Steeles's Case of the UN Murder

STEELE'S CASE OF THE UN MURDER

It took Sam a couple of weeks to recover from Blake's trip to Miami. The gun play around her blind husband with her being pregnant pissed her off to no end. Blake had to promise to stay around the office and let their trained investigators do the leg work from then on. He knew she was upset and wanted her to be calm and ready to have their first child in a couple of months. Imana was a great help. She stayed with Sam and learned what she would need to know.

Because he couldn't see, Blake's other senses seemed to work better. He could sense whenever Sam was unsettled or worried. It was a word, or a sound he heard, or even the atmosphere at the office. It was like the air around him sent warnings; a scent on the wind as it drifted through the office.

A week before Sam's due date brought a welcome surprise. Maria returned from Miami. She was sporting a new engagement ring. She, Sam, and Imana huddled in the living room like excited schoolgirls, giggling and laughing as Maria shared the story of her engagement.

Blake sat quietly in his recliner with a warm feeling in his heart. Sam was going to be okay. Maria would make sure of that. He didn't know how long she would be here, that was between Sam and Maria. He sipped on his whisky in the quiet, warm darkness only known to a man without sight.

Maria finally came over to Blake and sat down on his lap. "Hey, boss, you didn't think I'd not be here for the baby, did you? You still don't know me that well." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm staying for at least a couple of months. William is going to take his vacation when the baby is born. I guess you have a couple of roomies for a while, if you don't mind?"

Blake smiled. "You know it is always up to Sam. She runs this household, and I don't even pretend that I'm not happy about it. Both of you moving in would be wonderful for me."

Sam was banished to their apartment and Maria and Imana took over the office. Everyone in the office was happy to see Maria, and Sam could turn her entire focus to the miracle in her tummy.

The baby came right on time. Maria Elizabeth Steele was 7 lbs. 6 oz. She came home to Maria's old room next to their bedroom. It had been turned into a wonderful nursery. Maria was in one of the upstairs bedrooms they had converted from the old apartments. William arrived the next day. Blake was happy to have William around. He had been very impressed with William's character and determination in protecting Maria during the shootout in Miami.

William came to New York for his two-week vacation to be with Maria. He fell in love with her the minute she walked into his office at MPD. By the time they discovered who killed her grandfather, William was completely smitten. She is smart, determined, fearless and stunningly beautiful. Her smoldering black eyes have a fire in them he hadn't seen in other Cuban American girls in Miami. He knew he'd follow her anywhere. It was the happiest day of his life when she agreed to marry him.

Maria felt the same way about William. He is an honest cop, something that can't be taken for granted any longer. He is courageous, and she knew he loved her, both of which he proved to her when he threw his body over hers during the final shoot-out at the conclusion of finding her grandfather's killer. By the time he helped her up, she knew she'd marry this man.

Imana had worked at the United Nations as an interpreter, and she got a surprise call from one of her friends the week after the baby was born. Belkis Haile is from Ethiopia and is another interpreter. "Belli, it so good to hear from you. How are you doing?"

"Imana, I'm in trouble. I need to see you today. I heard something. You work for investigators, now, correct? I need help."

They agreed to meet at their favorite coffee shop near the UN building. It was already 5 P. M. when she called. Imana arrived a little early and got her coffee while waiting. Thirty minutes went by, and Belli hadn't shown up. Imana was getting worried. What did she mean by, "she'd heard something?"

By 6 P. M. she was really worried. She decided to call the UN office of interpreters where she worked before; she knew the receptionist.

Before anyone answered her call, a large, black man walked up to her. At first, she didn't pay any attention to him. People walk by and around you all the time in the city. It is crowded, after all, and you get used to having people close to you. It was when he stopped in front of her that she got nervous.

"Miss Imani Baker?"

"Yes."

"My name is Antonio Gastone. I am the head of the Personal Protection Unit of the United Nations Police Force."

Imana nodded. "I remember you."

"Miss Baker, you know Belkis Haile?"

"Yes, she is a friend. We are supposed to be meeting here now."

Gastone sat down. "Miss Baker, it is my duty to inform you Belkis Haile was murdered a couple of hours ago in her apartment. I'm so sorry."

Imana lost the strength to hold up her head and collapsed on the table. "She'd heard something" Apparently, she had. "Do we have any idea who it might have been?"

"No. We knew of no threat to her. She was not on our list of employees we are protecting. At the moment, we don't know anything. I'm sorry." He stood up to leave. "Here is my card. I'll try to keep you updated." He bowed and left her to her own thoughts. The shock slowly changed to anger.

By the time she had arrived at the office, she was seething. Someone would pay for this. When she walked into Sam's office, she found Maria and William there. She told them what happened and showed them the man's card.

Sometimes life's river flows on a strange and mysterious course. It turns in ways no one could foretell or understand.

When William saw the card, he sat back down. "I'll be damned." He explained to the women. "I'll talk to him."

Antonio Gastone is a friend from his FBI days. Both joined the academy at the same time. Antonio came from Baltimore PD. He speaks four languages and was born in Haiti of a white American father and a black Haitian woman. He is an American citizen with dual citizenship with Haiti. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and French Creole. The FBI recruited him from the Baltimore police.

William Baker has a degree in Criminal Investigation from Georgetown and was recruited from college by the FBI. After the academy, both were assigned to the Miami office of the FBI.

William and Tony shared an experience while in Miami that changed the course of their lives. One event. During a hostage crisis that the FBI sort of instigated, both William and Tony were on the detail outside. For reasons the two of them were never told, it had been decided to rush the hostage takers. Just as William burst into the room, one of the hostages caught his eye and he saw this terrified young woman in front of one of the hostage takers, shielding him. William will forever remember the look in her eyes the second before she was shot by someone. No one ever told William who really shot her, but it didn't matter to him. The look of pure terror has haunted him ever since. He resigned from the FBI and joined the Miami Police Department. The hostage takers were from one of the many Cuban American gangs in Miami. He had to try to do something to help these people, even as a white cop. When Maria agreed to marry him, it finally gave him some peace about the unfortunate woman. If he hadn't joined the MPD, he would never have met her. Tony had also quit. William heard something about the UN and New York, but nothing definite.

William called Tony and he agreed to meet for lunch. "So, how are you?"

"I'm okay. Presently I am a Captain in the Personal Protection Unit of the United Nations Security Force."

"Congratulations, but I do know that." He pushed the card Tony had given Imana over the table.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Imana Baker works for Steele Investigations. My fiancée does also. That is why I'm in town now."

Tony sat and looked at William carefully for a couple of minutes. It seemed to William like Tony was running something through his mind. It didn't take long to find out what.

"Steele Investigations, huh?" William nodded and waited. Tony bent down and spoke softer. The way he was acting, William expected him to look around before speaking. "Look, Haile was killed at her apartment. That is in the city and NYPD will handle this. But I think it has something to do with something that happened at the UN. I know Steele has connections in the NYPD, he was one, for God's sake. I need to talk to Steele and see if we can work together to find whoever did this. Can you ask him for me?"

