Chapter 11

As revelations about the Sutton mission were taking place at OSP, Callen and Jess continued their trip deep into the Angeles National Forest. They were not taking the normal tourist route through the area. They were using maintenance roads and restricted routes, with Sutton doubling back and looping around, totally confusing Callen and Jess as to where, exactly, they were, how far they had traveled, and even which direction they were moving in. It seemed that Sutton was checking every possible road to be sure that there were no surprises. Callen knew that Sam would be waiting up near Pearblossom. And he knew that by this point, Sam would know that something was wrong – it was taking them too long to get out of the Forest.

"Any chance you could let us in on where we're going?" Callen asked amiably. "It's feeling a little like an E Ticket ride back here." His request was met with silence.

"Any chance of a bathroom any time soon?" Jess asked, deciding that maybe the best tactic was just to be the 'girl' here.

Korianski turned from the passenger seat. "Relax," he said. "We're nearly there." Then, looking at Jess, "you'll just have to hold it." The comments were made in a more-or-less friendly tone, but the undercurrent was clearly 'we are in control here, so sit back and behave'.

Callen tried again. "Come on Sutton, we've been working with you for years. What's with all the cloak and dagger stuff? Tossing our car keys, taking our phones, taking the 'scenic route' – we have more to be worried about than you if we get caught. You're a ghost in the wind; we're the ones everyone knows."

Sutton glanced up in the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Callen. "Just sit back and enjoy the scenery, Matty" he said, in a moderately friendly tone. "You'll understand once we get there."

Callen looked at Jess and then felt for the small transmitter chip sewn into the seam of his khakis. He hoped it was still sending a signal.

"I had to!" Matty yelled, as Sam sat angrily across the table. "They threatened to kill my brother. I had to play along and pass off March as my sister. I had no choice."

Nate and Kensi watched from the main room.

"What did Carol Grayson have to say?" Kensi asked Nate.

"She was stunned and shaken when I asked about her part in all of this," he said. "She'd been hired by the Harpers – Alex and Matty – to play the role of a woman in what she thought was a pilot for a new procedural about siblings trying to reconnect in prison. She showed me a copy of her contract and I spoke to her agent. She was paid regularly and sent scripts and scenarios. They even held rehearsals and took promo shots. Which, of course, ended up in our files as photos of Laura March. She had no idea."

Sam stormed out of the interrogation room, leaving Matty behind. "He's not telling us everything," Sam said.

"He's afraid for his brother's life," Nate offered. "He knows the plan is falling apart and he's trying hard to keep up his end of the bargain so that Sutton can't accuse him of giving up the whole organization."

Sam thought for a moment. "Cut him loose," he said.

Kensi jumped up from her place at the table. "What?"

"We tag him and cut him loose. If he's in on the plan, he'll report back to Sutton and March. We can follow him and find them."

Nate and Kensi both looked at Sam. "And what if he's not in on the plan and he just goes home?" Kensi asked.

Sam glanced up at the monitor that showed Matty fidgeting at the interrogation table. "He's in on it," Sam said. "I can feel it."

Back in Sutton's vehicle, Callen and Jess were frustrated.

Jess was doing her best to memorize terrain and to remember names of trailheads and recreational areas that they were passing, but they were doubling back so often that it was hard to keep it all straight. She knew that if they were able to get a message out to someone, any clue she could give would help.

Callen was trying to determine the best course of action. If they were still transmitting their location, he knew that Sam would be planning a rescue. Even if they weren't still transmitting, Sam would be planning a rescue. Callen had to anticipate what he thought Sam would do and try to complement that plan.

"Alex said to tell you hello," Callen said, as he continued to try and build a rapport with Sutton. "Lissa and I went to visit him last week."

Sutton didn't respond.

"He looks good," Callen continued. "Could probably use a couple of days out here – in the fresh air. Camping."

"Alex is still safe, right?" Jess said, noting Sutton's lack of response. "He didn't seem worried when we saw him, but he could have been covering to make us feel better."

Sutton took a deep breath, as if he were trying to figure out how to answer. Jess and Callen exchanged a confused look. Then Sutton glanced up into the rearview mirror to meet Callen's gaze.

"As long as everything goes as planned today," he said, "your brother will be fine."

"We told him we'd check in with him after the meeting," Jess said, hoping to put a timestamp on their situation and give them somewhere else to be.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that, Lissa," Sutton said, with a smile that didn't look totally genuine. "I know how your big brother worries."

Sam and Kensi returned to the Ops Center to follow Matty Harper's GPS as he headed away from the boathouse. As Sam had predicted, Matty made a beeline for the Angeles National Forest. He left his truck at the rendezvous point, parked almost directly behind Callen's car. The team watched on Eric's forest-cam as Matty made a call and was picked up moments later by another vehicle.

In the background, Eric growled and then pounded the table with his fist.

Kensi exchanged a glance with Sam. "Eric?" she said.

"There has been no activity at all in any warehouse area in or near Pearblossom," Eric said. "And I know this because there are actually no warehouses in or near Pearblossom. It's all abandoned pear orchards and residential developments. Every warehouse address we got from the Harpers comes up empty. Vacant lots, cemeteries, parking lots. There's, like, nothing there."

"Which means either Alex Harper was wrong about Sutton's destination …" Kensi said.

"Or he's in on it too," Sam completed the thought.

At long last, Sutton pulled up to a large concrete building. It blended in well with the surrounding rock formations and had just enough tree cover to make it nearly invisible until you were right in front of it. The building was on a ledge, giving the people in the offices there a fairly good view of the rest of the area. There were several supply and storage sheds set up in a clearing below, and a series of camouflage tents and more sheds on the opposite side, banked by rocks and partially hidden by trees. The compound had the feel of a temporary encampment, but had clearly been set up for some time.

"Bathroom's through there," Sutton said, as they entered the building. "Why don't you guys freshen up?" It was less of a question and more of an order. Jess and Callen headed up the hallway and into the room that Sutton had indicated. It seemed to be a storeroom of some sort – or, at least, that's how it was being used. Mostly paper products and office supplies – Jess noticed that many of the items in the room had Pentagon inventory code on them.

"Wait here, please," said one of Sutton's guards. The man left the room and locked the door.

Callen looked at Jess and shrugged in confusion. "What the HELL is going on?"