Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

said as he surveyed their surroundings again, “but wouldn’t the Supreme Court be involved with something like this? Or the International Monetary Fund? Plus, something like this is huge. Wouldn’t it be all over the six o’clock news?”
    Sydney shoved her left foot into the guard’s boot. It was at least two sizes too big, but she hoped by the time she had it laced up around her ankles, it would fit better.
    “The ICJ is the legal arm of the United Nations. The whole idea behind its creation was to manage disputes between countries as efficiently and as quietly as possible. The three of us are members of a special financial chamber formed to try cases in secret that could have enormous impacts on the global economy, a system that could be described as a schizophrenic suffering from massive panic attacks and constant paranoia.”
    Danny chuckled. “You certainly paint a distinct picture.”
    “Our chamber operates under a strict gag order. We take extreme measures to meet in communication dead zones all over the world to ensure our discussions remain secret. Not even the other judges know what we’re deliberating. That’s why the three of us are out here in the middle of nowhere. At least that’s why I thought we were here.”
    Sydney could tell from the look on his face that Danny was processing everything. “So, what do you do now?” he asked.
    Knobby’s urgent command pulsed through her head and she repeated it to him. “I have to tell the world what’s going on.”
    “You just said that you can’t.”
    “That was before people were trying to kill me. I have to tell someone.”
    “Okay, who?”
    Exactly. Tell who? Sydney hadn’t thought that far ahead. She looked around at the endless woods, as she finished tying on the left boot and began working on the right one. Plants and trees reached out to her from every direction. She looked toward the monastery and could barely make out its shape beyond the foliage.
    Tell who? And how do I get to them?
    Sydney’s head began throbbing under the weight of the possibilities, which all seemed to lead nowhere. She looked over at Danny and did something that was foreign to her.
    “I need your help, Sergeant.”
    “It’s Danny. And I can see that you might.”
    “So? Will you help me, Danny?”
    “You’re in luck. I didn’t have much else going on today.”
    Her shoulders eased as she smiled. She always had a feeling of relief after she asked for assistance, but still, it was just so damn hard to do.
    “What do you think we should do?” she asked as she finished tying up the right boot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Danny eyeing the monastery.
    Sydney heard his answer, but couldn’t believe it. She had to ask him to repeat himself.
    “I said we need to go back to the monastery,” Danny repeated.
    Il est fou. He is crazy , she thought . “We can’t,” Sydney declared. “I don’t know who’s involved. I don’t know why this is happening. I don’t know anything. We need to get to the border and into the United States. You’re a police officer. You must know people who could help me.”
    He hesitated. “I agree 100 percent. But we need something first.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Proof. I’ve been a cop long enough to know that spoken accusations are nothing without hard evidence to back it up.”
    Sydney had to admit that Danny had a point. She stood tall and wiggled both feet inside her new boots. They slid around in all directions, and she winced at the thought of the blisters that would soon form on them. But it was better than tromping around the forest in shower sandals.
    “The lawsuit you saw is on paper, right?” Danny asked.
    Sydney pictured the three copies of the lawsuit that Nathan Broederlam had taken out of his briefcase earlier that day. “Yes. To my knowledge there are three copies.”
    “We need to get at least one of those copies. Do you know where one would be?”
    “I left my copy in my bedroom. But I’m sure they took it back by now.”
    “Where was it discussed? Where did this Broederlam set up shop?”
    “The conference room.”
    “Okay. The conference room it is.”
    “Wait. How do we get in there?” Sydney asked. “They’ll be watching for me.”
    A cocksure look materialized on Danny’s face. “Simple,” he replied. Then he let her in on his plan.
    Sydney had to laugh.
    Il est fou. There is no doubt.

Chapter 14
    Seeing Vanessa Dempsey enter whatever White House venue where President