To Catch A Butterfly You Need A Net

by Gabriele Phillis

  Jules pulled me aside.

  “Who is she?” I whispered.

  “Looks like the killer hired an assassin,” he said. “He didn’t take the bait.”

  The killer was still out there.

  “What are we going to do now?” I could hardly breathe. Nobody had expected this turn of events.

  “I don’t know, Allie. I do not know how much more of this Woods can take. But one thing for sure - I will not let you out of my sight ever again.”

  I smiled. However bad the situation was, I was happy right here, right now. I did not want to think about tomorrow. I knew about the parcel Woods had received this morning. My heart went out to him, thinking about his murdered daughter, the same killer.

  Then Woods lowered his weapon and backed off, realizing finally that it was not The Say and he had fooled him. His face was an iron mask.

  “Arrest this bitch,” he managed to say.

  “Hopefully she’ll tell him who The Say is,” Jules said. At the same moment, we heard gunshots. Everybody ducked. Jules spread his arms over me as we fell on the ground. A bullet went through the wall, just missing Jules by a fraction. A second gunshot hit the assassin. Her body fell to the ground, blood everywhere, a bullet struck Woods.

  “Out, Out, Out” Woods yelled, holding his leg.

  Jules and I ran down the hallway. Two snipers backed us up. An agent pushed us into a waiting car as soon as we ran out of the building.

  For a while, I thought there was no way out - we were going to die. Was this the way my life ended? Only when I was sitting next to Jules, his arms tight around me in the back of the FBI car, I knew we were safe. The sirens howling through the day reminded me it was not my time yet. I had survived and Jules was with me.

  How would I explain this to Roman?

  Chapter 33

  vv

  Agent Smith did not see The Say coming. He had been sitting in the undercover FBI van for hours, watching the building, people coming and going. He did not like his job. It was easy but boring. Why did they always sign him up for these jobs? So far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. A taxi stopped in front of the building. Three young women stepped out, hugged each other, and left in different directions nothing suspicious. A mother with two children headed towards the bus station. A young man in a business suit crossed the road.

  Smith’s back was sore from sitting too long in the van; his left foot was beginning to cramp. He gritted his teeth and tried to stretch his leg but the cramp got worse. He should get it checked. Tomorrow he would see a doctor and get a medical certificate. Then he would have some time to spend with his wife. His marriage was on the rocks. Eleanor was seeing someone else and had wanted a divorce. All that money, he gave her, did not help. They had been having marriage counseling and tried to give it another shot. He wanted to spend more time with her but could not because he seemed to get the worse jobs - night shifts. That made it hard to spend time with the family. What he was doing now was not much fun, either, watching people. One more payment from the killer and he could buy Eleanor that diamond necklace, she wanted so badly.

  He had to go for a piss and looked at his watch. Where was that damn agent, he should have taken over the shift half an hour ago? There was no sign of him. He did not want to pull a double shift. Woods had to find a replacement for him. Tomorrow he would lodge a complaint.

  He reached for his cell phone and dialed Woods’ number but then he could not wait any longer and put it down on the dashboard. He decided to find a spot to relieve himself first. Where would be the best place to go? There was a park not far away with a toilet block. He was not supposed to leave the van but nature called. Agent Smith stretched his legs and the side door of the van slid wide open. Surely, nothing would happen in the meantime.

  Then all of a sudden, he heard footsteps behind him. It all happened so fast before he had time to reach for his gun. The pain in his head was too much to bear. A dull sound came from his mouth. He realized it came from him. Before his body shut down completely, the killer dragged his body back into the van. The voice in his head roared, “Get the gun! Shoot him!” Blood was running down his throat. He should not have left the van. It was the other agent’s fault. Why did he not start his shift on time? Eleanor could go back to your lover now.” That was his final thought.

  The Say rolled his sleeves up and shut the door.

  “Okay, son,” he said. “That’s what you get when you work for the FBI.”

  The Say had no pity for the agent’s family. He did not care. Nobody cared about him when he grew up without a proper father. His kids were better off without him, anyway. They were all scums at the FBI.

  He looked around in the dull light of the van. The tinted windows enabled him to see out but no one could see in. The inside was equipped with phones, tape recorders,

  microphones, and monitors. I looked like the cockpit of an aircraft. The Say pressed a few buttons, turned the equipment off, and the monitors went black.

  Then he pulled the knife out of the agent’s neck, wiped the blood off with a cloth from his pocket. He dropped his eyes to the victim, his dark clothes now covered with blood. The Say’s hand reached into the agents pockets, no phone! He stopped for a moment. Where did he keep his damn phone? He muttered, “You son of a bitch!” His hands went down, searching everywhere. There was still no phone. He did not have time for this. Where was the phone? A voice in his head was saying, “Get the phone! Get the phone! Get the phone.” He held his hands in front of his face. The voices got louder, called him names, told him to find the phone. In frenzy, his eyes searched the van. Then he saw it, lying on the dashboard. He relaxed. The voices stopped.

