COCO NIMBURU went to the address that Clayton Pockets had given her. NSA communications tech Gordon Scott lived in a small one-bedroom apartment in Arlington. Using an electronic lock pick, she was able to enter the apartment as if she had the keys. She searched the well-kept premises, thinking this guy must be a real egghead. It was almost 7 p.m. He should be getting home soon, she thought.
Coco sat at the desk in the living room, turned on his Compaq computer, and looked through his files to see if he was a true nerd who brought his work home with him. There was nothing encrypted, nothing suspicious. He probably gave everything to Director Pockets, she deduced. With nothing else to do but wait, she played a few games of solitaire on the Compaq. After losing several games in a row, she was ready to assassinate the computer. She heard keys jangle, then enter the lock on the front door.
She reached for her silenced Makarov as she went toward the door. Gordon Scott walked in, oblivious to her presence. She hit him in the back of the head with the butt of the gun, and he crumpled to the floor. When he woke, he was nude and tied hand and foot to the bedpost with a gag in his mouth. Coco had gotten a chair from the kitchen table and an apple from the refrigerator. When he heard her take a bite, Gordon whipped his head toward her with terror in his eyes. His breathing became heavy, and his chest moved up and down rapidly. He was trying to say something, but the gag muffled his words.
“I know, I know.” Coco laughed. “You work hard all day and come home to a bitch like me. Worse than a wife, huh?”
She took a few more bites of the apple, looking into his eyes the entire time. “Ummm, this is so good. You really must tell me where you purchased these.”
Gordon frowned, confused as to what she wanted. It certainly couldn’t be fruit that could be bought at any grocery store. He searched his mind, trying to figure out what he had done to deserve this. Coco finished the apple, eating the core and seeds as well. Then she wiped her mouth and hands on a paper towel and put it in her pocket.
“I’m an honest woman,” Coco began, “so I’m going to tell you the truth. You’re going to die today.”
Gordon’s eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out of his head. He struggled to free himself and appeared to be even more frightened than before.
“You wanna know what you did, right?” Coco asked, completely calm. “You wanna know why, right?”
He nodded as tears crept down his cheeks.
“Somehow, Clayton Pockets found out you were using your position as an NSA communications tech to gather information on people, didn’t he?”
Gordon nodded.
“You sold some very sensitive information to Sydney Drew, didn’t you?”
He nodded again.
“Did you sell it to anyone else?”
He shook his head.
“Unfortunately, I can’t take your word for it. I’m gonna have to make sure.” She opened her leather pouch and emptied the vials out onto his chest.
“Are you familiar with acupuncture?”
He shook his head.
“Well, you’re about to become acquainted with it. It’s going to hurt like hell, but I promise to give you the fuck of your life before you die, okay? It’s the least I can do.”