Daniel Ganninger - Icarus Investigations 02 - Peeking Duck (29 page)

-Chapter 62-

The time for the end game was growing near.  Alex’s words had stuck into me like a dagger.  Marcus Olvary was a madman and we were walking into a hornet’s nest of our own making.

We h
ad to be on guard at all times, and I hoped that our pieces of the plan, though well orchestrated, would garner enough luck to work without getting us all killed.

I
understood Alex’s concern over removing Lee from the situation.  We needed to be ready for anyone that would come looking for Lee after our plan ran to fruition.  I ran through my head the list of possible candidates; CIA, NSA, Chinese security agents, French officials.  The list was becoming endless, but only if we succeeded.  None of this would matter if we didn’t.   Something then flashed in my head.  “Could it be possible?” I thought.  The pieces fit, and I couldn’t believe I had missed it.  It had been in front of our face the whole time.  I was determined to be ready for them when they came calling for Lee.

Galveston and I found a local costume shop and boutique to buy our disguises.  While Galveston busily tried on different outfits and wigs to look like a grungy, backpacking, college student, I excused myself and perused the Paris phone book.  I was looking for something particular, and someone special to pull off one last job.  A number stood out to me, and I called and talked to a nice fellow.  I gave him the particulars on a little task I would like performed and offered a hefty sum of money to do it.  I watched Galveston careen about the clothing shop attempting to pull off a look he had long discarded years ago.

I made a few more calls and was satisfied everything was in place.  I had a promise to keep to Alex and this was my contribution.  Galveston walked up to me as I finished, and I could only stifle a laugh.

“What do you think?  Do I look like I’m traveling the European lands just trying to find myself?”

“
It definitely looks like you’ve lost something,” I laughed out loud.  Galveston had on a checked shirt with ripped jeans and clunky boots.  He had found a brown wig that went to his shoulders and partially covered his eyes.  “I have to admit, you have pulled off the part.”

“
Pretty good, huh?  I just need to stink myself up, and I’ll be perfect.”  He moped around looking tired and picked up his backpack.  “Here,” he said, “I got you these.”

He threw me a mess of clothes, and I looked them over.
  They were similar to his but seemed even more atrocious.  I walked to the dressing room and put them on, along with a supplied wig and a tattered baseball hat.  “Oh my, I do look ridiculous,” I thought as I looked in the mirror.  I came out and Galveston literally burst into a fit of laughter, unable to speak.

“
All right,” I said, “you’ve had your fun, now let’s go.”  I threw my backpack over my shoulders and headed for the door. 

“
You look like your parents didn’t give you enough money for your trip,” he yelled. 

I ignored his playful barb and exited the shop.

We hailed a taxi, and after acquiring some strange looks from the driver, proceeded to the train station.  There wasn’t much more to say and the playful banter had stopped; it was time to get serious.  Galveston quickly worked out our locations in the terminal, who to look for, and where to go if the plan went south.  He sent Larout a text on the details of our disguises and asked that he inform his men.  Our costumes were merely a means to allow us free access around the terminal.

We arrived at the train station and found our first contact standing near the entrance to the station, holding a copy of the weekly paper
L’Express, our indication he was our guy.  It was a man that worked for Larout and was of Chinese descent, just as Galveston had requested.  The difference between this man and Lee was that this man carried a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic under his coat.  He had a hat pulled over his eyes and Galveston whispered the name of Larout to him.  He was taken aback by our disguises, but it didn’t deter him from leading us to terminal three of the station.  The drop time was in ten minutes, and I could feel my gut tighten as we walked about the throngs of travelers.  Larout’s man didn’t speak, and in no time we found our way out of view near the exchange point. 

The agent was not to reveal himself on the platform until the exact time of the exchange, which would be 5
o’clock.  We fanned away from him and began to observe the people milling about around the station.  We were looking for anyone suspicious.  Galveston had keenly instructed Larout to have his men wear gray sport coats so that we could distinguish friend from foe.

I walked around the platform
as a traveling college student, careful not to give myself away.  I began to observe men wearing gray sport coats, strategically placed around the terminal.  The exits were covered, and all that was left now was for Jane and Maddie to appear.

-Chapter 63-

The moment was beyond intense.  I panicked when I lost sight of Galveston for a second on the far side of the terminal.  It was something we had agreed on.  For no reason would we lose a visual contact on one another.  Galveston was edging his way toward the spot where he expected Maddie and Jane to appear.  The throngs of people entering and exiting the terminal area made spotting any of Olvary’s men difficult.  I tried to calm my thoughts but could only think of Jane.

I had to be sharp, and I forced myself to focus the way
Galveston had taught me.  I concentrated on the people flowing about like fish navigating a stream.  My hearing quieted as I began to notice faces, clothing, and behaviors of the people around me.  I was beginning to notice a distinct pattern.  People did not stand around at this terminal awaiting the train; they had done their waiting in the main area of the station.  I noticed the intent look of the commuter, their mind on returning home after a day of work, and the tourist, laughing, or with a look of consternation, as they navigated the confusing and massive train system.  The men in the gray coats stood out, but only to me.  They were good at masking their movements and their demeanor, looking up at sporadic times while fiddling with their phones or magazines. 

