The Last Family

44

In Dallas, Eve held the wicker purse against her chest and seemed to be short of breath as she walked down the concourse. Joe McLean had changed out of the airline pilot’s outfit and into a zippered jacket and baseball cap. The airport was thick with people arriving and departing. Eve was a mother goose with her five agent goslings, scattered but trailing along behind her, trying to look inconspicuous. They were all hooked into hidden radios so they could talk to each other. Larry and Walter wore Walkman look-alike transceivers. Joe, Stephanie, and Sierra wore small receivers that looked like hearing aids, with separate microphones in their lapels. Stephanie’s microphone was clipped to her bra, between the cups.

Eve moved well behind the speed set by the flow of fellow travelers, and it was all that the agents could do to keep from running into her. She slowed and entered the ladies’ bathroom. Joe waved Stephanie inside, and she almost tripped over Eve when she went in but veered toward the row of sinks and started fumbling in her handbag, watching Eve in the mirror. Then Eve was staggering toward the line of sinks.

“Are you all right?” a woman dressed in a flight attendant’s uniform asked.

Eve whirled and looked at her. There was spittle on her lips, the lipstick smeared. Her eyes were dull where they looked over the dark lenses. “I’ll be fine. I need to splash my face and freshen up before I get on the plane.”

“Let me help you,” the woman said, ushering Eve to the sink. Eve pulled the scarf free with one hand while maintaining the grip on the purse. Stephanie stood at another sink and played at checking her makeup. “Seems our girl is having a hot flash,” Stephanie whispered. She watched out of her peripheral vision as Eve flooded her face, wetting the front of her dress as she did. “Let me get a sky cart to drive you to your flight,” the stewardess offered.

“That would be nice. I feel kind of peaked all of a sudden. I’m not used to flying. The excitement.”

Eve smiled a crooked smile, and the stewardess smiled back. Warning buzzers were sounding in Stephanie’s head. Eve might have something up her sleeve. She could be trying to lose her tail or make them show.

Stephanie went out through the doorway behind the stewardess and waved at Sierra. She showed the stewardess her badge. “Police business, ma’am. I’d appreciate it if you’d call that sky cart and go on with your business.”

The stewardess didn’t ask any questions. She satisfied herself that the badge was real as far as she could tell and nodded her head. Then she walked toward a gate and spoke to the man taking tickets, who in turn nodded, eyed Stephanie, and spoke into the telephone.

“What’s up?” Sierra asked.

“We need to get someone to the sky cart that’s picking her up.”

“What do you mean?” Sierra asked.

“She asked for a sky cart,” Stephanie said.

“Okay, guys,” Joe said. “Stay alert. Larry, watch for the sky cart. Stephanie, you tell her when it arrives.”

Joe had taken a seat and was watching with interest. Larry and Walter were standing together acting like traveling partners. They carried small, stowable bags. Larry turned so he could watch for the sky cart.

“How’d she look in there?” Joe asked.

“Bad. She’s either one ace actress or she’s in some sort of physical distress.”

“Think she’s onto us?” Joe asked.

“I don’t think so. She told the stew she’s catching another flight and she wanted the sky cart, so she can’t be going to Denver-that gate is close by. I’m betting the Miami flight. Tell the others. I think she was going to try to lose us and then jump the plane at the last minute.”

Stephanie went back into the bathroom to discover that the room, though filled with moving people, was empty of Eve. She almost panicked until she moved down the line of stalls and saw Eve’s leather orthopedic shoes under the door. She tapped at the metal door.

“Somebody’s in here!” Eve shouted.

“The lady outside called you a cart. They’ll be right here. Are you all right?”

“It’s just indigestion. I’m feeling better now,” she said. “Thank you so much. You’re very thoughtful. Most people aren’t, you know.”

“I can see you to the cart,” Stephanie said.

“No, I’ll get there fine. Thank you again.”

The sky cart was just stopping outside the door when Eve exited. All the passengers were agents. Walter Davidson helped her aboard, a Walter Davidson who had made sure he looked nothing like the way he had at her house when he and Sierra had installed the camera optics and transmitter. As Eve stepped into the cart, Walter dropped a beacon into the pocket of Eve’s plaid coat. Now they could track her from over a five-mile distance by car and as much as twenty by helicopter.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

“Gate seven,” she said.

The cart pulled away and Stephanie had to trot along to keep it in sight.

When the cart pulled up to gate seven Eve climbed down, toddled over to the counter, and presented her ticket. Sierra got in line behind her. The cart pulled away, went thirty feet, and Joe McLean and the other agents got out and grouped as Stephanie walked up to them.

“Stephanie, you’re staying back here for safety,” Joe said. “We’ll go from here without you.” He scribbled a number. “Call Paul that she’s on the flight to Miami. Tell him we’ve got a beacon in place so they can pick her up at the airport.”

Joe and the other agents slipped through the gate after Eve. Eve took her aisle seat in first class and didn’t look up at any of the agents as they filed on board and went back into the coach section to their seats and settled in for a long flight.