"Of course. I don't think you'll have any problems with this. You'd have a bigger problem trying to keep Imani out of it."

"The lady I met works for him too?"

"Yeah, she's his personal assistant and is an investigator also. She was also a close friend of Belkis Haile."

"Well, I'm in. I'll help any way I can. Good to see you, old friend. You look happy."

"I am. I'll have to introduce you to Maria, my happiness."

When William explained his conversation with Tony, Imana immediately called Blake and asked to come up and see them.

Within ten minutes, Imana, Maria, and William were sitting on the couch in Blake and Sam's apartment upstairs. The baby was asleep, and Sam was there also.

First Imana laid out what she had heard from Belli. William followed with his conversation with Tony Bastone. Blake hadn't spoken since "Good Afternoon." He sat quietly, and everyone waited for him to speak.

Finally. "Okay. Imana, do you feel well enough to continue, or would you like to go home?"

"I'm staying right here, boss."

He smiled. "I figured so. Next, Sam, would you please call Frank and offer our help and ask for the police report from whichever precinct is handling this?" She nodded. "Imana, try to find out what her last assignment yesterday was. You still have connections, right?" Imana nodded. "Maria, when Imana gets you the name of her jobs for the last two days, have Bobby start running everything he can find out about them. She obviously overheard something she should not have heard. It may be something official in her last couple of jobs, but it may be just a crosswire situation. William, ask your man about how their system works. Take Andy Wong with you. We'll see how much your friend is really willing to help us." Bobby is one of their computer people, and Andy Wong is a wizard in the dark web. If it's in a computer, Andy will sniff it out.

"Mr. Steele, he wants to meet with you."

"That would help. Have him come by anytime he can."

Everyone had their marching orders, so they headed downstairs. Sam decided to take a nap while the baby was sleeping. Blake hired a nanny over Sam's objections, but she was coming around to having someone with the baby, taking care of diapers sometimes. She first got Blake his whisky and turned his jazz on. He always had jazz playing softly in the background as he thought out a problem.

Blake already knew the NYPD wouldn't be any help in this. She heard something, either over her headphones, or in a booth. It would be up to Williams' friend to help them sort that out. As familiar as they were with the goings on in the city, they were complete strangers to the inner workings of the UN. Blake knew he would need a crash course on the politics of working at the UN. He called Maria and asked her to get Andy Wong on the task of learning how the UN works in their daily lives. That was all he could do for now and enjoyed his whisky and jazz.

At breakfast William told Blake Tony would be there at ten this morning. After breakfast, Blake asked Imani to come and see him.

"You need me, Mr. Steele?"

"I do. I have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to return to the UN as an interpreter, sort of undercover?"

Imani smiled. "That is perfect. Maybe if we get someone on the inside, we can dig a little quieter."

"Good, Bastone is coming here at ten. How about you wait in the other room, and if he agrees, I'll call you in. We can set it up today. Thanks, Imani."

"Thanks? What for? I appreciate you trying to avenge my friend."

After Imani left for the office, Sam had an observation. "You realize you may be putting her in the same jeopardy as the first girl?"

"Yes and no. She won't overhear whatever the first girl did. They are being extra careful now. She will just have to be careful about the questions she asks. I'll discuss it with Bastone."

Tony and William came to Blake's apartment promptly at ten. After the introductions were finished, Blake started right in. "I need to know how the interpreters program works. For example, how many languages are translated. I know there are dozens of major languages in the world."

"We use six official languages. English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. Those are the only languages spoken in the chamber."

"And a country that has a different language?"

"Most speak English. We do have interpreters for thirty other languages that are spoken by countries that doesn't have a large English-speaking population. Most of these countries pay for these interpreters so they can hear the speeches in their native tongues. Hindi is the largest language in the world that is not an official language. That may change sometime in the future, but at the moment, they must pay for it themselves"

"I see. So, all the interpreters you employ only translate into one of the six official languages."

"That is correct."

"Which languages did the dead girl speak?"

Bastone seemed to get angry a Steele's use of "dead girl" instead of her name. "Her name was Balkis Haile, and she spoke all six languages."

Blake didn't seem to respond to Bastone's anger, but he heard it in the inflection of his tone. He meant no disrespect for the victim, but he also doesn't have time. "That doesn't cut any out, does it? I mean no disrespect, but we must move fast if we are to cut off whatever they are planning. This does help some."

"How's that?"

"The languages that are spoken in the areas of the world with the most temper and anger are all there, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. Any of those could be what she overheard." Blake doubted it, but why not give him something else to think about. Blake felt that anyone speaking those languages would be very careful. They would understand how their homelands would react if they were to get caught. If Blake had to hazard a guess at first, it would either be a different language altogether, or English. "I have an idea, and I want to run it by you. What would you say to putting Imani back in the pool?"

Even without being able to see, Blake could tell he had caught Bastone by surprise. He cleared his throat a couple of times before answering. "I guess that would be okay. How long has she been gone?"

"Let's find out. Imani, would you please come in here?"

Imani came from the back of the hallway and into the living room. "Imani, how long have you been gone from that job?"

"At least 18 months."

"So, what kind of turnover do you have in that job? How many have been there longer than 18 months?"

"At least half."

"How many do you have total?"

"Around 30. That doesn't include the interpreters from the smaller languages."

"So, that means Imani could theoretically know 15, and 15 could know her. We will have to make up a story that includes her returning, maybe to replace Belkis Haile." He figured he'd not push that topic again.

"I can do that. What else can I do to help?"

Blake liked that apparent willingness to help. He'd see how far that goes. "I'd like to have my technical man come in to learn how your system works. Is there a man in your system you trust enough to show him?"

Bastone was beginning to see why this man was successful as an investigator. Attack a problem from every angle possible, including inside. For the first time since he learned the girl had been murdered, he dared hope they may find out why. "I have such a man." Reginald Grove has worked in the computer department of the UN since its beginning, over twenty years ago. If anyone would be able to help, it would be him. And he doesn't suffer fools easily. He and Steele would get along just fine.

"William will bring him to you this afternoon. I ask only that you say only that he is working on something for you and don't tell him anything else. Understand?" Bastone nodded. "When should Imani report?"

"Tomorrow morning. It'll take me that long to get her paperwork into the system. She will be using her old records...." He looked at Imani with his hands out. She nodded. "Okay, that will be that. I can get her assigned by the next day. She will have one day to refamiliarize herself with the procedures."

"Okay, let's find out what they don't want us to know."

William and Tony left Blake and Imani to themselves. When they were gone, Blake looked at Imani. "Are you okay with this? It could be dangerous."

"It's time I put everything I've learned from everyone here to good use. I'll be careful."

"Good, because this is very dangerous. Once they discovered she had overheard them, she was dead in a few hours. That means they are serious. Something big is coming. Is there a way for you to find out if Belli spoke any of the other languages? She may have overheard one of those."

"I'll have to think about it. I know she was always working on new languages. Maybe I can find one of her newer friends."

