The Puppeteer

CHAPTER 22



TWO DAYS LATER, DANI WAS SITTING in her bed after her morning walk when Cotter strolled in. Looking fit as a fiddle, Dani noticed. A young woman followed him in and, when the door closed, they both stepped forward.

“Dani,” he smiled at her.

“Cotter, I'm glad to see you,” she smiled back and eased herself back up onto the bed. She'd sent Ty out to get some real coffee and pastries and so, for the first time, was attempting to climb into bed on her own. And Cotter stood watching. Somehow he'd convinced hospital staff to let him wear sweatpants rather than the hospital gown, though it was clear, from his wristband and the nurse hovering out in the hall, he was still a patient.

“You look annoyingly healthy,” Dani grumbled.

Cotter grinned. “Guess who's more fit now?”

“Dad,” the young woman said, stepping forward to help Dani with the blankets. “You know you looked this bad a few days ago, too,” she chastised.

Dani looked at the woman who handed her the blankets and stared. “I, uh, I didn't even know you had a daughter, Cotter,” she managed to say. She'd worked with the man for five years and had had no idea.

“Not many people I work with do,” he answered. It wasn't a slight on either his daughter or the people he worked with; Dani could understand wanting to keep your private life separate from your professional life, especially in their line of work. Hell, she'd done the same thing.

“Josie, this is Dani, Dani, Josie.” He made the introductions and Dani shook the younger woman's hand.

“Are you keeping him in line?” Dani asked with a smile.

“As much as he'll let me,” Josie answered.

“Ha,” Cotter barked. “You say that like I'm giving you a hard time. I've been nothing but a p-ssy cat since I've been here.”

“Which has been all of three days,” Josie rolled her eyes. She held up her hand to halt his further protest and talked over him. “I know you wanted to talk with Dani about something, so once you sit your butt down, I'll leave you to it.”

Cotter eyed his daughter. “Bossy little thing, ain't she?” he asked, even as he followed her orders and sat down.

Dani grinned watching Cotter and his daughter, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen from the man.

“I'll be back in twenty minutes,” Josie announced and then turned and left.

“She seems like a good kid,” Dani commented when the door shut.

Cotter's eyes softened. “She is, she's the best. It's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Your daughter?” Dani asked, eyes wide in interest.

“Sort of. I'm leaving,” he announced. Dani looked at him and then the meaning of his words sunk in.

“You're leaving the CIA?” she asked. He nodded.

“It's been a long time coming. I left the army when my wife died and joined the CIA figuring it would be a little safer than what I had been doing.”

Dani didn't even bother to wonder what he had been doing that would make the work they'd done seem safe.

“Josie was seventeen when her mom died ten years ago. I was away so much that, even though we were close, all of us, I still missed out on a lot. I decided it was enough, and I didn't want Josie to be left alone, so I left the army and joined the CIA. It's been fine, what I thought it would be. But then this happened and, well,” the man paused and a lost look flickered in his eyes. “I don't like thinking I might never see my daughter again. Oh, I know,” he waved a hand in front of him. “I know I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or she could, for that matter. But then it would be an accident. Not something I chose to do, and we both know the mortality rate for folks in our job is higher than the average.”

Cotter took a deep breath and let it out. “So, there you have it. I wanted to tell you and thank you for coming after me that day. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come by. Well,” he stopped and chuckled. “I do know what would have happened if you hadn't come by, which is why I decided to leave.”

“So, what now?” Dani asked, not sure what else to say. To say it was a shock to hear Cotter's plan would have been a huge understatement. She never imagined there would come a day when he would not be there, be a part of the team. Then again, she hadn't known about Josie or even how the pull of love and family could become stronger than the desire to work.

“I'm going to retire to my little cottage on Chesapeake Bay. Spend some time with Josie—she's a teacher in DC. Maybe catch up with some old army buddies.”

“Do you think you'll get bored?” Dani asked, curious. Cotter laughed.

“Maybe, but don't tell Josie I told you,” he lowered his voice to conspiratorial whisper. “She and her husband—he's a good man, a professor—are expecting their first baby. She's only about ten weeks along so doesn't want to tell anyone yet. But, I think she told me as way to get me to move away from the light, if you know what I mean.”

