By the time he and Jake had gone through every piece of paper and sorted it out, it was 1 am and they'd gone through at least a dozen bottles of water, two take out orders of lunch and dinner and were on the verge of seeing spots.
"Jesus boss. With this evidence, they could have put Callahan away for life. He's got ties to organized crime, several known drug dealers and now the forensic evidence to put him away for murder of a federal agent. And he's still in charge of his own Recovery team WHY?"
"Your guess is as good as mine Jake. Something was said about the IAD team and the investigators were going on orders from someone else regarding Callahan. But I don't see anything in here about it."
Jake sat back in the chair and looked at Donovan. They both were missing something crucial, they knew it just as they could see the papers in front of them - that key to tell why Callahan hadn't been arrested yet.
Finally Jake spoke up, musing aloud as he compressed 3 inches of evidence into utter simplicity. "Callahan's got a link to a drug-dealer. Your Litha happens to accidentally witness or overhear a conversation with the drug-dealer. She confronted him with it and now he knows that she is on to his game. But for some reason, he's not busted. She doesn't do anything about it. This is where she's gone to IAD and turned witness/investigator on him. She then manages to dig up all sorts of mud and filth on him, including several bribes he's made and taken. But still he's not arrested. He's getting antsy by now, I know I would be by then. But something happens, an opportunity presents itself and he takes it upon himself to rid his world of the one witness against him... in a hostage recovery gone wrong, Litha Sinclair is shot fatally. At first presumed by you, her co-worker and .. sweetheart." Jake looked back at Donovan to see if they were on the same line of thinking.
Donovan had flinched a bit during Jake's musings. Then he'd nodded in agreement. "But Callahan knew better, he knew he'd shot Litha and let me take the guilt for it. But there is something not in these files. He was after Litha romantically. He didn't marry his wife until months after Litha was buried."
They kept this up even as Alex came tiptoeing in. She just came from a late night with the assignment and wanted to check in. She saw the light on in Donovan's office and two people pacing back and forth. In addition, there were two voices, Jake and Donovan. Curious, she climbed the steps and stood in the doorway.
"Late night male bonding?"
Jake looked up in mid-pace with a sour look. "Bite me."
"No Alex. Jake is helping me with something. How'd it go tonight?"
Alex proceeded to give him and Jake a thorough briefing of their subject's activities that night, including the people that they'd had business with. "What's all this?" she said, not so smoothly changing the subject.
Donovan gave her a look and shook his head. "Something you don't need to worry about at the moment."
Of course, Jake piped up with a grin. "Remember Cody and Monica's investigation?"
"Jake." came the growl...
"They were looking at the wrong name." he was grinning from ear to ear like a schoolboy with a secret to share.
"JAKE."
"And Donovan here has asked for some outside views."
"JAKE!"
Alex looked at Donovan, who's face was scowling right now at the younger man across the table from him. She then chuckled and picked up the note written in Lillith's hand. "Cara? A girlfriend, hm? Interesting. And when do you have time for one? You work 26 hours a day 9 days a week." she joked.
"She's dead, has been for years now." He crisply plucked the note from her fingers.
"If she's dead and for that long, then who wrote the note?"
"She did, Alex. It's her handwriting. I saw it every day for months before she died. I think I know her handwriting well enough."
"I'm not disputing that. But look at the design. The copyright date is 2001. If that is indeed her handwriting, then either someone's forged it, or she's writing notes from the grave." She shrugged and picked up the file on Litha while Jake worried over whether or not to catch a near fainting Donovan.
The idea hadn't even occured to him. She might still be alive? But how? Both the Director and the doctors said she didn't make it, there was even a coroner's report in both Callahan's file and Litha's file. Dumbly he held the note up and looked at the design. It did say 2001 in the design.
He turned and looked out the window, pulling the necklace from under his shirt.
"Boss." it was Alex's voice.
Donovan didn't hear her at all. He was too deep in his own thoughts of different reasons why she could possibly still be alive.
"Boss!"
