The Book of Spies

6

Jefferson County, Missouri
THE NIGHT was crisp and clear over Missouri's rolling hills as the man exited Interstate 55, heading west past farms and woodland. The truck was a Class-6 Freightliner with sweet power steering. His fingers bounced on the wheel as he watched the countryside pass by. On the seat beside him lay an M4 carbine rifle, the primary weapon for most special forces soldiers and rangers. It was an old friend, and when he moonlighted like this, he brought it along for companionship. He smiled, thinking about the money he was going to make.
The clothing factory lay ahead. It was squat, the size of a football field, encircled by a high chain-link fence and concertina wire. Stopping at the gate, he showed the credentials Preston had given him. The sleepy security guard glanced at them and waved him through.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he drove on, counting the loading docks sticking out like gray teeth on the south side of the building. When he figured out which was number three, he circled the truck and backed up to it. The brakes huffed.
Once on the dock, he swore, staring at the mountain of crates. For two hours he labored, driving his dolly between the dock and the open maw of the truck, packing the boxes inside. It was a lousy job for one man. He was going to bitch to Preston about that. Who would've thought uniforms would take up so much room?
When he finished, he was sweaty. Still, at least this part, the most dangerous part, was finished. He climbed behind the wheel and drove sedately toward the guard kiosk. The gate opened as he approached, and he passed safely through. That was the thing about Preston. He knew how to plan a job. He grabbed his cell phone and punched in the number. Time to give him the good news.
San Diego County, California
THE YOUNG man parked his stolen sedan under the branches of a pepper tree at the distant edge of the sprawling truck stop off busy Interstate 15. He slid his FAMAS bullpup service rifle into its special holster inside his long jacket and got out, walking casually through the nighttime shadows along the rim of the parking lot, staying far from the brightly lit station with its restaurant, sleeping rooms, truck wash, and repair garage. With the trucks roaring in and out, the stink of diesel, and the taste of exhaust fumes, the place was an assault on the senses.
Scanning carefully, he headed toward thirty trucks parked in neat rows, their lights off while their drivers were inside tending to business, food, or entertainment. The truck he wanted was a Class-7 Peterbilt, a heavy eighteen-wheeler.
He found it quickly, then read the license plate to be sure. Satisfied, he glanced around, then tried the door. As expected, it was unlocked. He hiked himself inside. The key was in the ignition. He fired up the engine, noted the tank was full, and drove off. As soon as he was on the interstate, he phoned Preston.
Howard County, Maryland
AT LAST Martin Chapman heard the car in his drive. He looked out of his third-floor window, the moon spilling silver light across Maryland's hunt country. His wife was at their chateau in San Moritz, catching the end of the ski season, and the interior of his big plantation-style home was silent. His German shepherds barked outside on the grounds, and the horses whinnied from the pasture and barns. The security lights were shining brightly, displaying only a fraction of his enormous Arabian horse spread.
He pressed the intercom button. "I'll get the door, Bradley. Go back to sleep." Bradley was his houseman, a faithful employee of twenty years.
Still dressed, Chapman glanced at the photo on his desk, showing Gemma in a long tight gown, diamonds sparkling at her ears and around her throat, and him in a rented tuxedo. They were smiling widely. It was his favorite portrait, taken years before, while he was studying at UCLA and she at USC, miles apart geographically, worlds apart economically, but deeply in love. Now both were in their early fifties. Full of warm emotion, he pulled himself away, a tall man with a head of thick white hair brushed back in waves, blue eyes, and an unlined, untroubled face.
Hurrying downstairs, he opened the door. Doug Preston stood on the long brick porch, golf cap in his hands. Rangy and athletic, Preston radiated calm confidence. Forty-two years old, he had honed, aristocratic features. Little showed on his deeply tanned face except his usual neutral expression, but Chapman knew the man better than he knew himself: There was tightness around his eyes, and his lips had thinned. Something had happened Preston did not like.
"Come in," Chapman said brusquely. "Do you want a drink?"
Preston gave a deferential nod, and Chapman led him into his enormous library, where towering shelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound volumes. He looked at them appreciatively, then headed for the bar, where he poured bourbon and branch water for both of them.
With a polite thank-you, Preston picked up his drink, walked to the French doors, and peered out into the night.
Watching him, Chapman felt a moment of impatience, then repressed it. Preston must be handled carefully, which was why he manipulated him with the same adroitness he lavished on his multibillion-dollar, highly competitive business.
"What have you learned about the stranger in the park?" Chapman asked, reining him in. Preston had run down the sniper with his Mercedes and pulled the corpse inside. The man had had to be eliminated; too many people had seen his face.
Preston turned and made a focused report: "I waited outside Jonathan Ryder's funeral, got photos of the guy who was with Mr. Ryder in the park, and ran them through several data banks. His name is Tucker Andersen. He works for State. I followed Andersen to the Ryder house, then picked him up when he left. I wasn't able to scrub him--the man drives as if he's a NASCAR pro. That kind of talent could mean something, but maybe it doesn't. So I called a high-level contact in State Human Resources. Andersen is a documents specialist, and he's scheduled to leave for Geneva tonight for a UN conference on Middle East affairs. It lasts three weeks. I checked, and he has a reservation at the conference hotel. Just to make sure, I've put a team on his house in Virginia, and I'll keep in close touch with my man at State. If Andersen doesn't leave, we'll know we've got trouble. I'll be ready for him and take him out."
Chapman heard the annoyance in Preston's voice. The failure to liquidate Andersen was difficult to swallow for a man who detested loose ends.
Still, all was not lost. "Good work." Chapman paused, noted the flash of gratitude in Preston's eyes. "What about the District police?"
For the first time, Preston smiled. "They're still not asking any questions about the library, and they would be by now if they knew about it. It's beginning to look as if Mr. Ryder either didn't or wasn't able to tell Andersen anything important." Chief of security for the Library of Gold for more than ten years, Preston was a man passionate about books and completely loyal, traits not only prized but required of library employees.
"That'd be a good result." Chapman moved on to his next concern: "What about the library dinner?"
Preston drank deeply, relaxing. "Everything's on track. The food, the chefs, the transportation."
Book club members had been flying into the library throughout the past month, working with the translators to find and research questions in preparation for the annual banquet's tournament. It was during Jonathan's visit to the library just days before that he had learned about Chapman's new business deal and become alarmed.
"Where are you with the Khost project?" Khost was a province in eastern Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan. It was there Chapman planned to make back his huge losses from the global economic crash, and more.
"On schedule. The uniforms and equipment have been picked up. They'll be shipped out in the morning. I've got it well in hand."
"See that it stays that way. Nothing must interfere with it. Nothing. And keep your eye on the situation with Tucker Andersen. We don't want it to explode in our faces."