Page 20

J ake spent the evening writing up his report for Diana. He went step by step from the time they arrived in Brooklyn until that morning when they left. He included a transcript of the tape they’d listened to from Alexei’s office, the one that implicated Nelson, and a step-by-step account of their conversation with Sergei, his phone call and the call they’d had with Roman Peters. He described exactly what had happened when they met Sergei and his wife in the garage and explained what he and Olivia had seen when they were walking home -- the lights on in Sergei’s house, the two men with guns standing on their front porch.

He described almost word for word the meeting they’d had at the fast-food restaurant with Alexei’s group the next morning. He detailed how Nelson had been cited several times as directing the group’s activities, and that, based on their words, Nelson was their boss.

Jake described the ambush waiting for him and Livvy in the alley, explained why Livvy had shot the guy, and their urgent rush back to the hotel when they found out about the other man in the alley and the others scouring the streets for them.

When he summed up his findings, he noted that Nelson was clearly the one giving orders to Alexei’s group. He also clarified that he had no proof that Nelson was the only Russian mole in the FBI. He suspected someone higher up in the hierarchy was also involved, but hadn’t gotten any clues about who it might be.

He stared at the document for a long time, thinking about anything else he might have missed. Finally he added that the camera was still installed in Alexei’s office, and should continue to stream its audio and video content if it wasn’t discovered. He included the password to access the recordings, as well.

Shoving away from his dining room table, Jake paced his living area, wondering what else he needed to tell Diana. Finally he collapsed back into his chair. Nothing else was needed. He’d told her everything that related to the job. Nothing personal was required.

The following morning, when he dropped off his report for Diana, her receptionist asked him to wait for a moment. She disappeared into Diana’s office, only to emerge a few minutes later. “The Director would like to talk to you,” she said.

Jake shrugged. He’d put everything necessary in his report, but if she had questions, he was glad to answer them. Diana looked up from her computer when he walked into the room. “Jake,” she said with a nod. “Please, have a seat.”

He eased into a chair and kept his gaze on Diana. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

She leaned toward him. “What we discuss can go no further than my office. Is that clear?”

“Absolutely,” Jake said. “I won’t discuss it with anyone.”

“Except for Olivia,” Diana said. “Since she was with you these past few days.”

“I won’t be discussing anything with Olivia,” Jake said, curling his hands into tight fists beneath the edge of the desk. “She’s already gone back to Montana, and we won’t be in contact again. Unless she comes to headquarters for some reason, and even then, she won’t be seeking me out. And I have no reason to go to Helena.”

Diana’s expression softened. “I’m sorry to hear that, Jake.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Wasn’t my decision,” he said.

“I see.” Diana looked as if she was reaching across her desk to him, then she pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry, Jake. I asked you to come in so I could ask if you wanted to be transferred to the Helena office, but I’m guessing that’s off the table now.”

“Yes, ma’am. At this point, I have no interest in working in Helena.”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” Diana said. “That would be an easy ask.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will.” Based on Livvy’s demeanor, it would be the proverbial cold day in hell before that happened.

“Again, I’m sorry,” she said. She drew in a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to you about Nelson and Windsor. It’s clear from what you’ve told me that Nelson is deeply involved with the Bratva in Brooklyn. It seems as though he’s in charge of your Alexei’s little group.”

Jake nodded. “That was my understanding. I’m pretty sure Olivia felt the same way.”

“Based on that, I think I can assume that he’s also the liaison for the group in Brighton Beach. The one that almost murdered Olivia.”

“Yes, I think that’s fair to say. Nelson supervised both of us.”

“Nelson also supervises Windsor. Am I correct in that?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s my understanding that Nelson is also Windsor’s supervisor.”

She bounced a pen off her desk. Plink. Plink. Plink. “I’ve had both Nelson and Windsor arrested. They’re being held in isolation in a secure, secret facility. No reason was given for their disappearance. If anyone asks, both of them are on assignment.”

Jake’s expression must have shown his scorn for that decision, because Diana held up her hand. “Trust me, I know that’s thin. I wanted it to be. I want the higher level moles to be nervous. Worried. I want him or her to wonder what’s going on. I fully expect whoever they report to will try to murder them in prison. That’s why the guards are required to log anyone who tries to visit them or even asks about them.”

Jake leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Any success so far?”

“Windsor was very eager to give up Nelson,” Diana said, scorn in her gaze. “I had him questioned for a long time, and I’m pretty confident he doesn’t know who Nelson reports to.”

“And Nelson isn’t talking,” Jake murmured.

“No, he’s not. You have any suggestions?”

