Chapter 8

When Harold Smith gave Remo a picture of a bloody cave floor in Kansas, he wanted to know what it had to do with finding and delimbing United States Senator Herbert Whiteslaw.

“Nothing.”

“Then I’m not interested.”

“People are being killed on the site of the biggest commercial radioactive waste storage facility in the United States. That doesn’t interest you?”

“Real world to Smitty, we have a rogue U.S. senator to deal with.”

“Remo, hush,” Chiun insisted.

“Remo no hush. Remo mad. Remo go berserk maybe.” He said to Smith, “I want Whiteslaw. If you had your priorities straight, then you’d want him, too.”

“I am not certain how you rationalize putting Whiteslaw ahead of the perpetrators in Kansas,” Smith said sourly. “Whiteslaw is powerless. His support system no longer exists. The fact that he vanished in the Middle East means he’s aware that he’s being investigated for treason.”

“He wanted us. Remember, Smitty? CURE. He got damn close to getting us, too.”

“Jacob Fastbinder was the real threat, and Jacob Fastbinder is dead. Senator Whiteslaw had nothing except a few ideas for drawing yourself and Chiun into his traps.”

“His traps almost worked.”

“I doubt Whiteslaw has another source that can support him in further efforts to expose CURE—a task we seem quite capable of handling internally.”

“Oh, man, not that again.” Remo got to his feet. “Smitty, we’ve been through it all.”

“On the contrary, we have not yet started going through it,” Smith said. He was at his calmest and sourest

“What more is there to talk about?”

“Your commitment to CURE. You have a contract with this organization. You violated that contract. You, a Master of Sinanju, are in breach of contract.”

“When?” Remo demanded, noticing Chiun’s brows knitting.

“The most egregious example comes in the form of your violation of CURE’s status as a secret entity. You told the Sun On Jos about us.”

‘T didn’t tell them anything about CURE. Winston knows who you are. Any other knowledge they may have came from when you tracked down Sunny Joe and started phoning the place and sending Junior visiting. You did it, Smitty, not me. You are a dangerous security leak that needs to be plugged ASAP.”

“Remo!” Chiun barked.

“You’ve been generally careless and unavailable,” Smith persisted. “This is not exactly a nine-to-five job.”

“This job is not the reason for my existence, either. I usually jump through every damn hoop you hold out for me, but you can’t expect me to be at your beck and call 365 days a year.”

“I do expect it.”

“Then you’re setting yourself up for real disappointment.”

“And you are obliged to meet my expectations.”

“Says who?”

“This is stipulated in your contract with CURE.”

“His contract with CURE.” Remo gestured carelessly at Chiun.

“Remo, your temper tantrum is out of hand,” Chiun declared. “This behavior is childish and unbecoming.”

Remo flopped in a chair and glared at Chiun, who was uncharacteristically reserved through all of this. The old Korean liked his gold, and Smith paid them plenty of it. So why wasn’t he going ballistic about now?

“I want the contract rewritten,” Remo said.

Chiun’s lips were a hard white line.

“The contract will not be rewritten,” Smith replied, full of condescension. “Let’s learn to live with it the way it is.”

“No.”

‘The contract is written, signed, sealed—there is no need to change it. Can we please discuss the killings in the mine in Kansas?”

“No. I want Whiteslaw.”

“Whiteslaw is not a threat”

“Bulldookey.”

“Also, he has vanished.”

“And you aren’t finding him.”

“We’re scanning the global nets constantly.” It was the first comment Mark Howard had dared make. “He’s gone deep undercover, and he knows how.”

“Junior, I’ve seen you guys really looking for somebody, and you aren’t doing that now.”

“Remo,” Smith said abruptly, “how positive are you that Jacob Fastbinder is dead?”

“Why do you ask about him?”

“I am uncomfortable raising the subject. I feel it is wildly speculative, but so is your contention that Whiteslaw remains a threat.”

“Not following you.”

“Okay. You want Whiteslaw. You had him in your sights once but never had the opportunity to remove him. He remains a threat, maybe a direct threat. So you see a need to deal with him as soon as possible. Am I correct so far?”

“Yeah,” Remo admitted.

“What if the Kansas mine killings are the work of Jacob Fastbinder?” Smith posed. “Another of your targets at work, only this time there’s tangible risk. People are dead.”

“Why would you pin it on Fastbinder?”

“He had an earth-drilling device,” Smith said with a shrug. “The murders were in some of the deepest places man has penetrated the earth’s crust, and nobody knows how the perpetrators got down there. Maybe the earth drill is how. We just don’t know.”

“So you think Fastbinder’s drill wasn’t really broken and he burrowed away into the earth and, by the way, went down into this deep mine shaft for a little kidnapping?”

“No, I do not think that, but I think it is just as likely as the eminent danger from Senator Whiteslaw. Both perpetrators are linked to you. I don’t believe it, but you should.”

Remo blinked. “So, if I have this straight, you’re playing mind games with me and you’re trying to explain just how you’re playing mind games with me.”

Smith nodded. “Exactly.”

“But the Fastbinder threat is real?”

“Just as real as the Whiteslaw threat.”

Remo looked at Chiun. “Little Father, is my chain being yanked?”

“Quite adeptly.”

“So why don’t I have any idea what’s going on?”

Chiun said with a shrug, “What is going on is that we are going to Kansas.”