searches detected nothing; the tracking device was not working. Search vehicles were sent out from the Zero Command Center. They followed each route, in reverse, but found no sign of the vehicle until almost two hours after it had disappeared.
Just after 9:40 a.m., a member of the public spotted the abandoned car and contacted the local police. It was in a stand of trees off the single-lane rural road that made up one of the routes. Once the Air Force designation on the vehicle was seen, the AF was informed and the car checked out. It was quickly identified as the missing vehicle that had been transporting Saul Kaplan.
Air Force Sergeant Steven Kessler’s body lay half out of his driver’s seat, the door open. He had been shot in the head. A single bullet, later identified as a 9 mm, had been fired into the back of his skull.
The rear door of the car was open, as well. Saul Kaplan was missing. As was the briefcase that he always carried with him.
* * *
AGENT CLAIRE VALENS had been on the security team assigned to the Zero Project at the time there had been an attempt to sabotage it in its early existence. She had seen her partner, Jackson Byrd, killed in front of her eyes during that incident. She had been actively involved in Zero security ever since, over the years moving up the promotion ladder and now heading the Zero security team that worked alongside the Air Force at Zero Command. She knew Saul Kaplan well, having forged a good working relationship with the man, and on hearing he had vanished she put herself on standby. Valens, along with her partner, Larry Brandon, drove out from the Zero Command Center and headed for the location.
Valens was already getting a feeling of déjà vu. Since the first attempt at disrupting Zero, the sensation of something similar happening had stayed in Valens’s memory. It had fueled her desire to make certain the project was never compromised again. Up until now her fears had been nothing more than shadows—but the possibility of Saul Kaplan having been kidnapped was starting to raise those shadows. Valens found the resurgence of memories unsettling.
Agent Brandon drove fast but safely. He was a couple of years younger than Valens, in his early thirties. He was a good partner and Valens counted herself lucky to have him siding her. He knew all there was to know about the original incident and understood how it drove Valens to maintain tight security around the Zero Command Center. The last thing he would ever do was to remind her of what had happened before. He didn’t need to, because he was aware how Valens reminded herself on a regular basis.
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Valens said.
“Is it the same?”
“Saul is missing. Work it out, Larry. The car didn’t crash. It was stopped. Steve Kessler took a bullet in the head and Saul Kaplan is missing.”
“So, who?”
“The original conspirators were all dealt with,” Valens said. “At home the threat vanished but...”
“The Chinese?”
“I don’t believe they’ve forgotten about Zero. The Chinese are good at playing the long game. Watching and waiting. They’ll know that Zero performs as it was designed to. And as long as it does, it presents them with a perceived threat. Let’s face it—what country wouldn’t like a piece of hardware like Zero? It would be a hell of a prize.”
“It’s not like they can just walk in and take over,” Brandon said. “Zero is an orbiting platform in space.”
“Saul Kaplan is not in space. And taking him would be something the Chinese could go for. And maybe even a hit against Zero Command. Cripple the nerve center. Do that and if they can gain control of Zero...” Valens shook her head. “Larry, do I sound like some gibbering conspiracy nut? Because that’s what I’m feeling like. Right now I’m having a nightmare in broad daylight.”
“After what happened last time, I couldn’t blame you.”
Brandon swung the car off the narrow road onto the side strip and pulled in beside a local police cruiser. The area was busy with cruisers and Air Force vehicles. Crime scene tape was strung out from tree to tree, and a collection of police and military personnel milled around.
“Great,” Brandon said. “The circus is in full swing.”
Valens had her ID out as she climbed from the car, clipping it to her belt.
“Agent Valens.”
Valens saw a broad-shouldered man approaching. He was average height, in his mid-forties, his receding hair peppered with gray. He was a local cop named Jerry Zeigler. He and Valens had met before. He wasn’t deliberately obstructive but harbored a slightly abrasive attitude toward the agencies that stepped in and took over, pushing the local PD aside. He didn’t take too kindly when it happened, so Valens tried to maintain a professional presence whenever she met Zeigler.
“Detective,” she said, offering her hand, which Zeigler took.
Zeigler glanced at Brandon. “You brought your backup, I see.”
Valens smiled. “Agent Brandon is my partner. And, yes, he has my back.”
A thin smile curled Zeigler’s lips. “I’ll refrain from making any inappropriate comments on that,” he said.
“What can you tell us?” Valens said. “Seeing as you’ve been here a while.”
“Only because the original call was made to us. But there’s not much more than you can see. One of your vehicles. Uniformed Air Force man shot dead. I was informed by your people there was a passenger. He’s missing. A preliminary search hasn’t turned up anything, so I guess the passenger has been removed from the area.”
Valens checked out the place. A spot off the road where trees and foliage helped to mask the site. A smooth operation could have been mounted and completed quickly on the quiet stretch before anyone was aware.
“They chose a good spot. Away from the main highway. Pretty quiet. Whoever it was, they were well prepared. All nicely worked out. Must have worked fast.”
Brandon had gone to talk to the investigative team near the Crown Victoria. Valens saw him check inside the car before he returned to where she was standing.
“It’s Steve Kessler,” he said. “Bullet to the back of his head. No sign of any struggle in the back.”
“Passenger some kind of VIP?” Zeigler asked.
“Yes,” Valens answered.
“That it?”
“I’m not at liberty to give out that information. Sorry.”
“Oh, I know,” Zeigler said. “Classified, huh?”
“If I was able, I’d tell you, Detective Zeigler...”
“It’s Jerry.”
“If I was able, I’d tell you, Jerry...”
Zeigler glanced at Brandon. “Is she always this hard-nosed?”
“Actually, you’ve caught her on a good day,” Brandon said. “No fingers missing, are there?”
“I
