Destiny takes a hand, p.1
Destiny Takes a Hand, page 1
Destiny Takes a Hand
MARTIN ZEHRING
Copyright © 1998 by Martin Zehring
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
About the author
1
DESTINY TAKES A HAND
“You’re gonna get it, Silver. You’re gonna get it right now,” emitted a voice from a distorted, shadowy face in the dark alley. A gun barked; then silence. I slumped over in pain, falling unto the dirty, pot holed asphalt. The voice started laughing louder and louder. And so it began. One of those nightmares that hits at three in the morning, and you wake up in a dripping sweat. I’m sitting straight up in bed, staring at the wall, with visions of death all around me. A year ago, I wouldn’t have given ten cents for my life, and right now it’s probably only worth a nickel. But then maybe, I’ll get lucky and be able to finish this assignment, staying alive long enough to come in first. Be a winner. Coming in second is no contest at all and I’d lose. These boys don’t play around. For them to end my life would be to their advantage, and erasing me from the scene would solve a lot of their problems. They know that someone else would take my place into the long years ahead, and it would slow things up for just a little While. They also know how to play the game. But for me, once I’m dead, the game is over, and I’m not ready to join that club yet.
When I finally opened my eyes to daylight, the musical sounds of Manhattan were ringing in my ear. Beeping horns, sirens from ambulances and police cars, and the riveting noise of building construction, all seemed to be right outside, loud and continuous. Glancing out the window of my hotel room at 45th Street and 8th Avenue in clear sight, was another skyscraper being built, reaching for the others around it. If you think New York has all the tall buildings it can handle, think again. The city keeps growing and that’s what makes it so great and always will.
After getting cleaned up, and putting on my best suit, I walked to a small coffee shop on the comer, took a sip of the black stuff and bit into a bagel. The business district down south was booming as usual, and the taxi came to a stop right in the center of it all. I paid the driver, and hopped out. For a moment, I looked up at the building in front of me, then lowered my head again, wondering if I should enter. Without bothering to consider it any longer, I walked through the lobby to the elevator and pushed the button. Stepping in, I pushed another button, and in a few seconds the door opened at the 28th floor. The hallway seemed endless, till I got to the end and took a left, finally reaching number 2850. I nervously straightened my tie, cleared my throat, then opened the door and walked into the secretary’s office.
“I’m Harry Silver,” I said, as I approached her desk.
“Oh yes, Mr. Silver, the chief is expecting you. I’ll tell him you’re here.”
“Ah, thanks,” I answered with a half grin.
She picked up the phone, and punched in a couple of numbers. “Mr. Silver is here, Sir.” Her eyes looked up at me for a second. “Yes Sir, I’ll send him right in.” She looked up again after putting the receiver back in it’s cradle, then nodded, “He’s waiting for you.”
I repeated my thanks to her and made my way down the corridor, reading the name plates until I came to the last one that stood out in bold brass letters, “JAMES COLTON.” Just as I was getting ready to knock, he opened the door.
“Harry...it’s good to see you. You’re looking well,” he said shaking my hand firmly.
“Good to see you too, Jim.”
“Well, come in...come in, and have a seat. Can I get you anything?” he gestured. “Coffee?”
“Yeah, that’d be good.”
Walking to a counter top next to the file cabinets, he poured two cups. “You like it straight or cream, sugar?”
“Straight up.”
“That’s the way I like it too,” he said walking back to his desk. “I ah...I heard you had a close call a little while back. Is everything alright with you?”
“Yeah. Sure. Everything is O.K. The two that tried to pump bullets in me, got mine instead. It’s a good thing they were the only ones that knew who I really was. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any point in going on with this, and me still in it.”
“Well...I’m glad it all worked out,” he said as he sat down.
“You’re glad. I’m ecstatic about the whole thing.”
Leaning back in his chair and rubbing his chin, then pointing his forefinger toward me, he remarked, “I’ll bet you are. By the way, we checked, and they were the only ones who knew about you.” Hesitating for a moment, he stood up peering out the window, then turned, propping his hands on the desk, with a serious expression on his face. “Harry...there’s a few things you don’t know about this project, or how much those KGB bastards are involved. We didn’t tell you all of it when you began this thing because we didn’t have all the answers either. It isn’t the regular routine of going through the motions, and getting your wrists slapped if you fuck up. They’re out for blood, Harry. Gallons of it. Yours, mine, whoever is trying to stop them.We’re going to throw wrenches in their system, and interrupt the smooth operation they’ve had for years. But now that you’ve entered the picture, I hope those years come down to months. They won’t stand by and just let it happen,” he said emphatically.
“Well, I agree with you all the way,” I interjected. “And I guess I’ll be throughing the wrenches.”
