Him staring down at her, his hands around her throat. Hands that she knew better than anyone could crush the life out of her in a second.
He wanted to see her looking back at him. He wanted her to know that things had come full circle. That he had come back and done what needed doing.
Ridding the world of her.
Chapter
51
JERICHO COULD NOT meet with them until that evening, so it was after nine and well dark when they arrived at Fort Monroe.
Puller and Knox were escorted into Building Q by one of the armed guards who had been posted outside. The building was clearly closed for the night, the workers having apparently all gone home; the parking lot was empty of cars.
They passed down a long corridor and were led into a small conference room and left alone. They heard the guard’s heels tapping on the floor as he went back to his post.
They sat side by side at a small round conference table. Knox glanced at Puller and then her gaze drifted to a small camera lens sunken into a corner of the ceiling.
Puller had already noted this. He nodded at her.
They waited in silence until the door opened again.
Framed in the doorway was a petite woman in her late fifties with short graying hair, dark glasses, and dressed in a navy blue skirt and matching jacket and a white high-collared blouse. On her feet were low-heeled black shoes. She looked to Puller like a veteran banker or lawyer.
She nodded to them both before sitting down across from the pair.
“My name is Claire Jericho. I was the one who called you, Agent Puller.”
Puller nodded and then indicated Knox. “This is—”
“I know who she is. Very nice to meet you, Agent Knox. Your reputation precedes you, as does your colleague’s.”
Knox and Puller exchanged glances before settling their gazes on Jericho.
She looked back at them impassively, cleared her throat, and said, “May I offer some refreshments? Tea, coffee, bottled water? I believe we also have sodas.”
They both declined.
She leaned forward and rested one hand on top of the other.
“I know that both of you are exceptionally busy, so I won’t waste your time. The fact is your interaction with one of my employees, Anne Shepard, has been reported to me. I have interviewed Ms. Shepard personally. The result was she was terminated this morning.”
“Why?” asked Puller.
“For the same reasons you told her last night, Agent Puller. She was frequenting an establishment and behaving in a way that breaches the terms of the contract she had with us. There was no remedy other than immediate termination.”
“Is that why you called? To tell me that? You could have done that over the phone.”
“I like to convey important information face-to-face.”
“Josh Quentin works here, doesn’t he?” asked Puller.
“He does.”
“Well, he was at the bar too. Apparently he goes all the time. He has his own room upstairs. He goes there with a bunch of women. There’s a bedroom up there. Does that violate his contract?”
“I wouldn’t know, not having seen his contract. He’s the CEO of Atalanta. So he outranks me.”
“And yet you’re certainly older than he is,” noted Knox.
The inscrutable face turned to her.
Jericho said, “Titles are not based on age. They’re based on many factors. Mr. Quentin has an impeccable reputation in the field. He has risen quickly no doubt, but solely on his merits.”
“And what do you do here?” asked Puller.
“We do contract work with DARPA. Our mission is solely military support. It’s no secret.”
“It’s actually very secret,” said Puller. “I couldn’t find anything on Atalanta Group at all. You don’t even have a website.”
“We have no need for any of that. We have our work and we have our client and we do our job.”
“After you called I checked on you. I couldn’t find anything on you either. And I know where to look.”
Jericho stared impassively back at him. “I just wanted to let you know that the matter with Ms. Shepard has been dealt with.”
“She was lucky,” said Puller. “Right after she left a bunch of guys shot up the bar.”
“Really? Was anyone hurt?”
“Although we didn’t exactly see eye to eye on things, he was an outstanding soldier. I understand you are too. Which brings me to the point: Why are you doing what you’re doing?” She glanced at Knox. “And why is this very valuable agent of our country wasting her time helping you do it?”
Puller said, “My mother was never found. I want to know what happened to her.”
“So why then
has it taken you all this time to delve into the case? Surely you’ve had many opportunities to do so.”
“The letter from Lynda—”