Imposter

---

Imposter - book excerpt

Prologue

Bubba Franklin was dog-tired as he neared the end of his epic journey. He’d left Seattle four days earlier and was less than an hour from his final destination in Richmond, Virginia. The semi-trailer behind his rig was packed with computer hardware and software destined for a newly built government office complex.

The head dispatcher at the computer company had promised him a fifteen percent bonus if he could deliver the goods within ninety-six hours, and he fully intended to collect. Bubba was grossly overweight, and the cabin of his Peterbilt reeked of smoke and stale sweat. As many long-haul truck drivers did, Bubba used cocaine to keep himself alert whenever he felt fatigue setting in.

He was presently on a two-lane surface road in a rural area of Virginia, and he checked that there was no slow-moving traffic ahead of him before bending his head down to snort some white powder. He flung his head back as he felt the sharp burn of the cocaine in his nose and the jolt as it hit his brain.

It was only then that he noticed the stop sign on the side of the road that was partially obscured by an overhanging tree branch. He cursed loudly as he blew through the intersection at roughly fifty miles an hour.

***

Dillon Hunt, aka Michael Harper, was in high spirits. He was speeding northwards on route sixty to his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where his charming and very pregnant wife Vanessa waited patiently for him.

He hadn’t seen her for over three months, but such was the burden to be shouldered in his line of work. Michael Harper was a field agent with the FBI and was currently working undercover on an assignment in South Carolina.

He had taken on the persona of Dillon Hunt in order to infiltrate a paramilitary militia group whose extremist views had them hell-bent on ridding the United States of every Muslim.

Upon accepting the mission he’d had but one condition; he wanted to be present for the birth of their first child. His handler for the operation, Diedra Wolfe, had promised him that it wouldn’t be a problem.

With Vanessa’s due date fast approaching, Diedra had made good on her promise. Dillon Hunt had recently received permission from the militia leadership to leave the compound to be with his deathlyill mother in her last days.

Diedra had promptly made arrangements for an older, female FBI agent to impersonate Dillon’s ‘dying mother’ at Mercy Hospital in Fredericksburg, should the militia group feel the need to verify his story. It was the same hospital where Vanessa was scheduled to give birth to their baby boy.

He was singing stridently along to ‘Radar Love’ on the radio when he abruptly discerned the sign of approaching danger in his peripheral vision. The colossal tractor-trailer was upon him so rapidly he didn’t even have time to react.

Chapter One

Daniel Harper stared incredulously at the judge as he read out thesentence; fifteen years. For what?For scamming a few horny men out of a trifling amount of money.

He opened his mouth to protest, but the judge pre-empted him by banging his gavel and staring gravely at him. “Only thirty years old and already your third fraud conviction, Mister Harper. It’s obvious that there is little chance of you being rehabilitated, so I’ve decided to give you the maximum penalty under law. Perhaps a lengthy stay in prison will get you back on the straight and narrow.”

Daniel hung his head in disbelief as the stern judge continued, “As for your co-accused, Miss Cox, I sentence you to three years in the state penitentiary.” Lisa Cox was standing next to Daniel and flashed the judge a grateful smile. She was wearing a snug-fitting black dress that showed all her curves as well as ample cleavage. “It is obvious that Mister Harper was the mastermind behind this little scam and took advantage of Miss Cox’s affections for him,” the judge concluded.

Daniel smiled inwardly;if only you knew the truth, you lecherous old bastard. Lisa was a master manipulator who used her considerable beauty and charm on just about every man she met.

She would target lonely-looking married men attending conventions in Las Vegas, telling them that her husband would only be arriving the following day and that she was quite drunk and feeling very horny. Once she had the man naked in her hotel room, Daniel, ‘the husband,’ would charge through the door and demand to know what was going on.

She would feign horror at his unexpected arrival and say that the man had made her drunk and was taking advantage of her. Daniel would riffle through the man’s pockets and remove his cell phone. “I think that your wife deserves to know about the scumbag she married.”

As the victim begged and pleaded, Daniel would finally agree not to make the call, but only if he was paid the sum of five thousand dollars in compensation for his pain and suffering. The plan had worked perfectly until Lisa targeted the wrong man. He was only wearing his wedding ring in memory of his long-dead wife and had reported the scam to the Las Vegas police. They had set up a sting operation that resulted in the open-and-shut case that had recently concluded.

***

“What do you mean he’s dead?” Diedra demanded. “I spoke to him just a couple of hours ago. What the hell happened?”

“Just an unfortunate traffic accident from the looks of things,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “Doesn’t appear as if AAM had anything to do with it.” AAM was the acronym for Americans Against Muslims, the militia group that FBI agent Michael Harper had infiltrated.

“Dammit, I’m really going to miss Mike, he was one of our best,” Diedra said sadly. “Needless to say, I also get to tell his pregnant wife that he’ll never be coming home.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll do it.”

