The Trade (31 page)

Rick paused. Jay's eyes seemed to have lost
some of their focus. His gaze drifted far off into space. Rick went
on slowly and more softly.

"Her real name is Sonia Salmudge. She is
actually Angus' wife. They've been married six years. He literally
saved her life. She'd been a college track star but fell in with
the wrong crowd and got mixed up with steroids and then drugs.
Angus pulled her out of the mess and in her gratitude she married
him. We won't even be able to make her testify against Angus.
She'll probably go down with the rest of them.”

Rick trailed off. His story was done. Rick
had no idea what had happened between Tonia and Stan. He didn't
know that they wanted her dead as much as they wanted Jay dead.

Neither Jay nor Fr. Dan said a word. Rick and
the large missionary looked across at each other, each feeling the
pain of their wounded friend.

"What if she did testify?" Jay asked
evenly.

"I don't know Jay,” Rick answered. "I suppose
we could swing some deal, maybe get her in witness relocation. It'd
be very dangerous for her. But I really don't think she'll..."

"She'll testify,” Jay said.

"Now Jay. Come on. Let's be....”

"I said she'll testify,” Jay cut him off.
"She tried to warn me. I think she wanted out. She said she didn't
love him. She said she owed him. At the end I could see she wanted
out. When we were here she didn't want to go back. She wanted to
give it all up and stay here with Fr. Dan. Rick you've got to bring
her in. Give her a chance. I know she'll go along with you.”

Rick and the priest shared another look. Rick
brought his gaze back onto his friend. "I'll do what I can,” Rick
said.

Rick and Jay spent the next days going over
everything Jay could remember about his time in New York City. Rick
needed to figure out how he was going to get close to Tonia. Rick's
plans changed dramatically two days later when he found out that
Tonia had disappeared. Rick feared the worst. He kept it to himself
though. He did not tell Jay about her going missing.

Chapter

The man who Jay knew as Rick Hewlett burst
into view of the shack where Jay and Fr. Dan sat talking on the
steps. Rick ran up the gravel walk and skidded to a stop in front
of the lodge.

"Jay. Tell me quickly. What do you know about
MacKenzie Lazarus' plans to repeat the Panama algorithm on
Japan?"

"Oh shit,” Jay said quickly. "Sorry
Father.”

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"Revenge,” Jay answered, his eyes taking on a
distant look. Father Brennan's eyebrows scrunched down toward his
nose. His beefy paw came to rest firmly on Jay's shoulder.

"Perhaps you should elaborate on revenge,”
Fr. Brennan said in a low voice.

Jay detailed the virus he'd planted in
MacKenzie Lazarus' worldwide network. Jay explained that he'd
forgotten about it in the adrenalin filled gun ride past Angus and
Stan in New York City.

"So I guess it's working?" Jay asked
sheepishly.

"If you call a complete shutdown of worldwide
currency trading working then yeah it's working,” Rick said.

"A complete halt in trading?” Jay asked. He
was impressed with himself, and a little guilty, but mostly
impressed with the quality of his work.

"Complete,” Rick answered.

"So what does that mean?" Fr. Brennan
asked.

"Turmoil and anarchy,” Jay said.

"Specifically,” Fr. Dan asked, looking at
Rick for help.

"Specifically it means that young Calloway
here has got to find a way to shut this thing down right now!" Rick
explained.

"A minute on the Internet and it’ll be over,”
Jay said.

“
Let’s hope,” Rick
answered.

Rick and Jay hurried down the drive to where
Rick's pickup was parked. Gravel flew as they spun out onto the
path that led to the road and then the Interstate.

"I know a place in Louisville where we can
get on,” Rick said.

"I know someplace closer,” Jay countered.
"And safer.”

"You do?"

"Yes.”

"Where?"

"When we get to the interstate turn East,
towards Cincinnati.”

"Cincinnati's at least twice as far as
Louisville,” Rick shot.

"We're not going to Cincinnati.”

"Where are we going?" Rick asked.

"Peowee Valley.”

"Where?" Rick asked incredulously.

"Peowee Valley. C. Daniel lives there. I've
been getting email from him on the internet every once in a while.
It's only ten miles from here.”

