AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll tell ye, if someone on the inside did this, heads would roll. Either way, somebody’s lying, and I’m reopening the investigation.” On his keyboard, he typed several words before continuing. “Back to Cedarcliff for a moment. Can ye supply more substantive evidence to identify the terrorist group?”
“Kyle wrote this the week before they killed him. The Cedarcliff shooters were Belarusian.” The first page of Kyle’s letter peeked out of her leather bag, and the paper crackled in her hand as she handed it to Willis. A flicker of doubt bothered her, and she left the second page and USB drive in the bag to keep the Raven’s information private.
Willis picked up a pair of black-framed reading glasses from his desk and scanned the letter. A couple of minutes later, he whistled and shook his head. “Yer absolutely sure Kyle wrote this?”
Judging from Willis’s rigid, straight posture and severe expression, she figured Kyle’s letter offered the requisite evidence to move the investigation forward. “Positive. Only Kyle called me Tessa, and it’s his turn of speech and signature.”
“May I photocopy this?”
She nodded her assent. The copy machine on Willis’s desk made a soft whirring sound as it swallowed the letter and released it out the other side. She picked up the original and slid it back into her leather bag. “So, what happens next?”
“SCD7, our Serious and Organised Crime Command, must see this evidence to connect the dots between Kyle’s death and Cedarcliff.” He leaned back in his chair and regarded her over his glasses. “Quite a twist ye’ve thrown me, Ms. Bennett, and this could be the big break we need. That is, if I can substantiate yer lead against evidence collected from both crime scenes.”
She scooted forward in her chair. “Remember, keeping Kyle’s secret about his code is critical. He said I can’t trust anyone at Kingsley.”
“Correct. For yer safety, I strongly advise ye to keep quiet while we investigate these leads. If Crimson Hammer managed to blackmail Kyle, an upstanding citizen, they could blackmail anyone at Kingsley, easily.” Willis lowered his voice. “The truth is, once ye threaten a person’s family or their kids, they’ll do anything to protect them. Anything.”
“Understood.” Ice filled her veins. David had a wife, son, and a baby due in the spring, but she had no one. For years, she and David had collaborated to grow the business and rarely butted heads. If he knew an attack loomed at Cedarcliff and sent her to save himself…she couldn’t finish the thought. The mere idea David could sell her out chilled her to the core. However, if he acted under duress, it could explain his eagerness to put her on medical leave, away from the investigation. She wrestled with the startling possibility David had deceived her and tightened a fist. Who could she trust?
“Will ye be in London all of this week?” Willis asked with a hand poised over his notepad.
She tore herself away from her anxious thoughts. “Mostly, but I might spend a couple of days in the country to clear my head.” Omitting any mention of the Raven, she needed to scheme how to find him, given her limited physical mobility.
“Right. I’ll call yer mobile as soon as we know more. Thanks for reaching out, and meanwhile, don’t take unnecessary risks.” Willis bid her goodbye and picked up his phone.
The bright midday sun blinded her when she stepped outside Old Scotland Yard to hail a cab. The smell of recent rain soothed her lungs, and she contemplated the open puzzles which remained. Whether it was a rogue hacker or insider mole who had compromised the Metropolitan Police’s digital fortress, the net effect was the same—trusting the police could backfire. She clutched her bag close, glad she withheld instructions to contact the Raven in case the police proved untrustworthy. Sophie was unreachable during fieldwork, and while she trusted Kyle, he was dead.
Yet again, she found herself alone and lonely.
Back in Westminster, she regrouped in the hotel room, unsure what to do next. She refused to sit around doing nothing while the company fell under siege, and her attackers, Yuri and Dmitry, roamed free. While she regretted ignoring Mark’s advice not to travel, she pushed harder to placate her sense of duty. As her uncertainties fell away, she saw the only acceptable path forward. She needed to go rogue.
First, she brewed a cup of coffee and fired up her laptop, determined to gain a foothold on understanding Crimson Hammer and Russian and Belarusian hacking capabilities. After reviewing countless articles about Belarus, she conceded hunger outweighed her concentration and ordered room service for lunch.
After accepting the food delivery, she downed the dill-infused chicken sandwich and snacked on potato crisps, pausing between bites to lick the salt from her fingertips. Mark still hadn’t called back. Slumped in her chair, she ripped open the bagged chocolate chip cookie on the tray and ate it.
Restless, she wandered over to her leather bag and removed Kyle’s letter and USB drive. Rereading his words, she recommitted to avenging his death. What disturbed her most was Kyle’s warning that any of her colleagues could be blackmailed, a concern Willis reinforced. She disliked paranoia, but her situation required a hefty dose to stay alive. The only other person she could trust was the Raven, a total stranger.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Kyle’s number for the Raven. The line beeped once, disconnected, then fell silent. While waiting for a callback, she immersed herself in studying Belarusian security methodologies. Reading article after article, she sucked on chocolate-covered mints, letting each one melt.
Hours later, her mobile buzzed, and the screen read Private Caller. Expecting the Raven, she answered at once, heart pounding.
“Tess, Mark here. You called.” Airport noise sounded in the background.
Thrown off guard by the business-like tone of his voice, she shifted her thoughts from work. “Yes, I’m glad you called. I’m in London, and well, I collapsed yesterday, and David ordered me to take medical leave.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised.” The sound of a jet taking off overpowered his voice.
Even if she was wrong, she interpreted his attitude as neutral and not accusatory. “I made a mistake.” The line remained silent, and as each uncomfortable second passed, she wondered just how mad he was.
“Glad you listened to somebody, even if I couldn’t convince you. Anything else?”
His tone remained impassive, and she couldn’t hear over the noisy airport sounds. Worried this moment could decide whether she’d ever see him again, she opted for transparency. “There’s no one here I can trust, and I need help. I’m stuck in London for the next few days, but I want to see you again. Where are you?”
“JFK. I needed to visit a couple of people here before flying to Bergen.”
“Oh, right.” Did people include his mysterious female caller? Ugh, best not to speculate. On cue, she felt like a swarm of butterflies filled her stomach.
“My plans are flexible, and I change planes in London. If it’s urgent, I could arrange a stopover.”
