by J J Cooper
‘Sorry. You got a hell of a lot more than most do.’
Jay grinned. ‘I survived, you mean.’
She gave Jay a hard look then turned her gaze back to the road. ‘I take out evil.’
‘Ex-CIA assassin and ex-actress from down under who now takes out evil based on someone else’s decision.’
‘The choice is mine. I get the assignment and I can choose to go ahead with it or not.’
‘An assassin with ethics.’
‘I eliminate evil. I make the moral and ethical decisions before I take the assignment.’
‘Okay. So one of those assassins who won’t kill kids and grandparents.’
‘Or animals.’
Jay almost burst out laughing. ‘You’re an animal activist too. Vegetarian?’
‘Vegan.’
‘Doesn’t get any better than this. I’m in a stolen tow truck with an attractive vegan assassin.’ Jay didn’t catch himself in time. He couldn’t believe he’d just told Toni she was attractive.
She looked over. No blushing. A cheeky smile. ‘You think I’m attractive?’
Shit. ‘The nurse’s uniform. Always does it for me.’
‘Nice try.’ She concentrated back on the road and kept the grin. ‘So I guess the assessment of your weakness is true.’
‘What weakness?’
‘Very good, Jay. You could have asked assessment by who, but you don’t want to directly ask my sources. Asked for the actual information instead. Very good. Too predictable, though.’
Jay had a sense of deja vu. He’d used the logical reasoning argument before. The situation was getting eerie. Maybe he was predictable. Time to adapt. Change tack. He reached for the phone.
‘Who are you calling?’
‘My father.’
‘Do that and we’re both dead.’
‘At least you’ll die as an attractive young woman.’
Toni’s cheeks tinged red. Bingo, Jay thought.
‘Don’t do it, Jay.’
‘What’s your real name?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Jay started dialling numbers.
Toni reacted the way Jay expected. ‘They will come for us. I know how they work. You have to trust me,’ she pleaded.
‘Name?’
The scowl was real. She sighed. ‘Rachael.’
‘Rachael what?’
‘Sharman. There, you happy? Rachael Sharman.’
‘Date and place of birth?’
‘No.’
Jay hit the send button, took the mobile phone from the cradle and held it to his ear.
‘Hello.’
Rachael reached for the phone. Jay grabbed her wrist and held tight.
‘Hang on a sec,’ he said into the phone.
‘Date and place of birth?’
She tried to wrestle her arm free from Jay’s grip. But he held tight. She gave in and said, ‘You’re going about this all wrong.’
‘No. Time for me to take control of the situation. Last chance.’
She let out a huff and said, ‘Twenty-sixth of February, 1983. Born and raised in Emerald.’
‘Thank you. Wasn’t that hard.’
Jay took out the pistol from his pocket and lay it on his lap, barrel pointing towards Rachael.
He spoke into the phone. ‘Bill, did you get that info?’
‘I did. Where are you, Jay? What’s going on?’
‘I’ll explain later. I need you to run an urgent check on the name Rachael Sharman. You just got her date and place of birth.’
‘Who is she?’
‘You may know her as Toni. This is urgent. I’m ditching the phone I’m on before the previous owner starts calling.’
‘Previous owner?’
‘Later. I’ll call you back in an hour.’
‘This time of day, I’ll need at least two hours.’
‘Sort of on the run here.’
‘Again?’
‘Deja vu.’
‘Sorry, boy. Best I can do is two.’
‘That’ll have to do then.’
‘Anything else?’
‘Yeah. Can you place a call to the New South Wales Police Commissioner and let him know I found Peterson.’
‘Where?’
‘He’s in an ambulance that is out of action on the number one highway just before the Coomera turnoff.’
‘An ambulance? What’s wrong with him?’
‘He’s dead. Don’t ask. Gotta go.’
‘Fair enough. I’ll let your dad know.’
‘Not yet. I have my reasons. Not enough time to explain, though. Just get me those details on Rachael here and pass on the message about Peterson. There’s method to my madness. You’ll have to trust me with it.’
