What Doesn't Kill You

by Iris Johansen

  “Pat.” Andrews stopped her as she reached the door. “Thank you. I couldn’t do without you.”

  “No, you couldn’t.” She forced a smile. “And you’d better not try.”

  “Not a chance,” he said softly.

  “We’ll be in touch, Mr. Andrews,” Catherine said, as they followed Pat out the door. “Thank you for cooperating.”

  His brows rose. “In saving my life? I’d think that was a given. I’ll take any risk you need me to take. Just give me a solution.”

  “Solution,” Gallo repeated, as they walked down the corridor. “That appears to be Andrews’s main theme, or maybe it’s his battle cry.”

  “And not a bad one for a world that’s grown so complicated and corrupt that it’s starving for answers,” Catherine said. “I hope to God he can find us a few.”

  CHAPTER

  16

  July 2

  Brownsville, Texas

  “IT WILL DO.” NARDIK GAZED out at the flat land that surrounded the ranch house centered in the middle of the Double Diamond spread. The late-afternoon sunlight made the acreage appear stark and barren. But that was exactly what Nardik had ordered. “You’re sure that there won’t be any interference from nosy neighbors?”

  “No one is going to come around here,” Fowler said. “The owners took off after they started being harassed by members of a drug cartel who wanted to use this place as a distribution point. It scared not only them but the neighbors.”

  “I don’t want to be bothered by the cartels while I’m here.”

  “I’ve sent out word that you’re going to be at the ranch for only a few days and will pay well to have them get us across the border into Mexico when we leave.” He smiled. “And I’ve set up your bodyguards strategically around the place in case the cartels get greedy. There are so many hotheads shooting up the Mexican countryside that the drug families think they can get away with anything.”

  “Then maybe we should have hired some of them to take Andrews out at that debate,” Nardik said sourly. “Since we haven’t been able to get our hands on Hu Chang.”

  Fowler quickly shook his head. “No traces. Wallace is already nervous. It can’t look like murder. Andrews can’t be a martyr.”

  “I know. I know.” He went out on the porch and gazed moodily at the horizon. “And it will be as perfect as the bastard wants it to be. Wallace will be able to pick the crown out of the gutter like Napoleon did. I still have a day, and I’ll make it work for me. Ling is the key. She’ll be able to deliver Hu Chang. I wasted my time raiding that palace, but I can’t afford to waste any more. Who did we send to Louisville?”

  “Mark Townberg. I told him to grab her son and bring him to us. We’ve used him before here in the U.S. He works alone, but he has contacts, and he’s never disappointed you.”

  “He’s not to hurt him.” He smiled. “I reserve that job for you. You did very well with Jack Tan.”

  Fowler flushed with pleasure. “Because I’d do anything to make you happy. You know that.”

  “Yes, I know that.” And that evening of torment for Tan had given Nardik a rush of power that he’d needed to erase the frustration of the raid. “But the child may not be as interesting. Children are weak.”

  “But you said I could have the woman afterward. You promised me.”

  “Did I?” He vaguely remembered giving that promise in the heat and thrill of those last moments with Tan. But now he was feeling annoyance that Fowler had tried to manipulate him. Fowler was an expert, but Nardik wanted his encounter with Ling to be more personal.

  “You can’t back out now,” Fowler said harshly.

  Nardik could do anything that he wanted to do. Yes, he was definitely annoyed with Fowler. Perhaps it was time to break in a new assistant.

  “Did I say that I wanted to break my word?” He glanced away. “When you’ve been everything that I could wish, Fowler. That would be truly wicked of me. Do you think I’m wicked?”

  Fowler didn’t answer directly. “I’ve plans for her. You told me to think about ways … A woman’s breasts are very sensitive. A woman is different. I could make her—”

  “Yes, different.” And she would not be in the least desirable when Fowler got through with her. He was not sure he didn’t want that result later rather than sooner. “I’m sure you would be wonderfully innovative.” He changed the subject. “I’ve set up a final plan to administer the drug on the night of the debate. We’ll go forward with it even if we can’t be sure that it’s completely foolproof.”

  “You’re going to double-cross Wallace?” Fowler asked, startled.

  “I leave that to chance.” He smiled recklessly. “If we get Hu Chang in a position where he’ll validate that those medical records assure that the dose I have will do the job, I’ll come out smelling like a rose. The perfect undetectable poison. That’s the most desirable outcome. Or if I can force him to give me a second dose of the drug to serve as insurance. That would work, too. But if I’m pushed, I’ll still have half the money, Andrews dead and Wallace a suspect. Do you think I care about that sleazy bastard Wallace? It’s all about me. I disappear for a while, then I go after Hu Chang and the drug again, and we restart the game.”

  Fowler nodded, relieved. “I didn’t think you’d give up so easily. Now about Catherine Ling, I could—”

  “No.” He was definitely going to have to do something about Fowler. “I’ve decided I need you to do something more important. I want you to be the one to go to the debate tomorrow night. I need someone to complete that job that I can trust.”