As I continued to look around me, I widened my scan and noticed something peculiar
.  There seemed to be an absence of Olvary’s men.  Either that or they were excellent at hiding.

The time
crept toward five o’clock and the minutes ticked beyond the deadline.  I was beginning to figure that Olvary wasn’t going to show, but things began to change as the clock struck 5:10.  Olvary had a man somewhere in the vicinity, and he was probably relaying information about the general makeup of the train passengers.  I decided to move my position and get more of a bird’s eye view.  I brushed the fake hair of my wig, the signal to Galveston that I was going to move.  I walked toward an adjacent stairwell and pulled out my phone, pretending to check an awaiting email or text.  As I ascended the stairs, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. 

Standing in a recess behind a pillar was a man with a phone and cord that went to his ear.  He was standing quietly, talking into the air.  He wasn
‘t a large man and was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.  I walked toward his position, but out of sight on a landing beneath him.  I could see his feet poking out from above.  I leaned myself against the wall and listened intently.  He was talking in French in stuttered sentences, and I noticed he had two of the INTERPOL agents in his view.  When they moved, he talked.  I pulled up my phone and sent Galveston a text.

Northeast corner behind pillar, white shirt, jeans, talking with ear headset, has 2 agents in his sight on platform below me, when they move he talks.

Galveston immediately responded.

Got him. Going to let them know.

I waited for less than a minute when I saw two men looking at their phones heading in my direction.  I was beginning to get nervous when Galveston sent another text.

2 agents, your direction, button down shirts. Create distraction.

I was startled.  “Create a distraction,” I thought.  What the hell kind of distraction?  My palms grew sweaty and my mind raced with ideas.  I saw the two agents stop on a stairwell above the man, awaiting my grand distraction.  I then realized I was a college student.  I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

I moved to the stairs leading up to the man and pulled out a train map.  In my most collegiate sounding, slightly fried voice, I walked up a few of the steps until I was within feet of the man. 

“Hey, excuse me, man.  I’m lost.  Which way to the TGV, yo?”  I felt like a complete idiot, but the statement and my look caught the man off guard. 

He looked at me with a slight sneer.  It was just enough of a distraction to allow the two agents from above the stairwell to descend
on the man.  Before he knew it, the men had ripped the earpiece from the man and threw him into the recess, fully out of sight behind the stone pillar.  I just hoped no one else was watching this go down. 

The agents subdued him quickly and grabbed his phone.  They covered the microphone and began to quickly interrogate him in French.  The man was clearly in shock at the sudden apprehension.  I watched in horror as the agents uncovered a handgun from the man
‘s waistband.

The two agents gave me
a wave, and I decided it would be better to return back to the platform.  As I descended and looked back, I noticed the agent speaking into the earpiece microphone.

Within minutes of the agent taking over the job of Olvary
‘s lookout, the action began to intensify.  Various men were beginning to pop out from the recesses of the station, like rats from a sinking ship.  I feverishly typed to Galveston what I was observing, as he in turn informed the INTERPOL agents.  Galveston was getting his fair share of sightings, too.  He moved his position to get a better overall view of the situation.

The scene was becoming extremely dangerous, not only for us, but for the throngs of passengers just going about their day, oblivious to the mayhem playing out before them. 

Just as Galveston retreated, he saw Jane and Maddie appear before him, only twenty feet away.  They were flanked by two of Olvary’s henchmen and appeared to be in decent shape.  As they were perpendicular to Galveston and his position, Jane suddenly turned her head toward him and their eyes met.  Through the entire disguise, Jane made out the eyes of Galveston.  She didn’t stare or make a move, instead she turned forward again.  Galveston noticed a slight smile cross her face as they walked away from him.

Galveston
sent a text to the agents again.

Package in sight, move the target

Within seconds, the agent posing as Lee appeared from behind the pillar on the other end of the platform, where he had been waiting patiently for his signal.  He stood motionless until he saw Jane and Maddie appear at the far end of the platform.  The henchmen stopped and pushed the pair forward.

I finally caught sight of Jane in all her exquisite beauty walking down the platform.  I wanted to run to her and hold her, but I had to keep my emotions in check.  I pushed them back as best I could and continued to scan the area,
texting Galveston with any suspicious sightings.  Olvary’s men were coming into view all around us, and they were scattered throughout the terminal.  They didn’t know they were being flanked by at least an agent each.

Galveston
had managed to move himself behind Jane and Maddie on the platform, well away from their position.  He was looking for our big score.  There would be no way that Olvary wasn’t supervising the exchange personally, because the stakes were just too high for him not to.

As the women approached the armed agent, I noticed a few men going behind me, obviously looking for the man, or men, that brought Lee to the station.  I looked at the agents above me who had taken down the lookout and motioned with my head at the henchmen. 

