Day of Confession - Allan Folsom [200]
Again Adrianna moved her position, another step closer to Thomas Kind.
“You want my brother, I’ll take you to him.” Harry said abruptly. There was no doubt at all that Thomas Kind was altogether insane, and if Danny suddenly showed up, he’d kill them all in a blink.
“Where is he?” Thomas Kind slid a fresh clip into the machine pistol.
“Outside—near the gate. The train was going to stop to pick him up…
“You’re lying.”
“No.”
“Yes. The gates open and close into the wall. There’s nothing there. No place to wait.”
Suddenly Kind was aware of Adrianna’s drawing closer and he turned toward her.
“Careful—,” Harry warned.
“What are you doing?” Kind said.
“Nothing…” She moved closer still, a half step, no more. Her eyes were locked on Kind’s.
“Adrianna, don’t.” Again Harry warned her.
Adrianna stopped. She was five feet from Kind, no more. “You are the one who killed the cardinal vicar of Rome.”
“Yes.”
“In the last few minutes you killed four more people…”
“Yes.”
“And when you find Father Daniel you’ll do the same to him… and then us…”
“Perhaps…” Thomas Kind smiled, and Harry could tell he was enjoying every moment of it.
“Why?” Adrianna said sharply. “What does it all have to do with the Vatican and the poisoning of the lakes in China?”
Harry looked at her, wondering what she was doing. Why she was pressing Kind when he had the gun and she had nothing at all to gain.
Then he realized. The same instant Kind did.
“You’re taping this, aren’t you? You’re wearing a lipstick camera, you’ve got a video rolling…” Kind smiled, wholly amused, amazed at his own revelation.
Adrianna smiled. “Why don’t you answer the question and then we’ll talk about it…”
The next happened in a nanosecond. Thomas Kind lifted the machine pistol. There was the sound of the dull jackhammer. A look of complete surprise swept over Adrianna. She half stumbled, then fell backward.
Elena froze in horror. Thomas Kind moved forward, lost in his own actions. Harry could see the veins bulge in his neck and forehead as he stepped over Adrianna’s body. Firing at it, no longer in bursts but a single shot at a time. Dropping down to a squatting position he smiled and shot her again, then again, almost as if he were making love to her.
It was all too fast. Too violent, too perverse. No time for Harry to react. It was just he, Elena, and Thomas Kind. In the center of the floor of an enormous room. Void of furniture. No place to run. To hide at all.
Then Harry did move. Directly for Kind. Kind saw him and stepped around, bringing the machine pistol up as he did.
“HARRY!”
Danny’s voice suddenly echoed across the empty station. Harry froze.
So did Kind, his eyes searching the empty depot.
Abruptly Harry stepped into the line of fire, directly between Kind and Elena and the door behind them.
“Elena, get out. Now!”
Harry’s eyes were locked on Kind’s. His voice full of urgency.
Elena turned, slowly, reluctantly.
“GET OUT!!!”
Suddenly, she broke. Running for the door. In a moment she was across the room and through it.
“THOMAS KIND!” Once again Danny’s voice echoed. “LET MY BROTHER GO!”
Kind felt the touch of his palm against the machine pistol’s grip. His eyes continued to search. Dark, to the bright spots of sunlight in the center of the floor, back to the dark of the room.
“SHE’S GONE, KIND. YOU’RE DONE ANYWAY. YOU KILL MY BROTHER YOU GAIN NOTHING. I’M THE ONE YOU WANT.”
“Show yourself!”
“LET HIM GO, FIRST.”
“I count to three, Father. Then I start to take him apart in pieces. One—”
Through the window Harry could see Elena climb the stairs to the engine. He wondered what the hell she was doing.
“Two—”
Suddenly a series of short, loud train whistle bursts rocked the station. Kind ignored it. Dropped the machine pistol toward Harry’s knee caps.
“Danny!” Harry yelled. “What’s the word?—What’s the word, Danny?”
Harry’s eyes swung to Thomas Kind. “I know my brother better than he thinks.” Harry kept his eyes on the terrorist. “What is it, Danny?—the word!” He yelled again, his voice