Pretenses (19 page)

Coco filled a huge salad bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, peppers, turkey, ham, and bacon bits, topped with bleu cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. She paid the vendor for the salad and picked up a bottle of Arizona Tea.

From a table near the Rapist, she watched his every move without appearing to. While she ate her salad, she read the Washington Post someone had left at her table. When she looked up again, she saw Phoenix Perry and Kelly McPherson coming into the food court.

Coco's eyes darted left and right, seeking the quickest way to escape. There wasn't a nearby exit, but there were plenty of people. If necessary, she would grab the nearest child and shoot her way out. Coco could feel her anger building. Phoenix was ruining everything. She had tracked down the Rapist. He was hers to kill, not Phoenix's. This was her time—her show. She pulled two shuriken from her vest, preparing to throw them if necessary. Then the strangest thing happened. Phoenix and Kelly went to the Rapist's table and sat down. McPherson kissed him.

T
HIS WAS FUN
. Apparently, Kelly McPherson and the Rapist had a personal relationship. Coco continued eating her salad, planning her next move. She was still going to kill the man. It would just take a little longer, but she was patient. After an hour or so, the trio left the food court. Kelly rode with the Rapist, and Phoenix drove off in her Mustang Cobra. This was working out beautifully, Coco thought. She was going to get rid of Kelly anyway, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Coco followed the couple to Arlington, where they went to the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wilson Boulevard. Coco chuckled when people stared at her and mumbled about a priest in the hotel. If they only knew!

Coco took an elevator to the laundry floor, changed into a maid's uniform, and then went back to the lobby, where she picked up a white courtesy telephone. She had seen Kelly McPherson pay for the room with a credit card. Coco told the desk clerk that she had an order for McPherson but she had forgotten the room number. The desk clerk told Coco what room they were in.

She knocked on the door and yelled, “Champagne and cheese, compliments of hotel management.” The Rapist opened the door slightly and Coco kicked it in, sending him spiraling across the room. Kelly went for her gun on the nightstand. A shuriken whistled through the air and slammed into the wood, just missing her hand.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” the Rapist yelled.

“Simon, it's the Assassin,” Kelly said with resignation.

Coco closed the door gently, watching Simon, who had on nothing but
a towel. She looked at Kelly. “You two crazy kids havin' fun on taxpayers' money? For shame.”

She pulled out her silenced Makarov and pointed at Simon. “On your feet,” she ordered. Simon stood up. “Drop the towel. Let's see what you've got to offer.” Simon did as she directed. Coco looked at his tool. “Not bad, Kelly. But what would you say if I told you he was sticking it in men?”

Kelly frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Simon was about to go for the gun. Coco squeezed off a shot. Simon screamed and fell to his knees. The bullet had blown off his manhood. Thick blood covered his hands as he held what was left of his valued organ.

“You mean you didn't know that your boyfriend was the Rapist?”

“That's impossible!” Kelly shouted, unable to accept the truth.

“Oh, really? He confessed to me this morning at Father Reynolds' church,” Coco revealed.

“No way!” Simon groaned. “Don't believe her, Kelly! The bitch is lying!”

Coco looked down at him. “I was in the confessional, you idiot! Remember the priest in Union Station, Kelly? You looked right at me.”

The wheels in Kelly's mind started to turn. Then a look of total disgust appeared on her face. She knew Coco was telling the truth. Kelly covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom, leaned over the toilet, and vomited.

Coco laughed. “It's sickening, isn't it?” She saw a wallet on the nightstand and picked it up. “Let's see who you are, Mister Rapist.” She saw Simon's D.C. detective's shield and laughed. “I might get into heaven after all.”

Kelly looked like a ghost when she came out of the bathroom. She was still stunned by the revelation. “Put your clothes on, Agent McPherson. You don't want people to find you in the raw, do you? Don't worry; I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to be merciful. Phoenix is going to need a friend when this is all over. Consider yourself lucky.”

“What about me? If you get me to the hospital now, they can sew it back on. I'll be all right,” Simon pleaded.

