The Fixer: A Lawson Vampire Novel 1 (The Lawson Vampire Series)

by Jon F. Merz

  I ignored the second question and concentrated on the first. "I can be so sure because the man you were having such a great conversation with was the man we are hunting. Cosgrove."

  She looked like she’d been hit with a tractor trailer and that was the moment I’d been waiting for. While her attention was focused inside, I grabbed the pistol and pointed it at her under the table.

  "Now we play things my way, Talya."

  I’d taken her weapon away so quickly it had clearly startled her. She obviously wasn’t used to dealing with someone like me. And that was just fine.

  I reached over and took my pistol back from the waistband of her slacks.

  She recovered quickly, and I gave her credit for that. "How was I supposed to know it was Cosgrove? He didn’t exactly ask to suck my blood and I didn’t see any fangs."

  "You wouldn’t. They’re retractable. And the only way to tell would be the birthmark at the base of his neck."

  "He’s got a birthmark?"

  "All vampires do. It’s a symbol of the race."

  "What’s it look like?"

  "Just a blob of discolored skin. Down by the clavicle."

  She nodded, absorbing it seemed. "So. Now what?"

  "Now you tell me how you got out of that hotel room without being blown to hell."

  She looked down. "It was a shaped charge."

  That got my attention. "Say what? Are you telling me you rigged the room to explode?"

  She nodded. "I had to-"

  "Are you fucking crazy? You could have killed me!" Well, not really, but it was important to make her still think I was as human as she was.

  "Like I said Lawson, it was shaped. I rigged it so the explosion would only impair you, not kill you."

  "Really. All those delightful little pieces of fragmentation were designed to just impair me? You know how many splinters they dug out of me?"

  "It wasn’t supposed to be a frag explosion. My contact here in town made a mistake."

  "No shit. Maybe I’ll pay your contact a visit and give him a sample of his own medicine."

  "That’s not necessary."

  "You weren’t on the receiving end, Talya."

  She looked at me. "It’s not necessary because I already killed him. I do not tolerate mistakes like that."

  That brought me up short. Talya didn’t dick around. "Well, I still can’t believe you blew up your hotel room."

  She shrugged. "You think it makes no sense, and truthfully, if I was in your shoes, I’d agree with you. But you don’t know the whole picture."

  "Really. Well, suppose you goddamn well enlighten me."

  Talya sighed. "I was scared."

  "Bullshit, Talya. Don’t try that feminine crap with me. You don’t strike me as the easily intimidated type."

  "I was scared, Lawson, because of the attempted hit. You were the only person who could knew where I was staying. You were the only one who could have arranged a hit like that."

  "So you rigged the room. Throw me off the scent, make me think you were dead?" I smiled. "You caused a loss of balance."

  "What?"

  "It’s from an old book by Musashi on swordsmanship. When you can start by making the enemy think you are slow, or in this case-dead, then you can attack strongly thus keeping them off balance."

  "I guess that’s what I wanted."

  "But it wasn’t me, Talya!"

  She nodded. "I realized that too late. As soon as you came into the room, I triggered the timer. I couldn’t have stopped it in time."

  "So, kill me, then your problems would have been over."

  "I told you, it wasn’t supposed to kill you."

  "Impair me? I find it hard to believe you’d spare me but not the guy who made the bomb."

  She smiled. "Maybe I like you, Lawson."

  "Wonderful. So, you get me out of the picture, one way or another-"

  "And I would have been able to kill Cosgrove on my own."

  I shook my head. "Not likely."

  "I could do it, Lawson."

  I really had to laugh. I mean, I had a lot of respect for this woman, but she was off her fucking rocker. "Are you nuts? You wanted to take Cosgrove out by yourself?"

  "Yes."

  "And that small fact that he happens to be, well, you know, a goddamned vampire, that doesn’t really make you think twice about confronting him?"

