He gave me a big grin. “What box?”
Ivan Kozlov and Alexi Ivanov were parked across the street when the two old men came out of the hotel.
“That’s our box,” Ivan said. “The white one has it under his arm. How could we have missed it?”
“No matter,” Alexi replied, “now we know where it is. Follow them!”
CHAPTER 5
“Wot do you suppose is in dat box?” Willie asked as we headed home.
“No idea, but it must be something important.”
“You gonna give it to de cops?”
“Not right away. Remember those two goons who crashed Dad’s birthday party?”
Willie nodded.
“My brother at Homeland Security said they were looking for Oliver because he had something he wasn’t suppose to have and they wanted it back. That means that not only our government agents, but possibly Russian agents as well are looking for this thing. I need to know more before I give it to anyone.”
Once inside my apartment, I went into my office, placed the box on my desk, and carefully lifted the lid. I had no idea what I was looking at, but it did look important. I put the lid back on and locked the box in my safe.
Then I remembered the slip of paper Willie had given me. With all the excitement surrounding the box, I had completely forgotten about it.
I looked at the number again. It was definitely familiar, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I picked up the phone and dialed. A sweet young voice answered. “Marchetti Enterprises. How may I direct your call?”
The phone number was that of Carmine Marchetti, the head of Kansas City’s mafia! The question in my mind was why Oliver McDermont had the number and what was his connection to the crime boss?
I figured it was time to pay Carmine a visit.
Marchetti and I have a very complicated relationship. Fate has had us crossing paths on numerous occasions. I have actually saved his life twice, and he mine three times, the last one being just a few weeks ago when a Columbian drug lord was about to pop a cap on yours truly. The evil deed was to take place on the count of three. The Columbian had gotten to two when Carmine beat him to the punch with a well-placed shot.
It was just past noon, so I figured I’d catch Carmine at his favorite eatery, Antonelli’s on Baltimore.
Carmine was there, and after going through the customary pat down, I was escorted into his majesty’s presence.
“Well, well,” he said with a big grin, “Walt Williams. Who’s after your hide today?”
“No one, I hope.”
“Then why are you interrupting my lunch?”
“Oliver McDermont. Do you know him?”
“I might,” he replied, coyly. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because he’s dead and he had a slip of paper with your phone number on it.”
“Oliver dead?” He shook his head. “Too bad. Oliver was an okay guy.”
“So you do know him?”
“Yeah, Oliver did some stuff for me a while back. I appreciated his good work and told him if ever needed anything to give me a call. So, I get a call a few days ago. Oliver said he needed to disappear --- fast, and wanted to know if I could help him. I told him I could and to give me a call when he got into town. Looks like he didn’t disappear fast enough. Who iced the poor guy?”
“Two men shot him in his room. From the sound of their voices, they may have been Russian.”
“Damn commies!”
“I think they were looking for something that Oliver had in his possession. Did he say anything about that to you?”
“Nope. He just said that he was being hunted and needed to disappear. How come you’re involved in this thing?”
“Two reasons. First, he was killed in my Three Trails hotel, and second, Oliver was my friend, Bernice’s, brother.”
There was actually a third reason. Federal agents were looking for him, but I didn’t think Carmine needed to know that.
“Bernice! Isn’t she the old broad who lives in your building?”
“That’s her.”
“Damn! Small world! Who woulda thought that old Ollie had a sweet old lady like that for a sister? I liked Ollie. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing I know of right now. I appreciate your offer. If you happen to hear anything, give me a call.”
“I’ll ask around,” he said. “If there’s a couple of Russian commies in town, somebody will know something.”
I thanked the Don and headed home.
I was in a quandary.
In my safe was a mysterious box that had cost the life of Oliver McDermont. Agents from Homeland Security and probably Russia wanted that box. Undoubtedly Derek Blaylock would want the box too. It was evidence in a homicide investigation.
What should I do? Call my brother in Washington and tell him I have the box, or call Blaylock and turn it over to the cops?
I was considering both possibilities when the phone rang.
“Mr. Williams?”
“Yes.”
“It is my understanding you are in possession of a box that is being sought by multiple parties?”
I nearly dropped the phone. As far as I knew, the only people beside myself who knew I had the box were Willie and Mr. Feeney.
“Who is this?”
“Call me Ishmael.”
For a moment, I thought I was reading the first chapter of Moby Dick.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I assure you, Mr. Williams, I am not kidding. You have something in your possession that could change the course of history and it must not fall into the wrong hands.”
“Change the course of history? That thing in the box? If you know so much, tell me what it is.”
“Trust me, Mr. Williams, that is something you don’t want to know. It is definitely not in your best interests.”
“Oh, so this is one of those, ‘I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,’ kind of things?”
“I sense your cavalier attitude, but you are closer to the truth than you might think.”
I certainly didn’t like the sound of that.
