Morgan's Wife by Lindsay McKenna Read Free Book Online Page B

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    As she dried her face, Pepper glanced at Woodward, expecting to see his face set with disapproval—just one more mark against her in his hard, military book of life. Instead, she saw a surprising softening in his glacial green eyes—and some unknown emotion touched her fleetingly.
    Maybe, she thought as she refolded the handkerchief and handed it back to him, he lived vicariously through other people's emotions, unable to be in touch with his own or show them. Berenice Romero sat quietly, and Pepper saw dampness in her eyes, too.
    "What an ugly little monster Garcia is," Pepper said, her voice tight with feelings. "All this does—" she pointed to the folder where the highly offensive photo now rested "—is make me that much more determined to get in there and rescue her."
    Jim said nothing, but secretly he was thrilled by the determination in Pepper's tone. Her eyes, too, glinted with a new light. Gone was the warmth, replaced with a surprisingly steely anger. "You'll need more than desire fueled by anger on this mission," was all he said, as he pushed the handkerchief back into his pocket. "Please continue the briefing, Lieutenant."
    "Yes, sir." Berenice cleared her throat and placed three more black-and-white photos before them. "Garcia's Dobermans not only patrol Plantation Paloma , they're trained to kill. They're also trained not to take any meat or other food that could be tainted with a drug to render them unconscious."
    "Has the CIA come up with anything? A dart gun or something?"
    "Pheromones, Colonel."
    "Oh?"
    Pepper leaned forward as Berenice showed them a photo of a small capsule containing a clear liquid.
    "The CIA labs have developed a unique way to control the dogs—the hormones of a female Doberman in heat." She smiled a little. "All you have to do is create a diversionary trail with the hormones along the fence line, in the opposite direction of your entry point. The dogs will follow the scent. Garcia made a mistake in having only male guard dogs. They'll choose the female scent over their guard duties. Great idea, isn't it?"
    Pepper grinned at the lieutenant. "I know this is a sexist comment, but isn't that just like a male?"
    Both women laughed. Jim didn't think it was very funny but, reminding himself that women in the military took more than their share of sexist prejudice and harassing remarks, he gracefully allowed them their joke.
    "Do we have a diagram of Garcia's plantation?" he asked.
    The lieutenant became somber. "Yes, sir, we do." She handed each of them a detailed diagram. "Our operative, because she was a laundrywoman, was in every room of the plantation. Garcia's home is a two-story wooden structure, painted white. The upper floors include many guest rooms and his personal suite. The lower floors are mainly offices, with a telecommunications room, satellite feeds and anything else he needs to stay in touch with his people around the world. He also displays a multimillion-dollar collection of old-master paintings about the house."
    "Has the CIA projected where they might be holding Laura?"
    "She's probably being kept in one of the second-floor rooms in the right wing, where there are bars over the windows and a guard is posted."
    Jim's stomach knotted. Unconsciously, his hand closed into a fist. The possibility that Laura had already been drugged to gain whatever information she had was a forgone conclusion. The Perseus team had assured him that Morgan never discussed business with her—to help prevent her from becoming a terrorist target. But…his mind railed against even thinking what other atrocities might have been done to her. Closing his eyes momentarily, he struggled with his anger—and his grief—over Laura's situation. She didn't deserve any of this. If only she hadn't married Morgan…
    With a sigh, he opened his eyes. Both women were watching him in the building silence. "What else, Berenice ?" he asked in a strained tone.
    "I've arranged an 0700 HAHO over the