-- And to
clear something up really quick…. Later on to show that I'm switching perspectives
I used a "***" instead of my long line of asterisks to show scene change….
Right now when I say that it prolly doesn't make sense… but once you get there
it may make more sense…. If you don't understand what I mean (I don't blame ya…
lol) and I wouldn't really worry about it ^_~
Day One
Atlanta
6:30 a.m.
"I
suppose you won't be going to Alison's party tonight." Noin made a face.
"You just don't want to dress up in a suit and tie."
"Yeah,
I arranged for Heero to drop this mess in my lap so I could get out of going to
a party." Zechs gulped down the last of his orange juice.
"Just
because you don't like my sister is no reason to slight her daughter."
"I'll
give Alison a terrific present."
"But
you don't like my sister, do you?"
Zechs
was too tired to deny it. "She's a snob. She thinks you married beneath
you. Which means she's also stupid."
"Maybe.
At times like this I tend to doubt it. You haven't been home for three
days."
He
leered at her. "But I was home last night."
"For
four hours, and only because it was my fertile time."
He
stood up and gave her a kiss on the nose. "I think we did it. Nine months
from now we'll be changing diapers."
"I'll
be changing diapers. You'll probably still be at the center playing with your nasty
little bugs." She watched him grab his briefcase and head for the door.
"Just look at you. Why couldn't you have left that work for the little
time you came home?"
"Gomen.
I wanted to check some results in the car back to the office."
"Just
drop in for an hour at the party?"
"I
can't, babe. I'm too close."
"What
about Otto? Can't he carry on without you?"
"Maybe.
But speed's important right now. You know I wouldn't miss Alison's party if I
could help it."
She
nodded resignedly and followed him. "Okay, I'll make your excuses."
She grabbed him as he started out the door. "Come back here." She
cradled his face in her hands. "Definitely a stud." She kissed him.
"Now, don't work so damn hard. I don't want you having a stroke before the
kid gets here."
"No
chance. We're almost there." He hugged her and then started down the porch
steps. "Hell, maybe I'll even get to the party."
"Fat
chance." She frowned as she saw the gray Ford parked at the curb. "I
was going to take those policemen some coffee. I forgot."
"We
can stop somewhere."
"Paul
does the driving, right?"
"Jim
does the driving. Paul is his partner."
"Why
the policemen, Ed? Why aren't you driving yourself? Is it Ebola or
something?"
He
shook his head, "I told you, I'm a very important man. The president, the
mayor, and I all need police escorts." He winked at her. "When this
is all over, we'll have to be sure and tell your sister."
She
smiled. "She's okay. She just doesn't understand."
"Go
on inside. It's chilly out here."
"My
robe's warm. The air feels good."
Zechs
could feel her gaze on him as he walked toward the car. He shouldn't have
promised he might make the party, but he'd felt guilty. Noin put up with a hell
of a lot. Maybe next month he'd take her away for a vacation. With any luck,
the antidote would be ready in less than a week. The last test had proved very
promising. Promising, hell, it had sent him over the moon with excitement. It
wasn't often that a scientist got a chance to stop a disease in its tracks.
"Hi
guys." He hopped into the back seat of the car and slammed the door.
"We'll have to stop somewhere to get you your coffee. Noin was-"
No
response. Jim and Paul were both looking straight ahead. A thin line of blood
welled slowly from the back of Paul's collar.
"Shit."
Zechs
reached for the door handle.
He
never heard Noin's scream.
***************
"You're
sure?"
I froze
in my chair. I had never seen such a look of pain on Heero's face.
"Yeah,
I'll go. You're right it's my job." He hung up the phone.
"Relena?"
He
nodded. "I've got to go to Atlanta."
"Why?"
"Zechs
is dead."
"What?"
I whispered.
"His
car blew up. He and two officers were killed in the blast." His fist
crashed down on the chair. "Son of a bitch."
"He
was your friend."
"We
went to college together. I went to his wedding. Oh, yes, some friend I
am," he said bitterly. "I bulldoze him into taking on the project. I
didn't think he'd be a target. Not if Relena arranged security for him."
"Odin?"
"I
don't know. He likes the knife, but he's used explosives before. It might be
Odin or one of Trieze's people."