“You're not going to need it anymore,” Coco told him. The Makarov hissed twice and two bullets entered Simon's head, killing him instantly. She turned to Kelly and said, “I gotta put you outta commission for a while. This is between me and Phoenix now.”

P
HOENIX
P
ERRY
went to the safe house and knocked on the door.

Agent James looked through the peephole and yelled, “What's the authorization code?”

“Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end.”

“Just checking to make sure it was you, Agent Perry,” James said, opening the door.

Coco Nimburu pulled her silenced Makarov, pumped two shots into his forehead, and he fell to the floor. Three more agents sitting at a card table went for their weapons, but it was too late. She shot them all. There was no sign of Keyth and Savannah. She pulled the expensive mask off and searched the house. The bathroom door was locked, and she heard the shower running. She assumed it was Keyth.

“Hi,” she heard Savannah say.

Coco put the gun behind her back and knelt on one knee. “You must be Savannah.”

“Uh-huh. What's your name?”

“Coco. Where's your daddy?”

“He takin' a shower. Mommy's coming over later.”

“I'm here to take you on a special trip. Go get your things together, okay, sweetheart?”

Savannah ran to her room. Coco couldn't hear the shower running anymore. She waited for Keyth to come out, then put the gun to the back of his head.

“Relax,” Coco whispered. “I'm not going to kill you. If I were, you'd be dead already. Remember, Keyth, Savannah's in her room. Don't do anything stupid. Let's just go to your room, get your things, and go.”

“I assume the agents are dead?” Keyth said calmly. He'd been an FBI agent assigned to the Criminal Division of the bureau and had seen his share of death.

Coco smiled. “It was too easy.”

“Can we leave through the back door? I don't want Savannah to see that.”

“If you cooperate, you'll find that I'm very easy to please. Now move.”

K
ELLY OPENED
her eyes and saw me staring back at her. Coco had beaten her to within an inch of her life, breaking an arm and a leg. Her face was swollen from the fight. I was sure she had done her best, but she was overmatched. It was difficult to look at her without cringing. I had to be a trooper for her sake. Yet underneath my smiling exterior lay a smoldering fire burning at a thousand degrees Fahrenheit.

“How you doin', Kelly?”

“Glad to be alive,” she mumbled through swollen lips. “Glad to be alive.”

“I'm glad you're alive, too.” I took her hand. “I'm sorry about Simon.”

“I had no idea he was the Rapist, Phoenix. None at all. I feel like such an idiot. I'm an FBI agent, for Christ's sake.”

“How could you have known? Some people are good at pretenses.” I changed the subject. “We found Father Reynolds. His balls were purple.”

“At least he went out happy,” Kelly said, trying to add levity to a grim situation. “She's really something else.”

“Why didn't she kill you?” I felt funny asking the question, as if I weren't glad she was alive. But I had to ask. Coco Nimburu was killing just about everyone who crossed her path. Yet Kelly was alive.

“She said you were going to need a friend when this is over. Doing this to me was her way of being merciful.”

“What did she mean by that, Kelly?” Then it occurred to me. She was going after my family. I called the safe house but no one answered. “I gotta go, Kelly. She's after my family!”

I
RAN THROUGH
Washington Memorial Hospital with the speed of a gazelle, worried sick about Keyth and Savannah. The spat we had had flooded my mind. I feared I would never see them again. Keyth was right. Had I checked the Embassy's registration, we might have caught Coco in San Francisco. Now, this ruthless homicidal maniac was probably going after my husband and daughter. She would stop at nothing to hurt me.

I hopped into my Cobra and burned rubber out of the parking garage. I was about to call Director St. Clair when my cell rang.

“Special Agent Perry.”

“Hello, Agent Perry. I want you to speak to someone,” Coco said in Cantonese.

“Hi, Mommy! Coco's taking me and Daddy to McDonald's.”

My heart pounded in my chest when I heard Savannah's voice. She was still alive. I was relieved but still overwhelmed with worry. “Hi, sweetheart, let me speak to Coco, okay?”

