Reckoning Day

Present Day

“Freeze!” Agent Caitlin Foord yelled as she chased her suspect down the alley. “Hayles, let’s move!”

“I’m with you!!” Agent Hayley Raso yelled, following right behind Caitlin. The suspect bolted down the alley, then turned the corner and headed into a warehouse building. Caitlin and Hayley stopped outside the door, counted to three, and then entered.

“Shit!” Caitlin said as bullets flew at her and Hayley. They dove for cover and returned fire. Four men went down. They advanced into the back room and saw six more men.

“Freeze!” Hayley yelled. The men raised their weapons to fire and Caitlin and Hayley shot them down.

“Shit!” Caitlin screamed as another gunman opened fire. “Up on the balcony!” she said, as she and Hayley ducked behind some crates.

“Damn, this guy’s unloading on us”, Hayley said, as bullets flew around them. She and Hayley reloaded and then Hayley said, “On the count of three. One…two-”

Caitlin popped up and fired. The man on the balcony let out a scream and then toppled off the balcony, landing face down with a splat.

“I said on the count of three, Foordy”, Hayley said.

“I know. Sorry”, Caitlin exhaled. "I saw an opening and had to take it."

“Glad you didn't get shot", Hayley said, then asked, "We clear?” She and Caitlin looked around. No one seemed to be moving.

“I think so. Check the crates, I’ll check the bodies”, Caitlin said, then started to inspect the room. “These six are dead”, she said.

“Weapons here”, Hayley said, holding up an AK-47 from one of the crates. “Cocaine, too”, Hayley said, holding up a bag full of white powder.

“Nice”, Caitlin said. “Keep looking, lemme know what else you find”. She approached the body that had fallen from the balcony and turned it over. “Oh shit”, she said. “Hayles?”

“What is it?”

“You better get over here.”

Hayley walked over and stared at the dead man. “That’s Derek Arnold.”

“Of the Arnold crime family. His sister Macca is the head”, Caitlin said, staring at Derek’s dead body.

Hayley exhaled and then said, “Oh shit is right.”

********

“What happened?” Director Kim Little asked.

“We were following up on a tip from a source”, Caitlin said. She and Hayley were back at the National Defence Agency headquarters office. “We chased a suspect to a warehouse in South City. When we entered, a whole crew started firing at us. Hayley and I had to defend ourselves.”

“And you guys took everyone out?” Kim asked.

“Yes”, Caitlin confirmed.

“Including Derek Arnold”, Kim said.

“Yes. But we recovered a ton of weapons and drugs”, Hayley said.

“Well, that’s good”, Kim said. “Big win for the agency. The Arnold crime family is one of the largest in the country. But - Macca is still out there, and she is going to want revenge.”

“I know”, Caitlin said. “Look, Ma’am - we wanted to take everyone alive, but these guys just unloaded on us. We had to return fire.”

“I get it. You did what you had to do. But now - until we know what kind of retribution we may be facing, I want you two to keep a low profile.”

“Ma’am-” Hayley began.

“I’m assigning all of your cases to other agents”, Kim said. “I’m not taking any chances. Starting now, you two are on paid leave. Get low and stay low until I say otherwise. Got it?”

“Ma’am-” Caitlin said.

“Take a holiday. Got it?” Kim said forcefully.

Caitlin sighed. “Yes, Ma’am”, she said, and Hayley nodded.

********

“Would you like a drink?” Macca Arnold asked. She and her visitor were in a rural countryside estate. Macca as usual was dressed in a dark navy power suit.

“No thank you”, the stunning blonde woman sitting across from her said. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a black shirt, black leather pants and black heeled boots. “Can we get right to the point of this meeting?”

Macca stared at the woman for a moment and then smiled. “Of course”, she said, then held up a photo. “Can you kill this person?”

The woman stared at the photo for a moment and then nodded her head. “Yes.”

“Good”, Macca smiled, and then threw the photo in the roaring fireplace.

“If I take this job, I’ll have to disappear forever”, the woman said. She paused for a moment and then said, “Twenty million is my price. Half now and half upon completion.”

Macca stared at the woman for a moment and then smiled. “Done.”

“How many people know about this?”

“Just you and me.”

“Keep it that way. If word leaks it’s my decision as to whether or not to carry on. Either way, I keep the initial payment.”

“Fine.” Macca nodded.

“I’ll send you instructions for wiring payment. Find some place to lay low until the job is complete”, the woman said.

“How long will this take?”