Sam came out with the baby and Imani played fingers with her for a minute before leaving. When she was gone, Sam spoke up. "I pray nothing happens to that woman. I like her a lot, and she is brave going back there."

"I agree. I'm going to the office. Is there anything I can get you before I go, or while I'm out?"

Sam kissed him and he kissed little Liz. They decided to call her Liz. Calling her Maria could get confusing.

He found Maria and Imana in Sam's office. Blake went looking for Bobby and Andy. He found them in the computer offices. "Hey, boss. How's things, and how's that beautiful baby?"

"Growing like a weed. It's only been a little while, but she is growing. Andy, I have a project for you." Both put down what they were working on and waited. "I am sending you to the UN. Bastone is going to introduce you to a man in his computer office who is going to help you learn how their programs work. Dig into it and tear it apart. I hope this man doesn't mind finding dirt, because you're going to find all the dirt you can. Don't say anything you don't have to."

Andy smiled. His kind of job. "Sounds like fun. When do I ever say much of anything? What are we looking for, exactly?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't have to send you, now would I?" Andy laughed. "Bobby, have you been able to go over the victim's background?"

"Yeah, pretty clean. She was a hardworking, dull employee."

"Okay. Maybe we'll learn more after Andy takes apart their computer system. If you find anything financially suspicious, give it to Case." Case Williamson was the financial investigator they stole from the NYPD.

Speaking of the NYPD, he still needed the police report. On his way home, he stopped at Sam's office and asked Maria to check on that.

By the time he got home, she called to say Frank was sending it over and she'd send a copy up to him.

When it arrived, Sam read it to him and entered it into his computer. It had nothing unusual. The normal "interrupted a burglary and was killed" story. Blake couldn't tell Frank what was true without blowing how he knew that wasn't true.

Blake held the baby until it went to sleep, and Sam put Liz to bed. Afterwards, Blake sat in his recliner, thinking and drinking until dinnertime.

Imani was embedded at the UN the next day, but she had found nothing unusual yet. She found a couple of women that remembered her, but most didn't show any care or concern about her arriving to replace Belli. The one thing she found out first was that Belli had been working on Hindi. Because India had nearly 400 million people, and was the largest language not included, Belli figured if it was added to the six official languages, she'd better be ready. One of Belli's friends told Imani they had practiced Hindi and was pretty sure Belli understood it better than she spoke it when she died. Blake found that very interesting.

Bastone introduced Andy to Reggie the next day. He only told Reggie this man was working on something for him, and please give him whatever assistance he could.

Andy started. "Do you have videos of every area of this building? Are you able to retrieve them as needed? How long do you keep them?"

"First, this is more Europe than the US. We have cameras everywhere in this building. We have eyes in every corridor and public meeting room. Everything is digital, not tape. It is here forever. Why?"

"I need you to call up all tapes of the day Belkis Haile died. I need to find every scene she is in."

"That could take a while."

"Can you access that day or not?"

"Of course, but it will be hundreds of scenes."

"Let me worry about that."

Reggie looked at this little, disheveled man with a careful eye. Within a few minutes, Reggie knew he wasn't like any of the Chinese men that were around the UN all the time. He figured it was probably just due to his being raised in America instead of China. Whatever the reason, this man was different. He mumbled to himself and seemed distracted as he worked on his computer. One think Reggie soon knew, he knew his way around a computer. His fingers flew until he was satisfied with whatever he was doing and finally handed Reggie a small drive. "Please run this in your system with the files."

Reggie looked at him funny for a few seconds, finally shrugged and put it into his control board. He entered the correct date, flipped a switch, and the scenes began flying before their eyes at a dizzy pace until they stopped at the last file of the day. He pulled it out and handed it to Andy.

Andy put it into one of the ports on his computer and typed something on his keyboard. Reggie watched as the scenes with Haile appeared on Andy's screen in chronological order. Twenty-two scenes, starting with her arrival at the front door and ending with her leaving that same door in the afternoon.

Reggie knew he was in the presence of a real computer hacker. He wanted to see what Andy had in mind.

Together, they watched each scene carefully and slowly until they came to a scene in which she turned a corner and ran into two men talking. She bumped into one of them and fell. He helped her up and they looked each other in the eye. She excused herself and left. They both noticed the man staring at her as she walked away. They watched the rest of the scenes. When they had seen them all, Andy smiled and closed his computer. "Thanks Reggie. You've been a great help."

"Wait, that's it? That's all you need? What'd you see? She just bumped into the man."

"Yes, it's probably nothing to do with her death, but everything else is mundane. If not this, then we are wasting our time. Either way, you don't have anything else for me. Thanks again." Andy was gone in a second. Reggie watched him leave. Man, that guy is weird.

Andy hurried back to the office. He had work to do.

Maria was crestfallen when William left. He had to return to his job in Miami. Blake wondered how long Maria would last before she needed to return to Miami and him.

Andy worked on the scene in question until he had a clear picture of both men's faces. He printed them and took them to Maria. She gave them to Blake and had a copy sent to Bastone questioning if he knew either man.

The messenger returned with his answer. One man was unknown to him, but the other man was Rakesh Sharma. Sharma was the second highest ranking member of the Indian delegation.

Maria informed Andy and Blake of her findings. Andy was not surprised. It was the man who stared after Haile that he couldn't identify. That meant he was an unknown man meeting with a high-ranking official of the Indian delegation and didn't want that meeting known. Andy could see that, and he knew Blake would also. Now, Andy had to find a way to identify the other man. Fortunately, he had an ace up his sleeve. He has a person in the dark web whose identity is unknown to Andy. Andy is also unknown to the other person. They have, on occasion, assisted each other with information. Andy calls his secret connect "Mr. Gray", as in the Gray Man. He always assumed Mr. Gray was CIA, probably an analysist of some sort, but that was just a guess.

When Sam described the two men and told Blake about the identity of one but not the other, Blake came to the same conclusion as Andy immediately.

After considering his alternatives for an hour or so, he called Charles O'Keefe. O'Keefe was with the Agency. They had helped each other in previous cases, including the case of Maria's grandfather. Blake discovered her grandfather was a friend of Castro in the beginning before coming to Miami. Blake had also uncovered who in the agency had been involved in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Castro. Blake left those details out of his final report on the killer of Maria's grandfather. O'Keefe had been very appreciative of that omission. It was time to call it in.

O'Keefe agreed to meet with him. Maria drove and stayed at the bar. While eating a small lunch, Blake slipped the picture of the unknown man to O'Keefe. "I need to know who this man is. Quietly. You're very good at quietly. He may be no one, but before I start running him through the dark web, I thought I'd start with you."

"Why would you think I'd know something about this man?"

"Let's call it a hunch, okay? Anytime a dangerous individual pops up on my radar, you're the first person I think of. A calculated guess."

"Okay, I'll have my boys run him through the program and let you know."

"Thanks. Lunches on me."

