The Ajax Protocol

CHAPTER 35

Nick, Selena and Ronnie showed up about 10 minutes after Elizabeth and the others arrived at the monument. When they saw Lamont behind the wheel of the Chevy, they came over to the SUV and climbed in.

Nick looked wired. Selena and Ronnie didn't look happy. It was only the second time Elizabeth had used the emergency signal. She described the raid on Project headquarters. Stephanie briefed them about the Ajax protocol.

Through the windshield, Nick could see the Memorial and the flag that flew for all of the Marines who had died in the service of their country. The Ajax protocol was a betrayal of everything that flag stood for.

"Those sons of bitches," he said. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Before we can do anything, we need a new base of operations," Elizabeth said. "We have to assume all Project resources are either unavailable or monitored. The old safe house is compromised, we can't go there. I'm open to suggestions."

"I know where we can go," Selena said. "My place."

"Your condo? That won't work, they're bound to be watching it."

"Not the condo, not Washington. There's an island."

"What island?" Nick asked. "You never said anything about an island."

"Uncle William owned a private island in the Caribbean. It's not far from St. Lucia. He left it to me when he died. It's got everything we need, a large house, an airstrip, privacy. No one is going to look for us there."

Selena's uncle had been a rich man. It was his death that had brought Selena to the Project. When he died, some of his fortune had gone to charity. Some had been seized by foreign governments where he had held investments. Some of it had been embezzled. What was left went to Selena. She had arranged for half of it to act as ongoing investment funding for several charities. The other half was more than enough to keep her in luxury for the rest of her life.

"An island in the Caribbean." Elizabeth looked at her. "You never cease to surprise me, Selena. I don't think they'll expect us to do something like that."

"That's a great idea," Stephanie said. "At the least, it will give us some breathing room to figure out what to do next."

Lamont stroked Burps and was rewarded with a rumbling bass.

"How are we going to get there?" Ronnie asked. "We can't use our plane. They'll be watching that. We can't book a commercial flight."

Selena said, "They can't watch everything, not so soon. I know a pilot who operates a Gulfstream charter out of a private airport near Roanoke. My uncle used him all the time. He knows me, there won't be any credit checks or questions. He can fly us to the island. The airstrip there can handle a Gulfstream."

"I like it," Elizabeth said. "Call him."

They left Burps at a boarding house for cats. A few hours later, they were on their way to the Caribbean. Five hours after that, they were coming in for an approach on Selena's island. Below the wings of the Gulfstream, sunlight sparkled off the waters of the Caribbean. The ocean looked blue and inviting. A band of luminous, turquoise water stretched away from a narrow beach of white sand. Palm trees lined the shore, at the fringe of a dense thicket of jungle.

The southern end of the island featured a steep volcanic peak, covered with trees and thick green foliage. From the air, the island looked like a misshapen boot with the mountain forming the toe. Halfway up the east side of the boot, a small bay with a long wooden pier extended out into the water. A medium-sized fishing boat was docked next to the pier. At the top of the boot a large, square house with white walls and a red tile roof sat on a high promontory that looked out over the water. Beyond the house, the land fell away in a sheer cliff hundreds of feet high. Waves crashed against black rocks below. A second house, smaller than the first, sat away from the main building at the edge of the uncleared jungle.

A single runway of concrete formed the airstrip. A hangar was situated at one end of the runway. They circled the island once and landed. The Gulfstream taxied toward the hangar.

They stepped from the plane into the warm, humid air of the Windward Islands. The air smelled of salt and an explosion of green things growing.

"Welcome to St. Jeanne Island," Selena said.

Nick saw a white SUV coming toward them. "That will be Emile," Selena said. "He's been the caretaker here since before I was born. Let me take care of the plane and then we'll all go up to the house."

They walked over to the shade of the hanger. Selena had a brief conversation with the pilot and came over to join them. The pilot got back into the Gulfstream. In a moment the engines came alive and the plane turned to face the far end of the runway. They watched the Gulfstream accelerate down the strip and lift into the air.

Nick turned to Selena. "Just what I'd always dreamed of," he said. "Stranded on a tropical island with you. Only I didn't imagine we'd be here with anyone else."

She laughed. It broke the tension.

The SUV pulled up next to them. The man who got out of the vehicle was weathered with a lifetime under the Caribbean sun. It was impossible to tell how old he was. He looked like a man who had worked every day of his life. He wore a khaki colored, short sleeved shirt and trousers cut off below the knees. Well-worn brown boots protected his feet. His skin was walnut brown. He was about five feet nine inches tall, wiry and taut. The muscles on his arms and legs stood out like knotted cords under the skin.

His face broke into a grin. "Miss Selena," he said, "it has been too long since you have visited."

"Hello, Emile. It's good to see you."

"But now you are here. Things in the big house are ready for your stay. You will be here long?"

"I'm not sure. Emile, these are my friends. We all work together."

Selena made the introductions.

"Let's go up to the house," she said.

They piled into Emile's truck and followed a gravel drive from the airstrip to the top of the promontory and the house. The house was built of whitewashed stone, two stories high. A wide, shaded veranda with a sloping, tiled roof ran around the bottom of the structure. Wicker furniture with flowered cushions offered places to sit. Tall windows with wooden storm shutters painted green lined the front of the building. The view from the veranda took in the entire island and the Caribbean beyond.

Inside, the house was cool and quiet. Wooden ceiling fans turned slowly overhead. A gentle breeze coming through the open windows brought the sweet perfume of tropical flowers and honeysuckle. The floors were made of dark, polished wood, cut in wide boards. A wide, wooden staircase led up to a balcony and the second floor.

"There are six rooms on the second floor," Selena said. "Mine is the one in the front on the left. Take any of the others you like."

"Get settled in and we'll meet down here in 30 minutes," Elizabeth said. "We need to do some serious planning."

"Director," Selena said, "I need to talk with you about something."

Elizabeth was about to ask if it could wait until later. Then she saw the stress in Selena's face.

"What is it, Selena?"

"Let's sit outside."

They moved onto the porch and sat down.

"Adam gave Nick a file," Selena said. "You need to know what was in it. I was going to tell you when we got back from London but there hasn't been a good opportunity until now. "

Elizabeth gave her a curious look. "What file?"

Selena told Elizabeth about the CIA file and the accusations against her father. When she was done, Elizabeth sat without saying anything for what seemed like a long time.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she said.

Selena took a deep breath. "I was afraid you'd throw me off the team. If my father was a traitor, you might think I was a security risk."

"Selena, you're not your father."

"That's what Nick said."

"You don't think the file is true." It was a statement, not a question.

"No, I don't. My father was an honorable man. He would never have betrayed his country. I think it was a CIA op that went wrong and somebody covered it up."

"You should've come to me sooner," Elizabeth said.

"I know. I'm sorry." Selena's eyes glistened. Elizabeth reached out and took her hand.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It can't have been easy for you to find that out. How can I help?"

"Knowing that the people who killed my family may still be out there keeps me awake at night. I want to get into the KGB files and track down who it was. Stephanie can do that, but I need your permission."

"A lot of those files are available for anyone to study," Elizabeth said. "The really sensitive stuff has all been transferred to computers. If we hack into those, we're risking a major incident."

"I know that." Selena waited.

"What will you do if you find out the assassin is still alive?"

"I don't know. I just know that it's important to find out what happened."

Elizabeth looked out over the Caribbean. In the distance, the white sail of a private yacht cut across the deep blue of the sea.

"Let me think about it," Elizabeth said.