Day Four
Aurora, Kansas
2:47 a.m.
The
small yard at the Catalonia house was overflowing with reporters and TV
cameras. A satellite truck was parked across the street. Heero parked two
blocks down and walked quickly to the front door.
He
elbowed through the crowd of reporters and rang the doorbell.
"Better
watch it," one of the photographers warned. "She called the cops when I rang
the bell this afternoon and they almost ran me off."
He
couldn't blame her. This media circus was overpowering. He rang the bell again.
No
answer.
What
the hell. He put his shoulder to the door and rammed it with all his strength.
"Shit.
Are you crazy?" The startled photographer shot a picture of him as he broke
through the door. "You're going to get us all thrown off the property. She'll
scream bloody-"
Heero
missed the last two words as he entered and slammed the door shut behind him.
The hall was dark but he could see a light streaming from one of the rooms at
the top of the stairs.
He
didn't have long to wait. A door was flung open and Dorothy Catalonia marched
to the head of the stairs. She was dressed in a nightgown and robe and she was
pointing a pistol at him.
"Gomen.
I'll pay to repair the door." Heero said.
"Get
out of my house."
"I need
to see you."
"You're
trespassing. I'd be within my rights to blow a hole in you."
"That's
true. But do you think you need the hassle? You're probably having enough
trouble."
"Who
are you? A reporter? Police?
"CIA.
Could I come up and talk to you?"
"I've
had someone from your department in the government talk to me." She turned on
the hall light and her gaze narrowed on him. "You were here before. Gardiner."
"Heero
Yuy. A small untruth."
"You
were looking for Trey." She was coming down the stairs. "It hadn't even
happened yet and you were looking for Trey."
"I
suspected he was involved."
"Then
why the hell didn't you find him? Why did you let him do it? My friends are
going to think I've raised some kind of monster. Why didn't you stop him?"
"I
tried." He looked at the gun. "Will you put that down? I'm trying to make
things easier for you."
"You're
trying to catch Trey, like everyone else."
"I want
the man who hired him, and I want you to persuade him to help me. But there are
people out there who only want a scapegoat. They'll take your son." He paused.
"And they'll take you with him."
She was
silent a moment. "What do you want from me?"
"When
he calls, talk to him but make it very short. We don't want the call traced. If
he tries to set up a meeting, do it. And make sure he knows the line is bugged
so he won't give himself away."
"He may
not call again."
He sat
down by the small telephone table in the hall. "We both have to hope that he
does."
***************
The
phone rang a few hours later. Heero picked up the hall extension at the same
time Dorothy answered the kitchen phone.
"Mama,
don't hang up."
"I
can't talk to you," Dorothy said. "Are you crazy? I told you the last time not
to call me. After what you've done, do you think they haven't tapped my phone?
I'll be lucky if they don't arrest me. You've ruined my life, you baka."
"I
didn't mean to do it, Mama. It was counterfeit, but I thought that was all. I
need your help. You're all I've got. Can you meet me at the place where I had my
ninth birthday party?"
"No, I
can't be involved in this."
"Please,
Mama."
She was
silent."
"I'll
be waiting for you. I know you'll come." He hung up.
Heero
was surprised to see tears in Dorothy's eyes as she came out into the hall.
"Damn him. He's so stupid. They'll put him away in prison and then they'll kill
him."
Heero
wanted to lie to her, but he didn't. "Feelings are running pretty high right
now."
"I love
him, you know." She wiped her eyes and straightened her shoulders. "But I'm not
going to let him take me with him." She gazed at Heero defiantly. "You think
I'm terrible, don't you?"
"I'm
not judging you."
"It
doesn't matter what you think. I always did my best for him." She went toward
her bedroom. "I've got to do my face and put on some clothes," she said. "When
we'll get out of here. How do you intend to get me through that mob?"
"Same
way I came in."
"They'll
follow us. So will the police."
"I'll
lose them. It may take a couple of hours, but I'll lose them."
***************
"Pizza
hut?" Heero said.
Dorothy
shrugged. "Most kids like pizza."
Heero
pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. It was just before eleven
in the morning and the restaurant was closed. Three other cars were in the parking
lot.
"He's
probably watching us from a distance," Heero said. "Let's get out of the car I
want both of us to be fully visible. He'd get spooked if he drove up and saw me
in the car. He might take off again."
Ten
minutes passed.
"He's
not coming." She said.
"Give
him chance. He'll-"
A black
car barreled down the street, pulled into the parking lot, and screeched to a
stop. The window rolled down.
"Who is
he?" Trey asked. "Why didn't you come alone, Mama?"
