by S. C. Abbey
“I don’t believe you.” Delphina put out the cigarette in the empty can.
“Why are you doing this, Delphina?” asked Harvey. “Louis is dead. Why are you still helping him hide this thing when he’s longer around anyway?”
Delphina narrowed her eyes and bit her lip as she stared at Harvey.
“Please, I have to do this for Louis. I wasn’t here when he needed me,” said Harvey, pausing for a bit. “This is the last thing I can do for him, I owe him this at least. Otherwise, how am I going to explain to Rachel about—”
Delphina’s eyes widened slightly. “You know his sister?”
“Of course I do, the three of us practically grew up together.”
Delphina kept quiet as she leaned back into the couch. She folded her arms and waited in silence, deep in thought. After five minutes or so, she finally relented. “Before he died, he gave me a metallic case—”
“Where is it?” interrupted Spector.
Delphina glared at him. “I passed it to Rachel Tanner. It was locked. A combination lock. So there was no way I could have removed whatever’s inside.”
“Rachel’s in Athens?” A scowl started to form on Harvey’s face.
“I don’t know whether she’s still here, I have her number somewhere, though.” She stood from the couch and headed to her handbag. She dug into it and came up with a business card, with a handwritten number on it. She approached Harvey and handed it to him.
Harvey took the business card from Delphina and stared at the unfamiliar numbers on it. On his mind, however, was a burning question that didn’t seem to make sense. “Why?” he asked.
Delphina stood by the window, a breeze blowing against her face as her hair flopped around. Her eyes were closed. She looked weary.
“Why did you do all this for Louis? You barely knew him,” asked Harvey.
She took a deep breath. “He told me he would take me away from this life—this cycle of misery. He told me he would take me to the States,” she whispered. “Perhaps he already knew he was a dead man walking—give a woman some hope that life could be better. He wanted to give me money, I refused. ‘I’m not a whore,’ I said. Maybe I should have just taken it.” She chuckled bitterly.
“You loved him,” said Spector.
“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Who knows? I didn’t even know if I could trust him. It was such a short period of time we had. Too short. But they were the best days of my life, and I thought perhaps we could stand a chance, have a shot at a life together. But it wasn’t meant to be. It was never meant to be.” Delphina turned around and looked at them. Her eyes were red, but there were no tears. “Have you found out who killed Louis?”
Spector nodded briefly. “Pretty sure I know who did it.”
Delphina stared hard into Spector’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll make him suffer. Promise me you’ll kill him.”
Spector didn’t reply, he just gave a very slight nod, and maintained the eye contact.
Delphina took another cigarette out and lit it. She took a deep inhale and slowly exhaled, leaning against the window, the smoke escaping from her rouged lips. “So—”
Bang!
The sound of the large-caliber gunshot rang loud in the peace of the night. The cigarette fell from her twitching fingers. Her eyes widened ever so slowly and her mouth remained slightly open. The crimson patch on her chest slowly expanded.
Bang!
The second shot came as frighteningly loud as the first.
“Get down!”
Chapter 50
“GET DOWN!” CRIED Spector, diving toward Harvey and pulling him down onto the floor between the coffee table and the couch. Delphina collapsed to the ground. He turned to take a quick peek at where Katie was standing earlier to find her lying flat against the ground as well. She looked surprised and confused—she probably reacted instinctively rather than knowingly.
“Katie!” Spector snapped his fingers at the Interpol agent. “Eyes to me!”
Katie shook out of her daze and stared at Spector.
Bang! Another shot came.
“Sniper!” Spector said. He then pointed in the direction of the door. “Crawl! Now! Keep your body as low as you can!”
Spector returned his attention to Harvey. “My boy, you all right?”
Harvey was breathing faster than usual. “Y-Yes, yes, what’s going on?!”
“Delphina’s dead.” Spector rotated his head a little to the right to make his point—Delphina’s soulless eyes stared back at them.
“Holy shit—”
Spector snapped his fingers again, this time in front of Harvey’s face. “Listen, based on that sound, I’m guessing that’s a huge-ass caliber. The walls of this shitty building probably won’t hold, I don’t know. You so much as lift your head, you’ll be dead. Understand?”
Bang! The fourth bullet hit a window, causing the glass to instantly shatter into a million pieces.
Harvey bobbed his head.
“Good, see what Katie’s doing? Follow her, get to the door, I’ll try to cover you. Got it?”
“B-But…”
“Harvey! You shut the hell up and listen to me! Get to the damn door, I’ll be right behind. Keep it open after you get through, is that understood?”
Harvey didn’t argue this time. He obediently started to leopard-crawl across the small flat toward the door as his father instructed. Spector drew his semi-automatic pistol and did a forward roll to the wall under the window, concealing himself. He took a deep breath and steadied his heads, waiting.
Bang! The shot hit the edge of the window ledge above Spector’s head—six inches lower and it would have hit him through the plastered wall.
Spector grabbed the opportunity by its neck—he knew it wouldn’t be long before the next shot. He stood up slightly from behind the ledge and placed his pistol hand on it, taking a quick scan of the outside. He caught a glimpse of flash on a rooftop from the opposite building and started emptying his magazine at it. Bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang!
