Deliver Us From Evil

67

ALMOST as soon as Reggie passed the town of Leavesden and started making her way along the winding roads to the estate, the sun disappeared behind darkening clouds. At least the meteorological conditions matched her mood. She passed the entry gates, parked her car, took a long breath, and walked inside.

She’d phoned ahead with her expected time of arrival and they were waiting for her in the library. The professor, Whit, Liza, and Dominic. As she passed down the hall she saw Niles Jansen, the colleague that Shaw had steamrolled back at the cottage in Provence. She tossed him back his cell phone that Shaw had taken.

“How is it?” she asked, indicating the large bruise on his face.

“Like a bloody tank hit me,” said Jansen.

“Actually, I think it did.”

She drew a calming breath and opened the door to the library. Taking a seat on one side of the long table with all the rest aligned on the other, she painstakingly went through everything she recalled from her time in Gordes and then briefed them on the days spent with Shaw.

“And you learned nothing more about him than that?” asked Mallory, who did not bother to hide his incredulity.

“It’s hard to be a competent interrogator when you’re vomiting your brains out,” she answered. “And he’s not the sort to volunteer much information. He’s obviously an experienced hand. Other than that, it’s all speculation.”

“But his organization is obviously official whilst ours is not,” pointed out Mallory.

“Meaning that we could all be charged with attempted murder for all the good we’ve done,” said Whit. “Hell, Kuchin could sue us for what we did and probably win. Maybe we should all retain solicitors.”

“This isn’t funny, Whit,” snapped Liza. “Our entire operation could be jeopardized.”

“Shaw doesn’t know where we are,” said Reggie. “It wasn’t like I was going to bring him here.”

“See, I told you that,” noted Whit. He looked at Reggie. “And Dom here reminded all of us that you’d earned the right to be trusted.”

Reggie gave Dominic a grateful look before turning back to Mallory. “But that’s not a real solution. With their resources, they may be able to track us down. They certainly know what the three of us look like.”

“I suggest that all of you stay at Harrowsfield until further notice,” said Mallory.

Both Whit and Dominic slowly nodded in agreement.

But Reggie said, “I’ve got some things to take care of, but then I’ll be back here to stay.”

Mallory nodded. “Good, that’s settled. Now let’s move on to more important issues, namely Fedir Kuchin and his unfortunate survival.”

“We’ll go after him again, like we talked about yesterday,” said Whit.

“I actually agree, after much deliberation, with your Mr. Shaw,” said Mallory, surprisingly.

Reggie, having not been privy to this conversation, said, “Agree with him in what way?”

Whit spoke up. “He’s talking about your buddy’s assessment that Kuchin will be coming after us. So instead of going after him we have to guard our own flanks.”

“We talked about that too, right before we parted company,” said Reggie.

Mallory rose, walked over to the empty fireplace, and knocked out the dregs from a new pipe into the hearth. “I’m sure you did. Indeed, it seems that this other organization might be more aptly suited to take Mr. Kuchin down than we are.”

Whit burst out, “But they’re not going to do it. I told you that. They were pulling out. Apparently they don’t care that he’s selling girls as whores. Once he dropped the nuke angle it was all copacetic as far as those blokes were concerned.”

“That was before they knew who he was.” He looked at Reggie. “You told him, correct? That Waller was Fedir Kuchin?”

“Yes. But he didn’t know who that was.”

Mallory took a few moments to puff his pipe to life. “No matter. He will look into it now, and then there you are. When he knows the real Butcher of Kiev is out there, chances are very good that either they’ll go after him or they’ll notify another appropriate agency to do so.”

“So we just fob off on them the job we set out to do?” said Reggie. “Why should they have to deal with him?”

Mallory eyed her with interest. “Are you really thinking why should this Shaw fellow have to deal with him?”

Reggie’s face reddened. “That is not what I said, Professor.”

“And there’s no guarantee they will go after him,” protested Whit. “They might have other things on their agenda.”

Mallory turned to him. “There are no guarantees about anything we do, Whit. And I believe this is the best we can do. At least currently.”

“Well, I disagree.”

“I don’t mind disagreement so long as you do not turn it into unilateral action.”

“Well, what if Kuchin ends up walking free?”

“There are many men like him out there. I will not jeopardize catching all of them in order to take one down.”

Whit snapped, “But we’ve already shown him the shit from his past. Now all we need to do is kill the bastard. A rifle shot from long distance. Poison in his morning coffee. Stick the prick in the street with an umbrella tipped with poison, like they did that Bulgarian fellow.”

Mallory shook his head. “But since the authorities presumably will know who he is, they will investigate his death and past and publicize their results to the world-that he is indeed the Butcher of Kiev. And all others will be warned.”

“All others?” scoffed Whit. “You think these assholes send out newsletters to each other? Look out, fellow scum, the good guys are gunning for you? I’ve never bought that rationale before, Prof, and I sure as hell don’t buy it now. You’re saying we as good as let him go free forever.”

“No, I said we can let others handle it for now.”

Reggie spoke up. “I think I side with Whit on this, but the problem is that Kuchin will dig in so deep now we’ll never be able to find him. He probably has safe houses all over the world.”

“Since we have limited resources, that makes all the more reason to move on to someone else. But for now, I think all of you should relax and regroup. Dominic needs to heal physically.” Mallory looked at Reggie and then at Whit. “And you need to do so in other ways.”

“My head is on as straight as ever,” muttered Whit.

“I wasn’t necessarily talking about you,” replied Mallory.

“So me then?” exclaimed Reggie. She looked darkly at the man.

“Just everyone please take a rest,” said Mallory a trifle wearily.

“Even if the Ukrainian psychopath has us in his gunsights?” asked Whit.

“Yes, even then,” said the professor sharply. Mallory then rose and left the room.

“He’s under a lot of pressure,” said Liza defensively.

“We’re all under a lot of pressure, Liza,” rejoined Reggie.

“The operation in Provence cost a lot of money,” Liza continued. “And funds are getting harder and harder to come by. Miles spends a great deal of his time finding benefactors.”

Whit scowled at her. “Great, fine. I’ll cut my salary. Oh, that’s right, I don’t really get paid a bleeding quid to risk life and limb, now do I?”

“I didn’t mean it that way, Whit,” she said.

“I don’t think any of us mean anything we’re saying right now,” said Dominic.

Whit rose. “Speak for yourself, Dom. I meant it all.”

Before anyone could say anything he’d slammed the library door behind him.