‘You’re paying a fortune just to get a telephone number?’ Lucia asked in disbelief.
Gordon shrugged.
‘There was no other way. In any case, they transmitted proof that Adrian is alive and has not been hurt.’
He reached for his tablet and switched it on. Then turned it so the two young women could see the transmitted picture.
It showed a baby in its cradle that watched the camera with curiosity. Beside the bed lay a newspaper. The title page showed the date of the previous day.
‘The paper is the Gazet van Antwerpen, – Antwerp as we call it. I won’t have to explain that this is the town where it is published.’
‘No, Sherlock Holmes.’ Lucia replied. ‘But we urgently need a passport for Kea. I hope my documents are ready too.’
‘Yes, Signorina Christina Alassio.’
‘Is that my new name?’
Gordon nodded.
Lucia rolled her eyes and blew a lock or hair from her face.
‘Fantastic! Now I really need a coffee.’
27
After he had climbed into the SUV, Mario had not uttered another word. Borges was partially relieved since she had no wish to talk about their previous affair. On the other hand, his silence appeared ominous to her. Mario seldom spoke when he considered a situation. It had always been like that when she had been associated with him. And she saw no reason why that should have changed.
She drove, due to Jablonski’s discomfort from the shot. Her partner insisted that he was quite able to handle the car, but Borges decided otherwise.
As usual, when their opinions differed.
Jablonski attempted to make himself useful. He tried again and again to reach the field office of the FBI in New York via Smartphone, as yet without success.
Borges kept watching her rear mirror.
Mario sat on the back seat like an obedient boy. The blow on his head had been dealt with by Borges in person. Luckily, she had found a first aid kit in one of the cubby holes of the Lincoln Navigator. Lucia’s brother bore his fate stoically. She was quite certain he would not again embark on an attempt to escape. He simply had changed tactics. And she began to have doubts that his arrest would lead anywhere.
‘Where is Lucia heading, Mario?’
He breathed deeply but refused to answer.
‘If you help us, it will go a long way to leniency for you.’
Mario’s lips remained sealed.
‘Sooner or later we’ll catch up with your sister but by then I won’t be able to do anything for you.’
This time the criminal sniffed ironically but kept mute.
‘Just leave him, quite obviously, you won’t get a word out of him.’
Jablonski had joined the one-sided conversation.
‘Keep out of this!’ Borges cut him short with a touch of anger. ‘Mario loves to play games. He’s simply testing how far he can push us. Sooner or later one of us must give in and it won’t be me.’
‘That sounds as if you know our prisoner better than the average crook we have to run in.’ The sturdy agent opined while he gave his partner a strange look.
She wished she had held her tongue. At first, she had feared Mario might let something slip about their former relationship – and now she had managed just that on her own and aroused Jablonski’s suspicion.
She felt her cheeks burn with discomfort.
‘Nonsense. What makes you think that? Familiarity, however unjustified, is the usual trick of criminals. You should know that by now.’
Jablonski had nothing to say to that. But Borges could be sure her words did not stop him from thinking.
Luckily he had reached for his Smartphone again. And finally he managed to get connected. He reported the events briefly and asked for a look out for the stolen FBI vehicle and gave a description of Kea Kuhn and Lucia Lezzi. With that he ended the call.
‘The special agent in charge will expect a thorough written report from us, first thing in the morning.’ He told Borges.
I can imagine, she thought and sighed.
But on the next day, the world looked better to her – despite the uneasiness that had troubled Borges when she appeared at the Field Office in NYC first thing in the morning, freshly showered and in her best working costume.
Of course, she had to endure a long and uncomfortable reprimand from her superior, but at least she had not been taken off the case. That had been her greatest fear.
She had even been allowed to conduct the questioning of Mario. In that she was accompanied by her colleague Agnes Poulsen, since Jablonski had been put on the sick list. He had a broken rib, due to the impact of the bullet.
Borges had not much liking for Poulson, which was mutual. But she was prepared even to swallow that pill as long as she could continue to handle the case.
Therefore, she only briefed her colleague on the case in a slapdash manner. In her opinion, the blond pasty Poulson was ambitious, without talent or imagination, but with the ability to recite from memory every rule and regulation ever written.
‘What exactly are we hitting this Lezzi with?’ Poulson asked.
‘Murder or assisting to murder as well as kidnapping,’ Borges growled. ‘Did you not listen when I reported the massacre at the gas station?’
‘Sure, I have. I’m just not quite clear whom this Lezzi should have murdered.’
‘How about the two dead bodies? Gregory Nolan and Samuel O’Leary, two Irish mobsters. Both are believed to work for Old Barns. Do you want to write those names down?’
‘I’ve got a good memory,’ Poulson bragged. ‘And we haven’t received the crime scene reports yet, have we?’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Borges told her. ‘The facts are that Lezzi, together with his sister and the German strumpet fled the murder scene.’
‘Or was that German kidnapped? There is no proof that she followed the two siblings out of her own will.’
Borges cast an angry look at the second agent.
‘What are you? Mario Lezzi’s defense lawyer? Of course she was kidnapped. Why else would this simple cow stay in the company of two known criminals?’
