Chapter Forty-Seven
Boston, Massachusetts
Caspian stood by the double-panel glass window, looking at the Boston skyline from the eighth-floor hotel room he and Ranger had booked for the meeting with Nelson.
Below, near the hotel’s main entrance, guests and conference attendees filtered in and out of rideshares and taxis, and a group of well-dressed Asian men smoked cigarettes, each with a matching conference lanyard around their neck.
“We’re one minute out,” a voice came in through Caspian’s earbud. “Black Dodge Caravan. No signs of mobile surveillance en route from the airport.”
“Good copy,” Caspian replied.
He’d received a similar report twenty minutes earlier when two of Ranger’s men had followed Nelson through the airport after he had landed.
They hadn’t seen anyone shadowing him through the baggage claim or the taxi stand.
Caspian hadn’t expected any trouble, but appreciated the fact that Ranger was being cautious.
She wasn’t taking anything for granted and even had an SSU technician check for electronic surveillance inside the room.
A black Dodge Caravan soon turned into the circular driveway of the hotel and came to a stop in front of the entrance. Caspian smiled as his brother stepped out of the vehicle, a beige duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Nelson glanced up, as if he knew Caspian was watching him.
“He’s here,” he said to Ranger, who was seated at the desk working on her laptop.
Caspian stepped away from the window and crossed the room.
He opened the door, leaned against it so that it would remain open, and crossed his arms, his eyes toward the bank of elevators down the carpeted corridor.
Moments later, he heard a soft ding, and Nelson stepped into view.
He was taller than Caspian by about two inches, and he had dark green eyes and black hair and a bushy, untrimmed beard.
He was dressed in jeans, a polo shirt, and worn hiking shoes.
He looked tired from the long flight, but when he saw Caspian, his face broke into a grin.
“Jesus,” Nelson said as he got closer. “It’s great to see you, man.”
“You look good,” Caspian said.
“You’re full of it, but thanks,” his brother replied.
The two men embraced without hesitation, and for a few seconds, Caspian didn’t think about the operation, the risks he was about to ask Nelson to take on, or Liesel’s not being there with him.
“Still not shaving, I see,” Caspian said when they finally pulled apart.
“Still pretending that half smirk of yours counts as a real smile,” his brother shot back.
Caspian smiled for real this time, then stepped aside to let Nelson in. “Come on in, I’ll introduce you.”
“Where’s Liesel?” Nelson asked as he stepped through the doorway.
“She’s on a personal trip,” Caspian replied.
Nelson held his gaze a second longer than necessary but didn’t press, for which Caspian was grateful. Nelson gave Ranger a polite nod as he dropped his duffel bag to the floor next to the bed.
“I’m Nelson,” he said, extending his hand.
“Dr. Anderson,” Ranger said, getting to her feet and shaking the man’s hand, “thanks so much for coming.”
“Of course,” Nelson replied. “But I must admit that Caspian didn’t say much on the phone. Just that it was important that we meet, and that there’d be someone else.”
“Right . . . well, I’m Samantha Ranger. I work for the US government.”
Nelson eyed her for a beat, then asked, “Any particular part of the government? Or is that question verboten?”
Ranger smiled politely. “I don’t think it’s necessary for me to specify. Can we leave it at that?”
Nelson turned to Caspian. “She’s CIA?”
Caspian shrugged. “Let’s just say she’s someone I trust.”
That seemed to give Nelson pause. “Okay. Fair enough. Mom said something like this might happen.”
That piqued Caspian’s curiosity. “Really? What did she say to you?”
“She said you weren’t exactly clerking speeches at the UN anymore, then added something about you helping her and Dad out of a jam they found themselves in . . . with the ATF?”
Caspian chuckled. “Yeah . . . that sounds about right,” he said, but didn’t elaborate further.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother.
He did. But Caspian didn’t think it was his story to tell.
In accepting to assist the ATF with one of their investigations, Elizabeth and Richard Anderson had unknowingly placed themselves in the crosshairs of several Mexican drug cartels, as well as a North Korean sleeper cell.
In the end, it was Caspian and Liesel, with the help of Samantha Ranger, who had managed to untangle the whole mess.
“Should we sit?” Caspian asked.
They settled into a loose triangle with Nelson on the couch, Caspian in an armchair, and Ranger perched on the edge of the desk.
“So. You two mind telling me what this is really about and why I’m here?” Nelson asked, once everybody was comfortable.
“Caspian told me you were considering leaving Doctors Without Borders? Is that true?” Ranger asked.
“I’m thinking about it. I haven’t made my decision yet.”
“Because of Clara?” Ranger asked.
Caspian’s head snapped in Ranger’s direction. He’d never heard of a Clara. But before he could say anything, Nelson said, “You’re definitely CIA.”
“Who the hell’s Clara?” Caspian asked.
“Should I tell him, or would you prefer to do it?” Nelson said. “’Cause you seem to know a whole lot about me.”
Caspian noted that his brother didn’t sound pissed off. In fact, he seemed to find this conversation amusing.
“No, you do it,” Ranger said.
“Clara’s my girlfriend,” Nelson said. “She’s with the State Department. Legal division. She’s in Nairobi for another six months, then she’s coming back to DC.”
“You have a girlfriend?” Caspian asked, stunned. He’d always thought his brother was going to remain a bachelor his entire life.
“Don’t look so surprised, brother,” Nelson said. “You don’t think I’m worthy of being loved?”
