Pt. 6

Kermit walked swiftly down the still crowded Chinatown streets, a frown on his face. His eyes, safely hidden behind their dark green glass, scanned the perimeter in front of him, watching for anything that was out of place. Anything that would signal an attack. All around him, residents and tourists mingled happily, as though nothing dark could possibly have crept into their bright little world. Kermit's own paranoia told him that nothing was ever as peaceful as it looked. Especially not today.

Paul had called him into his office almost as soon as Peter's car had pulled out of the parking lot.

"You saw the girl?" Paul asked, staring at nothing in particular.

"The one that walked out with Peter?" he countered, leaning with the closed door against his back. He looked over the top of his glasses at his old comrade's face, concerned at what he saw. It had been a while since he had seen Paul Blaisdell look so worn out. "Yeah, what about her?"

"She said she was sent by David Rochester."

Kermit went cold at the sound of that old alias. Rochester had been almost mythic among the mercenaries who had worked with Paul. Kermit could remember hardened ex-Special Forces operatives turning pale as ghosts at the thought of having to deal with this cold-blooded Intelligence agent. "Why did he send her?"

"Seems my questions about our Ripper piqued someone's interest." Paul looked up at his old friend with concern. "Funny thing about this is that Rochester told me to leave it alone yesterday. Now he sends someone to find our killer for us? Something doesn't feel right about this, Kermit, and I'm afraid Peter's going to get caught right in the middle of it."

"Want me to keep an eye on the kid?" Kermit offered, mentally ticking off the favors he was going to have to call in before this day was over.

"He won't like it." Paul commented, a small smile forming on his craggy face. It disappeared quickly as he looked down at the case files she had touched. "But right now, his pride is the least of my worries. They were on their way to Chinatown, the site of our Ripper's most current attack. Catch up with them there. While you're at it, see if you can find out who our mysterious Ms. Nightbird really is." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, his deep set eyes closed for a moment in fatigue.

Kermit had left the Precinct in search of his young friend, stopping only long enough to send out messages to his contacts, hoping one of them would recognize the distinctive alias the woman was using. It was a long shot, but then some of his long shots had worked out well in the past. Perhaps this one would too.

"Hey Kermit!" Peter's voice called out to him from the door to Caine's school. "Over here!"

"Jeez, kid, think you could announce me any louder?" Kermit muttered, ducking into the doorway past the last of the lab technicians. "Paul sent me along, said you might need help."

"Since when?" Peter asked, frowning.

"Since you acquired a shadow." Kermit retorted, scanning the room for the stranger he had seen at the Precinct.

"If you're looking for Ms. Nightbird, she's talking to my father upstairs in his apartment." Peter started towards the stairs then turned suddenly. "What's Paul afraid of?"

"Paul isn't afraid of anything, except you getting in to something he can't get you out of." The mercenary replied, exasperated. "This woman used the name of the one man on the face of the planet even the KGB were scared of. That should tell you something about the lady."

"It tells me that the lady has friends in low places." Miriam's musical voice floated up to them from the back of the room. She approached the two men, a small smile on her face. "David's reputation is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. White noise to distract the enemy from his obvious shortcomings. I've known men who made him look like a rank amateur." She looked again at the mercenary, his face triggering a memory buried deep in her mind. It was the same reaction she had had the first time she had read his file, but now, seeing him in person, the feeling of familiarity was even stronger. "Have we met before Mr. …?"

"Griffin." Kermit replied, frowning down at her. "I think I would remember if we had met."

"Perhaps." She agreed, moving around them towards the door. "Yet I could swear we've met. Well, let me think on it. I'm sure it will come to me." She moved out into the street, the two men following a little behind.

"Where are we going?" Peter called out.

"Dinner." Miriam replied, moving just a little faster as she weaved her way through the crowds.