“Gwen Jones, Joe Stockwell, and Michael Gioffre did die,” she replied. “You had them killed.”
“Yes, I did. But the world is complicated, Ms. Reel.”
“And it’s also extremely simple.”
“You look at it in different ways. You think you see an opportunity for improvement. Vast improvement. And sometimes you take it. That’s what we did here. We were tired of the killing, the chaos, and always being at the edge of the precipice. We just wanted a more stable, peaceful world by having people we could actually deal with in power over there. A few lives to save millions? How can that possibly be wrong?”
“I’m not here to judge what you did. That’s really not my concern.” She raised her weapon. “There have to be others besides the ones we know. Who are they?”
He shook his head and smiled grimly. “Now, do you want me to kneel? Do you want me to stand? Whatever you say I’ll do. You have the gun, after all.”
“You have family.”
For the first time Whitcomb looked concerned. “They knew nothing of any of this.”
“I don’t care.”
“I would please ask you to not harm them. They’re innocent.”
“Gwen was innocent. And so were Joe and Mike. And they had families.”
“What do you want?”
“Who else was behind this?”
“I can’t.”
“Then I’ll start with your oldest daughter. She lives in Minnesota. And after that your wife. And then your sister, and I’ll keep going until there’s no one left.” She pointed her pistol at his head. “Who else?” she asked.
“It won’t matter. They’re outside this country, completely untouchable.”
“Who else? I won’t ask again.”
Whitcomb gave her three names.
She said, “Congratulations, you just saved your family.”
“You give me your word that you will not harm them?”
“Yes. And unlike some people, I do keep my word.”
“Thank you.”
“One more thing. DiCarlo?”
“She was too close to figuring things out. It pained me, but there was too much at stake.”
“You’se a bastard.”
“So stand or kneel?” he said.
“I don’t care, really. But I want you to close your eyes.”
“Excuse me?”
“Close your eyes.”
“I will have no trouble watching you kill me,” Whitcomb replied.
“It’s not for your benefit. It’s for mine.”
Whitcomb closed his eyes and waited for his life to end.
When no shot came and the minutes passed by, Whitcomb finally opened his eyes.
The island now contained only one person.
Jessica Reel was gone.
CHAPTER
81
“I COULDN’T PULL THE TRIGGER,” Reel told Robie.
It was later that afternoon. They were sitting in Robie’s apartment. Reel looked totally dejected.
“It was sanctioned,” he said.
“I know it was sanctioned.” She paused. “I told him to close his eyes. Like you told me to. When he opened them I was gone.” She looked up at him. “Just like you were.”
“It was your choice. But I have to say I’m surprised.”
She let out a long breath. “You let me live, Robie, when everything you’ve done the last dozen years was telling you to pull the trigger on me.”
Robie sat down next to her. “You didn’t deserve to die, Jessica.”
“I killed people. Just like Whitcomb.”
“It’s not the same.”
She snapped, “At every important level it is the same.”
Robie remained silent.
Reel wiped her face. “He was just an old, tired man sitting there. And he wasn’t afraid of dying.” She rose, went to the window, and stared out, her forehead pressed to the cool glass. “I couldn’t pull the trigger, Robie, even though I wanted to.”
“He wasn’t an old, tired man. He was quite the warrior on the football field and off. Special forces in Vietnam, killed his share of the enemy. Guy was quite the badass in his day. And during his tenure as the APNSA, he orchestrated the killing of more members of terrorist organizations than any of his predecessors. He always goes for the jugular. Not a guy you would want against you. Kent found that out. So did Decker.”
“So why are you telling me all this?” Reel asked.
“To let you know that you have more compassion than he or I do. I would have shot him and not even thought twice about it. And he would have done the same to you.”
“So what will happen to Whitcomb?”
Robie shrugged. “Not our concern. I don’t see him going to trial, do you?”
“So...?”
“So just because you didn’t pull the trigger doesn’t mean that someone else won’t. Or maybe they’ll bury him in some cell at Gitmo.”
“Pretty high-level guy to go out like that. Media will be all over it.”
“The media can be controlled. But let’s hope no more high-level guys attempt something like this.”