Pretenses (8 page)

R
OOM
1619 was being meticulously examined by the forensics team when Michelson returned. He called Ford and Flynn outside and told them they were in charge of the case, strongly admonishing them not to blow it. Eager to get a chance to atone for past screw-ups, they thanked him for the opportunity.

As they walked with him to the elevator, Michelson briefed them on the case and told them to talk to Agent Perry to get the rest of the information; then he got into the elevator. He waited until the two agents turned away before he pushed the button for the twentieth floor.

Coco Nimburu opened the door when she saw Michelson through the peephole. They embraced and kissed passionately. She pulled off her robe and exposed her nakedness to him, then tore at his clothes like a ravenous wolf. Coco liked Michelson, but she knew that one day she would have to kill him, too. He knew what she looked like without the disguises.

They were employed by the same client and had been paid handsomely for their part in the killings several months earlier. Michelson was on the inside, gathering information on all the people on Coco's hit list. Their relationship had started out professionally but had become sexual almost immediately.

Now they were grunting and groaning like wild animals in heat. Michelson was the one man who could keep up with Coco without the aid of acupuncture. It was going to be a shame to kill him, but she always had the needles.

After a couple of rounds of satisfying sex, Michelson said, “I took her off the case, Coco. You oughta be able to finish up in Washington and maybe San Francisco before St. Clair puts her back on the case. Ford and Flynn won't give you any trouble. Both of them are serious fuck-ups.”

“I want Perry on the case, Lawrence. Put her back on.”

“Why?”

“Because she's a worthy opponent. I want the challenge of her trying to stop me from carrying out my assignment.”

“Is that wise? Why even risk it?”

“Because she scares me, and I like it.”

“Well, it's outta my hands. The suspension came straight from the top. Nothing I can do about it, either.”

“I'll take care of it,” Coco said. “Did you bring me the info on Perry and the blonde?”

“Yes, it's in my briefcase. I'll get it for you.” As he walked across the room, Michelson remembered the conversation with agent Perry in the parking lot. “By the way, she knows you're Kunoichi.”

“Ah, a worthy opponent indeed. I'm going to enjoy turning her life upside-down.”

Michelson came back to the bed with the files on the two agents and handed them to her. Then he went into the bathroom to take a shower. Coco opened Perry's file first. She discovered that Sydney Drew was her father, and it brought a smile to her face. She learned that Phoenix had spent twelve years in a Shaolin Temple honing her skills in Kung Fu. Her mother had died giving birth to her, which is why she was named Phoenix. Her name would symbolize the death and rebirth of her mother for as long as she lived.

T
HE EVENING NEWS
did a hatchet job on Kelly and me. Keyth and I sat on the couch, watching, shaking our heads as they distorted everything. They chronicled the investigation and made me look like a Keystone cop. Somehow they found out that Director Pockets was deeply in debt and hinted that he was taking bribes for investigating private citizens.

He had used Gordon Scott to tap telephones and dig into all sorts of personal information on selected people so Clayton Pockets could blackmail them. What I found particularly deplorable was how they connected the murder of Judge Taylor to these two sleazeballs by simply asking, “What did Clayton Pockets have on Supreme Court nominee Jennifer Taylor?”

“See, baby,” Keyth began, “that's why you need to leave the bureau and come into business with me and your father. Those bastards don't care about how that question sullies her reputation. If she weren't a conservative, do you think they would say some shit like that? HELL NO! I guess what's pissing me off even more is the fact that none of the black organizations are standing up for her. And I bet that witch Patricia English is loving this electronic lynching.”

“I know, Keyth, I know.”

“Let's take advantage of your suspension and take a mini-vacation. I'm thinkin' maybe a trip to St. Thomas. We could leave tonight. My mother could take care of Savannah while we take moonlight walks on the sand, sip margaritas, and make love all night long.”

“Sounds good to me. Call your mother, and I'll let Savannah know we're leaving for the weekend.”

