Dark summer, p.15
Dark Summer, page 15
“How well you read me.” He smiled recklessly. “Let’s just say, I have a few bones to pick with Lincoln. I’ve been in a position on occasion where he’s called the shots. I don’t like being manipulated. I want to get my own back.” His smile faded. “And the bastard can just keep his hands off my dogs.”
“What does he have to do with the dogs?”
“Ask him,” Marrok said as he called to Lincoln, who was now only a few yards away. “Chad Lincoln, Devon Brady. Devon wants to know what you have to do with the dogs, Lincoln.”
“Not enough.” Lincoln smiled at Devon. “Delighted to meet you, Dr. Brady. Though I knew it was in the cards when I was told to prepare a dossier on you when you were in Santa Marina. For once, it was a plea sure to run a check for Marrok. Usually, the people with whom he’s involved are the scum of the earth.”
“You had me investigated?” Devon asked, startled.
“I was entrusting Ned to you,” Marrok said simply. “I didn’t have the right to take a chance. These days I believe in my own judgment, but I’ve been fooled before.”
He’d been fooled by Raymond Danner, she thought. And that error had led to the death of his friend Paco.
“You could have sent for me,” Lincoln said. “I would have been there in a heartbeat and taken Ned off the island.”
“I’m sure you would. And what would my chances be of ever seeing Ned again?”
“Fifty-fifty.” Lincoln turned to Devon. “But you wouldn’t have had to be involved. I’m sure you must be very bitter about the way your life has been torn up.”
“Yes.” But she wasn’t going to allow herself to be used as a pawn for him to use against Marrok, and that was obviously what he had in mind. She asked again, “What do you have to do with the dogs?”
“I’m the safety net. Isn’t that how you look on me, Marrok?”
“Yes. Though lately I’ve had my doubts about the ‘safety’ part.”
“You should have considered the consequences when you came to see me,” he said softly. “You couldn’t expect us to sit and play your game when you take so many chances.”
“I didn’t. I knew you’d undercut me as soon as you felt secure about doing it.” He looked him in the eye. “But that time’s not now. You’ll tip us into the quicksand. Do you want Danner to get control?”
“No, I intend to do that. MI6 is getting impatient.” His glance shifted to Devon. “But I’m being rude. You want to know about my association with Marrok? He came to me four years ago with a wild tale and an even wilder proposition. He said he couldn’t trust any U.S. government department to offer him protection for the dogs. Danner had too much power and influence in this country. We were to provide cleanup assistance, when requested, and refuge for the dogs when and if it became necessary. I almost laughed him out of my office.” He paused. “And then he started to provide me with demonstrations of his dog, Ned’s, rather remarkable ability. I’m not an easy man to convince, but eventually he did convince me.”
“How?”
“A lengthy visit by Marrok and Ned to St. Cecelia’s Hospital and several terminally ill patients. Seven out of nine were not terminally ill at the end of that visit.”
She stared at him, shocked. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so stunned. Marrok had told her that the dogs could accomplish this wonder. But she realized now that she had not really believed him. The panacea, the effect on the dogs, Paco … it all seemed like a story from a book. Yet this cool affirmation from Lincoln jerked her from storybook to reality. She moistened her lips. “Seven out of nine?”
“Good percentage, isn’t it? Good enough to convince my superiors that Marrok and his dogs of summer were worth the investment.”
Marrok smiled sardonically. “But not without an immediate payback.”
“Not quite immediate. And you couldn’t expect us to fund you without receiving something in return.”
“No, I didn’t expect that.” He turned back to Devon. “You’ve gotten practically no sleep in the past twenty-four hours. Why don’t you go inside and try to catch a nap?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Yes. I have to talk to Lincoln, and you don’t need to hear it. As Lincoln said, you’re bitter enough about being involved without getting in any deeper.”
Bitter? Of course she was bitter. Yet she found she didn’t like the idea of being sent away like an outsider.
But what else was she but an outsider? Her heart was touched by those dogs, but they weren’t her problem. Marrok certainly wasn’t her problem.
