Lost By The River
Page 14
“Almost.”
“Almost?”
“What do you mean?”
“There's a couple other people missing.”
“I—well, fine, but that doesn't concern—”
“Just sit a bit longer. You got the tube. Or, we can play video games.” I reached for the rent-a-controller behind the television's cable box.
“How can you—Mr. Drake, I understand, now, how you can enjoy your—relaxation, when the work day is done. I even respect it, actually. You do, it seems, have your moments. And you're worth everything I—everything Agate paid you. But right now—”
“Just hang on. And don't make me force you to stay. I'm good at making Agate people stay put.”
“But I—why would you—it's over, Mr. Drake. I'm sure you're sick enough of my company. And also of Dr. Ansbach's.”
“Look, Clarissa, babe,” I said thickly. “You don't honestly think Hannigan was working alone, do you?”
“Alone—what—well, but Mr. Drake, I—”
“Yeah. I mean come on, government employees get up one day, start whacking people. You realize what it takes to kill somebody?”
“What?”
“Initiative. That's not exactly in deep supply.”
“Init—well, come on, there's the post office.”
“Yeah, and it's only when a guy is laid off; when he can't keep the leather wheelie chair, office right next to the donut shop that he flips. Don't get me wrong, Hannigan was a whack job, but he—”
“He didn't do all this on his own,” said Eveline, as she opened the door to our hotel with another key.
There was a small caliber revolver in her hand.
“No, he had to've been told by somebody. Or at least encouraged.”
“Yes.”
“Clarissa, this is Eveline. Eveline, Clarissa. Clarissa works for Agate. Maybe Dr. Ansbach told you about her.”
“And how is darling Roger?” asked Eveline.
The Doc sat in the corner. His gurgling seemed a bit happier, like a baby who senses when the favorite toy is near.
“As well as can be expected. Thanks for the hotel room, by the way.”
She paused for a moment. “How did you know this one was from me?”
“What, are you kidding? Both rooms were. I'm not that popular...”
“I only got the one suite for you, Mr. Drake.”
“This is a suite?” I asked, looking around at my beer-can-strewn palace of luxury.
“Well, it is, in a manner of speaking. I confess, I would never myself accept an assignation at this place of residence. But that is of little concern now.”
“Well, Eveline, doll. Ain't the worry that you might have to do some low-budget chores again in your future? That short of Agate not going so well?”
“Short—short, Mr. Drake—how... quaint.”
“Fine, sale of naked puts, covered calls, derivatives, whatever the hell it was. You were betting on Roger's company to go down, weren't you? Betting with borrowed money. Kind of an oddity for you, isn't it?”
She looked at me.
“LEAPs, Mr. Drake. Roughly the same principal as other options, but with a significant time premium—”
“You don't get to lecture me when you've lost your shirt. What's the gun for?”
Ansbach let out a wail behind us, his face showing hurt for the first time that night.
“Oh, Roger, please,” said Eveline. “You can't honestly think, after knowing you as I do, that I expected you to ever make money?”
Ansbach sniffed.
“What's the gun for?” I repeated.
“I—well, I expected Hannigan to...”
“Yeah, why didn't you tell him the room?”
“I, no, Mr. Drake. You… caught up to him first. He wasn't taking instruction well, tonight.
“Imagine that, a nutjob who can't follow orders.”
“He functioned well if the steps were laid out for him in full. But he had to be in a position to receive them. So the schedule was—”
“You mean your plan.”
“Yes. My plan. Fine. Later, when Dr. Ansbach would be... fatigued, and you, no doubt, would have taken full advantage of the freely available liquor and been incapacitated yourself. But we were interrupted.”
“By Fang. A brilliant plan. Can't you dump bodies Southeast like everyone else? You're a genius, really.” Ansbach understood too much of this. He'd curled up, fetal.
“I—yes, Mr. Drake. You are correct. And yet, I am the one holding the weapon.”
“Right. It's a 22. I'm not feeling much pain now and you'll need to get three shots into me to have a prayer of bringing me down. But I get close enough to you before that third shot, your head hits the wall. Besides,” I added as she recoiled slightly, “I've got a gun too. Don't think we really want to add cleanup for splattered gray matter to your credit card, now do we?” I pointed to Hannigan's weapon near my hand.
