The Innocent

“And all the deaths leading up to that?” said Robie. “George Van Beuren screwed up. He told his wife what he was planning. Maybe he actually didn’t even think she was listening or lucid. Maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest. But she had heard him and, being the patriot she was, the lady was pissed. When she was visited by Broome or Wind or Getty, she told them. Van Beuren found out and action had to be taken. Scorched earth. Killed them all.”

“You’ve pretty much nailed what happened,” said Blue Man. “It was actually Leo Broome who had visited her. Broome later confronted Van Beuren about what his wife had said. Van Beuren tried to claim that his wife was simply hallucinating. But Talal’s people had Broome put under surveillance. Broome told both Rick Wind and the Gettys. That signed their death certificates. They dialed you up to kill Jane Wind because they were terrified her ex had told her something. And it was also the catalyst to set you in motion along the course Talal had planned for you.”

“And they put the tube down his wife’s throat so she couldn’t talk again,” noted Robie.

“They actually wanted to kill her, but Van Beuren said he wouldn’t go through with it if they did. When the plan was set and about to go off, he took her off the ventilator and she died naturally.”

“What about Gabriel Siegel?” asked Robie.

“They wanted us to think he was involved. They called him at work, told him his wife would be killed if he didn’t meet with them. I’m not sure we’ll ever find his remains. They had no reason to keep him alive.”

“The attack at Donnelly’s?”

“The Saudis interrogated Talal. He wanted you to suffer. Wanted you to blame yourself for what happened. He was certain you would figure out that you were the real target in all of this. They used a Secret Service van Van Beuren got for them. Stupid on Talal’s part because it would naturally swing suspicion that way. But I guess he thought no one was smarter than he was.”

“Broome’s money?”

“We did some more digging. It apparently was stolen Kuwaiti antiquities. He and Rick Wind were involved. Broome invested well. Wind did not Curtis Getty was clean.”

Blue Man paused and studied Robie. “But even though the president and the crown prince were the actual targets, you were at the center of this, Robie.”

“I didn’t kill Talal and he decides to find out who I was and then to come after me. When Elizabeth Van Beuren talked Talal saw a way to involve me in all of it. My handler orders the hit on Jane Wind and I’m off and running from one orchestrated event to another.”

Connors said, “It was a win-win for them. If you killed Wind and her son and later found out she was innocent they probably figured that would screw you up. And if you didn’t pull the trigger on a mother and son, that’s why they had the backup shooter. They’d learned of your exit plan on the bus. And they made sure Julie would be there too.”

Robie said, “And they probably figured whether I pulled the trigger or not I’d most likely get on the bus with Julie after I figured out who Jane Wind really was.”

Blue Man added, “But when they learned Julie came up with the idea of questioning other squad members, the game suddenly became too risky. That could lead to Van Beuren. They would kill Julie, and you too if necessary. Nothing could jeopardize the assassination attempt.”

“Guess it all makes sense,” said Robie slowly.

Blue Man said, “And Annie Lambert was an even earlier plant. After Talal escaped the attempt in Tangier and found out you were the shooter, he had her move into your building. This was before any of Elizabeth Van Beuren’s old squad members found out what her husband was up to. Talal evidently had certain plans for the two of you,” he added quietly.

Robie looked down at his hands. He had not brought himself to think about Lambert since the night he had killed her. “She was better than me,” he said at last. “Faster, steadier. Never seen anyone that calm in a situtation like that.”

“She was also drugged,” Blue Man pointed out. “Have you ever drugged yourself to carry out a mission?”

“No, but I’ve never gone into a mission where I absolutely knew I was going to die either,” Robie countered.

More uneasy silence followed until Connors asked, “How does an Ivy League-educated young woman from Connecticut end up being a traitor willing to die?”