  “Me?” Fowler’s eyes widened. “I don’t think— That’s not my—” He added weakly, “I’d be glad to do anything you wish, but I think that someone else would be better.”

  “But it’s not what you think, Fowler. Ledcone will be there to get you away from the ranch, but I want you to be the one to actually administer the drug. When Andrews collapses, you can slip away in the crowd.”

  Fowler moistened his lips. “I don’t want to do this.”

  Because Fowler is basically a coward, Nardik thought contemptuously. “But you want to please me, and this will please me, Fowler. It will show me how devoted you are to my best interests. You’ll be given foolproof credentials and go and do the job. You’ll be perfect.”

  “If that’s what I have to do.” He looks like a deer caught in the headlights, Nardik thought. “But you’re planning on leaving for Mexico right after the killing. How will I get back to you?”

  “You and Cambrey will meet me in Acapulco.” He smiled. “Perhaps we’ll spend a few days there so that I can express my gratitude to you.”

  “I’d like that.” He was still wary. “But won’t you need me to persuade the woman? You said that I could—”

  “After I get what I need from Ling, we may take her with us for amusement value.” But only Cambrey would be meeting Nardik in Mexico. He’d give orders that Fowler was to be disposed of immediately after they left Andrews’s ranch. He had not only committed the crime of boring and annoying him, but it was always smart to remove the man who actually committed the assassination. “But first I have to get her kid, so that I’ll have the tool I need. When is Townberg supposed to get his hands on him?”

  “You said right away. I told him tonight. Is that all right?”

  Tonight. Nardik felt a tiny jolt of excitement at the thought of Luke Ling feeling safe and happy in that house in Louisville. And Catherine Ling feeling equally secure while she tried to ruin Nardik’s chances at scoring this bonanza. Soon, neither one them would feel any vestige of safety.

  “Yes, it’s very much all right, Fowler.” He sat down in the rocking chair and started to move gently back and forth while he savored the thought. “I can’t tell you how anxious I’ll be to hear from Townberg.”

  Louisville, Kentucky

  “IT’S RAINING HARD.” LUKE STARED from his bedroom window down at the street in front of the house. “Jordack, the agent Sam stationed under the tre
e on the corner must be nearly drowned.”

  “You remember his name?” Kelly asked absently, her gaze on the book in front of her.

  “I remember everything about him. His name, what he looks like. He’s taller than Sam, but he doesn’t look it huddling close to the trunk of the tree.”

  “But it’s the same man?” Her tone was no longer abstracted. “You’re certain?”

  Luke was silent, his gaze on the street. “Yes, I’m certain about who he is.” He turned back to face her. “I wish I could be as sure that you’re going to be able to tell me about that book. You’re supposed to be so smart. Why can’t you—”

  “Knock it off, Luke. I don’t know what you expect of me. I don’t understand any of this.” Kelly frowned as she looked up from the book Hu Chang had given him. She impatiently pushed the translations she’d gotten off the Internet to one side. “And what I don’t understand the most is why you got me here to help you with it. As far as I can tell, it’s just an ordinary chemistry book with special emphasis on Chinese herbs. Sam could have helped you with this translation.”

  “If that was what I wanted, I could have done it myself. I’ve learned a lot about computers and how to find out stuff.”

  “Then why did you think I could help?”

  “I don’t know.” It was the truth, and it made him angry. He didn’t like this frustrating feeling that there was something just out of reach that he couldn’t quite grasp. That elusive feeling had been with him since he’d started going through the book. “Maybe because you see things that aren’t there.”

  “For heaven’s sake, you make me sound like a ghost hunter.”

  “No, but you see … paths, patterns. That’s why Catherine thinks you’re so smart. You can take a person or fact and see exactly where it’s going, where it’s going to take them. That’s right, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Sometimes it’s exact, sometimes I get a little lost.”

  “But not often.”

  “No, not often.” She looked down at the chemistry book. “This is just a textbook with some handwritten notes. Where do you think it’s going?”

  “I don’t know. It … bothers me.” He crossed the room and flipped through the book. He jabbed his finger at the photo. “This one bothers me.”

  “That’s the one that you showed me before.” She looked down at the photo of the beautifully painted container. “The description says that it’s a herbal medicine to cure kidney infections. Pretty container for a nasty illness.”

  “That’s not what it is.”

  She lifted her gaze to his face. “How do you know?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.” The frustration was searing through him. “But it’s for something else, and I should know what it is. I should know.” She was staring thoughtfully at him, and he said through his teeth, “Stop looking at me.”

  “I didn’t know I was. I’m thinking.”

  “That I’m weird. You’ve said that before.”

  She grinned. “And I’ll say it again. But that’s not what I’m thinking right now. When you’re looking for a pattern, and you can’t see it in any obvious place, you look at the weird or unusual. Assume that you’re right and examine the surrounding circumstances and explore every possibility.”

  He was silent. “And that’s okay?”

  “Sometimes it’s necessary.” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “You look relieved. I wonder … Is that what you’ve been doing while I’ve been slaving away trying to find a reasonable explanation? Have you been strolling on the dark side and getting a step ahead of me?”

