Special Ops Affair (9 page)

“Well, he obviously doesn’t care that we saw him.”

“He knows we’ll go back up and talk to Heather.”

“And he isn’t worried. Huh.” She got out of the rental with Jag.

They walked back into the apartment building. Up the elevator and down the hall, Jag knocked.

Heather opened the door, more composed than the first time. “You’re back.”

“Calan Friese was just here,” Odie said. “What did he want?”

She looked warily from Odie to Jag. “He asked why the two of you were just here.”

“Did you tell him?”

Heather’s sister appeared beside her like the first time.

“I told him Frasier went to you for help and you wanted to know why he went to the cabin,” Heather said.

“Did you tell him your husband was having an affair?”

“He said Frasier didn’t go to you two for help,” she said with a hint of accusation.

“Did you tell him your husband was having an affair?” Odie repeated. She didn’t want Calan to know they’d be looking for the woman. If he killed Frasier, he might kill her, too, to keep her from talking.

“He also said Odelia Frank had her own agenda and it didn’t include Frasier’s welfare.” Then she turned to Jag. “He said she probably had you fooled.”

Jag glanced at Odie and she could see his chagrin.

“Who are you?” Heather asked. “How did you know Frasier? Why did he go to you for help?”

“I’m afraid we can’t divulge that. We’re from a private organization, but we
are
investigating your husband’s murder. I’m guessing Mr. Friese isn’t comfortable with that and that’s why he came to see you.”

She contemplated them. It wasn’t much, but it was a vague explanation. Maybe it would be enough.

She exchanged a look with her sister and then turned to them. “He said Frasier was involved in something over his head and it got him killed.”

“That much is true.”

“What was it?”

“Did he ask you anything else?” Odie asked instead of answering. “Is there anything else you told him that you haven’t told us?”

Heather looked from Jag to Odie and then shook her head. “No.”

“Thank you very much, Heather. You’ve been a big help. And again, we’re very sorry for your loss.” Odie started to turn, looking at Jag and telling him with her eyes that she thought Heather wasn’t saying something.

He returned it with a similar look.

“What was Frasier doing that got him killed?”

Odie pivoted and faced Heather again. She didn’t answer. Telling her too much would only put her in danger.

“Right,” Heather said derisively. “You can’t divulge that.”

“I’m sorry,” Odie said.

“Are you government? Calan Friese didn’t seem like he was, but you two do. He sort of scared me. There was something about him, you know?” She made a distasteful face.

“Again, thank you for your time, Heather.” Odie turned with Jag and they started down the walkway. There wasn’t anything else to say, and Heather didn’t trust them.

“Wait a minute.”

Excitement and hope soared inside Odie. She knew when someone was about to spill something.

“I lied to Mr. Friese. Frasier did go see a man once. A colonel in the army. Roth, I think was his name.”

Chills prickled up and down Odie’s arms. She knew Colonel Roth.

“I thought it was strange,” Heather went on. “I mean, why was he going to see an officer in the military?”

“When did Frasier go talk to the colonel?”

“I don’t know.” Heather paused as she thought. “Maybe a month ago. I kicked him out of the house shortly after that.”

“Thank you. You don’t know what a big help you’ve been today. We’ll be in touch.”

She and Jag left the building.

“Oh, my God.” Odie had trouble catching her breath after she and Jag got into the car.

“What’s the matter?” Instead of driving away, he kept the rental in park and looked over at her.

“Colonel
Roth?
”

“What about him?”

Jag recognized the name but didn’t understand the degree of her reaction. Of course he didn’t. Colonel Roth ran a Special Projects Directorate for Army Special Operations Command, but only she and Cullen knew how he was connected to TES. It was huge. Why was an engineer who was having an affair with a mysterious woman want to seek out someone like that?

“Let’s go talk to him,” Jag said.

She’d love to, but no way. “He’ll never agree to see us.”

Jag sent her a sharp look. “Why not?”

She just shook her head, overwhelmed with the implications. Roth had asked Cullen to look into Hersch
after
he’d met with Frasier. Had the colonel known there was a connection? Maybe not. Without being able to talk to Frasier, she might never find out.