The pickup skidded to a halt in front of C.
Daniel Kinchon's home in Peowee Valley. The front yard was
dominated by an immense satellite dish, the back yard had a
microwave tower.

"This has got to be the place,” Rick
said.

"You know it,” Jay answered.

They jumped out of the truck and rushed
towards the house. A Kentucky gentleman met them on the porch
steps.

"Mornin' Gentlemen. How y'all doin' this
mornin'?"

"Fine. Thank you. We are friends of C.
Daniel’s and we were wondering if C. Daniel was here, and, even if
he’s not, if we could please use his computer as soon as possible.
This is his place isn't it? Is he here?" Jay rapid fired.

The gentleman raised an eyebrow and extended
a hand to shake. They shook perfunctorily.

"Allow me to introduce myself,” the gentleman
said. "Dr. C. Daniel Kinchon Sr.,” he said cooly.

"I'll inform my son that two uninvited and
clearly agitated Yankees claiming to be his friends are on the
porch.” The gentleman made his way into the house. Rick and Jay
looked at each other, rolling their eyes.

"I see you all met my father,” C. Daniel
Kinchon said as he emerged onto the porch.

"You all have to excuse him. He has yet to
accept that the Civil War has concluded unsuccessfully for the
Confederacy.”

"How are you Dan?" Jay asked.

"Fine,” C. Daniel answered.

"You are the last person I expected to see on
my stoop today,” C. Daniel said.

"Dan, I can catch you up in a while, but
right now I really need to use your computer to get on the
internet,” Jay said impatiently. The urgency in his voice was
clear.

"Have to check on a game of global
thermonuclear war Professor Falken?" C. Daniel asked.

"Not exactly,” Rick answered, missing the
movie reference.

"Don’t tell me you have something to do with
this virus… Come on professor,” C. Daniel offered. He led the party
into a high tech study which seemed completely at odds with the
countryside.

Jay sat down at the terminal. His fingers
started slowly but quickly picked up the pace as he grew accustomed
to C. Daniel's machine.

"Are you sure you want this stopped?" Jay
asked.

"Sure,” Rick said.

"I mean we could turn it towards someone else
you know?"

"No. Turn it off,” Rick said firmly.

Jay ceremoniously typed a final command.

"Done,” he announced flatly.

"Now do you mind telling me what this is all
about?" C. Daniel asked.

"Rick? Why don't you tell him what you can?"
Jay said.

Rick told a carefully edited version of the
story. C. Daniel listened intently.

"Didn't you all ever hear of Robert Tappan
Morris Jr.?" C. Daniel asked harshly.

"Of course,” Jay answered guiltily.

"So how come you were so sure you could turn
it off?" C. Daniel asked.

Jay had no answer. The student had just
schooled the teacher.

Chapter

Two weeks had passed since Rick Hewlett had
surprised his friend Jay Calloway at his mountain hideaway in
Kentucky. Rick had spent part of the time organizing his associates
in New York and part of the time convincing his superiors that Jay
was innocent of any malicious wrongdoing. Finally, Rick had started
a campaign to try to bring in Tonia Taggert.

Rick knew that she'd bolted, but he doubted
she'd gone far. From what Jay had told him, Rick figured his best
chance to find her was outside, running somewhere. It wasn't much
but it was all he had. Rick had agents on all of her favorite
routes, at strategic spots in Central Park and at the parks on Long
Island. Rick had picked the beach at Robert Moses State Park as his
personal stakeout location. For the past six days, at dawn and at
dusk, Rick had cruised back and forth just offshore in an
inconspicuous bayman's boat, scanning the beach with binoculars for
blonde runners. Rick figured dawn and dusk would be the most likely
time that she'd come out.

It was on Rick's seventh day at the beach,
just before sunrise that he saw a lone figure jogging on the beach.
Though the runner's the strides were long and powerful, like Jay
had described, the runner's head was hung low, the shoulders
dropped forward. That was not how Jay had described Tonia's running
style. Still Rick thought this had to be her.

Rick swung his glasses towards the jogger, he
tightened the focus. Short blonde hair peeked out from under the
runner's hat. Rick became more interested. He knew Tonia's hair was
supposed to be long, half way down her back Jay had said.