Jake debated how much to say, and finally thought, what the hell . What’s she going to do? Fire me? “I’d lean on Nelson hard. Tell him Windsor has already given him up. Confirmed that he’s working for the Russians. You’ve put Windsor in protective custody, but you’re not going to do that with Nelson unless he cooperates fully.”

Jake leaned toward Diana. “Tell him you have two people with direct knowledge that he’s working with the Russians. And several more you can offer plea deals to if they’ll name the person they’re working with. I’m pretty sure both of those statements will have Nelson soiling himself.”

Diana nodded slowly. “Would you do me the favor of watching me interrogate Nelson? Watch his tells? His reactions? Come up with some other things I can use against him?”

Jake nodded. “I’m happy to do that. Not sure it’s going to do any good, though.”

Diana smiled. “I still have several cards I’m holding back. And I’ll make sure Nelson knows it.”

“Then let’s take Nelson on. I want to nail that prick. God knows how many men and women we’ve lost because of him. How many sources died because of him.” He drew in a deep breath. “And if you get him talking, ask him why he targeted Olivia and I. What did we see or hear? Won’t change anything, but it’ll satisfy my curiosity.”

“And you’ll pass the information on to Livvy?”

Jake shrugged. “I have no plans to talk to Livvy again.”

Diana studied him for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Jake”, she finally said.

He looked away. “No one ever said life was perfect.”

* * *

That afternoon, Jake found himself in an observation room at a federal prison. It wasn’t identified as such on the building, but the very narrow windows made it look like a penitentiary. Nelson sat on a hard chair, his wrists in chains that attached to the table. He looked around the room, stared at the door. Swallowed several times. It was clear he had no idea why he was in the interrogation room.

Finally, after almost a half-hour, Diana walked into the room. She slid into the chair opposite Nelson and set a file folder down on the table.

“Mr. Nelson,” she began, speaking briskly. “I know you know why you’re in this prison. I’m going to give you a chance to improve your situation.” She leaned closer. “First of all, understand that you’re never getting out of prison,” she said, her voice hard. “You’ll die in here. But your life could be easier if you’re willing to talk to me.”

Nelson shrugged. “Say whatever you want. I’ll decide to respond. Or not.”

“Okay, Mr. Nelson. Mr. Windsor has already cooperated with us. He’s given us good information, and as a result, he’ll get better treatment than you. He’s never getting out, either, but he’ll be protected. He’ll have a few privileges. Time by himself in the yard. A few visitors every month.”

She leaned closer to Nelson. “He’s getting those privileges because he cooperated with us. Tell us who you report to. Who’s your contact in the FBI? You give me a name, credible proof, and you’ll get the same treatment. You’re never leaving this prison alive, but I can make your life a little more pleasant. It’s up to you.”

“Why do you need me if you’ve already flipped Windsor?” Nelson asked, scorn in his voice.

“Because I want to know everyone involved in this,” Diana said, her voice cold. “I want to root this traitor out of the FBI. So you tell me who you report to, or you’re going down hard. And you won’t be protected in prison. How long do you think it’s gonna take for your boss to make sure you can’t give him up?”

“You can’t do that,” Nelson whined. “It’s not fair.”

“You think this is sixth grade, Nelson?” Diana’s terrifying, expressionless eyes held Nelson’s. “It’s perfectly fair,” Diana said, leaning back and studying Nelson. “You did the crime, and we have plenty of proof. So you’re gonna do the time. In the general population. Unless you tell me what I need to know.”

“You might as well take a gun to me right now,” Nelson muttered as he flopped back in his seat.

“No. If you choose not to talk to me, you’re putting the gun to your own head.” Diana shook her head. Sighed. “Talk to me now or live in fear for your life for however long you survive in prison. Your choice.”

Nelson slumped in his chair. “I have to think about that.”

“Don’t think too long.” Diana leaned closer to Nelson. “We’re finding more information all the time. Most of it is really pissing me off. So the longer you take, the less inclined I’ll be toward generosity.” She began to rise, and Jake saw Nelson’s relieved expression. Then she sat down again. “By the way, why did you order both Olivia Williams and Jake Dunbar to be killed by your Bratva buddies?”

Nelson stared at her for a long moment, swallowing several times. “I didn’t order anything.”

“Do you really think I’ll buy that load of crap? Both of them had close calls with Bratva groups that you sent them to. You might want to rethink your position on that. It might make me look more favorably at your treatment in prison.”

Wow , Jake thought, watching the way Diana was playing Nelson. She was cool. In charge. Nelson? He was falling apart. Trying to hide it but not succeeding.

He could learn a lot from watching Diana interrogate Nelson. Windsor, too, because he was sure she had tricks he hadn’t seen yet.

She slid out of her chair and left the room without looking back, leaving Nelson staring after her, terrified and angry.

In a few minutes, Diana was back in the observation room with Jake. “What do you think?” she asked. “He gonna cave?”

