Shattered Shield: Cole Cameron Thriller Series Book 1 Read online

  The team maneuvered through the maze of freeways at a languid pace because of the morning traffic. But it gave them time to discuss the agenda for their meeting with the Roslin executives. Everyone was contributing to the ideas except Hannah, whose rough morning continued as the stop and go traffic exasperated her.

  “What the hell is he thinking?” she shouted as a car darted in the available space between her and the vehicle in front of her.

  Cameron chuckled at her torment, knowing she was reaping her rewards from a late night. She noticed he was taking pleasure in seeing this side of her, so she adjusted herself and fought to appear composed.

  “So, you want me to take the lead on the questioning?”

  “That’s right,” Cameron confirmed. “We need to convince them to let Amy look through their communication systems for any leads, and give Jason and I access to their project files associated with VX.”

  “What is your fixation on VX?” Hernandez asked from the back seat throwing his hands in the air. Cameron ignored him.

  “What if they refuse to give us access? I don’t think we have enough information to obtain warrants,” Hannah ascertained.

  “I think they’ll want to cooperate with us. I know I would if I were in Roslin’s shoes.”

  Hernandez snorted from the back seat. “Let’s hope their legal representation is as open-minded as you are.”

  “Well if not, that’s where you come in. You’ll be able to use your artfully tuned skills as an attorney to negotiate for us. Right?”

  Before Hernandez could respond, the team’s secure cell rang. He answered, pushing the keys to encrypt the call. It was McCune, wanting a status check and reporting on additional intel coming from the field operations, as well as the bomb’s signature at Roslin.

  “And how reliable is that?” The group heard Cameron ask. “I see. Yes, I’ll let you know of any developments and the results of our meeting with the Roslin executives.”

  Cameron finally disseminated some of the information he had received.

  “Well, the preliminary work on the bomb’s signature shows hints of ISIS, but we’re not ruling out anything. Some of the people at Langley want Titan Shield ditched. But they also know that the AIJB has close ties with ISIS, so we’re still considering this an AIJB attack. Capps is trying to gather additional human intel to confirm Mahib’s confession of AIJB’s responsibility in the attack.”

  The group sat quietly, digesting the information. “Oh, you need to head east here on the 210 Freeway,” Cameron motioned just in time for Hannah to change lanes.

  “So, are we on the right track here with Roslin?” Hannah asked, what the whole group was wondering.

  “I think we should hand the Roslin investigation off and head back to DC,” Hernandez asserted. Not waiting for a response, he dialed his cell phone.

  “What are you doing?” Cameron turned completely around in his seat to ask.

  “I’m calling to make arrangements for us to go a different direction on this.”

  Hannah adjusted her rear-view mirror to see Hernandez more clearly as Cameron asserted, “You will do no such thing. We are here, and we will look into Roslin before heading back.”

  “This is a waste of time,” Hernandez argued.

  “Look, I’ve got a feeling on this. We take today, tomorrow at the most and we’re out of here,” Cameron continued.

  “We’re already here,” Amy agreed.

  “Yeah, I’m in. Let’s see where this goes,” Hannah contributed to the growing consensus. “I’d hate to think we came all this way for nothing.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t call last night ‘nothing,’ ” Albright said, surprising the group. Hannah abruptly adjusted the mirror giving Albright a stern look.

  Amy’s mouth dropped open. She leaned forward in the seat and whispered to Hannah “You and Jason?”

  “Not even!” Hannah said with an incredulous tone, loud enough for all to hear.

  Albright, knowing he had been misinterpreted quickly tried to remedy the situation.

  “No, No. That’s not what I meant. You should have seen Hannah at the club all the guys were hitting on her…”

  “Jason!” Hannah shouted. “Shut up!”

  Cameron chuckled again. This just keeps getting better. He thought as he noticed he was being harpooned by Hannah’s glare of disgust. Cameron refocused on Hernandez.

  “Raymond, work with me on this, alright?”