He saw the quick movement of his opponent, and quickly turned to face the door and dove forward onto the floor, as far as he could. He then stood for a split second, and it took him another leap forward before he was out of the flat. He shut the wooden door behind him.
Bang!
Just in time for a bullet to create a large hole in it. Katie and Harvey were crouching by the edge of the stairway that led up to the apartment.
“What the hell was that?” cried Katie. “I don’t think I’ve ever been sniped at, even during my FBI days—”
Spector let out a choked laughter of relief. “I hate snipers.”
“How did he know we were here?” stammered Harvey.
“He must have been tracking Delphina. Either that, or she led him to us.” Katie glared at Harvey.
“No, the latter’s unlikely,” said Spector. “She’s dead, isn’t she?” He crawled toward his companions and stood up only when he reached the stairs. “Either way, there’s only one way to find out. Call her.”
“Who?” Katie said.
“Rachel Tanner,” Harvey said. He dipped a hand into his pocket and came up with the business card Delphina had given him. He then took out his cell phone and started dialing the number on the card.
“C’mon, take the call on the way out,” said Spector, hopping down the stairs. “We’ve got to get out of the building before he comes for us.”
Katie nodded and found herself wobbling onto her feet. Harvey did the same. They both trailed after Spector as he climbed down the stairs and soon reached the ground floor.
“Any luck?” asked Spector.
Harvey shook his head, his hair now rather messy. “I’ll keep trying. Just get us out of here.”
Spector took a quick peek out from the entrance, keeping the door ajar. The eerily quiet street was a ridicule to what they had suffered earlier. One would not have imagined the scene of the dead body above.
“I don’t think he’s still there, but he’ll probably be after us, on foot.” Spector then shut the door. “I’m going to head out there, and I want you to mimic my every step. There’s a car right in front of the building, get behind it as soon as you are out. Then wait for my command, when I say run, head left, back to my car. If you hear any gunshots, find something to hide behind. Move only when you stop hearing any. Don’t stop until you reach my car.”
Katie and Harvey gave a grave nod.
“Ready?” Spector didn’t wait for a reply. He turned and opened the door, throwing himself against the car in front of the building. He waited for a few seconds and waved at them. “Come—”
Katie and Harvey stumbled out the building and threw themselves beside Spector. Spector held a finger to his lips. “Shh—”
“Rachel?” whispered Harvey. The call had finally gotten through. “Is that you—?”
“Go!” muttered Spector. “Focus, Harvey, don’t stop!”
Katie tugged on Harvey’s arm as they quickly made their way in the direction Spector had asked them to, with their bodies and heads bent low.
The rumbling sound of an engine started low but quickly became loud and deafening in the night. The approaching rider started to fire from afar at the car Spector hid behind.
Bang! Bang!
“Harvey, Katie! Down!” Spector said, before throwing his face and pistol flat against the ground, so that he could see from the underside of the vehicle obstructing him. He closed one eye and waited for the motorcycle to approach nearer.
Bang! Bang!
The rider didn’t stop shooting. Spector could see him approach from the side of his eye. Any time now. Bang! Spector fired. The bullet hit the front tire of the motorcycle, causing the rider to lose control of the vehicle and skid to the opposite side of the road. Spector quickly stood from the ground, extended his aim toward the accident wreck, and fired. The man fired back from the ground as he picked himself up. Spector took a quick low dodge, and when he stood back up, the man was gone.
“Coward,” he spat. He hurriedly turned his attention to his companions and ran toward them. “Everybody all right?”
“One hour! We’ll be on our way!” Harvey said before he ended the call. He then faced Spector. “I got Rachel. She said she has the combination case from Delphina. She asked us to meet her at an abandoned shipyard in Alimos, thirty minutes’ drive from here. We should go, now!”
Chapter 51
AGENTS MICHEL AND Linard waited at the bus stop, exactly where they were informed to do so, their arms folded in front of them. It was way past the time when the bus services still ran. Coupled with the fact that they were in a quiet part of town where most people usually didn’t stay out late at night—they were the only souls within hearing distance. That was, until he appeared from behind.
“Thanks for coming, boys, I could really do with some backup now,” the man in the beige jacket said as he took off his sunglasses. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Linard’s eyes grew larger at the sight of the man. “Son of a bitch, you’re alive!”
The man smirked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Michel wasn’t as surprised. “Finally care to appear? Where have you been?”
“You know, I would love to share my exciting tales of adventure, but we really need to be somewhere else, right now.”
“Where?” asked Linard.
“Come, I’ll show you.”
Chapter 52
THE SORRY EXCUSE for a car came to an uneasy halt, its worn-out brake pads screeching as they struggled to do their job. The car doors slammed shut after its passengers eagerly exited the vehicle together—none of them could stand another second in the cramped space.
“This is it,” Harvey said, looking at the Google Maps application on his cell phone. He then looked up and around at his surroundings, and turned his nose up at what he saw. “I wonder—how long has this shipyard been abandoned—”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Spector as he surveyed the place as well, “let’s find a corner to hide and wait though, it’s too open, we’ll be sitting ducks standing here.”