“A few weeks at most, I just need to find an opening”, the woman said, then stood up. “I’ll be in touch soon”, she said, then started walking towards the door.

“What is your real name?” Macca asked.

The woman turned around. “What do you know me as?” she asked.

“People call you ‘Leah’.”

“Then that is what you may call me as well”, Leah said. She smiled faintly and then opened the door and walked out.

********

“You wanted to see me?” Katie asked as she stepped into Denise’s office at INTERPOL headquarters.

“Katie, come in”, Denise said. “How have you been keeping?”

“I’m fine”, Katie said.

“Are you sure?” Denise stared at Katie.

“I’m closing cases, aren’t I?” Katie responded.

“Yes, you are”, Denise said. “Your work performance is as good as ever.” She paused and then said, “I was asking about you personally.”

Katie stared at Denise and then sighed. “I’m okay.”

“Are you still dating that Belgian woman you told me about?”

“No”, Katie said. “She said I was too closed off. Said she didn't feel we were able to make a connection. It was my fault, I guess. I don’t know, maybe I’m afraid, or something. Afraid to open myself up again.”

“I know you hold yourself responsible for Ruesha’s death.”

“We should have waited for backup”, Katie said. She paused for a moment and then said, “I told her I’d look out for her.”

“It’s been three years, Katie.”

“I know. And you would think I’d be back to normal by now, but…” Katie paused and then said, “I still think about her. All the time.”

“I know. I think about Ruesha as well”, Denise said. “You can take some time off, maybe see someone. We have counselors for things like this-”

“No”, Katie said. “I don’t need to see a counselor. The best thing for me to do is to stay immersed in work.”

Denise stared at Katie for a moment and then said, “Well then, I have something for you, if you're up for it.”

“What is it?” Katie perked up.

“Before I tell you, I need to know you are going to be okay with something.”

“What?”

Denise stared at Katie for a moment and then said, “Leah may have resurfaced.” After the events three years ago, INTERPOL had been trying to identify the woman who had shot Ruesha. Evidence was spotty, but the conclusion was that it may have been Leah.

“The one that…?”

“Yes, that one. We got some intel from one of our other offices yesterday. Seems she may be operating again.”

“Doing what?” Katie asked.

“Possibly plotting an assassination.”

“Jesus, seriously?”

“Yes.”

Katie thought for a moment and then said, “I want in.”

“Okay, two things though. One - I don’t want your professional judgment compromised by personal feelings. Got it?” Katie stared at Denise but didn’t say anything, so Denise said, “Katie - you’re the best agent I have. But only if you’re at your best. You’ve got experience, instincts, skills…more so than any other agent I have. We can use your quality on this. But - I need to know you’ll stay professional, not go off the rails.”

Katie stared at Denise for another moment and then said, “I’ll stay professional.”

“Okay. And second - you’ll most likely be working with a partner.”

“No." Katie shook her head. "No partner-”

“Katie-”

“I don’t want a partner”, Katie said. “I haven’t had a partner since Rue, and I’ve been doing just fine without one. There’s no reason to assign me one now.”

“I know, but this may be non-negotiable. We’ll be working with National Defence. I just spoke with Director Kim Little over there. They’ve got a stake in this, and we’ll be playing in their sandbox, so they’re probably gonna want some of their people working on this.”

“Shite”, Katie said and put her head back and rolled her eyes. “What kind of stake?”

“Katie - yes or no?” Denise asked, ignoring Katie’s question.

“What’s this all about?”

“Yes or no?” Denise asked again. “I need to know now if you’re going to be a team player.”

Katie stared at Denise and then said, “Fine. I’ll play nice.”

“You’re sure?” Denise asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, can you tell me what this is about?”

“We need to get over to National to meet with them tomorrow morning. A car is waiting for us outside to take us to the airport now. Plenty of time to brief you on the way over.”

“Alright, let’s go”, Katie said, and then she and Denise got up to leave.

********

Leah sat in the spacious first-class passenger lounge at Helsinki International Airport. She was wearing a skirt suit and heels and had a Coach over-the-shoulder bag. She felt her phone buzz so she took it out of her purse and looked at the incoming message. It was from a private bank in the Cayman Islands, telling her that the initial deposit from Macca had been received. She smiled and then pulled a newspaper out of her bag and pretended to read it as she scanned the lounge. It was mostly empty, just a few other people scattered about, but sitting across from her was another woman who appeared to be about her age, in her late twenties. She was dressed similarly to Leah and had a large purse and a small roll-on suitcase, and she was intently typing on her phone. Leah stared at her from over her newspaper. The woman looked up, and Leah smiled politely at her. The woman smiled politely back and then went back to her phone.