“I'm a pretty good shot, either hand. It's close range. How accurate are you?” I asked.
Eveline tensed, let the pistol drop to her side. Ansbach muttered in his sleep. The Execgal had been silent throughout our encounter.
“It seems you win, Mr. Drake.”
“I have a tendency in that regard. If it makes you feel better, I haven't taken home the football pool in years.”
“Well,” she said jauntily, “I'm a regular attendee at the games. Suites, coaches box even. Maybe I could give you some pointers that...”
“Nah, I'm more of a baseball fan. Football I keep taking the underdogs on the road. You gonna walk away now? I figure the Doc and me ought to split before the hotel finds out your credit's no good—”
“The collapse is not... instantaneous.”
“How long you got?”
“I got the call. It won't be until tomorrow that assets are...”
“Even Ansbach's dead, they're not letting the thing drop further. How'd the Chinese fellow die?”
“He—he's not dead, Mr. Drake.
“Hannigan knew he was.”
“He was just—he was incapacitated.”
“Nope. Dead.”
“Mr. Drake, that can't be.”
“Lady, you toyed with a thing like Hannigan, you really expected him to show restraint?”
“He—he was supposed to convince the—”
“The guy in charge of buying Agate.”
“He—that—”
“That it'd be a bad idea to go through with the sale; to make the announcement tomorrow that his firm was reconsidering buying the company?”
“Mr. Drake, I'd say that you were a genius at figuring all that out. But you seem to have the wrong Chinese. The visitor to my... home, was a banker. An… official. I don't know what he was, exactly.”
“Not the one backing the deal. Sad part is, he wouldn't have affected it.”
“Wouldn't—”
“Err, you did know his government's spending billions on foreign technology; and they've got billions more to spend, don't you? But they're being nice about it?”
“I—know that now. Yes. But Mr. Drake,” she added after a minute, “what about your sense of patriotism? Do you want to see our—”
“Lady, I smoke, drink and eat greasy food. To the extent that I enjoy this planet, I want the best technology there to cure me, from cardiovascular or venereal diseases. It's a guy thing. As far as caring about the where the corporate profits go—hey, you were betting on the company to go under, anyway. It didn't; now you're toast. I suppose your losses are nearly infinite, ain't they?”
“Only a few million—million more than I have.”
“And you ain't been squirreling the cash away overseas?”
“Mr. Drake, I have certain... currency resources elsewhere.”
“That they'll grab. Look, you've got five minutes before I call the cops. Send me a post card from whatever truck stop you end up from the back of.”
She lifted her gun, threw it at me. I caught it with my chin. When
I looked up again she was gone, the door slamming.
Execgal looked me over, moved some alcohol and swabs against my lip. I'd bitten it when the gun clocked me.
“She surprised you?”
“Yeah, her aim was a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be.”
“Women are good at throwing objects, Drake.”
“Truer words...”
“You gonna call the cops?”
“Why?”
“She conspired to, or aided... or something.”
“What? She'll play the hooker bed like a confessional. Media might take her side. And Ansbach's name would get in the middle of it. Ain't that right, Doc?” We both looked over. Ansbach was sobbing to himself. “You think he'll be OK?”
Clarissa raced over to hold him.
“Not a peep,” she said in my direction.
“You think the drug really works?”
“My new bosses do.”
“This ain't the only drug they're buying, is it?”
“No. But it's probably the best one. Roger really is a genius.” The Doc gurgled slightly. A happier noise. He reached for parts of Clarissa's body. She deftly pushed his hands aside. “Really, how'd you know she was behind it?”
“I didn't. I figured it'd be the Chinese coming through the door.”
“They are buying other drugs.”
“See, nobody told me that. Exec for JD. But it was late from him.”
She smiled slightly, slid her hand up from the Doc and grabbed a cigarette.
“Clarissa, you've been holding out on me.” I lit her cigarette. “Want to help me steal towels?”
“I'm taking the robe.”
We grabbed the scotch minis too.
Table of Contents
Beginning
David Moynihan
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN