Countdown - Iris Johansen [57]
“The hell it is.”
“And sex is—it’s not everything. I don’t even know if I trust you.”
“And you’re still wary as hell.”
“I have reason.”
“Do you? Your friend died. Do you think I’m to blame?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know. I want everything clear between us. That’s why I brought you here. Think. Make a decision.”
“Mike might have lived if you hadn’t gone after the gold and become involved with this Grozak.”
“So are you blaming me for the domino effect?”
“No, I guess not,” she said wearily. “Or maybe I am. I’m not sure anymore. I don’t know what the hell is happening.”
“I’d have saved him if I could. I wish I could turn back the clock.”
“But you’d still go after the gold, wouldn’t you?”
He was silent a moment. “Yes. I won’t lie to you. I have to get the gold.”
“Why? You’re a brilliant man. You don’t have to do this. I don’t believe it even means anything to you but the game itself.”
“You’re wrong. This time it does mean something. If I get it, then Grozak won’t.”
“Revenge?”
“Partly. You’re not above taking revenge yourself, Jane.”
“No, I’m not.” She got to her feet. “But I wouldn’t do it by depriving a killer of a pocketful of gold. We don’t think alike.”
“Sometimes it’s not necessary to think.”
That wave of heat again. “It is for me.”
“We’ll see.” He stood up. “But I should warn you, if you decide you want to put your hand on me again, you’re not going to get the same answer.” He started toward the path. “And Angus MacDuff would understand perfectly.”
9
I’ve got the old man,” Wickman said as soon as Grozak answered. “What do you want me to do with him?”
Satisfaction surged through Grozak. Now, this was efficiency. He’d been right to call in Wickman. He’d only been on the job a matter of a few days and he’d done what he’d been paid to do.
Well, not entirely what he’d been paid to do.
“Has he written the note?”
“I have it.”
“Then it’s time to finish the job.”
“How?”
Grozak thought about it. In order to have maximum effect the method had to arouse shock, fear, and horror.
“How?” Wickman repeated.
“I’m thinking.”
And then it came to him.
I’ve got a line on Grozak,” Joe said when he called Eve that evening. “He’s bad news.”
“We knew that from what Trevor told Jane. Details?”
“I don’t have details. The FBI has put a lock on his computer records.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Maybe the same reason Interpol wouldn’t let me access Trevor’s records.” He paused. “And the CIA bounced me off the Internet so fast it made my head swim. Five minutes later I got a call from my captain asking me what the hell I was up to dealing with classified material. Those sites are being monitored damn closely.”
Eve felt a ripple of fear. “Did you find out anything at all?”
“I was able to access Grozak’s local police records. He was born in Miami, Florida, and had a record by the time he was thirteen. He belonged to a particularly vicious teenage gang. They were involved in a number of hate crimes ranging from the rape and torture of a black girl to joining with a Nazi group to beat up a Jewish shopkeeper. He was sent to a juvenile facility for killing a Hispanic cop when he was fourteen. He was paroled at eighteen and disappeared from the radar screen after he got out of prison. That was over twenty years ago.”
“He evidently expanded his horizons and moved on to the international scene if the CIA is involved.” She shivered. “Hate crimes. You’re right. He’s bad news.”
“He appeared to have a grudge against the world. And his psychological profile indicated he’d only get worse.”
“Then why the hell did they let him out of prison?”
“The system. Got to give every murdering kid a fighting chance to kill again. It’s the American way.”
“And according to Trevor, he killed Mike. Christ, it’s not fair.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Are we going to phone Jane right away?”
“Not until we know more. It’s not going to help her to know what he did as a kid. We need an update. And maybe she’ll be the one to get us one. I’m