The Darkest Day

FIFTY-SIX

There were several clothing stores in the immediate area, all closed for the night. They broke into the one that sold camping and fishing gear too. Raven headed straight to the women’s section while Victor selected garments from the men’s racks, choosing dark-coloured items and ignoring synthetic materials.

They reconvened in a back room. Victor turned away as Raven began undressing. He didn’t like having her out of sight whilst in close proximity, but figured he was safe enough while she undressed. No one would attack while half-naked.

‘You don’t need to protect my modesty,’ she said. ‘I don’t have any.’

He didn’t reply.

Raven said, ‘Or are you trying to tell me you don’t trust yourself?’

‘Just hurry up.’

He couldn’t see it, but he could feel her smile. He began undressing.

She wolf-whistled, then laughed when he sighed and shook his head in response.

He changed into his new clothes. They were a reasonable fit and suitable quality for what would come next. He would have preferred military fatigues with lots of pockets but he settled for dark blue cotton trousers, a black T-shirt and a dark grey knitted sweater. A midnight blue windbreaker and black lace-up boots completed the attire.

Raven said, ‘Okay, Mr Chivalrous, you can peek now.’

She had chosen similar garments — charcoal trousers and a black sports jacket over a blue turtle-neck sweater.

‘How do I look?’

He didn’t answer. Instead, he checked the time. It was almost eleven p.m. He asked, ‘Are you ready?’

She nodded. ‘Do it.’

Victor thumbed the send button on Pachulski’s radio transmitter and said, ‘I want to speak with Halleck.’

He released the send button and waited for a response. Maybe he wouldn’t receive one at all. Raven stood nearby, paying attention to their surroundings while he could not.

After a few seconds a voice answered: ‘Code in.’

The speaker was a young man with levity in his voice despite the formal request. Victor pictured a lean Caucasian; not a smoker or drinker, maybe fresh out of the military — an idealistic recruit to Halleck’s organisation.

Victor said, ‘I don’t have a passcode. I’m not one of you.’

There was a pause, before the young voice replied, ‘Who is this?’

‘Save us both some time and put Halleck on. He wants to speak with me.’

‘Who is this?’ the voice asked again, but with a deeper resonance. ‘Or I disconnect right now. Identify yourself.’

Victor said, ‘It’s the killer.’

There was no response. Victor pictured the young man hesitant at first, then deciding and rushing or gesturing or calling Halleck over, explaining away argument or disbelief; appealing with innate integrity and convincing with urgency.

A crackle of static before Halleck said, ‘Is this who I think it is?’

‘Yes,’ Victor answered. ‘It’s your best friend in all the world. How have you been?’

Victor heard Halleck breathing, then he said, ‘What do you want?’

‘I want to kill you,’ Victor answered.

‘Funny,’ Halleck said. ‘But I don’t have time for jokes.’

‘Does it sound like I’m joking to you? I couldn’t be more serious. I wouldn’t waste your time. I know you’re busy. I know you don’t have time for jokes. The blackout is only going to last until morning, right? You have a lot to do before then. That bomb isn’t going to plant itself now, is it?’

‘Raven told you everything then. Not that it matters. You’re nothing to me.’

‘I’m offended you can say that after all the trouble you’ve gone to to set me up as the bomber.’

‘It really wasn’t that much trouble. You did most of the work for me.’

‘I can’t deny that,’ Victor said. ‘Likewise, you can’t deny the guys you’ve lost so far.’

Halleck exhaled. ‘Natural selection. You’re doing me a favour, weeding out those who aren’t up to standard. You’re strengthening the gene pool. So, thanks.’

Victor said, ‘The fact remains, your numbers are reduced. Your manpower is down to seventy-five per cent. You didn’t account for that. That’s going to put pressure on your timetable. You’re going to cut it fine.’

‘What’s your point?’ Halleck asked.

‘Raven didn’t tell me as much as I would have liked, I have to admit. But there’s still time to get more answers out of her if I require them. She’s been a busy woman. She knows about the explosive. She knows Beaumont was your contact. She even knows what you like to eat for breakfast.’

Raven glanced his way and shook her head.

Victor raised an eyebrow at her.

‘What exactly are you telling me?’ Halleck asked.

Victor said, ‘What I’m trying to say is that I have Raven here with me. I’m looking into her eyes at this very moment. What I’m also saying is that we have privacy and it means I have time to convince her to provide those answers.’

‘I don’t imagine she’ll take much convincing, seeing as you two are getting on so well. Quite the double act, aren’t you?’

‘I think you’re mistaken. I work alone.’

Halleck said, ‘Yeah, right. I don’t believe anything you’re telling me.’

‘I’m not trying to make you believe anything. I don’t need a dead man to believe me, now do I?’

Halleck grunted. ‘Spare the tough talk. You can’t scare me.’

‘That’s where you’re wrong again,’ Victor said. ‘I can scare you, because you’re already scared of me. Unless you’re saying to me that you brought twelve men with you to Dublin to keep you company? You’re not the lonely sort, are you?’

Halleck didn’t answer.

