The Vanishing Gary Brown (booksvooks TXT) 📖

“Was?” Cynthia asked.

“Yes. Krebeck was sentenced to life in prison for murder because of his actions during Operation Deliverance.”

“How is that possible?” Martin asked. “CIA-sanctioned ops carry impunity from prosecution.”

“Ordinarily that would be true,” Justin replied. “But Krebeck went rogue. That’s when the government stepped in.”

“What exactly did he do?” Karen Lassiter asked.

“Krebeck believes himself to be a religious deity. That’s the story according to his psyche eval, anyway. However, the key difference between him and most religious leaders is they don’t lock hundreds of their followers in a tinderbox of a church, poison them, set fire to the place, and then stay around to watch it burn to the ground.”

“Christ,” Karen replied.

“There’s something I don’t get,” Raines said. “How is it possible for an American CIA operative to create a religious following in a foreign country?”

“With a little help from his friends,” Justin replied. “Turns out Krebeck would meet with members of Mensah’s inner circle and provide them with intel updates on Operation Deliverance in exchange for protection and a quiet place to play God.”

“So, he’s a fed and a traitor,” Raines said. “Why didn’t someone lock up this sonofabitch and throw away the key?”

“We did just that,” Justin replied, “only five years ago Krebeck and four other inmates went down in a plane crash just south of the Oregon-California border east of Mt. Hebron while being transferred to a maximum-security facility. Three were confirmed dead at the scene, but Krebeck and another inmate, Reginald Fallon, escaped the crash. The feds have been looking for them ever since, without success. I guess they forgot they were the ones who taught these guys how to disappear.”

“So, Fallon is CIA too?” Raines asked.

“Yes. The two of them were assigned to Operation Deliverance.”

“Then shouldn’t we be calling the feds? They’re their boys. Under the circumstances, I’m sure the Agency wants them back real bad.”

“Without a doubt,” Mark interjected. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about Krebeck and Fallon. The CIA can have them. But if we bring them in too soon, this will become a military exercise, and I don’t want to put Amanda Prescott at unnecessary risk. Our principal must be the priority. We go in, get her, and get the hell out. Then we call in the cavalry.”

Heads nodded in agreement.

“What do we know about the people she’s involved with?” Raines asked.

“They call themselves The Brethren,” Justin answered. “Honestly, we have no intel on their ideology. We don’t know if they’re paramilitary, anti-government, or how heavily armed they might be.” Justin turned to Mark. “For that reason, when we locate them, I suggest your teams go in hot. Sidearms and body armor. No exceptions.”

Karen Lassiter raised her hand. “What about a location on the subjects?”

Mark turned to Cynthia. “Care to bring us up to speed?”

“Certainly,” Cynthia replied.

A picture showing several individuals handing out leaflets to students on a university campus flashed on the monitor.

“In your dossiers you’ll find a copy of this photograph,” Cynthia continued. “It was taken approximately two weeks ago at Sonoma State University. Biometric comparison confirms the girl on the right is Amanda Prescott. I’ve had personal contact with the subject, though I didn’t know we’d be looking for her two weeks later. So, the good news is we can confirm she’s alive and possibly still in the area. The bad news is we’ve never had her under active surveillance, so we don’t know specifically where she is. The fact I took this photo was a complete fluke. Something about the group just didn’t sit right with me, so I snapped their picture.”

“Lucky for us you did,” Raines said. “But if you ask me, I’d say we’ve got a major problem. We may know who the subject is and what she looks like, but she’s on the move and we have no active intelligence to work with. I wouldn’t exactly call that a winning combination.”

“Dan’s right,” Karen agreed. She turned to Mark. “Amanda Prescott could be long gone by now. If the group is transient, we’re beat already.”

“I know,” Mark replied. “That’s why I’m pairing everyone into base and field reconnaissance teams. You and I will be field team one. Cynthia and Dan, team two. Starting today, we’re going to establish surveillance on the university campus and the general vicinity. Start asking questions and poke around a bit. Show the photos in your file around campus. Perhaps one of the students will remember seeing Amanda or speaking with her. Talk to campus security. My guess is if the Brethren are using the university as a recruiting area, they may not be transient after all. I know the timeline is tricky, only two weeks out, but we still might catch a break. If you locate her, no one is to even breathe in her direction without my authorization.” Mark turned on the lights and addressed the team. “The rest of you will work with Justin. Hit the computers, beat the drums, rattle your contacts, send up goddamn smoke signals if you have to. Just dig up as much information on this organization as you can. The more we know now, the better prepared we’ll be when we go in. As Dan pointed out, our timeline is fading. We’ve got to turn up something right away. Field teams, pack whatever gear you’ll need. We leave for the university in two hours. Claire, you’ll travel with Martin. If we should be lucky enough to run into Amanda, and she recognizes you, this could be over today. I only say that as a possibility, so don’t get your hopes up. We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover and not much to go on.”

“I understand,” Claire replied.

“Martin,” Mark said.

“Yes?”

“I’m putting you in charge of Claire’s personal safety. She stays by your side like glue. Photographs and leads aside, her input is critical to the success of this operation. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

“Count on it,” Martin replied.

Mark turned to the