The Descent From Truth
Page 27
She darted from the cab to his car and plastered herself against Alex, being careful of his wound. They had talked daily on the telephone, but this was the first time they’d been together since returning to the U.S. Alex felt her tremble as she had that first day when he’d found her near-frozen in the high country. He held her while their driver maneuvered along a circuitous route that would enable him to spot any tail.
They checked into a suburban hotel, where Alex’s father met them. The colonel got Alex back into bed and ordered dinner delivered to the room. “I’ve got a friend in Wyoming,” he said while they waited for room service, he sitting in a chair that he had pulled close to the bed, Pia sitting on the edge of the bed and clasping Alex’s hand with both of hers. “His name’s Furstenberg. A professor at Wyoming State University. We’ll pick up Freddy in the morning, and I’ll drive you up there.”
“Wyoming?” Alex frowned. “Wouldn’t a populous area be better? We could get lost more easily.”
The colonel shook his head. “They’ll expect you to gravitate to a city. The Koenig woman has tremendous resources. Her people will sort through my network of official contacts, check everyone I’ve worked with. Furstenberg is one of the few friends with whom I’ve never had an official relationship. None of their leads will take them there.”
“Makes sense.”
“I’d planned on getting you up there anyway. I want Pia to spend some time with Furstenberg.”
Alex wasn’t surprised. He’d expected his father’s plan would involve something more than simply sending them out of harm’s way. “What’s special about this guy?”
“Professor of clinical psychology. Absolute first rate. He can handle Pia’s counseling.” The colonel patted her hand and shifted his attention back to Alex. “He has clout with the university. He’ll cut through the red tape to get you into their economics program. That is, if you haven’t lost your ambition.”
Nine years had elapsed since Alex, then a fresh Army recruit, had told his father he wanted to be an economist. That his father remembered caused Alex to choke up. He took a moment before addressing Pia. “Honey, you ready to—”
She shushed him with the wave of an arm. Largely ignored by the trio, a television anchorman was presenting the evening news. On the screen, firemen and policemen rushed about in front of a flaming mansion. Flames shot from windows on the building’s top floor. Pia turned up the volume.
“Tragedy strikes the owner of Silver Hill Ski Resort, a favorite winter playground for many of our viewers,” the announcer said. “In the latest of a series of terrorist incidents, Shining Path, a rebel group that has battled the government of Peru for almost half a century, claims credit for a rocket attack in suburban Lima. The attack claimed the life of Maximillian Koenig, the sole owner of Variant Corporation, the international conglomerate that bought Silver Hill last year.”
“They got the wrong villain,” Alex murmured. He suspected that he and his father were thinking the same thing: an attempt to eliminate Dominga Koenig had instead made her more powerful. With Frederick presumed to be dead, she would inherit her deceased husband’s assets. All that money would make it easy to pacify disgruntled elements in Shining Path. Using her new wealth and influence, she could resuscitate her family’s political fortunes.
But that wasn’t his concern. What mattered was that Frederick was safe, and the attempt to hijack Peru’s rare-earth deposits had been sidetracked.
“Last year, in the United States,” the anchor said, “Shining Path was suspected of kidnapping the Koenigs’ year-old son. The allegation, which prompted a brief diplomatic furor, was later retracted, but neither the child nor his nanny has been seen since. Both are presumed dead at the hands of the rebels. This has been a special newsbreak from KLR News Scope One.”
“Hear that, darling?” Pia said, her fingers toying with the back of Alex’s neck. “We’re dead. Now we can get on with our lives.”
About the Author:
Gaylon Greer’s diverse experiences with traveling carnivals, itinerant farm labor gangs, and military life provide constant grist for his imagination and an ample supply of personalities for his fictional characters. A Middle School dropout who returned to the classroom as an adult, he earned a doctoral degree in economics and served a stint as a university professor but resigned from an endowed chair at The University of Memphis to write full time. Greer is the author of numerous professional books and articles and one previous novel. He lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
Other Books by this Author:
The Price of Sanctuary
Connect with Gaylon Greer Online:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaylon-Greer/88822456957
Website: http://www.gaylongreer.com