“You got it, and that’s why I called you in. But first, I want to give you the who, what, where, when and why. Then you take it from there. Jerry Craven is going to be your contact on this one. He’ll get in touch with you when he feels everything is ready to go.”
After he and his crew filled me in on the details, I knew why the CIA wasn’t particularly liked by the FBI. This time, they’d really shove the boot up our ass if they found out I was working in the lower forty eight. It’s their territory. Sometimes we work together, even in the U.S., but never on our own. This time, that’s what it would be; on our own. For those with the FBI who didn’t know who I was, I’d be the enemy, and they’d eliminate me...just like that. I couldn’t depend on Jerry or any of his men to stand up for me if I were caught by any foreign agency either. They’d deny they even knew me, much less embarrass the entire CIA, that would eventually get to a Congressional Committee and of course, the news media. That’s the way it has to be, and all of us live by that rule or find another line of work.
It was six o’clock that evening when school was over, and I felt I had learned all the ins and outs. There was a small cafe one story up, where Jim and I had dinner, talked about old times, and had a few laughs about them. Then he shook my hand, and said for me to stay out of trouble, and keep in contact with him regularly. The next morning, the elevator ride down to the lobby of the hotel, and the walk to the curb were quick, but the taxi to Kennedy Airport was long, bumpy, jerky and nerve-racking. Working with the agency for ten years meant that close calls were part of the job, and some of them sent chills through my body. But, the cabs in New York were right up there with those spine tingling escapades, and my legs ached a little from pushing my feet hard against the floor for most of the trip. The terminal was jam-packed as usual, and boarding the plane for Washington was the same routine that I had done a thousand times before. Then I waited, and waited, and waited for things to get started. The phone almost jumped off the bedside table with a deafening ring that pierced my ears.
It was Jerry wanting to meet with me. The sun was rising pretty good by 9 a.m., and I drove to the address Jerry had given me, then pulled into the driveway that curved and circled around the five acre lot. I stopped where he was waiting, and I recognized another agent, Howard Bentley, with him. We said the usual hello’s and then they guided me to a short cut around the side entrance of the house, and into the living room.
“Well Harry...you feel up to this one?” Jerry asked as we walked in.
“Yeah. I’m up to it. That is…I guess so. I think I have most of the picture, but Jim Colton said you had a few extras to add to it and you’d fill me in when I got here,” I remarked as we all sat down.
“How is Jim?” Jerry asked. “I haven’t seen him in a couple of months.”
“He’s the same as ever. A little bit more nervous about this particular case than any other one we’ve been on. Gathering from what I was told, we all have a right to be on edge.”
Howard looked my way. “I think so. Everyone is expecting quick solutions to this problem, and want us to put everything else aside. They want to know who is taking the XP495 weapons data, where it’s going, and how far they are with putting the pieces together. We have to know exactly how many documents they have now, and if anymore are on the way. The thing is...we can’t stop the people from taking them at the initial point, until we find out the progress being made at the other end of the spectrum. It’s a ca tch 22.”
Jerry added, “We might even have to put a few things in the files to keep them scratching their heads till they’re all bald, like...some fake documents.”
“We want you to have all the details,” Howard said.
“Yeah! No loose ends. I want everything before getting started,” I added.
Jerry stood up, then continued. “We’re going to get down to the fine points. But first... there’s someone we want you to talk to.
Pointing to the Library, Howard motioned for me to go in. “There’s a friend of yours behind those doors.”
“Who is it,” I asked, as I glanced at both of them.
“You’ll see when you get in there,” Jerry said. “Go on, it’ll be a good surprise.”
He wasn’t kidding. It was a surprise, and a good one at that. It was Betty Green, who I’d known for a few years, and even worked with her on a couple of small cases. We liked working together as a team, and respected each others decisions, to make it all come out right. We became very good friends and trusted each other explicitly. As I continued into the room, I saw her and a young man standing by the window looking at some papers.
“Hello, Betty,” I said in a half startled tone.
“Harry...it’s good to see you. They told me you’d be here today.”
“I had no idea who they were talking about when they said a friend was waiting in here for me.”
“Yup...it’s me,” she said amusingly.
“You look great.”
“Well, thank you. You do too.” Turning to the man next to her, she said, “I’d like you to meet Mike Norris. Mike, this is Harry Silver.”
“Hello, Mr. Silver I’ve heard a lot about you. Very good things, I might add.”
“Call me, Harry. Thanks for the compliment, but we all do our best.”
“All of us try, but your success stands out by itself. I’m glad I’ll be around to help a little.”
“Well, it’s good to have you with us. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Looking at Betty for a moment, I asked inquisitively, “I thought you were still in Switzerland.”
“I was...that is, up to a few days ago. Then they asked me...very nicely, to come back to the States for a special assignment. I accepted, and here I am.”
