by R Arundel
Matthew smiles. “That pretty much sums it up.”
Liam says, “I’ll keep working my sources here. Kofi, you work with Alice and see if we can analyze our data to come up with something.”
Matthew says, “Looks like Sarah and I have a trip to Macau. Liam, can you make up another bogus flight plan?”
“What’s another FAA violation?”
***
Liam grips the controls of the plane tightly. “I think I’m going to give up my job as personal pilot to you two.”
Sarah says, “ I know what you mean. On a night like this, it doesn’t seem too fun. I’m not sure who’s gripping tighter, you or me.”
“Tonight it’s me.”
“We’re so close to the water. I can see the white foam from the waves.”
“It’s pretty black down there.”
Sarah clutches her seat. “Just keep us in the air. Keep using those instruments.”
“We’re too close to the water; the instruments are useless.”
“But you can’t see anything. It’s all black.”
“Now you see my challenge. “
The turbulence pushes the plane down. Liam jerks the plane up.
“Stay a little higher then.”
“We have to keep just above the water to avoid detection. Macau has some pretty advanced radar. It’s from China.”
Sarah asks, “Macau’s just off the coast of China?”
“Yes, it’s an island.”
Sarah puts her hand on Liam’s. “We’ll be fine. You’re doing great. How’s the family?”
“Last I heard, they are well.”
Sarah knows Liam’s family has been hidden away somewhere in the Midwest. Liam gets periodic updates but no direct communication. Sarah’s right leg goes numb. She shakes her leg vigorously.
Liam says, “It’s a little cramped in here.”
“It is. My leg goes dead anytime now. I can’t predict it. It’s actually better when I’m walking or running.”
“We’re almost there.”
“How old are your girls?”
“The twins are two years older than Matthew.”
“It must be tough.”
“They’ve got to put their lives on hold now. Because of me.”
“It’s best. Whoever is hunting us would stop at nothing. They would kidnap the girls or your wife to force your hand.”
“I know, it just doesn’t make it any easier. We’ve all had to go into hiding.”
“All except Kofi—he’s been able to somehow avoid suspicion.”
“He’s kept his usual routines. He was smart. He’s even been promoted to head the Palo Alto lab.”
Liam eases the nose of the plane down. They can see the rolling black waves with little white foam tops.
Sarah grips her seat, and her leg starts to move. She stares straight ahead. “I wanted to thank you.”
Liam laughs. “For what? Recruiting you to a place so you can be almost killed? For ruining your plans to travel the world one last time?”
“Thank you for all you’ve done, for your wise words. All our lives are on hold. It was no one’s fault any of this happened. You’re a good man. You’ve sacrificed much. Look at the people who have helped us because of you. The planes, the private airports, the safe house in Manhattan. They all say so much about you. That people are so wiling to help you.”
“I really miss my girls. I want to go back to my life.”
“Our careers are over, however this turns out. There is no going back.”
“That is true.”
“What will you do next?”
“My dad always wanted me to go into the family business.”
“Your family is big in oil. You don’t need to work. ”
“Dad left us in a good position. You can never have too much, but dad left us pretty good.”
“If what I’ve read is true, pretty good is an understatement. You guys are the oil kings.”
“Oil and natural gas. My brothers run it now, but I may try to get in it. I’m a little old for new tricks, though. How ‘bout you?”
“I’m thinking I may go to Sweden, just settle for a while in a quiet village. I need to just rest, think a little. I’m confused about a lot of things these days.”
“Better wake up Matthew. We’re about to land.”
Matthew rubs his eyes and sits up in his seat. “Why do you guys let me sleep on these rides?”
Liam says, “We don’t. You just drop off as soon as we’re in the air.”
“It’s the engine. It puts me to sleep.”
“I’m going back tomorrow. I will be home Monday. The chairman’s committee will be meeting without me again.”
Sarah says, “That’s the committee the new university president will be chosen from.”
“That’s the one.”
Matthew says, “I know it hurts, Liam, but if we can get this resolved, and do it fast, we can restore your name.”
Sarah and Liam look at each other.
Sarah says, “At this point a good outcome will be us staying out of jail and staying alive. Our careers are over.”
Matthew smiles. “It’s not as bad as all that.”
“It isn’t?” says Sarah.
“We’re all doing what we have to do.”
“Let’s face it. Our lives are ruined.”
Liam says, “In life you do your duty. You do it with honor and integrity. What happens after that doesn’t matter.”
Sarah huffs out a breath. “This was not how I was planning to spend my time.”
“Fate sometimes spends our time. And in times like this, you just bend.”
“Is there no way out?” says Sarah.
Matthew bows his head.
Liam says, “We’ve all done the math. We have no alternatives. Worse yet, something big is about to happen. I have a feeling we will get the answers in Macau.”
Liam quotes from his favorite poem. “Above all else never forget, life is a gift. When you receive a gift, especially an unexpected gift, you must take it gently, cherish it dearly, and use it fearlessly. And never forget to say thanks.”