"Because
I can't help you by myself. You've gone too far this time."
"Who is
he?"
"Heero."
She paused. "He's government."
Trey
started to roll up the window.
"Don't
you do that, Trey Catalonia." She glared at him. "Do you hear me? You don't run
away from this. I'm not going to have them chase you down and shoot you."
"He set
me up Mama. I didn't know anyone was going to die. They'll think I'm just like
him."
"Then
turn the bastard in, make a deal."
"I'm
scared, Mama." He whispered, his eyes glittering with tears. "I've never been
this scared. I don't know what to do."
"I told you what to do." He stepped aside and gestured at Heero. "You do what
he tells you to do and you may come out of this alive."
"I don't
want-" He met her gaze and then slumped in the seat. "Okay. What do you want me
to do?"
Yes. Heero tried to mask his eagerness
as he stepped forward. "First, information. I want to know everything you did
from the moment Dekim picked you up in Cheyenne."
***************
11:54 a.m.
"Are
you still here?" Wufei hurried into the hospital room. "Haven't they fed you
any lunch yet, Duo?"
I
rolled down my sleeve. "I'm sure ready to eat now. All they've been giving me
is orange juice. I bet all the soldiers who've been guarding me have had
breakfast and lunch already."
"I'll
see if I can get you something. I promised Heero I'd take care of you."
"You've
done that. I've been completely surrounded." I smiled. "You two seem to think
you're the only ones who can ward off the demons."
"Well,
we're damn good at it." He helped me to my feet. "How's the old man who came in
this morning?"
"He's
got a chance. Otto gave give a culture from one of the samples from last night.
But it takes a while to prepare the culture, and Otto needs some in reserve."
"Maybe
I'd better keep an eye on him. These eager beaver doctors may prove a bigger
threat than Dekim. You've only got so much blood."
"If you
really want to protect my well-being, you can take me down to the cafeteria. I'm
starved to death."
"No
problem." He hesitated. "Well, maybe two little ones. One, I'll have to bring
your lunch to you up here. It's not safe for you to go down to a public
cafeteria. Two, there's a roomful of reporters outside with Otto. They heard
about the old man and they're going to pounce."
"I'm
surprised you're letting them near me. Everything else is a security problem."
"They've
all been searched." He raised a brow. "Want me to try to get rid of them?"
I shook
my head. This was just another part of the package I'd bought into to protect
Iris. "I'll talk with them. But rescue me after fifteen minutes, okay?"
Wufei
chuckled.
"Did
you see the newspaper this morning? They practically had me wearing a halo. I
almost threw up."
"You'll
survive. If you don't take any chances."
"I don't
have a death wish. If I died, Dekim would win everything he's murdered to get.
That's not going to happen. Have you heard from Heero?"
"Not
yet. But he promised to keep me posted. He's not going to leave us in the dark,
Duo."
"Do you
always believe what he says?"
Wufei
nodded. "And you should too."
I shook
my head. "You believe in Heero. I believe in Iris and you and most
particularly, good old burger and fries." I started for the door. "So let's get
those interviews over so you can bring me my lunch."
***************
I had
finished the interviews and just returned to the hospital room when Wufei's
portable phone rang.
"Heero."
He informed me, then mouthed, "I told you so." His smile slowly disappeared as
he listened. "I don't think that's a good idea. Dammit, you told me to protect
him and now you want me to do this? There's no way I'm going to bring-" He
punched the disconnect button. "The bastard hung up."
"What's
happening?"
"He's
found out where Dekim's counterfeit is stashed. It's on some farm near the Iowa
border. He's heading there now."
Excitement
soared through me. "Dekim…"
"Don't
even think about it. I'm not taking you there."
Quatre.
"Let
Heero take care of him. Stay here, where you can do some good."
Show
them the monsters.
Otto
already had extra samples to use in case anyone was brought into the hospital.
This was my chance to do what I'd always intended to do.
I could
kill the monster.
"I'm
going."
Wufei
shook his head.
"Don't
tell me no. I'm going. Take me there, Wufei."
"Hell,
no." He held out his phone. "Call Heero back and tell him to take you."
I shook
my head. "He's there, you're here. Take me."
"And
how am I going to do that? You're the most visible man in America right now."
"You
managed to get me out of my apartment."
"That
was different. It wasn't a quarantine zone. And there's no way I can get you a
plane."
"Then find a car for me. Please, Wufei."
"It's a
mistake."
"No, it's
not. I have to do this."
He was
silent a moment before he sighed resignedly. "Dammit I guess you do."
***************
Springfield, Missouri
2:37 p.m.
