Free The Searcher by Christopher Morgan Jones

doubt.”
    â€œWhat’s your half answer?”
    She hesitated, thinking. “Most probably the president did not know. He is a vain man, he thinks he is the center of all things, but he would not do this. He is not evil. And not so crazy.”
    â€œSo who did it?”
    â€œIn my service there are evil men.”
    â€œYour service?”
    â€œI am a spy, Mr. Hammer. I work for our intelligence agency.”
    â€œYou’re very direct.”
    â€œYou would find out. Perhaps you know already.” She smiled. “A small group did this for the president. Many of my colleagues, they still hate the Russians.”
    The car had slowed to let a convoy of police vans pass, sirens going.
    â€œAnd Karlo Toreli?” he said.
    Vekua held his eye.
    â€œThat is a very direct question. And sensitive.”
    â€œI’m like you. I like things direct.”
    She continued to watch him, making up her mind.
    â€œYou told the police that you have no client.”
    â€œJust me. No oligarchs, no Russians, nothing sinister. On my word.”
    â€œWhy are you here, Mr. Hammer? Really?”
    To save my hide, he thought. Had she spoken to London?
    â€œTo fulfill an obligation.”
    With a brisk nod she decided.
    â€œI want to suggest a deal. But it is also my best advice.”
    â€œPlease.”
    â€œI will tell you what I know. But then you must leave it alone. Just find your friend. If you investigate the bomb, or Toreli, I cannot protect you.”
    â€œI’m no spy.”
    â€œI know this. I am not an idiot. But these people. They think you have been brought here to save the president before the election. Some think this. Others think you are here to destroy him. How? I asked them.” An incredulous smile. “What would he do? He is one man. But he is a spy, they tell me. There is a plot. The American. He works for the oligarchs who oppose democracy in our country.” She paused and held his eyes with hers. There was fire somewhere behind their level gray, he was sure. “This is a joke. They care nothing for democracy.”
    â€œSo I’m famous, huh?”
    â€œAt times like this everything has a meaning. Your arrival. Yourdeparture.” Even in the dark of the car her eyes seemed to glow icily. “Do you accept my terms?”
    â€œGo ahead.”
    Vekua clasped her hands, utterly serious. This was more like the face he had seen berating the policeman.
    â€œThe bomb exploded in Gori, an hour from here. A normal town. Immediately people think of Russia because Gori is close to the border. The target was a normal apartment building, nothing special to it. People were sleeping. A large part of the building was destroyed.”
    She paused to let Hammer consider the words. He did; it was hard not to.
    â€œThe bomb killed seventeen Georgians and two men who were running from the building. They were rebels, from Dagestan. They set the bomb. We knew them. Their group claimed responsibility.”
    â€œDid they screw up? Or did someone blow it early?”
    â€œThe bomb was meant to kill them. Someone wanted them to be found.”
    â€œThey were set up.”
    â€œOf course. Whoever was responsible, this is certain. They were running to their car, which was not destroyed. Inside the car were two telephones. Untraceable, clean. One of these phones had received calls from only one other number. We know from network data that all of these calls were made from inside my building. My headquarters. Inside, or near.”
    â€œYou’ve got a mole.”
    Vekua didn’t respond.
    â€œDo you know who it is?”
    â€œI cannot say.”
    She gave him a look that told him this track was closed.
    â€œSo this is how it went. Bear with me. Someone in your organization, some renegade group, they get these guys from Dagestan to do the dirty work, and then they send the journalists looking in the wrong direction, and everyone thinks it’s the