Shattered Shield: Cole Cameron Thriller Series Book 1 Read online

  “Hey, have you ever seen one?

  “One of what?” Cameron asked.

  “You know, aliens.”

  Albright had the whole group laughing, even Hernandez.

  Later that day, Hernandez came through by creating a mild diversion that occupied the security officer’s time long enough for Amy to sort through some key files and download essential information, including the visitor’s logs from the Research and Development facility.

  Albright and Cameron were also making headway through their stacks of research documents. They still needed more time, but they had agreed with the Roslin executives that they would leave by 6:00 PM.

  CHAPTER 9

  Los Angeles, CA

  As the group was driving back to the hotel creeping along the packed freeways, Cameron’s cell rang again with an unidentified caller.

  “Hello.”

  Finally, after a brief pause, a soft female voice on the other end responded.

  “Is this Cole Cameron?”

  “Yes, who’s calling please?” Cameron asked growing weary of the mystery.

  “Mr. Cameron, I live in Tucson, and we have a mutual friend.” Cameron’s body language abruptly changed, causing Hannah to look over to him. Grant’s asset, He thought.

  “Grant Ramsey? How do you know Grant?”

  “I don’t want to talk over the phone. Grant said I should call you if anything happened.”

  “Who is this?” Cameron asked again.

  “We need to meet in person, as soon as possible. I don’t know who to trust.”

  “I’ll catch the first available flight tonight that I can get on.”

  Now the whole group was leaning Cameron’s direction, trying to follow the conversation. Cameron looked at his watch.

  “It will probably be between eleven and mid-night before I get in. Can you find a public place, like a bar or something?”

  “I know a place,” The soft voice replied. “The Owl’s Club downtown. I’ll be waiting there.”

  “How will I recognize you?” Cameron asked.

  “You won’t have to. Grant described you to me, I’ll recognize you.” There was a brief pause as Cameron gathered his thoughts. “Mr. Cameron, please come alone.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said as they ended their call.

  The team was silent waiting for Cameron to divulge information. Cameron stared out the window at the haze that hovered over the city.

  “Guys, I have to fly to Tucson tonight. After you finish up tomorrow, you can take the FBI plane over to catch up with me.”

  “I don’t like this,” Hannah said as Amy agreed, “Yeah, neither do I.”

  “Look, I need you to drop me by the hotel so I can pick up my things. I can take the hotel shuttle over to the airport.”

  “Jason can drop you off,” Hannah suggested. “So, what’s going on?”

  “I heard you mention a ‘Grant Ramsey.’ Who’s that? Is there something we should know about?” Hernandez inquired.

  Cameron was thinking of how to articulate his response when the SAT phone rang again. It was McCune wanting an update. The conversation dragged on until they were pulling in front of the hotel.

  The team climbed out, and Cameron looked at Albright, “Meet you here in twenty minutes.” Albright agreed as he took the keys from Hannah. Cameron pretended to have something to do in the lobby so he would not have to ride up the elevator with the rest of group. He wanted to avoid any discussion of Grant. But Hannah seemed to look right through his veneer with her stare as she stepped into the elevator.

  Cameron quickly packed his bag and headed to the lobby to check out of his room. Albright had texted him earlier to tell him that he was ready. Cameron could see the front of the vehicle through the glass doors as he signed out and grabbed his receipt.

  He walked to the back of the vehicle, swinging open the back door to load his bags. He noticed other baggage and the two women in the second row of the SUV. After a brief stare, Cameron tossed his bags in and slammed the door shut.

  “Jason and Hernandez will stay tomorrow to finish up. We’re heading out with you,” Hannah insisted as Cameron climbed in the front passenger seat.

  “Yeah Cole, everything I need to do is right here,” Amy said pointing to her laptop.

  “Besides,” Hannah said with a grin, “we lost our FBI plane for tomorrow, and I have a feeling you’ll need me sooner than you think.”

  “Southwest terminal,” Cameron instructed Albright ignoring the two women.

  After a few short minutes, Albright had pushed his way through the LAX traffic and pulled to the curb to unload his grateful passengers.

  “See you guys tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call you if I come across anything,” Albright said.

  The three picked up their boarding passes, avoided the long security lines by flashing their badges, and only had time to search for a fast food vendor.

  “Does this look alright?” Amy asked, pointing to a fairly crowded sitting area in the terminal. “Let’s grab that table,” she added.

  Hannah made a call from her cell phone before joining Amy and Cameron at the table. She plopped down, her body communicating the toll of travel and work they were all feeling.

  “I have our rooms reserved at the AC Hotel,” she said as she exhaled a sigh.

  “The Marriott, again?” Amy asked. “Are you trying to rack up Reward Points or something?”

  “Heck yeah. At the rate Cole moves us around I’ll earn vacation in no time,” she laughed.

  Cameron felt that Hannah was trying to lighten the air. He knew that she wanted him to tell her about the call and more about Grant. But Cameron remained relatively quiet.

  It had been an odd day for him as far as Hannah was concerned. Part of the day, she ignored him and conveyed contempt with her body language. At other times, she seemed to warm up. Women, he reasoned he would never figure out how to read them. It’s like adjusting a thermostat in a room that was always either too hot or too cold. The elusive consistent comfort zone is impossible to find.