‘Of course, boy. Stay in touch. Anything you need, just call.’
‘Will do.’ Jay hung up.
Rachael said, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘You prefer Rachael or you going to stick with me calling you Toni?’
‘Toni. You didn’t answer my question.’
Another confirmation for Jay that placed doubt over her real name. He figured she now had a couple of hours to make her move before he made the call to Bill and discovered Rachael Sharman didn’t exist.
‘We do things my way now.’
THIRTY-SIX
After abandoning the tow truck in a suburban shopping centre on the outskirts of the city, Jay and Toni caught a bus back to the hospital to pick up Jay’s Chevy. The way she handled the tow truck, Jay had no hesitation in allowing Toni to drive. He had to keep an eye on her anyway. He didn’t need the weapon – not yet – and had placed it into a backpack he’d purchased at the shopping centre. The backpack came from the same discount store as his new pair of jeans and T-shirt. The nurse’s uniform was also discarded for a set of jeans and casual top. All paid for by the credit card Jay kept in his boot. He also purchased a credit-only mobile phone with a fifty-dollar limit.
They didn’t talk on the bus. An uncommunicated understanding on not drawing attention to themselves. Blend in, act bored. Jay wondered what Toni had planned for him, and figured she too would be wondering what he’d planned for her. A game of psychological chess. A game she’d been playing all along. She just forgot to invite Jay to the table. Now he was starting to strategise, starting to put pieces of the puzzle together.
Toni revved the Chevy and asked, ‘Where to?’
‘Where you were taking me in the ambulance.’
She gave a slight tilt of her head. ‘Why? The assassin is dead. It was only a warehouse in an industrial estate.’
‘Right. Somewhere you knew was safe. Secure too if you’d planned on interrogating that bloke. So it’s more than likely to still be secure.’
She shrugged. ‘I suppose.’
‘Let’s go then. And I want the precise layout of the shed on the way.’
After Toni gave Jay the details for the warehouse, he made her pull off to the side of the highway and turn off the ignition. He grabbed the keys and instructed her to wait while he made a call. He got far enough away from the vehicle to be out of earshot, yet still be able to see what she was doing. Which was very little. She sat staring out the windscreen.
Jay called Bill. He gave the details of his plan and where he was going in case something went wrong. Bill offered to send some help to meet him: some contacts he had near the coast. One helper would fit nicely with Jay’s plan and he agreed to meet the person a couple of blocks from the warehouse.
The sun had just about set and Jay took a couple of steps closer to the Chevy to maintain the surveillance on Toni. She appeared mesmerised by the fading light. Captured by the streaks of red through the clouds. Her confidence had appeared sapped as she’d detailed the layout of the warehouse, defeated even. Jay didn’t want to question her in depth about other things just yet. He was holding a few cards now and it was about time he started playing his hand.
He cracked open a packet of cigarettes he’d bought a
t the shopping centre and leaned on the side rail of the highway barrier. The new lighter took a couple of sparks to get going and then he inhaled a long breath. A vice he couldn’t throw, just like the evil women he just couldn’t avoid. He ran the plan over in his head a few more times, stubbed out the cigarette and moved to the back of the Chevy. He popped the trunk and removed a small medical kit. After getting back into the passenger seat, he passed the keys to Toni.
‘What’s wrong with you?’ she asked.
‘Right eye is playing up.’
‘Playing up?’
‘Professional assassin like yourself would already know I lost most of the sight in my right eye fighting off corrupt Mossad agents.’ He hadn’t. Just part of the plan. ‘And it weeps a lot if overexposed to sunlight, heat or dust. Been a hot, dusty day. Just gonna put something on it.’
‘You’re right. I’ve never heard about the eye being damaged. Everything else, though.’
‘First the lapse of concentration in the ambulance, then lack of detailed knowledge of your target. You’re slipping. Keep that up and you’ll have me thinking you were forced to leave the CIA assassin program. No second chances there.’
