Contract to Kill (8 page)

Using the second rope, he lowered the bags down to the skiff one at a time.

The operation took just under ten minutes. Per the captain’s arrangement, one of the bags didn’t make the descent; it ended up tied to the end of his rappelling line, where it dangled in the breeze. While Crewman Ryang attached his ascension pulley system to the rope, the skiff pulled away from the hull, but stayed alongside the container ship, matching its speed. Ryang was a little puzzled, but shrugged it off. Perhaps the skiff remained behind to make sure he made it safely up the vertical wall of containers. He verified his ascension device was installed properly, and he began his climb up the man-made cliff. It was slow going because each pull of the ratchet system only yielded twenty-five centimeters of height.

He focused on the rope, not the foamy black water sliding by the steel hull. A fall into the water from this height would break bones.

Back atop the containers, he left his harness attached for safety and began pulling the rappelling rope up—tough work because the duffel weighed twenty kilograms. Once completed, he took a knee and rested his hands and arms. He sensed a presence and turned around.

“Captain! You startled me.”

“I thought you might need help hoisting the bag, but I see you’ve handled it.”

Ryang smiled. “Yes, sir.”

The captain nodded toward the bag. “Let’s have a look. Here, you’ll need this to cut the plastic seal.” The captain extended his knife.

To Ryang’s astonishment, the knife shot past his outstretched hand and plunged into his abdomen.

Ryang’s mind registered the betrayal, but it seemed like a waking dream.

He felt the blade cleave through his flesh, but it didn’t hurt at first. A former member of ROK’s army, Ryang was no stranger to knife fighting, but he’d never been on the wrong end of one.

Before he could react, the captain stabbed him again. Then again, and again.

Now pain invaded his mind. It started as a mild stinging sensation, but rapidly grew into a horrible burning ache. It was odd what the human mind thought of at times like this. In his limited medical knowledge, Ryang knew his stomach had just been perforated and the burning sensation was caused by gastric acid coming into contact with the surrounding organs and flesh. He also knew it was a mortal wound.

He looked down at the dark stain spreading across his clothes. Why did blood always look so black at night?

Ryang wanted to meet death on his feet, but the captain swept a leg, toppling him to the roof of the container.

It was too shadowy to see the captain’s face, but he hoped it held regret. Being killed over money seemed so petty and trivial. Surely there’d been enough for both of them to share.

“My family . . . ” Ryang uttered. “Please, give them . . . my share . . . ”

“I think not.”

He attempted to kick the captain in the groin and missed. He sensed a boot flying toward his face and felt a sickening crack as his front teeth broke free. Semiconscious from the blow, he spat out the pieces as a second man approached. Without saying a word, the man nodded to the captain and hooked himself into the line. A few seconds later, Ryang saw the newcomer disappear over the edge as he rappelled down. It suddenly dawned on Ryang why the skiff hadn’t left.

The captain walked past him and looked down the wall of containers. Ryang heard the skiff’s motor power up and knew the man had gotten aboard the smaller vessel.

Casually, the captain reached down and unhooked Ryang from the rope. He wanted to fight back, but his mind was shutting down.

He knew weightlessness would come next.

So this is how my life ends? Murdered over money
?

The last thing Crewman Ryang thought before his body slammed into the water was,
I hope the fall breaks my neck.

CHAPTER 7

Nathan and Holly were ready when Harv’s one-minute call came. Dressed in black 5.11 Tactical, Nathan would be all but invisible in low light. Holly was a different matter. She’d packed a pair of dark slacks, but she didn’t have any dark tops or coats. Improvising, she donned the leather jacket she wore for their Harley rides. He grabbed her gloves too.

He locked the house and used his cell phone to activate the security system.

“I don’t think it will be an issue, but Toby might clam up when I tell him you’re FBI. It should be his choice to talk to us or not.”

“You can say I’m off duty.”

“You’re never off duty.”

“I suppose not.” Holly looked at him for a long moment. “Will you reconsider calling the police? Each passing minute degrades the crime scene.”

“I get that, but Toby says he knows who did it.”

Holly didn’t respond.