He still didn't hear her. Her voice registered in the back of his mind, but he consciousness still raged at what she looked like now, if she were still the beauty she was years ago. Of course she would still be...
"FRANK DONOVAN!" Alex was standing, hands braced on the table and yelling at him. One more moment and she'd be grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him senseless.
"WHAT?!" He thundered back. He really didn't want to talk anymore.
"I saw her tonight."
Donovan opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.
"And several times before. She's one of the buyers that's been meeting with our target." To push her point, she turned around the file as it laid open where she dropped it and pushed it at Donovan. "Her hair is longer and a bit different style, still coal black though. The only problem is she's got blue eyes. But I'd swear on my badge that she's wearing contacts to cover green eyes. Goes by the name Seska."
Jake blinked. Monica and Cody said that Alex had given the name Seska Broussard to check up on... then scrambled downstairs to pick up some of the surveillance photos off of the computer. He knew he'd seen that picture of her somewhere before.
Meanwhile, Donovan's normally olive skin paled to a sick ash color. Alex's expression brooked no argument and he knew she wouldn't lie about it. Numbly he sat down, one hand pulling the file closer so he could look at her picture again. When Jake pushed a black and white photograph of Seska Broussard in front of Donovan, he looked at them side by side.
"What..." he croaked quietly. Despite all the water and coffee he'd drank, his mouth and throat had gone suddenly dry. "what is the name of our target again?"
Alex looked at him like he'd gone mad "Reymundo Montcalvez."
Donovan's body shuddered as he looked at the two pictures. Two pictures, one woman. She was alive, he knew it for certain now. Montcalvez was the dealer associated with Callahan. Litha was investigating Callahan and now shows up under another name as a potential buyer from Montcalvez. She herself was the missing key. Donovan put two and two together and came up with Litha undercover and preparing to sting Callahan. He just had to figure out how and help her.
And then wring her neck for putting him through nine kinds of hell for the past three years.
****
Seska leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other. Motcalvez had finally propositioned her employer to make the deal. One Bird down, One more to go. All she had to do was to get Montcalvez to bring Callahan with him to the deal. She really was getting sick of this. She hadn't bargained for finding an undercover agent in Reymundo's outfit. That was a puzzle, that woman who'd watched her a few nights ago at dinner. She was a cold-hearted bitch, and Seska rather liked her. But in order to flush out Callahan, she had to determine if this agent was good or bad.
That's why she'd called a special meeting with her. It was a nightclub she owned herself and at this time of the day, it was still uninhabited - even by the staff or cleaning crew. She'd put on some CD music, the sounds of electric guitars and raspy rock singers filling the empty club as she waited.
Seska didn't have too long to wait. Alex showed promptly at the appointed time. And she wasn't alone. When she'd told Donovan and Jake about the meeting, Donovan's face lit up with an idea. Who better to determine if this Seska Broussard was truly Lillith Sinclair undercover, than Donovan himself. He could pose as a business associate or perhaps a driver. IF it was Litha, then he'd be in a position to 'talk' to her, in their own terms.
Alex and he arrived at the club "Safe Haven at the appointed time. He was dressed in a smartly cut black suit with black lensed sunglasses on. Donovan followed Alex into the club, the music playing making him smile. It was Litha's taste alright - that horrid rock/heavy metal music. It used to drive him up the wall to ride in a car with her. Such memories. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this or not. But it was too late now to back out.
They walked in cautiously, Alex slightly in front of him to give the appearance that he was her driver or bodyguard. The woman, Seska, had her back to them as she stood at the edge of the dance floor. It appeared as if she were looking up at the ceiling. She was in a well-cut black and emerald green suit, short skirt and high heels. Her black hair was drawn up into a sleek french twist. If this was Lillith, she looked better than he remembered.
"Prompt. I like that. Welcome Ms. Channing and thank you for coming." She had yet to turn around. But Donovan knew that voice anywhere. He knew it like he knew his own skin. Litha.
"And who is your companion?" Still she had not turned around. How the hell was she seeing all of this?
