Fear No Evil

Chapter 104

Afterward, Bree and I went out on the front porch with Sampson and Mahoney. The mid-September evening was beautiful — hardly any humidity in the warm air, and the sounds of the city were somehow soothing, familiar and forgiving in a way the wilderness sounds had not been.

“We have DNA matches on Butler, Vincente, and Dawkins,” Mahoney said.

“Let me guess,” Sampson said. “They’re all dead men.”

Ned nodded. “Matthew Riley Butler was a DIA interrogator, supposedly blown to bits in an IED explosion in Iraq six years ago. Jesus Pedro ‘JP’ Vincente was a Green Beret who purportedly died in a firefight in northern Afghanistan four years ago. David ‘Big DD’ Dawkins was with SEAL Team Four. He supposedly died five years ago by rocket-propelled grenade during a secret incursion into Somalia. His body was never recovered.”

“What about the helicopter they used?” Bree asked. “I heard they found it.”

Mahoney nodded. “In a clear-cut about twenty air miles from where they attacked you. Shot to hell. Used to belong to a helicopter service north of there. The owner claims it was bought sight unseen and paid for in cryptocurrency by Matthew Butler, whom he identified from pictures. We’re trying to track the crypto back to the buyer.”

I said, “I know who the buyer was. M. He’s behind all of it.”

“You believe what Butler told you before he ran?” Sampson asked. “That he had no idea who M actually was?”

“I go back and forth,” I said. “But it makes sense when I remember that he called what they were doing a ‘movement.’”

“Suggests an ideology,” Mahoney said. “Fanaticism.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “With independent cells acting without knowledge of others but all under Maestro’s and M’s direction.”

“I can see some of that,” Sampson said. “But from Manitoba?”

Mahoney said, “We had Canadian Mounted Police check out the location. Middle of nowhere, six miles from the nearest building.”

Bree frowned. “But you were saying there could be other teams like Butler’s? That M could send other teams like that after you? From wherever?”

I nodded unhappily. “Butler said M was sick of me and John. Butler said he disagreed with M, but that’s why he was there.”

Sampson said, “With M paying a half a million for a helicopter on short notice to make it happen, I’m thinking we’ve gone and pissed M off again. I’m thinking things are not over between us.”

I wanted to believe otherwise, but I said, “Not by a long shot, I’m afraid.”