“No, I was his immediate superior,” Diedra countered. “It’s my responsibility.”

“Actually, I need you on the next plane to Las Vegas.”

“Vegas! What the hell’s in Vegas?” Diedra asked.

“Not what, but who. Believe it or not, we’ve managed to track down Michael’s identical twin, Daniel. He’s just received a lengthy prison sentence, thanks to my intervention. I’m sure that he’ll be more than willing to do anything to get out of it.”

Chapter Two

Diedra stared down at the twinkling lights of Las Vegas as the FBI Learjet came in to land at McCarran Airport. She was feeling equal amounts of sadness at the sudden loss of her colleague and disbelief at her boss’s outrageous plan.

FBI Deputy Director Walter Shaw was the man who’d sent her on what she considered a fool’s errand. The audacious plan that he’d concocted called on Michael Harper’s twin brother to replace him as Dillon Hunt and continue the infiltration of AAM.

There were several reasons why she thought that the idea was insane, the main one being that Mike had been a highly trained FBI undercover operative, while Daniel was nothing more than a habitual criminal. Also, what were the chances that a cowardly jailbird would risk his life in exchange for a reduced sentence? Just about zero, she mused.

On the positive side, Mike had infiltrated the AAM only six weeks ago and noone there knew him really well yet. The main reason that Director Shaw was unwilling to give up on the operation was the alarming intel that Mike had managed to gather before his untimely demise. Apparently the militia group were planning several deadly terror attacks against Muslims living in America. From the information that they’d received, the attacks would be well planned and would take place sometime within the next couple of months.

That didn’t give the FBI enough time to insert a new operative to stop the attacks. The new president had been very alarmed when briefed on the situation by the FBI director. His anti-Muslim stance was well known and he feared that his opponents and detractors would use the attacks to condemn his policies.

Diedra sighed and concluded that that was the only reason for what amounted to a hail Mary pass. Her bosses didn’t want to be the ones to tell the ill-tempered president that they had failed in their mission.

After the sleek jet landed she was met by the Special-Agent-in-Charge, or SAC, of the Las Vegas field office. Eddy Lane was a lanky, jovial man whom she’d met previously. “What brings you to my neck of the desert?” he asked with a grin.

“Afraid that it’s need-to-know, Eddy,” she replied. “What have you been told so far?”

“Walter Shaw called and told me to arrange an interview for you with a prisoner by the name of Daniel Harper, that’s about it. I was ordered to meet your plane and escort you to the jail, ensuring nothing stood in your way.”

Diedra glanced at her watch and noted that it was just after nine in the evening, local time. “You mean that I’ll get to see him straight away?”

“You bet,” he replied. “This comes all the way from the very top.”

Chapter Three

Daniel Harper looked up in dismay as the attractive woman wearing a severe skirt-suit entered the interrogation room. He’d been around the block a few times and knew a federal agent when he saw one. Not to mention that he’d also been unceremoniously bundled from his cell at this time of night. He’d already been waiting for almost an hour in the stark, windowless room and none of the guards had answered his many questions as they’d handcuffed his hands to the metal bar set into the table in front of him.

For her part Diedra tried her utmost to contain her astonishment as she took in the features of the man seated before her. He was indeed an exact replica of her recently deceased friend and colleague. Sure, his hair was longer and he wasn’t quite as buff as Mike had been, but otherwise he was the spitting image.

Quickly recovering her composure, she took a seat opposite the man and introduced herself, “I’m Supervisory Special Agent Diedra Wolf with the FBI, and you are?”

The man smiled. “As I’m sure you’re well aware, I’m the esteemed Daniel Harper, jailbird extraordinaire.”

Diedra was somewhat taken aback by the man’s ability to make light of the situation, considering he’d just received a lengthy jail sentence. The dimples that appeared when he smiled reminded her so much of Mike, she felt a tightness in her chest. She motioned for her escort to leave, removed a folder from her briefcase and placed it on the table.

Daniel glanced at it with interest. “What could the feds possibility want with me? As far as I know I haven’t broken any federal laws.”

Diedra’s voice cracked a little. “I’m here about your brother, Michael Harper.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “What about Mikey, is he okay?”

As far as Diedra could remember, Mike had only mentioned to her once that he had a twin brother and clearly didn’t want to talk any further about it. Whatever had transpired between them had obviously hurt him deeply, so she hadn’t pressed the issue. Now she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry to tell you that your brother Michael is dead.”

Diedra noticed him flinch, but otherwise he showed no visible reaction. He sat there stone-faced for a moment before asking in an even tone, “How did it happen?”

Diedra answered quickly, “Car accident, he didn’t suffer at all.”

Daniel just nodded. “I haven’t seen or heard from Mikey in four years, since he finished lawschool. Last I heard he’d joined the FBI.”

Diedra confirmed this. “He and I worked together and were also close friends. I share your pain at his loss.”

“Is, I mean was, he married?” Daniel asked. “I remember he was dating this girl in college. I think her name was Vanessa or something.”

“Yes, they were married a few years back. Mike was on his way home to witness the birth of his first child when it happened. Sadly, his wife was so broken by the news that she immediately went into labor. She’s currently in hospital in Virginia, where she just gave birth to their child.”

Daniel whispered something that she didn’t grasp. She leaned in close and asked him to repeat what he’d said. “Boy or girl?” he asked.

“It’s a boy.”

Diedra was totally unprepared for what happened next. The tough man began quivering as tears poured down his cheeks.

Chapter Four

It took Diedra forever to calm down the distressed prisoner. She had the guard come in and remove Daniel’s handcuffs while ordering him to bring two cups of coffee. After he’d sipped half his coffee he finally looked ready to continue. Looking somewhat embarrassed he eventually said, “Sorry about that.”

“I understand, losing a loved one is never easy.”

“It’s not just that; knowing that I also have a nephew who I’ll never see suddenly overwhelmed me. I was a major disappointment to Mikey, and I thought I’d come to terms with that.” He gave a weak smile. “I guess I was mistaken.”

“I don’t understand, how do twin brothers end up as polar opposites, one an FBI agent and the other a career criminal?”

Daniel looked her in the eyes. “It’s a long story, how much time do you have?”

Diedra glanced at her watch. “Actually, I’ve got all night. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me your story, after which I’ll let you know the real reason I’m here.”

Daniel took a deep breath. “I guess it all started when we were both six years old. Up to that point we were so identical in every way that even our mom and dad had trouble telling us apart. Our mother had taken us to a local park where we were playing on the swings. Mikey was two swings over from me when he fell off and started crying. I immediately jumped off my swing and went to help him. Unfortunately the kid next to me connected his swing with my head, one of those heavy, old-fashioned wooden ones.” Daniel paused a second before continuing. “Apparently I was knocked unconscious and was blue in the face, as I’d stopped breathing. Luckily for me, one of the women at the park was a nurse who performed CPR to bring me back. I ended up in hospital for several days with a severe concussion and persistent headaches. The doctors ultimately assured my parents that there was no permanent damage and sent me home. It was only a few weeks later that my parents began to notice my unusual behavior.”

Daniel paused to take a sip of coffee, and Diedra couldn’t help asking, “What was it?”

“Mikey and I had always been smart kids, but suddenly I was able to recall recent events with absolute precision, including dates and times. I was also able to recite things I’d read or shows I’d watched word for word. My parents had me tested by a prominent neurosurgeon who came to the startling conclusion that the knock to my head had resulted in an eidetic memory.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Diedra interrupted, “that’s like a photographic memory, right?”

“It’s sometimes called that, yes,” Daniel replied. “However, photographic memory refers only to visual stimuli, such as reading a book and remembering its exact contents afterwards. Eidetic memory refers to exact recall across all five senses. It usually only occurs in young children, but specialists have determined that the blow to my head made it a permanent feature of my brain.”

“So you’ve still got it?That must be amazing.”

Daniel shook his head sadly. “A blessing and a curse.”

“How so?”

“Be patient, I’m getting to that part. At first it was awesome. I cruised through school and the first two years of college with almost perfect scores. Mikey also did very well, but he had to study hard to keep up with me.” Daniel gave cynical laugh. “If I’d been in his shoes I probably would have been jealous, but he was always the first to congratulate me on my successes. Our father was a senior vice-president with a large marketing firm in San Francisco and both Mikey and I attended nearby Stanford University. Both of us received football scholarships, so attending an expensive Ivy League school wasn’t a problem.”

“I know that Mike studied law; what did you study?” Diedra asked.

“I was studying for an MBA, really easy for a person with a perfect memory. Just had to pay attention in class and I could visualize every lecture to the smallest detail. We were both great athletes; by our junior year I was the starting quarterback and Mikey was a wide receiver.”

“Sounds like a fairy-tale upbringing, what the hell went wrong?”

“A weekend trip to our cabin in the mountains,” Daniel replied. “Mom and Dad were in the front of the car, Mikey and I in the back.We came up behind one of those huge lumber trucks when my dad suddenly cursed and slammed on the brakes. A massive log had come loose and was bouncing towards our car. It smashed into the front of the roof of the car, killing both our parents instantly. The car flipped on its side and eventually skidded to a halt, my head a few inches from the asphalt.”

Diedra’s hand flew to her mouth. “My God, that’s terrible,” she said. “Were you and Mike badly injured?”

“Just a few cuts and bruises,” he replied, “although Mikey’s airbag didn’t deploy and he was knocked unconscious.”

