Mika smiled and shook his hand. “Good to meet you, Alex.”
“Same here, I’m sure.” Alex watched her walk into the kitchen. He grabbed the bag of groceries from Sava and dashed into the kitchen. “So, what’s for dinner?”
“It’s a surprise, besides, you wouldn’t know it if I told you. You’ll just have to trust me.”
Alex gazed into her eyes. “I trust you already.”
“Good, then get out of the kitchen.”
Back in the living room, Sava looked out the window. “Why won’t it move?” He muttered.
“Why won’t what move?” Alex asked.
“That speedboat, it has the power to go anywhere, yet it just sits there all day.”
“Maybe they like it here, I know I do.” It was hard to miss the sarcasm in his voice.
“To have all that power and not use it is a waste. Believe me, I know.”
Alex changed the subject. “So, are you gonna tell me about Teleforce before or after dinner.”
“We mustn’t talk about this in front of Mika.”
“Why not?”
“I told you, she has been through a lot.”
“Yes, but what does Teleforce have to do with---
“Teleforce, Teleforce, Teleforce---that’s all you talk about. Forget Teleforce---that’s not what you should be concerned with.”
“Desa, are you two okay out there?”
“We’re fine Mika.”
“Dinner will be ready soon.”
Alex lowered his voice. “What should I be concerned with?”
“Not Teleforce.”
“Then what.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Listen old man, I know you have my gun, but I’ll kill you with my bare hands, right here in front of your granddaughter.”
“Alex, let it go---it will kill you just like it killed your father.”
“Tell me.”
“No---let it go.”
Alex reached over and grabbed Sava’s throat. “Tell me, now.”
Sava pulled away from his grasp.
Shocked by the old man’s strength, Alex calmed down.
“You say you’re my father’s friend, why won’t you help me?”
“It’s complicated, you should let it go. Get on with your life.”
“I’ll never let go.”
“You’re just like your father.”
Alex smiled.
Sava leaned over toward him and whispered. “Bahamas, Doctor Armaly, ask about---
Thitttt. Alex felt a wisp of air as Sava clutched his chest and fell over onto his lap.
Mika emerged from the kitchen, the silenced gun still in her hand.
CHAPTER 17
A low rumbling noise penetrated the window. The sound wasn’t compelling enough for Alex to rise from the sofa. Although, the dead man lying on his lap probably had something to do with his decision to stay put, or it could have been the woman in front of him with the gun. Regardless, he was stock-still.
Suddenly, the rumbling from the window erupted into a loud roar, and then soon faded away. Alex still didn’t move. He knew the speedboat was gone. He moved Sava from his lap and looked up at Mika. “Please tell me that bullet was meant for me.”
“No, you get the next one.”
“Could you at least wait till after dinner, it smells delicious?”
“Maybe we should have sex first?”
“No, not on the first date, I’m sure Sava didn’t raise you that way.”
“Sava didn’t raise me.”
“Well, I’m not sure I want to go to bed with someone who just killed their grandfather.”
Mika laughed and then grew angry. “Listen here you little Lenin reject, let’s get a few things straight before I put a bullet in your head. First, there will be no sex. Second, I didn’t kill my grandfather, my grandfather is alive and well in Belize. He’s 73 years old and still likes to fish. Sava’s daughter and granddaughter died 20 years ago when the building across the street was bombed. They didn’t tell Sava that Mika died in the explosion. I was recruited to take her place and I’ve been his granddaughter ever since.”
“Who is “they,” who recruited you?”
“That’s not important. I received orders to kill him ten years ago, but I didn’t have the heart to do it. We have grown close over the years.”
“And “they” let him live?”
“It took some doing, but I convinced them that he had lost his mind---like his uncle did. Eventually, they believed me.”
“So, why kill him now?”
“Because of you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. He didn’t need to get involved in whatever mess you’re in. He deserves to rest.”
The oven timer buzzed diverting her attention toward the kitchen. A fleeting moment when Alex could have made his move. Mika was tall and athletic, but Alex was sure he could overpower her. So, why didn’t he?
“Alex, if you want dinner, it’s ready, but you’ll have to serve yourself.” Her tone grew somber. She pointed to the kitchen while looking down at Sava.
Alex let another moment pass. He could have easily grabbed the gun while she was looking down. Instead, he went into the kitchen, turned off the buzzer and retrieved the pan from the oven. The fish still had eyes and one of them glared at Alex as steam rose from its socket. Obviously pissed off about being in the oven for the past hour. Nonetheless, it looked delicious, and the array of potatoes and vegetables that shared the pan looked delectable as well. Alex served two plates, stuck a bottle of wine under his arm and headed for the dining room table. “Come eat something, you’ll feel better.”
“No thanks, but you go ahead.”
“I don’t want to eat my last meal alone.”
“It won’t be your last meal. You can leave whenever you want.”
“So you’re not gonna kill me?”
Mika was silent.
“And we’ve already determined no sex, right?”
Mika smiled, set the gun on the coffee table, and went into the bedroom. She returned with a blanket and covered Sava’s body, then went back into the bedroom.