“I hear Harv’s car. He just turned onto our street.”

With his headlights off, Harv drove past them and pulled to the curb. Nathan opened the front passenger door for Holly and climbed into the back.

“Holly, nice to see you, even under the circumstances.”

“Thanks, Harvey, you too.”

“Nate.”

“Harv.”

No one spoke for a few seconds. Nathan always believed Harv’s clean-cut appearance mirrored his father’s, but he’d never hold it against him. Half-Hispanic, half-white, he had light-hazel eyes and a dark complexion. Harv looked distinguished—as Holly liked to say. When he spoke, he sounded like James Earl Jones with a Spanish accent. Harv was four inches shorter and thirty pounds lighter than Nathan, but no less deadly when called upon.

Harv already had Toby’s address plugged into the nav and the program estimated five minutes.

Harv must’ve sensed Holly’s unease. “This must put you in a difficult situation.”

“To put it mildly,” she said. “I have to pretend like I don’t know about this. Do you guys have a plan you’d like to share?”

Nathan said, “We’re kinda figuring that out as we go, but after we talk to Toby, I’d like to go have a look.”

“At the dead bodies? You’re joking, right?”

“All I want is a look—what could it hurt?”

“You want a list?”

Holly’s attitude puzzled Nathan. Before she’d moved to DC, she would’ve been on board without question. But whatever the reasons for her objections, Nathan wouldn’t risk Toby’s safety over protocol. A fellow Marine needed his help, and he’d deliver. Simple as that.

The nav took them to a residential area of linear apartments and small homes. Harv slowed when they turned onto Toby’s street. Most of the front yards didn’t look too bad. A few had accumulated some clutter, but it looked like most people cared about curb appeal.

Harv zoomed the nav to its maximum setting. “I think this is it, the building on the right.”

Nathan leaned forward and studied the building and its landscaping as they drove past. It was either a two-story apartment or condo; he couldn’t tell which. There were three stairwells along the building, one at each end and one in the middle. It looked like each stairwell served two upstairs units. Toby’s apartment building looked like a million others. Rectangular and long, its design reflected cost efficiency, not aesthetics.

On a side street several blocks away, Harv took the first parking place they found. No one spoke as they climbed out and walked toward the apartment building. Toby’s unit was on the second level, served from the middle stairwell. The windows on either side of his door were dark. With a hand gesture, Nathan put everyone on hold and listened for several seconds. Detecting no sound, he knocked on the door as they’d agreed.

“The curtain just moved,” Harv whispered.

Toby’s door flew open. “Nathan McBride!” The big man wrapped him up in a bear hug. Not too many people made Nathan look small.

“Easy, big guy.”

“Hi, Harvey. Man, am I glad to see you guys.”

Harv looked even smaller in Toby’s grasp.

“Toby, this is Holly Simpson. She’s a special agent with the FBI from DC.”

Toby pulled back, looking from Holly to Nathan. “Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all,” Holly said. “I’m off duty. Nathan and I are friends.”

“Well, any friend of Nathan’s . . . ”

Holly’s hand disappeared in the handshake.

Nathan noticed a woman sitting on the couch right away, even before the lights came on. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, she looked familiar.

When Toby closed the door and flipped on the kitchen lights, Nathan couldn’t conceal his shock.

Mara
.

She still had the same flawless skin. Her stunning Latina features were nothing short of cover-model material. Twice a week for two years, this woman had been an integral part of his life. Back then, she’d been a call girl. He inwardly flinched at the thought. It felt like a lifetime ago. The last time he’d seen her was the night he’d fought with Toby. Since then, the big man had turned his life around. He wasn’t the same person he’d been five years ago. Apparently, neither was Mara.

Oh man
, Nathan thought.
Now what?

He tried to recover, but it was too late. An awkward moment ensued and everyone in the room felt it.

Mara stood.

“This is Mara,” Toby said. “My fiancée.”

Harv said, “When’s the big date?”

“We’ve decided on December fifteenth.”

When Nathan didn’t move, Harv took command and stepped forward. He shook her hand. “Congratulations, Mara. That’s terrific news.” Harv introduced Holly and made an attempt to present Nathan as though they’d never met.