‘I want to kill you,’ Victor said again. ‘That’s not a bluff or a threat but a statement of fact. You set me up. You tried to kill me. You’re going to let me take the blame for your bomb. It’s in my best interests to watch you take your last breath, but I’m an accommodating kind of guy so I’ll settle with cutting a deal. I want out of this mess. I want the cops and feds off my back, permanently. I want to get out of the country and never come back. In return I won’t kill you, but I’ll kill Raven.’

She couldn’t disguise the second of uncertainty that passed over her face. He pretended not to notice.

Halleck didn’t answer.

‘Take your time,’ Victor said.

‘Why?’ Halleck asked.

‘Because I don’t need her. Because you need her dead. She wanted my help stopping you. For a while I considered it, but I don’t take attacks against me personally — I know it’s only ever about business — and I’m no humanitarian. I don’t care if a bomb goes off in downtown Manhattan. But what I do care about is getting through an airport without being bundled to the ground by security.’

Halleck said, ‘You have Raven with you this minute?’

‘That’s what I said.’

‘Then I want her for myself. I want her alive.’

‘That’s not going to happen. I’m sure you can appreciate she’s too dangerous to transport alive.’

‘Okay,’ Halleck said. ‘So put her on the line. I want to speak to her.’

Victor said, ‘That’s going to be difficult. She’s a little tied up right now.’

‘Then quit hanging around and untie her. I want to hear her voice. I need to know you have her. Otherwise there can’t be any deal. Unless you’re asking me to trust your word? Which would be hilarious.’

‘Okay,’ Victor said. ‘Give me a second.’

‘I’ll be waiting.’

Victor released send so Halleck couldn’t hear and held out the radio to Raven. ‘Be convincing.’

She looked at him like he was an idiot — like she enjoyed the fact he was. She took the radio, cleared her throat and pressed send.

‘YOU FUCKER,’ Raven yelled. ‘I’m going to fucking kill you both, you hear me? You’re both dead. You’re both —’

She rubbed the receiver against her chest to imitate a struggle to control it while she screamed in a varied pitch of emotions, rocking her head back and forth and smiling the whole time. She released send and handed the radio back to Victor.

‘How did I do?’ she asked, nonchalant.

Victor said, ‘You missed your calling,’ and she curtsied while he pressed send and spoke into the radio: ‘Now do you believe me?’

Halleck said, ‘I guess I do.’

‘So, do we have a deal or not?’

‘I want to see her body. I want to see her dead with my own eyes. Otherwise, no deal. Once I know for sure she’s a corpse, I’ll put out the word to Homeland Security, the FBI and the NYPD. You’ll be taken off the terrorist watch list. You’ll no longer be a fugitive.’

‘That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. In forty-five minutes go to FDR Drive. Raven’s corpse will be in the trunk of a silver Impala, parked under the Williamsburg Bridge.’

Halleck said, ‘No deal. The car could be rigged with a bomb or you could take me out with a rifle.’

‘Indeed. Or better yet I’d have the car wired with explosives, and be waiting behind a high-powered rifle. But where’s that going to get me? If I kill you then I’m still in the same mess.’

‘You’d better believe that, asshole.’

Victor said, ‘So it’s in my best interests not to kill you.’

‘That’s right,’ Halleck said. ‘You need me alive far more than I need you. So you’d better not be fucking around with me, because if you are then you’ll be in a world of hurt.’

Victor said, ‘Strange threat, given my current predicament, but I believe you nonetheless. And you would do well to believe me when I say if you try anything you’ll be able to count the days you have left on this earth with one hand.’

‘Then it sounds like we both have enough incentive to play it straight with each other.’

‘Doesn’t it just?’

He released send and no further communication came from Halleck.

‘Did he believe you?’ Raven asked, handing him a Rapala fillet knife.

Victor thought for a second. ‘I think so. I think you did a good job and convinced him you were at my mercy. He won’t go himself, of course. But he’ll send guys to check out the car. He can’t afford not to. Either he’ll send people in the hope of getting to me, or to confirm you’re actually dead.’

‘But how many?’

Victor thought again. ‘Regardless of what I said to him on the radio, Halleck’s not short of manpower. He brought enough guys to New York to deliver the bomb and to watch me and to look for you. He’s lost some, sure. But he has plenty left. I’d say he’ll send between five and ten, which leaves us between six and eleven to deal with at the airfield while the others are waiting at FDR Drive for a silver Impala to arrive.’

‘That’s some range.’

‘I can only make an educated guess. I think he’ll send a small unit because it doesn’t take more than one pair of eyes to see a corpse, and if it’s a set-up he won’t want to risk too many getting blown up or sniped.’

‘So now you’re saying five?’

‘I’m saying that’s what I consider to be more likely. If Halleck really did believe us then he might send a whole crew there to deal with me. But I can’t be sure. He’s fooled me once already. Whether five or ten or whatever in between, we reduce our opposition.’

She nodded. ‘Then we plan to encounter eleven men at the airfield. I prefer to assume the worst.’

‘As do I.’

Raven smiled. ‘Pessimists of the world unite.’