‘I don’t know,’ Poulson retorted. ‘But I know Mario Lezzi doesn’t have a female defense lawyer. I saw Dr. Hidalgo as he was led to the arrest rooms.’
Borges nodded with grim satisfaction.
Dr. Hidalgo was a well-know Mafia defense lawyer, who fought tooth and nail for his clients and knew every dirty trick in the book. In his eyes, justice was a whore. And he followed his belief whenever he appeared in court.
She sighed audibly.
‘If Lezzi is counseled by him as his legal representative, we’ll have to be prepared to wait a long time. Do you want a coffee as well?’
‘I’ll only drink peppermint tea.’ Poulsen replied primly.
Why is it that I‘m not surprised? Borges asked herself with a sigh. What a pussy. She would have liked to light up a cigarette just to annoy her new partner. But neither did she smoke nor was smoking permitted in the whole building.
Instead, she pushed a strip of chewing gum in her mouth. Then she reached for the file to read once more the facts known to date. She would have preferred to take another look at the murder scene at the gas station. But right now, there was no time for it.
She would catch up on that once Mario had been taken back to the cells. The agent had little doubt that the judge would issue an arrest warrant.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the suspect and his defence lawyer were ready for the interview. Mario sat beside Dr. Hidalgo. The Mafia-lawyer was an elderly man with a pointed goatee and rimless glasses, wearing an old-fashioned, pinstriped suit. His attire reminded Borges of the gangster movies from the Twenties of the past century, which suited her plans.
Mario’s bandages had been renewed in the meantime by the doctor. He had placed his handcuffed arms on the table as if he were praying.
Borges nodded towards the two men and introduced agent Poulsen and herself.
Then she recited Mario his rights once more.
‘Right! We all agree my client is innocent before the law until it can be proved otherwise.’ The lawyer stated. ‘Perhaps you should have had this in mind a little earlier, agent Borges.’
She furrowed her forehead.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘I must inform you that I intend to make a complaint to your superiors against you.’
Borges felt her chin drop a little.
‘On what grounds?’
‘Unnecessary force during the arrest of my client.’ Dr. Hidalgo pointed at Mario’s forehead. ‘You struck him down with your pistol grip although he had already surrendered himself and was unarmed. Quite apart from that, his arrest was based on no good reason.’
Borges stared at her former lover. He sat before her as if he could do no wrong. She would have liked to scratch out his eyes. But she would never do him such a favor, since Mario only waited for her to lift a hand against him.
She forced herself to breathe deeply before she opened her mouth again.
‘That is a lie. Mr. Lezzi, whom we had followed from a murder scene, sought to escape and ran into a tree in the darkness. If his wound is examined, it will show that it was not as a result of being struck by the grip of a pistol – in the face of two dead persons, the arrest was lawful and necessary.’
‘Really?’ Dr. Hidalgo leaned forward. ‘You can produce witnesses who were present at the execution of the crime that you accuse him of. Or pictures of a security camera, that show him armed with a pistol or knife?’
‘Not yet, but …’
‘My client has psychic problems and has been forced to regularly use medication.’ The lawyer continued. ‘He has asked you several times to allow him his medicines – which you refused.’
Borges could have strangled Mario. Poulson glanced at her as if she was a leper. She probably believed every word of the lies the resourceful lawyer dished up.
‘Not true,’ Borges replied. Her voice trembled with suppressed anger. Right now she wished to have Jablonski by her side.
His quiet support and doubtless loyalty would have given her strength. Chuck would never have allowed that she was torn to pieces in this dismal room.
But her partner was not here. Only this hopeless sidekick from which she could expect no support.
Dr. Hidalgo seemed to sense that he could find help with Borges’ blond colleague. He turned to her.
‘Agent Poulsen, has Agent Borges informed you about my client’s medical needs?’
Before an answer came, Borges spoke out. ‘Of course not. All this is pure invention and lies. Mario Lezzi was released from that mental institution as a sane person – to plague humanity once more. I am willing to bet that he has not taken a single pill from that day, or that it is even necessary.’
She stopped herself at that point, but there was no way back for her. It seemed as if she had lost control over her own tongue, as if her mouth had formed the words against her own will.
As a result, Dr. Hidalgo ignored her completely. He focused on the second female agent.
‘It has been brought to my attention that agent Borges had dealings with my client at a previous encounter. It seems apparent to me that she is seeking a form of revenge, a personal retribution. And it is my opinion that amounts to a misuse of the rights and duties of the FBI. Do you agree?’
‘The murder investigations are not yet complete,’ Borges brought forth. She could not allow to be irritated at this point. ‘Your client is in any case embroiled in the abduction of the German national, Kea Kuhn. And his sister attempted to kill my service partner.’
‘Which only by good luck did not succeed,’ the lawyer triumphed. ‘And this present hearing is not concerned with Lucia Lezzi, but Mario Lezzi. Quite apart from that, how do you profess to know that Kea Kuhn has been abducted? My client has given assurances that Kea Kuhn and his sister are the best of friends.’