Dani laughed. The thought of Cotter as a doting grandfather was not an image she would have come up with on her own. But now she couldn't see him as anything else—it was an oddly perfect fit.

“Dad?' Josie's head popped in and she pointed to her watch. Cotter gave a dramatic sigh and stood.

“They're letting me out tomorrow,” Cotter announced, stretching his legs.

The realization that she would never work with Cotter again—may never see him again—made her catch her breath. He must have noticed because he stopped and gave her a gentle smile.

“We'll keep in touch. Trust me,” he said. Dani smiled back, comforted by his words.

“Oh hey, Cotter,” she called him back as he moved toward the door. “Since you're on your way out, tell me about your handle.”

“I'm leaving the team and all you want to know about is how I got my handle?” he teased, but stepped back into the room with Josie by his side.

Dani gave him an unrepentant grin and nodded.

He glanced at Josie. “I don't think you've ever heard this story either,” he looked at her, affection clear on his face, and she shook her head.

“It had to do with your mother, my wife,” he added, looking back to Dani. “I fell in love with her the first time I laid eyes on her.”

“How old were you?” Dani asked.

“Five. Mrs. Morgenstern's kindergarten class. I was new to the town. Angie sat at the desk beside me. When the bell rang that first morning, she turned and smiled at me and I fell right then and there. The town was small and when we got to high school there wasn't a lot of dating going on. Instead, Angie and our friends all just hung out together. It didn't mean I didn't try for more, because I did. I'd been telling her from day one that I was going to marry her. I told everyone I was going to marry her. I got into the habit of referring to her as ‘the girl I was going to marry.’ Everyone in town knew the whole story, but when I was drafted, the guys in my platoon thought I was crazy to be holding out for a girl who hadn't even kissed me on the lips when I shipped out. But we wrote to each other every week and, pretty soon, everyone was rooting for me. Every time I got a letter from her everyone would ask if she'd said yes yet.”

He shifted and looked at his daughter. “When the letter came, the letter that said she'd marry me as soon as I got home, everyone cheered. I don't know who started it but someone started chanting ‘caught her, caught her,’ which was shortened to Cotter. I think, in retrospect, my courtship with Angie was one of the only bright spots of our deployment.”

“What took her so long?” Josie asked, her love for her father strong in her voice.

Cotter smiled. “I asked her that and for years she never answered. Finally, she told me that I'd had my heart set on her for so long that she was afraid she'd disappoint me. She thought it would be easier to avoid me than to risk disappointing me. I'm sure you'd know something about that,” Cotter turned his attention from his daughter to Dani.

“But,” he continued, “when you realize you love someone, that you well and truly love someone, you realize that you could never be a disappointment. I thanked god every day that Angie learned this. I suspect you will, too, Dani,” he added.

Dani smiled, touched by Cotter's words. “Thank you,” she said. He smiled back as Josie took his hand. “And good luck,” Dani added.

“I'll be in touch. Oh, and tell Drew to tell you about Frey and Robertson,” he responded with an overhead wave as the door closed behind the pair.

Just moments after Cotter left, the door swung back open and Ty came in with two take-out coffees and a bakery bag.

“Who was that I saw with Cotter?” he asked.

“His daughter,” Dani replied, still testing the concept.

“Daughter?” Ty said, just as surprised. He handed her a coffee and spread the pastries on the bag on the table. “I didn't know he had a daughter.”

“Neither did I. I also didn't know he was quitting the CIA and retiring to his cottage on Chesapeake Bay as soon as he is released tomorrow,” she added with no little bit of envy in her voice. Then she frowned. Cotter might be choosing to leave the CIA, but what if he hadn't? Given what had happened, would he have been able to return to the field? Would she?

“Chesapeake Bay,” Ty mulled this over as he took a bite from a scone. “It's nice there. We should go on vacation there this fall.” He hadn't noticed her sudden discomfort, and she was glad. It wasn't something she was ready to think about yet.

“If they ever let me out of here,” Dani grumbled as she pulled the top off of a blueberry muffin and popped it into her mouth.

“Oh, I didn't tell you?” Ty spoke with mock surprise. “I ran into your doctor in the hallway on my way in here. He said if you stay on track today and I promise not to let you overdo it, you can go home tomorrow.”

