Crissy Chance
Page 40
“And your colleague, Francesca? Your anthro buddy and psycho-sadist?”
“She’s gone ASAP. As well as all video and photographic evidence of your involvement in London attack. I promise.”
“There are a couple conditions, then I will agree. But both must be met, agreed to and carried out. If there’s even a hint of duplicity, the deal is off. I devise the rules and am the sole arbiter. Non-negotiable. If you agree, then I agree. And, I will need collateral and guaranteed security. Any accidents, attempts on those close to me, deal’s off and I continue the fight. Clear?”
“What do you want, exactly?”
“The first, I will tell you now. The second later. The first matters, the second does not as much. But the second concerns him, mom, me and the future. We all have to bury the hatchet, and not in each others’ back. This will be difficult because everything we agree to now will change over time. But, I cannot be worried about them. Ever. Understand?”
“I do. How do we begin?”
“You and I meet alone. We pick a city in a country, bring our security, nice open spot, then we parlay. Any attempt at betrayal will be dealt with harshly. Think about where and when. Make it soon; this has a ‘best by’ date. We announce the place, time and day one aboard our charter jets. We then have eight hours or less to arrive, check in and go from there. Agreed?”
“Yes.”
“I will tell you the second condition when we meet and I confirm your story.”
“How?”
“Lie detector. Advanced; foolproof.”
“And on my side? How do I confirm the truth?”
“I never lie. You know that. Besides this is your proposal. This process will take minutes, no drugs and no lies. Can you say the same?”
“No, but I still have one request.”
“Yes?”
“If we have time, can I talk to you alone. Privately?”
“My pleasure. But Crissy, I don’t trust you. I didn’t start this. If you think otherwise, then let’s stop now.”
“No. I understand and expect you will have an army checking out where we meet. But I don’t control Anna and Edward, just to be clear. They’re crazy. We both have to be aware of that. My utility for them is at an end. Francesca is ascending, but she will also eventually crash and burn. Your parents are evolving into something new and different, and abandoning their old façade. They want to exit the public stage in favor of new interests that have attracted their attention. I want to move immediately to save myself or I might as well just have you shoot me here and now. I have nowhere to go.”
“How much control do you have? I mean, right this minute.”
“Some days I’m in charge of everything, including the deviant Francesca. I can do anything I want. Some days Anna asserts herself, some days Edward. But it’s me most days. When they’re at their worst, there’s nothing anyone can do.”
“Call me in twenty-four hours. I’ll be waiting.”
***
Edward asked, “What did he say?”
“He’ll help with the computer stuff, he’ll turn over the Cache and make peace. You must make peace too. And he says if there are any tricks, the deal is off and the war is back on. Nobody will ever have a decent night’s sleep; you, Mom and Fran will all have to disappear and go underground. And your cop friends won’t be able to help.”
“He trusts you?”
“Hell no. Wants me to take a lie detector test.”
“You can beat that. Sociopaths easily do so regularly.”
“He says it’s new, no machines or drugs. He will get to the truth. He may kill me if he discovers our plan.”
“Doubtful. He wants to rehabilitate you; it’s in his nature. I’ll bet he still gets stiff just thinking about you; the girl he could never have. But do as we say and we’ll let you go, Crissy. You’ve done all you can and have been a great little plaything. Now it’s time for you to leave and live your life.”
What Edward really meant was he was tired of her, she knew too much and had stopped being any fun. Edward liked fresh, and Crissy was no longer fresh.
“You’re going to kill me.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll have to see how you do. We can let you live if you’re useful and loyal. Any duplicity, self-interest, and you’ll be hunted and eliminated for good. But not before we have the Cache. Adam is a different story. I’ll kill him at the first good opportunity as well as all his lovelies.”
“He may not let me go. Even after the interrogation. My guess is he’ll kidnap me and take me wherever he’s hiding and then he’ll use drugs and whatever else he has.”
“Even better. Make peace with him and get what we want and you’ll never even have to come back to us. I’ll sign over the keys to my business kingdom to you as we announced in San Francisco. Take Francesca if you wish; she’s become a bother.”
***
Crissy may have overstated by a significant margin the control she conventionally held over Anna, Edward and Francesca, but not by much. There were two sides to Crissy. The one side that wanted out was weary of all the illegal activity in which she was implicated up to her nostrils. That part might be resolved depending on factors she controlled and some she did not. In any event, with help from Adam, she hoped she could manage her legal difficulties. But that was unlikely. She really only had one client, so saying she was unaware of the thefts and criminality was a stretch.
The other side was the deviancy that had slowly crept into her life. At first against her will, later as a result of pressure and rewards, then finally under threat of punishment, exposure or death. When she was younger, she saw no way out. Edward and Anna were connected with law enforcement and in any event her tragic death would likely mean nothing.