"How
does this affect the research?"
"It's
got to set it back. It was a team project but Zechs was team leader." He
stood up and strode toward the door. "So Dekim got a delay. The bastard
couldn't get you, so he went after Zechs."
I
flinched. "I wish there was something I could do. I'm sorry, Heero."
"That
you're still alive? Don't worry, I'm sure Dekim has plans to change that. Well,
he's not going to get you. I'll be back tonight. I have to check out the
situation with the research and see Zechs's wife. Relena's called Wufei and
he'll be over in five minutes. I'll wait for him downstairs, but I won't leave
until he gets here."
"You
can go. It's only a few minutes."
"It
took less than a minute for them to incinerate Zechs." He looked over his
shoulder. "If you want to help me, you'll stay inside the apartment
today."
I
nodded. "Whatever you say."
"Yeah,
sure. Whatever I say." The door closed behind him.
I had met
Zechs Marquise only once, but I had a vivid memory of looking back at him as he
stood in the rain in the parking lot. He had been frightened, but that hadn't
stopped him.
And now
he was dead. Dekim had killed him as he had killed Quatre and all those other-
A knock
on the door.
"Just
a minute." I got up and moved across the room. I paused with my hand on
the lock. "Wu?"
"Relena."
Great.
She always seemed to be hovering over me like a vulture when something bad
happened. I opened the door. "Where's Wufei?"
She
smiled. "He'll be here shortly. I intercepted him and asked him to wait
downstairs while we had a talk."
"I
don't want to talk. We've said everything there is to say."
She
came into the apartment and closed the door. "Zechs's death is the final
straw. We can't delay much longer. You have to trust me to take care of
you."
"I
don't have to do any such thing. I don't trust you. I trust myself."
"And
Heero."
I gazed
directly into her eyes. "And Heero."
"You
feel safe with him?"
"Will
you leave, Miss. Relena?"
"You
shouldn't feel safe. He's a dangerous man. He's using you. He's using all of
us. He's used Zech Marquise, and you know how that turned out."
"I
didn't hear you object to Heero using Zechs."
"But
Heero's a driven man. Sometimes I think he's unbalanced."
"We're
a good match. I'm driven too."
"Then
let me help you. You don't need Heero. Believe me you don't want Heero."
She smiled persuasively as she stepped closer. "Just be patient and hear
me out."
***************
"I
nagged him," Noin whispered. "I wanted him to go to a party. I knew
how tired he was, and I still nagged him."
Heero's
hand closed on hers.
"I
thought it was important." Tears were running down her face. "I
thought a damn party was important."
"It
was important." Heero said."
"I
should have- Oh, shit." She buried her face in his chest. "Why didn't
I keep my mouth shut?"
Christ,
this was killing him. "You had many goods years. Zechs loved you. He
didn't care about-"
"I
wanted a kid. That's why he came home last night. He should have stayed at the
center. He would have been safe." She raised her head. "It's crazy.
None of this makes sense. He was a scientist. No one blows up scientists. That
happens to politicians or evangelists or Mafia bosses. Not to men like
Zechs."
"Has
someone called your family?"
"I
told my sister not to come. She and Zechs didn't get along."
"Someone
else?"
"My
mother's flying in from Rhode Island." She pushed him away and sat up
straight. "Gomen, I'm embarrassing you. You don't know what to do. Hell, I
don't know what to do either."
"You're
not embarrassing me."
"Sure
I am. You never did know how to handle--" She hesitated. "It was what
he was working on, wasn't it? The stuff you gave him to do."
"Hai."
"And
it killed him."
"Hai."
"He
was your friend," she whispered. "Why?"
"It
was important."
"Important
enough for him to die?"
Her
every word was like a whiplash, "I thought he'd be safe, Noin."
"He
wasn't safe." She was rocking back and forth. "He wasn't safe. It was
a mistake. You made a mistake."
"I
know," He said hoarsely. "I know I did."
"And
I did too. I made a terrible mistake."
"You
didn't make a mistake. He wouldn't have thought you were nagging him about that
party."
"Iie,
not about that. The baby. Oh, God, what if I have a baby?" Her eyes were
swimming with tears as she whispered, "I couldn't stand it. It would kill
me. I couldn't stand to have a baby without Zechs here."
