Page 29 of The Perfect Illusion

“Guayaquil, Ecuador,” Kat said simply.

“Oh, that’s smart,” Tepp replied, sounding impressed. "No extradition treaty with us, but not actively hostile either. A low-profile location that would allow her to hide in plain sight. How are you so sure?"

“I’ve got a local cop who’s been feeding me footage from municipal security cameras,” she explained. “I won’t bore you with all the details, but I have the address of the hostel I believe she’s staying at or at least was, as of this morning.”

“That’s great,” he said guardedly, “so why are you calling me instead of having your cop friend head over there?”

“Because Estrada doesn’t have confidence in her department,” Kat said. “It’s one thing for her to share data with me. That’s a one-on-one secure communication. But getting a police special operations unit to raid the hostel to secure a former Marines Special Operations element leader and—forgive my bluntness—CIA assassin, is a big deal. She’s worried that word might get out and someone with questionable affiliations might warn Pierce in return for a big payday.”

“So you want my help?”

“Or the help of friends of yours. I know the CIA station in Ecuador is based out of Quito. I was hoping you could have your buddies follow up on this lead, and if it had merit, escort the asset back to the States.”

“To be clear, you want our agents in-country to kidnap Pierce and secrete her out of a sovereign nation back to the U.S.”

“You guys do that sort of thing all the time,” Kat teased. “Is it really that big an ask?”

“We actually don’t do that anywhere near as often as you might think,” Tepp objected. “and it is a huge deal. Not to mention risky. I’d have to get approval at some pretty high levels.”

"Yeah, but imagine the reward," Kat cajoled. "You run the op and get credit for it. You'd be a hero, bringing in someone who knows the agency's secrets and is clearly volatile enough to reveal them. She's a loose cannon. Wouldn't your bosses like to get hold of her? Isn't it preferable if the public thinks she's still on the lam, but she's really safe and secure at a CIA black site where she can't do any more damage? That's worth the risk, right?"

Again, there was a long silence on the phone.

“How long to get from Quito to Guayaquil?” he asked. “I know you’ve already broken it all down.”

“About eight hours by car,” she answered immediately. “Less than an hour by plane.”

Tepp exhaled deeply.

"All right," he said. "Let me see what I can do. In the meantime, I'm going to give you a secure link to send me the hostel address along with every identifying photo you have of her. Okay?"

“Thanks, Tepp,” she said.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he warned her.

"I know, but you will," she said. "Two things. You should move quickly. She just bleached her hair. That could just be to keep hidden in general. Or it could be a sign that she's planning to move again soon. She needs to be wrapped up while there's still time."

“Understood,” he said. “What’s the other thing?”

“It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway,” Kat replied. “Pierce is incredibly dangerous. I know you have files on her that indicate as much. But she’s quite sneaky in person. She’s tiny. She projects vulnerability. She uses that to lull people into complacency. Then she strikes. Don’t let your people underestimate her.”

“You’re right,” Tepp said. “It goes without saying.”

"Yeah, well, I felt obligated," Kat said. "I still have nightmares about her. I don't want anyone else to deal with that or worse. Keep me posted."

“You know I will.”

Kat hung up, feeling genuinely optimistic about this whole thing for the first time in weeks.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

There were little fires everywhere.

Jessie was starting to feel overwhelmed. Jamil and Beth had kept busy while she and Brady were questioning Benjamin Moran. And they’d found so many potential leads that Jessie felt she needed to take a break. Since lunch had just arrived, it felt like the perfect time.

“I’m be back in a few,” she announced to Brady and to the researchers on speaker. “I just need to clear my head.”

Jamil and Beth had done fantastic work, expanding the list of potential connections between the two victims—pageant and otherwise— from 16 to 29. But rather than go out and start questioning them, Jessie and Brady had decided to hold off, looking for other details that might help them narrow their search.

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