“I'll call your dad first and let him know.”

“Have you and Dad discussed the murders?”

“To tell you the truth, no, we haven't. We've been so busy at the office that we haven't discussed anything but our own cases. I don't think Sydney knows anything about Pockets' murder. If he does, he hasn't said anything to me about it.”

S
YDNEY
D
REW
listened to his son-in-law's voice on the answering machine at gunpoint. Coco Nimburu was listening, too. Now that she knew Agent Perry was leaving town, she decided to have a couple of surprises ready for her when she returned from her romantic excursion. Keyth Perry sounded excited about going to St. Thomas. Coco grinned fiendishly. The plan she had for Agent Perry only added to her licentious state of mind.

With a libido like Coco's, just about anything caused her lascivious juices to flow. That's one reason she always took her golden needles with her to every kill. The needles served two purposes. If a man was the target, she could satisfy her own lust and then convince herself that she was sending him to his maker blissfully. If the target was a woman, the needles could be used as a means of torture.

As an afterthought, Keyth Perry mentioned the murders of Clayton Pockets and Gordon Scott. Sydney Drew was unaware of their deaths, but now he understood what was going on and why this woman was holding a gun on him. He had just arrived home from an eighteen-hour workday after stopping by Mister Big Stuff's World Famous Barbecue restaurant to pick up some of their famous ribs.

He had requested extra sauce for the ribs and could hardly wait to get home to devour them. Now he was looking down the barrel of a silenced Makarov, and his appetite had disappeared. He knew why the woman was
there and who had sent her. Ironically, the same person who was paying her to kill him had also been instrumental in helping him get his investigative firm up and running.

Coco felt sorry for Sydney, but her feelings wouldn't stop her from killing him. According to his dossier, he had forty years of government service, twenty as a naval intelligence officer and twenty with the National Security Agency. After the death of his wife, he had thrown himself into his work and caring for his daughter. They were inseparable.

When relatives offered to keep Phoenix while he traveled the world eavesdropping on foreign powers, he declined their generous offers, preferring to have her with him. He was a true patriot and believed that his work was important to America's survival. His views on patriotism were passed on to Phoenix, which was one reason why she had become an FBI agent.

“You mind if I sit down?” Sydney asked politely. “It's been a long day and this is a perfect ending to it.”

Curious, Coco frowned, wondering why he wasn't begging for his life or even asking her why she was doing this. She gestured with the pistol. Sydney grunted a little as he sat down. He chuckled and said, “My grandmother once told me that when you start to grunt when you sit down or before you get up, that's when you know you're getting old.”

Coco smiled. It was an amusing story but held some truth. For the first time since Sydney had walked in, she really looked at him. She could see Phoenix in his face. The resemblance evoked questions about her in Coco's mind.

“I'm an honest woman, Sydney. I'm going to kill you tonight. Nothing can change that. But how you die, how painful it is, well, that depends on you. If you answer some questions, I'll send you out of this world with pleasure you won't believe. It's up to you.”

Coco was a beautiful woman, but her penetrating eyes and the confidence with which she spoke made Sydney take her threats seriously.

“What do you want to know?”

“When most people see me in their homes, they become so frightened
that they begin to beg for their lives, or they offer me bribes. But you, you just accepted your fate like a samurai. Why?”

“Because, deep down, I always knew you would show up, and I know who's paying you. The person also gave me the startup money for my business and sent me clients to keep it going. Because of your client, I've made honest money doing the same thing I did for the government for far less money than what I've pulled in the last year or so.”

“So you knew it would come to this?”

“I suspected it. But it was too good a deal to pass up. I was retired with almost nothing to show for forty years of government service. I trained Gordon Scott to take over my job when I left. He supplied me with some information about your client, which is why you killed him, I suspect.” She nodded. “Why Clayton Pockets? Not that I liked the SOB.”

“He was blackmailing my client. He loved the ponies just a little too much. He was on the verge of losing everything. I can understand his desperation. But as they say, if you dance to the music, you gotta pay the piper.”

