The Puppetmasters Read online

  Copyright © 2013 K.D. Lamb

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a mechanical retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by electronic, video, laser, mechanical, photocopying, recording means, or otherwise, in part of in whole, without consent of the publisher.

  Author Disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, and events in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination.

  Published by

  Applet Island Publishing

  P.O. Box 50585

  Bellevue, Washington 98015-0585

  [email protected]

  Edited by Lynette Smith

  Interior and Cover Design by Monkey C Media

  Cover Image Credits: U.S. Army, Vetman, ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office, Cncplayer, W. Rebel

  Printed in the United States

  ISBN: 978-0-9850167-6-0

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915019

  www.kristilamb.com

  ALSO BY K.D. LAMB

  KARMA’S LAW – A TANGLED Tale of Murder, Malice, and Revenge

  Charming Tate Sawyer, a serial Casanova, is found murdered off a popular hiking trail. As the investigation unfolds, Lieutenant Greg Kennedy and his team discover that Sawyer left behind an embittered string of wealthy women, each harboring her own motive for ending his life.

  Family secrets and sibling rivalry further complicate this dark mystery.

  Who was this man? Is he destined to a bitter, deceitful legacy, or is there more than meets the eye? Karma’s Law is a tale so tangled it resembles the twisted cypress of its Pacific Northwest and Alaskan settings.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I WOULD LIKE TO THANK my friends Pauline, Cindy, Joe, Rick, my sisters Sandra and Susan, and daughter Erika. I really appreciate their candor and well-meaning critique. It’s made me a better writer and helped me grow in my new passion. The confidence they expressed in my abilities pushed me along to do my best and keep moving forward.

  I would also like to thank Jeniffer and team at Monkey C Media for their amazing expertise and creative input. You guys are the best!

  Finally, to my editor, Lynette at All My Best Business. Thank you for the painstaking review work. Your wonderful sense of humor helped more than once during that frustrating part of the publication.

  When cunning hares have all been hunted, fleeing hounds will be cooked as food.

  Chinese proverb

  —Fan Li

  CHARACTERS

  Abdul Bashar Alam

  Pilot

  Ahmad Akeem

  Second son of Mujtaba Shazeb

  Alex

  NSA

  Anthony Zanders

  Special-agent-in-charge, FBI

  Benjamin Zimmerman

  Director Mossad

  Caitlin McDougall

  Mickey’s sister

  Candace Lawrence

  CIA

  Daniel Blumfeld

  Site and IT manager at Orion Premier datacenter

  Eric “Mickey” McDougall

  Orion Premier head of security

  Faisal Omar

  General, Afghanistan military

  Frank Reynolds

  NSA

  Glenn Carson

  Orion Premier CFO; childhood friend of Paul Fields

  Gwen Albertson

  Orion Premier senior vice president, legal department; friend of Kendall’s

  Heather Jacobs

  Kendall’s neighbor

  Imran

  Security officer at the Afghanistan government offices

  Jangi Khan

  Bamiyan farmer and guide

  Jeremy Levy

  Kendall’s boyfriend

  Kendall Radcliffe

  Director of operations at Orion Premier

  Lutfi Jabar

  Afghanistan captain

  Maysah Siddra

  Female Afghanistan doctor

  Mushtaba Shazeb

  President, Afghanistan

  Paul Fields

  Orion Premier CEO; childhood friend of Glenn Carson

  Ping

  NSA

  Poya

  Stable boy

  Qadi

  Afghanistan Captain

  Quinn Pendleton

  U.S. secretary of defense

  Rashid Sharif

  Childhood friend of Ahmad and Saaqib

  Saaqib Waqas

  First son of Mujtaba Shazeb

  Shane Menard

  Mossad

  Taheem

  Palace head chef

  Tzuk Reichenfeld

  Israeli commander

  Waleed

  Palace head of security

  Yuhannis

  Kabul butcher

  CHAPTER ONE

  KENDALL RADCLIFFE HUMMED TO HERSELF as she showered and got ready for her date with her boyfriend of over two years, Jeremy Levy. She was a little surprised that he had taken such pains to schedule a dinner date mid-week, given their hectic schedules. Her stomach was queasy, and she was doing her best to push those feelings aside. What really didn’t make sense was that Jeremy, who wasn’t particularly known for his spontaneity, reserved a table at her favorite restaurant, Canlis, on lower Queen Anne just north of Seattle.

  There was no specific occasion for celebration, and her birthday was over a month away. None of it made sense, but Kendall, ever the optimist, decided that something special was going to happen. So she set her mind to viewing the evening as some sort of a surprise celebration. She began to glow at the thought that he was going to formally propose … turning the event into a joyful, auspicious occasion.