Something
had gone wrong. Catalonia should have been here an hour and a half ago.
Dekim's
hands tightened on the steering wheel. With the nationwide media coverage, he
would have known if Catalonia had been picked up by the police. And that hadn't
happened.
If he
Catalonia had opened one of the packets, he might be lying dead at the side of
the road.
Or he
might have found out what was in those packets and panicked. He might be on the
run, which was not good. He wasn't bright enough to avoid the search long.
Whatever
the reason for the delay, the situation was not irreparable. There was a
possibility he might not be able to neatly eliminate Catalonia as he'd planned,
but the man knew very little.
That
Catalonia had been the one who'd hidden the cache of doctored currency at the
mill was also a simple matter to solve. Remove the currency, and Catalonia was
no longer any threat.
Yes,
everything would still fall into place as he'd planned. All he had to do was
maintain control of himself and he could control everything else.
***************
Near the Iowa border
3:48 p.m.
A
breeze was blowing and the windmill's blades whirled lazily. "There it is."
Trey Catalonia said. "That's where I unloaded the money. I'm not going any
closer. You can't make me, Heero."
"You
don't have to go." Heero got out of the car. "Drive to the bridge that's two
miles down the road, park out of sight, and wait for me."
"What
if you don't come back? What if someone sees me? You promised Mama I'd be safe."
"Just
wait for me." The muscles in his stomach were tense as he stared at the
windmill. All those years of searching and it all led here.
No cars
in sight. That could be bad or good. Either Dekim had already picked up the
currency, or he'd not gotten here yet, giving Heero the opportunity to set a
trap.
Dammit,
he wished he'd had the time to make the one o'clock meeting Dekim had set up
with Catalonia. But it might still be all right. If Dekim had gone to the
meeting place hundreds of miles away in Springfield, he shouldn't have had time
to get here yet.
If.
Maybe. When had Dekim ever done the expected?
He
could have skipped the meeting, parked in that patch of woods to the south, and
walked to the mill. He could be waiting there for word about the payment.
Or the
damn place could be booby-trapped like that installation in Waterloo.
It didn't
matter. He couldn't stop now. Dekim was too close.
He
started toward the windmill.
************
7:33 p.m.
A
windmill, I thought. A pretty windmill gleaming in the moonlight. Death was in
that windmill, neatly packaged death. I had always liked windmills. I must have
taken thousands of pictures of the ones in Holland.
"There
aren't any cars around. I don't think Heero's here yet, so let me go in first."
Wufei hesitated. "You won't change your mind?"
I shook
my head. It wasn't Heero's presence he wanted to check out, but Dekim's. "Be
careful."
He
smiled. "Always." I watched him disappear into the shadows. A moment later he
came out and gestured to me.
I ran
toward him. "Heero?"
"Not
yet." He held the door open for me and I went into the darkness. "But the
currency is here. That means we'll have a way to draw Dekim. I'll light the
lantern."
It was
pitch dark. I couldn't see anything. How had he been able to see the currency?
"I'll
do it." Dekim said.
I went
rigid.
Dekim
lit the lantern across the room. He held a gun in his hand. "Right on time,
Wufei. I just arrived myself."
"It
wasn't a simple matter getting him out of Collinsville," Wufei said. "I was
lucky I could do it at all. I think you owe me a bonus."
I
stared at him in shock.
"I'm
sorry Duo." Wufei said gently. "The deal was just too generous to pass up."
"You're
part of this?" I whispered. "You've been working with him all the time?"
"No, I just
seized the opportunity when it presented itself."
"He
came to me and offered me a way to leave Mexico quickly and unobtrusively," Dekim
said. "And any service that I needed in exchange for a small percentage of the ransom."
"Two
million dollars may seem small to you but it's not small to me. I grew up on nothing."
I felt
sick. Anyone but Wufei. Wufei wasn't one of the monsters. "What… services?"
"Why, you,
of course." Dekim said.
Murder.
He was talking about murder. "Wufei saved my life."
"Oh, he
insisted that he couldn't compromise his association with the Chinese
government. He wants to walk away from this clean. So it couldn't happen when
he was suppose to be guarding you."
Wufei
waved his hand dismissively. "None of that matters. I've burned my bridges by
bringing him to you. As I said, I think I deserve a bonus."
I still
couldn't believe it. Wufei's betrayal stunned me. "Heero never called you and
told you to come here, did he?"
Wufei
shook his head.
Dear
God, he'd played me so cleverly. He'd known all he had to do was dangle Dekim
in front of me and I would do everything under the sun to get him. "You even
told me to call Heero back. What would you have done if I'd done it?"
