Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

face. She’s got quite the piece of gray matter tucked inside that gorgeous head of hers. And her story checks out. Even the part about dating the prince.”
    Danny stared at the detailed documents for over a minute in complete silence. The last page was a copy of a French tabloid cover. It showed a picture of Sydney sunning herself on the Prince of Monaco’s yacht. “How did you …”
    Chip put his finger to his lips. “I don’t kiss and tell, Sergeant.”
    Danny and Sydney were ready to leave an hour later. Wanting to at least partially throw off his description on the news, Danny had borrowed one of Chip’s golf shirts. Chip had fueled them up with his “Eggs Carver,” scrambled eggs mixed with chorizo served on a bed of Cajun-spiced hash browns. Chip washed his down with chocolate milk. Sydney had chosen a can of V-8 juice. Danny had filled a pint glass with Shiner and drained it before he filled it back up with water and guzzled that down as well.
    Carver hugged both of them at the back door of the bar. He held onto Danny for an extra long time and then handed him a disposable cell phone. Danny checked it and then put it in his pocket.
    “You know my number, right?” Chip asked.
    Danny tapped the side of his head. “Right up here.”
    “You’ve got your documents?”
    “Yes, Mom,” Danny replied as he felt them tucked against his back.
    Chip looked down at Danny’s stomach, noticing the bulge under his shirt. “That’s quite the package. No wonder the ladies like you so much.”
    Sydney giggled. Danny looked down and shoved the gun he took from the Knoxville gas station a little further down in his waistband so it wouldn’t be so noticeable.
    “You sure you want to go there packing?” Chip asked.
    “It’s insurance.”
    “Suit yourself,” Chip sighed. “Of all the gin joints in all the world, you had to walk into mine, Cavanaugh.”
    “I’m a son of a bitch, I know. But seriously, thanks for everything Chip. There’s no way I can ever repay you.”
    “Yes there is,” Chip replied as he turned to Sydney. “Keep telling this lovely creature what a great husband I would make someday.”
    Sydney stared into Chip’s eye. She traced the lines of his face with her fingertips and then gently pulled him to her. She kissed him softly on the mouth and then whispered into his ear.
    “Vous êtes véritablement homme parmi les hommes .”
    Chip came away from her starstruck. There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life, mon cher.”
    Sydney smiled. “Thank you for believing me, Carver Sutton.”
    The chilly D.C. morning blasted them in their faces as they stepped out from the bar’s stale warmth. Like the two homeless people scrounging in the alley Dumpsters, Sydney and Danny stepped back into their pungent reality.
    “What did you tell Chip back there?” Danny asked as he led Sydney back out to 19th Street.
    “I told him he was a man among men,” she replied.
    “Ain’t that the truth.”
    Danny turned left and figured out the distance. They were six blocks from their destination, and he still had no clue how to infiltrate the most heavily guarded military fort on the planet. All they could do was walk toward it and enjoy a relatively quiet morning.

Chapter 73
    Three green pup tents were arranged in a U formation at the edge of Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Greenpeace protest signs were plastered all over each one. Stacks of propaganda were arranged next to the openings.
    Even though no traffic endangered their passage, Danny grabbed Sydney’s hand as they passed the tents and neared the curb. It reminded her of how her foster father, Jacques Dumas, would do the same at intersections as they crossed busy streets. He always told her that French drivers were careless, even reckless, and that crossing a street in France was one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Danny’s gesture spoke volumes to her. He cared about her. He trusted her. Sydney wanted to do the same. She wanted to tell him about her encounter with the diver under the Potomac. But she couldn’t. She didn’t know why he held a blade to her throat and didn’t finish the job. There was no way she was going to burden Danny with that information. Not now. Not when he needed to concentrate on the task at hand.
    The threat of terrorist attacks on the National Mall, combined with Fantroy’s plane getting blown out of the sky, had increased