"Mr. Gray" knew who the man was. His name is Borys Melnyk. He is Ukrainian and he is a known assassin. Not believed to be associated with any country, but a lone wolf in the killing game. He hadn't been seen in years and there had been reports he'd died a couple of years earlier in Romania. He had changed his appearance quite a bit, but the new facial recognition programs are now so good that just a couple of markers can identify a person. It requires a lot of plastic surgery to fool these programs.

When he closed his connection with "Andy", a person who had assisted him in some of his cases and helped him move up in the ranks of the analysts, he knew he had a problem. This information was too hot to not tell his superiors, but if he did it might compromise him and his source. In the end, he didn't need to worry. A picture of the man began circulating around the agency from one of the agents before he could decide what to do. No one asked him about it, and he left it alone. He never asked the agent where he got the picture. Now the issue was finding him, not where his identity came from. He'd just let sleeping dogs lie.

Andy met with Blake, Sam, and Maria to share the news about the "Ghost" as he was known in wet work circles. There was one other piece of information Andy hadn't told Reggie. Andy also found the Ghost on the last file of Haile. It was the one of her leaving the UN. The Ghost could be seen quietly leaving a few yards behind her. Now they know who killed Belkis Haile. Andy told the other three about his findings before he left.

Blake, Sam, and Maria sat in Sam's office to digest the news. Knowing who the killer was didn't help much when he's a well-known assassin thought to have been dead for two years. They agreed to leave Imani at the UN. She could stop investigating or asking any questions. She had done enough. Now they just wanted her there in case they needed one of their own inside later.

A day later, O'Keefe called Blake, and they set up lunch. Maria went again.

After they sat down, O'Keefe started. "Miss Perez, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm sorry about your grandfather, and I understand congratulations are in order."

Maria didn't like him from the start. Typical CIA, smooth as a snake. Whatever, Blake had to deal with him, not her. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

While eating, O'Keefe slid an envelope over the table to Maria. "This is what we have so far, but we are looking, hard."

After lunch, everyone went their separate ways. In the car, Maria opened the envelope to see a picture of their killer with a brief description of who they thought he was. It was far less thorough than what Mr. Gray had given Andy, but that was to be expected. Just enough to make them think they were trying to help, but not enough to allow Blake to get in the way.

When Blake got back to his apartment, Sam was just putting Liz down for a nap. He asked her to call Buck and ask him to come over. Buck Thompson has his own security firm. He is former military, and his company has become Blake's informal security. Buck's men have no problem with violence and Blake wanted men with guns around before they had to worry about Melnyk coming around here.

Buck was on a job but managed to come by that evening. They invited him to stay for dinner, and they enjoyed the evening. Afterwards, they retired to the living room while Sam put Liz to bed. Blake laid out the situation with Melnyk to Buck. When he finished, they were both silent for a few minutes.

Buck finally cleared his throat. "This type of man is very dangerous. If I see him, I kill him the very first chance I get. I hope you're not thinking of capturing this guy?"

"No, I want him dead, the CIA wants him dead; in fact, the entire western world wants him dead. The problem is how good he is and how shifty he is. If he gets an idea we are looking for him, he is the type to decide to pre-emptively kill us. He's already done it once this week." Blake told Buck about Haile.

"So, Andy and Bobby are in the dark web looking for him?"

"Not yet, but they will start tomorrow. That is why I will need some of your people in the office starting tomorrow. The CIA is already plowing the earth looking for him. Once we start, he'll figure out it is going to get too hot in New York for him to stay. But he is here on a big assignment. One he can't fail to accomplish. He must stay until he's done. He's still in the city."

"How many men?"

"At least two to start. I'll probably need one here in this apartment once the shit hits the fan."

"No problem. If it comes to this apartment, I'll handle that myself."

"Thanks, Buck."

Buck left and Sam went down to check on the progress so far. Blake asked her to tell Andy to start shaking the dark web tree and see if anything falls out.

It was time for Blake to think this thing through.

Half the problem had been solved. They knew who killed Belli. They know who the man who hired him is, Sharma. Now they need to discover who the target is. If they know that, they can set a trap for Melnyk. The only way to know for certain they could be in the same location as Melnyk would be if they were nearby when Melnyk made his move on his target. To do that, they need to know who the target is. Blake reasoned it would most likely be one of two possibilities. He could want his boss eliminated so Sharma could become the head of the delegation. Blake didn't think that was likely. Too much risk for too little reward. No, there must be another target, possibly on the order of the Indian secret police. Blake was coming to the conclusion that it was the most likely possibility. The most troubling to Blake was trying to figure out why Melnyk was in the UN in the first place. A man that careful would know of the cameras. What was so important to him that he was willing to risk being discovered in New York?

The next morning, Blake called Bobby and asked him and Andy to take Sharma apart. He wanted to know everything about the man as soon as possible. They agreed to get right on it.

Blake was surprised to see Frank in his living room that day. A Captain of Detectives the NYPD doesn't make house calls without a purpose. "Frank, as much as I'm happy to see you, we both know you need something. Just spit it out."

Frank laughed. He has known Blake from the time he joined the force. It was Frank that gave Blake the incentive to try to live again after he had been shot and blinded in the line of duty. Frank started giving Blake a few hard cases to review to give him something to fill his days. Turned out he solved everything they gave him, and that is how Steele Investigations was born. "Look. This UN interpreter that was killed has become a hot potato. Any time something about the UN comes up, the press jumps all over it. The scandal of the week is this unfortunate woman. Now the press is talking about crime run rampant in the city, again. You asked for the file, so I know you're looking into it. Do you have anything yet?"

Blake took a second to consider his options. He could stonewall his friend. He could tell him something else. Or, he could tell him the truth and ask him to sit on it. "This isn't your precinct, right?"

"It is not."

"I can tell you something about it, but it can't go anywhere else. At least, not yet."

"You know I'm good for it."

"I do. The truth is; the girl overheard something at the UN that got her killed. We know the who and maybe the why, but we are still trying to stop whatever she overheard from happening. We can't tip off how much we know."

Frank nodded. "Well, that is something I can hold onto. At least it wasn't a random crime. That is a good neighborhood, and those people are scared to death now. How long do you think?"

"Probably less than a week."

Frank stood up. "Okay, thanks for telling me that much. Good luck and good hunting. Let me know when you can give me something to give the press."

Blake sat back to think. Something about this case wasn't right. He couldn't reconcile why Melnyk exposed himself to the cameras. A couple glasses of whisky and an hour of jazz wouldn't hurt, but no one was here to help him. He'd use the time to run everything back again.

Maria interrupted Blake's mediation with a call an hour later. "Boss, Andy has something for you and would like you to come down here."

"Good. I'm not making any progress here, anyway."

Blake and Maria went into Bobby's area. He had several computers and nobody else really knew what he and Andy did. They just got results, and that is all everyone really cares about, anyway. They did have one chair that was Blake's. He knew where it was and could come in and sit down with the boys anytime he wanted. As a rule, no one sat in his chair.

