Skinner by Huston Charlie

Author:Huston, Charlie [Huston, Charlie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780316202411
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2013-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

A crowded deck on the ferry. Neither of them talking. Skinner has his gun now. Jae doesn’t need to peek in his pocket to know that’s what the Russian had for him. Which Shiva, if the Russian is to be believed, told him to give Skinner.

“Your phone is ringing.”

She looks at Skinner and he nods at the zippered vest pocket at her waist where she keeps her phone.

“Ringing.”

She unzips and takes it out, looks at the screen, a blocked number. She answers anyway. More than slightly expecting to hear Terrence’s voice speaking from the beyond.

“Hello.”

“Yes, Jae, hello.”

She looks at Skinner, mouths Cross. Skinner cups her elbow with his hand and does that thing he does in crowds, forcing a way through without seeming to displace anyone, leading her toward the rail. Fewer ears.

“Jae, are you there?”

She cups one hand over her left ear, reducing the wind noise.

“I’m here.”

“Kiev.”

She draws a blank.

“Yes?”

“Kiev, Jae. Anything in Kiev?”

Remembering where it is they are meant to be.

“Ukrainians.”

A pause from Cross.

“Jae, is there some reason you can’t talk?”

“No.”

“Then, with respect to the fact that this is an open line, I’d like to know if you have anything in Kiev.”

She leans over the rail, watches the water churn along the hull of the ferry.

“No. Nothing.”

“Any details you can offer?”

“With respect to an open line, no.”

Something scuffs the connection, a few muffled words, Cross covering his phone’s pickup as he consults with someone, then back.

“Good. Nothing. Good. I want you out of Kiev. There are things happening in Stockholm. Have you seen the protests? Are they on TV there? We have an evolving situation, on the ground. A possible connection between the protests and your job. I want you to look at it in person.”

Jae is looking at the water again.

“I know about the protests.”

Another muffled word or two, and then the click of computer keys.

“One of the teams we had working on the worm, the code, they found a Stockholm connection. A physical address. Billing for hosting services. We had, with respect to an open line, we had intentions for the address, but Swedish security police are involved.”

“Säpo.”

The word out of her mouth before she can stop it.

A beat from Cross.

“Yes. Good, Jae, you must have already skimmed the edge of some information that will help you look into this more deeply. Säpo raid. Very recent. Active. Looking for a command cell, the protesters. Anarchists, Jae. Very promising for us.”

Skinner has his back against the rail, looking at the people on deck, giving every impression that he’s not the least bit concerned with her conversation. It’s for the best that he has no way to listen in. If they were both hearing this Jae doubts she could make eye contact with Skinner without laughing.

“Sounds promising.”

“Are the airports still open?”

Jae thinks about the time difference between Stockholm and Kiev, tries to remember how red-eye flights work going east to west. Then remembers that it doesn’t fucking matter.

“Sure. We can get to Stockholm. Shouldn’t take more than a few hours.

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