Page 26 of Tom Clancy Line of Sight

Detective Valter Oblak pushed through the door and sat down across the battered steel conference table from Jack with his notepad and pen in hand. He had a carefully groomed three-day growth of beard on his lined face and his close-cropped hair was tinged with gray. In jeans and an athletic shirt, he looked more like a coach than a cop. He opened up his notebook again and reviewed it.

“Just one more time, Mr. Ryan, if I may—”

“Sure.”

“And you said here... you twisted at the very last second before the knife could strike you,ja?Very lucky.”

“Yes, I said that before. About five times.” Jack couldn’t tell the man that hundreds of hours of training in close-quarters combat (CQC) had honed his senses to a fine edge. He wasn’t even conscious of making the decision to twist out of the way. It was purely reflex.

Oblak looked up. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get the details right.”

Jack knew from his own training in interrogation that the detective was just trying to catch him in a lie.

“I understand. Sorry if I sound impatient. I’m a little stressed.”

Oblak set his pen down and leaned back with a sigh. “Well, there is one more thing. I just received a phone call from headquarters. The woman who you said attacked you? She’s filing charges against you for assault, attempted rape, and attempted murder first thing tomorrow morning.”

Jack’s eyes bulged. “What?”

“She says that you attacked her with the intent of raping and killing her, and that she only tried to defend herself with the knife.”

“That’s bullshit. Like I said, she tried to stab me with that knife, which was hers. My prints aren’t even on it. All I did was defend myself.”

The detective checked his notes, shaking his head. “Breaking her jaw, wrist, and forearm in the process of ‘defending’ yourself.” He looked at Jack. “You’re a big, strong guy. Was that kind of force really necessary?”

“It was an instant reaction. I wasn’t really thinking.” Whichwas true, Jack thought. It was all adrenaline and muscle memory at that point. Fortunately, he’d calmed down enough while she was still knocked out to grab retina and fingerprint shots with his smartphone and get them to Gavin Biery, Hendley Associates’ IT director.

“Lucky for her you didn’t kill her, then.”

“I never intended to. How can she claim I wanted to kill her if I didn’t do it after I knocked her out?”

“And you claim it was she who was trying to seduce you before trying to kill you. But why would she behave in such a manner?”

“How the hell should I know? Check her Tinder profile.” Jack instantly regretted the snarky comment, but he was exhausted and still highly apprehensive. He was beginning to regret his decision to not have his lawyer present.

Oblak’s eyes narrowed. “We take sexual assault and violence against women extremely seriously in my country, Mr. Ryan.”

“Not more than I do, Mr. Oblak. I was raised by a strong woman and a father who taught me to respect them.”

Jack cast his gaze down at the worn blue indoor-outdoor carpet of the tiny conference room. Good old Gerry Hendley. He was the first person Jack called after he knocked the woman out. In his honey-baked Carolinian drawl, Gerry promised to take care of things on his end and not to worry, but he warned Jack not to touch anything, which turned out to be damned good advice. He further advised Jack not to say anything to anybody, but that if he did, to just tell the truth. Also good advice.

“I appreciate that, Detective, and I hope you appreciate the fact I didn’t require my very nervous lawyer to be present in this room even though she’s pacing downstairs in the lobby.I’ve cooperated fully and answered all of your questions over her objections.”

Oblak’s eyes softened a little. “Yes, I do appreciate it, and your cooperation has been duly noted.”

Jack leaned forward. “Do you really believe her accusations against me?”

Oblak set his pen down again. “Frankly, no. But I hope you understand my situation. Once she claimed you attacked her, the nature of the case changed entirely. She is presumed under the law to be telling the truth.”

“In other words, I’m guilty until proven innocent.”

“In effect, yes. You should also know she has contacted her attorney and has asked for police protection. She says she’s afraid for her life.”

“She’s bluffing. If I wanted to rape and kill her in a secluded area, why in hell didn’t I rape and kill her in the secluded area instead of calling the police?”

Oblak shrugged. “I don’t disagree. In fact, her attorney has already communicated with my office and made an unofficial offer. Ms. Iliescu would be willing to drop her charges against you if you decided to not press charges against her.”

“So that’s her play.”