As the other passengers were filing past, Eve slipped out of the outer plaid jacket, pulled another scarf out of the purse, and slipped it on over the one with the violets. She stood, looked behind her at the riot of bodies filling the aisles, tucked her head in, and hurried off the plane.

The flight crew were in the entrance. Eve stepped through the bodies and spoke to a stewardess.

“Dear, I’m in first class and I have decided I need more sessions with the doctor before I actually do it.”

“Do it?”

Eve frowned. “Fly in a plane. It’s all right to leave without me. I’ve done this before. I’ll get the refund later.”

She turned and started walking briskly toward the gate.

As the last of the passengers passed through the first-class section, Joe watched one of the stewardesses pick up Eve’s plaid coat and take it toward the closet to hang. So she was getting comfortable. He exchanged glances with the other agents and smiled at Sierra. Great!

After the flight attendant went through the standard instructions, the curtain closed and the agents in the rear of the plane settled in for the flight to Miami. Larry Burrows looked at the dial on the tracking device as the plane taxied toward the runway and was pleased with the strength of the signal.

Joe took his cell phone out and dialed Paul to tell him they were on the way.

Stephanie had walked a few feet away and was lost in thought when Eve emerged from the walkway. She had left behind the plaid coat and was wearing a thin raincoat with a hood and a dark scarf over the floral one. Stephanie saw the reflection of movement in the window-someone walking from the companionway-and turned a bit, instinctively, but nothing alerted her to the fact that there was anything unusual going on. She was listening to the idle chatter that filtered through the microphones.

Stephanie watched as the plane was towed out to the tarmac and began its warm-up. “Have a good trip, guys. See you in Miami after the hammer drops. Call me, okay? Soon as something happens.”

“Roger that,” Joe said. “Thanks for everything.”

“Good hunting,” Stephanie said. As she removed her earpiece, she was starting to tear up. All that work and she was going to miss the payoff. She knew she might live her entire professional life and never get a shot at this kind of action again. People like Joe would always have her doing shit work, meanwhile taking the credit for her successes. Maybe they’d put her behind a counter or something. Maybe she’d leave the DEA and see if she could move into the FBI. She watched the runway until the plane sped down it, sailed up, and began its climbing right-hand turn. “ ’Bye,” she said sadly.

As Stephanie was passing the rest room, someone moved quickly into the corridor and bumped into her. Stephanie felt a jolt when she looked up and realized that she was staring into Eve’s face. The white makeup was off, the sunglasses had been replaced with her thick bifocals, and she was wearing a different coat. Stephanie’s mind seized for a second, and Eve glared at her, angrily.

“Watch where you’re going,” Eve snapped.

Stephanie’s eyes were locked on the large woman’s.

“Well?” Eve said.

“Excuse me,” Stephanie squeaked.

“I swear…” Eve turned and trudged off back toward the terminal. Stephanie followed.

Stephanie had to call Paul Masterson and warn him. Somehow Eve had slipped off the plane without anyone’s seeing her. Stephanie had no idea how she had done it-not that it mattered now. They’d have to figure it out later. Is Martin here in Dallas? What if he is? How will I know? I’m swimming in shit.

Eve stopped at a bank of telephones, and Stephanie was smart enough to figure that she would look to see if she had a tail. Stephanie didn’t know what Eve’s long-range vision was like, but sure enough, Eve did take a sweeping look down the concourse. By then Stephanie had stepped into the doorway of a shop. While she watched, Eve put on her reading glasses, reached under a phone with her right hand, and retrieved something that had black tape on it. Stephanie couldn’t see what it was. A message? No, a car key. No, she doesn’t drive.

Eve glanced around as she pretended to look through the small purse she had hidden in the folds of her clothing. She waited a couple of seconds and took off again, with Stephanie following. Stephanie reached into her purse and felt the handle of her nine-millimeter. I’ll know Martin when I see him. I have to. I have to stop him… She remembered Paul’s warning: “… the single most dangerous man I have ever known. Do not engage him one on one. If he is identified… shoot to kill… shoot to kill… shoot to…”

Eve stopped at a row of lockers and looked around again. Stephanie averted her eyes and quickly stepped into the cocktail lounge, taking a seat at a table. What if Martin’s watching me right now?

Stephanie held her phone down in her lap and dialed Paul Masterson’s number, which they had all memorized on Joe McLean’s orders.

She looked up to see that Eve had opened the locker door with the key she had retrieved and was staring right at Stephanie, her eyes huge through the lenses.

Stephanie averted her gaze again, took a count of six, and when she risked another peek, Eve was reaching into the locker, her attention focused on something inside. Stephanie tried to figure out what Eve was doing as she pressed the send button on the cell phone. At that instant there was a brilliant flash and ear-closing pressure-everything in the world went white as the wave hit Stephanie. She realized, in that euphoric and detached state of shock, as she was floating backward on the wave, that something wasn’t exactly right. That Eve was vaporized. Then there was just darkness… and silence.