was frowning. “You could be right.”
“I know I’m right!” she cried out.
“Calm down.” He thought for a few seconds. “Morgan can bring her here till we decide what to do with her.” He looked at his watch. “Shit, it’s almost 5:00. She’ll be leaving her office.” Walking quickly to the door, he stepped outside to find his assistant. When he returned he explained that Morgan would pick her up and be back in twenty minutes, safe and sound.
He’d better be right. Oh, God, what if I’ve put Toni in danger? No, he put her in danger, damn him!
But she could do nothing more about it now, and there was much more to discuss. Getting herself back on track, she said: “So, the two guys who attacked me were from Jackson’s camp. He wants to know your plans for the team you’re sending to Colombia because he’s afraid you might ruin his set-up down there. Did you spell everything out in the briefing papers?”
Holder pursed his lips. “In three of the envelopes there was nothing but general stuff.”
“And in the fourth? My envelope?”
Holder ran his hand over his face. “More. A lot more.”
She half sat up in anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded.
“You were supposed to read it, Kate! Then you would’ve known!”
“Fuck,” she said under her breath as she dropped back down on the bed.
What a mess! Why is he always getting me into these things!
“But how did they know Kate’s envelope was different?” Connolly interposed coolly.
Kate flashed her eyes in Holder’s direction. Before he could answer, Connolly added his glare to hers. “And how did they get the key?”
Holder stood up to their withering stares but said nothing.
Connolly continued: “I’ll tell you what’s going on. You’ve got a mole in your team, Simon.”
Now Holder turned his head away, and he walked toward the window, looking out at nothing. After a full minute, Holder swung back toward them. Kate thought he appeared very weary.
Weary and old? Do I look like that?
Holder said: “Since he left for Colombia I’ve been worried that Jackson still has his hands in internal Company politics. I also think he’s involved with drugs down there. I’ve been trying to get evidence. He must know, and he doesn’t like it.”
Connolly approached his friend and placed a hand on his arm. “All right. You’ve been waging war against him. This is his counterattack. We have to figure out what we’ve learned from it.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Preferably before they kill me,” Kate muttered under her breath.
Her words straightened Holder as if an electric shock had passed through his body. Kate saw his reaction, and she was so angry at him for putting her in the middle of his turf war that she was pleased at his discomfort.
“Kate, have you remembered anything else that might help?” Holder asked almost plaintively. Both men eyed her in anticipation.
After a long moment she replied: “Yes.”
“What? Why didn’t you say so?” Holder shouted.
She tipped her head slightly. “I’m telling you now.” Connolly held up his hand, indicating that they should stop quarrelling and get on with it. She told them about waking up right before the men got inside her apartment and that she remembered they were wearing masks.
“I only had my knife. I hid in the kitchen and jumped one there.”
“Did you recognize him?” Holder interrupted.
“Of course not! I said he had a mask on. Would you let me continue?”
Holder nodded impatiently.
“We fought, and I cut him with my knife, right below the groin. Was about to get him better when the other guy hit me. Memories stop there.”
Holder was visibly disappointed. “Nothing more?”
“I didn’t say that. Two things. The guy I got has blue eyes, and he stinks. Like cigarettes and bad after shave.”
“Anything else?” Holder demanded.
“Only bits and pieces that don’t fit together.”
All three were silent for several moments. Then Connolly said thoughtfully: “It’s a start. What are we going to do next?”
Kate raised her eyes in surprise, glancing back and forth between the two men. Matthew Connolly had clearly included himself in their troubles.
Do I want him on my team? Hmmmm… Yes, I trust him…maybe even more than Holder.
“Either we wait till Kate remembers more or we try to find this mystery guy,” Holder proposed.
“I can’t exactly walk up to every person in Headquarters and give a sniff, can I?” she said sarcastically.
Holder frowned. “No. But we can narrow down the possibilities. He had access to the key and knew about the envelopes.”
At that moment Nurse Mutaba marched in. “Land’s sake, are you two still here? This woman needs her rest. And it’s time for her meds. Time for you,” she pointed at the men, “to leave!”
“Not yet,” Kate pleaded. She dearly wanted to stop, but there was more to find out, and she was determined to do it.
Mutaba eyed them one by one. “I am giving you the meds now, just like the doctor ordered. Guess you’ve got till they start working.” None of them wanted to risk countering this formidable woman, and they watched mutely as she added the meds to Kate’s drip, then marched back out of the room.
Sure that it was only a matter of minutes before she would start to drift off, Kate decided she had to think through what had been eating at her ever since Holder had mentioned the Iran-Contra affair. Before she could say anything, though, Connolly ordered: “Simon, I want to talk to you. Outside.” He gripped his friend’s elbow and pushed him out the door.
Kate thought as hard as her addled brain and the meds allowed, and in the end she was sure she’d figured it out. Her blood turned cold in fury. When the two men returned, she was ready.
“It was Jackson. He’s the one who betrayed me in Germany, wasn’t he?” she demanded in a voice of steel. Holder and Connolly swapped pointed glances; this was in fact what they’d been discussing in the hallway. Their expressions told her that she was right on track. “Fucking son of a bitch,” she spit out. “When did you figure it out, Holder?”
“A few months ago,” he admitted.
“And you didn’t tell
