The Killing Code (19 page)

“You won’t be needing this.”
said a menacing voice then a swift blow to Alan’s solar plexus completely knocked the wind out of him.

“Just finish him and let’s get out of here.” urged another voice as Alan tried
desperately to refill his lungs.

Struggling
for breath, he managed to whisper, “I’m a cop.”

“
Is that all you got Beach?” was the tormenting reply. “We know exactly who you are detective and that’s why this alley is the last thing you’re ever going to see but I’m going to have some fun before you’re done.”

Alan forced himself to straighten up just in time to see the man’s huge fist cocked and ready to fly into his face.
His arms were held tightly on either side so he shut his eyes and braced himself for impact but it didn’t come. Instead, he heard a muffled cry of pain and a loud crack then opened his eyes to see the most frightening display of controlled violence he’d ever witnessed. A large man dressed in black motorcycle leathers had appeared from behind the first would-be assassin and in one alarmingly swift movement, wrenched the cocked arm backward and completely out of its socket. Almost simultaneously, his free arm shot around the assailant’s face to smother his cry of pain then pulled back and around until his neck snapped violently. Alan’s eyes just caught his rescuer dropping the body then turning his attention to the other two assailants with startling speed. He tried to watch as the leather-clad killing machine launched his attack before the other two men could even prepare to defend themselves but he could only hear whooshes of broken air as several blurred arm movements left one man dead where he stood, his nasal bone having been violently jammed through his skull and into his brain. As the second lifeless body dropped to the ground, the third man slumped against the wall from another unseen blow and before Alan could open his mouth to try to stop the carnage, his savior struck savagely into the hapless attacker’s throat, crushing his larynx beyond salvation.

Alan stood
wide-eyed, his mouth agape, and his brain trying to process the scene before him. He turned to look at the leather clad man and was filled with dread at the sight of his cold, emotionless face. He tried not to focus on the deep, ugly scar running from above his brow almost to his jaw, as he searched his strangely serene, steely blue eyes for any kind of emotion but they were completely devoid of sentiment. The experienced detective had never even heard of such a thing, let alone witnessing it himself. He tried to collect his thoughts but didn’t need to. The man put a firm hand on Alan’s shoulder and said simply,

“It’s time to leave.”

With that, he led Alan onto the street, flagged down a taxi then turned the beleaguered detective’s body to face him and looked directly into his eyes.

“Those men were going to kill you.
They were not going to reason with you or rob you; they were hired assassins. You must go back to your hotel and do not speak of this to anyone. Lives are at stake - do you understand?”

Alan was still in a daze of disbelief at the whole event and couldn’t muster any words but nodded acknowledgement.

“Now get in the car. You’ve got an hour to collect your thoughts in your room then I’ll call you on your cell. Clear?”

Again, Alan just nodded.

“You’re in shock. Drink some orange juice or try to eat something. One hour detective.”

With that, he told the
taxi driver the name of Alan’s hotel, closed the door and quickly disappeared down the street.

Chapter 11

Alan sat on the end of his bed still dazed from the attack and struggling to recall how he got back to his hotel room. Random thoughts raced through his mind in a confusing jumble until his mysterious rescuer’s words suddenly echoed, urging him to get some orange juice from the mini bar. As he emptied the bottle, he strangely recalled watching Jim Benson splash cool water on his face which helped him to come out of his shock after his wife’s gruesome death so Alan went to the bathroom to do the same. The cacophony of thoughts and images spinning through his mind subsided slightly with the water’s touch and he decided a shower would be more beneficial so he stripped and dropped his clothes on the floor then turned on the cold tap.

The bracing water
worked its magic and his mind gradually began to emerge from its fog. After several minutes he turned the tap off and dried himself, picked up his clothes then went to the bed and arranged pillows to prop him up. He sank into the pillows staring blankly into space, his mind gradually reclaiming images of the attack and slowly piecing them together into a coherent memory. The gravity of the situation struck him as he realized there were three dead bodies laying in an alley in downtown Jersey City and the man that killed them had done so to save him from that exact fate.

Alan’
s police mindset struggled with his rescuer’s instructions as he fought back the powerful desire to call the local police and report the incident. He knew the bodies would soon be discovered, if they hadn’t already, and he had broken the law by fleeing the scene. He also knew that he was continuing to break the law by not calling to report the incident but the whole event was such a shock, he couldn’t think clearly enough to make a decision. His rescuer’s words kept replaying in his mind as he struggled to understand why the attackers would want to kill him and how the leather-clad man knew his name, his hotel and his cell number but that thought jolted him from his semi-stupor. It was almost an hour since the attack so he jumped to his feet and quickly dressed to be ready for the expected phone call.

