LITMIR.BIZ

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you realize. Ray has gone undercover. His wife, Rachel, and his son, Tommy, have also vanished. My job is to locate Logan’s wife. I don’t contemplate failing to do that. To be truthful I have never failed and don’t expect to start now. As Logan is not immediately available, I need to get my hands on Rachel and Tommy, and that is where you come in, Marty. I have reliable information that you may have been talking to Logan on your cell phone. Not very smart to do that in the precinct. But it places you in the position of being Logan’s confidant. So, I think you may have the information I’m looking for.”

       Keegan’s head shook from side to side, his eyes giving away his thoughts.

       “My problem, Marty, is an inability to accept things on face value. Your denial doesn’t convince me. So we are going to have to rectify that. As you don’t seem to be in an obliging mood it’s going to have to be messy.” Stone moved away from the bed, pausing at the door. “How is your pain threshold, Marty?”

       When Stone returned from his visit to the kitchen he held a fine-edged scalpel in one hand and a pair of metal pincers in the other. He stood over Keegan and displayed the instruments.

       “One cuts, one tears, Marty. Let’s see which has the greater effect on you.”

       It took less than twenty minutes for Marty Keegan to give up what he knew. Within that time period he passed out twice and Stone had to wait until he came round. Stone was not surprised at how quickly the man submitted. The scalpel and the pincers were crude, simple tools. They performed well though. By the time a sweating, shivering Keegan capitulated, his naked body was bloody and cut open. The bed sheets where he lay were sodden with blood.

       “Ready to talk?” Stone asked.

       A frantic nod.

       Stone put aside the instruments he had been using. He produced a Cold Steel Tanto knife and showed it to Keegan.

       “Let me explain how this will go. I remove the tape from your mouth so you can tell me what I need to know.” He took a compact digital recorder from his pocket and held it for Keegan to see. “You speak into this. I will have this knife on your throat. If you even attempt to yell a warning I will simply cut your throat wide open, and believe me, this knife is sharp enough to sever your head. The decision is yours, Marty. Give me what I want and you could survive this. Trick me and you die. No screaming sirens will get here in time to save you. Make your choice.”

       Keegan nodded.

       The recorder was switched on. The knife blade was placed against Keegan’s throat. Lightly, but even the gentle pressure was enough to cut the skin. Keegan felt the duct tape peel away, exposing his mouth. He stared up into the cold, expressionless eyes of his tormentor.

       “Are we good, Marty?”

       “Yes.” His words came out in a raspy whisper.

       “Tell me where they are.”

       Keegan made his confession, the words tumbling over one another in his desperation to get it all out.

       “Better be right, Marty. Or it’s going to be more of the same.”

       “It’s the truth. For God’s sake, I’m telling you the truth.”

       Stone nodded as he pocketed the recorder. “I believe you, Marty.”

       “You’ll let me go? You said…”

       “Marty, understand me, this is best for both of us.”

       The Tanto’s blade cut down and across. The stroke was delivered with intense force, cutting off any sound Keegan was about to make. His body arched up off the bed, bending bowlike against his tethered limbs. In the instant before blood started to spurt Stone stepped away from the side of the bed, distancing himself from the arcing fountain of red. He watched for a few seconds, turned and made his way to the kitchen where he placed his instruments back in the computer bag and zipped it closed.

       He opened the apartment door and peered out into the lobby, seeing no one. Somewhere in the building he picked up the sound of a radio playing music. He closed and secured the door, then turned down the passage that led to the rear of the residence and let himself out into the yard. He walked by the line of trash cans, slipped out through the rear gate and walked along the quiet access road. Stone returned to the parking lot and unlocked his car. He placed the computer bag on the seat beside him, started the Impala and reversed out of his spot. He drove out of the lot and back to the road that would take him away from the area. He had only been driving for a few minutes when it started to rain again. Stone settled in his seat. The rain drummed on the roof of the car, making a comforting sound. Stone had always liked that sound. Today he enjoyed it more than usual.

      Chapter 7

      Eddie Bishop was not pleased with the way the chain of command had changed. Until Vigo Stone showed up, Bishop had been Kendal’s main man. He had been demoted to second place. He didn’t like it, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He wasn’t about to go whining to the senator, and he was for sure not going to let his feelings show in front of Stone. The man had a reputation no one would stand up and challenge. Anyone and everyone who knew about Stone was aware of his past—what he had done, what he was supposed to have done. There were some stories that edged on the fanciful. Bishop’s contact with the man was minimal, but even that had been enough to convince him of the truth behind the tales. He believed Stone capable of any atrocity. Stone brought something to the party that was less than human. There was an aura following him around. The man had little personality. He silenced a room when he walked in. His manner struck Bishop as creepy. It was the only word to describe the man.

       When Bishop was summoned to Kendal’s office, following Stone’s return from Seattle, it was to be told where to send his team.

       Kendal told the assembly that Stone had been to talk with Marty Keegan, one of Logan’s cop friends, and he had divulged the whereabouts of Logan’s wife and son. The senator was obviously pleased with the results of Stone’s mission. He sat back as Stone gave the orders on what they would do to retrieve Rachel and Tommy Logan.

       “We need them alive,” Stone said. “The woman might know where Logan has hidden the information he collected. Let’s make sure we find her.”

       Kendal tapped his desktop with his knuckles, drawing attention to himself. He leaned forward, stroking one lean hand through his thick mane of silver hair.

       “Vigo has made up for our lack of intel. Let us not screw this up. Take this to heart, gentlemen—Vigo Stone runs the operation as of now. Listen to him. Follow his orders. It’s time we brought this situation back under our control. We need to find Logan. We need to find his wife and son. And most of all we need to get our hands on that damn file of information, because if we let it get into the wrong hands we are all, and I mean all, heading for the dumper.”

       The senator sat back, raising a hand in Stone’s direction so he could carry on with his briefing.

       “Rubin, Madden, Burdett. I want you to make the run to the cabin. Take Lohman as your wheelman. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this will be easy. Logan’s wife used to be a Park Ranger. That means she knows the forest. She was trained to handle a gun. Step out of line and she will shoot you. Most likely in the balls. She has her kid with her and she’ll fight to protect him. A mother protecting her young is a hell of an animal. Make sure you wear comsets so you can stay in contact with each other once you’re in the forest. Try and make a silent approach. Surround the cabin and spot your target before you move in. This might sound like overkill to some of you hotshots. Don’t be fooled—it’s not. Once something starts it can go from zero to shit in a heartbeat. If it does, you can lose the advantage so fast it’ll make your head spin. That’s when you get casualties. We do not want the Logan woman harmed. If she ends up badly hurt or dead, then we are back where we started. And then I am not going to be a happy man.”

       When are you ever a happy man? Bishop thought, but he kept it to himself because he knew Stone meant every word.

       “We

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