Katie brushed the thin layer of dust off her jacket. “You could have stolen a nicer car, you know. What difference does it make? It’s stealing all the same in the eyes of the law.”
“And I thought someone was clearly judging me about it just earlier.” Spector chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I give you a lift.”
“Harvey!” a female voice cried out from afar.
Harvey turned to face its owner, who was approaching fast. “Rachel—? Rachel!”
She dove into his arms, and he held her for a minute, silently.
He then pulled away from her and took a good look at her face. “Rachel, oh thank God you’re all right! I’m sorry about what happened to Louis—I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.”
Rachel shook her head. Her red hair came cascading down the sides of her face as she sniffed and brought a hand up to wipe her tears off. “It’s all right, you couldn’t have known. It was terrible—” Her tears didn’t stop.
A man with cropped hair and a black sports jacket slowly approached them. He placed a hand on his hip to reveal a holstered pistol. Spector already had his gun out, pointed at him.
“That’s Martin, he’s my bodyguard,” said Rachel Tanner.
Spector gradually lowered his firearm but kept his finger on the trigger guard.
Rachel managed a soft choked laugh, trying hard to smile with her eyes still full of tears. “Oh, Harvey—it’s so great to see you. How did you find me anyway?”
Harvey gave a sad smile in return. “Delphina.”
“I see. Where is she?”
“She’s dead.”
Rachel covered her mouth as her eyes grew in size. “Oh God, what happened?”
“She got shot. Rachel, where’s the case?”
“You mean the one Louis left me? It’s right here,” she said, turning to signal Martin to come forward. Martin stepped toward the pair, producing a metallic case about six inches tall and ten inches wide. He lifted the case in front of Harvey, and Harvey took it off his hands to take a good look at it.
“He left me this but didn’t leave me the combination. I haven’t been able to figure it out,” said Rachel.
Harvey brought the case up to his eye level. It looked oddly like an ordinary cosmetic case, except there was a combination lock between the cover and the bottom. He played with the four-column combination lock and realized it was unlike anything he’d seen before. This lock had, on top of numbers, letters that could be used as part of the combination. Harvey frowned and did a few mental calculations. He figured that instead of the ten thousand possible combinations one could try if it were just numbers, there were one million, six-hundred and seventy-nine thousand, six hundred and sixteen combinations. He paused to check his math but came up with the same answer again.
“This would take us forever to crack,” he said. “There are thirty-six possible entries per column. We’d have to try one combination every second for the next twenty days to get to each possible one.”
Rachel’s eyebrows came together. “I gave up after two hours. Did he leave you any clues, Harv?”
Harvey shook his head. “Only a message, which makes no sense to me.”
“What was it?”
“Our game isn’t over.”
“I’m sorry? Oh, that was it? And you have no idea what it meant, at all?”
“Not a clue.”
“We could shoot the damn thing.” Katie stepped toward Harvey.
“And risk damaging whatever’s in it,” replied Spector. “We need the vials intact. Take them back to a lab to study them or something. Or else we might as well blow up the whole thing.”
“I agree,” added Harvey.
Harvey realized he had forgotten his companions were still around. “Apologies. Rachel, this i
s Katie Moulin, I’m not sure y’all have met. And this is Alastair Spector, my dad.”
The ladies exchanged pleasantries and when Rachel turned to Spector, her mouth gaped like a fish. “Wait a minute, did you say he’s your dad? But—”
Harvey shrugged and gave Rachel a sheepish look.
“Sir,” she faced Spector, “aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
“Trust me, I keep asking that myself too,” muttered Harvey.
“I’m afraid that fortune hasn’t yet been bestowed upon me,” added Spector, laughing inappropriately.
Rachel turned to face Harvey, maintaining the look on her face.
“Long story,” Harvey mouthed the words. He then said, “Anyway, do you know what’s in that case?”
“I got a message from Louis two days before he died. He told me he was in grave danger. I didn’t really understand what he was talking about—some biological warfare stuff. He asked me to come retrieve something in Athens, through a girl—who turned out to be Delphina.” Rachel’s eyes grew serious. “When I arrived, he was already dead. It was in the papers, you know. A tiny photo of him in an obscure corner of an unknown newspaper, talking about an American killing himself.” A tear escaped the side of her eye. “I knew it was bullshit. And so I contacted Delphina and met her here where she passed me this case. She told me Louis had asked me to take it as far as I could, and hide it. But I couldn’t just leave—not without finding out who killed Louis. I just couldn’t—”
“Everybody dies, but not everyone lives,” Harvey said. “I’m sure Louis had lived a life more meaningful than most. I’m sure he died without regrets.”
Rachel gave a single nod, using her thumb to wipe a stray tear that had leaked from her eye.
“As for this.” Harvey handed the case to Rachel. “I really need a moment to think quietly.”
Our game isn’t over.
Harvey turned to look at Katie, whose serious expression didn’t falter.
Our game isn’t over.
He then walked away from his companions, in the direction of the sea where he could hear the faint sound of the waves. He could smell the salt in the air, which brought up some bad memories—specifically, ones that involve his face submerged in water.