The Consultant by TJ O'Connor

Author:TJ O'Connor [O'Connor, TJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Published: 2018-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 37

Day 3: May 17, 2115 Hours, Daylight Saving Time

Old Town, Winchester, Virginia

THE HANDLEY REGIONAL Library is located in Winchester’s Old Town district a block off the walking mall. Obviously, it’s named for John Handley, a Pennsylvania judge who left a bundle in 1895-ish for Winchester to build such a library. Old John had class, thus the Beaux-Arts limestone building that the historians will tell you was built to resemble an open book. I don’t see it, but that’s what the Internet said. The grand building has an octagonal entrance beneath a central dome that looks very, well, Beaux-Arts, I guess. There are two large wings off the main base with stone relief figures, balustrades, and colonnades—yep, the Internet—those are fancy railings and columns. At night, the library is more impressive than in daylight. The stalwart structure is accented by landscaping lights that gave it a majestic appearance. I love old architecture. That’s one of the things I love about Winchester. The turn-of-the-century charm.

Not tonight.

When Bond left Noor’s place, I stayed a while longer and exchanged more reminiscence of my travels with her. More to calm her nerves than anything. Sam stayed clear. After another hour, I bade them goodnight and headed for my clandestine rendezvous with the mysterious “G.”

The “mysterious” part had my hair up, and I double-checked my .45 twice on my way to Old Town.

“G” could be friend or foe. He could be witness or killer. Because of that, I would observe “G” arrive and be ready for anything. I weaved my way through side streets and alleys in northwest Winchester until I positioned myself on Library Lane, a small street a quarter block northwest of the rear of the library. It was nine twenty when I sat to wait. From the safety of night shadows and a large maple tree, I watched the library and the alley behind it that ran the length of the building and alongside a patio area where picnic tables and benches sat empty. My position allowed me to see whoever approached from three sides.

In Mosul, Iraq, I learned the hard way that when you had such a meeting, you arrive extra early just to watch the other team show. It can save your life. Bad guys like to ambush you or plant IEDs—improvised explosive devices—so when you arrive late, you die a horrible, violent death. LaRue used to say, “The second to arrive dies.” I nearly did on my first rendezvous with an Iraqi snitch by ignoring his wisdom. He never let me forget that, either.

My watch showed 10:05 when someone rounded the corner a half a block to my right. The figure crossed the street and headed for the rear of the library. It was about five-four and thin. I couldn’t make out his features, but it was a man. He walked slow and uneasy, perhaps worried about a trap.

We already had something in common.

I slipped my .45 out and used the building’s shadows to angle behind him as he stopped beside the bushes near the picnic tables.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.