It didn’t work.

Mara stepped forward and wrapped Nathan in a sensual hug, pressing her face against his chest. He slowly put his arms around her and looked at Holly.

Her expression told all.

She wouldn’t say anything right now, but she’d want an explanation. This wasn’t a hug between strangers, quite the contrary. How much should he reveal? Could he tell Holly the truth and not be spurned or judged? He had no reason to assume she’d reject him. In reality, his pre-Holly days were his own. If so, why did he feel so uneasy?

There was no point in pretending. “It’s good to see you again, Mara. You look great.”

“Thanks, you too.”

Nathan was certain Mara and Toby had talked about his previous relationship with her. If not, Toby would’ve been curious, or even troubled by Mara’s intimate embrace.

Everyone settled into the living room.

Mara kept staring at Nathan with pleading eyes. It seemed he wasn’t the only one worried about being judged. Nathan offered her a friendly smile, which seemed to have a reassuring effect.

He looked at Toby. “Start at the beginning and tell us where you were and what you saw.”

“It happened at the baseball and soccer fields.”

“You’re talking about Hickman Field?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know the name of the place.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was on my way to work getting gas and I saw my boss’s SUV stop across the street at another gas station. It seemed funny because—”

“Toby, please slow down. You’re still at BSI, right? Are you saying your
boss
is involved in a double murder?”

“He’s the one who shot them!”

Nathan looked at Harv, then back to Toby. “Who’s your boss?”

“Tanner Mason.”

“Tanner Mason?” Harv asked. “The chief of security? That Tanner Mason?”

Nathan saw Holly visibly stiffen at hearing Mason’s name.

“Yeah, a guy named Charlie Hahn was there too, and Darla Lyons.”

“Who are Hahn and Lyons?” Nathan asked.

“They work for Mason. Hahn’s his right-hand man. I don’t know what Darla does.”

“How did you see them?”

“Hahn pulled into the station across the street, but before he pulled up to the pump, he got out and sprayed the security camera with shaving cream. I thought it was weird, and he hadn’t seen me yet, so I followed him when he left the gas station. And then . . . ” Toby put his head in his hands for a moment, then looked up. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Just tell us what you saw after you followed them.”

“They drove into the middle of the soccer fields. They had two cars. Everyone got out, and there were two guys with them and their hands were tied behind their backs. They yelled at Mason and tried to fight, but Mason punched them around. Then he shot them in the head. There wasn’t any sound, but his arm shook. One of them didn’t die right away.”

“How far away were you?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t know, maybe about fifty yards. I’m not sure.”

“No sound probably means small-caliber subsonic rounds,” Harv said. “Did you see any muzzle flashes?”

“No, I mean yes. I had my night-vision scope.”

“Did Mason pick up the spent brass?” Harv asked.

“Yeah, he did. He also replaced the lock at the gate. I think they took pictures of the bodies before they left. I saw camera flashes.”

“What kind of cell phone do you have?” Nathan hoped it was a fairly new smartphone. He was in luck—Toby’s phone was identical to his own. “Now here’s what I want you to do. Use your phone’s video feature like a dictation device and record everything you can remember about what you saw. Mara can record you. Start at the gas station and be as detailed as you can. Remember what I told you way back when about noticing details?”

“How could I forget?”

“Well, put that to good use. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem, don’t leave anything out. If you remember Hahn scratching his head at the gas station, include it in your report. If your phone doesn’t have enough memory for the video, just use the dictation feature inside the notes app, but only record a sentence or two at a time.”

“I can do the video thing. My phone has lots of memory. I don’t keep any music in it.”

“After you make the video, stay put. We’re going to take a look at the crime scene and then come back.”

“What if somebody saw me? I don’t think anybody did, but what if they did?”

“You mean someone from BSI?”

“Anyone.”

“At the risk of sounding blunt, we wouldn’t be talking right now if Mason knew you’d witnessed the murders. They would’ve intercepted you at the soccer fields.”

“What are you gonna do with my phone?”

“I’m going to video your video with my phone and then wipe your phone’s memory. Have you backed it up lately?”