  Hernandez reluctantly consented to the group’s wishes, but immediately went to tapping on his cell phone, sending emails. Cameron was sure that the correspondence was the Homeland Security Officer’s political jostling to build a case against him. His behavior did not escape Hannah’s observation either, as she repositioned the mirror watching his suspicious expressions.

  The atmosphere at Roslin’s headquarters was one of grief and anxiety. The entrance of the contemporary facility was designed to psychologically convey a warm welcome, but the employees’ sense of loss was all that was noticed. The team saw people offering condolences to one another and grief counselors were available to the ailing workforce.

  Cameron could only imagine how painful the previous day’s experience had been for them. Even though Roslin had over twelve hundred employees, they were still small enough to be virtually crippled by the exposure of the previous day.

  Cameron knew that the emotional state of the executives was worn down from the events. Many had been up through the night. Several were in Tucson. The CEO, COO, and the Chief Legal Counsel had agreed to meet the team. The Chief of Security would be joining them on the phone from Tucson.

  While they were escorted to the executive conference room, Cameron had the chance to see Hannah’s eyes for the first time that day as she removed her sunglasses. If her eyes had been red, they were clear now.

  They entered the conference room with the executives huddled over paperwork, except for the one that was later identified as the Chief Operations Officer, who was helping himself to a cup of coffee. They exchanged business cards and handshakes as the team offered condolences. As the COO, Steve Bremen handed Cameron his card; he looked at him inquisitively.

  “Have we met somewhere before?”

  “Yes, I believe we have. A few years back at a conference in San Francisco,” Cameron replied.

  “That’s right. I remember. You have a consulting firm up in Ventura County, right?”

  “Good memory. But I’m no longer there, of course,” Cameron said pointing to the business card he had just handed Bremen. “And look at you guys, you’ve had exceptional growth since then.”

  “Well, we’ve managed to work in some key areas that helped us along the way. But after yesterday’s events, well…”

  “We’re really sorry,” Cameron responded just as the intercom buzzed with a secretary announcing that Chief of Security, William Garrison was now on the line for the meeting.

  “How are things going over there, Bill?” the CEO, Ralph Garland asked, speaking into the bat-shaped speakerphone in the middle of the conference table.

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it Mr. Garland,” Garrison responded.

  “Has the FBI given you any details of their findings?”

  “No, they continue to be very tight-lipped around here.”

  “Well, maybe our guest today can provide us with some insight,” Garland said looking to the group at the table.

  Hannah began, “I know this is a difficult time for you and your company and we’re grateful that you’re taking the time now to meet with us.”

  “Well, I must say we were expecting the FBI, but not Homeland Security and especially not the CIA,” Garland replied, as the group took seats around the table.

  “Yes, we are a bit surprised by the assortment of the entourage,” The Chief Legal Counsel offered in his baritone voice.

  “Officer Wiggins and I are simply consultants, working with expertise regarding a certain terrorist group that we believe may be responsible for yesterday’
s attack. We’re here to assist Special Agent Jacobs anyway we can,” Cameron said to minimize their concerns.

  Hannah sat up straight and took the lead, asking a series of non-threatening questions to put the executives at ease. They assured Hannah and the team they were willing to cooperate.

  Building on their cooperation, Hannah proceeded to make more demanding requests.

  “We would like to have Officer Wiggins perform an analysis of your communication systems to look for anything that might have slipped through. Officer Cameron and Agent Albright will need to see some of your operational reports on various nerve agents, especially VX.”

  “Why VX? I don’t understand. Do you think that someone in our company was involved with this?” Garland asked in disbelief.

  “We’re not sure at this time, but we can’t rule anything out. Since this bombing took place on a Sunday, with relatively low causalities, we want to examine other possible motives,” Hannah replied.

  “We have reason to believe that the suspected terrorist group had an interest in VX,” Cameron added.