  "No." She looked up at me and even in the darkness I could see the moisture in her eyes. It was the first time I’d seen her express emotion, I realized. The first time she’d shown remorse over Simbik’s death. "I mean to kill him, Lawson. For what he did to my fiancee. I have to. Even if I was no longer in love with him, he was one of the few people I cherished in my life. And now, it’s my obligation." She looked away. "Mine alone."

  I leaned back in the booth and watched the couple furiously grinding into each other. Judging by the extremely quick up and down motion, the guy couldn’t have been hung much larger than my big toe.

  I looked back at Talya and saw her vulnerability. A single tear had wound its way down her cheek and I understood just how much incredible self-control she must have been using to keep herself in check this entire time. The tear was testament to that fact. "Talya," I said sliding over closer to her.

  She looked at me again, trying to will the moisture out of her eyes, draw it back in, suck back the visible turmoil. Just when I thought she’d succeeded, it came out in a torrent and she slumped into me, her chest heaving, my jacket muffling her sobs.

  I held her close, feeling her warmth, smelling her vague perfume, inhaling her essence and tasting her delicious aroma. My mouth watered.

  "Talya," I said again.

  She sniffed and brought herself under control. She sat up wiping away her face. "I’m sorry. I don’t usually do that."

  "I can tell."

  She tried to smile. "Guess I needed that."

  "I’d say so."

  "Thank you Lawson. You don’t have to be so understanding."

  "Yeah, I know. Women who try to blow me up, they’re a real weakness of mine."

  She laughed again, stronger this time. "You’re a good man."

  I shook my head. "You only say that because you don’t know me. You’d change your mind in a hurry if you knew."

  She moved closer to me. "I don’t think so."

  I cleared my throat. "There’s still that business of the hit teams who tried to take us out just before the explosion. They’d been paid off from that wad of cash in your room. Got any explanations for that?"

  "None at all, except to say someone must have broken into my room earlier. Maybe while I showered. Perhaps the night before when we were out."

  "Well, I had an easy enough time getting in there myself, so I suppose that’s possible."

  "No place is ever secure," she said. "That fact has always unnerved me."

  "I guess we can’t so searching for evidence now anyway."

  "Why no-" she stopped short, realizing her room had been reduced to splinters. "Sorry."

  "Forget it. We’ve got more important things to think about."

  She moved closer again. "I agree."

  "Easy there. What makes you so sure I wouldn’t blow you up in a heartbeat? I’ve got quite a vengeful streak in me."

  "Is that so?"

  "You have no idea. Trust me."

  She smiled and moved even closer. "I do."

  "Yeah?"

  She grinned. "Uh huh." Her lips came even closer. Full, pouty, expanding, widening, opening her mouth-

  Metal jammed under my chin.

  A gun barrel.

  Her pistol.

  Too late, I realized she’d fleeced that damned thing back off me when she was crying on my shoulder.

  She laughed and brought it down, then returned it to its holster under her armpit. "Now we’re even." She grinned.

  I had to smile, too. She was quite a woman.

  "Talya."

  "Yes?"

  "We’re going to kill Cosgrove."


  "I know."

  "Together. You can’t handle it alone."

  She looked at me.

  Then nodded.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I put a call in to McKinley the next morning. He sounded frazzled as usual. I asked what was going on and he sighed.

  "Place is in a fucking uproar over the death of that elder. I’ve got the Council screaming at me for results. I just got off the phone with them and I’ve got a pounding headache that feels like someone’s ripping my brains apart."

  "Who was the elder by the way? You promised me a better rundown on that whole thing. I’d like some info before I head over."

  "Yeah, yeah I did." I heard some papers being rummaged through. "Lessee…his name was Nyudar. He was a thousand years old."

  "Jesus." That was a long time even for us. "How’d he manage that?"

  "Elders, Lawson. You know how it is."

  "Actually, I don’t. Explain it to me."

  "When a former Council member is selected to be an elder they undergo some sort of ceremony. Slows their metabolism down. Hinders the aging process."

  "How the hell do they do that?"

  "Shit, I dunno. Magic, maybe."

  "Magic? Give me a break."