Alex heard her bawling from where he sat eating. The fish was wonderful, the wine, too. Still, his dinner sucked.
CHAPTER 18
When Alex awoke his legs were numb, twisted over the side of Sava’s chair by the window. The empty wine bottle lay on the floor beside him. The smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen signaled that Mika was also awake. It took a minute for his limbs to become flexible again after a night in that chair. And his hangover only added to the pain and confusion. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed that Sava’s body was gone from the sofa.
Before he could get to the kitchen, Mika emerged with plates of food and a pot of coffee. “Great, you’re awake, just in time for breakfast.”
Alex followed her to the table that was already set. He picked up a cup and groaned. “Coffee, please.” Alex moved his head from side to side until the vertebrae in his neck popped.
Mika apologized as she poured the coffee. “I’m sorry your neck hurts.” She set the coffee pot down and nudged a plate of food in front of him. “You really should have slept in bed with me.”
Not sure if she was being sarcastic, Alex let the remark pass. It was too early and he was too hung over. “This is delicious.” He said before even the first bite.
Mika smiled “Why don’t you taste it first.”
He placed a forkful in his mouth, chewed it, and then asked, “Where’s Sava?”
“Gone.”
“I can see that. How?”
“A friend.”
“Where?”
“Nowhere.”
Alex put his fork down. “What do you mean nowhere? He had to go somewhere, what if someone comes looking for him?”
Mika refilled her cup. “No one will come looking for him.”
“I did.”
“You don’t count.”
Alex leaned back in
his chair. “You think a man can no longer exist and nobody will notice---nobody will miss him?”
“In this instance, yes.”
Alex was sad. How could a man who was once important slip into obscurity and no one question his whereabouts? “What about the apartment---the rent, the utilities---what happens when they’re not paid?”
“The apartment is mine---has been for years---I pay all the bills.”
“Still, someone will grow suspicious when he’s no longer around.”
“No they won’t---the police won’t even come to this apartment if we call them---quit worrying.”
Alex hurried to the bathroom, turned on both the hot and cold faucets and hoped Mika wouldn’t hear him vomiting.
***
The Nikola Tesla Museum was a ten-minute walk from the apartment. Founded in 1952, the museum housed a vast collection of Tesla’s work along with his personal affects. That afternoon, Mika was Alex’s personal tour guide of the museum. “Sava donated all of this to the museum; it’s what his uncle wanted.”
“This is what was left after the Americans went through it.” Alex’s tone was bitter; still his eyes grew big at the many photos and exhibits.
“Now you sound like Sava.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, it’s just every time we visited here he complained about how the American F.B.I. stole many of his uncle’s works.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. The KGB stole much from my father---that’s why we defected from Russia.”
“Well, Sava always complained about the Americans, and not only the FBI---big corporations---Westinghouse---General Electric. He called them capitalist fools.”
Alex was deep into the exhibits. “That’s amazing.”
“What’s amazing?” Mika leaned over to look at the photo that had Alex amazed.
“That’s Mark Twain in the photo with Tesla.”
“Mark Twain?”
“Yes, Mark Twain. The famous author---you know---Tom Sawyer?”
Mika had a puzzled look on her face.
“What about Huckleberry Finn?”
She offered no response.
“You’ve never heard of Mark Twain, one of the most famous authors who ever lived?”
“Most famous in America maybe, have you ever heard of Ivo Andric?”
“Ivan who?”
“Not Ivan---Ivo---Ivo Andric, one of the most famous authors who ever lived.”
“In Serbia? Right?”
The next room was much smaller than the two previous and had curtained walls. In the center of the room, atop a small pedestal, sat a golden sphere. Inside the sphere were Nikola Tesla’s ashes.
Alex stood silent for several minutes before moving along to the next room in the museum. A room that housed many of Tesla’s early inventions, among them a model of the “Poly-Phase System of Alternating Current.” The invention that transformed the world. The world embraced Tesla’s “AC” power and adopted it over Thomas Edison’s “Direct Current” as the standard for transmitting electricity. “Can you imagine what the world would be like without this?” Alex pointed to the transformer.
“A much simpler place, that’s what Sava would say.”
“You really think so?”
“I don’t know. Sava once told me that electricity tormented his uncle. Tesla wanted it to be free for all Mankind---he didn’t care about money. The big American corporations, however, would not have it. According to Sava, Tesla had grown more and more discontent with each new discovery regarding electricity, and the American corporations grew bigger and richer because of him. That’s why he invented the water---
Alex was half listening as he inspected the devices on display. “Well, he was still a great man, despite the Americans.”
Mika agreed. Tired of talking, she suggested they stop at a tavern for a drink. “You can come back here tomorrow.”
“No, I must leave tomorrow. I have much to do.”
“But, where will you go?”
“The Bahamas.”
“The Bahamas---maybe I’ll come with you.”