  “I don’t know if I like where this is going,” the baritone voice of the Chief Legal Counsel was a pitch higher this time. Cameron couldn’t remember his name.

  “Mr. Garland,” Hannah said ignoring the Chief Legal Counsel, “I assure you, that we will exercise the utmost discretion…”

  Hernandez interrupted “We came without warrants expecting your full cooperation, but that can change.” Cameron and Hannah both looked at Hernandez as if to say ‘enough.’ He took their hint and cooled down giving enough time for the corporate attorney to launch into a legal debate. Cameron sensed the objectives slipping away.

  “Mr. Garland,” Hannah broke through, “we can only imagine the stress and pain that you and your colleagues must be feeling. Sir, we do not,” Hannah said looking at Hernandez to make her point, “want to add to your stress. We simply want to determine and hold accountable the people responsible for this horrible incident.”

  The room was silent. Hernandez drew his breath to speak but caught Cameron’s stare, and Hannah continued her plea.

  “And we need your company’s cooperation to do that. The families of the victims, your employees, and investors will want to know you fully cooperated with the government in this investigation. We can discuss potential NDAs. Mr. Hernandez can help coordinate any reasonable request.”

  Hannah’s appeal to Garland’s motives was genuine, Cameron was impressed with her skills and hoped it carried enough weight to win Garland’s favor. If the plea for justice was not enough at least the subtle threat to his company’s reputation should convince him. He thought.

  Garland hesitated then agreed.

  “Give them whatever they need,” he said standing, visibly troubled by the prospects Hannah had presented.

  The Chief Security Officer, William Garrison’s voice came over the speaker.

  “Ralph, that puts us in a very vulnerable situation. I don’t like the idea of the CIA or even the FBI messing around with our systems.”

  “Damn it, Bill! I said give them whatever they need,” Garland said, and then paused before continuing to the group.

  “You’ll have to excuse Mr. Garrison; we’ve been battling corporate espionage around here. It’s been a nightmare.” He looked around the room.

  “Just the same, Officer Wiggins, if you don’t mind, Mr. Garrison will assign one of his associates to accompany you at all times as you work with our communication systems. As for the operational reports, Mr. Bremen will assist you with any reports or documentation you may need. The CEO looked over to Hannah.

  “Is that satisfactory?”

  “Certainly,” She replied. “Thank you, sir.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have a plane to catch to get back over to Tucson. Please feel free to use this conference room, and you have my personal cell number on the card I gave you.”

  Garland left the room with the meeting concluded.

  “I’ll gather some of the operational reports you indicated and everything I’ve got on our VX project,” Bremen said as he departed and then added, “and, I’ll get someone from communications over here to escort Officer Wiggins.”

  “Thank you.” the team replied.

  His departure left the team waiting in the room with the Chief Legal Counsel who was determined to watch every move they made. Hannah asked for the directions to the nearest restroom and excused herself.

  Amy followed her, taking advantage of the time available. Hernandez said he needed to make a few calls and likewise disappeared, leaving Cameron and Albright alone in the room with the gray-haired heavy-set lawyer, who judging from his odor was an obvious smoker.

  Cameron hoped that he would need frequent smoke breaks leaving them more time alone. The two didn’t speak, and the lawyer began tapping his fingers on the table just staring at Cameron. Yeah, the nicotine craving is getting stronger, he thought to himself. It won’t be long until he needs to step outside.

  Cameron was shocked as the Chief Legal Counsel pulled out his cigarettes and was about to light it as he noticed the expression on Cameron’s face.

  “You don’t mind, do you?” the overstuffed lawyer had the nerve to ask.

  “Actually, I do,” Cameron firmly replied.

  “Oh, that’s right, you’re the environmental guy,” the lawyer said with smug sarcasm.

  “Not that kind of environmental guy. Just want to keep my lungs healthy.” Cameron responded as the women returned to the room. Both Amy and Hannah looked at the two men as if to say 'What’s going on here?' But nothing else was said. The lawyer put the pack back in his coat pocket, swiveled his chair around and scribbled notes.