  After all, Jeremy had been making comments lately about needing to put down roots and getting serious about his responsibilities. He even transferred his membership in the exclusive Columbia Tower Club to his law firm, saying he had other priorities.

  She chose her dress carefully, deciding on a Nicole Miller emerald green strapless twist bodice dress. She knew the color would set off the green of her eyes, the low-scooped neckline draw attention to her full breasts, and the above-the-knee hem length highlight what she regarded as her best feature … her incredibly long, slim legs. Since it was late spring, and the weather was still quite cool, she would wear the chic three-tier, fox-fur stole that Jeremy had given her for Christmas.

  Even though he was Jewish, he had no problem celebrating Christmas with her. In fact, he enjoyed his law firm’s Christmas party and the family gatherings at her mother’s on Christmas Eve. His large extended family was in Palm Beach, Florida.

  She was pleased that he was so caught up in the Christmas festivities last year, and decided that converting him was going to be a lot easier than she thought. Besides, as long as she had known him, he had never attended a prayer service, observed the Jewish holy days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover, or even seemed interested in defending his religion when the subject came up. He always dismissed it with ambivalence and mocked his family’s strict adherence to traditional Jewish laws and customs. In fact, it was Kendall herself who bought a mezuzah for his front doorpost. Personally, she viewed it as mystical-like. But if it brought him spiritual luck and protection, then she was all for it. Plus it looked cool on the front door frame, and she got a thrill every time she saw it.

  As she swept up her chestnut-colored, shoulder-length hair into an elegant French twist and applied her makeup, she again got that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. What is wrong with me? She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t so much of an anxious feeling as it was the anticipation of a romantic evening capped off with perhaps a marriage proposal and the presentation of a stunning ring.

  Her intuition had always been frighteningly accurate,
and she knew that something was definitely up for the evening. She just couldn’t imagine how right she was about an evening to remember, yet so off on how the events would actually play out.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE GREEK RESTAURANT, CANLIS, WAS known for its great stone fireplace, angled windows, and copper charcoal broiler in the center of the dining room. Kendall and Jeremy dined there several times a year. As she was escorted into the dining room, she spotted Jeremy first. He was lost in thought, gazing intently out the window. He was just finishing a bourbon whiskey as the waiter placed a second round on the table. Wow, he started without me. He’s obviously been here awhile. Now, Kendall was even more intrigued. He must be nervous too.

  Jeremy’s fixed stare was broken when the waiter set his drink before him. Over the waiter’s shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Kendall making her way to their table. She looked even more stunning than usual and walked with purpose and confidence. He didn’t meet her eyes as she reached the table, and he made no remark about her appearance. Instead, he got up, gave her shoulders a squeeze, and kissed the side of her mouth, while the hostess patiently waited to assist Kendall into her chair.

  Oh, that’s Jeremy, she thought, not wanting to make a public display of affection before this kind of upscale, staid crowd. He was from the East Coast, after all.

  Kendall’s stomach leapt at the thought that she could be engaged by the end of the evening. When Jeremy leaned in to kiss her, she could tell he’d had at least two drinks. He swayed ever so slightly. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, he was acting extremely nervous.

  Jeremy was never fearful. He was a person always in control and master of his senses. Nothing could upset him. Even when he had reason to be anxious, he was able to present a calm, commanding demeanor.

  She didn’t know quite where to begin. Her eyebrows rose, and she deliberately said in a teasing voice, “No fair! You started without me!”

  Jeremy’s smile was forced as he responded somewhat defensively, “Oh, I had an errand to run and finished early. So I thought I would relax a spell.”

  Kendall smiled to herself as she pictured Jeremy shopping for a ring. But she felt nervous and fidgety. Stop it! Relax! Take a deep breath!

  She decided she was way too anxious to drink; she wanted to keep her wits about her. She declined the offering from the waiter and listened to the nightly specials. The waiter left them to discuss their choices, and Kendall realized she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. She sighed and opened the menu.

  She glanced up to find Jeremy staring at her. Oh, he’s nervous. No, he looks uncertain, as if he doesn’t know where to start. Well, I can’t stand it. I’m going to help him.

  She grabbed his hand, saying, “Jeremy, what is it? You look like you have some news! I don’t know whether to start celebrating or crying.”

  His eyebrows lifted, and he seemed to hold his breath. Kendall suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She quickly knew she didn’t want to hear what was coming.

  He patted her hand, gave her a huge grin, nodded his head in affirmation, and said, “As a matter of fact, I have some pretty serious news. I think you’ll be excited for me.”

  That was an odd statement. It sounded so one-sided and final, like the news related only to him. The smile on her face slowly faded. She grabbed the side of the table and steadied herself. Again, with the artificial perky voice, “Well, what is it? Did you get a new client, or maybe a big case?”