Andy started. "Rakesh Sharma is a fifty-one-year-old Indian. He is one of the highest class of people in India, a Brahmin. The caste system has been outlawed since the fifties but is still prevalent in higher society. Rakesh is very influential in Indian politics. He has money and family connections. He is also a believer in "status". He believes in the caste system. That is one of his main issues in the UN; his boss. Ishaan Gupta is the head of the Indian delegation, but he is from the Vaishyas class. His status is below Sharma in Sharma's mind, and he appears to be angry about it. The fact that Gupta is smart, well-liked, and a very capable administrator doesn't seem to dampen Sharma's dislike of him. There are rumblings on the dark web that Sharma might be angling to go home and run for President. It is thought he needs headlines back home to make his name more prominent."

Blake nodded. "That makes some sense."

Andy continued. "There is one other thing. I only found it in one place and it disappeared almost as soon as I saw it. It said Sharma is in the Indian RAW. That is their equivalent to our CIA. It stands for "Research and Analysis Wing" and handles foreign affairs. Like I said, only one deleted message."

Blake spoke up. "Wait, why would a member of their intelligence community be thinking of running for President?" He paused for a moment. "Well. I guess it isn't without precedent. The older Bush was head of the CIA before becoming President. I guess it could happen."

Blake left Maria at Sam's office and headed home. He got home to find Sam walking Liz. She was crying and very uncomfortable. Blake kissed her and volunteered to hold Liz for a few minutes. Once he was settled, Sam handed Liz to him, and she settled down. Blake forgot about everything else while he patted Liz on the back until she fell asleep. Sam came back ten minutes later to find her asleep on Blake's lap.

"I guess I'm going to need you to help me get her to sleep more often."

"I'm up for it, anytime you need. I'm always here, anyway." She put Liz to bed, and they sat down to talk. Blake updated her on what he'd learned.

After a few minutes, Sam shrugged her shoulders. "So, we have an intelligence agent with Presidential ambitions that needs to make a splash. The question that pops into my mind; is this the work of RAW, or is he on his own?"

"My thoughts exactly. Does RAW want him to be head of the UN delegation, or President of India? That's a big difference. Now we know how Sharma was able to contact Melnyk. RAW probably has had dealings with him. At least, they know how to contact him. My question is, if they do, does our CIA also know how to get in touch with him? Are they shielding him from us?"

Blake was very disturbed, and Sam got him a whisky and left him to think while she made dinner. Blake missed Sam's help with the cases. Liz was only a few weeks old, and Sam's full-time job was with her. She slept in their bedroom in a bassinette and doesn't sleep through the night much yet. Blake knew Sam hadn't completely recovered from the birth, and he tried to make Sam let the nurse do as much of the tending to Liz as she could.

After dinner, with Liz asleep and everything quiet, Sam sat on Blake's lap and they just talked about anything and everything, except the case. By the time they went to bed, they were as relaxed as they could remember before Liz's birth.

The next morning, Blake called Bastone with a request. "Is there someone there that I could talk to about the political situation at the UN? Someone who knows but would never tell?"

"Let me get back to you." Bastone wasn't happy about that question. Once they told him they knew who the killer was, he was hopeful the man could be caught before anything bad happened at the UN. Now Steele wants to dig even further into their secrets. Shit. Fortunately, he did have one man that he could trust to keep the company secrets and still paint a good story. Randal Covingham. Randy has worked in the UN administration for twenty years and knew everything. He also knew when to keep his mouth shut. Bastone called him in.

"Randy, you are aware of the outside agency investigating Belli Haile's death?" He nodded. "Well, they want to talk to someone here that knows the political landscape. I need someone who is sensitive to our secrets, if you know what I mean?"

"Of course, sir. No need to air our dirty laundry to just anybody."

"Good. I'll give you the address and you can answer the questions you feel are necessary for the investigation. You understand?"

"Perfectly, sir."

He called Blake. "I'm sending you Randal Covington. He's been here twenty years and should be able to assist you as needed."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you very much."

Randal Covington arrived at Blake's apartment that afternoon. "Thank you for coming Mr. Covington."

"Please call me Randy, and you're welcome. I understand you're investigating Belli's death?" Blake nodded. "She was very popular among the staffs of the countries. As is always the case, it is the staff that does the work, and they become familiar with the employees of the UN. We all liked her. I will do whatever I can to assist you in finding her killer."

"Thanks for that. Off the record, we know who killed her. Now, we are attempting to find out why and find him before something else bad happens. Anything you can help me with may save the UN a bad headline."

Covington nodded. "Tony is very worried about this. He is sure something is coming. I'm here to try and stop it."

"I'm not going to play games with you Randy. We have a serious problem. I need to know the political landscape around India in the UN."

That surprised Randy. India was considered one of the moderating forces in the UN presently. "India, sir?"

"Is that surprising?"

"It depends what you're interested in concerning India?"

"I am interested in the political intrigue within the Indian delegation.'

Randy's face didn't move, but he did wonder what this man knew that would tip him to India? He was careful about what he said. "There are some tensions within the Indian delegation. Ever since the new man arrived, there has been tensions."

"The new man wouldn't happen to be Sharma, would it?"

Now all of Randy's spider senses were tingling. There is no public knowledge of the tensions within the Indian delegation, yet this man assumes it, and even knows its origins. "There have been tensions between the two leaders of the delegation, that is true. However, I've heard of no real problems between the two, and I've heard nothing to suggest anything that could be dangerous to the UN."

"Good to know. Now, how about general information of India's place in the UN?"

"India is not a permanent member of the Security Council but has had eight different two-year terms on the council. The last one ended in 2022. There is talk of India considering running one of their people for the position of Secretary General when the next term comes up. It is a poorly kept secret that India is chaffing under the restrictions of the UN. They have grown to be one of the largest countries in the world, and their influence is growing among the less powerful members of the UN."

"I see. When will the next term start?"

"In two years. I take it from your questions you consider someone from the Indian delegation to be of interest to you?"

Enough of this. Blake wanted to move this along. "Randy, let me be blunt with you. As you can see, I'm blind. However, when one loses one sense, the others pick up some of the slack. I am detecting hesitancy in you. Is Bastone worried about what we will find? I need to move fast before someone else dies. Is he asking you to pull your punches?"

"He asked me to be circumspect. As with all institutions, the UN has its share of dirty laundry. I would not like any unnecessary things spread around in the papers if they are not part of our present problem. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly. How about we make a deal? How about you join our investigation. You'll see everything we see, and we can discuss items before exposure. How does that sound to you?"

Randy hadn't expected this turn of events. He doesn't want to be a part of any investigation. However, he did like Belli, and he doesn't want anything bad to happen at the UN. "I can see my way clear for that. Should I tell Bastone about it?"

"I'll leave that up to you. You know him better than I do. Now, do you have any friends in the Indian delegation?"

"No, I don't make friends in the member's delegations. Bad form."

We need to know what is going on there, somehow."