"Donovan. Donovan Richards." Donovan spoke up. His voice carressed her ears and her body froze momentarily. But she recovered and her voice took on a smile.
"Welcome to Safe Haven, Ms. Channing and Mr. Richards. This place, is aptly named. The owner built it and created an exclusive arrangement with the law authorities. The police don't use this as a sting/information gathering site, and in return, the criminals keep their business out of here. You see, trust is an issue. I do trust you, Alex and Mr. Richards. Kindly remove your weapons and leave them on the table."
Alex and Donovan looked at each other, then did as asked and removed their weapons. At that sounds, she half-turned her shoulders and head, a feline smile on her lips as she very very very slowly eyed Donovan Richards up and down. Those cobalt blue eyes lingered on his lips and body parts of his jumped involuntarily. Body parts of hers responded in kind, a rosy blush coming to her cheeks as she completely turned around.
"Careful, Ms. Channing. I might just have to.. 'seduce'... him away from you." Her blue eyes twinkled. She hadn't seen Donovan in years and a picture of him from three years ago was all that she had. She wondered if he still had her necklace.
Alex saw the reaction they had to each other. She could literally smell the attraction. She had that once herself with Carlos. How was he doing now, she wondered. "Ms. Broussard. Why exactly did you ask me to come here this morning?"
Seska smiled and sat down in the chair behind the table - said table still bearing their weapons. "Straight forward. I like that, reminds me of me. What I can't figure out, Alex Channing, is why a woman like you is working for Montcalvez."
One leg slipped over the other, Donovan's dark eyes following the movement. To which he slipped discreetly behind the chair Alex had since taken. It was self preservation. It'd been so long and that skirt was so short - He didn't really remember her ever wearing that short of a skirt and the sight of her legs was perking things up a bit.
Alex had been about to answer when Seska held up a hand and looked around the club again.
"You should, instead, be working for me, Ms. Channing. You're honest to a fault, forthright, dependable... And cold blooded. Why you didn't turn out to be a lawyer" her intonation of the word lawyer made both Alex and Donovan shift a bit. It felt like she knew more than she was telling. "or a sniper. Perhaps an assassin. As I said, you should be working for me. Heaven knows that if Mr. Richards came with the package.. well, I'd sure as hell enjoy work more often."
She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. 'bloody hell I miss him.' she thought. Seska made a mental note to spend at least three weeks with Donovan chained to her bed when this was over with. They had a lot of time to catch up on - that is, if he still wanted her. She just wasn't sure anymore who to trust in this operation. She'd been in it too long, too long undercover. What was the old saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? As it were now, she had more enemies than she did friends.
Seska swallowed and turned her gaze back to Alex. "As I was saying. You should come to work for me, I'll make it worth your while - Ms. Cross."
Donovan's jaw clenched and Alex's eyes widened.
"Agent Alex Cross, former US Attorney... see, there's that cold-blooded streak again. Turned special ops agent. Tell me, how is Carlos doing? I hear he moved to South America after what was it, a prison riot?"
Seska stood up with a chuckle. She slid on a pristine white cashmere ankle length coat that until now had remained unnoticed across the back of a nearby chair.
"I regret having to cut this short, but I'm catching a flight. And well, with the incidents in New York a while back, security has become a bitch to get through. Remember what I said, Ms. Channing - this is Safe Haven. What's said here, stays here. But I can only protect you for so long before I'm done with my business here. I'll be speaking with you both soon."
She walked past Donovan, still eyeing him like the catch of the day when he finally found his voice again.
"Miss Broussard. If I may be so nosey as to ask - Where are you off to this afternoon?"
She stopped, mere inches from him. This close she could feel the heat radiating from his body and he could smell the spicy scent of her sandalwood and ginger orange perfume. He looked down at the top of her head and she smiled while tilting her head up.
In a low voice meant for his hearing only, she said "You may be so bold. And it truly is none of your business... but I'm off to pay my last respects to an early grave."
And with that, she swept past him, sliding the sleek black lensed sunglasses on.
