Page 68 of Canyon of Deceit
“And what does he know about both of them?” Major Montoya leaned on one leg. “Or is he on neither side?”
Had Rurik lied to us? “How is Rurik holding up?”
“Quiet. Depressed. Not eating or talking. Holed up at his home. The FBI agents working his protective duty monitor his calls. Around two o’clock this morning, someone tossed a rock through his living room window. Falin must have made demands, or Rurik would be dead. Problem is, he won’t confess to what the ROC wants from him.”
“Work with them to find Edik Baranov,” Blane said. “Seems too simple.”
“What skill or info does the ROC need from Rurik?” Major Montoya paced the area. “Falin’s mission is to eliminate Baranov and his wife and son, and he has the big guns to make it happen. Intel indicates the Russian government has pressured Falin to follow through with the assassinations. If he doesn’t, they will demote him.”
Blane cast his gaze behind the major, clearly in think-mode. “I understand you can’t tell us if he’s in Houston, but it sure sounds like he’s there.”
Major Montoya maintained a stoic profile, which told me more than if he’d staunchly denied Baranov’s location.
Blane nodded. “Or he hasn’t arrived.”
“I’m not FBI.”
The major held a high office in the Texas Rangers. He had the whole story, and he was keeping it confidential. I expected no less.
“What else can you tell us?” Blane said.
“Rurik’s deceased wife, Alina’s mother, was Jurg Falin’s half sister.”
“Blood, money, and politics,” Blane said.
His words sunk in. “Could be why Alina is alive.”
Major Montoya nodded. “Apparently, Falin and his half sister were close, and he was with her when she died.”
“He’s still a killer,” I said. “While the blood connection might be his hesitancy to kill Alina, I don’t doubt he’d do it.”
“Especially with the high stakes and Russian pressure.” Blane studied me. “Laser weapons are useless without the activation chips.”
I inhaled sharply to manage the pain in my back and side. Drat Falin and his kidney punch. “Why not sell everything needed at the same time?”
“Multiple reasons,” Major Montoya said. “Per the manufacturer, the modular design of the laser-system components increases its security and versatility while serialized pairing chips are to prevent unauthorized use. Plus a seller or distributor of the technology wouldn’t want to accept the risk of storing all the required components in one place. Seems to me the ROC have been double-crossed and thought they had a complete package. Once they determined pieces were missing to make the laser weapons function, they had to make different connections.”
Blane dragged his tongue across his lips. “If there was anything of value in the cave, it’s gone.”
“And Alina?” I said. “Do you have any updates on her whereabouts? The last time I saw her, she was wearing the ballerina necklace.”
“A text on the way here said the FBI followed up on a report of a private helo landing in a field near Baytown. By the time they arrived on scene, the site had been vacated. Agents snapped a few pics of the aircraft’s contrail marks and the vehicle’s tire tracks, but nothing caught their attention. Rangers and FBI are investigating the area.”
“I want to believe he’s keeping her alive as a bargaining tool.” I peered into Blane’s face, but nothing readable crossed his features.
The major’s phone buzzed with a text, and he snatched it from his pants pocket. He read the message and huffed. “A Ranger found Alina’s necklace near tire marks of a directional tire tread pattern, which indicates a vehicle has good road-holding capabilities. The chain on the necklace had been broken as though yanked off. Once the investigators are finished with it, I’ll make sure I return the necklace to Rurik.”
“She’s somewhere in the Houston area...” I said. “According to Alina, Falin and Chandler argued about killing or selling her. The problem is, she can testify that Falin, her uncle, placed her in a dangerous position.”
“Ms. Palmer, it will be a miracle if the little girl survives.” Major Montoya’s sober expression said more than his words. “Remember, you can identify him too.”
Rising nausea and fury tore through me. “I’m not worried about me, but I refuse to believe she’s lost until her body is recovered.”
“We need to be prepared.”
I nodded but didn’t comment. Reality often hit hard.
“Therese, you’re extremely pale,” Blane said. “The hospital’s doing their best, but—”
