Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine, #1)(67)

“I know of his work. Let’s leave it at that.”

“I’m not in a position to leave anything anywhere. What was Priest’s job?”

“He’s very well connected. He got things done that needed doing outside of official channels. That’s really all I can say.”

“Getting back to the chess. What’s the first move? And how did we reach this point?”

“I don’t know anything for sure. It’s speculation.”

“What’s your connection to China anyway?”

“I’ve done work on their behalf.”

“Spying against this country?”

Russell furrowed his brow. “Don’t be stupid. They have legitimate interests, and I make those interests known in the right places. But I can tell you that the Chinese are concerned that something major is about to happen. They aren’t sure what, but they have their suspicions. As do I.”

“Speculate away.”

“The world is seriously screwed up right now. We’ve always had hot spots. The Middle East, in particular Iran. Russia. North Korea. But we’ve never had them all exploding at the same time. Some people, in those situations, look for the fast and easy way out.”

“There’s an Asian guy involved in this. He could be North Korean or Chinese. He almost killed me.”

“That’s interesting. I’m sure you know that this country is in peace talks with North Korea aimed at them giving up their nukes?”

“Yeah, I know. And I know the Chinese have a great deal of interest in how it turns out.”

“Well, those talks aren’t going well. In fact, they may collapse any minute.”

“So, what would be the reason why a North Korean would be over here?”

“How about a change in government leadership?”

Pine stared across the width of the Mustang at him. “Where? North Korea?”

“How about right here?”

Pine’s eyes widened. “That’s nuts.”

“One thing I’ve learned over time, never say never.”

“How could anyone possibly manage something like that here?”

He shook his head. “What did I call you when we first met?”

“Rogue. Wait, are you saying that people within our government are plotting to overthrow it?”

“It’s certainly possible.”

Pine sat back against her seat. “And, what, they’re teaming up with North Korea to do it? That’s crazy.”

Russell pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. “You mind if I smoke? I’m stressed beyond belief.”

“Roll down the window and blow it out that way. And how do you play basketball and smoke?”

“I have maybe one cigarette a month. If that’s going to kill me, so be it.”

He rolled down the window, lit the Marlboro, took a puff, and blew smoke out the open window.

Pine said, “Okay, since you’ve opened up to me, I can tell you that Ben exchanged places with a man who rode a mule down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then disappeared.”

“What man?”

Pine showed him the digital sketch on her phone. “Do you know him?”

Russell studied the image closely, then shook his head. “If I had to speculate, I’d say that this person might have known what was going on and came to Ben for help.”

“What would he do?”

“The guy might want to bring that information to the right quarters but was unsure how to do that effectively. You mentioned helicopters and Ben being snatched? How do you know that?”

“Because I was there. And the chopper was one used by the Army.”

“Shit, this thing does go high up, then,” said Russell anxiously.

“How high is high?” said Pine.

“Maybe higher than we want to believe. If they took Ben, they might be tying up loose ends. Or quarantining everything, like they do with Ebola. That’s why they came to me.”

“But they let me live,” said Pine.

Russell studied her. “Then you’re very lucky.”

“You really believe that people in our government are planning some sort of coup?”

Russell looked amused by her incredulity. “Didn’t you just tell me that Ben got taken away in an Army chopper? And I know that the FBI bleeds red, white, and blue, but your agency has been taking it on the chin, hasn’t it? You’re all corrupt, so they say.”

“But toppling the government?”

“People are fed up with DC. They see it as an impediment. And then they see autocratic governments kicking ass around the world and they want that, too.”

“That is not who we are.”

“Who we are is dictated by those powerful enough to say who we are. If anything, we’re a plutocracy and have been for a long time now. And the next logical step in a plutocracy is an oligarchy. I’m not on a soapbox. I’m just stating facts. I’ve seen it happen in lots of places.”

“Is there anything you can talk about that might help me find Ben Priest?”

Russell took a long drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke out the window. “Have you ever heard of SFG?”

“No, should I?”