Free Gone Bad by J. B. Turner Page B

to kill my girlfriend. And I’m going to make people sit up and take notice of what’s happening to our country, right under our fucking noses.”
    “Why won’t you meet up and talk it over?”
    “Man, you’re just a patsy. A government patsy, Jon. I love you, man. But I’m gonna kill you too if you get in my way.”
    Reznick said nothing.
    “Don’t fuck with me, man. Don’t ever fuck with me.”
    Then the line went dead.

TWENTY-ONE
    Meyerstein stared out of the window of the SUV. She felt a renewed sense of trepidation after the call from Hunter Cain. The investigation was slipping out from her control. The pressure from above – the director of the FBI and the director of Homeland Security – only added to a sense that she hadn’t got a grip of events. Things were sliding.
    When they pulled up at Pompano Beach for a coffee break, Meyerstein headed out onto the sands alone. She began to walk and walk as the breakers crashed onto the shore. It felt good to get the warm sea air and the sun on her skin. What she wouldn’t give for a two-week vacation. She never seemed to find the time.
    The more she thought of it the more alone she felt. She was surrounded by people all throughout the day. But it was work. Constant. From sunup to sunset. Relentless. Sometimes around the clock.
    She thought of her family being looked after by her mother at her house in Bethesda. On the surface it was idyllic. The great job. The great house. The beautiful children. But since her husband had left her, she’d noticed a sadness seep into her thoughts. She was getting more and introspective. She didn’t want to enjoy lunches with friends. She was immersing herself so much in work that she wasn’t giving herself or her family any time.
    She remembered her father saying that one of his biggest regrets was never finding the time to be a father when Martha was growing up. Instead, the would-be partner in a powerful Chicago law firm was working sixteen-hour days, seven days a week. He didn’t have time for family. He drove himself hard. To the top. But he also missed out on the great things children do. School Christmas plays, fun days at the beach, weekends at home. Even in his sixties, he was still doing seventy-hour weeks. It was almost like he was scared to slow down in case he lost his position in the firm. She wondered if that was her problem. If she slowed down there would be someone else to take her place.
    Meyerstein could see she was becoming more and more like her father. She took out her cellphone and punched in her home number. Her mother answered. It was good to hear her soft voice. Yes, the kids were great. They were at school. When was she coming home? Hopefully soon. She ended the call and punched in her father’s cellphone number. He answered on the fifth ring. “Hey, dad, how’s it going?”
    “Martha, honey, I’m great. Mom’s missing you. Are you okay?”
    Meyerstein felt her eyes fill with tears. She missed hearing his voice. “Dad … I’m good, thanks. Work’s just kinda, well, you know …”
    He went quiet for a few moments as if waiting to pick the correct words to use. “Martha, I can hear in your tone of voice something’s wrong. I can hear it, honey. Because I know you. Tell me what’s wrong. I’ve got all the time in the world for you today.”
    Meyerstein dabbed her eyes and shielded them from the sun. She turned round. In the distance Reznick was standing outside the SUV, drinking a coffee, looking in her direction. She gave a wave of acknowledgment and he did the same. She turned round and stared out over the ocean. “I’m getting a lot of heat.”
    “What kind of heat?”
    “The kind of heat that involves using the services of a certain operative.”
    “You talking about Mr R?”
    Meyerstein smiled. “The very one.”
    A long sigh down the line. “Martha, you’ve told me quite a lot about him. And I’ve thought about that. You’ve told me about what he’s done for you. And I’ve