***************
"What
about the project?" Relena demanded when Heero answered his phone on the
way to the Atlanta airport.
"The
team is in shock, but everyone is scrambling to regroup. Otto will take over,
but some of the papers were lost in the blast."
"How
long are they set back?"
"I
don't know. But Otto's a god man and he seems confident."
He
wished he could say something more positive. This was Relena's cue to push for
moving Duo, and he braced himself for battle.
No
battle. Relena changed the subject. "I just heard from my man who's
tracking Morrisey. A week ago the Majestic Hotel in Cheyenne requested a
guarantee on his credit card. We checked with the hotel and they still have a
John Morrisey registered."
Excitement
flared through Heero.
"You
could fly straight from Atlanta," Relena continued. "I thought you'd
want to go get him yourself."
He did
want to go. Hell, he was desperately eager to go. Morrisey might be the key to
Dekim, and he was afraid that any one of Relena's men might let him slip
through his fingers.
But
that would mean Duo...
"I
can't leave Duo right now. When I get to New Orleans, I'll ask Wufei to go get
Morrisey."
There
was a silence. "Well, let me know if you change your mind."
"I
won't change my mind. He hung up the phone. Relena's mildness had been unusual.
Ordinarily, Heero could predict which way Relena was going to jump, but Relena
surprised him this time.
He
didn't like it.
***************
6:15 p.m.
"You
look like hell," Wufei said when Heero walked into the apartment.
"Bad?"
"It
couldn't have been much worse."
"You
know how sorry I am."
Yeah,
he knew. The whole world was sorry, but it didn't bring Zechs back. Heero's
gaze went to the bedroom. "Where's Duo? Is he in his room?"
Wufei
shook his head. "I wish he were. He's been in his darkroom since I got to
the apartment."
"His
darkroom? Has he been working?"
Wufei
shook his head. "I don't think so. Relena came to see him."
Heero
stiffened. "And she upset him?"
"Whatever
she said must have been a knockout punch."
I
feel safe there.
He remembered
what he had said about his darkroom. Whatever Relena had told him had sent him
fleeing for safety.
He
should have expected it. Relena had stepped in the minute she'd seen her
opportunity. Everything else was toppling down around him. Why not this too?
"Should
I leave?" Wufei asked.
"No,
stay." He started down the hall. "I'll go see him."
***
Heero
stopped outside of the darkroom. Do it. Face him. He braced himself and then
knocked on the door. "May I come in, Duo? We need to talk."
"You
bet we do." I threw open the door. My eyes blazing, I drew back a hand and
hit him. "You son of a bitch."
"Duo,
I didn't mean--"
"The
hell you didn't." I hit him again. Tears were suddenly running down
my cheeks. "You did this. None of this should have happened. Quatre
shouldn't have died." I hit him again. "Why couldn't you have left us
alone?"
"Gomen
nasai," Heero said. "I never meant to hurt you. I thought it was
safe."
"You
sent me to Tenajo. You let me take my best friend. Do you know how guilty I've felt
since he died? You did it all you bastard." I was sobbing so hard; I could
barely get the words out. "Quatre died..."
"He
wasn't supposed to go with you. You were on assignment. You were supposed to go
alone."
"And
you arranged it. Relena said you pulled strings at the magazine and mapped out
the assignment. You wanted me to go to Tenajo."
A
muscle jerked in his left cheek. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Didn't
Relena tell you?"
"All
she could talk about was how you set me up and how I should trust only
her." I took a step closer and said between my teeth, "You tell me
Heero. You tell me why you wanted me dead."
"I
didn't want you dead. I knew there was a good chance you'd survive."
"You
couldn't know that I'd--" My eyes widened. "You did know. My
God, you knew about the immunity. But how could you?"
"L2."
I
stared at him stunned.
"You
got a very low dose of the mutated anthrax in L2. It was much weaker than the
strain Dekim used in Tenajo." He added grimly. "But it was strong
enough to kill everyone in the village."
"You're
saying L2 was another testing ground?"
"The
first. It was a perfect scheme for Dekim. He supplied the anthrax to the
guerillas, and they sent it into the village in a food shipment."