“Must be serious”, Leah said a moment later.

The woman looked up. “Excuse me?”

“Must be serious”, Leah repeated in a friendly tone. “You’re typing very intently”, she said and smiled a charming smile.

The woman stared for a second and then smiled back at the beautiful stranger sitting across from her. A bored business traveler, just making polite conversation, the woman reasoned. She tore herself away from the urgent work email on her phone and smiled back. “It’s work. They’ve got me on a short leash”, she said and chuckled.

Leah laughed back lightly. “I understand completely”, she said. “Well, I won’t keep you. You’d better get back to it.”

“Thank you”, the woman said and smiled apologetically and then went back to her emails. A few minutes later she looked up. “Hey, I’m about to get a cup of coffee over there”, she said, pointing to the coffee station across the lounge. “Would you like me to get you something?”

“Oh no thank you, I’m fine”, Leah said. “I have a plane to catch soon.” She smiled again at the woman.

The woman smiled back and then got up and went to the coffee station. Leah watched her, and while the woman was pouring her coffee, she stood up, walked over to the woman’s purse, and in one swift motion bent over, reached into the purse and grabbed the woman’s passport, then looked up. The woman had finished pouring her coffee and was now focused on selecting some cream and sugar. Leah looked around. No one had paid her any attention. She smiled slightly, then stuck the stolen passport into her own bag and walked out of the lounge.

********

“Are we being punished?” Caitlin asked. She and Hayley were at a pub sipping pints.

“Director Little is just being cautious”, Hayley said.

“I didn’t want to kill Derek Arnold. Or any of them. I wanted to take them alive.”

“Foordy, we had to-”

“I know. We were pinned down.”

“Look, it was a huge win for the agency. We couldn’t fail.” Hayley stared at Caitlin. “We did what we had to do.”

“I know, it’s just…I want to protect this country. That’s why I joined the agency. I didn’t join just so I could shoot people.” Caitlin sighed. “I just don’t like taking a life.”

“It’s never easy”, Hayley said. “Look - I know you don’t like taking a life, but sometimes it’s necessary on the job.” Hayley paused and then said, “Hey - these are bad people, doing bad things. Do you remember what the Arnold family did to that arms supply crew that tried to screw them?”

“Yeah, I do. They strung them all up by their feet and slit all their throats. And then sent a photo to the news. The public freaked out.”

“Right. These are bad people. And we got some of them.” Hayley looked at Caitlin and said, “Look - I don’t like taking a life either, but if it’s the life of my partner or the life of some scumbag, then…“ Hayley let it hang and held up her palms.

Caitlin smiled. “Thanks Hayles.”

Hayley smiled back. “We’ll be back on soon.” She looked at her almost empty glass and then said, “Let’s consider ourselves on holiday. I mean, when’s the last time we actually had a holiday?” She smiled and then said, “We’re stuck not being allowed to work, we might as well enjoy it”, then drained her glass. “Finish your glass and I’ll get us another round”, she said. “You heard from that Swiss girl you were dating? What’s her name - Lia?”

“No”, Caitlin said. “Not since she dumped me.”

“I’m sorry, Foordy.”

“Thanks. Me too”, Caitlin said. “I work too much, is what she said.”

“The job is tough”, Hayley said.

“It’s been six months…”

“Well, you can always forgo love and be more like me. Fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em. No attachments, no worries”, Hayley said and smiled. Caitlin tried to smile back but looked down, so Hayley said, “Don’t worry, you’ll find someone else. You’re a catch.”

“Thanks”, Caitlin smiled slightly. “Maybe I’ll find someone who works in law enforcement, who understands the hours.”

“You really wanna date someone in law enforcement?” Hayley asked. “I mean, that would suck if the person you’re with gets shot or something.”

“Yeah, maybe not”, Caitlin said, then felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

“What is it?” Hayley asked.

“Check your phone”, Caitlin said.

Hayley looked at her phone. “Director Little wants to see us now? It’s ten at night. And I thought we were off.”

“Looks like we're meeting with INTERPOL tomorrow morning. Little wants to brief us tonight before we meet with them. My guess is this means something serious. We’d better go”, Caitlin said.

“There goes the holiday”, Hayley said, then she and Caitlin put on their coats and left the pub.