Precisely one hour after the attack, Alan’s phone rang and he looked at it tentatively before
accepting the call.

“Beach; I hope you have recovered sufficiently to meet
and debrief.”

Alan hesitated before replying, “I think so.”

“Good, go to the lobby and get a taxi to the Newport Center Mall. Stand outside the front entrance – I’ll find you. Got it?”

“Yes,
I understand.”

The call
terminated and Alan was left to ponder his dilemma. His background told him to call the police and have them converge on the meeting place but his instincts told him not to. Eventually, his logical mind decided that since he’d waited this long already, another half hour or so wouldn’t make any difference and he needed to get some answers.

His dilemma temporarily resolved, Alan pulled on his jacket and realized
in horror that his gun was missing and probably still at the crime scene, where it would surely implicate him in the deaths. He pushed the thought out of his mind to get on with the task at hand, turned the door handle and pulled the door open. Just as his body began to emerge into the hallway, he saw his rescuer facing him from the side of his doorway, holding Alan’s own police issue Glock pointed straight at him. His mind was swimming again as he began to think that the man might now have decided to silence the only witness to his actions.

“Step back into your room d
etective.”

Alan complied
as the man followed him in and closed the door. He then turned the weapon around and offered it handle first to Alan. The seemingly endless series of shocks and surprises had taken their toll on the detective and he quickly snatched the gun, pointing it at his rescuer who cocked his head and smiled thinly.

“It’s not loaded.” said the man, pulling a handful of bullets from his pocket and offering t
hem to Alan. “I know you’re confused but you need to get your shit together and focus now.”

Alan lowered his weapon, sat heavily on the end of the bed and looked up as the
intimidating figure in front of him continued.

“
Sorry for the ruse on the telephone but I couldn’t be certain you wouldn’t call the police. This way, if Devlin’s goons are monitoring your calls, their attention will be diverted to the Newport Center Mall. It’s is very important you don’t talk about what happened to anyone. These are very dangerous, well funded and highly motivated people. The three from the alley are just the beginning and they weren’t the first string team.”

“I don’t understand - I’m just a homicide detective from Columbus
. What possible reason would they have for killing me? And how do you know all this – more to the point, who are you?” Alan’s perplexity and frustration burst through in his voice.

“
Call me Jake Riley. Let’s just say I’m here to help. Matt Lewis was a friend so I’ve got some scores to settle.”

“Wh
at do you mean when you say, I ‘can call you Jake Riley’? Is that your name or not?”

“My real name is irrelevant and ancient histo
ry. Just call me Jake.”

“So you changed your name?
You use a false identity? How do I know you’re not a bad guy yourself then?”

“Your police training has made you obsessed with details
. My true identity and details of my service record are known to only three other people in the world. They created Jake Riley when I left the service several years ago.”

Alan’s jaw dropped.
“So you’re what… some kind of spy?”

“No
t a spy - I did things for the agency; things that required my specific set of skills and training.”

“So you’re an assassin?!” the distaste
was obvious in Alan’s voice.

“It’s not that simple
. I have terminated targets when necessary but I was not usually sent to intentionally kill people.”

“
’Not usually’ means that sometimes you were. You’re an assassin!”

Jake reacted with
a calm control that was very disconcerting to Alan, “I saved your life today; comprendo? Probably smarter to thank me instead of pointing your finger. I had to act quickly and decisively. If those men were still alive, they would come after you again and I might not be there to stop them next time.”

Alan stared intently into Jake’s eyes and the bare facts began to melt his indignation.
It was true that the men spoke as though they were there to kill him and they hadn’t even attempted to rob him so he could only conclude that Jake was telling him the truth. He was conflicted between gratitude and moral outrage but realized it was futile to argue the point.

“
I know you want to report this through proper channels but let me to explain a few things before you make a decision either way. If you still want to make it official when I’ve finished, I won’t stop you but you’ll never see me again and you’ll face the repercussions and your enemies alone.”

“What do you mean, my ‘enemies’?
Who are these people and why are they my enemies?”

“Alex Devlin has a private army of mercenari
es and he knows your investigations are leading you toward him - you’re not safe. I’ve been watching you for two days and those thugs started following you right after you visited Matt Lewis’ office so I went back to sweep for devices while you were safe in your room. I found three concealed cameras so they were obviously watching for anyone following up on Matt’s death. His murder wouldn’t warrant an official police investigation because it looks like he was collateral damage in the congressman’s assassination. They knew that anyone following up on Matt would know there was a bigger picture and they can’t afford that. The more crimes they commit, the more trails there are to follow and you already found another one with Helen Benson.”