  "Hey, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen some stuff that defies description, pal. I know you too well for that. Our race is an old one. Who knows what these old fogies have locked in their skulls."

  "Well, one thing’s for sure. All the magic in the world didn’t stop Cosgrove from ripping that poor guy apart."

  "Can’t imagine why. Nyudar was just a librarian for crying out loud. Kept some old journals and stuff nobody’s interested in nowadays."

  "What kind of journals?"

  "Dunno. I heard it was something to do with ancient customs. The old language. Stuff like that."

  "Yeah, that is weird."

  McKinley cleared his throat. "So, what’s the news, Lawson? You back in play or what? Please tell me you are. God knows I can’t take much more badgering from the Council."

  "Well, hang in there, McKinley. I’m back on the job. I’ll be heading over in a few. I’ll let you know if I find anything."

  "You do that."

  "What’s the address?"

  "South End. Down behind Copley Place." He gave me the address and sighed. "I’ll be popping pills trying to get this headache under control. Don’t wait too long to call in."

  "You getting worried about me?"

  "Hell, no. Just want to be able to give the Council some news is all."

  "And here I thought you were getting all sentimental on me."

  Zero called as soon as I hung up the phone. He wanted a meeting.

  "Take the long way," he said before ringing off. That told

  me to take extra precautions and ensure I didn’t have anyone following me. I always took precautions anyway, especially after the other night.

  But today I took extra care.

  I’d left Talya last night at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. The concierge is an acquaintance of mine who understands the word discrete. He got Talya squared away with a nice room on the third floor with a window overlooking and interior courtyard.

  Talya had looked at it and smiled. "It’s perfect, Lawson."

  And it was.

  Three floors off the ground, it was high enough that breaking in by climbing was tough but not so high that she couldn’t jump out and live if she had no other choice.

  You might think it a little crazy to live life this way, but this is how professionals the world over think when it comes to their safety. It’s a serious business we’re in.

  And while I may not have to focus on that aspect as much as my human contemporaries, I could still appreciate the idea of adhering to such principles.

  I triple-backed on myself to make sure I was clean. I still had no idea how Cosgrove was getting around the city or even where he might be holing up. I had to assume he knew where I lived, even if he hadn’t yet attacked me there. If I didn’t assume the worst, he’d get me when I least suspected it. So I suspected everything.

  Zero arranged to meet me at a small diner just outside of Kendall Square in Cambridge close to the old candy factory situated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Zero, they made the best turkey clubs in the city.

  After biting into the sandwich, I had to agree with him. Plenty of mayonnaise, bacon wasn’t too crisp, ample lettuce, and plenty of cheese. I hated tomatoes so I got mine without which caused Zero to frown.

  "Still can’t eat ‘em, huh?"

  "You know I can’t."

  He smiled. "They’re good for you, Lawson."

  "I did my time when I was a kid. Couldn’t get enough of them. Then suddenly it disappeared. Now I like cucumbers."

  He shrugged and bit into his sandwich again. We waited until the lunch time crowd had thinned out. The cramped little joint only had so many tables. Inside, the paint flicked off the walls in places and pies and cakes still sat under the glass trays like you always see in old films. A real mom-and-pop-and-all-our-sons team from Greece ran the place and they gave you a lot of food for your buck. It was the kind of place I liked to eat in. Everyone was welcome.

  And they didn’t take shit from the Yuppies who came in pretending to be important. That was refreshing. If there was one thing that annoyed the holy bejeezuz out of me, it was young executives who thought the world started and stopped with them. They’d grown up cloistered and groomed in colleges designed to churn out business corporate types who really contributed nothing to society. And somewhere along the line, someone had inserted a huge ego and a lot of attitude into an otherwise insecure shell. The result was a rude aberration with no sense of decency.

  Ah, well, that was the 21st century for you.

  Personally, I was looking forward to the new millennium. I think I had some notion that there would be this huge overnight change. And yet somehow I doubted myself simultaneously.