  In a moment, he had himself under control again. He did not plan that. Why did the idiot not keep it on him as he was supposed to do? Another reason you had to die, you scum. Now was the most important part. The Say enjoyed the flow of adrenalin that was pulsing through his veins and closed his eyes for a moment. No time for this, the voices said. Do it now!

  He opened his eyes, felt refreshed. We are going to spend the next few hours playing cat and mouse, Woodsy! It is time to teach you another lesson. He scrolled down the phone numbers until he found Kevin’s number and started to dial it.

  Chapter 34

  vv

  We drove to the police station. I still could not believe what happened in the last few hours. I must have smiled the whole time in the back of the car, only stopping when Jules kissed me.

  “I always knew deep down that you didn’t leave me because you wanted to. But I must admit in my weakest moment I played with the thought that you might have gone back to your wife.”

  “Olivia doesn’t exist, Allie. That was the profile the FBI had me use.”

  He was never married.

  “I hope you forgive me,” he said.

  “You are a good actor.”

  “I had to be, Allie. My life depended on it.”

  I was relieved Olivia did not exist.

  The driver was discreet and avoided to look in the rear mirror but I saw him grinning a few times.

  I had so many questions but knew that this was not the right time. I had to wait until later.

  “Do you want me to call you Kevin?” I asked.

  “You can call me anything you like. That’s fine with me as long as you promise that you will never leave me.” “I’ll promise you that,” I said. “I am so used to Jules, that calling you Kevin would feel really strange to me.” “Do you want me to take the beard off? I don’t think that Woods would have any objections right now.”

  “I don’t mind it actually. It suits you.”

  When we arrived at the police station, at least two dozen officers were whizzed around, taking calls. The noise was unbelievable. We followed the driver down the hall into a quieter room.

  “What are we doing now?” I asked Jules.

  “I have no idea; I guess we have to wait until Woods shows up.”

  He asked one of
the officers. “Where is Agent Woods?” “Nobody knows where he is. We’re waiting to hear from him at any moment.”

  “I am wondering if the assassin is dead,” I said to Jules. We tried to get any information from the other officers. They had no time to answer our questions. Everyone was busy. “Everybody is at the crime scene. They don’t know anything,” Jules said.

  “I hope Woods is all right,” I said concerned.

  “He’s a tough guy, believe me.”

  A female officer entered the room and asked if we wanted tea or coffee. When Jules asked her if she knew anything, she did not know. There was no point trying to find any information from any of them.

  “A cup of tea would be nice,” I said.

  “I need a strong coffee,” Kevin said.

  “You know, despite what is happening I am on cloud nine. Nothing is more important than being with you.” I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “I feel the same. I have dreamt about this moment the whole time. I tried to call you from the airport in Cairns, but your phone was busy. I had to hang up because my flight was called.” He thought about that moment when his whole life fell apart.

  The officer returned with our drinks. She looked

  understanding and wanted to give us time to ourselves. Everybody seemed to know us.

  “You know, darker hair suits you,” I commented, running my hand softly through his hair.

  “It was going grey, so I thought it was a good idea to color it.” “I like it.”

  Then he looked intensely at me and said, “You’ve put on a little weight, Allie. I like it.”

  The pregnancy, was I already showing? How much longer could I hide it from him?

  “You’re glowing. There is something in your eyes I have never seen before.”

  I did not want to lie to him but knew it was not the right

  moment to tell him.

  “That’s because we are together.”

  “I don’t deserve you.”

  Jules covered my eyes with kisses. Tell him now, my inner voice said.

  His cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” Jules answered.

  “Special Agent Smith here. Agent Woods gave me a message for you.”

  The news took Kevin by surprise.

  “Why didn’t he call himself?”

  “He can’t right now. He’s still at the scene.”

  “Is he all right?”

  “He was shot in the leg. I’ll tell you everything when I see you.”

  The Say laughed inside.

  “See you?”

  “Listen carefully.”

  Kevin frowned. He had never received any instructions from anybody other than Woods. This was breaking protocol.

  “I want to talk to him,” Kevin said.

  “As I said, he is not here right now. We have to meet.” I looked at Kevin, wondering who it was. Apparently, it was not Agent Woods.

  “Meet me when?”

  “Now”

  Kevin wanted to know a lot more.

  “Did they get the killer?” he asked.

  “Not yet. He escaped. Woods is still after him.”

  “What about the assassin? Do you know anything about her? Did she give any clues about where the killer is?”

  “I will answer all your questions once you get here.”

  “Get where?” Kevin asked.

  “After I hang up go to the historic ship wreck at the dock. The gate is open. Follow the light. Come to the lower level. It is very important that no one knows about it. You understand nobody, and come alone. I have to go.”

  “Wait a minute…”

  He hung up.

  “Hello?”

  Dead line.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “He said he is Agent Smith. Woods is still at the crime scene. He has a message for me to meet him at the dock.” “Why at the dock?”

  “I don’t know, he didn’t say.”

  “Who is Agent Smith?”

  “I’ve heard about him but I have never met him.”