I shook
my head. "No, it's not true. Everyone was butchered. I was there. I saw
it."
"It
was part of the deal. The guerillas went later and made it look like a
massacre."
"It
was a massacre."
He
shook his head.
"You
knew about it?" I whispered. "You knew about the babies?"
"No,
I was with Trieze at the time. L2 was strictly Dekim's show. But I found out
about it later."
"And
you did nothing."
"What
do you want me to say?" he asked harshly. "All right, I did nothing.
Just as I did nothing after Nakoa. Because there was no proof." He paused.
"But after L2 I thought we might have an edge. When you were in the
hospital in L2, I had them take blood tests. You'd developed immune antibodies
to the weaker strain of the anthrax Dekim used in L2."
"You
were at the hospital in L2?"
"I
had to know. I had to be sure."
"You
were there all the time."
"Hai."
"My
driver survived too."
"We
checked him out. He wasn't immune. You must have had more contact with the
bacteria as you moved from room to room at the orphanage. You were our only hope."
"If
you knew I was immune, why didn't you do something about it? Why didn't you
take some damn blood and try to save Tenajo?"
"Dekim
considered L2 a failure and continued mutating the strain. But we didn't know
what those new mutations were. So developing an antidote beforehand would have
been useless."
"So
you sent me to Tenajo."
"You
had to be exposed. I had to make sure you were immune."
"And
one more death didn't make any difference."
"Hell,
yes. It made a difference. But I couldn't let it stop me."
"You
killed Quatre."
"You
were the only one suppose to go to Tenajo. Dammit, I had no intention of
exposing him."
"You
killed him."
"All
right, I killed him. It was my fault."
"You
killed him and you lied to me and you fucked me." I stared at hi min
disgust. "And I let you. I let you do it all."
"I
didn't fuck you. I made love to you." He took a step toward me. "Duo,
it wasn't--"
"Don't
you touch me." I backed away. "No wonder you were so protective
and kind to me. You were feeling guilty. God, I want to kill you. I want to cut
your heart out."
"You'll
have to wait in line." He said wearily.
"Get
out of my apartment, you son of a bitch."
"Odin
Lowe is still out there."
"I
don't care."
"I
care." He paused. "Are you going to let Relena take you to--"
"I'm
not letting Relena take me anywhere. I don't trust her any more than I trust
you. Get out." My voice was shaking. "I can't even stand looking at
you."
"Duo
this is just what Odin and Dekim want."
"Get
out."
I
slammed the door of the darkroom in his face.
***
Heero
hands clenched into fists at his sides. It was what he expected. He had always
known he would eventually find out. But he hadn't known it would hurt so much.
He
strode back into the living room.
"Relena
blew the whistle?" Wufei asked. "He knows about the setup?"
"He
knows everything. He wants me out." He went to the guest bedroom and took
out his suitcase. "Which means you're in. He can't be left alone."
Wufei
followed him. "I didn't promise I'd be in for the long haul, Heero."
He
threw his clothes into the suitcase. "Do you want him dead?"
"Relena
will--"
"You
keep him away from Relena. She was supposed to be protecting Zechs Marquise,
and Zechs
Marquise
is dead. Do you think Relena will keep him any safer?"
"What
are you going to do?"
"The
only thing I can do." He slammed the suitcase shut. "I'm going to
Cheyenne after Morrisey. Relena finally tracked him down. Call Relena and tell
her I'm on my way." Not that she needed to be told. She had known Duo
would not let Heero within a mile of him after what she'd told him. He wanted
to break the interfering bitch's neck. "I just hope to hell it's not a
wild-goose chase." He paused. "Will you stay, Wufei? Will you take
care of him? We need him. He's... valuable."
In more
ways than one, evidently." Wufei nodded his head. "I'll take care of
him."
***************
God, it
hurt.
I huddled
myself in the corner of the darkroom, my arms wrapped around my knees.
Why had
I trusted him? I knew he didn't care about anything or anyone but getting
Dekim. He had even warned me not to trust him.
But I
hadn't listened. And I had let him use me as he had used everyone else. He had
sent me to Tenajo and Quatre had died.
I felt
as if I were bleeding inside. I hadn't been stupid enough to actually let him
mean anything to me. So why was I curled up like a wounded animal n the dark?
