Sebastian leaned forward.
“One of the benefits of having money and friends in high places is the ability to get things done,” he announced with a hint of arrogance. “After our brief discussion yesterday I took the liberty of arranging a few vital necessities travel wise. With security being what it is I managed to pry a favour from an acquaintance in the embassy and rush through your visa requirements. I’ve also put together a particularly impressive bank account, under your name of course. The type of people you’ll be dealing with, I’m afraid, don’t respond so well to small numbers.”
“Jesus,” John said while rubbing the side of his temples, “pull in the reigns for a second. First of all, regardless of our call yesterday I didn’t think you were actually serious about jumping on a plane so soon. I just thought you were looking for job confirmation. Second of all, how the fuck are you pushing paper for me?”
Sebastian’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly as though he wasn’t sure to be offended or genuinely surprised.
“Of course I was serious. I would hope I don’t come across as the sort of man that would joke around in a situation like this.” He left the declaration to hang heavy in the air for a moment. “As for the clerical side of things I already had what I needed, your name. The rest of the details came courtesy of your previous employer. The government is always good for spilling the right beans.”
He handed John a freshly printed passport featuring a photo that must have been taken back in his duty days nestled beside his place and date of birth. He had to admit he was impressed. The last time he had to renew his passport it had taken close to three weeks and a barrage of phone calls. He and Felicity had flown to Japan in an attempt to glue back together the broken slithers of their relationship, staying in a traditional styled minshuku in Kyoto and wandering through the snow kissed temples and manicured gardens. It hadn’t worked though. The nightmares had followed him across the ocean, and with them came the stifling anxiety, mood swings and inability to let down his guard. It had been a difficult plane ride home, that was for sure.
“Glad to see my identity is open for all,” he said.
“We live in an information age John.”
“It sure seems that way.” He placed the passport on the table. “You still haven’t introduced me to your friends.”
“Indeed so. Max here is quite handy when it comes to numbers,” Sebastian indicated the puppy chin in the suit, “and Dominique has always looked after my contractual activities.”
They both nodded but kept their silence, which for the moment suited John just fine as Sebastian continued with a pronounced edge of professionalism.
“Your passport is good to go as far as entry into the States is concerned. Who you enter as is the next point of business. It would serve neither myself nor you to simply arrive as a private investigator ready to peek under a few rocks. In fact it would be a waste of time, hence the bank account in your name that’s been set up. You’ll find it has a balance of approximately nine and half million dollars, with deposit dates altered to ensure anybody who becomes a little too nosy will see that you’ve had it for more than a year. Not only that, but Max has shown the money to have come from a legal firm as part of a settlement.”
“I’m not sure if I’m following,” John interrupted.
“Like I said, the group my wife is currently caught up in have a tendency to prefer someone with a pile of money and a willingness to be open to new suggestions. Bending the truth a little in this instance should open the right doors, so your cover is that you were injured on the job and as a result received a generous compensation.”
“Bending the truth?”
“Well, you did experience an unfortunate set of circumstances in the course of your duty. That much is true. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what sort of injury you supposedly have in this instance, but from my experience it’s very hard to prove or disprove a damaged back.” Sebastian was trying to be a little cautious, not wanting to stir up remnants of the real incident. “Your hotel, of course, has been arranged and the account has been set up so that you can draw five thousand dollars a week for required purposes. I can’t imagine needing more than that, but if a particularly demanding situation arises I can always alter it. The paper work on the table there has been put together by Dominique, and quite simply it is your agreement that the account will be retired by yourself at the completion of the job. Oh, and as promised I’ve arranged for the transfer of fifty thousand dollars into a separate account for you.” He paused to let the number sink in. “Your flight leaves tonight. All I want John is for you to find my wife and learn a little more of these people that have swept her up. I know you’ve dealt with a lot of difficult situations and equally difficult individuals in the past, and that’s why I have the utmost confidence that you’ll be able to whisper some sense into her ear and convince her to come home.”
“What about Bobbie?” John asked.
“There is only one way for a cat of such majesty to travel,” Sebastian said with a smile. “It’s business class for you both.”
John’s head was reeling at the fact that this was actually happening. Sure he could still pull the pin if he really didn’t want to take the job, and yet the thought of the money injection was becoming more beautiful by the minute. Not only that, but deep down he knew he was good at what he did and figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find her. Convincing her to come back might prove to be a bit of a problem, but Sebastian had said the money wasn’t resting on a fairy tale outcome.
“I don’t even know what she looks like,” he pointed out.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll email you some photos and a bit of background to help with communication side of things.”
“Okay,” John nodded, “that’ll help. But we both need to be clear, I’m not going over there to drag her back kicking and screaming. If I can find her I’ll talk to her, but at the end of the day it’ll be her decision.”