“Odie…?”

Jag thought she was deliberately withholding information again. “Hey, if you want to know anything about Roth, you’re going to have to ask Cullen. I’m not saying a word unless he approves.”

“Cullen?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s call him then.” When Odie didn’t move, he said, “Go on, call him right now.”

If she didn’t call him, he’d only be more convinced that she was hiding a dark side. He didn’t trust her and that would make it worse. But if she did call Cullen, what then? She’d risk him asking too many questions. She didn’t have to answer, not yet, and Cullen already suspected something since she ran off to D.C. without Jag, defying his orders. So, really she had nothing to lose. And Cullen might tell her something important about Roth.

She found her cell and called. Her hands trembled. Her nerves felt like live wires whipping and lashing in her body. It made her nauseous. All the while Jag noticed. And he thought it was attributed to her secrets.

“Odie. You have something to report?” Cullen asked as soon as he answered.

Her heart slammed behind her rib cage. “Who asked you to look into Hersch, Cullen?” she asked, even though she already knew.

“Excuse me? You know we never discuss that. What are you doing, Odie? You went to D.C. on your own and now you’re digging where you don’t belong. You’re beginning to test my patience.”

“Jag and I just left Heather Darby’s house.” Odie knew she had to talk fast. “Frasier Darby was her husband. We followed Calan to his cabin and found him dead.”

“Who the hell is Frasier Darby?”

So, he didn’t know. Odie was relieved, and then she felt guilty because she was withholding information from him and he was not. He’d taken his orders from Roth and passed them on to her and Jag.

“He was an engineer who was having an affair with someone we have yet to identify. Heather said that’s the reason she kicked him out. He cheated on her.”

“That’s all fine for daytime television, Odie. Why did you call me?”

“Heather said Frasier went to talk to Colonel Roth about a month ago.”

Silence stretched over the line.

“Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere near him, Odie,” he finally said.

“We have to talk to him.”

“No, we don’t. He had a reason for putting us on to Hersch. Do your job and leave him out of it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes.”

“You do what I tell you and stay away from Roth.”

“Cullen—”

“Something like this could ruin TES. You of all people should know that.”

“Yes, I do know. But look at what we have so far. Kate was murdered. Her boyfriend may have killed some Joe Blow engineer who went to see Roth a month ago. But Roth never mentioned it when he asked you to look into Hersch. He’s connected, Cullen. He knows more than he told you.”

Another long silence ensued. “If you’re suggesting he might be dirty…”

“No, I’m not. But he
is
protecting
something
or
someone,
and I think the woman Darby was having an affair with is the key.”

“Why her?”

“Because it fits. Darby doesn’t run in the same circles as Kate, but whoever he was sleeping with must.”

“You don’t know who she is.”

“No.” Her heart sank because she knew what he was going to say next.

“Then that’s where you need to focus your energy. I mean it, Odie. You could crucify this organization if you aren’t careful.”

“I know that. Don’t you think I know that? After all the publicity your wife’s rescue mission generated? That almost killed us then.”

“This is personal to you.”

“It was personal for you, too.”

“Damn it, Odie, don’t pull your crap on me right now.”

She bit back a retort. Why was he keeping her away from Roth?

“Tell me why you went to D.C. without Jag,” Cullen said. “Then maybe I’ll listen to ideas of talking to Roth.”

Odie closed her eyes. Maybe it was time. He’d always been her rock. The one who never let her down, and trusted her implicitly. He waited for her to tell him now. But she couldn’t. She was too afraid.

“What do you want me to tell Jag?” she asked instead.

“Don’t tell him who Roth is. I regret ever telling you.”

That stung. But he disconnected before she could say more.

She lowered her phone and stared down at it in her hand. How was she going to avoid telling Jag? The strange thing was…she wanted to tell him.

“Well?” he said.

“He doesn’t want me to tell you.”

Jag sighed hard. “That figures. I should be getting used to this by now.”

She looked over at him. “Roth is connected to TES.”