Alex didn’t respond. At first, he thought it was a great idea, but then he had doubts. After all, what did he really know about Mika? Only that she killed her own grandfather who turned out not to be her grandfather at all. She works for some secret organization that ordered her to pretend to be someone’s granddaughter, and later ordered her to kill her fake grandfather. Then, since she didn’t have the heart to kill him, they just let him live and they didn’t even kill her for disobeying orders. What kind of organization was this anyway? Finally, after many years of searching for answers about his father’s death, when the old man she had become so fond of---and couldn’t kill---was about to tell him the answer to it all, she kills him before he can get the words out of his mouth. Nah, maybe bringing her along to the Bahamas wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Mika nudged him. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Do you want to get a drink or not?”
“A drink---a drink would be wonderful.”
***
The tavern was dark and smoky. It overlooked the Sava River at dusk. Mika chose a table against the window. The “Budweiser” neon on the wall behind the bar surprised Alex. “Serbian’s don’t know Mark Twain, but they know Budweiser?”
“The whole world knows Budweiser. It is the king of beers.” The cocktail server proclaimed. “Would you like one, Mister?” The cocktail server’s English wasn’t bad, but the way she said “Mister” made him want to order a Corona. He thought better of it. “Yes, I would love a Budweiser, how ‘bout you, Mika?”
“Sure, why not? And Schnapps, too.”
“Schnapps?” The request caught Alex by surprise.
“Yes, Schnapps, or would you’d like Vodka instead?”
“No thank you, I’m fine with just the beer.”
“Suit yourself. Two beers and one Schnapps, Angela.” The cocktail server headed for the bar. “So, how did you like the museum?”
“It’s amazing---I could spend a few days there---if I had the time.”
“Why not make the time? You could stay at Sava’s for a while. No one will bother you there.”
“No one at all, huh? What about you?”
“I would check on you from time to time.”
“You would check on me---but still no sex, right?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“The Schnapps.”
Alex smiled. Her offer was tempting, but before he could respond, the server returned with two beers and two glasses of Schnapps. “I bring extra Schnapps just in case Mister changes his mind.”
“That was a great idea, Angela.” Mika took a 100 Dinar Bill from her purse and handed it to the server. Alex snatched the bill from her hand before Angela could grab it.
“Wow, he’s even on the money?” The Serbian 100 Dinar Bill had a picture of Nikola Tesla on its front. Alex handed the bill to the server and raised his glass of Schnapps. “To uncle Nikola.” He downed the Schnapps in one gulp.
Mika sipped her Schnapps along with her beer.
***
Alex woke up alone. It was a strange bedroom and he thought about panicking, then he remembered that he had never been in Sava’s bedroom before. Certain that the bathroom would be down the hall on his left, he decided that it was rather urgent he get there. Once relieved, he washed his hands, dried them, and headed for the kitchen.
The kitchen was clean and offered no sign that food of any kind had graced its countertops or appliances recently. There was no coffee brewing, no bacon sizzling, no Musaka and no Mika. In the dining room, the table was not set, not even a coffee cup. He glanced over at the sofa and was somewhat relieved there was nothing there. Puzzled by it all, he went over to the window. There, he found a note on Sava’s chair.
Alex, I’m sorry, but I had to leave town for a few days. I will return Friday around noon Belgrade time. I hope you will wait
for me. There is something important that I need to discuss with you. Please stay. I have put some Dinars in the top dresser drawer in the bedroom. Use them for food and for whatever else you need. Relax and enjoy your stay. I will be back before you know it. Love, Mika.
Alex wadded up the note and tossed it to the floor. How dare she leave that way? He decided to leave right away and then something caught his eye down on the river. The speedboat had returned, again floating idle. At that moment, Alex knew how Sava felt sitting there with all that power, unable to use it.
CHAPTER 19
Agents Lawson and Arnold went back to the C.I.A. office in New York City. Not the main office on Reade Street, but their secret satellite office behind the Men’s Department on the third floor of Bloomingdales on Lexington Avenue and 59th street. Lawson sat with his feet on his desk. “I can’t believe he’s gone, what an idiot.”
Arnold was sprawled across the small sofa they had absconded from the furniture department. “Marco was many things, but he wasn’t an idiot.”
“Then why’s he dead?”
“That’s the part I can’t figure out. He would’ve never been that careless---hell, we’ve been chasing him for months and couldn’t find him.”
“Well, somebody found him.”
Lawson went over to the micro-fridge they had borrowed from the appliance department and grabbed a Mountain Dew. He didn’t like cola much and didn’t drink coffee. Mountain Dew was his main source of caffeine. Arnold preferred the high-dollar energy drinks when he needed a jolt. “You want a Red Bull?”
“No thanks.” Arnold obviously preferred to remain un-stimulated on the sofa. “I can’t believe he’s gone. And what was he doing at Aquaduct? Marco’s not a gambler.”
“I know. I figured he’d be at Scores.”
Agent Arnold rose from the sofa and went over to the fridge. “On second thought, I will take a Red Bull.” He popped the top on the can and drank it down in one breath. “That’s better, now what do you say we head over to Aquaduct and see what the boys in blue have found?”
Agent Lawson grabbed another Mountain Dew and they made their way through the Armani suits to the elevator.
Alternating Current: A Tesla Novel Page 9