“Yeah, we’re good.”
Payne took a deep breath and answered the call. “Hello?”
A loud blast of static filled the room. Jones leaned forward and lowered the volume on his computer. It helped with the sound level but didn’t help with the clarity. Static still filled the line.
“Hello?” Payne repeated.
There was a two-second pause before they heard a response.
“Hello,” said the voice. It was soft and meek and feminine.
Payne glanced at the number. It was restricted, just as before. “Who is this?”
She ignored his question. After another pause, she said, “Is this Jonathon?”
“Yes. This is Jon. Who is this?”
Static filled the line for a few seconds. Followed by a gasp and a sob.
“Are you all right?” Payne asked, keeping his tone as calm as possible.
“Is this Jonathon?” she repeated.
“Yes. This is Jonathon. Who is this?”
A slight delay, then an answer: “This is Allison.”
“Allison who?”
“Taylor.”
Payne looked at Jones, who shrugged. Neither of them knew who she was.
“Allison, where are you calling from?”
A few seconds of static. “Russia. I’m calling from Russia.”
“Are you with Richard?”
She let out a soft wail. No talking, just crying.
“Allison, where’s Richard?”
A slight pause, then a thunderbolt. “Richard’s dead.”
“What?” Payne said, stunned. “What do you mean?”
“They killed him. They killed Richard.”
“Who is they?”
“I don’t know. But they killed him.”
Payne paused, not sure what to ask. “Allison, how did you know Richard?”
Static for a few seconds. “I was helping him.”
“With what?”
“His trip.”
“And you’re sure he’s dead?”
“They shot him in the head. He fell in the fountain.”
“Allison, where are you in Russia?”
“Saint Petersburg.”
“Are you an American?”
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s good. Then I want you to go to the consulate. There’s an American consulate in Saint Petersburg. If you go there, they’ll protect you.”
She sobbed. “I can’t. Richard said we couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. But he said we couldn’t go there. He said if anything happened to him that I was supposed to call. He bought me a phone just so I could call you. He programmed your number into the phone. It’s the only number I’ve got.”
Payne swore under his breath, not sure what to do. Byrd was dead. Allison was freaking out. And she refused to go to the only safe place he could think of. Back in the day, he used to know several places around the city where operatives could hide in an emergency, but he hadn’t been to any of them in years. So there was no way of knowing if they were still in play.
“Jon,” Jones whispered, “if they killed Byrd, Petr could be in trouble.”
Payne covered the phone. “Explain.”
“Byrd went to the Ulster Archives on several occasions to do research. Who knows what he found there. If these people are thorough, they might go there next.”
Payne nodded in understanding. Suddenly, they had little choice in the matter. They had to get involved to protect their friend.
“Allison,” he said with a firm voice, “listen to me. Everything is going to be fine. Do you believe me when I say that?”
“They killed him,” she said meekly.
“I know that, Allison. It must be tough for you. But let me tell you a secret. Do you know why Richard told you to call me? He knew if you needed my help, I would give it to you. And trust me when I say this, I’m a very helpful guy.”