker, but I might have a sudden attack of scruples if she mentions his son.”

“Or you may be tempted to sell details of her interest to the man she’s hoping to find.”

He gave her an approving nod. “Exactly.” Grasping her elbow in his hand he led her into the street once the light changed. “We’ve got an escort. Two blocks back, light colored ski jacket. Jeans. Black boots. Recognize him?”

With only a slight turn of her head she spotted the man he described. A ripple of recognition went through her. “One of our friends from yesterday. The driver.”

“Yep.”

She hurried to keep up with his stride. “They already know where we live, so what’s the point of a tail?”

“To see where we stop. Whom we talk to.” His smile was fierce. “He’ll report back that we went directly home, speaking only to each other.” They stepped up on the opposite curb and turned toward their apartment, thankfully away from the wind this time. “So what did we learn? Do you really think she’s Japanese?”

“No, she’s almost certainly Chinese and not a native English speaker.” She didn’t know whether to be amused or offended at his double-take. “Her name, whether it’s real or not is Chinese, as is her accent, which is slight, but still barely noticeable on the short Is and Ns. I offered a simple Japanese phrase. How are you today? And she was unable to respond. If I could actually hear her speak in her native tongue I’ll be able to pinpoint a province or part of the country she grew up in. There are many dialects in China, despite the government’s attempt at a unified language. I’m familiar with all of them.”

“What’s the first language you learned?” He steered her around a homeless man who was slouched against a building. Perhaps because he’d already learned she was prone to reach into her purse whenever she passed one. “Besides English, I mean.”

“It really was Japanese. That much was true, although we didn’t have a cook. She was my au pair for a time. We went through several, and many of them were immigrants. I seemed to pick up a little from each of them.”

“Is that when you learned your acting ability?”

“At least you realized I was acting,” she muttered, shoving her gloved hands in her pockets as she walked. The cold snap that held DC in its grips was one for the record books. It was just her misfortune that it coincided with an assignment that had her walking in it daily. “Shuang would certainly have heard about my using the knife yesterday, and I wanted to convince her I wasn’t a threat.”

“At first I thought you were putting on the empty-headed blonde act too thick, but she bought it. Almost too easily, I thought. Wherever she’s come from, she doesn’t have a high opinion of her own gender.”

Eve had noted that, too, but was surprised he’d caught it. “I agree. And let’s face it. People see what they want to. I’ve found it’s sometimes easier to play on their preconceptions, especially if it gives me an advantage.”

His regard was a little too intent to be entirely comfortable. “I’m beginning to realize you’re more adept at that than I ever would have thought.”

Because his words arrowed a little too near the truth for comfort she shrugged. “Me? I’m an open book.” But she knew without looking at him that he remained unconvinced. She’d have to work on that. The problem with close proximity assignments was with what could be revealed without one even being aware of the disclosure. Eve was no newcomer to such tasks, but this case required a whole new degree of closeness.