Last Chance to Die by Noah Boyd (good books for 8th graders TXT) 📕

had to be held responsible. The whole Calculus gambit was his plan. Quite ingenious, actually.”

“Except that it is about to fail also,” Kate said.

“Yes, I guess Alex wasn’t as smart as we thought he was. But he was quite a businessman and recognized an opportunity when it came along. Because of the Bureau’s ever-increasing scrutiny of the Russian SVR, it had become almost impossible for them to recruit spies. So Zogas started providing the service. He thought the Russians would be his customers for life. What he and I planned to do in the future was that when one of his moles stopped producing, I would be given the name so I could ‘uncover’ him, enhancing my reputation. Which in turn would give me access to more and more information, not only within the Bureau but also from the other agencies. I would have become the great American hero.”

“How about Sundra Boston? How did you know she was onto the LCS?” Kate asked.

“Every morning I checked the Bureau computer system to see if anyone was querying the LCS or any of the moles they were willing to give up—or myself, for that matter. When she requested tolls on Longmeadow, we knew we had to get rid of her.”

“How about the guy in the tunnel in Chicago?”

“He knew that Vail was coming, because Vail had me wire the funds to the account. Vail was getting to be a real thorn in our side, so our man in Chicago was told to take him out. He knew there was no real money on its way. As soon as Vail killed him, I told Zogas, and he came up with the ambush that was supposed to make me Vail’s savior. Zogas was brilliant at visualizing and planning for contingencies. Off of the ambush, he had set up the CIA involvement with that phone number that would lead you and Vail to Rellick. I came up with the idea that the Russians were protecting a CIA agent. Then if Vail didn’t figure out the three contacts between Calculus and Rellick, I would have. I knew about the video with Gulin and him, and Langston’s inability to see its importance. And I knew that you knew Rellick. The other eight photos were men I was pretty sure you didn’t know, so you’d have to pick out Rellick. Funny thing was, Rellick had no idea about your being framed to protect him. In the end he just thought the government had finally caught up with him.”

“Why didn’t you kill Longmeadow when we first heard him on that tape?”

“Zogas liked to profit from every death. Longmeadow was in the air force and technically bright. He had the potential to be of use later. There was no need to kill him when you missed him the first time around. The only reason they put him on the list was that when Zogas was putting this together, Longmeadow was becoming demanding. I always knew where you and Vail were because of the GPS in Vail’s car. I was the one who was monitoring it.”

Kate said, “That’s how you followed him to the Maryland park when he found the flash drive.”

“Yes.”

“And what about you? What did you do it for? Idealism? No, that’s never really the case, is it? Was it to make fools of everyone else?”

“I suppose that was part of it, but ultimately it was about one million dollars a year, tax free.”

“And now?”

“I’ll have to defect. I will be looked up to in Russia—not that it’s a big deal, but at least I won’t be spending the rest of my life in prison. And I have three million dollars in an account there. It’s like an SVR 401(k).”

“More likely you’d be looking at the death penalty.”

“If you’re trying to get me to surrender, Kate, your salesmanship could use a little work. However, the point is moot, since I’m holding the gun,” Kalix said. “But I do have one question: How did Vail break the Web site’s code? I have a different access code than Zogas did, but they’re the same number of digits, twenty-four. The Russians said they’re uncrackable. There are over eighty million combinations. And they change the codes every month.”

“I have no idea, but maybe that’s who Vail is, one in eighty million.”

“Too bad he’s not around to save you this time.”

“So what are you going to do, John?”

“You don’t think I would have given you all the answers and then let you live, did you?”

“Then I’ve got some bad news for you.” She unbuttoned the top two buttons on her blouse, revealing a transmitter mike taped under her bra.

Kalix tightened his grip on the automatic. “How do I know that’s not a bluff?”

“Why do you think I sat down in front of the windows? There’s a SWAT team out there with a sniper locked onto you.”

He smiled cautiously. “You’ve learned a lot of tricks from Vail. This feels like one of his bluffs.”

“It could be.”

“Then I assume there’s a green-light word or phrase for him to fire. What is it?”

“Think about it for a second. If I say it, you’re dead.”

Kalix took a moment. “Kate, one of us isn’t walking out of here alive. If you’re bluffing, you’re dead. If you’re not . . . well, I’m not going to prison or to death row. So let’s have the word and find out which it is.” He raised the gun up to where he could aim it more accurately.

“The word is . . .” She stopped, looking uncomfortable.

After a few seconds, Kalix said, “You are bluffing.” He thumbed back the hammer.

“ . . . John Kalix is Agent X.”

The window exploded as the shot caught Kalix fully just above the ear, ripping him sideways out of the chair.

AFTER

Vail walked up to the front door of the Sixteenth Street off-site and, knowing that it would be the last time, took a moment to admire the exterior construction of the old mansion. The weather had gotten warmer, almost springlike. He stuck his