It was
shock. I would be better soon. I would stay here for just a little while longer
and let myself heal. Then I would go out and function perfectly well.
Just a
little longer.
***************
Heero
was gone.
It was
the best chance Odin might have. He wasn't worried about the guards downstairs.
He could dispose of them with no problem. Dekim had been very pleased about his
deftness with those policemen in Atlanta. It was Heero who had been the big
stumbling block, and Heero had left.
The
window of opportunity couldn't stay open long.
But it
might be long enough.
***************
Over
two hours later Wufei was sitting in front of the television set when I came
down into the living room.
"Would
you like some dinner?" Wufei snapped off the set. "It's after nine and
you haven't had anything to eat all day.
I shook
my head. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired."
"I
can see why."
I
looked at him. "You knew about it."
Wufei
nodded. "Most of it. I learned the rest from Relena after I got
here."
"It
seems everyone knew but me. I find that as unforgivable as the rest."
"You'd
be surprised what you can forgive." He held up his hand. "I'm not
trying to persuade you that Heero was right."
"There's
no way you could."
"I'm
just saying we all have our priorities. Heero isn't all black and he does care
whether you live or die."
"That's
why he sent me to Tenajo."
Wufei
sighed. "This obviously isn't the time for me to be talk to you." He
stood up. "I have to go downstairs and ask one of the guards to go to my
flat and pack a suitcase for me. I'll stand his duty downstairs until he gets
back. I shouldn't be long."
"You
don't have to move in here. I'll be all right."
"I
promised Heero. And my apartment was getting lonely anyway." He paused as
he opened the door. "Are you going to drag me out on the street
tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Would
it do any good to tell you to lie low for a few days?"
"No,
it wouldn't."
"I
was afraid of that."
"Wufei."
I had just thought of something. "I'll need to send a blood sample by tomorrow
morning. Heero usually took it."
"Gomen,
I'm not qualified. I'd probably butcher you." He paused. "Zechs's
death has probably thrown everything into turmoil anyway. It may take a little
while to regroup."
"They
can't do anything with the blood samples. The sooner they get it, the
better."
He
nodded. "There's got to be an agent who can take blood. I'll have Relena
send someone over."
"Arigatou."
"Thank
you. You're the one that's doing us the favor."
"It's
not a favor." Dekim had killed Zechs Marquise and I'd be damned if I'd
give him more. "Have the agent come early. I want that sample in Atlanta
by noon."
Wufei
saluted. "Yes, Sir."
"Oh,
and could I borrow your portable phone? I always used Heero's and I don't want
to use the apartment phone when I call to check on Iris."
"No
problem." He handed me the phone. "I'd much rather supply you with
this than rob you of your blood."
I moved
toward the bedroom. After I showered I'd call the hospital and check on Iris. Then
I'd go to bed and try to sleep.
Who was
I fooling? I was exhausted but there was no way I was going to be able to
sleep. My nerves were as raw as when Heero had left.
So
don't waste time.
I went
back to the darkroom and gathered all the pictures I'd taken since I'd returned
to New Orleans. Heero had not recognized anyone, but maybe Id get lucky and
catch... something.
Twenty
minutes later I wearily stacked the photos on the nightstand. Nothing. There
was no use staring at the faces any longer. Everything was blurring before my
eyes. Hell, some of the photos had been a little blurry too. I must have--
Why
would they be blurred? I couldn't remember any unusual circumstances to account
for blurring.
She
riffled through the pictures. Only four shots had any blurring.
The
clown. The tall clown with green hair and a white-painted face. In each shot he
was moving away from the camera at the exact moment I had taken the picture.
Coincidence?
Of had he been trying to avoid the camera? Even with a disguise, had he felt
uneasy?
I ran
to the darkroom, got my magnifying glass, placed it over the clown's face.
"Duo."
Wufei was knocking on the front door.
I ran
to open it. "I've found Odin. I think I know who he is."
Wufei
set down his suitcase and took the photos I was handing him. "The
clown?"
"He's
been there every day. The shot from the first day doesn't have any blurring,
but every day after that he tried to avoid being photographed."
"Possible."
He smiled. "Very possible. It's worth having Relena pick him up."
