Life of Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

Wheeler was the one
who'd hired Alyssa for this job. Communications Director for the Hicks campaign
– Rich West's opposition – he'd wanted research on their opponent. Chambers had
never met the man before this job.
    But Wheeler
came with excellent references. He got her name from no less a person than
George Pierce, and that was still a name Alyssa trusted.
    "Hard to
believe a set up," she replied.
    Hauptmann
shrugged.
    "Even so,
he's probably scared out of his mind right now, thinking that the plumber he
hired went and offed West, and that he's an
accessory."
    Chambers
nodded.
    "I need to
talk to him. You suppose he's in his office?"
    Gunter nodded.
    "He'll
have to be. Every politician in America probably has two phones stuck to their
heads all day today, trying to play this. It'll be driving him nuts to be in
the office, with everyone wondering who did it and him being so afraid they
think it's him, but he has to be there."
    "OK, then.
My problem is just getting into his office without being seen. You, on the
other hand, are probably itching to be out of the country."
    Gunter nodded.
"Congratulations on the understatement of the year."
    He reached
across to take Alyssa's hand.
    "It's been
nice to know you. Good luck."
    She smiled at
him, and shook his hand.
    "Happy
running, Gunter."
    He stood up.
    A bullet
drilled through his back and out his chest, killing him instantly.
    Chambers
couldn't help herself. She screamed when Gunter Hauptmann fell dead across her
lap. Seconds later, the pedestrians around her were screaming, too.
    However, after
the initial fight or flight instinct, she found herself strangely detached. She
observed the crowd, calculated where the shot that hit Gunter must have come
from and plotted how to use the other people as cover from a second shot from
that direction.
    Most people
nearby were screaming in panic but several passers-by were collected around
her, trying to help her, some checking if she had been wounded, others trying
to console her about the grisly mess she and her clothing had become. Alyssa
tuned them all out. She got out from under Gunter and stood up, causing several
people to jump back at the sudden movement. Then she took off running.
    Shouts of
confusion and alarm rang out behind her, but she ignored them all. In another
second, she was across the open courtyard and diving into the river.
    The Potomac had
never been the nicest place to swim, but Alyssa didn't feel she had any choice.
For one thing, it was obvious that whoever had fired the shot that killed
Gunter had been aiming at her. The crowd had doubtless given her some cover,
preventing a clean shot, but the killer could fire again as soon as he got the
chance. Getting in the water made it much harder to shoot her.
    Moreover, her
clothes were covered with gore from Hauptmann's body. Running, she'd have been
instantly recognizable, and stood no chance of escape, but the river cleaned
her up at least a little bit.
    Of course, sopping
wet clothes were not much less conspicuous than bloody clothes, but at least
she'd be far away from the scene.
    She did most of
her swimming underwater, with her eyes closed tight against the dirty river.
There was a gunman out there, and if she stayed on the surface for long, she
was a goner. The powerful current dragged her downstream as she swam, but that
was fine with Chambers. She didn't have much of a plan yet, except to clear the
area as fast as possible. And the current was moving much quicker than she
could swim.
    She swam for
quite a while before finally working out a plan. Paddling to one of the yachts
moored along the waterfront, Alyssa climbed aboard. As she expected, since it
was still morning, the yacht was deserted, which suited her needs perfectly.
Crossing her fingers, she hoped these people left some clothing aboard.
    She got a lucky
break. Not only was there clothing to be taken, but it was women's clothing.
She threw the outfit she'd left home in into the Potomac – saving