“That’s all I ever asked.” Sebastian leaned forward to hand John a thin silver pen. “Now it’s just a matter of signing these documents that my friends here put together and we can leave you to start packing. You’re welcome of course to read them through, however I assure you everything is as it should be.”
John scanned the paperwork but did it more for show than anything. He couldn’t imagine he’d find any hidden clauses, and even if he did actually read the legal accented prose he couldn’t be bothered to dive into terms and conditions. So, when he figured he’d pretended long enough, he angled the surprisingly heavy pen and began to litter the documents with his signature. Upon completion Sebastian handed the paperwork to Dominique and smiled.
“I guess that’s that. I’ll send through your flight details shortly.” The smile faded away as quickly as it had formed. “I want you to know John that it means a lot to me that you’ve taken the job. For you it’s come out of nowhere, but for me it’s a decision I’ve looked long and hard into. I didn’t draw your name out of a hat. I know how capable you are, and some of the difficulties you’ve had to face. If there is anyone who can open a door of opportunity to have my best friend, lover and soul mate return home, that person is you.” He stood with a slight wince, Max and Dominique reading the cue and following suit with continued silence. “Love sure is a horrible thing to lose, but in this instance I don’t think it’s love that’s been lost. I think it’s just a case of being caught up with an intoxicating ideology. None the less, I do hope your return is accompanied with the woman I care for so dearly.”
The conversation ended. They stepped through the door, down to the front gate, and disappeared into the cold winter air that blew off of the ocean. Well, John thought, looks like it really is happening. Out in the distance where the horizon was an unbroken blend of ocean and sky, a quick series of flashes announced the impending arrival of another front. He could feel his skin tightening with the drop in temperature, so closed the door and marched to the spare room.
The
small crate that they had carried Bobbie in on the day they busted him out would need to be cleaned. He’d also need to pack clothes, which meant searching for the suitcase he’d thrown god knows where. Then, he realized with a sigh, he’d need to book a cab. There was no point worrying about his car now. What was the point in going to the trouble to retrieve a metal corpse that would probably have a repair bill higher than the value of the damn thing?
The looming day was suddenly shorter than it had been when he’d first opened his eyes. He made a mental note to call Craig and have him dig up what he could about the woman he was tasked with finding and send through any details. As for the divorce papers, he decided to pretend they didn’t exist for now. With any hope for the relationship officially blown to pieces it wouldn’t matter if the signatures held off for the time being. There was no gluing anything back together, and there was no reason to be the nice guy. Being nice had gifted him nothing but trouble.
Chapter 8
The plane had lifted itself from the rain drenched runway just after nine that night. True to his word, Sebastian had arranged business class seating. Although Bobbie had to remain in his carrier during takeoff, once in the air John had lifted him from the cage so that he could rest in his lap for the long flight. Curious stares from other passengers left him feeling uncomfortable at first, but they soon became used to the man with the cat at the front of the plane, and thanks to a generous pre-flight dinner of valium and two neat bourbons the journey across the ocean was a peaceful one that saw him slipping in and out of sleep. If there had been any turbulence, he sure as hell hadn’t felt it.
Now it was just after midnight and he was standing by the conveyor belt at the Miami airport, with Bobbie back in his crate and hints of sweat forming around the edges of his eyes. Even though the hour was late the collection area was awash with weary travellers nursing freshly bought coffee like hard fought for trophies as they scanned the never ending cycle of travel cases. John had to admit the moment carried with it a simmering charge of excitement. He’d never been to the States before and had no idea of what to expect. Sure, like everyone else he was aware of the drug and crime problem that had once made the eternally summer kissed city famous, but that kind of knowledge was in no way going to help him.
He watched the ever growing crowd scuttle and sway until finally spotting his case rumbling along the belt. Once it was in his hand he began to make his way to the snaking lines that fed into the custom’s checkpoint. It was nearly an hour before he was able to present his freshly printed passport.
“How long you plan on staying?” the agent asked, his hulking frame still as a statue but for his hands. John couldn’t tell if his size came from pushing iron or an indulgence in the kind of meals that needed no cutlery.
“Maybe three weeks, maybe less.”
“This looks pretty new,” the agent remarked while flicking through the blank pages. “You lost the last one?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Any particular reason you’re travelling with a cat?”
John was caught off guard by the question but kept a poker face as he mentally raced through a selection of answers.
“He needs dental work and it’s cheaper over here,” he lied. “You’d be surprised what a vet costs back in Australia.”
The agent briefly peered into the crate and then seemed to accept the explanation. “Enjoy your visit to our country.”
It wasn’t long before John was back in another line. Eventually he lifted his suitcase up for inspection, a process that only took several seconds, and then was free. He switched his phone back on and double checked where it was he was supposed to be. His eyes darted from the digital airport map and his current location. If he was reading it right the meeting place was only around the corner in an area that sat between the exit doors and a café. The muscles in his legs were beginning to ache as he made his way to the rendezvous.