  “No.” He suddenly grinned. “Maybe a half step. I’m not like you. I have to depend on finding out things for myself because I can’t be sure that I’m not mixed up about things. It’s kind of hard for me to put together what I’ve read and what people have told me. Lots of people don’t agree with each other even about what’s weird and what’s not. But when I couldn’t come up with an answer, I had to start looking deeper. You know, like in that Star Trek movie where they say ‘Where no man has gone before’? But I had to make sure that I wasn’t being too weird. You know stuff like that.” He made a face. “And you’d tell me?”

  “Oh, yes. You can depend on that. And what half step are you taking, Luke?”

  “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” He was aware of an eagerness and curiosity that was replacing his confusion and frustration. “But it has something to do with taking what I know, then trying to put it together with all the blanks.” His smile faded. “And finding out why there should be blanks. Why should I feel as if I should know— That’s the weird part.” He got to his feet. “But I ran across a book downstairs in the library that might help. It’s weird, too. But it could be close to—” He was heading for the door. “Thanks, Kelly.”

  “Yeah, just use me and toss me away. You’re leaving me here to gnaw my fingernails with curiosity? That’s not fair, Luke.” She stood up and followed him to the hall. “What book?”

  “I’ll show you later. When I’m sure you’re not going to laugh at me. You do that a lot.”

  “And you don’t do it to me?” She watched him start down the stairs. “When, Luke?”

  “Maybe after supper.” He glanced out the narrow window beside the front door. “That won’t be too long. It’s getting dark now.”

  “That’s because it’s raining. It’s only a little after six. Why don’t I go down with you and—”

  “Nag me,” he finished as he turned and headed for the library. “And then take over and make me mad. Go help Sam fix supper, Kelly.”

  “Okay,” she said resignedly. “Maybe we’ll make some stew to share with Sam’s security team. Particularly the one who you said looks like a drowned rat. He’d probably appreciate it.”

  “He might.” Luke didn’t look at her as he opened the library door. “But check with Sam. He’s pretty heavy in the discipline department.” He shut the door behind him. He waited a minute to see if Kelly would follow him. She was usually careful of not intruding, but she was curious and might yield to temptation.

  Not this time. He heard her go down the hall toward the kitchen.

  He moved across the library and climbed the ladder to the third shelf, where he’d placed the red leather-bound book earlier yesterday. Then he climbed down and went over to the cushioned window seat across the room.

  The rain was pounding against the glass, and it was beginning to thunder. He stood there, and he could see only a blur of the oak tree on the corner and the man who had stood beneath it.

  The man who was not beneath it now.

  The door opened behind him, and he knew it wasn’t Kelly.

  He didn’t turn around but continued to look out the window.

  “Hello,” he said quietly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  * * *

  “GO TELL LUKE SUPPER IS ready.” Sam turned away from the stove. “While I fill a couple vacuum canisters to take out to the guys.”

  “Luke wasn’t sure you’d want to do it.” Kelly smiled as she headed for the door. “He said that you believed in discipline.”

  “And I do. But my first name is Sam, if you noticed.”

  “What diff—” She groaned as she made the connection. “Good Samaritan? That’s terrible, Sam.”

  “Not that bad.” He finished pouring the stew into the canisters and started putting on the lids. “While I take these outside, you drag Luke out of the library. I don’t want his supper to get cold because he’s studying some book.” He glanced at her. “Particularly that book. He’s pretty obsessed with it.”

  “He’s not working on Hu Chang’s book. I have it upstairs. He wanted to check something else out in a book he found in the library.” She held up her hand as he started to speak. “I don’t know. He may honor me with his confidence later.” She added grimly, “He’d better. Or I’ll strangle him.” She glanced at the window. “It’s still raining. You’re sure you don’t want me to hold an
umbrella over you when you’re playing Samaritan?”

  “I’ll manage. Go get Luke.”

  “Whatever you say.” She moved down the hall toward the library. It was dim now, and she flicked on the hall light. She banged on the library door. “Luke, supper’s ready.” She opened the door. “And I’ve got to tell you about the terrible Samaritan—”

  The room was empty.

  She stood there in the doorway. The library was as dim as the hall, but she knew that Luke was not here. Why was she standing here assaulted by this sudden chill? Luke could have gone upstairs. Just because he wasn’t where she expected him didn’t mean there was something wrong.

  It didn’t mean it, but it could be true.

  “Luke!” She turned and ran upstairs. She threw open the door to his bedroom.

  No Luke.

  She had known he wouldn’t be here.

  The library. That had been the last place she had seen him. If he wasn’t there, he might have left some trace that would lead her to him.

  Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt as she ran back downstairs and into the library.

  This time she flipped on the light.

  And saw the red leather-bound book on the window seat. The book that Luke must have come here to find.

  She slowly crossed the room and picked up the book from the window seat.

  She held the book up to the light to read the title.

  She inhaled sharply. “Oh, my God.”

  Brownsville, Texas

  July 2

  “TOWNBERG HAS HIM.” FOWLER’S EYES were glittering with excitement as he came out on the porch. “He said it went slick as glass.”