She didn’t reply. But Jay could see he had hit the mark. He opened the medical kit, took out an eye patch and placed the elastic around the back of his head. The patch fitted snugly over the right eye and blocked out all light. He turned slightly in his seat towards Toni so he could still watch in case she tried something.
As they continued to dodge the late traffic, no doubt thicker on the highway because of the earlier crash, Jay decided to test Toni’s resolve by probing a little. ‘Must be killing you not knowing my plan.’
‘No.’
‘Sure it is.’
‘Look, I don’t know why you want to go to the warehouse. I just know we’re wasting time.’
This was the response Jay was looking for. She obviously didn’t want him near the warehouse. Or at least to be turning up there unannounced. She controlled the circumstances before when they were in the ambulance and adapted nicely to Peterson turning up. Although a tragic and inappropriate end for the detective. Something Jay wouldn’t forget too easily.
‘I want to stay low for a while. Warehouse seems a good enough spot. Why don’t you continue your quest to depose evil and hunt anthrax without me?’
She glanced over. ‘You know I can’t.’
‘You don’t actually still believe I’m immune to it, do you?’
‘You’re an in, regardless of your immune levels. Someone is after you for a reason. That person can lead us to the anthrax.’
‘Aren’t you forgetting that person fried in the ambulance along with Peterson?’
‘I’m not forgetting.’
‘And, you know, or claim to know, who his handler is.’
‘Yes.’
‘Go after him.’
‘Not that simple. We have to adapt.’
‘And how do you suggest we do just that?’
‘Let me call my contacts to find out who owns the patents.’
‘We know one.’
‘Allegedly. That came from a detective who was AWOL and alienated from his friends.’
‘He seemed genuine to me. Okay then, when we get to the warehouse you make the call.’
She nodded. Jay knew she was setting him up. For what though, was yet to be determined.
The sun had fully set by the time they’d taken the off-ramp towards the warehouse. On direction from Jay, Toni pulled up a couple of blocks short. Jay removed some zip ties that he had in his medical kit. Always handy. He used two on either side of the steering wheel, two on Toni’s wrists, then looped another two through each tie of the steering wheel and wrist so they joined; an effective way of ensuring Toni couldn’t get out of the vehicle. Good enough system that she could still drive the last couple of blocks, though. He used a bandage from the kit as a gag. Throughout the process, Toni appeared to be resigned to the fact that Jay was now in charge and she didn’t put up any argument or fight. After the confidence she’d shown in the recent past, Jay figured she was putting on a ruse because someone was waiting for him in the warehouse. He was prepared. Just a matter of who was waiting for him.
He could feel his battered body respond to the adrenalin pumping through his veins. He was aware of his surroundings. At times like these, his senses were on full alert and finely tuned.
After Jay met up with one of Bill’s associates, it took less than three minutes to describe the task and give timings. Wasn’t a hard task, but essential for a successful outcome. Fifteen minutes later the associate was in place, Jay had extinguished another cigarette and was back in the Chevy to commence the plan. It felt more like an operation to him. He’d planned and hypothesised outcomes, running the most likely and most dangerous scenarios through his head. Thinking of his ‘actions on’ if something was to go astray or the unexpected occurred. He adjusted the eye patch slightly, checked his weapon and placed it in the small of his back and ordered Toni to drive to the warehouse.
There was nothing spectacular or unusual about the industrial estate – maybe two dozen sheds either side of the road. All the cement slabs were joined together and equally divided to accommodate all types of businesses: car repair, manufacturing, sign writing, industrial work wear and many more. Each shed had half-a-dozen car parks at the front and a large roller-door beside a small front office. All were well lit and each had a keypad entry for the roller door.
Toni had stayed in first gear because her hands couldn’t reach the gear stick. She eased the Chevy in front of the roller door to one of the sheds that advertised promotional products as its business. Toni couldn’t reach the instrument panel so Jay turned off the Chevy’s headlights, looked around and got out. He took another good look up and down the estate before turning his attention to the keypad. He punched in the number Toni had given him before he’d gagged her, and heard a loud creak as the door slowly rose.
