‘Don’t worry, Chang. I didn’t know I was coming until the last minute. I grabbed the last flight out of Paris and -’
‘Wait. Paris, France?’
‘Yeah. Big country on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s listed on most maps.’
‘Yes, sir, I know where it is. It’s just, um, how did you beat me here? I thought maybe you were in town already, but to beat me from France? I mean, they found Pope’s body less than two hours ago, which means your plane had to -’
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, son. Say that again.’
Chang double-checked his notepad. ‘According to 911, the groundskeeper reported Pope’s murder just after ten. From there, Boston PD notified Interpol, who then notified me an hour ago.’ He checked his watch to be sure. ‘I don’t understand, sir. How’d you get here so fast?’
But Dial ignored the question, turning his back on Chang to replay the past twenty-four hours. He’d started the day in Libya, where he caught a plane to France. That’s when Henri Toulon notified him that another victim had been found, this time in Boston. From there he hopped on another plane and flew to America.
That meant he knew about the victim several hours before his body was actually found.
‘Holy shit! We’ve got ourselves a taunter.’ Dial grabbed Chang’s notepad to be sure of the timeline. ‘I knew about the murder before it happened. The bastards called us ten hours ago.’
‘They what? Why would they do that?’
‘To taunt us, Chang. To taunt us. Hence the name.’
‘Yeah, but -’
‘They’re letting us know that we can’t stop ’em, not even with a head start. They’re saying we can investigate them all we want, and it won’t make a damn bit of difference. They won’t stop until they’re ready to stop.’
‘And when will that be?’
‘Soon. They’re running out of words.’
‘Words?’
‘Yeah, Chang, words. You know, the things in a dictionary? I can’t believe you don’t know what words are. What, is English your second language?’
‘No, sir. I was born right here in -’
Dial rolled his eyes. Rookies could be so dumb. ‘It was a joke, son. Just a joke.’
‘Oh, but -’
‘Listen, Chang, I like you, so let me give you a piece of advice that my captain once gave to me. Just shut the fuck up and listen, OK?’
‘OK, sir, I’m listening.’
‘No, Chang. That was the advice. Just shut the fuck up and listen. Understand? There’s no need to repeat everything I say, and there’s no need to question everything I do. Your main job as a rookie is to observe. Learn the basic techniques, do the simple tasks that I give to you, and remember everything I say. Don’t question what I say, just remember it, write it down if you have to. Got that? There’s a big difference between listening and speaking.’
Chang nodded, not saying a word.
‘See? You’re learning already… Now, are you ready to go to work?’
Chang nodded again, this time smiling.
‘Good. Then this is what we need to do.’
44
Payne and Jones knew little about the streets of Milan, so there was no way they could outmaneuver a helicopter. Especially in a Fiat. The truth was, they probably could have in the Ferrari, except it was too small for four people, and they didn’t want to split up. That left only two options: hide in the warehouse or turn themselves in.
And guess what? All of them voted for number two.
Of course, that’s misleading. The truth was, they weren’t actually going to surrender. Payne felt if he offered Boyd as a sacrificial lamb, then he could buy Jones enough time to pull off a miracle. At least Payne hoped he could. If not, he knew he’d regret the decision for the rest of his very short life.
After finalizing their plans, Payne dragged Boyd into the middle of the darkened street where they stood, looking skyward, as two Bell helicopters settled in a neighboring lot. The insurgence of rotors kicked up enough wind and dust to rival a cyclone. But it didn’t stop Payne from seeing, thanks to his custom-fit sunglasses. Not only did they shield his eyes from the elements, but they concealed his true emotions, which would be even more important if his ruse was going to work.
‘It’s time to begin,’ Payne shouted over the tumult. ‘Don’t take this personally.’
He put his hand on Boyd’s back and shoved him to the ground, knowing that they were being watched by Manzak and his friends. He continued his charade, dropping to one knee and double-checking the cord around Boyd’s wrists. Boyd played along by squirming and making girly noises that sounded like they belonged at a sorority pillow fight. Payne let him know he was overdoing it by slapping him in the back of the head. ‘Knock it off, Suzie, and start acting like a criminal.’
The hatch on the front chopper swung open, and Manzak climbed out. Not smiling. Not waving. Not giving Payne a thumbs-up or any signs of approval. In other words, he was the same stoic bastard that had shown up in Pamplona. Part killer. Part robot. All asshole. Unfortunately, the biggest problem for Payne was he didn’t know if Manzak was going to honor their original deal. Sure, Payne knew he wasn’t the real Manzak, but the truth was, he still could’ve been with the CIA since he had enough clout to pull Payne out of prison. For all he knew, maybe Manzak was a name the CIA gave out to several undercover operatives just to confuse people.
If that was the case, it was definitely working because Payne was confused. He didn’t know if Manzak was going to take Boyd back to CIA headquarters and milk him for information, or if he was going to shoot him in the back of the head the moment they left Payne’s side. The truth was, he didn’t know who or what to believe, and neither did Jones. They didn’t know if Boyd had done any of the things that they had been told – the forgeries, the smuggling, the exploding bus – or if he was the victim of an elaborate setup. Simply put, Payne and Jones didn’t know shit.
Anyway, Manzak shouted, ‘Nice work, Payne! I’m impressed by your efficiency.’
‘And I’m impressed by your clairvoyance. How’d you know we had him?’
‘We have our ways. And they’re rarely wrong.’
‘I’m glad you’re on my side,’ Payne said without smiling. ‘So what’s the next step?’
Manzak moved closer. ‘I need to debrief you before you’re officially done.’
Payne wondered if he meant that literally. ‘Then what are we waiting for? Which one of those choppers is mine?’
‘You’ll be in the first one with me.’ He took another step forward. ‘But first I’ll need to check you for weapons.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Listen, Jon, I know how you must feel. But I can’t let a nonagent on board without searching him. It’s departmental policy.’
Payne stared at Manzak for several seconds, tempted to make a nasty scene, even though he realized it would hurt his plan in the long run. So instead of doing anything foolish, he placed his hands on top of his head and reluctantly agreed to the search. ‘Try not to touch my ass, OK? I don’t want to make Buckner jealous… Speaking of which, where is the big lug? I miss our conversations. He’s quite the intellectual.’
‘He’s shutting down the chopper. He’ll be out to greet you shortly.’
‘Oh, I thought maybe he was at home, making you dinner.’
Manzak forced a laugh. ‘You know, I find your humor ironic, especially since you’re the one with a boyfriend. Where is Jones, anyway? Getting his nails done?’