"I said I don't make friends with any in the delegations. I didn't say anything about the staff that run the delegations. In my job, I must know as much information about the delegations as possible. So, yes, I have a friend in the Indian staff. He has been here many years and has no interest in returning to India. I helped him get his green card, and he is working on citizenship. I'm sure he'd help us to understand the stress within the Indian delegation."

"Excellent. How do we go about it?"

"I'll need to bring him here, quietly. I'll speak to him tomorrow and see if he is willing to come here. I'll let you know."

He stood up. Blake did also. "Look, Randy, I don't care about headlines, or the press, any of that. I just want to catch this man and stop what he was sent here to do. I'll wait for your man, and thanks."

As Randy left, he worried about the deal he made. He was sure Bastone wouldn't be happy with his deal, but there's a lot of things Randy hadn't told Bastone before, and he'd just add this to the list. If this is successful, no one will care. If it wasn't, Randy was sure Bastone would try to make him the scapegoat, anyway.

It was a week before Randy called Blake back. "He'll talk to you at your place."

"Great. Bring him when you can."

"Tonight is good."

"Even better. I will have my assistant with us. I need notes and impressions."

Randy arrived the next morning with a small, Indian man. "Blake, this is Rehak Chopra."

"Thank you for coming. I know how stressful this is for you, and I promise I just want to solve this problem. This is my wife, Samantha Steele."

When the introductions were over, everyone sat down. "Mr. Chopra, how long have you been a member of the staff?"

"I have been here five years."

"I understand you are considering becoming an American citizen. Is that correct?" He nodded. "It's a good thing. No promises, but maybe we can help you. I'm not asking you to make anything up or go against your better judgement, understand? We are trying to prevent something terrible from happening. We just don't know what it is yet. These simple questions may help stop that. I have no interest in the secrets within your delegations. I don't care who wins or loses any political battle. I need to know who may be capable of drastic measures in the name of belief. Do you understand?"

Chopra sat and stared at these two strangers. He knew what they really wanted. They needed dirt on Sharma or Gupta. He had no intention of spilling any of that to these people. However, he did want his citizenship. So, maybe he'd throw a little shade here and there. "Sharma is new, and no one on the staff trusts him. Only Shirpka, the new man seems to be okay with him."

"Who's Shirpka?"

"He arrived just after Sharma. He works in scheduling." Blake nodded. "Sharma spends most of his time kissing the asses of anyone who'll bend over long enough for him. He spends more time with the other delegation's people than our own. Gupta is growing tired of him shirking his duties. He gives most of his paperwork to Shirpka. They have argued about it."

"I see. One last question. How long has Sharma been here?"

"Only six months. He doesn't seem like the bureaucratic type, it you know what I mean?"

Blake had heard enough. This man only reinforced most of Blake's opinions. "Thank you very much for your help. We won't keep you any longer. Randy, could you stay just for a minute longer, please?'

Sam took Chopra to get him a beer while Blake talked to Randy. "How does what he said correspond to your impressions?"

"Right on. Sharma is no more a bureaucrat than you are."

Blake laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment, I think. One other thing. What is the procedure if the Secretary General is unable to perform his duties?"

This caught Randy by surprise. "You mean, like sick or something?"

"I mean, like dead, or something."

Randy looked at him hard. Of course, that had no effect on the blind man, but Sam noticed as she returned. "The Deputy Secretary General takes over. If something like that occurred, they would more than likely just promote him to Secretary General."

Blake nodded. "Thanks again for bringing him here. If he needs help in the future, call me. If you need help in the future, call me." Blake shook his hand, and they left.

When they were gone, Blake asked Sam for her opinions. "That last question upset him greatly. It is obvious that he'd never considered that a possibility in this situation. Now he will. Otherwise, I think we are coming to the opinion that Sharma wasn't sent here to take over the delegation. He has more ambitious orders."

Blake came to the same conclusion as Randy left as Sam. "I agree. India apparently wants to upset the applecart. I'm afraid I need O'Keefe again."

Sam called O'Keefe and told him he needed to speak with Blake. The urgency in her voice convinced him to come at once. They met at the place in the park they had met before. It is secluded, but O'Keefe could bring a man to watch over them from a distance. By the time Blake arrived, He could see O'Keefe's man on the hill as O'Keefe walked up.

"This had better be important."

"I think you know much more than you've told me. About Melnyk. How many times have you used him before?"

O'Keefe was used to using expressions to take advantage, but it was wasted on Steele. "What makes you think we've used him? What is this?"

"Tell me he is not going to kill the Secretary General of the UN."

If Blake could have seen O'Keefe's expression, he might have rethought that opinion. But he couldn't and he had to leave it up to O'Keefe to dissuade him. "Okay, we've used him once or twice, but I swear he isn't going to kill the Secretary General of the UN."

"But you know he killed the interpreter because she saw him with the RAW man from India. You're not going to deny that, are you?"

"No, I'm not. We have been unable to contact him since this started. He is obviously here on another mission, not one connected to us. When he is on a mission, he goes to ground until it is completed. I swear, we don't know who his target is."

"Are you going to deny this has something to do with India?"

"No, I won't go that far. We've been watching RAW for several months now. Something is up. We haven't been able to discover what they are up to yet."

"If you want my help, I'll need your latest intel on the political situation in India. RAW's man at the UN is the one who dispatched Melnyk. She saw them together and was dead three hours later."

"We know. We saw the tapes too." O'Keefe could see Blake getting agitated. "I know, I know, but we're the CIA, for God's sake. What the hell do you think we do?"

"I know what you do. Whatever the hell you want to, and heaven help anyone or anything who might get in your way doing it. Again, I need your intel on India. They are pushing for a permanent seat on the Security Council. After all, they are by far the largest country not presently included, and I can imagine that pisses them off. They may have decided to make their feelings known to the other six. What'll it be?"

Blake waited. He waited for several minutes. Finally, it appeared to Blake O'Keefe made a decision. "You'll have our report in two hours. Be damn careful what you do with it."

"Last question. Are you going to try and stop me if I intend to take Melnyk down. He goes down for killing an innocent girl, a friend of my people. He dies, either with your help, or your hinderance. Which will it be?"

This time O'Keefe didn't hesitate. "You can have him. We have others, and he is becoming more erratic. We'll help you find him. If we can contact him, we'll even send him to you. I don't expect him to answer our messages. He might even be suspicious of us trying to contact him now. Either way, we can work together to retire this killer."

"Okay, two hours. Thanks." O'Keefe and the man on the hill were gone. Buck came out of the trees when they were gone.

"That could have been dicey. His man didn't move. He was just watching."

"Yeah, but, you know, I have a sinking feeling that one day he is going to try and kill me for some unknown reason. I'll trust you to anticipate it and protect me. I know, I'm not asking much, am I?"

Buck took Blake home.

Bobby got an e-mail from Mr. Gray with everything in the India file. Of course, Mr. Gray had no idea he was also sending it to Andy. The address of the company was open. Andy used very secure, very private e-mails when he and Mr. Gray communicated. The file had not come from the e-mail Mr. Gray used with Andy. Of course not, but now, Andy had an open contact with the CIA. It couldn't hurt.