"I'd
offer to call him for you and he would have been conveniently range." He met my
gaze. "I regret having to do this, Duo. But you were making Dekim very nervous."
"I wasn't
nervous. He's only a boy. I always knew that I'd find a way to rid myself of
him." Dekim's grasp tightened on the gun in his hand. "And now that you've brought
him here, I'm going to have the joy of disposing of him. And, believe me, it
will give me the greatest pleasure."
"Don't
you want me to do it?" Wufei asked.
"You're
worried about your bonus? No, he's mine. Don't interfere." He pointed the gun
at me. I've dreamed about this moment. Do you know how much trouble you've
caused me?"
He was
going to kill me.
Terror tore
through me. I didn't want to die. There were so many things I still wanted to
do.
Dammit,
I would not die. There had to be a way. Think. Find a way to stall him.
"I'm
glad I caused you trouble," I said. "It's going to go on. Even if you kill me,
it will go on. They'll never pay you. I've given them enough blood to find an
antidote. They'll find it. Tomorrow. Maybe today."
He
glared at me. "It's not true."
"It's
true." I walked toward him. "They'll never pay you. Why should they? You
release this stuff in New York and its only going to be an inconvenience. No
one's going to die." I was a few feet from him. "Except you. They'll kill you.
They'll tear you apart for what you did at Collinsville." I thought of
something else. "And then the rats will eat you. They'll tear at your flesh and
go for your eyes. They'll devour you like a-"
"No."
His voice rose shrilly. "Liar. Bitch. It won't-"
I
lunged for the gun.
He
swung the barrel at my head.
Pain.
Falling…
Through
a dark haze I could see Dekim level the gun at me.
"Dekim."
Heero!
Darting
out of the shadows behind Dekim, diving between us, bringing him down.
The gun
blast was muffled by Heero's body. He went limp even as the gun skidded across
the floor.
Agony
ripped inside me. "No…"
I
frantically pulled him off Dekim.
Blood.
Blood everywhere. His chest… Heero didn't move.
Dekim
was scrambling across the floor, trying to reach the gun.
I got
there before him. My hand closed around it and I rolled over and pointed it at
him.
"Stop
him." Dekim was looking beyond me at Wufei. "Kill him."
I
stiffened.
"But
you wanted to do it yourself," Wufei said. "I really don't think I should
interfere."
"Kill
him."
"Do you
really want to do this, Duo?" Wufei asked.
Heero.
Quatre. L2. Nakoa. Tenajo. Collinsville.
"I can
see you do," Wufei said. "Then I suggest you shoot the son of a bitch."
I
pulled the trigger.
The
bullet tore through Dekim's forehead.
I shot
him again.
"That's
enough," Wufei said. "Once would have been enough."
I
whirled and pointed the gun at him.
He held
up his hands. "I'm no threat to you, Duo."
"The
hell you're not."
"You
can waste your time trying to decide whether to kill me or to see if we can
save Heero. I think he's still alive."
My gaze
flew to Heero. Alive? There had been so much blood...
Wufei
knelt down beside Heero, his fingers on Heero's throat. He nodded. "Alive."
"Stay
away from him."
"I do
have a gun, Duo. You might consider the possibility that I could have killed
you at anytime."
"Dekim told you not to interfere."
"Have
you found me that meek?" He tore a strip from Heero's shirt and made a pad. "Now,
come and help me. I don't like this bleeding."
I
hurried across the room, kneeling, gathering Heero close.
"You
apply pressure while I call 911." Wufei said.
My
hands were already on his chest above the wound. "Call them. Quick."
Dekim
was dead and Heero was alive. I had been given a miracle and I wouldn't let it
be stolen from me. I would not let Heero die.
***************
The
paramedics carefully placed Heero in the ambulance and I jumped in and sat down
beside him.
I
glanced at Wufei, who stood outside. "Are you coming?"
He
shook his head. "The medics have called the police. I have something to do
before they get here. I'll see you at the hospital."
Would
he? Or would he take this opportunity to escape? Wufei's actions had completely
bewildered me. There was no doubt he'd been in conspiracy with Dekim. Yet he
had held his hand when he could have killed me, and he'd worked beside me to
save Heero.
The
medics slammed the door and a moment later the ambulance was speeding down the
road toward the highway.
Heero
was still unconscious and he was too pale. I wiped my eyes and grabbed his
hand.
"Don't
you die on me," I whispered. "You hold on. Don't you dare die, Heero."
I felt
the ambulance vibrate before I heard the explosion.
My gaze
flew to the back window.
The
windmill was splintering like a toy as flames gulfed it and clawed at the sky.
