Chapter 15
“Who do you think poisoned you?” I asked.
“I can’t be certain. But if I were hiring to get a job done, and I didn’t want anything coming back to me, I’d clean house,” Kara said. “No loose ends.”
"So you think the CIA hired you to get secrets from Mr. Yan’s laptop, and they killed you to avoid an international incident," I said.
"That sounds reasonable."
It didn’t sound reasonable at all, but possible.
“All I know from the drop was that they were able to access the foreign network and gain information about file structure. But they weren't able or willing to download files without a direct connection. The encrypted files contain a beacon. If they’re sent over the Internet, they will report back to the network, digital telemetry tracking that reports back whenever the files are accessed, moved, or copied. The script logs IP, location, and time of access. There is a possibility that improper access could cause the files to self-delete. How that all works is a little above my pay grade.”
“So, the Chinese are fully aware of the breach.”
“I would assume so. Another reason why it had to be done from Zheng’s computer.”
"Have you had any contact with anyone since you pulled the job?"
"Just you two.”
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you were poisoned before the job," Jack said.
Kara’s brow knitted. She thought about it, trying to recall all her interactions over the last few days. “It could have happened anywhere—at lunch at a restaurant, a drink at the hotel bar, a handshake… who knows?”
“I’ll need a detailed list of every interaction.”
She nodded. “So, you’ll help?”
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
“If you don’t help, you’ve just wasted my time.”
She was good at the manipulation game. I had to give her that.
A terrible thought crossed my mind. “If you’ve been poisoned with some kind of toxin, how do we know you’re not contagious?”
Her face went long. She hadn’t considered it either. After a moment’s thought, she dismissed the notion. “No. I was around Ryan when he had symptoms, and I never developed any—”
“That was a month ago. Maybe that’s the length of the incubation period?”
“If that were the case, there would be a pandemic. This is a strategic weapon, designed to look like a heart attack or stroke.”
I considered it. “Tell me the circumstances surrounding Ryan’s death.”
"He’d taken an op from an encrypted drop. Started having symptoms. A few days later, he was dead.”
"What was the job?"
"I never found out. But I think we might be dealing with the same employer.”
“Who was Ryan?”
“A friend.”
“A friend?” I said, doubtful.
“Another operative. Freelance. We’d worked together on a few ops and gotten close.”
“I’m sorry about your friend.”
She gave a grim nod.
"You don't have any idea what kind of data those files contain?”
"No. I haven't done anything with the files. Hacking’s not really my forte.”
I stared at her for a moment. "Take off the sunglasses.”
She hesitated, then pulled them from her face, revealing ice-blue eyes that looked weary and sunken. "You'll have to excuse my appearance. As I mentioned, I'm feeling a little under the weather.”
She really didn't look bad at this point. Like she had the flu, maybe. On her worst day, a woman like Kara still looked pretty good.
I gazed deep into her eyes, searching for the truth. "I need you to be 100% honest with me. Did you kill Yan Zheng?”
Without blinking, flinching, or hesitating, she said, "No. I don't take those kinds of jobs anymore.”
I could relate to that.
"Does this mean you’re gonna help me? Or are you going to turn me over to the feds?”
I shared a look with JD.
It was against my better judgment, but I knew if we handed her over to the feds, we might never find out who killed Yan Zheng.
At least, that's how I rationalized it. Maybe she was playing me for a sucker, maybe she wasn't. Kara was the kind of woman who could make a man do silly things. Helping her was downright stupid.
"The first thing we need to figure out is exactly what we’re dealing with and if there is a cure,” I said.
“You read my mind on that one,” she said, not hiding a grin. “Part and parcel with that is finding out who's responsible.”
"Let's establish a few ground rules.”
She listened intently.
"You do exactly what I say, when I say it. You don't have time to argue, and I don't have the bandwidth.”
"Affirmative," she said.
"If I think you're lying to me, that's it. I'll hand you over to the feds and won’t think twice about it.”
She gave me a mock salute. "Yes, sir."
"The objective is to find a cure and to figure out who killed Yan Zheng. You got that? This is not a revenge mission.”
Her face tightened. "I can tell you one thing. If I'm going to die, I’m taking some people with me.”
"Not on my watch. We do everything by the book.”
She laughed. "There's nothing by the book about this.”
I couldn't argue with that.
"And I want the data. Now. Hand it over.”
Kara shook her head. "That's my leverage. That's the only thing I have.”
"Like I said, it's my way or the highway.”
She considered it for a moment.