Countdown - Iris Johansen [81]
“No. I’m not interested.”
“You should be interested. The coin is said to have been taken to Herculaneum by a captured slave destined to be a gladiator. Did you know Cira had a servant who was once a gladiator? Wouldn’t it have been reasonable for him to put it in her hands for safekeeping? That it might be in that gold chest?”
“What are you getting at? It’s all a bunch of fables.”
“Perhaps. But I thought you should know how unhappy I’d be if I had even the slightest chance of obtaining that coin and was cheated out of it. What news of Cira’s chest?”
“I’m working on it.”
“And you haven’t been able to rid me of Jock Gavin. That was part of our deal too. He knows too much.”
“You told me yourself that Gavin might not be a threat, that he wouldn’t be able to remember you.”
“There’s the slightest chance. I don’t take chances. Find a way to kill him.”
“Then evidently you’re not all that sure your training is effective.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no concept of what I can do.” He paused. “You promised me Jane MacGuire. I’ve been looking at her photograph, and the resemblance to Cira is remarkable. She couldn’t look more like her. To have Jane MacGuire would be like having Cira come to life.”
“So?”
“From what you tell me MacGuire is young, smart, and strong-willed. Like Cira. What a challenge for a man of my talent.”
“You’re going to train her?”
“It may come down to that, but I hope not. All I want is information. Women are difficult to train. Most of them break before they bend. But this one might be different.”
“What kind of information?”
“The gold. It’s all about the gold, isn’t it?”
“If she knew anything she’d have gone after the gold herself.”
“She probably knows more than she thinks she does. She’s visited Herculaneum three times in the last four years. She’s been an intimate of Trevor’s. And she’s clearly been completely absorbed by Cira for years. Why not? They’re practically twins.”
“That doesn’t mean she knows where Cira’s gold is hidden.”
“It’s worth a shot. Maybe she’s picked up some information she’s not aware of knowing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run across facts a subject didn’t remember about himself without my help.”
“And you can dig it out of her?”
“I can dredge up everything she ever knew. A clean sweep is dangerous and can end with the subject never being able to function again. But even if she can give me only a hint, a fragment, it’s worth doing.” He paused. “Unless you can save me the trouble by giving me that chest. But I’m sensing a bit too much eagerness in those questions you’re putting to me.”
“Things aren’t working out as I hoped.” Grozak paused. “What if I get the woman and have to wait awhile to deliver the gold?”
Reilly’s hand tightened on the phone. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Oh, I’m on the trail,” Grozak said quickly. “I have a few aces up my sleeve. But I might not be able to deliver before the twenty-second. Suppose I give you a cash down payment and deliver the gold after the attack?”
Good God, did the man think he was a fool? “I don’t care about your cash. I have all the money I could ever need, and if I want more, I only have to send one of my men out to get it. I want Cira’s gold. I want to be able to see it, touch it.”
“And you will. Later.”
“You may not be around later. What’s to stop you from reneging after I deliver?”
“Naturally, I’ll have to go underground for a while after the attack. But I’m not fool enough to try to cheat you. You only have to turn loose one of your zomb—people to hunt me down.”
Reilly thought about it. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t considered this possibility. When you dealt with men like Grozak, you had to be prepared. “That’s true. I might be willing to accept a delay on the gold if you get me the woman. Only a delay, Grozak.”
“And you’d still furnish me with the men on the target date?”
“I’ll work with you. You’ll have your men a few days ahead of the target date. That will give you time to brief them on exactly what to do. But they’ll need a phone call from me to initiate