He stared at her. “What?”

Odie’s heart hammered hard and fast. “He’s the one who asked Cullen to look into Hersch.”

Jag just stared at her.

“That’s way more than I should have told you. If Cullen found out, he’d ruin me. He goes to great pains to keep the identities of his contacts in the government secret. It’s imperative to the survival of TES.”

“I won’t say a word, Odie. And if you can tell me that, why can’t you tell me about your father?”

In that instant, she knew she could. “Because I’m afraid he’s linked to Hersch somehow. I know something that could prove he was involved with someone really terrible, but I’m almost ninety-nine percent sure he was set up.”

“Almost?” He sounded angry. “Who might he have been involved with?”

It scared her to even say the name. “Abu Dharr al-Majid. He heads a Zaidi rebel group believed to be funded by the Iranians.” She hesitated. “I’ve done some digging and it looks like…it looks like…” She couldn’t finish.

“It looks like what, Odie?” Jag demanded.

She looked over at him. “I recently found ties to…other…more well-known terrorists.”

Jag’s mouth tightened and she could tell he fought his temper. “And you kept that from TES?”

“Dharr was on our Watch List.”

“But ties to terrorism removes them from the Watch. He belongs in Surveillance now. You hindered that progress by keeping it a secret. Dharr could have been stopped long before now.”

He was furious.

“I would have turned him in to Surveillance. But I got that package. I just wanted to check some things out first.”

That wasn’t enough to placate him. He still looked at her with disgust and anger.

“Jag, please try to understand what I was dealing with. My father wouldn’t have gotten involved with someone like that.”

“Your father is dead.”

“Yes, and even in death someone out there wants him to be their scapegoat. I want to uncover the truth, but I don’t want his reputation tarnished.”

“What makes you think he met with Dharr?”

“Kate found pictures of him meeting him in Yemen. An anonymous source sent them to her after she did some fishing.”

“So someone wanted you to find out.”

“Yes. And that’s what convinced me it was a setup. My father looks like the bad guy, when in fact he’s not.”

“Or so you hope.” His disgust with her hurt more than she expected. “How long have you known this?”

“Kate found someone in Yemen last year. That someone went to the anonymous source and that’s when we received the photos. But there’s more.” She hesitated. This wasn’t going to go over well. Jag looked over at her and cocked his head in disbelief. “After my father was killed, I found an email he’d sent.” She didn’t want to finish.

“What did the email say?”

“It said, ‘Meet me at my house. We’ll discuss logistics there.’ A time was specified and it matches when he was killed.”

“So, you think someone other than your father sent it from his computer.”

“Yes.” Dharr. “I was able to trace it to Yemen, but I never located the source. I think Dharr sent it and then killed him.”

“What did you do with the email?”

She pressed her lips closed and looked out the window.

“You got rid of it?” He sounded incredulous.

“I have all I need up here.” She tapped her head with her forefinger.

“What about the pictures?”

She looked out the windshield this time.

“You got rid of them?” he shouted. And then swore.

“I was conducting my own investigation. The police were going nowhere. It would have been a waste of time to rely on them. I wanted to find my father’s killer and that email and those photos were a setup.”

Jag didn’t ask any more questions. He was too steaming mad. She all but felt it radiating off him.

“You should have come clean from the start, Odie.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” she yelled. “How do you think I felt when Kate sent me that file on Hersch?”

“So you did see it.”

“No. I told you the truth. I didn’t see everything, I saw the picture of Hersch and another of a man I didn’t recognize. Frasier Darby. I withheld that because I wanted to know who he was first.”

“How did you know Hersch was connected to your dad?”

“I didn’t. Not exactly. Kate wrote some initials on the package. It was our code. She wrote ELF on the return address whenever something was related to my father.”

“And you didn’t get a chance to find out how.”

“No.”

Again, Jag didn’t say anything for a while. “All right. I can see why you were so worried. And maybe even why you felt like you had to keep it from me.”

“From everyone.”

“But you shouldn’t have kept something like Dharr a secret. It could be the missing piece.”