Crissy had her own agenda, not related to Edward and Anna, who she now viscerally detested. She had endured much, but it was now time to take her wealth, stolen from her mentors, and go off in a new direction with new purpose, resolve and goals. She was brilliant and would use her learned skills and education to start her own organization. It would neither be her mentors nor Adam’s agenda but a combination of the two: tech and opportunistic criminal extortion. Clean, uncomplicated and less likely to be found out. She would play both sides, then retire except for the odd job. With a legit front and continued deception, Adam might even assist her. From her mentors, she would just steal opportunities.
Win-win-win. Her plan was to harvest opportunities and pluck the sweet fruit at harvest time. ‘Under the radar screen’ was her new motto.
Crissy was tired of being used; when the family first met in the five-story in New York City, she thought she could work her way out of her predicament with Adam’s help. The debacle and associated noise with her ex-boyfriend had foreclosed that, and the later debacles with the folks and the surveillance cut that option off even more permanently. Crissy had tried to wriggle free but Edward banked on his son’s usual “betrayal” fixation to kick in and sour him on her. As Adam never lacked for female company, what was Crissy to him any more? Nothing. Simply in the talent pool.
Edward was wrong about that, but he being the sociopath that he was, he could not understand what Adam felt or was willing to do if he believed in someone; Crissy was worthy of saving, Adam thought. He wanted to believe her but at this point he still did not.
Naturally, it had been Edward who tipped off Crissy’s ex just to create this initial rift. Edward believed that Crissy still had feelings for Adam and that forestalling a rekindling until necessary would be in Edward’s best interests.
Unknown to Crissy, Edward had managed all this chaos and discord quite well; Edward understood that Crissy still had major emotional and maturation issues and could still be manipulated. He counted on it. That and his vitamin supplements. But controlling her was one thing; knowing what she was thinking and planning was another. As Edward and Anna’s paranoia grew, so did Crissy’s desire to bolt.
Francesca was different kitty cat in that, although she was pur
e loco, she was easily controlled in most situations. She occasionally had to be reigned in, as when she overstepped her boundary with Crissy when Anna and Edward were absent.
***
Crissy called the next day and Adam gave her the meeting place; a remote site just outside of Granada, Spain. She would fly in the day before, check into a clinic alone, be examined for tracking devices, including full cavity searches, and anything implanted surgically. The next day, if everything checked out, she would be flown to Paraiso. That was not their bargain, but too bad, Adam thought. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“Such precautions,” said Crissy. “One would almost suspect a complete lack of trust.”
“Not a suspicion. I don’t trust you one bit.”
“And yet you will find everything I say is true.”
“Just so you know, I will know the truth, one way or another. It’s best and simpler if you are completely honest with me now. If I find this is a trap, I’ll kill you.”
“You know, it’s my birthday. You used to send me cards.”
“And you never replied, not even once. And your birthday cards to me? Oh, that’s right, I never got one.”
“You know why.”
“Do I?”
“You mother and father. They prohibited me from having any contact with you on penalty of getting cut off financially. My real birth parents would never have given me a dime. Thought I should be married to a nice Christian man and cranking out babies right after high school. I haven’t spoken to them in years.”
“I’m sure they’d be very proud of your non-academic career.”
“Let me know when you tire of ridicule. I get you’re angry with me and don’t trust me. But please get exhausted soon. I prefer even a semblance of the ‘old Adam’ far more.”
“I’m sure you do.”
***
Crissy arrived in Madrid, where she checked into the clinic and went through all the tests. The tests were nonsense, just a cover for Hecate. Hecate would secretly enter her mind and discover the truth. If she was lying, or if there was a plan of ambush, Hecate was to implode her head and come home.
Adam looked at Hecate as she appeared to him in his residence in Paraiso.
Hecate said, “Surprisingly, it seems she’s telling the truth. All of it. Well, maybe most of it anyway. I would say she has not been completely ‘all Edward, all the time’. She isn’t into the punishment and deviancy they enjoy; she’s been a physical, if not psychological captive for a while. And, I’d say she’s been in a lot of pain for a long time. She sees you, and she believes our offer, to be her last and only way out. She is concerned that there will be an ambush, but not one she arranged.”
“Then we kidnap her tonight, put her in a coma, then bring her to Paraiso. Can you do that?”
“Why do you ask stupid questions like that?
“Sorry. Will you do that?”
“What’s my reward?”
“Anything you want for a week.”
“For a month.”
“Deal.”
“Could I have gotten more?”
“For sure.”
“When will I ever learn how to negotiate?”
“Two months or two years. Have as much as you want; I’m open. But you need to speak to the other ladies and don’t say I asked; just that you demanded.”
“A week, then. Otherwise I’ll get ostracised again for being greedy.”
“You know I love you.”
“That’s the problem. I love you too, but hate it when you’re right.”
Chapter 54
Crissy arrived in Paraiso later that evening with Hecate on board. Since Crissy was coming to the residence, at least temporarily, she would need to have her mind altered so that certain memories, such as the torture and rape of Misti, were not available to her. Hecate did not want Crissy to mention, talk about or apologize to Misti about what happened. That topic was erased in all mortals who did not need to know and that’s the way it was going to stay.