"Alex. Meet Lillith Sinclair." was all that Donovan said in her wake.
****
"Jesus boss. With this evidence, they could have put Callahan away for life. He's got ties to organized crime, several known drug dealers and now the forensic evidence to put him away for murder of a federal agent. And he's still in charge of his own Recovery team WHY?"
"Your guess is as good as mine Jake. Something was said about the IAD team and the investigators were going on orders from someone else regarding Callahan. But I don't see anything in here about it."
Jake sat back in the chair and looked at Donovan. They both were missing something crucial, they knew it just as they could see the papers in front of them - that key to tell why Callahan hadn't been arrested yet.
Finally Jake spoke up, musing aloud as he compressed 3 inches of evidence into utter simplicity. "Callahan's got a link to a drug-dealer. Your Litha happens to accidentally witness or overhear a conversation with the drug-dealer. She confronted him with it and now he knows that she is on to his game. But for some reason, he's not busted. She doesn't do anything about it. This is where she's gone to IAD and turned witness/investigator on him. She then manages to dig up all sorts of mud and filth on him, including several bribes he's made and taken. But still he's not arrested. He's getting antsy by now, I know I would be by then. But something happens, an opportunity presents itself and he takes it upon himself to rid his world of the one witness against him... in a hostage recovery gone wrong, Litha Sinclair is shot fatally. At first presumed by you, her co-worker and .. sweetheart." Jake looked back at Donovan to see if they were on the same line of thinking.
Donovan had flinched a bit during Jake's musings. Then he'd nodded in agreement. "But Callahan knew better, he knew he'd shot Litha and let me take the guilt for it. But there is something not in these files. He was after Litha romantically. He didn't marry his wife until months after Litha was buried."
They kept this up even as Alex came tiptoeing in. She just came from a late night with the assignment and wanted to check in. She saw the light on in Donovan's office and two people pacing back and forth. In addition, there were two voices, Jake and Donovan. Curious, she climbed the steps and stood in the doorway.
"Late night male bonding?"
Jake looked up in mid-pace with a sour look. "Bite me."
"No Alex. Jake is helping me with something. How'd it go tonight?"
Alex proceeded to give him and Jake a thorough briefing of their subject's activities that night, including the people that they'd had business with. "What's all this?" she said, not so smoothly changing the subject.
Donovan gave her a look and shook his head. "Something you don't need to worry about at the moment."
Of course, Jake piped up with a grin. "Remember Cody and Monica's investigation?"
"Jake." came the growl...
"They were looking at the wrong name." he was grinning from ear to ear like a schoolboy with a secret to share.
"JAKE."
"And Donovan here has asked for some outside views."
"JAKE!"
Alex looked at Donovan, who's face was scowling right now at the younger man across the table from him. She then chuckled and picked up the note written in Lillith's hand. "Cara? A girlfriend, hm? Interesting. And when do you have time for one? You work 26 hours a day 9 days a week." she joked.
"She's dead, has been for years now." He crisply plucked the note from her fingers.
"If she's dead and for that long, then who wrote the note?"
"She did, Alex. It's her handwriting. I saw it every day for months before she died. I think I know her handwriting well enough."
"I'm not disputing that. But look at the design. The copyright date is 2001. If that is indeed her handwriting, then either someone's forged it, or she's writing notes from the grave." She shrugged and picked up the file on Litha while Jake worried over whether or not to catch a near fainting Donovan.
The idea hadn't even occured to him. She might still be alive? But how? Both the Director and the doctors said she didn't make it, there was even a coroner's report in both Callahan's file and Litha's file. Dumbly he held the note up and looked at the design. It did say 2001 in the design.
He turned and looked out the window, pulling the necklace from under his shirt.
"Boss." it was Alex's voice.
Donovan didn't hear her at all. He was too deep in his own thoughts of different reasons why she could possibly still be alive.
"Boss!"
He still didn't hear her. Her voice registered in the back of his mind, but he consciousness still raged at what she looked like now, if she were still the beauty she was years ago. Of course she would still be...
