For a moment he worried she’d outsmarted him, but when he went back to look into the next car, he saw that she was still there.
He did realize that this was a fuckup, however. If there was someone watching her, then they might have noticed the fact that he’d looked down the platform, then stepped back on the train, as if he were trying to anticipate the movements of someone else.
He hadn’t expected to do anything more than ride in the back of a van all day, so he’d been caught by surprise when he went operational, but he knew he needed to up his game.
He sat down next to the door, leaned forward a little, and just caught sight of Ortega’s boots, fifty feet down the train in the last car.
Quickly, while they were still in the station and before the train went back into the tunnel, he tapped out a quick text on his phone.
Cont past Farragut on Blue. She’s def squirrely—6, get to me, ASAP. No sight of counter, but I’m burned if so.
—
Court read the text aloud in the minivan as it shot through a yellow light that turned red before they left the intersection.
Both men understood Zack’s abbreviated text, but Travers deciphered it aloud, anyway.
“Ortega is nervous about something, and Zack outed himself, not to her but to anybody that he hasn’t ID’d that might be watching her.”
Court said, “He never was the most low-profile guy out there, was he?”
“Nope,” Travers said. “This sounds like a job for the Gray Man.”
“Don’t fucking start,” Court mumbled as he looked at his phone.
A couple of minutes later they were a few more blocks to the southeast when Court received another text from Zack. He read this one aloud, as well.
Continuing past McPherson. She’s nervous. Where r u 6?
“Looks like about two minutes to Metro Center,” Travers said as he changed lanes.
“Or twenty, depending on this traffic,” Court barked in frustration.
Twenty-Four
The Chrysler minivan was still in motion as Court leapt out and began running for the station entrance. He hadn’t taken the time to change clothes during the drive, but the heavy coat he’d worn with his overalls was reversible, and he’d switched it from the blue side to the brown side.
He hurried to the escalators on 13th Street and began racing down. Metro Center was a large station with many lines connecting here, so there was a lot of foot traffic, but he wove his way through, then headed to the turnstiles, held his wallet over the reader, and soon he was through.
He slowed to pass a group of Metro Police standing around, then followed the signs to the Blue line and made his way to another escalator, picking up speed again when the cops could no longer see him.
He finally arrived at the platform just as the train appeared, and he looked at his phone and saw another text from Zack that had just come through.
Last car. No counter detected.
He quickly tapped out a reply, acknowledging that he understood the woman was still on the train and Zack hadn’t detected countersurveillance.
OK. Get off. Teddy upstairs.
Court headed towards the rear of the train, the doors opened, and he saw Zack exit, heading for the escalators. The men passed within a dozen feet of one another, but there was no eye contact between them. Court was too busy scanning down the platform, making sure Ortega did not leave the train, and looking over anyone getting on.
Soon he was on the train himself, in the same car Zack had just vacated. A quick look at those around him put him at ease; he didn’t feel there was anyone here who might be running surveillance on Ortega.
The train left the station; Court moved to a seat where he could see into the last car, and there he saw the woman looking back up in his general direction. He didn’t think for a second he’d been spotted, only that she was alert for anyone watching her.
They stopped at Federal Triangle; Ortega kept her seat, so Court did the same.
Irene Ortega rose and moved near the door, and for a second or two, he thought she was about to get off. He held his seat, ready to bolt onto the platform from the next car himself, but then another woman entered Irene’s car, moved to a seat, and the door closed again.