The agents immediately sprung into action and tailed them, out of sight.  As soon as the exchange took place the agents would apprehend the men and the guns they were most likely carrying.

The agent posing as Lee approached the two women cautiously, and as per the agreement
Galveston had made with Olvary, the agent pulled out a wad of papers and held them at his chest, the supposed numbers and locations of Olvary’s prized money.

As the women grew closer, they could see something written in marker on the first set of papers.  Maddie grabbed Jane
‘s hand and squeezed as they read the writing. 

Count to 10 run to 3
rd
pillar
 

They crossed paths, and the agent kept walking ahead.  Jane and Maddie whispered the countdown to each other, as the rest of us counted with them.

As the countdown got to three I noticed my heart racing.  It was time for everything to go down. 
Three-two-one, I counted, and like a rocket, Maddie and Jane bolted for the third pillar as instructed. 

Before any of Olvary
‘s henchmen were aware of what was going on, a flood of agents were on their positions, their gray sport coats discarded and replaced with shirts and badges emblazoned with the names of the respected agencies that made up the team.  They grappled with the henchmen, resulting in violent take downs and struggles while other agents pursued Olvary’s men that had fled.

Galveston
saw the women running to a safe position, and he in turn moved to where the women had initially emerged.  He was on the hunt for Olvary. 

“
He has to be here,” he thought to himself.

I saw Jane and Maddie being covered up by the same agents that
apprehended the lookout and the two henchmen trying to flank our position.  They were safe, but suddenly, chaos erupted.  One of the henchmen had pulled his gun in an attempt to thwart capture.  The agents were able to get to him before he raised the gun, but he managed to squeeze off a shot, causing the entire terminal to erupt in a mass of confusion and pure terror. 

People began running everywhere screaming, trying to get out of the terminal and to safety.  I tried to push my way toward Jane, but the sea of bodies threw me toward the exits.  In the chaos, I lost sight of
Galveston, who was also trying to navigate through an onslaught of frightened people.

Jane was safe and in good hands, but now I worried for my friend.  Olvary and his men
had proved they weren’t afraid to shoot to kill, and somehow the situation had turned that much more dangerous.

Galveston
was moving carefully through the throngs of frightened passengers as they fled toward the exits.  He stopped and began to survey the situation.  It was pure chaos.  People were pushing and shoving to get away from the danger, but then he noticed something odd.  About thirty feet away from his position, hidden behind a pillar, he saw a tall, stocky man with a long brown coat and a hat pulled down on his face.  He was talking into a cell phone and didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the pandemonium around him.

The man stopped talking and lowered his phone, backed away from the pillar, and turned to walk toward a nearby service tunnel near the train tracks. 
Galveston knew the situation was strange.  The man wore a long coat, but the weather was warm, and he was just too calm.  No one in their right mind would be moving this methodically if they were in fear for their life.  Galveston immediately began to move toward the man, careful to keep himself concealed.  He had seen pictures of Olvary on the internet, but Galveston couldn’t see the man’s face clearly.  He hoped this man was Olvary.

Galveston
continued following the man, who was now at the service tunnel entrance.  By a stroke of good luck, the man removed his hat and threw it in a nearby trash can before he entered the small tunnel.  It was just the break Galveston needed.  He could clearly see that the man was indeed Olvary, and he was trying to escape.   

I received a text from
Galveston.

Olvary sighted, retreating in service tunnel, northwest corner track 12

I wanted to tell him to stop, but I knew it would be in vain.  I pushed back the urge of running back to Jane and kissing her and reminded myself that she was fine.  It was Galveston who could be in trouble.  I ran toward the northwest corner of the terminal with my backpack bouncing on my shoulders and saw the service tunnel entrance Galveston spoke of.  The other agents were otherwise occupied, and I decided to go at it alone.

I was going in essentially unarmed, with nothing but my wits and good looks, to
chase after a murderous madman.  I crossed through another exit and was immediately pulled from behind.  It was Galveston, crouched behind a pair of large steam pipes.

“
He’s here,” Galveston whispered, pointing to the recesses of the tunnel.

“
Great,” I responded flatly, more relieved that Galveston was okay.

We spread apart, knowing Olvary was armed and out for blood.  I crouched
and walked ahead as Galveston mimicked my movements on the other side.  As we cautiously rounded a corner, a gun shot rang out.  Olvary had seen us and tried to pick us off.  We heard his footsteps move farther back.  Luckily, we knew Olvary didn’t realize we were unarmed.  It was not a position we wanted to be in, but our brains had gotten us this far, they couldn’t fail us now.

Galveston
threw a pipe toward Olvary’s expected position and heard another shot ring out.  He motioned towards Olvary’s general direction and we moved in, winding our way around the multitude of pipes that littered the tunnel.

“
What now?” I inquired.

“
I don’t know.  I thought you would have an idea,” Galveston replied.

“
He’s got a gun, man.  We don’t.  Let’s get the hell out of here,” I whispered.