  Amy and Hannah kept each other occupied with conversation, while Cameron remained preoccupied with his thoughts. He was anxious to meet the caller, and he tried to push away his thoughts of Grace and their brief encounter the night before.

  “So, are you going to meet alone with this mystery caller or what?” Hannah asked breaking up his descent into momentary depression.

  “Yes, she seems very upset and doesn’t trust anyone. She requested I meet her alone.”

  “How does Grant Ramsey fit into this?” Amy asked.

  “Not sure,” Cameron said with a shrug. “We better get back to the gate since we don’t have assigned seats.” They picked up their, returned to the gate, and were herded in like cattle for the short flight.

  As they worked their way up the crowded aisle, it became apparent they would get packed in on a full flight. Hannah grabbed a middle seat, leaving Amy continuing up the aisle searching. Cameron who had been behind the two suggested Amy come back and sit with Hannah, but she found a window seat she preferred.

  Hannah saw Cameron hesitate. “You better grab it before it’s gone,” she suggested.

  “Well, I do prize the aisle seat,” Cameron said tossing his bag in the overhead bin and his satchel under the seat in front. The scent of her fragrance caught him as he sat down. It was a magnetic aroma pulling at him with some invisible power. This girl is getting to me, he thought.

  “OK, who gets the armrest?” he joked to break his train of thought.

  “Good God, men,” Hannah retorted. “What is it about aisle seats and armrests?”

  “I’m afraid it’s our inferior genetics. We have many built-in territorial issues.”

  “Must be,” Hannah laughed.

  In no time they were airborne and the walls that were erected earlier in the day were now down. Hannah’s charm was again on display for Cameron to see.

  “OK, last night I basically told you my life s
tory, but you skipped out before giving me the dirt on you. That’s no way to treat a valuable team member.”

  “Valuable team member? What happened to the FBI plane for the team?”

  “Trust me if I hadn’t wanted to go tonight it would have been available for me tomorrow. I couldn’t see wasting it on Hernandez and Jason,” Hannah assured him.

  “On a serious note, I was very impressed with the way you handled Roslin. Thank you,” Cameron complimented.

  “You’re welcome.” She said leaning in closer to him. “Now, enough avoidance, who is Cole Cameron?”

  Her brown eyes were irresistible and time swiftly passed as he shared more of his personal life. She appeared genuinely interested.

  “So, are you and your wife…Grace, is it? Is the divorce finalized?” her directness caught Cameron off guard.

  “I guess so,” Cameron said pausing to take the opportunity to finish off his bottled water then added, “well it’s really not much of a guess. I signed a power of attorney for her to negotiate on the house that is the final piece of the settlement.”

  “Wow. Sorry, I saw the envelope and we sort of overheard your conversation last night,” Hannah explained.

  “Tell me about Grant,” Hannah redirected the conversation having sensed Cameron’s uneasiness.

  Cameron was happy to change the subject and felt growing confidence with Hannah, so he spent the remaining flight sharing the details of his conversation at the coffee shop, and even the notes gathered at the dead drop.

  He intentionally excluded specific details to protect Grant. At any rate, Hannah now had enough information to know that Grant was on to something at Roslin and had an asset, or informant working with him, the caller Cameron was scheduled to meet. He would have to let McCune know the cat was out of the bag regarding Ramsey.

  ✽✽✽

  Tucson, AZ

  They met up with Amy as they disembarked the plane. Cameron looked at his watch. It was 10:15 PM, giving him just enough time to check in at the hotel and shower before going to the Owl’s Club.

  On the way out of the airport, Hannah and Amy had stopped at a restroom together. Amy looked at Hannah through the mirror above the sink, where they stood freshening up.

  “You and Cole seemed pretty cozy. I thought you didn’t mix business and pleasure.”

  “Who said it was pleasure and not business,” Hannah said as she grabbed the handle on her rolling luggage and walked out.

  After checking in at the AC Hotel and taking a quick shower, Cameron taxied over to the bar. He entered the Owl’s Club in the historic Armory Park neighborhood around 11:15 PM. He surveyed the quaint bar with its swanky western décor, an accurate reflection of Tucson. Only a handful of people were sitting at the bar, most huddled around tables, but the dim lights made it hard to see anyone clearly.

  He took a stool at the bar, ordered a light beer and looked around again. To his right, at the end of the bar, was a woman in her thirties. She looked vaguely familiar to him but was apparently not looking for him, as she turned her head to avoid eye contact.

  “Let me guess,” the bartender said handing Cameron his bottle. “A blind date?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Cole Cameron?” the Bartender asked.

  “Yes.”

  The Bartender then nodded to a corner table to Cameron’s left. He looked for his subject, but the darkness prevented him from a good view. His eyes adjusted to the dark, as he grew closer. There sitting at the table was a slim African-America woman in her early forties.

  “Hi, I’m Cole,” he said as he extended his hand.

  “Do you have some identification?” the woman asked.

  “Sure,” Cameron replied offering his ID to her. “And who might you be?”

