Heroes Never Die (25 page)

“You’re confused, Stephanie.  There wasn’t time.  And what did we have to gain by stranding you there?  Do you think we wanted the Saudis to capture you?  That wouldn’t serve our national best interests, now would it?”

Stephanie rubbed the stress in her head.  Were all of her preconceived notions about Barry and Kyle setting her up to die wrong?  All of her thoughts seemed so muddled.  Could she ever trust herself again?

You look like you’ve been to hell and back,” Barry sympathized.  “Are you up to answering questions?”

She finally nodded her head yes.

“It’s going to take some time to gather all of the information we need,” Barry continued, “so just let us know when you’ve had enough.  We can pick it up again tomorrow.  Why don’t we start with the assassination?  Tell us about the night you killed King Hamid.”

Stephanie put her head down.  “I didn’t kill him,” she mumbled.

“If you didn’t kill him,” Barry questioned, “who did?”

“The Russians,” she easily replied.

Barry’s brow twisted with unbelief.  “You saw Russians?”

“I didn’t see anyone,” she insisted, “but I know they were there.”

Barry sat down at his desk.  His face was starched with skepticism.  S
tephanie knew he didn’t believe her.  She tried to explain.  “On the night Abdullah was assassinated, I didn’t have the nerve to kill him, so I ran out to the terrace to calm down.  While I was out there, I decided I had to finish the job.  It was either him or me.  So I went back to his bedside and aimed my pistol at him.  That’s when I realized he was already dead.  Someone else had beaten me to it.  Then I was really scared.  I ran into the hallway, knowing I had to make it past the guards, but someone had already shot them, too.”

“The mind is very a powerful tool, Stephanie.  It can also be a very deceptive weapon.  You were trained to carry out the assassination.  No one else was in the room that night.”

“But the Russians did kill Abdullah,” she insisted, knowing her sanity was being questioned.  “During my trial in Saudi Arabia, Tareef received a phone call from a Russian terrorist group who claimed rights to the assassination.  They threatened to kill Tareef if he didn’t agree to give them his air base.  The call was traced back to Russia.  The Russians killed him.”

Barry leaned back in his chair.  “Let me explain something to you, Stephanie.  Terrorists only commit acts of violence in order to gain worldwide attention for their cause.  The Russians never went public.  If a call was made to Tareef, it was only intended to manipulate him into handing over the air base.  Now, let’s go back to George Town.  You had the training, you had the motive, you had the weapon, and you were the only person in the room that night.  Killing another human being is not a pleasant experience, but you have to stop lying to yourself and face the facts.  You, and you alone, killed King Hamid.”

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed in anger, and for a moment all she could do was shake her head in disbelief.  “No,” she protested, unable to accept the piercing accusation.  “He was already dead.  I’m sure of it.”

“It’s the only explanation that fits,” Kyle said.  “King Hamid was on the verge of signing his air base over to the Russians.  They had everything to gain by keeping him alive.  I can guarantee that for once the Russians were not involved.  Think it through again.  You said you were scared
, scared enough to block the assassination out of your mind?”

No one believed her.  They were even causing her to doubt herself.  S
tephanie forced herself to think it through again, this time focusing on every detail.  She stood by Abdullah’s bedside with her pistol aimed at his chest.  She was determined to pull the trigger.  She squeezed her eyes closed and turned away so she wouldn’t have to watch him die.  Her hand shook as she tried to steady her aim.  When she looked back at him, blood was oozing from his chest.  “Maybe I did kill him.  I don’t know what to believe anymore.”  She angrily wiped the tears from her face, but they just kept falling.

“Break time,” Barry ordered as he jumped out of his chair.  “Try to calm her down, Kyle, and meet me in the hallway.”

Kyle slid off of his perch from the edge of the desk and took a seat next to Stephanie.  “Are you okay?”

“I murdered a man, and I don’t even remember doing it,” she snapped.  “What do you think?”

“You’ve been through a lot, Stephanie.  You just need more time, that’s all.”