“You can’t help, Devon.” Marrok’s gaze was on her face. “And once you get a little rest and get your balance back, you’ll not want to help.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to help.” She turned and started up the porch steps. “And I wouldn’t be interested in anything the two of you are going to say to each other. I’ll call and talk to Nick and let him know that everything is okay.”
“And take a nap.”
“If I feel like it.” She closed the screen door behind her. She wouldn’t look back at the two men. Close them out. She’d make her call, then lie down and block all this craziness from her mind. She was dialing Nick as she walked toward the bedroom.
“How are you?” she asked when he picked up.
“Fine. Did you get the computer?”
“No. Things didn’t go well.” That was an understatement. That moment when she’d stared down at that chalked outline on the floor of the clinic seemed a long time ago. “And they may get worse.”
“For us?”
“I don’t think so. Marrok has changed his mind. He doesn’t want us here.”
“And that’s what you wanted. When?”
“Soon. Is Janet okay?”
“Sure. She’s alternating between being belligerent and following her natural instincts and trying to run the place.”
“Gracie?”
“Missing you. But she loves everyone. She’s getting along just fine.”
“Good. I’ll be down to see you as soon as I get a little sleep. Bye, Nick.”
“Devon, you sound … Why don’t I come up there, and we’ll talk?”
“Thanks. But I don’t need a shoulder to lean on. I’ve just been hit in the face with something that’s pretty strange. I have to decide whether to accept it.” But she’d already accepted it, she realized. That moment of shock following Lincoln’s almost casual statement had broken through the haze of bewilderment that had enveloped her. There might still be moments of disbelief and doubt. She would never be entirely certain until she was a witness herself. But she had accepted the possibility, and she couldn’t turn her back on that knowledge. “I’ll talk to you later, Nick.” She hung up.
She moved slowly toward the bed. If she had accepted that there was such a panacea as shi’i’go and it had been somehow transferred to Ned and the other dogs, then it could change everything. The potential was enormous and a little scary.
Try walking in my shoes, Marrok had said. Yes, she could see how difficult and conflicted it would be for him. So many irons in the fire, so many ways he was being pulled. Responsibility for the panacea, revenge for the death of his friend, protectiveness toward the dogs, determination to keep Danner from gaining control. How would she have balanced all those elements not for a few days but years? Probably not the way Marrok had handled it. Marrok’s instincts leaned toward reckless violence and she had always been reasonable and logical.
But she had not been behaving reasonably and logically since Marrok had entered her life. She had made impulsive decisions and been driven by emotion. She had not only wanted to keep others from being killed by Danner, she had wanted revenge for her friends who had been murdered. Marrok had remarked on her gentleness, but where was the gentleness in that? The answer was plain.
She was walking in Marrok’s footsteps and discovering things about herself that she had never known.
CHAPTER 10
NINE twenty …
She had slept for hours, Devon realized drowsily. The room was dark except for the pale moonlight streaming through the window. She had been too on edge to go to sleep immediately, her mind had been in turmoil and her emotions stretched to the limit. Sheer exhaustion had finally prevailed.
And she felt better now, calmer, more able to manage this horror of a situation. God help her, she’d better be able to cope. She felt as if she’d been more of a sounding board than an active player. That had to stop.
She sat up in bed and swung her feet to the floor. Take a shower, dress, and grab a sandwich from the refrigerator. Then she’d be ready to deal with Marrok.
But Marrok didn’t seem to be around to be dealt with. The house appeared to be empty. Where the hell was he? She’d try the bunkhouse. She wanted to see Nick and Janet anyway. After eating a ham sandwich and drinking a glass of milk, she went out on the porch.
“Sleeping beauty is awake at last.” Lincoln was standing at the far end of the porch. “Rest well?”
“Yes.” She said. “But I’m no beauty, and this is no fairy tale.”
“I beg to differ. You’re not my type, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s obvious that Marrok finds you very attractive.” He tilted his head. “I can see how he’d be drawn to you. The rule of opposites.”