‘Because he lies whenever he opens his mouth!’ Borges shouted enraged.
The defense lawyer rose to his feet.
‘If you cannot produce anything but unsubstantial accusation against my client, I look forward to his continued arrest and trial with the greatest reassurance. – Agents, it has been my pleasure.’
One of her colleagues returned Mario to his cell. Borges watched him leave, her mouth tight. She had fallen into every trap the lawyer had set for her. What a trickster.
She should have hated Mario for that. Instead, her feelings for him had painfully returned. She could hardly understand herself any longer.
Poulson opened her mouth as if to say something.
‘One word from you and you’ll be ready for intensive care,’ she hissed at her colleague.
28
Lucia and Kea had chosen Newark airport to fly to Brussels in Belgium.
Neither of them knew whether the passport controls in New Jersey were as thorough as at JFK, where a terrorist attack had to be expected any moment. As it turned out, neither Lucia’s fake Italian passport nor Kea’s false papers led to any difficulties. Maybe Gomez had produced excellent work.
For the first time in her life, Lucia stood on European soil and immediately felt at home. Perhaps it was that parts of Brussels reminded her of Brooklyn, rundown, shabby, old, but somehow strangely familiar. There were some skyscrapers, but nothing compared to New York’s glittering palaces.
In any case, the two young women had not come to Belgium on a sightseeing trip.
Lucia had got access to a heap of Euros through an ATM card. She had been told that many places in Euro still used cash rather than credit cards, which was good because their purchases could not be traced.
About the only place where cash was not welcome was the car rental agency. But luckily, beside her Italian passport, and a fake driving license, she had also been given an Amex card by Gomez.
In no time at all they had a Porsche Cayenne at their disposal. It was left to Lucia to program the navigation, and then they were on their way to Antwerp.
‘I’ve never been in Belgium either.’ Kea admitted. She had been mostly quiet during the flight, which Lucia found to her liking. She still was not certain of what to make of her German companion.
At least, she was finally convinced that Kea had nothing to do with Adrian’s kidnapping. But still she found it strange to have Kea constantly by her side like a faithful lapdog.
In the beginning, Lucia had thought she might have fallen for Mario. She would not have been the first one. Her brother was the type that was attractive to many females. That was a fact she could not close her eyes to. And until now, it had never troubled her – except that one time, when Mario’s newest liaison had turned out to be an undercover agent of the FBI. What had her name been?
Lucia had long forgotten it. It had been bad enough that her brother had been arrested at that time. But he had been clever enough to simulate his mental derangement and it was not long before he had been released as ‘healed’.
She hoped he would manage something similar this time. No, right now Mario was the least of her problems. Since he was not with them, she was free from keeping a sisterly eye on him.
And Kea had had plenty of chances to hightail it, without taking one of them. Still, she could not understand that woman.
Lucia had no illusions how she appeared to other people. Apart from the fact that she had treated Kea pretty shabbily when she had still believed the German to be an accomplice of the kidnapper.
She decided to be a little friendlier to her in the future. At least if Kea did not cause her any troubles.
Suddenly, Lucia remembered that she still had made no comment to Kea’s remark on Belgium. Small-talk had never been her strongest point. Still, right now she tried to induce some warmth into their relationship.
‘We’ll have to find a hotel first of all, before I have to buy some stuff – and then I will call this number. We only have one day left. I don’t even want to guess what these bastards
have in mind for Adrian if we don’t contact them.’
‘How are you going to get the baby back to he States?’ Kea asked.
‘I’ll worry about that when I hold the poor thing safely in my arms.’
Kea noticed that her voice had suddenly taken on a soft, almost motherly tone.
‘Why haven’t you got any children of your own? You’d make a wonderful mother.’
The woman she had, until now, looked upon as a cold-blooded killer sighed. She could hardly believe Kea had asked that question. But she had promised herself to be friendlier. So she simply answered: ‘That’s none of your business.’
‘I’m infertile. At least that’s what I believe.’ Kea admitted.
‘Belief is for the church. Have you ever spoken to a doctor about it?’
Kea shook her head.
‘Then you can’t know that.’ Lucia stated in a firm voice. ‘Maybe you’ve never met the right type. I guess, my brother would love to get you in the family way.’
Lucia asked herself why she had suddenly turned their conversation to Mario. She could think of no good answer.
‘You think he likes me?’
‘I’d bet on it. I know what’s going on in his head. After all, I am his sister.’
‘To be honest, I find your brother interesting, although he frightened me at first.’
‘You’re frightened of everything.’
Lucia could not bite back that comment but Kea seemed to take no offense.
‘You may be right. Since I killed Ulli that day, I never wanted to do another bad thing in my life. I tried hard to agree with everyone, to cause no offense.’
‘That doesn’t exactly sound like fun.’
‘Honestly, I’d like to be like you.’
That comment baffled Lucia.
‘You knew a long time I was going to torture you sooner or later, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but only to save the life of a child. I find all that conflict between good and bad complicated and confusing. Aren’t we at this moment on our way to rescue Adrian out of the clutches of these monsters?’
Killer Girls Page 12