Stephanie lashed out at him.  “You just don’t get it, do you?  Abdullah didn’t have to die.  He was an innocent man.”  Then she wondered whether that was even true.  “He was also the most aggressive son of a bitch I’ve ever known.  He hit me, Kyle.  He hit me so hard that blood poured out of my nose and mouth.  Every time I close my eyes I can still see him taking a swing at me.  He’s dead, but he still scares the hell out of me.  I don’t know how much more I can take.”

“Do you remember what I told you on the way here?  You have to be strong.”

“I don’t want to be strong anymore!”

“Then fake it.  Believe me, Stephanie, if you show any signs of instability, it’s going to raise flags.  No more outbursts.”

She took a deep breath and looked up.  Her eyes were burning from crying so hard.  “I want to know what’s going on, Kyle.  Who wants me dead?”

“Listen to me, Stephanie.  I got you into this mess, and I’m going to get you out of it.  All you have to do is trust me.”

“I’m still scared, Kyle.”

“Do you really think I would let anything happen to you?  Think about it, Stephanie.  You’re smart enough to figure it out.  Barry wants to see me outside.  Take some deep breaths and pull yourself together.  And whatever you do, don’t break down again.”  She watched him walk out of the room.  He was trying to tell her something, but as usual, he was so enigmatic about it that she didn’t have the first clue.

Stephanie heard the doorknob turn and then Barry and Kyle walked back into the room.  Barry returned to his chair.  Stephanie was still trying to stop crying.

“Kyle and I both agreed that you’ve had enough for today,” Barry said.  “It’s getting late, and I still have to meet with the President.  We’d like to pick this up again in the morning.  Will that be a problem?”

Stephanie instantly sat straight up.  “Will you please remind the President about the promise he made?  Will you please ask him to send Brian and Dad home?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said to put her off.  Barry nodded toward Kyle.

“Ready to go?” Kyle asked her.  Stephanie could almost feel Brian’s arms around her, so much so that it was easy to forget
that Kyle was driving her home.

***

Kyle pulled into Stephanie’s driveway and turned off the headlights.  “Are you sure I can’t buy you dinner?”

“I’m worn out,” she said, wondering why he was being so persistent.  “I just want to go inside.”

“Come on,” he coaxed.  “When’s the last time you had a thick juicy steak?”  She felt a hunger pang in the pit of her stomach.  A thick juicy steak sounded wonderful, especially after all of that hospital food.  “It will be just like old times.  We’ll have some wine, and if you want, you can tell me all about the operation.”

“I couldn’t eat a thing.”  When what she really meant was, I don’t care to be in your company.  “I have a lot of feelings to wrestle with.”

“Feelings for me?” he asked.

S
tephanie was completely disgusted.  “The feelings I have for you make me ill.  I was referring to me being an adulteress.”  Her crippled emotions began to reel as she remembered the night she soaked her pillow with tears.  “I never wanted to sleep with him.  It was awful.  I felt like I was being raped.”

“Shhhhh,” he whispered.  “You only did what you had to do to survive.”

Kyle’s answer only broke her heart.  “Why did you do it, Kyle, why did you send me over there?”

“There’s so much you don’t know,” he said as he embraced her face.  “Maybe someday I can tell you, but right now you have to believe that I would never hurt you.  I love you, Stephanie.  That much you know is true.”

Stephanie stared into his eyes and found herself wondering why she had fallen out of love with him in the first place, but she knew he was a master at manipulating every circumstance to his advantage.  Even now, he was preying on her vulnerability.  “How dare you try to take advantage of me,” she seethed as she pushed his hands off of her face.  “If Brian were here, he’d really let you have it.”

“Brian never seems to be aroun
d when you need him, does he?” Kyle retaliated.  “You know why?  He’s nothing but a god damned coward.”

Enraged, Stephanie drew back her hand to strike Kyle’s face, but he grabbed her arm and twisted it.  “Unless you want another broken arm, don’t ever try that again.”