“You've got a lot to prove, Phoenix,” Coco continued in Cantonese. “I'm starting to wonder if you were ever a student of Ying Ming Lo. Now I have to see if you're worthy of what I asked of you.”

“Now you listen to me, you trifling-ass bitch,” I interrupted. “If you harm one hair on her head, I'll kill you.”

“Now we understand each other. You just needed a little motivation, that's all. Listen very carefully. You're going to get a call from my client. She wants to meet with you, but I have plans for you first. Keep your phone with you at all times. Ciao.”

T
HE SAFE HOUSE
door was closed but not locked. When I entered the premises, I saw Agent James lying on the floor, his eyes staring at the ceiling. Three other agents were still sitting in their chairs, slumped over the poker table. My anger was getting more and more out of control. I wanted to kill Coco Nimburu for many reasons, none of which would be ruled a justifiable homicide.

As I looked around, I saw a mask made to look just like me. Confused, I wondered why James had let Coco in. He was a by-the-book agent. I was sure he would have asked for my authorization code. I went back to the door. The door had indeed been opened from the inside. He had let her in. Why? Oh, no. She had my authorization code, too. But how? Michelson didn't know it. My phone! She had bugged my phone! I opened it, expecting to see a listening and tracking device, but there wasn't one. Then it occurred to me—somehow, she had been able to bug our hotel rooms in San Francisco. “Michelson! Damn him to hell!” I shouted.

The rest of the team arrived at the safe house and began a futile investigation. They wouldn't find anything of use. Coco Nimburu was too good. But she wasn't perfect, and that would be her undoing. Did she really have AIDS? Did she really want to die? Or was she playing another sick game? I didn't know, but I couldn't afford not to play along. The lives of my husband and daughter were at stake. Coco would call again, and this time, I would be ready for her.

Director St. Clair walked into the safe house with a grim look on his face, like he was both sad and under a lot of pressure. I understood. Coco was making us all look like idiots. She was doing whatever she wanted, killing whomever she wanted, and even having sex with whomever she wanted. I wondered if she was going to take Keyth the way she had taken so many other men in her wake.

“Perry, how do you wanna play this?” St. Clair said. “Your family's on the line.”

“Sir, she's going to call again,” I began. “Monitor my phone and get a Cantonese-speaking agent to interpret. That way, you'll know everything I know immediately. We'll need tracking devices on my car, phone, and clothing. She's very smart, sir. So we dare not underestimate her.”

Y
ING
M
ING
L
O
had taught me many things, and I had been his best student. Now more than ever, I remembered what he had told me about my temper, but I felt so powerless against its consuming fire. With each act of violence against my family and friends, my anger burned more and more out of control. I needed to rest to give the fire a chance to subside. I would need to be in control when Coco Nimburu and I met. The waiting was extremely difficult—knowing she would call yet, not knowing when tested my patience as well. I decided to go home, take a hot bath, and meditate. A hot bath always relieved my tension, and meditation would help prepare me for battle.

I entered my house through the garage and went straight to the bathroom adjoining our bedroom. The house felt so empty, so quiet, without Keyth and Savannah. The water was hot, but it felt good. I could feel the day's stress leaving my overworked body. I was on my own now that Kelly had been skillfully put out of commission. I wondered if Kelly would ever find the right man. In the years I had known her, she had always had bad luck with men. Simon had seemed so right, which proves you never know until you know.

Before him, it was Edward, who thought of Kelly as his trophy. Then there was Tony, who was always broke and in debt up to his neck. Before him, there were Bobby, Kevin, and John, her good-for-nothing husband. Each of them had a variety of problems. I felt bad for Kelly. She was
divorced with two children who spent more time with their grandparents than with their mother. At least she would have time to spend with them now, I thought.

Climbing out of the sunken tub, I grabbed a towel and dried off. I sat in front of the mirror and looked at myself. I had never realized until now how important my family was to me. They were important before but even more so now. I tried to relax but found myself getting frustrated again. I went back into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. I felt something when I landed. Lifting myself up a little, I pulled a videotape out from underneath me. It read:
Play me
.