“Where is Marrok?”
“He took off with Walt Franks several hours ago. I think he’s checking up on his canine charges.”
“Don’t you know?”
“Marrok keeps me as much in the dark as possible. I believe the dogs may be scattered within a few hundred miles’ radius but that’s all.” He smiled. “And Marrok is exceptionally good at making sure I remain in ignorance. I can’t tell you how often I’ve tried to bug his helicopter or car. He’s always found me out.”
“No wonder he doesn’t trust you.”
“Trust doesn’t enter into our relationship.” He leaned against the porch railing. “You have to have a code to define the rules. Marrok has no code. He grew up as a savage, and that hasn’t changed with the years.”
“I think it has.”
“But you don’t know him as well as I do. He hasn’t been anything but obstructive since the day he came into my office.”
“Which means you didn’t get your way,” she guessed shrewdly.
“Very good.” He chuckled. “But my way is the right way, the civilized way. Marrok should no more have control of those dogs than Danner. They have no background or experience to make the necessary judgments.”
“And you do?”
“Modesty prevents me from—Yes, I could do it. Given the chance I could do the job. My superiors have total faith in me.”
“And what would you do with Ned and the others?”
“We would be humane.”
“Would you kill them? Experiment?”
“Only if it was necessary. The stakes are bigger than you could imagine. I realize such an admission could alienate you, but I want to be totally honest.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to get in my way,” he said bluntly. “Stay out of it. Marrok sucked you into his ugly little world, and I can see he holds a certain fascination for you. You didn’t like it when he sent you away.”
“I don’t like orders.”
“If that’s all, then I’ll be very happy. But I believe it’s more. Women do seem to be drawn by the primitive type. I have no idea why.”
“This conversation is totally absurd.”
“But it had to be said. I’d prefer you to realize that Marrok will be brought down. Either by me or Danner. There’s no doubt about that.”
“But in the meantime, you’re still going to help him?”
“We have to hedge our bets. Marrok is clever. There’s a remote possibility he could still come out on top.” His smile faded. “And he’s unpredictable. Just when you think he’s cornered, he manages to slip away and strike like a snake. He proved that in Ethiopia.”
“Ethiopia? What are you talking about?”
“All I asked of Marrok was that he do a simple job. After all, he owed it to us.”
She remembered something Marrok had said. “Your pound of flesh?”
“What a gory phrase.”
“No more gory than what you’d inflict on those dogs.”
“I told you, I’d try to be humane.”
“How hard would you try? As hard as Marrok?”
“I’m afraid not. One has to be objective, and Marrok is all emotion and no objectivity.”
She had a sudden memory of Ned gazing up at her with eyes that were full of love and sadness and strange wisdom. She said curtly, “Screw your objectivity.”
“That’s what I would expect of a woman of your background. But in the end I’m sure you’ll see the light. It’s the only sensible method to secure a valuable commodity like—” He broke off, his head lifting. “I think I hear the chopper. I’m afraid our little discussion is at an end. But it was enlightening for both of us, wasn’t it? It’s always good to have an understanding.”
“Yes, I do understand you, Lincoln.”
He nodded. “Then I’ll say good night. Tell Marrok I’ll see him in the morning. Since my job is to stand by, I’ll stand by here and await developments.”
“Why not tell him yourself?”
“It won’t be news to him. We spoke while you were taking your nap. He wants me to go, but that’s not an option now that there’s a chance that Danner may take the dogs.”
“And by staying here you’re hoping to find the location of the other dogs.”
“There’s always that possibility. Or there’s sometimes a break in the ranks, and I may get a little help.” He turned away. “But I’m not going to get that help from you, am I?”
“Not one iota of help.”
He sighed. “Too bad. But it’s not unexpected. You damned animal lovers have been a great source of disappointment to me in this trying situation.” The screen door closed behind him.