Stephanie began to cry.  Her battered emotions couldn’t take much more.  “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to admit that you’re still in love with me.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Kyle, and I won’t let you tear Brian and me apart.  I may not have had a choice with Abdullah, but I have a choice now.  I love Brian, and I would never intentionally hurt him.”

“You’re so naïve I almost feel sorry for you,” he mocked.  “Brian is over in Turkey sleeping with every nurse he winks at, and when he comes home, he’s going to divorce your sorry little ass.  And if you think I’m wrong, when’s the last time he bothered to send you a letter?

Stephanie’s face filled with pain, and for a moment she just stared at Kyle, wishing she could hurt him as much as he was hurting her, but she was powerless against him.  “Good night,” she seethed as she opened the car door.  “And don’t bother helping me to the door.”

Kyle laughed.  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

“I’ll drive myself,” she insisted.  “The less time I have to spend with you, the better.”

“Gotta badge?”

“Ugh!”  She huffed with exasperation.  She needed a badge to get past the gate, and Kyle had it.  She retaliated by slamming his car door, and then she stormed inside.  The badge was the least of her worries.

Chapter Twenty-Six:

When Stephanie and Kyle arrived at Barry’s office the next morning, Barry was already waiting to begin.  Stephanie walked inside, and Barry politely stood to welcome her.  “Have a seat, Stephanie.  Would you like some coffee before we begin?”

“I’m fine, thank you.  But I would like to know what the President said.  When will Brian and Dad be coming home?”

“He said he would give the matter some thought,” Barry replied.

“But he promised,” she argued.  “What is there to think about?”

“Try to understand it from the President’s point of view, Stephanie.  There’s a war going on.  Your men are needed right where they are.  As soon as we see a break in the action, I’m sure the President will send them home just like he said he would.  The best that any of us can do right now is keep our fingers crossed.”

Stephanie could feel her heart plummet into her stomach.  She glanced at Kyle.  He was perched on the edge of the desk, basking in another victory.  She turned away from him and looked out of the window.  Brian’s and her dad’s tour was for fifteen months.  How could she wait that long?

“Kyle and I have a meeting with the President in a couple of hours,” Barry said to begin their session.  “The sooner we get started, the better.  Are you ready to begin?”

Stephanie nodded.  Barry flipped on the tape recorder, then he and Kyle began to ask questions about the operation.  After giving them every grueling detail, Stephanie rose from her chair and walked over to the window.  She thought it strange that she could recount every terrifying event of the last three weeks in just under two hours.  It all seemed so mundane, as though she were just an observer watching someone else’s nightmare, a nightmare she couldn’t stop, waking to wonder whether it was real or imagined, until more and more it felt like she was spiraling out of control.

“One last question,” Barry asked.  “Did you tell anyone else about this operation besides Dr. Young?”

Stephanie turned away from the window and answered Barry.  “Who else was I supposed to tell?”  Then her brow suddenly twisted with confusion.  “Wait, I think I did tell someone else.  I think I told Dr. Rudy Lukens.  But I’m not sure.  It’s all so hazy.”

“You need to remember,” Kyle insisted.

“I’m trying.  I had a concussion, and I was in a lot of pain.  I don’t know.  I, I think I told him I was set up.”

Barry sat back in his chair.  “What else?”  Stephanie knew she had committed the unforgiveable sin.

“I asked him to find Brian.  I asked him to tell Brian that I loved him.  I don’t think I gave him my address, but I can’t remember.  I kept slipping in and out of consciousness.  I don’t even know if he could understand me.”

“Let’s certainly hope not,” Barry chided.  He checked his watch, and then he flipped off the tape recorder.  “That’s all we have time for.  If Kyle and I don’t leave for the White House now, we’ll be late.  I’ll have a driver take you home.  You’re free to go.”

“That’s it?” she questioned, wondering whether she could spend the rest of the day without Kyle around to torment her.  “I’m free to go?”

“If we have any more questions, we’ll let you know,” Barry replied.  “But it looks like you’re free to resume your normal life.”