At first he didn’t see his name. That wasn’t exactly surprising though, considering the area was littered with figures in dark suits holding up signs of differing sizes. Add the constantly shuffling crowd that didn’t appear to be shrinking any time soon and he probably wouldn’t have seen his name scrawled in capital letters, except his eyes were suddenly drawn to the only woman holding a sign. She had dark skin and long curly hair that captured the light in such a way it seemed as though she stood beneath her own private waterfall, with a crisp white shirt that was complimented by a shiny black vest. Her eyes were constantly moving and watching the crowd around her. From where he was standing, he could see that his surname had been misspelled as Rikter.
As he moved closer he noticed that her left hand was contorted, the fingers appearing as though they had been glued together and bent at an odd angle. For a moment she didn’t even notice him standing there, choosing to look over his shoulder in case she missed her mark.
“I think you might be looking for me,” John declared with a fatigued smile.
Her eyes instantly refocussed as she looked him up and down.
“You John?” she asked.
“That’d be me.”
“And who’s this cute little thing?” she asked with surprise whilst leaning down to look into the cage.
“This here is Bobbie, and it’s his first time out of Australia.”
“Well then welcome to America Bobbie.” She stood and extended her right hand. “My name’s Vanessa, and I’ll be taking you to your hotel. I’m sure you’ve seen enough of the airport already, so if you’d like to follow me we can be on the way.”
John followed Vanessa as she weaved her way to one of the exits and stepped out into the night. The first thing that hit him was the thick and humid heat, followed by a crescendo of engine noise and tinny sounding broadcasts emanating from unseen speakers. The air was still and the sudden change in temperature was a glorious confirmation that the icy clutches of winter were behind him.
He continued to follow along the edge of the access road until Vanessa stopped at a large SUV. With a push of a button the rear opened up and she took his suitcase and placed it down onto the carpet. John slid into the back seat and wasted no time in reaching for Bobbie who, seemingly oblivious to the fact they were now in another country, let out a long, silent yawn and proceeded to clean his paws.
“It shouldn’t take us more than an hour,” Vanessa announced while starting the engine. “This time of night the traffic won’t be too bad.”
They pulled out when the opportunity arose and snaked their way through the concrete labyrinth before turning onto a freeway. John looked out through the window and was momentarily jolted by the size of the city that lay before them, lights of every colour he could think of glittering against the dark of night and traffic surrounding them on every angle. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d expected, but his senses were electrified by the sudden visual that drove home the change in reality that was taking place.
For a while there was only the sound of talk back radio and the rising and falling hum of the engine. As they headed deeper into the city however, Vanessa glanced in the rear view mirror and began talking over her shoulder.
“By the way you’re looking out that window I’m guessing this is your first time here huh? She’s got a whole lotta faces Miami, every personality you can think of. Lot of people think it’s just one big water park flush with money, but it’s more than that. Of course, the longer you stay, the more she reveals herself. Me? I’ve been here just about ten years now and I still get surprised sometimes.”
John watched as a helicopter in the distance pierced the night with a spotlight that lit up the buildings beneath it. “It’s a bit of a shock to the system, I’ll give you that.”
Vanessa laughed as she steered the car into a different lane. “Sometimes a good jolt can do wonders.”
“After that plane right, I need it.”
“You here for long?”
That’s a good question, he thought. How long would he be in Miami? Sitt
ing there watching the city grow bigger and bigger he knew the answer wasn’t yet ready to reveal itself.
“Maybe,” he offered. “It depends on how things pan out I guess.”
“I always say, the best plans are no plans at all.”
“In this instance, I hope you’re right.” From where he was sitting he could see her deformed hand resting against the steering wheel. He knew he shouldn’t, but John couldn’t help but ask. “Vanessa, I know it’s none of my business, but do you mind if I ask what happened to your hand?”
“It’s hard to miss huh?” she asked, stealing glances in the mirror.
“Sorry,” he mumbled quickly. “I guess my manners are still somewhere back on the plane. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Aw relax honey,” Vanessa sang, “it’s all good. I was going to tell you a little about the city but I can’t have you sitting back there dying of curiosity.”
“Actually I could use a bit of information about the city,” John offered in an attempt to steer the conversation from the discomfort he’d already created.
“Ha!” Vanessa laughed. “There’s no putting that monster back in the box, no sir.” She steered the car into a hard right and hit the brakes for a red light. “When I was seventeen I thought I was all woman, ready to take on the world. I was absolutely sure I was in love with a man that was gonna look after me until my feet don’t dance no more. My mom, she didn’t want me moving in with him. It wasn’t that she was the traditional type, she just didn’t trust him. Tried to talk me out of it more times than I can remember, but being head strong like I was, there was no listening to be done.”
“We sure had the world worked out at that age didn’t we?” John mused.
The Hallucigenia Project Page 8