Vortex by Catherine Coulter

Olivia and Savich

CAU

Hoover Building

Washington, D.C.

Wednesday morning

Olivia said hello to Shirley Needleham, the CAU gatekeeper and unit secretary. Shirley gave her a big smile. “Hey, CIA, you’re back. Hey, people, CIA in the house.”

She smiled at Agent Davis Sullivan, who gave her a little wave and said, “We’ll have to speak to security, can’t have you interlopers running loose in our house.”

“I couldn’t stay away, Sullivan. Shirley gave me an amazing cookie yesterday. I’m back for more.”

Savich walked out of his office, smiled to see Olivia now speaking to Agent Lucy McKnight and looking at photos of her little boy, Eric, making all the right noises.

Lucy also introduced Agent Ruth Noble to Olivia and the women shook hands. Ruth called out, “I can take her if she causes any trouble, Davis, don’t worry your handsome little head.”

There were laughs and snorts from Ollie and Griffin.

Savich called out, “Olivia, get your cookie from Shirley and come into the conference room.”

Savich closed the door, gestured Olivia to a seat. She sat next to him, a big cookie made with Splenda in her hand. “I didn’t come alone. Agent Gaylin, my shadow, is waiting outside, didn’t want to come into the Hoover Building, said he didn’t want to take a chance of being shanghaied.”

Savich laughed. “Tell me how you’re feeling, Olivia.”

She grinned at him. “Honestly? A bit on edge, even with Gay as my second coat. Andi Creamer—one of my teammates—called me last night, and no, she didn’t tell me where she’s staying, a big no-no. Mr. Grace told her to stay out of sight and keep her whereabouts to herself.”

“You have no idea where Creamer is staying?”

“They told her not to say, even to me. She promised if she gets into trouble or feels unsafe, she’ll come to the safe house.”

Even though Savich already knew most everything that could be known about Agent Andi Creamer, he wanted Olivia’s take. He said, “That’s smart. Tell me about Andi.”

“She and I trained together at the Farm, so I’ve known her for a long time. We’ve been on maybe a dozen missions together, had each other’s backs, but to be honest, she’s something of a loner, prefers to depend only on herself. Her father abandoned her and her mother and so she grew up very fast, she told me, learned early how to take charge, so it’s like her not to want to come stay with me. She likes to be in control if she can, but she’s worried about what’s going on, and about Mike, of course.”

“So how does that mesh with her being a team member?”

“I don’t mean she doesn’t function well on a team, she does. What’s critical on a mission is that every team member trusts every other, and we do.” Olivia paused, took another nibble of her cookie, gave him a lopsided grin. “I guess you could say we all love to push the boundaries some, but we know we need each other to survive.”

Savich liked Olivia Hildebrandt. She was tough, she was smart and incisive, she had a sense of humor, not easy with the nail-biting career she’d chosen. “All right. What about the fourth team member, Higgs.”

She took a bite out of the cookie, hummed it was so good. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of Tim; he doesn’t answer his cell. Andi told me Grace told her Higgs was headed to Canada on his motorcycle. I think he’s really smart to get out of Dodge.” She shrugged. “Mr. Grace probably told him to leave, too.”

“So you don’t think Higgs is in any danger?”

“Not now, he isn’t. No one could find him. Higgs is a master at staying off the grid.”

“All right. Tell me about Mike Kingman. We’re alone, there’s no one to tell you what not to say. I want you to tell me why you think he hasn’t called you or the CIA.”

“I don’t know, unless he can’t. Look, I know you think someone in the chain of command might have betrayed our mission, and you think it might have been Mike, and that’s why he disappeared with the flash drive. I’m sure some people in the CIA are thinking that as well. That flash drive Hashem Jahandar brought out could have named names that could bring down some powerful people. I don’t know who these people are, but I am positive Mike wouldn’t be part of that, he wouldn’t.”

“All right, I’ll accept that, but Mike has that flash drive, and he’s missing. If you’re right, the information on that flash drive is worth killing to keep hidden. It could be anything from details of Iranian military capabilities and plans, their weapons development, illicit trade, and as you said, the names of those involved. An Iranian national was part of the team that attacked you. Maybe they hoped you could lead them to Mike, or they thought you might know too much. Do you know of any particular friend who might have helped Mike stay out of sight in or around Washington? Anyone who owns property?”

Olivia shook her head. “There’s his condo, of course, but I don’t know about any of the properties his friends might own. I’ve sent you a list of everyone I’ve called, most in the CIA, some not, but they said they don’t know where he is and they haven’t heard from him.” She’d laid her half-eaten cookie on a napkin beside her, sat forward toward him, her hands clasped. “Please tell me you’ve found something.”

Savich said, “The name of the man you killed Monday night is Razhan, an Iranian security agent who did wet work for them. He’s worked globally for fifteen years. The fact you shot him and not vice versa is amazing.”

Olivia chewed that over. “If you could find him, then the CIA found him too.” She paused. “But why wouldn’t they tell me?”

“Actually, I called Mr. Lodner, gave him Razhan’s name. He wasn’t happy, said of course he knew of Razhan and was on the point of calling me and giving me the information. Then he wanted to know how I’d found out so quickly.”

“You embarrassed him.” She grinned, quickly quashed it. “I wish I could have heard you. I imagine Mr. Lodner never believed you’d find diddly-squat. How did you find out it was this Razhan?”

Savich glanced down at MAX beside him, smiled. “I have my ways. Now, Razhan entered the US alone on Sunday, using an excellently forged French passport. We’re working on where he stayed and who he met here in Washington.”

Olivia said slowly, “A French passport. I wonder why French?”

He nodded. “Common enough not to be noticed. But there could very well be a connection.”

“I’ve never heard of him, but I think it’s luck that saved me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You saved yourself.”

She cocked her head at him. “All right, going belly-to-the-ground was a reflex I guess you’d call it, the result of really good training. You said the team who attacked me at my home didn’t necessarily mean to kill me.”

Savich said, “On the surface it seems so, but whoever was behind it could have believed you know what’s on that flash drive, or where Mike is. As I said, it’s more likely they were there to take you, find out what you know, maybe lead them to Mike. I can see no reason for them to bring in an assassin to kill you if there were no reason.”

“Yes, yes, of course you’re right.”

Savich leaned forward and took her hands in his. “Olivia, you say you don’t know anything, but there are blank spots in your memory about what happened in Iran after the RPG knocked you sideways, isn’t that right?”

She nodded. “The doctors said my head injury was serious, that it might take a long time for me to remember everything that happened that day. Maybe I never will.”

He said, “I know a psychiatrist, Dr. Emanuel Hicks. Would you like to see if he can help you find out if you heard what that dying agent told Mike Kingman?”

“You mean hypnosis?”

“Yes. Dr. Hicks is the best I know. You can trust him completely. I’ve worked with him for years.”

“I’ve never been hypnotized before. Maybe I wouldn’t go under.”

Savich looked down at his Mickey Mouse watch, then up at her again. “Let Dr. Hicks worry about that. To be honest, I already called him, told him a little bit about you. He said since you were CIA, you might be more comfortable coming to his home rather than to Quantico. Shall we go see him?”