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “He said to come alone.”

  “No, I don’t want you to go by yourself. That is too dangerous. The killer is still out there.”

  “The FBI knows what they are doing.”

  “Something doesn’t sound right to me.”

  “The FBI does strange things sometimes believe me. It doesn’t always make sense.”

  “You’re right. I am not surprised about anything anymore,” I admitted.

  Jules took me in his arms.

  “I feel sorry for Woods. He was close to loosing it,” I said. We both thought about the moment when he nearly pulled the trigger to shoot the assassin, although he knew it was not The Say.

  “It’s time for him to retire,” Jules said. “He is not the youngest any more, and this case has really affected him.”

  I smiled uncertainly. “Do you really want to go alone?” “I’ve no other choice.”

  “I wished we could go back to Australia.”

  “I wish that too, Allie.”

  Kevin looked deep into my eyes. I really wanted to tell him that I was pregnant.

  “Whatever happens, we’ll go through this together,” I said and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Let me go with you, please.”

  “No, he wants me to come alone.” I still did not feel happy about the idea. “Things can get messy sometimes. You have been through a lot today. It is time for you to go home. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  “Be careful, Woods was so close getting him and the killer still got away. I am scared, Jules.”

  “Everything will work out. I know it.”

  He pulled me into his arms one last time and kissed me. I did not want to let him go, not after such a short time. We had only just found each other again.

  “Don’t worry too much. I have a feeling that everything will be all right. Go back to your brother’s apartment, otherwise he’ll start asking questions, and we can’t risk him finding out.”

  Roman! How would I go home and pretend nothing had happened? It seemed to be a long time since I had left the apartment. It was like going back to another life.

  He was right. Monika probably had tried desperately to get in touch with me. I checked my cell phone: six missed calls from her.

  Jules convinced me finally to go back to the apartment. There was nothing, I could do here.

  I checked myself in the mirror - sweaty clothes, my hair a mess. I looked like I had finished a marathon. How would I explain that?

  We left the room and walked through the main office. Everybody was shocked at what happened. The chaos was a lot worse than first thought.

  Jules and I left the building together. Nobody took any notice of us. Without Woods no one in his team knew what to do. “Be careful,” I said.

  “Always,” he said. “Promise to go straight back to the apartment?”

  “I don’t know what to say to my brother. He knows something is not right and I have been lying to him the whole time. It will be even worse now. I don’t know how much longer I can hide the truth.”

  “Think about what Woods said. Everybody involved is in danger. The less he knows the better.”

  “I know, I know.” I breathed a big sigh. “That's easier said than done. You do not know Roman. He can be persistent.” “Could that run in the family?” he grinned.

  “Maybe it does.”

  “I’d better go and find out what Woods wants.” Then he started walking in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 35

  vv

  The Say heard Kevin approaching and hid behind an old rusty barrel. He was about twenty meters away and getting closer. Kevin stopped when he arrived at the dock. In the water, he saw anchored peacefully a fifty-meter long historic shipwreck from the First World War. It was dark and foggy that he could only make out its silhouette. He had came here once during the day and everything looked different but now it r
eminded him of a scene from “Pirates of the Caribbean” when Johnny Depp was on the white beach and in the background the ship was sticking out like a big black hulk. The situation was creepy.

  A gate separated the dock from the road, normally locked during the day, but now it was open, slightly ajar. Smith must have opened it for him.

  When he got closer, Kevin noticed rust covered the wreck. The vessel was in a bad shape and closed for the public for a long time. The government had been thinking about restoring it. A narrow gangplank with ropes on both sides allowed access to the vessel.

  He pushed hard to open the rusted metal door to the cabin. The hinges squeaked. Finally, the door gave way and Kevin stumbled, almost falling over a barrel. He saw stairs; a dull light came from inside the cabin. Smith must have left a light on for him.

  A pipe that appeared to be a bilge pump was at the right side. Planking lined both walls. There were a couple of chairs, a table, and a small broken window.

  “Hello?” Kevin called no answer.

  He felt a sharp pang of fear. His chest nearly burst, shacking off the feeling of Claustrophobia.

  “Keep going,” suddenly a voice said behind him.

  Kevin winced then felt a hard piece of metal jobbing into his ribs. Someone pushed him forward, and he tumbled down the stairs into the cabin.

  “What the hell…” Kevin shouted but did not have a chance to finish. Surprise changed into incredible pain.

  “Hello, Kevin,” The Say said, calm and in control, pointing a gun at him. “So we meet again. But this time, my friend, will be the last.”

  Kevin was furious with himself. He should have known better, run straight into the killer’s trap. Woods was not here. “What did you do with Woods, you bastard?” he shouted in pain.

  “Watch your mouth,” The Say said and flattened with one hand the navy blue pants, which once belonged to Agent Smith, “or I’ll kill you right now.”

  “Where is he?”

  The Say took his time in answering.

  “Do mean that old fool? I hope he is dead by now. He should be.”

  Kevin did not want to believe Woods was dead. He was trying to scare him.