“And you?”

“To this day I wish that I had been. I was trapped in the damn car for over an hour before being freed by rescue workers. I can still remember every little aspect of that hour of hell, the ticking sound coming from the hot engine, the smell of my parents’ blood seeping from their crushed bodies. Now you know why I said having an eidetic memory is a curse.”

“Let’s take a break for a while and I’ll get us some more coffee,” Diedra said softly. “We can continue later.”

Chapter Five

“Are you sure that you’re okay to continue?”Diedra asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Daniel replied. “As I mentioned earlier, our family was well off, and both my mother and father had substantial life insurance policies as well as a policy that paid off the mortgages on both the cabin and house, which were both eventually sold. All the money was paid into a trust account, and Mikey and I have been receiving a five thousand dollar a month allowance from the trust. We were to receive equal shares of the capital in the trust on our thirty-first birthdays, which is September third this year.”

“How much are we talking?” Diedra asked.

“One of Dad’s accountant friends is the headtrustee, and he made some solid investments. Last I heard it was a little over two and a half million dollars each.”

“As Mike wasn’t married when your parents died, I suppose you’ll get it all now?”

Daniel slammed a hand on the table. “I don’t want it all, I just want my brother back. Anyway, I’ll make sure that Mikey’s wife and kid get his half.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

“The least that I can do. Besides, I’m facing fifteen years in prison, so it won’t really help me much.”

“We’ll discuss that later,” Diedra said cryptically. “Did you both return to college after the accident?”

“Yes, we rented a two-bedroom apartment close to the university and tried to continue with our courses. Mikey threw himself full tilt into his studies and achieved amazing results. I think it was in memory of our deceased parents.”

“And you?”

“Exactly the opposite. I kept experiencing with amazing clarity that hour I was trapped in the wrecked car. I thought that I was losing my mind.”

“Did you ever tell your brother or see a shrink, or something?”

Daniel laughed harshly. “There was no need as I discovered the perfect solution to the problem.”

“And that was?”

“Booze, drugs and loose women. It didn’t take long for me to be kicked off the football team and a full expulsion from the university followed soon after.”

“What did Mike have to say about that?”

“Oh, he tried to help, but I was angry and just pushed him away. You see, he never knew that I’d remained conscious after the crash. I pretended that like him I had no memory of the accident whatsoever.”

“Why would you do that?”

“To protect him, of course. If neither one of us remembered anything, then there was nothing to talk about.”

“Makes sense, I guess. What happened next?”

“One day Mikey and I had a huge argument. I moved out of the condo and into a small studio in a bad part of ‘Frisco.”

“Why? With five thousand dollars a month you could have afforded something much nicer.”

“Needed the money for the booze and drugs, which were much easier to acquire in my seedy neighborhood. Ultimately my habit got so bad that I needed more money. I started ripping off department stores and eventually got caught. Mikey came to my rescue and hired a fancy attorney to defend me. I ended up doing only three months in prison.”

“You don’t look like an addict now,” Diedra observed. “Did that set you straight?”

“Not exactly.” Daniel laughed. “My cell mate in prison was in awe of my total recall. He said that I was a fool and that with my memory I should have gone to Vegas and made a fortune counting cards.”

“Let me guess, as soon as you got out you came to Vegas?”

“You bet your sweet ass I did. It was so damn easy, and within a month or so I was flush with cash, over five hundred thousand easily.”

“Back to the drugs then?”

“Oh no, blackjack was my new drug of choice. Besides, you need a clear head to count cards, so I didn’t even drink anymore.”

“So what went wrong?”

“I knew that card-counting wasn’t illegal per se but was frowned upon by the casinos and could get you blacklisted. I spread out my gambling amongst the larger casinos and never visited the same casino twice in one week. I didn’t realize that Vegas was such a small, close-knit community with strong mob ties even to this day.”

As a federal agent,Diedra felt the need to intervene. “That’s just a rumor, it hasn’t really been proven.”

“Oh, believe me, it’s true. I’ve got the scars to prove it.”

“They beat you up?”

“That’s an understatement; they almost killed me. One night, three hoods were waiting for me outside my apartment. They hustled me inside and demanded to know where I kept my ill-gotten gains. Being stubborn, I only disclosed the truth after a thorough beating. Once they had the money they beat me some more and left me bleeding on the kitchen floor.”

“That’s terrible.”

“It definitely wasn’t pleasant, but at least I got to meet Lisa.”

“Who’s Lisa?”

“She was my neighbor, and currently my girlfriend and co-accused. Once the gangsters left she came to my aid and took me to hospital, probably saved my life.”

“Tell me more about her.”

Daniel looked at his empty cup. “How about another coffee before I continue?”

Diedra rose. “You’ve got it. I could use one too.”