I
watched him as he talked to Relena. They would pick up the suspect, and if I
was right, I wouldn't have to worry about a murderer on my doorstep. I should
feel safer, but I didn't. Dekim would only send someone else.
Or
maybe he would come himself. Maybe this would be the trigger.
Wufei
ended the call. "Done. Now we simply wait to hear more." He sat down
and looked at me. "Tell me how your Iris is."
Iris. I
had forgotten to call Sally.
I
reached for Wufei's phone and quickly dialed. A short time later I was
connected with her.
"You
just caught me, Duo." She sounded tired. "I was about to leave."
"How's
Iris?"
"Better.
Much better. I'm planning on operating tomorrow morning."
My
heart jumped. "What time?"
"Eight
o'clock. Can you be here for her?"
God, I
wanted to be.
"We'll
take care of her, even if you can't make it."
But
Iris would be sick and in pain and among strangers. "When will you know if
she's--" I wouldn't say the word paralyzed. "If the operation
was a success?"
"We'll
have a good idea by tomorrow evening. You could call then."
"Yes,
I could do that." I could do phone calls and prayers just as I'd done ever
since I delivered Iris to the hospital. To hell with it. I was tired of this
long-distance care taking. "I'll be there tomorrow morning."
She
chuckled. "To keep an eye on me?"
"You
bet. I'll see you tomorrow, Sally."
I hung
up the phone, feeling Wufei's eyes on me.
"How
is she?" he asked.
"Better.
They're operating tomorrow."
"I
see."
"And
I'm going to be there."
"I
want to argue with you, but I won't," he said quietly. "I'd do the same.
Children are hard to fight."
"Relena
will try to stop me from going. Will you help me?"
"Suppose
you go get your overnight case packed while I work out a strategy." He
looked down at his suitcase. "I seem to be ready to go. Do you think I'm
psychic?"
"I
think you're a very nice guy."
He
smiled. "But that goes without saying."
***************
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Majestic Hotel
11:45 p.m.
The hotel
was old and shabby. Not even the snow could disguise its run-down state.
Inside, the chipped and discolored reception desk was manned by a pimple-faced
kid in jeans and a plaid shirt who was reading USA Today.
"I'm
here for John Morrisey," Heero said. "Which room?"
The kid
didn't look up. "You'll have to call him. We don't give out that
information."
"Which
room?"
"I
said we--" The kid glanced up and stiffened as he met Heero's gaze.
"It's against the rules."
"I
won't tell anybody. Which room?"
"Two
thirty-four."
"Has
anyone been here to see him?"
"Only
Trey."
"Trey?"
"Trey
Catalonia."
"You
know this Catalonia?"
"Sure.
He lives here in the hotel. Trey's cool." The kid nibbled on his lower
lip. "You with the police or something?"
Heero nodded
and showed his ID.
"CIA?
Cool."
"No
older man has been around? Gray hair, hooked nose?"
The kid
shook his head. "Haven't seen him. But I work the night shift. I haven't
even seen Morrisey for a couple of days."
But
he's still registered?"
He nodded.
"How
long has Morrisey been here?"
"Two
weeks." He frowned. "Cody's not in trouble, is he? He's clean. He
drinks a little, but he told me that no performer with any sense does
drugs."
"Performer?"
"Cody
drives in the demolition derby." He pointed his thumb to the right.
"You can see his name on the poster on the stadium two blocks down. It's
real little letters, but Cody told me the management thinks he's hot stuff and
the next year they're going to feature him. He's going to be a star."
What
the hell could Dekim want with Trey Catalonia? Heero wondered. He turned and
walked toward the elevator. "Don't call Morrisey and tell him I'm
coming."
Two
minutes later he was standing in front of Morrisey's door. A Do Not Disturb
sign hung on the knob. He knocked. No answer. He carefully turned the knob.
Locked. Morrisey might have already flown the coop. The kid had said he hadn't
seen him for a few days.
He
knocked again. No answer.
He
suddenly noticed the door was ice-cold.
He
kicked in the door.
The
window across the room was wide open and snow covered the carpet beneath it. A
man was lying on the bed, a fistful of money clutched in his hand.
Shit.
