Read Online The Red Horseman by Stephen Coonts - Free Book Online

moment Rita and Toad came in. “Guy
didn’t have a gun,” Toad said.
    “Just a wallet and a CIA pass and a little pack
of lock picks.”
    “Who sent you to see me tonight?” Jake asked
Tanana.
    The man snorted. “You ain’t gonna shoot
me.”
    What’s wrong here?
    Jake looked again at the driver’s license, at
the clear plastic, the perfect edges.
    He put the license into his pocket and drew
back the hammer of the revolver. He approached
Tanana. He bent down and placed the barrel of the
weapon against the man’s temple.
    “You’re right. I’m not going to shoot you tonight. But
if anything ever happens to my wife or kid-if you
ever get within a mile of my wife or kid-if I
ever see you within a mile of my house-I’ll blow
your fucking brains out and I’ll take a great deal
of pleasure in doing it, Paul-baby. Are
you getting the message?”
    “I got it.
    Jake rose and backed off. “I jerked the
wires off the spark plugs on your car. Put them
back on and get the hell out of here.”
    Tanana got slowly to his feet.
    “What about our stuff Out Wallets?”
    “We’ll keep them. Maybe I’ll frame the
CIA passes and display them over at the DIA.
They’ll be wonderful souvenirs. Now get out.
Tanana went.
    Jake Watched from the doorway as Tanana worked
on the car. It took a couple minutes. “Rita,
get a pencil and write this down. U-S.
government plate, XRC’-FIVE-FOUR five.
    He Was wondering if he’d hit the blond man
too hard when Tanana slammed the hood down.
He got behind the wheel, started the engine and backed
Out onto the street, “I think YOU cracked the
other guy’s skull,” Toad said as the sedan
drove slowly away.
    Typical Tarkington, Jake almost read his
    boss’s mind.
    Jake closed the door and locked it.
    CUP Of coffee.”
    “I could sure use a Callie was sitting on the
stairs waiting for him when he came through the front
door, After he ensured the door was locked behind him,
he hung up his coat and took a seat on the step
beside her.
    “Who were they?”
    Jake Passed her the Wallets. She opened
them and looked at the licenses, credit cards, and
other items. When she had finished he handed her the
CIA passes.
    “CIA,” she whispered.
    Jake extracted his own wallet from his right hip
pocket and took out his driver’s license, He
held it out so he could see it. “I got this about a
year and a half ago. Look how it’s curved from being
in the wallet and how the edges have frayed. Now look
at those other licenses.”
    Callie did so. “They’re like Dew,” she said.
    “They shouldn’t be. They were issued a couple
years ago. And the credit cards. Notice how the
black ink on the raised numbers has yet to rub
off. I don’t think they’ve ever been used.”
    “so?”
    “These two clowns were over at Tarkington’s when
I got there. I slugged one and we searched
the other.”
    “They let you do this?”
    “That’s an interesting question.” Jake pulled the
pistol out and showed it to Callie. “You wave a gun
around and everyone does what you tell them, just like in the
movies.”
    And he had had the opportunity to surprise them.
A couple of klutzs, or were they?
    “What if they had had guns?”
    “Then I’d have cheerfully shot the bastards and
called the cops.” He stood. “So they didn’t have
guns. They were betting I wouldn’t panic.”
    The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that the
whole scene was just an act. But why?
    “Let’s go to bed.”
    He helped her to her feet.
    “I still don’t understand,” she said. “Were they
CIA or not?”
    I don’t know,” Jake said slowly. “Through the
years several people have accused the CIA of using agents
to deliver warnings-of intimidation attempts. Yet
in every case where the accusation was made public, it
turned out that the CIA had no agents like the people
supposedly involved. Now you tell me-were those
two guys CIA agents carrying their own
ID, CIA agents carrying false ID, or
someone else’s hired help