"FRANK DONOVAN!" Alex was standing, hands braced on the table and yelling at him. One more moment and she'd be grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him senseless.
"WHAT?!" He thundered back. He really didn't want to talk anymore.
"I saw her tonight."
Donovan opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.
"And several times before. She's one of the buyers that's been meeting with our target." To push her point, she turned around the file as it laid open where she dropped it and pushed it at Donovan. "Her hair is longer and a bit different style, still coal black though. The only problem is she's got blue eyes. But I'd swear on my badge that she's wearing contacts to cover green eyes. Goes by the name Seska."
Jake blinked. Monica and Cody said that Alex had given the name Seska Broussard to check up on... then scrambled downstairs to pick up some of the surveillance photos off of the computer. He knew he'd seen that picture of her somewhere before.
Meanwhile, Donovan's normally olive skin paled to a sick ash color. Alex's expression brooked no argument and he knew she wouldn't lie about it. Numbly he sat down, one hand pulling the file closer so he could look at her picture again. When Jake pushed a black and white photograph of Seska Broussard in front of Donovan, he looked at them side by side.
"What..." he croaked quietly. Despite all the water and coffee he'd drank, his mouth and throat had gone suddenly dry. "what is the name of our target again?"
Alex looked at him like he'd gone mad "Reymundo Montcalvez."
Donovan's body shuddered as he looked at the two pictures. Two pictures, one woman. She was alive, he knew it for certain now. Montcalvez was the dealer associated with Callahan. Litha was investigating Callahan and now shows up under another name as a potential buyer from Montcalvez. She herself was the missing key. Donovan put two and two together and came up with Litha undercover and preparing to sting Callahan. He just had to figure out how and help her.
And then wring her neck for putting him through nine kinds of hell for the past three years.
****
Seska leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other. Motcalvez had finally propositioned her employer to make the deal. One Bird down, One more to go. All she had to do was to get Montcalvez to bring Callahan with him to the deal. She really was getting sick of this. She hadn't bargained for finding an undercover agent in Reymundo's outfit. That was a puzzle, that woman who'd watched her a few nights ago at dinner. She was a cold-hearted bitch, and Seska rather liked her. But in order to flush out Callahan, she had to determine if this agent was good or bad.
That's why she'd called a special meeting with her. It was a nightclub she owned herself and at this time of the day, it was still uninhabited - even by the staff or cleaning crew. She'd put on some CD music, the sounds of electric guitars and raspy rock singers filling the empty club as she waited.
Seska didn't have too long to wait. Alex showed promptly at the appointed time. And she wasn't alone. When she'd told Donovan and Jake about the meeting, Donovan's face lit up with an idea. Who better to determine if this Seska Broussard was truly Lillith Sinclair undercover, than Donovan himself. He could pose as a business associate or perhaps a driver. IF it was Litha, then he'd be in a position to 'talk' to her, in their own terms.
Alex and he arrived at the club "Safe Haven at the appointed time. He was dressed in a smartly cut black suit with black lensed sunglasses on. Donovan followed Alex into the club, the music playing making him smile. It was Litha's taste alright - that horrid rock/heavy metal music. It used to drive him up the wall to ride in a car with her. Such memories. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this or not. But it was too late now to back out.
They walked in cautiously, Alex slightly in front of him to give the appearance that he was her driver or bodyguard. The woman, Seska, had her back to them as she stood at the edge of the dance floor. It appeared as if she were looking up at the ceiling. She was in a well-cut black and emerald green suit, short skirt and high heels. Her black hair was drawn up into a sleek french twist. If this was Lillith, she looked better than he remembered.
"Prompt. I like that. Welcome Ms. Channing and thank you for coming." She had yet to turn around. But Donovan knew that voice anywhere. He knew it like he knew his own skin. Litha.
"And who is your companion?" Still she had not turned around. How the hell was she seeing all of this?
"Donovan. Donovan Richards." Donovan spoke up. His voice carressed her ears and her body froze momentarily. But she recovered and her voice took on a smile.
