Page 99 of Desolation

“Maybe that’s what she told you but these documents don’t lie,” Charlie snaps.

“This makes no sense. How long has she owned the company?” I ask as I move to the desk to look at the evidence.

“Fourteen years.”

“No, no.” David shakes his head. “She changed her name when she was nineteen. She wouldn’t be able to open a shell company with a different name.”

Jackson leans against his desk. “Did she not have fake identification when she came to you?”

David goes to speak but shuts his mouth.

“The source that gave the tip of her location here said she had a fake ID. Multiple forms.”

David slides down the wall, his hands covering his face as he goes down. “Her ex-boyfriend made her fakes. He runs a business out of his apartment. Passports, IDs, birth certificates.”

“How the hell do you know that?” I ask.

“She told me in college.”

I look to Jackson and back to Charlie. “So you are telling me that she has been aiding and abetting a terrorist group for fourteen years?”

Charlie shrugs. “If the shoe fits.”

I collapse into the chair next to me, leaning over my knees, burying my hands in my face. What the fuck have I got myself into?

The door opens again and the thought of seeing Mari makes me anxious.

“Nothing, Muff,” Mark’s voice cuts across the room.

“What do you mean nothing?” David asks.

“She’s not at your house.”

David jumps off the ground. “You searched my fucking house?”

“Calm down, Gizmo. Jackson had me go there to check things out. Make sure she came here. But she wasn’t there.”

“How the hell did you get in?”

“I was a SEAL. I have many skills you don’t even know about.” Mark chastises.

“Alright, calm down boys,” Charlie interjects. “He didn’t break in. He looked around.”

“Jag she was driving was gone. No signs of forced entry or kidnapping. Her stuff was still there.”

“Maybe she is on her way here,” I say.

Jackson shakes his head. “She would have been here by now.”

“This just doesn’t make any sense. The woman was a fucking angel. She was kind, caring. She was suffering from a torn heart over a broken marriage. She would never do anything that would jeopardize the lives of her children!”

David gets up and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I was with Mari when she changed her name. I was the first person she told about her past when she was at school with me. I know this looks bad but we need to talk to her. Get her side of the story. Something isn’t adding up.”

Jackson nods. “You’re right, David. The evidence shows one thing but her demeanor and personality show another.”

“Are you all blind? I have seen this a million times! Hell, I was undercover for years. I know how to make people think you are a different person,” Charlie shouts.

“Babe…” Mark starts.

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