Or maybe getting the chair.” He shrugged his big shoulders. “I’ll
think of something.”
“Please, Connie. Don’t do this. You can’t do this. I know you. You
can’t.”
Connie looked at his pistol and then knelt down and picked up one of
the dead men’s guns that had a suppressor attached. “I’ve got to. And
I am sorry, Brooke.”
They all heard the click. Connie and Reynolds instantly recognized it
as the cock of a semi-automatic pistol.
Lee barked, “Drop the pistol. Now! Or I put a tunnel in your head.”
Connie froze and let the gun fall to the floor.
Lee came up the stairs and put the muzzle of his pistol against the
agent’s head. “I’m real tempted to shoot you anyway, but you did save
me the trouble of tangling with two more gorillas.” Lee looked at
Reynolds. “Agent Reynolds, I’d appreciate if you’d pick up the pistol
and keep it trained on your boy here.”
Reynolds did so, her eyes burning into her partner’s. “Sit down,
Connie. Now!” she ordered.
Lee went over and put his arms around Faith.
“Lee,” was all she said, leaning into him.
“Thank God I decided to come back.”
“Can someone tell me what the hell this is all about?” Reynolds said.
Buchanan stepped forward. “I can, but it may not do any good. The
proof I had was on that tape. I was planning on making copies, but I
didn’t have the chance to before I left Washington.”
Reynolds looked down at Connie. “You obviously know what’s going on.
If you cooperate, it’ll help your sentencing.”
“I might as well strap myself in the chair,” Connie said. “Who?
Dammit, who is behind this that everybody’s so scared to death of?”
“Agent Reynolds,” Buchanan said, “I’m sure that particular gentleman is
waiting to hear the outcome of all this. If he doesn’t get it soon,
he’ll send out more men. I suggest we stop that from happening.”
Reynolds looked at him. “Why should I trust you? What I should do is
call the cops.”
Faith said, “The night Agent Newman was killed, I told him I wanted
Danny to come in and testify with me. Newman told me that would never
happen.”
“Well, he told you right.”
“But I think if you know all the facts, you won’t think that way. What
we did was wrong, but there was no other way..
“Well, that makes it all perfectly clear,” Reynolds replied.
“That can wait,” Buchanan said with urgency. “Right now we have to
take care of the man behind these people.” He looked down at the dead
men.
“You can add one more to that count,” Lee said. “He’s outside taking a
dip in the ocean.”
Reynolds looked exasperated. “Everybody except for me seems to know
everything.” She turned to Buchanan with a scowl. “Okay, I’m
listening. What’s your suggestion?”
Buchanan started to answer when they all heard the sound of a plane
coming in. Their eyes went to the window, where the dawn had broken.
“It’s just the commuter service. It’s daylight. First flight in. The
runway’s across the street,” Faith explained.
“That I do know,” Reynolds said.
“I suggest we use your friend there,” Buchanan said, nodding at Connie,
“to communicate with this person.”
“And tell him what?”
“That his operation was a total success, except that his men were
killed in the ensuing battle. He’ll understand that, of course.
Losses happen. But that Faith and I were killed and the tape was
destroyed. That way he’ll feel safe.”
“And me?” Lee said.
Buchanan glanced at him. “We’ll let you be our wild card.”
“And why exactly should I do that?” Reynolds wanted to know. “When I
could take you and Faith, and him”-she flicked her pistol at Connie-“to
the WFO, get my job back and walk away a hero?”
“Because if you do that, the man who has caused all of this will go
free. Free to do something like this again.”
Reynolds looked confused and troubled.
Buchanan watched her closely. “It’s up to you.”
Reynolds looked at each of them and then her gaze came to rest on Lee.
She noted the blood on his sleeve, the cuts and bruises on his face.