Page 28 of Into the Gray Zone

We were going in circles, and I didn’t see the reason why. I said, “Okay? So what?”

She glanced at the door, then said, “Knuckles, lock it.”

So the room isn’t wired for sound. Now we were getting to the meat of this thing.

He did, and she laid all her cards on the table, saying, “Look, I’msure you’re not here for some archeological dig. I’m not going to make you say it, but you and I both know that there’s a meeting happening tomorrow between Riva Thakkar, the CIA, and RAW. I think that attack was against Thakkar. I think they wanted to kill him. I don’t think they intended to come onto the resort and just massacre whoever they saw. They were afterhim.”

I took that in but wasn’t ready to capitulate the entire cover just yet. I said, “So tell your guys. Let them hunt the terrorists. What do we have to do with this?”

She sighed, looked at the closed door, then said, “Because they don’t believe me, and really, because if I’m right, there’s a leak on my side.”

“What’s that mean?”

She took a breath, as if she was considering what to say next, then let it out. “If they were after Thakkar, they had to know he was eating outside in real time. The only way to know that was from somebody on my team. If I’m right—and I’m not really sure I am—but if I’m right, somebody on my team let them know.”

Which was intriguing. This little beach vacation was starting to look like fun. I’d wanted to leave India as soon as our babysitting gig was over, not liking playing second fiddle to the CIA, but this was something else. I could hang around a little bit longer to see where it went.

I said, “But everything you guys found was from LeT and Pakistan. The weapons, the original guy who was captured here, the entire thing.”

She took that in, and I saw recognition dawning on her face. I knew I’d said too much. She said, “Yes, that’s true. But it’s beyond me as to how you’d know that.”

I started to say something but she held out her hand, shutting me up and saying, “No, no, I’m sure they brief every company who comes to India about any loose risks. I understand.”

She paused, seeming to do an internal battle within herself. Sheturned in a circle, then faced us, saying, “The two guys who were killed tonight were tied in to D Company, which is an organized crime syndicate here in India. They’re bad guys, but not ideological. They have no association with Pakistan, the ISI, or LeT. D Company writ large does, however, purely for monetary reasons. Which is to say it could go either way, but I don’t think it does. They were here for Thakkar, and they were working for someone other than LeT or Pakistan.”

The words settled on the room like a pesticide fog floating down from the ceiling, both Knuckles and me reassessing why we were here.

She flicked her head to Knuckles and said, “Look, I believe you’re the good guys, mainly because of him, but I’m in a bit of a quandary here. I think this attack is targeted, but I can’t convince anyone else of that. They don’t like females telling them their suspicions.”

I heard the words and knew exactly what she was saying. Once upon a time, I’d lived that very thing with Jennifer, and it had almost cost me my life. I didn’t know if she was playing me, but she hit the right notes.

Even so, I said, “I don’t know where this is going here. I have a female on my team and so... what? You now trust us?”

She looked insulted and said, “No, that’s not it at all,” but I could tell there was a grain of truth in what I’d said. She continued, “I don’twantto convince anyone else, because I think we have a leak. I need some help. It’s not just about me being a female, it’s about them not wanting to see what’s in front of them.”

Knuckles echoed me, saying, “Which means, what?”

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she wanted to jump over the cliff, and then she did. She pulled a key out of her pocket. It had a large plastic fob on the end, looking like a Holiday Inn key circa 1985. She held it up, looked at me, and said, “I searched the guy you killed, before anyone else showed up. He had nothing on him other than this. It’s a hotel in Baga.”

I took the key and said, “So? What do you want us to do, as an archeological research company?”

She exhaled at my continuing the subterfuge and said, “As Knuckles would say, ‘Cut the shit.’ Is that right? Did I get that right?”

Knuckles laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s a pretty good go. Just tell us what you want.”

She turned to him and said, “Do I have to spell it out? Are you two that obtuse? Go break into the damn thing and tell me what you find.”

She locked eyes with me again, knowing she’d just put her career on the table. I quit with the pretending and said, “You, and you alone?”

“Yes. Me alone. If I’m right, then anyone else could be compromised. If I’m wrong, then who cares?”

I said, “Why do you trust us to do this? We could be in on the plan.”

She looked at Knuckles, and he smiled, believing he knew what she was going to say.

She said, “Because of Jennifer. Because of how she reacted to her nickname. She’s pure, and there’s no way she would be involved in anything like this.”

Knuckles’ face fell, and someone knocked on the door. Nadia unlocked it, and Jennifer walked in.

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