Net Force - Tom Clancy [105]
She opened the door. People were so gullible.
Wednesday, October 6th, 11:46 a.m. Quantico
Alex Michaels was on his way to the cafeteria, though he wasnt really very hungry. The hot leads of just two days ago had petered out. Jay Gridleys winnow of programmers living in Russia had come up blank. And the DNA and fingerprints of the woman who had collected Scout at a Schenectady, New York, hotel hadnt found a match on any of the systems they had checked.
Gridley had moved his search for the programmer into the surrounding CIS countries, and was also widening the net hed thrown for the assassin, but so far zip on either.
Toni Fiorella had, it seemed to Michaels, been avoiding him. Shed missed a staff meeting, left early and generally looked at him as if hed developed some highly contagious disease she didnt want to get close enough to catch.
Well, at least he still had his job. Once the Director had told the President they had pictures of Days assassin and were going to be able to run her down in the near future, that had been enough.
Whether that was true or not was another matter, but certainly they were better off than they had been. It was going to happen sooner or later.
Ahead of him in the hall, Michaels saw John Howard walking toward the cafeteria. Howard saw him as he reached the entrance. He nodded. Commander. He was polite, but no more.
Michaels didnt understand why the colonel didnt like him, but it was apparent he did not. Colonel.
Howard moved off, not offering to eat and visit with his boss.
But Jay Gridley came bustling up, grinning, and Michaels filed Howard away to deal with later.
Tell me youve got good news and that raise is a done deal, Michaels said.
Well, I dunno how good it is, but, lemme see, I, uh, got the programmer. Hows that?
No!
Yep, yep, yep! I was right, hes a Russian. Emigrated to Chechnya, been living there for years, thats why we missed him on the first passes. Jay held up his flatscreen so the image on it was visible.
Commander, meet Vladimir Plekhanov.
Wednesday, October 6th, 3:30 p.m. New York City
Genaloni glanced at the clock on his desk. Enough. He needed to get out of here. Shuffling forms, electronic or paper, was enough to drive you nuts after a couple of hours. He waved the intercom on. Roger, get the car. Were going out to Brigettes.
Yes, sir.
What he needed after being cooped up with the pressures of business all day was a place to unwind and somebody to cut loose with. Nothing like getting your ashes hauled to mellow you out. And if they left now, theyd beat most of the rush.
Being rich had its perks, all right.
Wednesday, October 6th, 3:40 p.m. Long Island
Brigette had been extremely cooperative. As soon as shed gotten over her surprise at seeing the pistol in the delivery womans gloved hand, her first words had been:
Oh, shit.
The tone hadnt been one of fear, but of irritation. As if shed just discovered it was raining when shed planned to lie in the sunshine.
Now, the van was parked a block over, in the driveway of a vacant house for sale-a chore the Selkie had done while Brigette had been handcuffed to her kitchen plumbing.
Back in place, shed uncuffed the woman and allowed her to dress.
As she had been slipping into her black silk panties, Brigette had turned those sweet cornflower-blue eyes on the Selkie and said, Are you going to kill me, too?
No doubt in her mind as to why the Selkie was here. No brainless bimbo, this one.
No, why should I? You do what youre supposed to do, Genaloni goes down, Im gone.
Hell have bodyguards with him. Theyll be out front.
How many?
A couple.
Apparently being cooperative again-but lying. Genaloni would have at least four guards, five if you counted his driver. One of them would be watching the back, too. Brigette was trying to cover her ass-more than the silk G-string she had on did. If her sugar daddy took the hit, she could hope his killer would let her live because shed helped her. If Genaloni survived and the delivery woman fell, sweet Brigette could tell him how shed lied to