Deep Sleep (Devin Gray #1)(83)

“You don’t seem too concerned that we lost an entire day hunting down boats,” said Marnie. “What’s the rest of the plan?”

“We launch the drone, make sure the infiltration point is clear before landing,” said Rich. “The drone searches for the camp while we land. Hopefully it finds the camp. Or we’re in for a long night.”

“That’s it?” said Marnie. “I’m not complaining. Just making sure I didn’t miss anything.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have much more to work with,” said Rich. “The place didn’t show up on Google Maps satellite imagery.”

“What do you mean?” asked Devin. “Is the tree canopy too thick?”

“No. The Google Maps image looks like it was taken after the leaves had fallen. You can see the shadows of the tree trunks on the ground throughout the entire conservation area. It’s been scrubbed.”

“That’s some high-level national security magic,” said Devin. “My mother either missed a high-profile sleeper, or we’re looking at the possibility of a sleeper in a very unique, but unpublished, national security role.”

“Or Barber diverted us from the real camp,” said Marnie.

“Always a possibility. All we know is what William Barber told us under considerable duress. One of these hollows, creeks, or whatever you want to call them forks into two. Go right at the fork. There’s a dock at the end. The camp is a quarter mile down a trail heading northwest.”

“But we’re not using that dock,” said Devin. “If camp is in session, they’ll be watching it somehow. Especially if they’ve received some kind of alert.”

“They have. Gupta found the same text message on both of their phones, received at the same time on Friday morning. Looked like spam, but it came from an SMS short code, which you normally have to opt into to receive. The likelihood of them both getting a skin-care product message for a product that doesn’t exist, at the exact same time, is near zero. We’ll land on the north shoreline and work our way south to the approximate camp area. There’s only one creek that forks into anything along the entire shoreline of the Mincy Conservation Area. North, south, or west. So we have a pretty solid idea where to look for the camp. A few drone passes should nail down the location.”

“Then what?” asked Marnie.

“I’m beginning to feel more than just the heat from the sun here,” said Rich.

“Just trying to get a handle on what we’re walking into tonight,” said Marnie. “And no—I’m not going to wait on the boat. We all need to see the camp for ourselves. The more witnesses the better.”

“This is a reconnaissance-only mission,” said Rich. “But we’re going to push the envelope. I want to get as deep into that camp as possible before turning back. We’ll be using rifle-mounted, high-definition, zoomable video cameras to record the operation. They’ll be on from start to finish. Anything you point your rifle at will be recorded for further analysis.”

“I assume they’re night vision capable?” said Devin.

“It’s a commercial hunting camera, which works differently than standard military night vision. The advantage of this system is that the camera adjusts for light conditions. A straight-up night vision rig would flare out if you entered a lighted room or caught a flashlight.”

“How far do you intend to push the envelope?” asked Devin.

“Depends on what we find, and the level of activity,” said Rich. “If possible, I’d like to take a look inside the larger structures, if any exist. Just the presence of the camp, linked to the evidence your mother collected, should be enough to generate some high-level interest. If we can snap pictures of Joseph Stalin plastered all over the walls in some kind of gathering hall, even better. Pictures of camp attendees that can be linked to the profiles Helen generated, or other key people in key technology, industry, or infrastructure positions? Priceless.”

“Rules of engagement?” asked Devin.

“We’ll go over all of that during the final mission briefing,” said Rich. “Anyone up for a swim?”

“After you answer the question,” said Devin. “Bottom line ROE.”

“This is not an offensive operation. We only fire in self-defense. So, if someone fires at us, we return fire. If someone points a weapon at us, we’ll fire first,” said Rich. “If we’re discovered, and have to beat a hasty retreat, we will consider anyone standing between the team and our boats as an immediate lethal threat. Does that sound about right?”

Marnie nodded. “Sounds uncomplicated—which is more important.”

“Exactly,” said Rich. “Things tend to get complicated enough on these missions without our help. We strive to simplify where we can.”

“Good,” said Devin. “Because something tells me tonight is going to be anything but straightforward.”





PART V





CHAPTER 42


Timothy Graves slowly increased the Sea Ray 185’s speed from fifteen miles per hour to forty, rapidly pulling away from the two pontoon boats. They’d just passed Trucker Hollow Marina to the left, which was marked by a dozen or more bright security lights, marking the start of a straight, three-and-a-half-mile northwest stretch of lake. Red and green running lights spanned the lake ahead, marking boats at varying distances. Most of them were just specks in the darkness, a good mile or two away. His only job right now was to keep them on a steady course for the drone launch—while avoiding any kind of collision that could disable the boat.