Mike interrupted, “I’m sure you have a lot to talk about, so I’ll leave you two alone. See you later,” he remarked as he left the room.
“It’s been a long time. About a year, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Eleven months to be exact,” she said softly. Sooo...what have you been doing all that time?”
“Getting into trouble as usual. I’m going to try and change that. By the way, what is the special assignment you’re working on now?”
A questionable look came over her face. “They didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” I gestured with my hands.
Walking to the door and into the living room, she went directly to where Jerry was standing. “You didn’t tell him?”
As I followed her, I could hear the conversation.
“Well...no,”
Suspecting that something was wrong, I asked, “What the hell is going on here? Somebody tell me something,” I insisted.
Half stammering through the words, Howard spoke quietly. “Ah...Harry...Ah...Betty is going to be working with you.”
“What do you mean, working with me? To do what?”
Jerry interrupted, “She’s going to be working with you on this project.”
“Like hell, she is. I think you and Howard had one too many scotch on the rocks. Who came up with this crap?”
Howard spoke again, “You know it came from the top. This thing is going to take the best people we have for this operation, and the best are right here. That means you, Mike, Betty and a couple others.”
I sat down in the chair next to the couch and flung my feet onto the coffee table. “I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. Can’t we get someone else...a man?”
“No, we can’t,” Howard remarked demandingly. Things will stay the way they are. She knew what it was all about before accepting the job.”
Betty came over to the chair, and put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright, Harry. Really it is. He’s right, they did tell me all about it, in detail.”
I got up and turned face to face with her looking straight into her eyes. “Did they really tell you all about it? Did they tell you that coming out of this is less than half?”
“Well...no,” she answered. “But...”
“But nothing. Did they tell you that I was just about wiped out right after I started this thing?”
She moved her head slowly from side to side. “No.”
“Did they tell you that two other agents were already dead, and that’s how I got into it?”
“Stop it, Harry,” Jerry insisted, tugging at my arm„ “Settle down.”
I turned to Howard. “Maybe you outa tell her all of it, and I mean all. Tell her that this isn’t a cocktail party that you can leave when you get bored.” Glancing at her, I said softly, “Look Betty, this is a tough one. The most involved that I’ve ever seen. Everything has to be right down the line, with no room for error. If one is made, it better be on their part, not ours.”
“I can handle it, Harry. I can do my job,” she said persuasively.
The expression on her face was serious, and let me know that she was determined to see it through. I said matter-of-factly, “Yeah...yeah, I guess you can at that.”
No one said anything for half a minute, and Howard kept looking at all of us just standing there. “O.K., let’s take a seat and get on with this thing,” he motioned with his hand.
The coffee pot was kept busy most of the afternoon, as Jerry and Howard told us how they fit into this case. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Betty and I wouldn’t be seeing much of them. It was going to be their job to furnish technology and hardware from Washington. The way they put it was...whatever we needed, they’d make sure it was available, and get it to us. After the meeting, Howard offered to drop off the car I had rented, and Jerry would make sure that we got on a plane. He drove us to Andrews Air Force Base, just outside Washington. The guard at the gate waived us through after Jerry flashed his ID Card, and we ended up at a hangar that was separated from the normal busy activity. The sunset was gone now, and the sky was showing the demise of daylight hours. A small private Learjet was parked just inside the hangar doors that were already opened enough to get the plane out. The little tractor pulled the aircraft to it’s run-up area, and we boarded. The wining of the engines, brought reality right up front; that we were starting on a journey, and no one knew where it was going to end. The non-stop flight brought us to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and we were wisked away in a limo to a car parked next to the operations building. Driving off the base, we headed for Las Vegas, thirty miles away. The lights of the city were spectacular, and all of it inviting. Betty’s eyes were taking it all in. Being together side by side, just wouldn’t work, so we decided to go our separate ways for now. The plan was for me to start at one end, she at the other, then meet somewhere in the middle. I dropped her at an apartment the agency had rented several weeks earlier, then drove the six hours to Los Angeles the next morning, after getting a little rest at a down town hotel. To keep a low profile, I decided to drive, rather than take a commercial airline. As far as anyone was concerned, I didn’t exist, and I wanted to keep it that way.
The condo in Los Angeles where I was to stay, was also rented by the agency. I put the key in the slot, swung the door open, only to find a man sitting in the recliner, watching television. I glanced at the number on the door for a second time, then quickly realized that since the key opened the lock, it had to be the right place.
“Come on in, Harry,” he said nonchalantly.
I kept staring at him. “Who are you?”
Glancing my direction, “A friend. At least I hope we become friends.” He clicked the off button on the remote, stood up and came toward-me, holding out his hand. “I’m Jason.”
I skeptically acknowledged, then sat my other bag down, “Jason, huh. Well, Jason...who the hell are you and what are you doing in my apartment? And by the way...Jason who?”