“How do you know about that?”

“As I said; I’ve been watching you. I found the links you noted in the active case file in your police department’s main frame. It was pretty smart of you to discover the connection.”

Alan’s face turned
red with rage as he blurted, “So it was you who attacked Larry in the crime lab!”

“Sometimes innocents get in the way
. The only injury he sustained was to his pride and that’ll heal soon enough.”

“Yo
u are unbelievably callous! He’s my friend and he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Jake’s face became stern as he said impatiently, “
Your thinking is illogical and emotional. You need to unfuck yourself right now, stop acting like a politically correct sissy, and start being pragmatic. Where I come from, hard decisions are made on a split second basis, and I couldn’t allow myself to be discovered. Your man was in the right place at the wrong time and he’s unhurt. Now pull yourself together and act like a police detective instead of a simpering fool – this is real life, not some sensitive, new age children’s playground.”

The redness in Alan’s face deepened but
now with embarrassment instead of anger as he suddenly realized Jake was right. He was being completely impractical and showing a distinct lack of appreciation for the man who saved his life and spared Larry’s. The information Jake had given him sank in and he decided he was taking the wrong approach altogether. Some frustration and confusion remained but his glare softened as he looked at Jake’s somewhat frightening but sincere and authoritative face.

“I…I’m sorry.
I…well…you’re right – I’m being ungrateful and foolish. I guess the shock of the last hour and a half has short circuited me a bit. I apologize and I thank you for saving my life. I’ll listen to you and try not to interrupt.”

Jake’s
visage transformed to a disarmingly warm smile as he spoke, “I’m glad your common sense is returning. I’d hate to have to change my opinion about you.”

“
You know enough about me to form an opinion?”

“I’ve done some homework.
It took a lot of guts and integrity to report your former partner’s crimes. The way you handled that situation, your case closure rate, your tenacity and intelligent investigation style all make you a standup guy in my opinion. I’m not blowing smoke up your ass but I respect you and I can work with men I respect.”

Alan felt slightly violated at the thought of someone looking so deeply into his background but at
the same time his heart lifted with Jake’s praise.

“I don’t know whether to thank you or arrest you for invasion of privacy.” Alan smiled.

“Why don’t we just get down to business instead – deal?”

“Deal.”

“Roger that. We know you’ve upset Devlin’s applecart by finding a connection between Helen Benson’s death and the incident at the Capitol Building so we need to find out more about that link.”

Alan s
aid, “The only provable connections I’ve found are identical tiny puncture wounds on the backs of Helen Benson’s and Damien Fraser’s necks, and the same strange little man on security footage from both scenes. It’s nowhere near enough evidence to convict the little guy, let alone connect anything to Alex Devlin but there is something else.”

Alan’s brow furrowed as he began to relate what Professor Guthrie had explained to him at their lunch meeting.
Jake listened intently, his face devoid of emotion. After relating the details, Alan said, “I don’t know how but maybe a new technology developed at Blue Sky Biotech could be responsible for such seemingly inexplicable events. The problem is that Blue Sky’s secrets are extremely well secured and I don’t have enough evidence to get a search warrant.”

“
Your instincts are right but the truth is far worse than you may have imagined - I’ll bring you up to speed once we’re in a safe place. Unlike you, I don’t need a warrant and I obtained an encrypted file from Blue Sky’s main frame confirming they’ve developed a startling new technology but it’s far more dangerous than you might think. It’s been in development for a few years and they already have successful human test results.”

Alan’s eyes widened as he processed the news
then his expression turned to incredulity.

“I don’t understand; how could you get past all their security systems?
They’ve got cameras everywhere, high tech electronic doors, an unknown number of plain clothed guards, and who knows what else.”

“I said
, ‘I obtained’ the document; I didn’t say I physically infiltrated the building. That would be a tough nut to crack – not impossible but difficult without the time to develop an intricate plan. No, this was an electronic infiltration.”

“So you’re a hacker too?”

“I know my way around computers but I ain’t no expert. An associate of mine is truly gifted in that area and got the file for me. It would have taken some doing but all systems have weaknesses, no matter how well built and maintained.”

“Who is this
hacker and how do you know he can be trusted?”

“That
’s not your concern. There is a very solid bond of trust between us and in my field, identities are best kept secret. More importantly, we need to identify the best way to move forward. Have you been able to identify any motive for Dr. Benson’s death?”