  “Sort of.”

  He sat back in his chair and took a large swallow from his glass.

  “My mother has decided that I need to relocate to Florida to run the family business.”

  There, it was out. Now he only needed to explain the rest of it.

  The family owned a chain of savings and loan associations throughout Florida. While it had not been forced to receive any federal bailout money to keep afloat after the 2008 financial crisis, the profits were way down. The banks clearly needed careful management.

  Jeremy was not only a respected business attorney, but he had a Master’s in Economics from Harvard and was generally considered an expert in financial management. He was, in fact, the perfect person—and the only one, in his mother’s eyes—to turn around the financial outlook of the banks. Given the current economic climate, the banks could limp along for a few more years, but there would be no growth. As his mother saw it, if Jeremy took over as president and director, he would be able to show solid growth and a tidy profit within a year.

  Kendall gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Is that all? You told them no, of course. You love your life in Seattle.”

  Jeremy put up both of his hands to stop the nervous babble and shook his head.

  “No, Kendall, I am moving to Florida. It’s been decided.”

  She was stunned into silence at the finality of his tone and couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t begin to process the information, because he seemed so unconcerned with the implication on her life. She wasn’t in any position to move to Florida.

  She had worked her way up the corporate ladder at Orion Premier Net Services for the past ten years and had recently been promoted to director of operations. She was serving as the primary liaison between divisions and was often asked to be a corporate witness for various high-level lawsuits and governmental inquiries. No, there was no way she would up give all of that up. Something didn’t make sense.

  It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t actually received any vibes that she was even part of his relocation plans. She contemplated that thought when the waiter came back to take their dinner order. By now, Kendall had completely lost her appetite and simply ordered the soup special. She was again taken aback when Jeremy ordered an appetizer and the seafood special. He looked as if he had a new lease on life. It dawned on her that he was relieved.

  She tried to keep the accusatory, hurt tone out of her voice as she inquired in measured tones, “And where do I fit in this plan?”

  He had the decency to squirm a bit in his chair and look away.

  “Kendall, I’m moving to Palm Beach, Florida, by myself. It’s time I got on with my life and put down roots. You know that I love you, but we just don’t have a future together.”

  Yeah, yeah, the Jewish roots thing again! I refuse to buy it.

  “How can you just make this kind of decision? How can you give up on us just like that?”

  She was nearly in tears, but was not about to let him see her distress. She grabbed on to her anger when he responded with, “In truth, there’s more to it than you can possibly understand. There’s the cultural differences and financial consideration.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about! What cultural differences and what financial consideration? We’ve always gotten along so well. I thought we had a future together!” Careful, there, girl! You don’t want to sound pathetic.

  Jeremy meticulously brushed a speck of lint from the sleeve of his tailored suit.

  “I have an image and reputation to uphold in the Jewish community. There are certain expectations of one in my position. I thought you knew that.”

  She shook her head as if to shake the nightmare free. “No, we never had any discussions about there being no future for us. In fact, you brought up the subject of our living together a few weeks ago. Something changed. What was it?”

  She angrily brushed some errant strands of hair out of her eyes.

  “You know how close I am to my mother. I respect her business acumen and the decisions she makes.”

  Oh, here we go! Kendall steeled herself for more of the onslaught.

  “Go on.”

  “My mother sacrificed a lot for me. She carefully planned my future and sent me to the best boarding school in Switzerland.”

  Obviously, there was more. “And?”

  “She tolerated my moving to Seattle, so that I could learn about other businesses and cultures, work my way up the partnership ladder, and hone my financial expertise. But she always expect
ed me to someday repay her by moving back to Florida to run the family business.”

  How nebbish of him, she uncharitably allowed herself to think. Kendall was puzzled. She was missing something. “I still don’t get it. Why now?”

  “We’ve been having this discussion for some time now. Frankly, this morning, my mother sweetened the deal.”

  I knew there was a carrot in there somewhere. “What did she do?”

  “She released my trust fund in its entirety.”

  Jeremy’s tone was way too formal. He sounded like he was negotiating a deal rather than delicately and sensitively letting her down easy. But his love for money and all the power that it brought had unfortunately colored his feelings. He had simply discarded the emotional and embraced the practical and logical. The result was an insensitive, hurried explanation.

  He realized he had just screwed up the whole revelation. He told himself that it wasn’t like he was practiced at this type of speech, so it was probably better that she heard it in plain-speak, anyway.

  Kendall was not about to ask for the details of his trust fund. That was none of her business. She certainly had nothing to offer him that would sway his apparent resolve to alter his life in such a drastic way.