Matthew leans his head beside Liam. “As soon as we land, you go back.”
“I’ll stay in Macau a short while to finalize your exit plan. When are you going to check out the Macau lab?”
“I’m not sure. I’m going to do some work on the island and see if anyone else knows anything, then we’ll pay Kevin Price a visit.”
“I’ve made the arrangements for you guys to get back to the States. As soon as the plans are confirmed, I’m off.”
“Thanks, none of this would be possible without you. I’m gonna get you back to where you want to be. Your career is not over. I promise.”
Matthew embraces Liam like he will never see him again.
***
The hotel in Macau is very modest. A privately run establishment. Cash only. The room is small but clean. They waste no time in hiring a car. Sarah drives. They do not speak much. They both understand that if this trip doesn’t give them a clue, something concrete, it is over.
Sarah sits in the car nicely hidden behind a large delivery van. She has a good view of the alley beside the building. Matthew walks across the street. The building is the address that he got from Raymond, where the supplies of Idolatis Etiensis are being shipped. It is an old gray concrete block on a very busy street. Cars move bumper to bumper along the congested, narrow road. The nearby park is full of people.
A young woman in her early twenties, Candy LaFontane, is at the desk. She wears a black skirt that leaves little to the imagination. Matthew looks at her firm round calf muscles. She must have been a dancer or soccer player in the past. Her face could have been beautiful if life hadn’t left its footprint. A wide nose and very sad brown eyes.
“I’m Isaac, here to see Dr. Kevin Price,” says Matthew.
“Isaac, what did you say your last name was?” says Candy.
“Isaac Hall.”
&
nbsp; There is no need to tell Kevin. He is looking at a large monitor, which shows the front office. He recognizes Dr. Matthew MacAulay. Kevin has hoped Matthew would find his way here eventually.
Candy pushes the intercom. “Dr. Isaac Hall to see you.”
Kevin replies, “Bring him right in.”
Kevin does not merely speak, he delivers his words like an actor delivers lines. An actor in a bad high school Shakespearean play. He speaks with measured pauses interspersed. Then deliberate emphasis on certain words. The effect is that every word he utters seems carefully considered and important.
Candy leads Matthew down the hallway and opens a door. “Go right in.”
Kevin Price sits behind the desk. He is in his early forties. He wears jeans from a fancy designer label, a little too tight for his sagging physique. His expensive shirt clings tightly to his pot belly, the threads of the fabric straining to contain his girth.
Matthew says, “Dr. Kevin Price.”
The man definitely is a transplant surgeon. They had crossed paths many years ago. Matthew had been in a room when Kevin was giving a lecture. Matthew couldn’t remember his real name. He did some facial transplant research but dropped off the map.
Matthew jumps in. “I’m interested in setting up a transplant center back in the US. I am interested in pushing the boundaries a little bit. Some research that is a little more aggressive. I got your name from a friend of a friend.”
Kevin claps slowly. “Well done. Virtuoso performance. That’s funny, Dr. Matthew MacAulay, because I thought you were the prime suspect in the killing of three people back home. I think you’re wanted by Interpol. And word on the street is that the US has a sanction out on you.”
“Okay. Okay. Kevin, I did not kill anyone.”
“I know. My boss is behind all this recent drama.”
Matthew’s eyes widen, and his pulse quickens. He looks around the room. No windows. At least this time, he will not be shot at.
“Who do you work for?” says Matthew.
“A very good question.”
“Who?”
“I work for someone who is both cunning and deadly.”
“No games.”
“I have tried to find out. All for naught.”
“Is it Michael Coulson?”
“I don’t think so. I think he is more like me, but maybe a little higher up. I think he’s a lieutenant, a right-hand man. A prince, but not a lord. Although I could be wrong.”
“So he’s not the man?” says Matthew.
“I can’t say that for sure. He could be pretending to have a higher-up, a mastermind. Is he the genius buffoon? Sometimes the mind does somersaults, the results confused.”
“Any guesses?”
“I was getting close. I thought it may have been someone in your Transplant Working Group. But my hunch is Michael is not our man.”
“On the night that Tom was killed, I was asked to do a transplant. It didn’t work out. I did not do it, but the canister was removed. Do you have the canister?”
“I thought you’d never ask. Yes, I believe I do. I was asked to store it. I knew it had to be connected with you, hence the mysterious Isaac Hall wanting to talk to me.”
“Do you think the person is US government?”
“I don’t think so, but I have no real proof one way or the other. All my inquiries have been discreet. I really wanted an insurance policy, if you know what I mean. But if they ever found out I was looking for them, I would be eliminated. Myself and my fair maiden out front, Candy.”
“If we open the canister, it will tell us who killed Tom.”
“I knew Tom; he didn’t deserve what he got.” After a long silence, Kevin continues, “Few of us do. Follow me.”
Kevin and Matthew move through a heavy steel door into another room.