Dani stopped chewing and stared at Ty. “You're not kidding, right?” she said over a mouthful of muffin.

“Believe me, honey, that's not something I would joke about,” he smiled and touched his thumb to her lip, catching a crumb.

Dani swallowed and smiled. “Have I told you that I love you?” she blurted out, surprising even herself with the veracity of the statement.

Ty smiled, “Aw shucks, you just said that 'cause I'm springing you from this joint,” he answered. Dani knew he was trying to lighten the moment, giving her an out if she wanted it.

“I did, but I do,” she said, suddenly certain she wanted Ty to know her feelings for him were real, and strong.

“You did, but you do?” he asked, confused.

“I did say it because you're springing me, but I do love you,” she clarified. He searched her eyes for a long moment before placing his coffee and scone down. “I mean, that's just how I feel, you don't, well, you don't have to,” her backpedaling came to an abrupt stop when he covered her mouth with his in a long, slow kiss.

“I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that,” he said when he pulled away. “Because I do too. Love you, that is,” he clarified and then emphasized it with another kiss.

That ended with the sound of someone clearing his throat. Ty glanced at the door over Dani's shoulder as she rolled back against the raised bed. Spanky stood in the door, grinning. Drew stood next to him, hands planted on his hips

“Do you wait for me to show up to do that?” Drew asked rhetorically as he moved into the room. On reflex, he went to look out the window. Spanky stopped midway and picked up a scone without asking.

“Drew,” Dani said, picking up her coffee and taking a sip. “Cotter said I should ask you about Frey and Robertson.”

Drew turned and stared at her. “You sure don't need any warm up do you. You just jump right in,” he responded, taking the empty seat near her bed.

“That shouldn't come as a surprise to you, Drew, but in this case, I have no idea what I'm jumping into. I know who Frey is but not Robertson or why we should care.”

Drew glanced at Spanky, who swallowed the bite of scone, took a sip of water, and then proceeded to fill them in.

“You do know Robertson. William Robertson,” he started.

Startled, both Dani and Ty put their cups down and stared.

“Yeah, that was about the same reaction we had when we found out Frey and the fricking President of the United States, William Robertson, were army buddies. Turns out that ambush we knew Frey survived,” Spanky paused to give them time to remember Frey's dossier that Drew had passed on to them in Portland. When both Dani and Ty nodded he continued. “Well, it turns out Robertson was the only other survivor of the same ambush.”

“An ambush, I might add, that was recorded in a couple of contradictory reports,” Drew interjected.

“I'm sure there are a lot of contradictory reports from that time period,” Ty pointed out.

“And do they make a difference? Did anyone benefit from the discrepancy?” Dani asked.

“Not any of the other nine men who were killed that day,” Spanky muttered in disgust.

“Robertson's report is kind of interesting. He says he was told the area was secure and advanced on orders only—it's bare bones. But Frey's report extols Robertson's leadership when they came under fire. Frey says he was told they might encounter enemy combatants, but no one expected the ambush and that Robertson was cool under fire and did the best he could given the difficult situation. Nine men died but, according to Frey, Robertson managed to get all the bodies out so they could make it home for a proper burial.”

“Maybe Frey was just thankful Robertson got him out alive and exaggerated the situation a little bit?” Dani asked, doubt clear in her voice.

Drew seemed to agree with her. He shrugged and shook his head. “I doubt Frey's motivations were that generous. But, Robertson was awarded for his actions that day. It was big news that the son of a prominent senator had fought so valiantly. He campaigned on it in his first election and, of course, his record has been a point of discussion in every subsequent election, including his presidential election.”

“So you're thinking Frey sets him up for an award and then starts calling in favors?” Ty put the question out to no one in particular.

“But why would Frey think he deserved favors if Robertson did what he did in terms of getting the bodies out, staying strong and all that,” Dani interjected.

“Unless of course, Robertson didn't do any of it and Frey lied,” Ty answered, cynicism clear in his voice.