Heero
backed away and slammed the door shut. He took out his phone and dialed Relena.
"Get a crew over here right away. Morrisey's dead and there's money all
over the bed. Room 234."
Relena
cursed. "Anthrax?"
"Probably.
Tell your men to be careful but to go over everything with a fine-toothed
comb," Heero continued. "See if we can come up with any leads."
Not that he had any hope they would. Dekim wasn't careless.
"They'll
be there in thirty minutes."
"Tell
them to come in the back way. That may save us from the five o'clock
news."
He hung
up the phone and returned to the lobby. The clerk straightened apprehensively
when he saw Heero approach.
"I
didn't call him. If he wasn't there, it's not my fault."
"I
know you didn't call him." He placed his elbows on the desk. "What's
your name?"
"Don
Sloburn."
"My
name's Heero. I need your help. I need you to try to remember if you ever saw
Morrisey with anyone except Catalonia. Anyone at all."
Sloburn
shook his head. "No one except the guys at the track. He was a real fan,
like me. He used to go down to Shea's bar at the corner and sit around and talk
to the performers. But I never saw him deal any drugs or nothing."
"He
talked to performers other than Catalonia?"
"Yeah
sure, but he and Trey hit it off." He hesitated. "Cody's in trouble
too?"
"Maybe.
Can you tell me where to find him?"
He
shook his head.
Heero
couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth. Time to shake him up a little.
"Morrisey's dead. Murdered. He's been dead for days."
Sloburn's
eyes widened in shock. "Trey did it?"
"No,
I don't think so, but Catalonia may know something." He added, "Or he
may be in danger himself if he saw something he shouldn't have. We have to find
him."
"Drugs?
Mafia?"
"Possibly.
Where's Trey Catalonia?"
"I
don't know. I haven't seen him in a couple of days. I thought maybe he went
down to see his mother in Kansas."
"He
hasn't been in the show or down at the bar?"
He
shook his head.
"Do
you know where his mother lives?"
"I
don't remember." He frowned. "Some suburb that sounds like-- Northern
Lights, maybe."
"Northern
Lights?"
He
shrugged. "I don't remember."
"Does
he have a girl?"
"Not
here. He always said a performer had to devote himself to his work if he wanted
to be a headliner."
"Do
you have a picture of him?"
"No."
He thought about it. "Dunston might have one. They take a lot of publicity
pictures."
"Dunston?"
"Irwin
Dunston. He runs the demolition derby."
"Where
can I find him?"
"The
derby was over at eleven. He's probably down at Shea's bar with everyone
else."
"Arigatou."
He leaned closer. "Now, I want you to listen very carefully. No one's to
go into Morrisey's room. This has to be handled discreetly. A group of
technicians will be here shortly to take the body and clean up the room."
"Technicians?"
"We're
not sure what killed him. There are all kinds of gases and powders the mob uses
these days. I'm sure the hotel manager wouldn't appreciate having anyone know
the room might be contaminated."
"No."
"Good.
Then you'll cooperate and keep this from the media."
Sloburn
was frowning uncertainly. "I watched the O.J. trial. This isn't how things
are done. You're disturbing evidence."
Christ,
everyone in the world seemed to watch trials like the O.J. one and thought they
were experts. "Oh, am I?"
"Yes,
and how do I know that ID isn't forged or something? You might not be CIA. You
could be anyone."
"Yes,
I could be anyone." He gazed directly into Sloburn's eyes and said softly.
"There's a dead man upstairs who was killed by the mob. Now, if I'm not
one of the good guys, who could I be?"
Sloburn
swallowed hard. "No one. You're legit. Of course you're legit."
"And
you'll cooperate with the men who want to save your manager a major
headache?"
He
nodded.
"And
you don't know anything more about Trey Catalonia?:
"I
told you everything."
Which
wasn't much. "The lock's broken on the door. Go on up and stand guard
until the technicians get there."
"I
shouldn't leave the desk."
Heero
looked at him.
Sloburn
nodded quickly and started around the desk. "I guess this is a more urgent
matter."
"Very
urgent."
So
urgent it was scaring the pants off him, Heero thought as he headed for the
exit. Morrisey's death could have been another experiment.
Or
Dekim could be throwing down the gauntlet.