“I suspect so,” Jake said, watching the sweat drip down Nelson’s face. “Nelson was always a coward.”

“Most traitors are,” Diana murmured, watching Nelson. Finally she turned to Jake. “You want a week of leave to get your head on straight?”

Jake shook his head. “Thanks, but I’d rather be working,” he said. “Keeping busy. A week’s too much time to think. And I want to make sure that we find whoever Nelson’s reporting to.”

Diana put her hand on Jake’s arm. “I’m sorry this assignment ended badly for you.”

Jake shrugged one shoulder. “Not your fault.” He sucked in a breath. “Don’t think it’s mine, either. This is Livvy’s problem, and she has to figure it out for herself. If she doesn’t?” He shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be.”

“Okay,” Diana slapped her hands on the table. “You don’t want the leave, but you want to help figure out who the other traitor is?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding his head. “Absolutely.”

“You have any thoughts?” Diana asked.

He stared at Nelson, now being shackled and guided into the hallway beyond the interrogation room. “Whoever it is, they’re higher up in the ranks than Nelson. Nelson’s an ambitious guy. He wouldn’t risk his career for some low-level mole. He’s hooked his wagon to someone higher up. Someone who can move him to a position that he thinks he deserves.”

Diana tilted her head to study him. “Interesting,” she finally said. “How do you know that?”

“I’ve reported to Nelson for a while.” He scowled as he watched Nelson stumble out of the interrogation room. “You get a sense of a person when you report to them. And Nelson is all about status. Rank. Power. I don’t think he’d hook his wagon to someone near his level. He wants to be one of the big boys. One of the people who bosses around other people. He wants that status.”

Diana nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I never saw that before he became a suspect in the leaks we’ve had. But he’s exactly the kind of person who’d want power. And he’s not picky about how he gets it.”

She stood up and opened the door. “Let’s get out of here. Prisons always make me jumpy. You know that every inmate in here would love to have the FBI director as his hostage. I’d be an extremely valuable bargaining chip.”

“God, I never thought of it that way.” Jake swung his head around. “What’s the fastest way out of here?”

Diana jerked her chin at a nearby elevator. “Down that elevator. It’s close to the door we came in through.”

Ten minutes later, they were out of the prison and walking toward the parking lot. Diana looked over at him. “Do you want to stay on this job -- finding the other moles in the agency? Or would you rather dig into something completely different?”

Jake shrugged. He’d assumed that he and Livvy would work on digging out the moles together. Now? It would be a daily, painful reminder of his loss. “Unless you need me on this job, because of my experience in Brooklyn, I’d rather be moved to something else.”

“I’m happy to do that for you.” She smiled. “I might contact you for your thoughts as we investigate Russian influence in the Bureau, but I’ll find another supervisor for you. You’re a damn good agent and I want you to enjoy what you’re doing.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate that.”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” she said. “At this point, I’d pretty much give you any assignment you wanted.”

“Thanks for your support, ma’am.”

Diana rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Diana?”

“Yes, ma’am, I mean Diana.” Time to change the subject. “Do you have any idea who Nelson’s contact in the Bureau is?”

“I have a strong suspicion,” she said. “And it doesn’t make me happy. It’s a woman I trusted, someone who’s been with the Bureau for a long time.”

Jake frowned. “What makes someone decide to betray their country and the organization they work for?”

“It usually boils down to money.” Diana clenched her teeth. “That’s the case with this woman. She wants my job and has never hesitated to let people know that. I don’t mind that -- I like ambitious people. They work hard. Get things done. But this woman has massive gambling debts, and I’m sure that’s how the Russians recruited her.” She clenched her teeth, and Jake saw her jaw muscles twitch. “We’re gonna have to move on her soon, but we’re still working on gathering evidence.” She swiveled to narrow her eyes at Jake. “And that is need-to-know information. And no one else you know needs to know it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of sharing it with anyone,” he said.

“Even Olivia?”

“I’m not going to see Olivia again, so that’s a moot point.”

“You can’t know that. She might show up in D.C. and throw herself at you.”

Jake laughed, but it was a strained, forced laugh. “Trust me, ma… I mean Diana. Not going to happen.”

They’d reached Diana’s car, and she put her hand on Jake’s arm. “I’m sorry, Jake. Truly. Take the rest of the day off and do something fun. Interesting.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Diana looked at him and rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing fun and interesting isn’t on your agenda. Do what you want with the rest of the day. I’ll expect you in the office tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there,” Jake said. He waited until Diana got into her car and drove off, then he slid into his own vehicle. He sat for a while, thinking about what he wanted to do. When nothing appealed to him, he drove to Rock Creek Park. A walk outside would kick his ass into gear.