Chapter 32

Ivan, Svetlana and ... their son ... went back to Providence two days later, having decided, with my helpful input, that neither of them really wanted anything to do with K-Street lobbyists.

Did I turn my brother, you ask?

What would you have done in my position?

There are people you instinctively feel you can trust, but there are different levels and degrees of trust. The whole concept is highly subjective. There's the kind of trust where you'll let someone borrow your car, or the kind where you'll confess to something particularly embarrassing. Then there's the kind of trust where you'd feel safe telling someone your deepest, darkest secret, or allowing them to stand behind you with a loaded gun.

My bother and his wife didn't fall into any of those categories. Not with me.

I trust damn few people, and with good reason. The few times I've trusted anyone ... anyone at all ... they've invariably let me down.

I'm not a great judge of character, not by any means. I've screwed up more than a few times in that respect, but there's one positive thing you can say about me ... I don't forget. Good or bad, I remember it all.

Hell yeah I turned my brother. I didn't trust him any farther than I could throw an elephant. What I didn't do was tie him, or his blood thirsty bitch, to me. I tied them to each other. I figured they deserved it, and it was the least damaging punishment I could think of, considering what they'd done ... or tried to do.

So the girls came back to our bed, my brother's family went home, and Dad hung around for a week and played with the kids, which gave me and the girls more free time to ourselves ... when I wasn't busy getting Lucy and her gang of misfits settled into their new lives and jobs. Fortunately for all of us, they took to the NSA like ducks to water. Within days they'd completely taken over and Lucy was in hog heaven.

By the twenty first of February her crew had gotten me all the information I'd asked for, with one major gaping Hole of Calcutta type exception.

They couldn't tell me where Alex Chorney was.

To be honest, I hadn't really expected they'd be able to -- but it would have been nice. I'd just have to make do with the names and addresses of his extended family. And he had a lot of family.

Most were outside the country, but that didn't faze me in the least. That's what I had Ty Donner for.

Ty Donner, CIA Deputy Director of Operations; head honcho of all the spies, field operatives and black bag operations and one of my very first double agents.

I gave him the list of names and address, told him what I wanted and how fast and then sat back and waited for the fireworks.

I was sitting in my office, going over Eric's list of our new employees, and trying to figure out what the hell to do with all of them, when the phone rang. I looked up from the list and gazed at the phone console. Eric's intercom light was blinking in time with the rings.

"Yes Eric?"

"Doctor, there's a call for you ... it's him."

I smiled coldly; set the list down and with my free hand activated the program Lucy's people had installed on my computer. The monitor was quickly filled with a grid of what looked like tiny color TV screens. Each small screen was occupied by one or more people, going about their normal everyday (or in some cases everynight) lives.

"By all means, put him thru." I told my assistant and then began inhaling emotions as though they were air.

Clicks, whirrs, buzzes and beeps followed ... then a prolonged high pitched squealing followed by absolute silence.

And then...

"Hello Doctor. You've been a busy boy, haven't you?"

"What can I tell you? My life's a never-ending carnival ride. Just one fun filled moment after another."

"Some day you must tell me how you managed to destroy an entire warehouse without using explosives, or leaving anything more than blood traces in the way of evidence." He sounded as though he were genuinely impressed.

"It wasn't all that difficult really. Pity you weren't there, I'd have been delighted to let you watch how it was done from inside."

"How droll. Still, well done. Very well done."

"Gee, thanks. Can I assume you're convinced Lucifer has been eliminated, as we agreed?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I was initially skeptical. Primarily owing to the rather flamboyant method employed. However, after extensive review of the local police and FBI lab results, and the total absence of Lucifer's handy work since then, we are now convinced."

"I'm thrilled. Now, how about keeping your part of our arrangement?"

"Ah ... yes, the pictures and video. Well, I'm afraid that there's been a slight change of plans. Regrettably, I find myself in further need of your services, so I think I'll just hang on to those items for the time being."

I waited for a long count of ten before replying.

"I suppose I should be shocked or offended or surprised, but I'm not."

"I'd have been disappointed if you were. Still, what can you do? How does that expression go; 'once you've got 'em by the balls their hearts and minds will follow'?"

I chuckled harshly. "I had a drill sergeant who was fond of saying that. Still, it's interesting that you appear to have forgotten to protect your own. Tell me Alex, how's your uncle Julio in Havana doing these days?"

There was a complete absence of sound blaring from the phone against my ear.

"Or your mother in Madrid? Heard from her lately? Nice looking woman. I'd have never figured her for a red-head. She looks good though, for a woman her age. What is she, sixty four, sixty five? Your sister Carmen now, she's the one with the husband and children in Mexico City right? Not what I'd call a classically good looking woman; must take after your father's side of the family. Kinda looks a bit like Julio."

More silence.

"You still there Alex?" I asked quietly.

"You didn't kill Lucifer." he said tiredly.

"You didn't say kill, you said eliminate. So I eliminated. As far as the NSA or FBI is concerned, Lucifer is dead; and no one, but no one, will ever hear a peep from him ever again. Sounds like elimination to me."

"He's working for the CIA now?"

"No, Lucifer works for me now. I can understand why your principals wanted him out of the way; he really is very good. How do you think I located your family so quickly?"

There was a slightly too long pause.

"It won't do any good." I said.

"What won't?" he replied harshly.

"Dialing phone numbers like a madman, trying to get in touch and telling them to head for the hills. It won't solve your problem. In fact, why don't you get Uncle Julio on the line? He's at home right now, sitting in his living room with a couple of what look to me like seriously under age girls. He's smoking a cigar and sipping ... cognac I think it is ... and the girls; well you can probably guess what they're doing. Yeah, by all means, give him a call. I'll wait."

I watched the images on the monitor, isolated the one I wanted and enlarged it so that it filled the screen completely. There was no audio, but then I didn't need sound. I watched the man on the screen and concentrated. Then I linked.

Yeah, he was having a grand old time, but at his age it took quite a while to get his rocks off. The girls were doing their best, and for as young as they looked to be, they were both quite accomplished.

The phone on the table next to his arm chair must have rung, because the old man set aside his brandy snifter, picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

"Don't forget to verify that things are as I described Alex ... I don't want there to be any doubt in your mind."

"La morte e l'unica cura per il vero antipatico." Alex's voice rasped half heartedly. He was obviously distracted by something more pressing at that moment. What I found interesting was that his curse (I assumed it was a curse because of the tone) sounded like Italian. I figured, based on our one previous meeting, that he'd have cursed me in Russian or possibly Spanish.

There was a lull in our conversation as, I assumed, Alex and his Uncle exchanged pleasantries. On screen, the old man sat up abruptly, dislodging one of the two girls and dumping her unceremoniously onto the floor, and began looking around the room in a panic.