My God, what a conniving son of a bitch. She could see why Bridget had said Marrok was used to walking tightropes when even his supposed ally was waiting for his chance to slip in the knife. Even Lincoln’s frankness had been aimed in only one direction. He had been testing the waters, observing her reactions, trying to find a weakness.
“Devon.”
She turned to see Marrok crossing the paddock toward her. She felt a rush of relief. She hadn’t known she had felt uneasy about his absence. It couldn’t be because she was worried about him. It was just that he seemed to be the center of all this madness swirling about her, then he was suddenly gone. She started down the stairs. “I was just going down to the bunkhouse.” She bent down to pet Ned, who had run to her. “Hello, boy, want to go down and see Gracie?”
“I’m sure he does. I’ll go with you.”
She straightened. “So that your guards won’t have to stop me?”
He smiled. “I have to protect them. You threatened to deck them.”
She had forgotten that threat. It seemed a long time ago. “I don’t see them anywhere around.”
“They’re on watch. I told them to keep a low profile.” He paused. “I saw Lincoln go into the house.”
“Yes. He told me you’d probably gone to check up on the dogs. Are they okay?”
“Fine. I just had to hand out a warning that I’d be moving the dogs and see if their caretakers wanted to back out of the job.”
“Did they?”
“No, they’re crazy about the dogs. They wouldn’t desert them.” He paused. “I imagine Lincoln was talking about more than my trip. No matter what he promises, don’t trust him, Devon.”
“What do you think he promised me?”
“I don’t know. To get you away from here, to put you in a witness protection program.”
“He didn’t promise me anything. He just talked about you and your total inability to take charge of the panacea.” She looked straight ahead. “It seems you have no code and are completely uncivilized. You don’t play by the rules.”
“That’s right.”
“What happened in Ethiopia?”
“What did he tell you happened?”
“Nothing. He just mentioned it. But he was very pissed.”
Marrok smiled with satisfaction. “Good.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Why not? It will just give you another example of how Lincoln is right about me not playing the game properly. Two years ago, Lincoln sent me and Ned to Ethiopia on a nasty little job. It wasn’t the first time, but this one was particularly ugly.”
“Lincoln’s pound of flesh?”
“That covers it. Even after MI6 came on board and agreed to shelter us, I knew that there would be a price. The prospect of taking over the panacea was too vague. They wanted immediate gratification. Ned was a valuable commodity and should be used to the hilt.”
“How?”
“Sometimes the balance of power in a country rests on a particular person or event. In Ethiopia, MI6 was backing and promoting Zafur Carmak to eventually take over the country. He was a bandit whose primary income came from stealing food supplies donated by various countries and charity organizations and selling them on the black market. Some of the other things he did made Idi Amin look like a saint. But MI6 thought they could control him, and that it would be the way to control the flow of terrorists using Ethiopia as a training ground.”
“Dear God.” She had seen photos of the starving children of Ethiopia. “What kind of a trade-off is that?”
“Not an unusual one.” His lips hardened. “But this time Lincoln had the bright idea of bringing Ned and me in to lend a little assistance.”
“Why?”
“Zafur was dying. He had AIDS. He wasn’t going to last another two weeks. Lincoln and his team would have had to find and groom another scumbag to use. He flew us into the country and had us driven to Zafur’s palace. Ned and I spent the night in his room.”
“Ned cured him?”
“Zafur was on his feet and spitting out orders to his men when I left. It was dawn, and Lincoln’s men drove me over those parched cracked plains to the helicopter. It was a mistake. In the daylight, you could see the hundreds of huddled families by the roadside. Skin and bones. Malnourished children with swollen bellies. Flies everywhere. I made the van stop once to let Ned and me out and we walked among them. I thought maybe it would help a little. But Lincoln’s men hustled us back into the van after twenty minutes. That’s not what we’d been brought in the country for, and they wanted to get us out.” He leaned down and stroked Ned’s silky, black head. “You wanted to stay, didn’t you, boy? I did, too. I looked at those people, and I remembered Zafur and how Ned had been used to probably put him back in action so that he could steal more food. It made me angry. Very, very, angry.”
