Operation Barracuda (2005)

The two men are busy creating explosives. One of them has a block of nitro from which he squeezes a little at a time, like toothpaste. The stuff goes into a metal cylinder that the other guy places in hockey-puck-shaped containers wired with detonators and timers. They're very similar to my own wall mines.

The conversation, being in Chinese, goes by fast but I'm able to pick up words here and there. I'll be able to have the team in Washington translate the whole thing later.FIRST GUY: . . . Eddie . . . in big trouble . . .SECOND GUY: I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.FIRST GUY: And he has the . . .SECOND GUY: Ming will find him.FIRST GUY: . . . can't hide forever.SECOND GUY: I still don't understand why . . . to destroy . . . the place.FIRST GUY: Orders from Hong Kong.SECOND GUY: . . . get rid of the trail?FIRST GUY: Exactly.SECOND GUY: Where did everyone . . . ?FIRST GUY: They've been moved out. Some will go back to Hong Kong. The scientists that defected will be placed in new positions somewhere else.SECOND GUY: . . . some dumb town in Arkansas . . . ( laughs)FIRST GUY: ( laughs)SECOND GUY: Are you almost done?FIRST GUY: Yeah. Here. You need to set the timers.SECOND GUY: What do you think? Ten minutes?FIRST GUY: Five. No, make it eight. Just in case our cars don't start. ( laughs)SECOND GUY: ( laughs)FIRST GUY: So do you know where Eddie . . . hiding?SECOND GUY: No. At least I think I know where he'll be . . . LAX tomorrow.FIRST GUY: How do you know that?SECOND GUY: I helped arrange it before Ming told me to shut down the firm.FIRST GUY: You talked to . . . ?SECOND GUY: No, Eddie did. I arranged the flight. It's not easy dealing with Russians.FIRST GUY: He's coming from Russia?SECOND GUY: No, he's coming from Hong Kong. Eddie will . . . meet . . . at LAX . . . American Airlines . . . or send someone . . .FIRST GUY: . . . reward, you know? Ming said so.SECOND GUY: I know, I know. Let's finish this job first. Then maybe we can meet the plane tomorrow, too. We follow the Russian, we'll find Eddie.

The two men begin to gather their materials. They've made, I think, eight explosives. I retrieve the optic cable, coil it, and place it in my backpack. One of the men leaves the room and takes a nearby staircase to the second floor while the other one places two or three of the devices within the lab.

Damn, they're about to blow up the place. Jon Ming must have heard of Eddie and Mike Wu's betrayal and ordered GyroTechnics to be closed down. The hard way.

Maybe I better get the hell out now. While the two arsonists are busy planting their devices of destruction around the building, I leave the way I came in. It takes me three minutes to jump the fence, run through the trees, and find the Murano.

In exactly six minutes and twenty seconds, I see the Corvette and the Porsche emerge from the gravel road, turn onto Norman Place, and drive past me down the hill. I start the engine, make a U, and follow them.

Right on time, I hear a tremendous sonic boom behind me. The ground shakes as if an earthquake has struck. In the rearview mirror I see that the night sky is orange and yellow. The blast sets off dozens of car alarms in the area and now the hills are alive with the sound of honking.

When I get to the bottom of the hill, the two arsonists are gone. I'm not concerned about them. They're just soldiers. What interests me is what they said about meeting a plane at LAX tomorrow. I'll have to get the complete translation but from what I could gather, Eddie Wu is meeting someone from the Shop at the airport tomorrow. The Russian is flying in to close the guidance system deal. Could he possibly be Oskar Herzog or Andrei Zdrok? Zdrok surely wouldn't dare set foot in the United States. I'll let Lambert deal with the logistics of what wecan do to meet that plane.

Sirens fill the air now. As I turn onto Sunset Boulevard, two police cars zip around me, lights flashing. A fire truck, its horn blasting, is not far behind.

I press my implant. "Frances? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Sam."

"Is Lambert around?"

"No, he's asleep."

"Do you ever sleep?"

"Never. Field Ru

I pull out the photo I took off the bulletin board and look at it as I drive. "Listen, do we have any information about Eddie Wu owning a boat? A yacht, maybe?"

"Hold on."

While she's looking, I get on the 405 and head south toward Marina Del Rey. If my hunch is right, I think I might know where Eddie is hiding.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"There's nothing in the files. But FBI agent Kehoe's last report stated that he was investigating a lead at Marina Del Rey Harbor. He's been on Eddie Wu's trail."

"The FBI is sharing that with us?"

"Yeah, apparently we really arecooperating on this one."

"Where's Kehoe now? Can we get in touch with him?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"I think I have a lead in Marina Del Rey, too. I'm going there now."

"Hold on, I'll check with my counterpart at the Bureau."

I exit onto 90 and am heading for the coastline when she comes back on the line. "Sam, Kehoe's last report was transmitted two hours ago. He was observing a boat at Pier 44 at Marina Del Rey Harbor. He's supposed to check in soon."

"Doesn't he have a partner with him?"

"No."

That isn't right. Don't FBI agents always take backup with them when going into a situation like this?

"Mr. Nudelman tells me Kehoe went off on his own because the L.A. Bureau couldn't spare another man tonight," Coen adds, answering my unasked question.

"Kehoe sounds like some kind of cowboy. He could get himself killed," I say.

"Can you tell me what you're thinking?" she asks.

"It's just a hunch I have. Let me check out something and I'll get back to you."

It's four-thirty in the morning. I can find the Lucky Lotus, see if anyone is there, and still might make it back to the hotel before Katia wakes up.

26

PIER44 is on a section of the marina called Mindanao Way. The harbor itself is part of Santa Monica Bay and is supposedly the largest artificial small-craft harbor in the world. (My OPSAT automatically comes up with these facts when I'm mapping out a location.) It also tells me that the harbor consists of over eight hundred acres. The breakwater is 2,340 feet long and there are two miles of main cha

I get off of Highway 90 at Lincoln Boulevard and then turn right onto Mindanao Way. I park the Murano on the street and walk toward the pier. Nightlights illuminate the marina but there are plenty of dark spots to use for cover. Moving from shadow to shadow exposes me for a second or two but I'm not going to worry about it. Eventually I arrive at Pier 44, a private outfit that rents slips to those with the dough to pay for these kinds of things.

Eddie's Lady Lotusis a ninety-four-foot Eagle/Westport Cockpit motor yacht. The lights are on in the salon and galley so I know there are people aboard. I see no sign of Agent Kehoe.

"Frances, you still there?"

"I'm here, Sam."

"Send me the blueprints for an Eagle/Westport motor yacht. Ninety-four-footer."

After a moment she asks, "You know what year?"

"I'm guessing latter half of the nineties."

"I have three to send you."

I go through the plans one by one and settle on the 1996 twin diesel engine model. It's a match for the Lady Lotus.