"Welcome to Safe Haven, Ms. Channing and Mr. Richards. This place, is aptly named. The owner built it and created an exclusive arrangement with the law authorities. The police don't use this as a sting/information gathering site, and in return, the criminals keep their business out of here. You see, trust is an issue. I do trust you, Alex and Mr. Richards. Kindly remove your weapons and leave them on the table."
Alex and Donovan looked at each other, then did as asked and removed their weapons. At that sounds, she half-turned her shoulders and head, a feline smile on her lips as she very very very slowly eyed Donovan Richards up and down. Those cobalt blue eyes lingered on his lips and body parts of his jumped involuntarily. Body parts of hers responded in kind, a rosy blush coming to her cheeks as she completely turned around.
"Careful, Ms. Channing. I might just have to.. 'seduce'... him away from you." Her blue eyes twinkled. She hadn't seen Donovan in years and a picture of him from three years ago was all that she had. She wondered if he still had her necklace.
Alex saw the reaction they had to each other. She could literally smell the attraction. She had that once herself with Carlos. How was he doing now, she wondered. "Ms. Broussard. Why exactly did you ask me to come here this morning?"
Seska smiled and sat down in the chair behind the table - said table still bearing their weapons. "Straight forward. I like that, reminds me of me. What I can't figure out, Alex Channing, is why a woman like you is working for Montcalvez."
One leg slipped over the other, Donovan's dark eyes following the movement. To which he slipped discreetly behind the chair Alex had since taken. It was self preservation. It'd been so long and that skirt was so short - He didn't really remember her ever wearing that short of a skirt and the sight of her legs was perking things up a bit.
Alex had been about to answer when Seska held up a hand and looked around the club again.
"You should, instead, be working for me, Ms. Channing. You're honest to a fault, forthright, dependable... And cold blooded. Why you didn't turn out to be a lawyer" her intonation of the word lawyer made both Alex and Donovan shift a bit. It felt like she knew more than she was telling. "or a sniper. Perhaps an assassin. As I said, you should be working for me. Heaven knows that if Mr. Richards came with the package.. well, I'd sure as hell enjoy work more often."
She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. 'bloody hell I miss him.' she thought. Seska made a mental note to spend at least three weeks with Donovan chained to her bed when this was over with. They had a lot of time to catch up on - that is, if he still wanted her. She just wasn't sure anymore who to trust in this operation. She'd been in it too long, too long undercover. What was the old saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? As it were now, she had more enemies than she did friends.
Seska swallowed and turned her gaze back to Alex. "As I was saying. You should come to work for me, I'll make it worth your while - Ms. Cross."
Donovan's jaw clenched and Alex's eyes widened.
"Agent Alex Cross, former US Attorney... see, there's that cold-blooded streak again. Turned special ops agent. Tell me, how is Carlos doing? I hear he moved to South America after what was it, a prison riot?"
Seska stood up with a chuckle. She slid on a pristine white cashmere ankle length coat that until now had remained unnoticed across the back of a nearby chair.
"I regret having to cut this short, but I'm catching a flight. And well, with the incidents in New York a while back, security has become a bitch to get through. Remember what I said, Ms. Channing - this is Safe Haven. What's said here, stays here. But I can only protect you for so long before I'm done with my business here. I'll be speaking with you both soon."
She walked past Donovan, still eyeing him like the catch of the day when he finally found his voice again.
"Miss Broussard. If I may be so nosey as to ask - Where are you off to this afternoon?"
She stopped, mere inches from him. This close she could feel the heat radiating from his body and he could smell the spicy scent of her sandalwood and ginger orange perfume. He looked down at the top of her head and she smiled while tilting her head up.
In a low voice meant for his hearing only, she said "You may be so bold. And it truly is none of your business... but I'm off to pay my last respects to an early grave."
And with that, she swept past him, sliding the sleek black lensed sunglasses on.
"Alex. Meet Lillith Sinclair." was all that Donovan said in her wake.
****