  “My name is Clarisse Johnson; I’m a Sr. Project Manager with the Roslin R & D group.” She sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I lost some friends in that explosion Mr. Cameron.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cameron attempted to console her. “Please call me Cole.”

  “Very well,” she said softly, as she took another drink emptying her glass. Cameron saw it and motioned for another round.

  “Clarisse, have you seen Grant.” Cameron didn’t know where else to begin but tried to remain sensitive to her emotional state. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

  “I haven’t seen or heard from him since Saturday.”

  “What did you guys uncover that has you so worried.”

  Clarisse remained silent, and her eyes were tearing up.

  “Look it’s OK. Just tell me what you know. I’ll get you whatever help you need so that you feel safe.”

  “I had growing concerns about our VX project. I thought we were researching methods of containment and more efficient antidotes, but we kept producing more quantities of the nerve agent. We produced more than we would ever need and beyond our contract specifications with the government.” Her hands were shaking.

  “I can’t prove it, but I’m certain inventory records, and other documentation were altered to cover these discrepancies.”

  Cameron leaned forward to hear her soft voice more clearly.

  “Did you contact the authorities or anyone else within the company?”

  “I went to the VP of Research and Development and reported that I had discovered some discrepancies in the reporting. I wanted him to know we violated the stipulations of our government contract. He asserted I was mistaken but assured me he would launch an internal investigation. Within a few days I was reassigned to different projects and later Mr. Alvarez, the VP, had an accident.”

  “An accident?”

  “Yes, he was killed in a car accident just a few days ago. It may just be a coincidence, but it really scared me. I know I should have contacted the authorities, but I was concerned for my son. I’m a single mother and…” she broke into a quiet sob.

  “It’s OK. I understand.” Cameron waited for her to regain composure.

  “Why do you think someone would cover up this production of VX? Who would want to do that?” Cameron tried to move the conversation forward.

  “I don’t know. But this nerve agent is worth millions, just in the quantities we have above our stipulated amounts.”

  “How did you meet Grant?”

  “Well, that’s why I’m so frightened now, I mean after the bombing.” She hesitated again.

  “Why did you give information to Grant?” Cameron asked, wanting urgently to get to the bottom of the situation.

  “I was going to say earlier, just when I thought I had enough courage to go to the authorities, Mr. Ramsey contacted me. He said he was an undercover agent working to expose Roslin’s unlawful activities.” Her words took Cameron by surprise. Maybe Grant played this angle to get his information. He reasoned.

  “Did he show identification?” He asked.

  “Of course, it was sort of like yours but for the FBI,” Clarisse said with a concerned look. “He is with the FBI, right?” Cameron just nodded, not wanting to alarm her any more than she already was.

  “What all did you share with him.”

  “I told him about the increased volume of production and the fact that we had visitors who were granted virtually unlimited access to view our procedures and they showed an unusual interest in our VX project. The last time I saw him was Saturday night, right here. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

  Cameron sensed he was compromised and abruptly turned looking across the room.

  “That’s when he gave me your information and told me to contact you if I didn’t hear from him.” She noticed him looking over the room.

  “Is everything OK?”

  “It’s alright. Anyway, tell me more about the visitors.”

  “The two men came in on two different occasions. I don’t remember the date of their first visit, but the second was on Thursday I believe it was March 6th. I remember because I thought their long visit would cause me to be late to a parent-teacher c
onference.”

  “You spoke to the men?”

  “Just briefly, I was asked to walk them through our processes, but I did most of the talking. I was told they were risk assessors for our investors, but they just didn’t seem like the type. I know that sounds like I’m stereotyping, but with everything else going on, I was just very suspicious,” she added.

  “Can you describe them?”

  “They are both large men; I mean tall and well-built. They were both Caucasian and spoke with what may have been a Russian accent, but I’m not sure.”

  Cameron asked a few more questions getting details from Clarisse about the VX project, learning more about handling and storage procedures. Then he suggested that she go to the FBI and share the information.

  “Well, I’ve already told Grant everything I know. But I am scheduled to meet with an Agent tomorrow afternoon. Because of the blast, they’re interviewing all the R & D employees.”

  “OK, why don’t you give them a call and see if they can see you in the morning.”

  Cameron took the agent’s name.

  “Call me if you need anything at all. Oh, by the way, have you spoken to anyone else about this?” He asked as they were leaving.

  “No, just the VP, Grant and now you,” her voice trembled as she recognized the irony of her comments. Alvarez was dead, and Grant had disappeared. She looked at Cameron and wondered if he too would vanish.

  CHAPTER 10

  Tucson, AZ

  On the short cab ride back to the AC Hotel, Cameron phoned Hannah.

  “Sorry, did I wake you?”

  “Umm…no just starting to wind down. What’s up?”

  “I need to get to the blast site now. Did your field office drop off a vehicle for us?”

  “No, we were getting a ride tomorrow. But I’ll take care of it. Isn’t the site still going through chemical clean up?”

  “We’ll see. It doesn’t matter; we need to get over there as soon as possible and have Amy bring the data files she picked up from their headquarters. I’ll meet you guys down in the lobby.”