"She could have cut it,” Rick said to
himself. Rick goosed the boat's engines to bring it closer in to
the shore.

More of the approaching glow of daybreak
curled up over the horizon. Rick could see the jogger more clearly.
It was certainly a girl. A girl in great shape. A blonde runner, on
Jay and Tonia's beach at dawn. Rick knew it had to be her. Once she
had passed the boat, Rick let the boat nose its bow into the firm
sand on the beach. Rick tossed the snag anchors on shore to hold
the boat while he scrambled over the deck and onto the beach. He
knew she'd have to be coming back the way she'd gone.

Rick settled in to wait for her return.

After a while, Tonia reappeared on the
eastern portion of the beach. Rick waited patiently. Her head was
down, she didn't see him. Rick wondered if her head was down from
tiredness or guilt?

When Rick figured she was within earshot,
Rick spoke up.

"How far did you go?" Rick asked.

Tonia made no indication that she had heard
him.

"I've got some water if you want?" Rick
offered.

Tonia closed the distance and came even with
him.

"I have a friend in Kentucky who wishes he
was right here on this beach right now,” Rick said softly as she
passed him by. “Running to the sunrise.”

Tonia slowed and stopped. She turned slowly.
She walked back towards Rick but kept a wary distance between
them.

"What did you say?" Tonia asked.

"I said Jay wishes like hell he was here to
run to the sunrise with his friend Tonia. He told me it was the
best moment in his entire life.”

Tonia walked a tentative step closer to
Rick.

"Have you seen him?" she asked.

"Yes.”

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine,” Rick answered.

"Was he hurt badly?" Tonia asked.

Rick tried to decide whether she meant
physically or mentally.

"In time he'll be okay,” Rick answered.

"Did he send you for me?" Tonia asked. Rick
thought he heard both fear and hope in her voice.

"Yes.”

Tonia walked right up to Rick. She looked him
straight in the eyes. Rick immediately knew how Jay could've fallen
so hard for her. It was her eyes. Rick felt the infinity of her
gaze, he wasn't sure whose turn it was to talk.

"So what do we do now?" Tonia asked.

"That depends on you,” Rick answered.

"Explain it to me while we walk back to the
truck,” Tonia said. "I don't want to tighten up and it's three
miles back.”

Rick explained her options as they walked
west, their backs to the sunrise, long shadows stretching out
before them. Tonia was very surprised at what Rick knew, and what
her choices were. Jay would have been stunned to hear the details
of Rick's proposals. After an hour of walking in the sand they came
to Tonia's truck. It wasn't the white convertible Jay had
described. It was an old beat up pickup. Rick recognized it as
Jay's old beast from Miami University.

"So what's it going to be Tonia?" Rick
asked.

"I'll do it,” Tonia answered. "I'm so tired
of hiding, of never knowing. I'll do it all, but when it's done,
you've got to promise to let me see him at least once. To give me a
chance to say I’m sorry.”

"Agreed,” Rick said.

They shook on the deal. Rick felt her hand
tremble.

Chapter

"You don't have to do this,” Rick Hewlett
said to Tonia Taggert.

"Yes I do,” Tonia answered.

"Alright then. Let's do it.”

Rick spoke a code word into the walkie talkie
he held in his gloved left hand. The early morning fog had not yet
lifted. The tops of the tallest oak trees on the MacKenzie property
were still not visible. In between the wisps of fog several teams
of men moved silently into position, the house was surrounded.

Rick waited for "in-position" signals from
the teams and then turned his face to Tonia.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Let's do it,” Tonia said stiffly.

Rick and Tonia started a quick walk that led
them right up the gravel drive to the front doors of the mansion.
Tonia slid her key in the front door. It still fit. She turned the
key and the door swung open. She stepped inside. Rick was right
behind her.

They stood in the foyer and listened. They
heard nothing. "He'll be in the kitchen watching CNN and working on
his heart attack,” Tonia said.

Tonia guided them through the huge rooms
towards the kitchen. As they approached, the sounds of television
drifted out to them. Rick drew his 9mm Beretta.

They crossed the last room and stood on the
threshold of the kitchen. Angus was seated 10 feet away, focused on
his bacon and eggs and morning news. He did not hear them come
in.