  Maybe just a small apocalypse, then. You know, take out some of those awful drivers who stay locked in second gear afraid to put a little gas into the engine. I clung to a belief that more traffic accidents were caused by timid drivers than those who knew how to drive well. Now if I could just get funding for the study…

  We munched chocolate chip cookies for dessert and polished off our sodas before lapsing into conversation. Zero kept a full mug of coffee in front of him as incentive for the staff to leave us alone.

  "Any luck so far?"

  "McKinley says the elder who was killed was named Nyudar. Some sort of librarian in charge of keeping journals."

  "What kind of journals?"

  "McKinley didn’t know too much, just said they had old customs in them. Stuff to do with the old language."

  "You asked McKinley?"

  "Calm down. He volunteered the information."

  Zero sighed. "Why kill an elder? It doesn’t make much sense. If he’s trying to forge an alliance with the humans, why would he need the aid of an elder? It doesn’t make sense."

  "Nothing Cosgrove does makes sense."

  "That may seem true on the surface, Lawson, but there’s always a pattern that flows out of even the darkest pools. There’s something there we’re not seeing. There has to be." He reached for his coffee. "What about the man himself? Any luck?"

  I shook my head. "None. I have no idea where Cosgrove is shacking up. He’s limited himself so far to nocturnal forays, but he can still skip around during the day. I can’t find the bastard anywhere. Luckily, he didn’t kill last night."

  Zero nodded. "I know." He reached inside his leather jacket and brought out a manila folder. "Here’s the dossier on your friend Talya. She’s definitely not one of us, at least as far as DIA is concerned."

  "You took DIA’s assessment over Langley?"

  Zero smiled. "You know as well as I do that CIA hasn’t had credible human intelligence since they went overly dependent on their satellites. DIA still runs HUMINT networ
ks keyed to the former Soviet Union." He pointed to the folder. "Give it a read."

  I did. It seemed that McKinley may have had access to the same information Zero had just given me. Talya had been a KGB illegal in charge of wet work before she went freelance after the fall of Communism. There were recent photos, well recent in intelligence terms which meant anything taken this decade, a list of her previous employers and some biographical information. Seemed she’d been telling me the truth about being Simbik’s fiancee. He was listed in her file.

  I closed it and handed it back to Zero. "I see you’re still maintaining your networks as well."

  He took a sip of coffee. "A good thing I do, too, Lawson."

  "Why’s that?"

  "Because this thing, this conspiracy goes deeper than I originally thought. Remember the other night when I told you I didn’t want to go to the Council just yet?"

  "Yeah." Personally, I felt we should. I didn’t mention it to Zero, though.

  "Good thing I didn’t. I would have been killed trying to get there."

  "By who?"

  "The old Fixers we talked about. Cosgrove’s enforcers. His private termination squad."

  I frowned. "So, they exist."

  "Yes. But I was wrong about something important."

  "What’s that?"

  "When I mentioned the possibility that Cosgrove would use old Fixers, I thought he would use those of our kind who had retired from active service. That he’d use the old vets." He leaned forward. "I was wrong."

  It dawned on me. "Jesus, he’s using active Fixers?"

  Zero nodded. "It’s one reason he’s here in Boston. We still have to figure out the elder connection."

  That made sense. "Well, he did try to recruit me-"

  "No, Lawson, not you, although I’m sure he’d love to have you come aboard and help him raise hell. But it’s not you he’s interested in getting to."

  "Who then?"

  "McKinley."

  "McKinley?" I shook my head. "Can’t be, Zero. He’s my Control, he wouldn’t go over to Cosgrove. Hell, he gave me the termination order himself."

  "Exactly," said Zero. "What better way to conceal the fact that he’s becoming Cosgrove’s chief operations man than by maintaining his role of your Control. Even if we went to the Council now with this, they’d never believe it. McKinley’s got a great service record. He passed the termination order to you without incident and told you to go get your man. Hell, he even went so far as to call me up to protect your ass while you were in the hospital. He didn’t have to do that. He could have killed you himself while you were out."