Bright light escaped from under the door as it ascended. The light slowly crept over the front of the Chevy and eventually climbed above it and raced into the deserted street. Jay eased back into the shadows and motioned to the blinking Toni to move into the shed, which she did. He didn’t bother to remove the pistol – not yet. He took a glimpse into the shed as the Chevy came to a halt dead centre. Toni couldn’t reach the keys to shut down the engine. She kept her foot on the brake and let the clutch out fast, stalling the big engine. Smart, Jay thought. An eerie silence ensued before the roller door reached its peak and started to descend.
Above the purr of the roller door engine a familiar voice called out, ‘Why don’t you come on in before the door squashes you like a cockroach? And place your hands on your head while you’re at it. I’d hate to shoot you before I get a chance to have a little fun.’
Jay stepped inside as he placed the voice. It had been a while. A floodgate opened and memories floated through his mind. Deceit, murder, betrayal, a daring escape and lost love.
No matter how hard he tried to forget the past and move on, there was always someone willing to make him remember.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Major Sergeant hadn’t changed much in the last year. His shaved head glistened and reminded Jay of the shine it gave out last time he’d seen the Major: when he’d been escaping military police custody. Maybe the scowl had deepened since then. Maybe it was a permanent fixture now. The lines extended either side of his forehead, deep into bulging veins at his temples. A man in his forties who looked to be at peak fitness. The shotgun looked small in his hands.
Jay placed his hands on his head, smiled, and walked towards the Chevy. Major Sergeant came around from the front of the Chevy, shotgun steady in his hands, and took a couple of slow steps towards Jay. He stopped beside the passenger door. He wore crisp fatigues and high-shine boots.
‘That’s right. Come closer, Sergeant.’
Jay took another couple of steps forward. ‘The name’s Jay, or Ryan. I go by either. Certai
nly not Sergeant anymore. Like you, I’m out of the military. Unlike you, I gave up dressing in the monkey suit and playing soldier,’ Jay grinned. ‘Then again, you were pushed out of the army, weren’t you?’
‘Always the smartarse, Ryan.’
‘Didn’t think you knew me that well. How long did you have me in custody? Twenty minutes?’
‘You got lucky. I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. Payback will be a bitch. By the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll need patches on both eyes, and plenty of plaster cast.’
Jay chuckled and said, ‘Just over a year since we last met. You’d arrested me, falsely I might add, and fortunately, you and your offsider were too incompetent to keep me locked up. Never did thank you for that. So, cheers. Why don’t you put down the shotty and I’ll buy you a beer?’
‘Why don’t you shut your mouth before I rearrange it!’
‘Around thirty seconds since I walked in. The threats are a little over the top, don’t you think?’
Sergeant gave a short shake of his head and a slight hint of a grin. He bent a little and looked through the Chevy’s windows towards Toni, then back to Jay.
‘Nice work with the zip ties. Hope you have some more in there.’
‘Thank you. And I do. Might have to double them up for your wrists, though. Have you been working out, tiger? Wait ... of course, plenty of time on your hands now.’
The shotgun came up and the barrel extended menacingly towards Jay. He hoped his timing was right.
Through clenched teeth, Sergeant spat, ‘On your knees now!’
Jay didn’t like the thought of putting his damaged knees on the concrete floor. He didn’t move, but was mentally prepared to dive forward. All he needed was for the –
The lights went out on cue. Jay dived to his right and rolled towards the Chevy as the shotgun spat pellets where he’d been standing. The boom echoed through the shed and Jay crept forward, feeling for the Chevy’s rear bumper. He brushed the cold metal, propped and withdrew his pistol with one hand and changed the eye patch to the other eye. The darkness didn’t seem so black. He now had the edge on Sergeant, and could see his outline: one hand reaching forward, the other gripping the shotgun.