  After waiting for a few minutes, a young Asian man in his late twenties to early thirties arrived and introduced himself. He offered his assistance to Amy with the company’s communication systems. One of the company’s security officers, assigned by Garrison accompanied them to watch over her shoulder every step of the way.

  The two escorted Amy from the conference room to the location that housed the central servers. There she would perform an analysis of correspondence as well as retrieve any pertinent data. It was a long and grueling task, but one Amy was well qualified.

  Cameron didn’t like the fact that Amy was going alone and Hannah easily interpreted his look of concern. “Where’s Hernandez?” she asked, in response to his expression.

  “He said he had to make some calls,” Albright offered. Cameron just raised his eyebrows. He wanted to maintain the appearance that this was an FBI investigation and that his role was purely consultative, so he was careful with his words and demeanor. Hannah was aware of Cameron’s objective and had no problem taking an assertive role.

  “Go find Hernandez and tell him to catch up with Amy and assist her with the communication systems,” she directed Albright.

  “I’ll be back in a few,” the Chief Legal Counsel had finally given in to his addiction, leaving the room with Albright.

  Hannah and Cameron were alone in the conference room. There was a brief moment when they gazed into each other’s eyes, providing Cameron a small taste of what he experienced last night at dinner. Hannah was about to say something, but Cameron quickly raised his finger to his mouth. Shh. He motioned. Then he wrote a word on his notepad; BUGS.

  “Think so?” Hannah whispered with surprise.

  “They’re way too paranoid,” Cameron whispered back.

  Hannah’s look signaled her disbelief, but she played along. Suddenly Cameron wished he had let her speak, as he realized her facial expression was softer and more personal than he had seen all day. What if she just wanted to pick up where we left off last night, he thought. Regardless, it was too late now; her sober look had returned along with Bremen, and his administrative assistant.

  Bremen and his assistant were each carrying a load of notebooks and folders. It was time to go to work. Soon Albright returned as well as the Chief Legal Counselor. The stack of note
books and files continued to grow throughout the day.

  The team broke long enough to grab sandwiches at a nearby deli. Hannah had offered to bring it in, but Cameron suggested the break would do them good and give them some privacy.

  At the deli, Hannah had her sunglasses back on, but this time for obvious reasons as they sat at an outdoor table. When Hernandez had stepped away to refill his drink, Cameron instructed Amy to search the backup servers for visitor logs from the R&D facility. He had remembered Grant’s note about the asset’s comments on suspicious visitors to the facility.

  “You’re looking for two men, possibly listed as potential investors.” The group looked at Cameron curiously.

  “I won’t even ask,” Hannah said, not wanting to open a can of worms just as Hernandez returned to the table.

  “Jason and I still have a ton of work ahead. We’ll need to stay one more night and try to finish tomorrow by around noon. Amy, will that give you enough time?” Cameron asked.

  “Oh yeah, I might actually be able to finish up today. If Officer Hernandez could find some creative ways to distract the security lurch assigned to lean over me, it would really help.”

  “How about Raymond, you think you can create some opportunities for Amy to work more freely?” Cameron asked.

  “I will not participate in anything illegal,” Hernandez said wiping his mouth with a napkin.

  “No one’s doing anything illegal,” Amy said. “How would you like it if some guy was constantly looking over your shoulder while you’re working on a computer. It’s just annoying.”

  “Alright, I’ll figure something out,” Hernandez agreed.

  Hannah fielded a call on her cell phone that relayed the information about the bomb’s signature. She was visibly ticked. Here we go again, Cameron thought. But this time her irritation would not be a mystery.

  “How the hell did you know four hours before I did, what my own agency discovered?” she said removing her sunglasses to look Cameron in the eye.

  “They’re the CIA, man. We’re talking, JFK assignation, Jimmy Hoffa, and the UFOs at Roswell. They know everything,” Albright energetically joked defusing the tension.