“My guess?” Drew started. “I think Frey led the march right into enemy territory. I think Robertson, followed along because he wanted to prove himself to his father. I think when the bullets started flying Robertson probably ducked for cover and Frey did all the dirty work. How much of the dirty work did he do?” Drew shrugged. “I wouldn't put it past him to have killed his own men in order to ensure no one questioned the events of the day. So, at the end of the journey, we have an injured Robertson, who knows the truth about what happened in the jungle that day but is already being lauded as a hero and praised by his father. And we have Frey, who may or may not have set him up, but also knows the truth and has joined the canonize-Robertson contingent.”

Drew rose and walked to the window. Dani cast a look at Ty, who was staring off into the middle distance.

“As the only other survivor, Frey's voice carries a lot of weight,” Drew said.

“And Robertson crashes into victory in his first run for public office on the laurels of his actions. Most Vietnam vets weren't given quite the same welcome as the vets from World War II, but Robertson is from a conservative state,” Ty added as he sat forward and took Dani's hand.

“I can buy Frey being involved in the death of so many men, no problem, but I don't get why Robertson was involved. Why Frey wouldn't just take the credit? And does this have anything to do with what he told me in the cave?” she questioned.

“As to the first, because Frey was a down-on-his-luck nobody trying to claw his way out of poverty,” Drew answered, repeating, essentially, what Frey had said when talking with Dani in the cave.

“And as for the second question, Robertson was his ticket,” Spanky supplied. “Even before Robertson enlisted, he was a golden boy expected to follow in his father's footsteps. What better way for someone like Frey to climb out of poverty than to have something to hold over someone like Robertson. Someone who can give him access and contacts.”

“So where does that leave us?” Ty asked.

Drew sighed and Spanky looked pained. “That's part of the problem. Or rather, it's part of the puzzle Marmie is trying to work out. You see, we know they were together in Vietnam. But ever since then, since the late seventies, there have been no known interactions between the two. At all,” Spanky added with emphasis.

“What about the extraction companies? Does Robertson have any link to them? Maybe that's the connection?” Dani suggested.

“Marmie's looking into that,” Drew answered. “Robertson does hold a fair bit of stock in a variety of extraction companies, but so do a lot of other people. It doesn't mean it's the connection between the two.”

“But it doesn't mean that it's not either,” Dani pointed out. “Who else is working on this?”

“You're looking at it,” Drew answered.

“And Marmie,” Spanky added.

“Right, I'm sure it's better to keep the team small, given the potential situation,” Ty interjected.

Dani swore under her breath and all three men concurred. If the president were involved with someone like Frey, they'd be fighting an almost impossible battle. Because, while the American people seemed to revel in White House scandals involving sex and money, a White House scandal that involved duping the American people for decades and the murder of innocent people would be resoundingly crushed by all the powers that be, along with all the people involved. Neither party would want a sitting president to be impeached and tried for murder, it would rock the political foundation too much.

So, not only were they fighting to find Frey and bring him down, they would be fighting for their jobs and possibly their lives as well. While this truth escaped none of them, no one in the room looked interested in walking away. If anything, as Dani scanned the faces of the three men, they looked even more intent on their objective—finding Frey and stopping him.

Just as Dani opened her mouth to ask about Drew's interrogations of Sonny and the captive militia, he cut her off.

“I think that about covers it for now,” Drew said, moving toward the door. Spanky looked surprised but fell in line after a quick look at Dani.

“We'll be back tomorrow. My parents are coming by again a bit later,” Drew added as the two exited the room.

“Wow,” Dani said into the silence that followed. “I must look bad. Drew ran away faster than a scared cat.”

“You look pretty good to me,” Ty said, handing her another piece of pastry. “I think he wants to make sure you keep it up.”

“And he thinks withholding information will help?”

“I think he thinks I'll remind you that whether you know whatever it is he knows today or tomorrow, it isn't going to make a difference. There's not much you can do until you're back on your feet.”

“What about my enormous brain power?” she asked with a cheeky grin. “I can think about things.”

Ty rolled his eyes. “You can, but then, when you realize you can't do anything about what you're thinking about, you'll start to get all twitchy and moody and demanding, and the next thing we'll know, a half-healed Dani will be checking herself out of the hospital against doctor's orders.”

“I would not,” Dani shot back. Ty quirked a brow. “Okay, maybe I would,” she conceded with a sigh. “I guess you're stuck entertaining me then?”

Ty laughed, “I can think of worse things, honey.”