“So your client was planning to kill me all along because of what I knew?”

“Probably. I don't know. But, considering what you just told me, that would be my guess.”

Sydney Drew shook his head and muttered, “That's ruthless as hell.”

“May I ask you about your daughter?”

“What does my daughter have to do with this?” Sydney asked, suddenly fearful for Phoenix's safety. “You're not going to kill her, are you?” Coco was quiet. “You said you were an honest woman. Tell me the truth. Are you going to kill my daughter?”

“Only if I have to. She chased me through the streets of Washington with a relentlessness that matched my own. She isn't the type to give up once she sets her mind to something, is she?”

“No, she isn't. Please don't kill my daughter. Please don't kill her. She's all that's left of her mother and me.”

“I don't have a contract for her, so if I can avoid it, I will. But if I'm cornered and it's me or her, you will see her sooner than you think.” Relief
flooded Sydney's face. “Now, tell me. How old was she when the Shaolin monks accepted her?”

“Six.”

“I was five when I began my training,” Coco said reflectively. “And how long did she train there?”

“Twelve years. Part of the reason I stayed in China as long as I did was so she could continue her training. You always wanna encourage your children when they take the initiative.”

“So it was her idea to study the art?”

“Yes. I took her to a Kung Fu demonstration, and it was love at first sight.”

“I see. Then you returned to America, and she went on to college. And the rest is, as they say, history.” He nodded. “Well, would you like to eat your food?”

“No. I don't have much of an appetite now.”

“I understand.” Coco smiled. “I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste.”

T
HE NEW NINJA MOTORCYCLE
was just a a half-block away from Sydney Drew's home in Takoma Park. If she hurried, she could get to Silver Spring, take care of Senator Blevins and her husband, and get back to the Hyatt Regency before midnight. As she rode the peppy bike to her next victim's home, Coco thought about the class Sydney Drew had shown when she had intruded into his home. She liked him, and she would keep her word not to kill Phoenix unless she had to. But it was still personal. She could do so many things to Phoenix. Killing her was only one of them.

Killing Drew, Coco knew, would give Phoenix Perry great incentive to track her down. Sure, Perry had seen the list. She might even have known the names and addresses of the intended victims, Coco thought, but she didn't know when and where she would strike next. It could be in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Manhattan, or perhaps Washington, D.C.

Originally, she had planned to start in Washington, head west, and work her way back to Manhattan. The most important people on the list were in the D.C. area, where Taylor, Pockets, Scott, Drew, and the Blevins lived. The rest of the hits could be done at random.

Coco knew that Phoenix would spend every waking hour trying to figure out what she was going to do next. Phoenix was going to need her help to keep up with her. Coco decided she would assist her by calling or leaving clues along the way. It was going to be a blast playing with her and still getting away with a coast-to-coast murder spree.

The only thing that bothered her was that there weren't many men left
on the list to have sexual relations with. Women were fair game, but they didn't have penises; therefore, the needles served no useful purpose. Maybe I'll pick up some strays along the way, Coco thought. A pizza guy, a waiter who delivered room service, a bartender, a desk clerk; there were so many to choose from. The thought of it made her wet.

The client had told her to take out Martha Blevins with extreme prejudice. She didn't know what the problem was between them, but this assassination would be a personal one for the client. The murder of Chester Blevins would be incidental, so she would give him a merciful, blissful sendoff—one that he would enjoy and one that would give Coco pleasure as well. But Martha Blevins would be given no such quarter. Her murder would be quite painful.

When she arrived at the Blevins' house in Silver Spring, Coco parked her bike in the driveway, walked up to the front door like she was a Girl Scout selling cookies, and rang the doorbell. Chester opened the door to the surprise of his life. He was short but handsome with graying temples. Coco put her weapon to his forehead and strode into the house like she owned the place, closing the door behind her. Fear and dread engulfed Chester.