“You said the box shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. I was just contemplating the idea of calling my brother, Mark Davenport, at Homeland Security and telling him I have the box.”
“That wouldn’t be wise. Your brother is not in charge of this operation. It is run by a man named Scarborough. His black ops agents have already killed two men trying to secure the box.”
“But still, they’re part of our government. Surely --- ”
“Please, Mr. Williams! I shouldn’t have to tell you that our government doesn’t always have the best interests of its citizens in mind. The information you have gathered on the chemtrails should tell you that.”
Now I was really baffled. “How could you possibly know that?”
“That is for another time. It is the contents of that box that is our immediate concern. I repeat, it must not fall into the wrong hands.”
“I don’t get it. Are you some kind of Deep Throat like in the movie, All the President’s Men?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, I’m no Bob Woodward. I didn’t ask to get involved in this thing, and I for sure don’t want anything to do with that damned box.”
“I’m afraid you are already involved whether you like it or not. For some reason fate has chosen you to safeguard the contents of that box.”
“But I don’t want to be chosen! If you’re so damned omniscient, why don’t I just give the box to you?”
“Unfortunately, I have limitations that preclude my handling of this affair.”
“What kind of limitations?”
“That is none of your concern. While I may not be able to physically possess the box, I can provide you with information that will be beneficial to you in maintaining its integrity.”
“Information? Like what?”
“Like who is trying to get their hands on it. You already kn
ow about the agents from Homeland Security, and you have correctly guessed the involvement of Russian operatives. There are also agents from the Republic of China after the box. Oliver McDermont barely escaped them on his trip to Kansas City. There may even be others when word spreads that the box is in play.”
I couldn’t believe what a mess I had stumbled into.
“Black ops, Russians, Chinese? I’m no James Bond! I’m just a seventy-five-year-old retired guy! How am I supposed to protect that damned box from trained professionals?”
“I am confident you will find a way. The box didn’t fall into your hands by accident.”
There was that ‘fate’ thing again.
“So, what exactly am I expected to do?”
“Be vigilant. Keep the secret of the box. You will know more as time passes. I will contact you when I have more information.”
“What if I need to contact you?”
“Tape an ‘X’ on your front window. You will hear from me within twenty-four hours.”
“Oh, just great! Now I’m supposed to be Fox Mulder!”
“I don’t see the problem. That method worked when you were communicating with the Black Widow.”
“Holy crap! You know about that too?”
“You would be surprised what I know, Mr. Williams.”
“Maybe I should just put the box in a gunny sack with some rocks and pitch it into the Missouri River. That way it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“That would not be wise. You still don’t seem to understand. What’s in that box is not evil. It’s what can happen if it falls into the hands of evil men. Take nuclear energy for example. Used properly, it can provide electricity to millions of people, but shaped into a bomb, it can destroy the lives of millions of people.”
“Please don’t tell me you are comparing what’s in that box to nuclear energy!”
“Not at all. What I’m saying is that the contents of that box may be either a blessing or a curse to mankind depending on who possesses it. Take care. I will be in touch.”
The line went dead.
I sat for the longest time in a daze.
I had just been contacted by someone who knew things about me I hadn’t told my wife, my partner, or my best friend, and to make matters worse, I learned that I now possessed a box sought after by trained assassins and I was supposed to keep it safe.
How do I get myself into these things!
I knew one thing for sure --- I needed answers, and I figured if anyone could make some sense of this mess it was Nicholas Thatcher and Arnie Goldblume.
I ran into them several years ago when working on a joint operation with Homeland Security. Arnie and Nick both had fathers who had died taking the drug, Vioxx, and met when they were both part of the $4.85 billion lawsuit settlement with Merck Pharmaceuticals. Since the drug had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, they were skeptical of anything involving the government, and using the money from the settlement, formed a group known as the Watchers.
The Watchers evolved into a watchdog organization, keeping tabs on multiple government programs. Some of their surveillance came under the scrutiny of Homeland Security.
Using a set of coded emails, they exposed a program called Echelon which the government had previously denied existed. The program involved five countries which created a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications.
Needless to say, since its inception, the Watchers have been a thorn in the government’s side.
I picked up the phone and dialed.
“Arne Goldblume here. How may I help you?”
“Hi Arne. Walt Williams. If you and Nick are available, I’d like to stop by for a chat.”
“Sure, come on over. We’d love to see you and catch up.”
I hung up the phone, opened my safe, grabbed the damnable box, and headed to the Watchers’ office on Rockhill Road.
Ivan Kozlov and Alexi Ivanov were sitting a block down the street when Walt left his building.
“There!” Ivan said, “it is the old man, and he has our box. Follow him”
Alexi grinned. “This may be our chance. We must not fail!”
Arne welcomed me at the door. “Come in, Walt. Nick’s waiting in the office.”