Further, if she left, she would lose all memories of ever having been there. This was the Fionna bio invention installed at all exits from Paraiso, even new ones subsequently created; this was automatic. It was similar to the Immortal tech bio tracker in Laura which Adam still used.
Crissy arrived still in the comatose state induced by Hecate when she boarded the nanite composite jet bound for Paraiso. Adam was sure that Edward had been listening in on the call between Adam and Crissy, and would suspect that Adam would kidnap Crissy based on the call. Edward wanted Crissy with Adam; Crissy would very probably appear to switch sides if she thought Adam was winning the war of deception and death. That was good for Edward; he wanted a plant in Adam’s hideout. But some part of Crissy believed once she left Edward there was no turning back. Adam was now her only way forward.
Adam left Crissy in her sleep state, then gathered his crew to let Hecate give them all a full debrief. He wanted everyone to hear what Hecate had learned and be given the chance to ask questions. The initial report was far from the Crissy they thought was the colleague of Anna and Edward St. James. It almost sounded like she was a captive and forced servant, not a colleague or collaborator. If so, which sounded fantastically impossible, then they might have a better ally than they thought.
Hecate had told Adam what little Crissy actually knew of deep hidden agendas. Crissy was never in the loop of making the big decisions; she was a lawyer, and a good one, but Edward and Anna trusted no one with their most guarded plans except themselves. That’s in part why they needed Adam; they wanted his tech to keep their operations just between the two of them. Their world was information. Any good archeologist anywhere could do the grunt work of authentication; theirs was the world of crime, a world of contacts: thieves, agents, intermediaries, falsifiers of provenance, bribery and various other aspects of corruption. What they needed was respectability, even if forged and fake.
Adam could give them the systems they needed, good enough to last for years and adaptable and upgradeable to changing times. Adam would have to be killed after that, just like Crissy; they would simply know too much. But, there was no fixed expiration date on them if they behaved; both could still be useful.
Adam surmised as much, not believing anything Crissy would have to say; who knew what might be true and what might be invention? He informed the group that he didn’t want Crissy running around the City or Paraiso, and she was to have zero contact with the technical staff. Ditto any information about their tech or the details of the City.
The meeting lasted four hours, and like Adam, all were skeptical except Hecate. They agreed to milk Crissy for connections, meaning and the intent behind what she did know, and get to the bottom of what she wanted for herself in the future. Hecate would enter and re-enter her mind for thoughts every day and report back to Adam.
***
Hecate debriefed the group on the Laura-Franco-James trio. The Polo Cache was now peripheral at best to Adam and his people, but still formed part of the bait to get Anna, Edward and Francesca out of their hiding place and out into the open. For the time being, Adam would not ask Crissy about Alana thinking that Alana would not likely be dealing with Crissy, but rather directly with Edward. It seemed to Hecate that Crissy knew far less than she had boasted, but much more about the ways Edward and Anna were thinking. She gleaned from Crissy’s mind that Edward and Anna kept the big stuff to themselves and that Crissy urgently wanted to get away from them.
Crissy could be useful, but they had to be careful about what weight they gave to what Crissy “knew”; a great deal could be disinformation, misinformation or just plain self-serving BS. Edward and Anna would never suspect the existence of the ultimate truth finder in Hecate but would expect that Crissy might turn on them, reveal things she should not, or just plain change sides. Crissy believed, according to Hecate, that the senior St. James couple simply didn’t care much about Crissy anymore; they considered everyone involved with their criminality and deviant activitie
s to be disposable over time.
Since Crissy had originally been a joint Edward/Anna project, and Anna had moved on to Francesca, Hecate learned that Crissy’s “fun quotient index” had dropped considerably. Edward’s interest, always the greatest in Crissy, too had waned after their experience in Paris. They had become part of an exclusive club of wealthy families that had been in the erotic world of depravity for generations. As such, and with modern communication and transport, tasty morsels of female flesh were on the menu year around and on demand, thanks to their new procurer.
Their brand-new personal concierge for all-things deviant was a well-known American actress, April Mayes. She delivered whatever sexual fetish was desired for the men and women for whom she procured; to April, women were either reusable or disposable. She didn’t particularly care in which category a particular woman fit so long as the correct fees were paid. April’s reach was global and her indifference to how women were used bordered on the Roman view of slavery. Not only could Anna and Edward enjoy their tasty treats in London, Paris or anywhere else they had a home, they could have secret trysts on April’s estates located all over the world.
There was a permanent annual fee and a “no names” policy as protection, which made the development of their own stable of playthings unnecessary. Being in the April Mayes Club meant you could bring your own toys or come as you are. There would always be something you wanted nearby enough and available to suit all tastes and palates. The toys came with no obligations, no hassle and no upkeep or maintenance. After a few months in Paris, both Anna and Edward were privately wondering why they any longer needed either Crissy or Francesca, except as a front for their further criminal activities.