Kevin says, “I’ve fixed this room. If we open the canister here, it will not be able to transmit the signal that it has been opened. If my boss realizes the canister has been opened, I think I will be put on the rack, in a manner of speaking.”
Kevin goes to a small punch pad and keys in a six-digit code. The glass behind them lights up and humming motors activate.
***
Candy LaFontane likes Kevin, or whatever his real name is. He is gentle. He never beats on her. Sex is so-so, but a girl can’t have everything. The pay is awesome. But she was offered crazy money. Money that meant she would never have to work again. She just has to make a simple phone call. She can leave this island, go back home, and never worry about money again. Kevin is good to her, but money is money. She picks up the phone and dials the number. She’ll buy a restaurant. She is a good cook. All day breakfast. Maybe her mother will not have to look after her son after all; she is going home. She wants to see her six-year-old son.
***
The titanium canister slowly rises from the ground behind the glass door. When it finally stops, two beeps are heard. Jason opens the glass door and takes out the canister. A soft cold mist emanates from the canister. Maybe it is the temperature difference here, but Matthew has never seen that when he brings up his canisters. The white mist slowly rises and then disappears. Kevin opens the titanium canister. As he had suspected, a red light flashes. Matthew realizes the canister has been altered. A signal alerts someone that they have opened the canister.
Kevin says, “Don’t worry, I anticipated this. The wall will not allow the signal to transmit. We’re safe.”
Kevin slowly removes the head from the canister. It is covered in thin white cloth and wrapped precisely. The same technique used for all donor faces in the US. They unwrap the face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kevin puts the face on the table. Matthew notes the faint smell of alcohol on Kevin. It is early morning. The smell triggers Matthew’s memory. Kevin was a promising young surgeon. Energetic. Gregarious. He liked the bottle a little too much unfortunately. He had an addictive personality that allowed him to study frenetically. He became addicted to vodka and lime. Then just vodka.
Both Kevin and Matthew are transfixed by the face they see. They turn to each other. They both look again to see if the face will change. If their eyes will work properly and show something else. Nothing changes.
Sitting before them on a clean white towel is the face of the Secretary of Defense. George H. Brown. Correction, the former Secretary of Defense, Quentin’s predecessor. The Secretary of Defense died in a hiking accident on Karakatura a few months ago. His body was not found. The climbing season had ended, and it was too dangerous to go up on Karakatura now. They were planning to go back and search next year. It was a tragic loss for the White House. Quentin Taylor had been sworn in to take his place.
Together, like a ritual burial ceremony, they rewrap the head. They gently put it in the canister and shut the titanium cylinder. It makes a reassuring thud as it closes. They leave the room and go back to the office. Both men sit, their minds twirling with the possibilities.
Kevin asks, “Drink?”
“Sure.”
Kevin pours two.
Both men drain the glasses immediately. Jason pours two more. Kevin and Matthew each down those more quickly than the first set. Kevin makes a third set. They each take a sip.
“That’s the face of the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America,” says Matthew.
“Someone murdered him, then harvested his face. They disposed of the body,” says Kevin.
“They came to my lab the night they killed Tom. The plan was for me to transplant the face of the Secretary of Defense onto the body. The person who I was operating on had the same body type as the Secretary of Defense. I thought we were changing someone’s identity. I later figured out that this face was the key, not the face of the person I was transplanting.”
“You were supposed to create a spy to infiltrate the US military?”
“Looks like it. I was going to create a fake Secretary of Defense to impersonate George H. Brown.”
“Unlimited acc
ess to all US secrets. Locations of defenses, offensive weapons, names of spies working undercover. But it would not have worked. The scars would have been visible; at most he would have been suspected in a few hours. He would have had to act fast, but even a few hours could do major damage.”
Matthew didn’t bother to fill in the details about Tom’s upgrade of the Steriazol. The double would have served as Secretary of Defense, with access to everything. He would have been an identical replacement.
“He would be undetectable,” Matthew murmurs.
“I’m sure you don’t need a high school civics lesson, but the only thing special about the Secretary of Defense is that he is the only person, other than the president, who has the access codes to fire nuclear weapons. My employer chose well. The president is too well guarded, so he took the easy mark. The codes could be sold to a foreign power. He could—”
Kevin stops midsentence. He is looking at the monitor of the front office. Something bothers him about the picture, but he is not sure what until now.
“My friend we need to leave here now.”
“Why?” says Matthew.
“Candy has left her desk. She is gone.”
Kevin quickly scans the camera feeds. He looks at eight different camera locations on the monitor. He has even placed a secret camera in the washroom. Candy LaFontane has vanished.
“My lover, my concubine, my betrayer, alas,” says Kevin.
***
Sarah spots the large gray car parked at the front entrance. The weather is warm, but the men all wear loose-fitting dark jackets. It isn’t that the style of dress calls attention to them. It is their faces that give them away. They came with a purpose.
The doors to the room that Kevin thought secret are smashed open. The three men enter with weapons drawn. Matthew and Kevin make their way out the back door into the alleyway. Kevin pulls Matthew to go left.