Countdown - Iris Johansen [86]
“What?” Then his words hit home. “He bugged my phone?”
“Yes. Hell, he bugs my phone. I let him do it. It made him feel more secure, and there are always ways around it.” He made a face. “I told him I didn’t give a damn what you told Eve and Joe, but evidently you crossed his line of comfort. What did you ask Joe to do?”
“Stir everyone up so that we could get some help finding Reilly and Grozak.”
“That would do it. Government agencies are extremely touchy about interference in their jurisdictions.”
“Tough.”
“I agree.” He gestured toward the door. “So shall we go down and tell him so? He should be arriving any time now.”
“Cripes, he must be upset.” She frowned as she passed him. “And I do care if my phone is bugged, dammit.”
“Talk to him, not to me.”
“You didn’t tell me he’d done it.”
“You were feeling insecure enough.” He preceded her down the stairs. “And I wanted you to stay. It was important to me.”
“But you’re letting me know now.”
“I don’t think a hydrogen bomb blast would budge you from here at the moment. You’re involved.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “Right?”
He was right, dammit. As she’d told Eve and Joe, this was the one place where she could be of use. “I’m involved,” she repeated. “But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to put up with this kind of bullshit to stay here.”
“I know. That’s why I’m letting Venable clear the decks and put everything out in the open.” He turned as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “And to convince you that Venable does exist and that I’m telling you the truth about working with him.”
“I didn’t think you were lying.”
“Perhaps not consciously. But maybe on a subliminal level? You know I’m capable of fairly complicated chicanery. I wanted to make sure that you knew I was being entirely aboveboard.” He turned and opened the front door. “Ask Venable any question you like.” He smiled. “Of course, now that you’re considered a security risk, he may not answer you.”
Carl Venable didn’t look like the nervous individual Trevor had described, Jane thought as he got off the helicopter. He was big and burly with a shock of graying red hair and held himself with confidence and authority.
But the frown on his face and the jerkiness of his movement belied that confidence as he came toward them. “I told you that you shouldn’t have gone to get her,” he said curtly to Trevor. “Sabot’s furious. He threatened to pull me off the case.”
“He won’t do it. Quinn will undoubtedly stir up the waters, but he’s going to paint you as the good guy. Sabot will be too busy answering questions and trying to make his position seem credible to undermine you.”
“So you say.” He turned to Jane. “You don’t know what a mess you’ve made of this. It’s going to be twice as hard for us to get anything done efficiently. Quinn is bound to involve Homeland Security, and that means that we’ll have to answer to them. You might have blown any chance we have of capturing Grozak.”
“You don’t seem to have done such a great job to date,” Jane said. “And if it will keep another 9/11 from happening, I don’t care how difficult I’ve made your job. Screw it. I’ll do what I please.”
His cheeks flushed. “Not if I arrest you and put you under our protection as a material witness.”
“Stop right there, Venable,” Trevor said. “I know you’re upset, but we both know that’s not going to happen.”
“I should do it. It would be safer for all of us. Hell, it would be safer for her. It would keep Reilly’s hands off her. You told me yourself that he said he wanted to make a trade for her. And now she’s becoming a thorn—”
“I also told you to keep your mouth shut about what Reilly said, you son of a bitch,” Trevor interrupted in disgust. “Now you’ve blown it.”
“Wait a minute,” Jane said. “What are you talking about?” She whirled on Trevor. “Trade?”
He was silent a moment and then shrugged. “When he called me, he had a list of demands to stop him from going along with Grozak.”
“And what was on this list?”
“The gold, my statue of