Once in the office, Nick shook my hand. “We’ve been curious since your call. You only come to see us when you’re facing some kind of crisis. What’s going on?”
I sat the box on the table and opened the lid. “Have either of you ever seen anything like this before?”
They both peered into the box.
Arne shook his head. “Nope. How about you, Nick?”
Nick shook his head as well. “I’ve never seen anything like it. What is it?”
I sighed. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
Arne took another look. “Where did you get it?”
I took a deep breath. “That’s a long story.” I proceeded to tell them everything I knew about the box and about the death of Oliver McDermont, whose passing left me holding the box.
They were both dumfounded. “So you’re telling us that agents from three governments are after this thing?”
“Three that I know of so far. There may be others on the way.”
“How could you know that?”
“That’s the other incredible part of this saga,” I replied. “I got a call from a guy who called himself Ishmael.”
The moment I said ‘Ishmael,’ their eyes grew wide.
“Did you just say Ishmael?” Arne asked.
I nodded.
They looked at one another. “We’ve heard rumors about Ishmael,” Nick said, “but we’ve never had anything to back it up until now.”
“So who is this guy?”
“It’s not so much a ‘who’ as it is a ‘what,’” Arne said. “It’s supposed to be a super high-teck surveillance program that makes Echelon look like child’s play.”
“I can certainly believe that,” I replied. “I couldn’t believe how much the guy knew about my life and what I’d been doing. He even knew about the chemtrails.”
“If what we’ve heard is true,” Nick said, “he probably knows what kind of toilet paper you use.”
“How can this possibly be?” I asked, perplexed. “I thought after the Snowden thing with the NSA, the government snooping was under control.”
Arne shook his head. “All that did was drive it deeper underground. Do you really think the spooks would willingly stop poking their noses in our business? National security, you know. That trumps everything.”
“Back to the box. What do you think I should do with it?”
“What did Ishmael tell you to do with it?”
“He just said that at this moment, I can’t turn it over to anyone, including our own government, and that I had to make sure it was kept safe. He said whatever this is could be a blessing to mankind in the right hands or a curse if it fell into the hands of the wrong people.”
“Jesus!” Arne muttered. “Right now I’m glad I’m not you.”
“Gee, thanks! Listen, I probably shouldn’t have even shown you this thing. Please don’t tell a soul.”
Nick held up his hands. “Not to worry. Actually, I wish we’d never seen it. Sometimes people who know things they’re not supposed to know disappear.”
I put the lid back on the box. “I never was here.”
“Easy for you to say,” Arne replied. “I would be willing to bet that Ishmael knows, and that scares me to death.”
CHAPTER 6
I had parked about a block from the Watchers office and was heading to my car when a man stepped from behind a hedge and pressed something against my back.
“Move along quietly and head to that grey sedan. If you do not do exactly as I say, I will drop you where you stand.”
I nodded and he shoved me down the street. I could tell from his accent that he was Russian.
When we reached the sedan, he opened the back door. “I’ll take
that box.” I handed him the box and he shoved me inside. “Get in!”
Once inside, the driver started the engine and we pulled into traffic. The man with the gun didn’t ask me to buckle up which I took as a bad sign.
Neither of them spoke, so I figured I might as well start a conversation. “I suppose you’re the guys who killed Oliver McDermont.”
The one with the gun shrugged. “What if we were?”
“I was just wondering what’s in that box that’s worth killing for. Do you boys have any idea?”
The guy driving spoke for the first time. “That’s above our pay grade. We just follow orders. Get the box and erase anyone who has seen it. Now I’m curious. How did McDermont get the box to you?”
I wasn’t about to implicate Mr. Feeney. For all I knew, they would deal with me then go after him. “Uhhh, I own the hotel where he was staying. He hid it before you guys showed up. I just happened to find it after the cops left.”
The driver chuckled. “Too bad for you. So, you actually own that dump?”
“Yeah, guilty.”
“Well, very soon it will be someone else’s problem.”
I took that statement as confirmation that I was going to be the next person they would erase. It really galled me knowing I would die without knowing what I was dying for.
“So, you really don’t know what’s in that box?”
“Not a clue,” the man with the gun replied, “and we don’t want to know. Sometimes people who know things they’re not supposed to know, disappear.”
Those were Nick’s words exactly. I still had no idea what was in the box, but it was beginning to look like I’d be disappearing sooner than later.
We drove to a secluded spot in the West Bottoms. The driver parked in an alley between two abandoned warehouses.
“End of the road,” my seatmate said. “Get out of the car.”
I had wracked my brain trying to figure a way out of this mess, but I had come up blank. It was beginning to look like the end of my road for sure.
“On your knees!”
I took a deep breath. Given my line of work, I had often thought about how I might depart this life. This certainly wasn’t one of the things I’d envisioned.
Lady Justice and the Mysterious Box Page 4
