“I need your help.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m in trouble, and I don’t know where to go, or what to do.”
Lyle leaned out, looked in both directions, then back at Larry. “First, drive your car around back, does anyone know you’re here?”
“No, I left the office six hours ago, did some bus hopping, retrieved some vital information, and took over two hours driving around to get here.”
“Okay, like I said, drive around back and park beneath the carport. I’ll meet you at the back door.”
“Thank you, Lyle. I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
“Okay, now go.” Lyle shooed him away, but Larry handed him the duffel bags he had laid at his feet.
“You’re going to want this.” He turned on his heel and disappeared, driving the twenty-year-old car around the house.He parked, pocketed the keys, and met Lyle at the back door, which walked into a chef’s dream of a kitchen.
“Coffee?”
“Do you have to work tomorrow?”
“No, since it’s Saturday. I take it we might be up all night?”
“Yes, I didn’t know where else to turn.” He shook his head and took the seat at the kitchen table. As Lyle made the coffee, Larry started removing items from the bags he’d brought. Neither of them said a word until Lyle joined him at the table with two full cups of coffee.
“Cream or sugar?”
“No, thank you, black is fine.”
“Okay. Tell me what you have here?”
“So, you’ll help me?”
“Depends on what you have.”
“Information that could take down Director George Grayson from the FBI. I’m going to say right here, right now, I am not innocent. I’ve played my hand in some terrible things, but I need to come clean. I will cooperate any way I can to take that asshole down.”
Larry sat there and waited for Lyle to stop studying him before he said another word.
“Why now? What changed?”
“George is trying to go after Katherine.” He shook his head and held up his hand to stop Lyle from speaking. “I know I didn’t show a lot of affection for her, but he went too far when he was behind the BOLO on Katherine.”
“Why now? That announcement came out six weeks ago. Why are you coming forward now? What happened to make you come knocking at my personal home, and not coming into my office?”
“I have a feeling that my life might be in danger. I’m not sure if he has anyone looking for me yet. We had an argument earliertoday and I basically called him a crybaby, and he revealed the real reason why he wanted Katherine and what he was going to do with her.”
“What’s that?”
“Dope her up with drugs, sell her to the man he has on the hook, and transport her out of the country. I know I’m shocking you with this information, but under George Babcock Grayson’s direction, I have overseen his crew, that’s right, these are his people, but I’ve overseen them pick up prostitutes, house them until they are clean of drugs, or if they aren’t on drugs, then we house them until they get a clean bill of health from the doctor he had on retainer for this. Then he has a private auction on the deep, deep web. He sells the women and once the money is in his private account, he gives the buyers the women.”
“How?” Lyle demanded as he jumped to his feet and went over to the desk in the corner to grab a pad of paper and pen. As he walked back, he clarified. “How does he get the women to the buyer?”
“A few ways. The buyer comes here, and they leave together as a couple on a private jet or commercially. Every woman has a set of fake documents. Grayson’s directive. There have been times where one of his goons travel with the woman to the buyer, again, commercially or privately.” Larry shook his head and sighed heavily. “None of the women have been kept in the states, all have been sold to overseas buyers.”
“Why prostitutes? Why not women from all walks of life?”
“Grayson thought if they were already on the streets, then they are used to doing all kinds of things with their johns. You know, different men, different kinks. Another reason is because as sad as it is, the police don’t really look into a prostitute’s disappearance like they would if it was Katherine or Ilsa.”