Andy printed it out for Blake and sent him a copy. When Liz was asleep, Sam read it to him into his voice-activated computer.

Blake had it in his photographic memory as soon as Sam finished reading it to him, but it was good to have a record for Sam.

The file indicates tension within the Indian government over the President's attempts to find a peace deal with Pakistan that both can live with. The tortured history of the two countries is mostly over Kashmir. The President has a plan that Pakistan might approve. If they do, he will announce the deal when he speaks to the General Assembly of the United Nations in three weeks. It is the agency's position that opposition is fierce within India.

Blake sat back to think. He believes he now has all the information he needs. He knows India's history. After draining all of India's resources during the nearly two hundred years of occupation, Britian couldn't leave in 1947 without one last slap at the Indian people. They split the country in half and created Pakistan. To make it worse, they took land from both sides of India for the new country, even though the area on the eastern side was entirely different people from the western side. Now, the river for which India is named, the Indus, is now entirely in Pakistan. India was an impoverished nation after Britan stripped the country of natural resources. It is only now, eighty years later that India has recovered and, with their huge population and industrialization, they are poised to be a player in the world economy. If only they could make peace with Pakistan.

He now had an idea why Melnyk had to go to the UN and meet Sharma there. He believes he knows the target and had a pretty good idea how Melnyk was going to attempt it. All Blake needed now was some help.

He had Sam call Bastone while he called O'Keefe.

When O'Keefe answered Blake started in. "Charles, I need a favor. I think I have this solved, but I will need the agency's help to stop this. I know you don't want to do this, but could you come to my apartment this evening? I need to draw people together for this, quietly."

O'Keefe knew he was in trouble when Steele called him "Charles". He never has, and O'Keefe stopped, considering his options. He could go and see what happened. He could say no and make Steele come to him like before. After a few minutes, he decided he wanted to hear Steele out more than make a point. "Okay, Steele. Seven good enough?"

"That'll be perfect, thanks. You won't be disappointed."

Sam came in to say Bastone would be there at six. "Good, there are some things I need to talk to him about before O'Keefe gets here at 7."

The next call Blake made was to Buck. This was going to be a hard one. "Buck, can you come by here around 5:30 tonight?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks."

Blake called Maria and asked her to send up Bobby and Andy.

They arrived in a few minutes. "Boys, this thing is almost over. I'm going to need you, Andy, to go back to the UN and work with your new friend...

"Reggie."

"Yeah, Reggie. This time you will need to be able to track someone in the UN in real time. Tomorrow you can talk to Reggie after I talk to Bastone tonight. Start thinking about how."

They both nodded and left, talking among themselves.

Now he waited. He went and got his own whisky and turned the computer music on while he waited. He wasn't making anyone help him any longer unless necessary. It was time he took some responsibility besides sitting in his chair like a large computer.

He asked Sam and Maria to be there by 5:30 and closed his eyes in deep thought. When they arrived at 5:30, he hadn't opened his eyes since he started thinking. It was done. He figured they had a forty percent chance of this working without bloodshed, but he was confident it would work if everyone agreed to do their part.

At 5:30, Sam, Maria, and Buck were sitting in front of Blake. He carefully explained what he wanted each to do when the time came. Afterwards, he asked the ladies to let him talk to Buck alone.

When they were alone, Blake took a deep breath. "Buck, this is one I can't ask you to do, and I certainly can't ask you to ask other men to do. It is very dangerous."

Buck laughed. "Blake, don't you know me by now? We've been shot at, what, two or three times? This reminds me of Iraq and Afghanistan with better infrastructure. The people are the same, the bad guys are the same. I know what you need and why you need it. I've got just the guy."

"There is one other thing that I didn't want to tell the ladies. I also need a couple of men to watch over me in case O'Keefe decides to change sides. I will be with Maria, and I can't risk her."

This time Buck didn't laugh. "You'll have two men watching over the two of you. Are you going to be in the office, or in the field?"

"The office, as long as the coms can reach to the UN. If they can't, we'll need to be in a van nearby."

"Understood." Buck got up and left.

He called Maria and Sam back and they waited for Bastone to arrive. When he did, Blake explained what he needed from Bastone when the time came.

"I'm not sure I can do that."

"If you don't this will go very badly and the world will know why. Your choice."

"Alright, but this could cost me my job."

"Or you could save civilization as we know it. Just kidding, but the bad side would be bloody."

Bastone left muttering under his breath.

Now they had to wait for O'Keefe. He asked the ladies to leave and let him meet O'Keefe alone.

After Sam let him in, she went in with Liz. "This better be good."

"If you want Melnyk without a lot of bloodshed or publicity, then it'll be good. This is what I need. I know you can do it, if you wish."

He explained what he needed from the CIA. When he was finished, he waited for O'Keefe to give his response. Finally, "This could get messy."

"Yeah, it will. But if we do this right, everything will be contained. We'll be able to clean everything up without the world blowing up."

"Okay, I'll set it up. Give me the date when you have it, and we'll be ready."

Sam came back in after he left. She sat down on his lap. "You're not telling me everything, are you?"

"One thing. I believe it is very unlikely, but I'm going to be prepared if it happens. I don't trust O'Keefe. I never trusted the CIA, and he's been too cooperative, too willing to go along. I've told Buck to watch out for me in case he sends someone after me. I'm pretty sure he won't, at least now, but I will not be caught with my pants down now."

Sam hugged Blake hard and kissed him hard. "I thought it was something like that. Even after all you've done for him, if he thought that would advance his cause, he'd do it in a minute."

They were ready. The waited for two weeks, trying to be ready for the Indian President's visit to the UN. Blake was sure something would happen during that visit.

Two days before the visit, William returned. "You didn't think I'd let anyone risk Maria. I respect you, Blake, but I intend to be right in front of her if the bullets start flying."

Maria was watching the two men talk in Sam's office. There were tears in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than going to Miami and marrying this man today. They hadn't set a date because they wanted Sam and Blake to be there. Maria knew she'd have to wait until Liz was old enough to travel. That would be at least another six months.

Bastone met with Buck and gave Buck a tour of the area he needed.

The day of the President's visit arrived. New York was so accustomed to Presidents and Prime Ministers speaking at the UN, it didn't even make the papers.

They convened in Sam's office. Buck was there with three of his men. He introduced them to Blake and Maria. Now that William was here, Blake made one change to their plan. He now had one of Buck's men shadow O'Keefe. If someone came after Blake, the man was instructed to kill O'Keefe.

O'Keefe would have a van outside. One of his men came by to give Blake the coms so everyone could speak to each other. They also would be able to talk to O'Keefe. Blake, Buck, O'Keefe, Maria, Andy, and Bastone would be on the link. For this night, Maria and William would be in Sam and Blake's apartment with Sam. If they were in Sam's office, Sam and the baby would be alone. At least in this way, there would be four guns to protect the baby if necessary.

When O'Keefe's man left, Bobby gave them a second commlink. This is how they could communicate without O'Keefe. They were ready.

