AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Looking back, I think that’s when it started,” Charlie went on. “Not to say he was dirty back then, but that’s when he learned how to play the game. He cultivated a network—not assets. He was smart, he made them beholden to him in a way that was generational. One of his informant’s children needed medical attention, he paid for it. A relative needed out of the country, he secured documents. A brother needed help paying for his education, Maddon paid for that. With no wife, no children of his own, no permanent residence since he was in the field so often, he had the money to spend. The locals called him a savior. In the nineties when operations turned to the Balkans he did the same thing. After 9-11 our focus changed again and he was assigned to Afghanistan to support OEF.”
Smith stared at me over the rim of his mug as he slurped down the hot liquid as if it wasn’t scalding his mouth, with a look that mirrored my wish Charlie would hurry the hell up and get to the point.
“Again, Charlie, my men have a flight to catch.”
“I began to suspect something wasn’t right when I was in France. My cover as an art forger had long been established. I hadn’t been in an active war zone since Nicaragua. My business and Maddon’s hadn’t crossed for a long time. It was a coincidence I was in Paris the same time he was.”
“You said business, but you remained personal friends over the years?” I asked for clarification.
“Correct. Maddon remained a close personal friend. With my cover, I didn’t cultivate friendships. I lived that cover, I was an art forger, until we decided to broaden the scope, then I had an accident that left my right hand damaged. Instead of me being the forger I became the man to broker the deals. I had five of the best forgers in the world working for me.”
“Back to France,” Zane prompted.
“I was in Paris to oversee the delivery of a Gustav Klimt. Maddon flew to Paris to meet with an asset. There was word al Qaeda was planning an attack. I didn’t know who his asset was, I just knew he was in country and asked me to meet for a late dinner before he went back to Afghanistan. During that dinner he complained the asset didn’t have what he needed so he was sticking around for a few days. The next morning I met with my client, Jules Laurent, and delivered the Klimt. After the deal was complete, he invited me to stay for a drink. Not unusual but I sensed there was more than simply toasting a successful transaction. I was right. Jules tells me the night before, he’s met with an American who’s selling strategic movements of DCRI. Jules had the contacts to broker this deal, but he’s reluctant to work with the American and asked me if I could look into the man.”
“Maddon Judd was selling out the Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence,” Zane growled his assertion of the situation.
Now we were getting somewhere.
“He was using the alias Peter Brady. As soon as Jules said the name, I knew. But I didn’t want to believe Maddon was selling out our allies at DCRI. I thought it was a double-cross or a tactical maneuver to sell misinformation. I told Jules I would make some calls and get back to him. Before I left Paris that night, I called Jules, told him Peter Brady checked out. A week later a church blew up. Fifty-three men, women, and children died. Among them five were DCRI and three were national police. That was the first time I doubted my friend. But it was not the last. I started watching, using my connections to follow Peter Brady, collecting evidence. The problem is, Maddon’s the golden boy of the CIA. With each administration change, retirement and replacements of the seventh floor he works hard to prove how invaluable he is. He has so many people in his back pocket there’s nothing I can do with the evidence without tipping him off. So I sat on it, waited, watched, and that brings us to now—Maddon’s end game. He’s tying up loose ends before his finale. Amani is a loose end. He’s met with him face to face. Amani can identify him.”
“What about the others who have met with him?” Smith asked.
“Jules died of cancer a few years ago. The rest of the men and women are in the file along with their causes of death. Some natural, some not. When the Peter Brady name became trusted Maddon stopped face-to-face meetings until Amani Carver demanded a sit-down.”
“I’m unclear why you sent your daughter to meet with us,” I interjected.
Charlie’s gaze swung to me before he looked back at Zane. His expression shifted, communicating something to my boss I couldn’t read but clearly Zane did and whatever that was Zane didn’t like.
“Nebraska was supposed to explain Maddon’s plan. He has a GB team at his ready to take out Amani but Maddon doesn’t have the sign off to use deadly force until he can give the Agency more than the purchase of the drone. It’s well known your team can retrieve information when others can’t. It’s also well known that during that pursuit you don’t mind taking out a target. Either way, Maddon gets what he wants, Amani dead. By your hand or his team, he doesn’t care. But he needs Amani dead before he can move on. We need Amani alive.”
And since we didn’t listen, Nebraska’s on her way to Cairo to warn Amani.
Fuck.
“And now you want us to go to Cairo to what?” I continued. “Back her play?”
Seeing as Charlie had spent the majority of his life living a deep cover I wasn’t sure I believed his look of concern but he certainly tried his damnedest to sell it with his deep frown and pinched brows.
“I believe Maddon has caught on.”
“Right,” Zane murmured. “Don’t tell me he’s changed his behavior sometime in the last twelve hours.”
There you go, Zane’s not buying it either.
“Not towards me. But Badger’s been in touch.”
At the mention of Badger Zane went on high alert.
“Why in the fuck is Badger contacting you?” Zane seethed.
“Nebraska tried to negotiate a deal for him several years back. The deal was unsuccessful yet still bore fruit.”
Zane entirely shut down. Every emotion slammed closed leaving him looking like he suddenly had no interest in any further discussion.
“Who’s Badger?” Smith asked what I wanted to know.
“The last man you see before you meet your maker,” Charlie answered.