“I didn’t—” Caspian started, but Nelson cut him off.
“Relax, bro, I’m kidding. Anyhow, Clara’s smart, funny, and she drinks the green smoothies I make for her, even though I know she hates them.”
“That’s pure love,” Ranger said.
“Right?”
“And this Clara, she’s the reason you’re thinking about coming back?” Caspian asked.
“She’s the main one. She’s only the second person in years who listens when I talk about what’s broken out there. She doesn’t roll her eyes, doesn’t pat me on the back to say I’m doing a great, honorable job, and that I should just shut my mouth and keep doing what I’m doing. She actually listens.”
“And . . . who’s the first person, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ranger inquired.
“Everett Westcott.”
Caspian winced at his brother’s answer. “Okay, so, in your opinion, professional and personal, what do you think is broken in Kenya?”
Nelson sighed heavily.
“More than you want to hear,” he said. “Look, I love the people in Kenya. That’s why I’ve been there for so long.
These people, they’re some of the most resilient and kind human beings I’ve ever met.
But their government? I mean, half the ministers would sell their grandmothers’ lungs for a payout. The other half already has.”
Caspian exchanged a look with Ranger. There was a quiet moment, then Nelson said, “When you’re caught between trying to treat patients and navigating which regional official expects a bribe to tell you where they hid the oxygen tanks, it kind of wears you down, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it,” Caspian said sympathetically. “You once told me you’d met Westcott a few times, remember that?”
“Of course. I met him a dozen times or so. The man is a force of nature, and he really cares about Africa. He’s one of the good guys, that’s for sure.
I have a good working relationship with him, and with everyone at Hearts United for that matter.
They talk a lot, but they do carry through.
Unlike so many other NGOs, when Hearts United say they’ll fund a project, they do. ”
“Did Westcott ever talk to you about his project for the DRC?” Ranger asked.
“As a matter of fact, he did. He has a big one for the Congo River. He loved the DRC and its people. Honestly, it’s as if the DRC is his spiritual homeland.”
“Really? Do you know why?” Caspian asked, intrigued.
“Could be because his late wife was from there,” Nelson said. “Nailah was her name, I think. She passed a while back, but man, he spoke like she was still in the room with him.”
Ranger leaned forward. “Nelson, would you be willing to help us get close to him?”
Nelson shot Caspian a what the hell is she talking about look, then turned his attention back to Ranger. “And why would I do that?”
“Show him, Samantha,” Caspian said. “He’ll get it.”
There was a quiet moment, then Ranger placed her tablet on the desk and tapped a finger on an electronic folder. A map of Kenya appeared, along with a photo of Everett Westcott.
“What am I looking at?” Nelson asked.
Caspian could tell his brother was tired and jet lagged, and he wondered if they should let him rest for a few hours before going through with the briefing.
But when Ranger started to speak, she got Nelson’s full attention.
Keeping her briefing methodical, she talked about the rare earth deposits, the population displacements and the mining operations that followed, and the shell companies linked to Hearts United.
Nelson didn’t interrupt, but by the end his expression had hardened in a way Caspian had never seen.
“So, you’re telling me Hearts United financed our clinics so that they could convince the population to clear the land?” Nelson asked, his face red. “And that Hearts United, with my help, convinced tribal leaders to move? That they funded our projects to make people trust them?”
“I’m afraid so,” Caspian said. “Hearts United partnered with you so that Doctors Without Borders’ credibility, and yours, would shield them from any suspicion.”
Nelson shook his head. “No . . . I don’t believe this. Your intel is wrong. Has to be.”
“I’m sorry, brother,” Caspian said.
Nelson stared at him, his eyes wide. “Do you think I was complicit in this?”
“Absolutely not,” Caspian said quickly. “But you were used.”
Nelson pushed up from the couch and headed toward the window, where he stood silent for a long time. Caspian sensed that Ranger wanted to say something, but he shook his head, gesturing her to give Nelson some time to think.
“I’ve given everything to that job,” Nelson said two minutes later. “I . . . I bled for that work. But I believed in it, you know? I still do. Despite all the corruption, we do manage to help people every day.”
“I know that,” Caspian said. “We all do.”
“We think Westcott is about to do the same in the DRC,” Ranger said.
“What? No. I’m telling you, you’re wrong about him,” Nelson said, running a hand through his hair.
Caspian looked at Nelson, and a hollow ache settled in his chest. His brother wasn’t just angry, he was hurt, betrayed by Westcott and Hearts United.
Torn open from the inside . . . just like Laura Newman and Onyx did to me.
“Nelson, my intel isn’t—” Ranger started.
“Enough!” Nelson shouted. “I don’t believe it. I don’t want to. Because that would mean I helped him do this. That I helped him move people I love, people who trusted me, off their land.”
Caspian could feel the conflict tearing at his brother. It hurt to watch Nelson, who was such a good, kind man, struggle like that.
“Maybe we’re wrong, then,” Caspian said, ignoring the angry look he got from Ranger.
Nelson spun toward him. “What?”
“I said maybe we’re wrong. But we need your help to get to the bottom of this.”
It took a few seconds, but then Nelson said, “Okay. If I agree to meet with Westcott, it’s not because you’ve convinced me. It’s because you didn’t, and I want to prove you wrong. You get that, right?”
Caspian nodded, not arguing. He knew better than to push. “Then let’s do that,” he said. “Let’s prove it together.”
“How? I’m a doctor, not a spook. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Ranger raised a hand. “I can help with that.”