The speech will be at 7 P. M. They met Bastone at 3 in an alley behind the UN. He took Buck, one of his men, and Andy in the building through a private entrance. Andy met up with Reggie at his office and installed his program into the mainframe of the UN. Immediately, all six screens in front of Reggie filled with six cameras each from around the building. Thirty-six cameras at once. Andy's program would lock a person's face and begin a facial recognition program he got from the dark web.

Buck and his other man took their gear and Bastone led them up into the rafters of the building. There were walkways under the ceiling. There are four openings that a person could see into the General Assembly from the rafters. They were situated so a man could cover the walkways in front of two. Two men would be able to cover all four. Bastone put a man in front of each, and he introduced Buck and his man to the four of them. Buck moved to the position he had selected. He could see both walkways and would have a clear shot from no more than fifty feet. On the com they were calling the "B" com, he told everyone they were in place.

Now, all they needed was for Andy to find Melnyk before he arrived in the walkways.

He didn't find Melnyk, but he found his work. In a dark corner of the UN, Andy found a man, shot in the back of his head.

Melnyk hates this job. He had to expose himself to get the map and learn how to get to the ceiling. Now he was supposed to let this man see his face. No, as soon as the man let him in the small, side door and turned his back, Melnyk shot him in the back of the head. No one sees his face. Sharma would find that out after the second half of the payment cleared. All he wanted now was to get this over with and get out of New York.

Blake, Maria, William, and one of Buck's men waited at Sam and Blake's apartment. Blake told O'Keefe on the "A" com that Buck was in place, and they were ready. Andy was searching for Melnyk inside the building. O'Keefe told Buck, "Good luck and good hunting."

"Roger." That was all Buck said. He was back in Iraq. His mind was clear and calm. He rechecked his gun for the third time since sitting down. He slowly scanned the length of each catwalk. They were wearing night vision goggles provided by O'Keefe. The darkness was a red glow. Buck used this equipment many times in the Middle East and was very familiar with how it works. If anyone came out on his catwalks, he'd see them before they got to the openings.

Andy could see Sharma walking in with the rest of his delegation. At 7 P. M. sharp, the Secretary General introduced the President of India. Buck's breathing slowed and he closed his eyes, listening. It was faint, a soft click. Too many missions, too many targets to miss something like that. When he opened his eyes, he saw a figure slowly crawling along one of his catwalks. Buck followed him in his sights until he cleared the catwalk supports. Just as the figure fired one shot, Buck put three into him. The first hit the shoulder facing Buck and he spun until he was broadside to Buck. The second shot hit his vest but the third hit him in the forehead. Buck waited until he was sure the man wasn't moving. He then went up and put another bullet in his skull with his handgun.

Buck called on both comms, "We have joy, repeat, we have joy."

Buck turned to see one of Bastone's men down. Melnyk had managed to get one shot off before he cleared the support. Damn.

The speech continued without interruption. When Melnyk didn't shoot, Sharma got up to leave. Bastone intercepted him at the door with a couple of his men and arrested him.

Buck and his man waited until the President was escorted off the stage. They then got up and headed down. Andy started to burn the program out of the UN mainframe, but Reggie stopped him. "You know, that could come in handy the next time."

Andy smiled, patted him on the shoulder and left it in. He closed his computer, said goodbye, and headed out.

No one came toward Blake's apartment. O'Keefe sent a cleanup crew to get Melnyk's body, but Bastone wouldn't let them in. He needed the body for the case against Sharma. Bastone had the interpreter who died alerting them, a security man who died killing the assassin, the insider who let the killer in, and the man who planned it. A nice, tidy security win, and he wasn't letting the CIA mess that up. Blake wasn't sure that was a good idea, but it wasn't his problem.

Bastone and O'Keefe were busy, but everyone else met up at Blake and Sam's apartment. They reviewed how it went. Blake was satisfied. He was sorry about the security guard, but otherwise, it had gone perfectly. They called Imani and asked her to quit and come home.

When everyone was settled, Imani asked for a toast for Belkis Haile, the girl who started this. The employees at the UN were already talking about what she'd done to stop an assassination attempt. Imani felt better that she'd be recognized for what she'd done and be honored along with the security guard.

Maria asked Blake to explain how he figured it out.

Blake sat quietly for a minute. "It had to be an attempt at the President. He was about to announce a radical plan for Kashmir. I was pretty sure the RAW wouldn't be pleased with anything that conceded anything to Pakistan. Especially after O'Keefe told me what his plan was. The President has proposed to the President of Pakistan that they use the model of Northern Ireland and share Kashmir jointly. The people of Kashmir would be citizens of both countries. The taxes would be split evenly between the two countries and a council would be set up of Kashmir citizens to handle day-to-day details. A committee from both countries would be set up to reconcile any differences in the laws of the two countries. O'Keefe told me just before this started that the President of Pakistan signed the agreement this morning. The President of India signed it before he left. All that is left is for the governments of both countries to ratify it. The irony of the situation is that this attempt will probably sway enough members of both governments to pass it."

"Melnyk had to go to the UN because Sharma had to give him a map of how to get to the ceiling and show him where the hidden door was. Knowing Melnyk, that probably wouldn't have ended up well for Sharma, even if Melnyk had succeeded. Sharma wanted something dramatic and shooting the President while speaking at the UN would do it. When Bastone showed Buck the layout upstairs, we both knew how Melnyk would do it. That's about it."

Everyone drank and laughed until late in the evening. Finally, everyone had to go home, and Blake told everyone they could take tomorrow off.

The papers the next day screamed headlines about an assassination attempt thwarted. Bastone was in all his glory answering questions. Blake was happy they had stayed out of the limelight. He had enough attention. He did call Frank and tell him the girl was killed because of the assassination attempt that was in the papers. She overheard them and they had to kill her. Frank updated and closed their file.

Blake went to the office the next day to talk to Maria. He told her to go home and marry William. "Thanks, girl. You'll never know what coming back here for the last month means to me and Sam, but it's time for you to start your next chapter. We'll be there to see it."

Maria hugged Blake and William shook his hand. "We must wait for a while so our maid of honor will be able to attend. Sam can't come for at least six months, until Liz is old enough to travel."

Maria and William went upstairs to say goodbye to Sam and Liz, and they flew out that afternoon. Imani slipped into Sam's chair, and everything went smoothly for the next six months.

Blake, Sam, Liz and Imani flew to Miami for the wedding. It was a wonderful weekend. Maria's family loved having the blind man back. They doted on him like they had the first time he went there.

The agreement between Pakistan and India passed without difficulty and Sharma was sent to India for his trial. He got twenty years, but it was just a few months before he died in a prison fight.

Liz was seven months old and the light in Blake's eyes. He spent many afternoons holding her in his lap until she fell asleep. Sam was able to go back to work on a part-time basis to help Imani and the nanny helped Blake whenever Sam was at the office.

Blake would often look back at the last few years. He thought his life was over when he was shot but know he couldn't imagine it any other way.