Takedown

CHAPTER 26

“Hello?”

“Mr. Gray?”

“I was hoping to hear from you. I assume this line is secure?”

“As always.”

“Can I also assume this means you have good news?”

“Yes,” Gérard said. “She was much easier to convince than I thought she would be. And with any luck, Mr. Hopcroft will soon cease to be a problem for you.”

“Bastard should have stayed dead.”

“He will be soon.”

A pause. “Perhaps I’m not paying you enough.”

“I’m happy to discuss a bonus when the job is done.”

“And I’ll be happy to arrange for one. You’re a valuable asset, Thomas.”

“I appreciate that, sir. Just one question.”

“Yes?”

“How did you know about the poem? I know you and Colonel Poe were close at one time, but if you haven’t seen him since he disappeared…”

“The joys of surveillance, my friend. In the days before Frank fled, we were monitoring his home quite extensively. That moment with Alexandra was a particularly private and touching one. Which is why I chose it.”

“Well, it worked like a charm,” Gérard said. “I almost felt sorry for her.”

“Don’t allow yourself to go down that road, son. That was Frank Poe’s downfall. He too often let his heart rule his mind.”

“And Hopcroft?”

“Always a pragmatist. Which is why he’s such a danger to us.”

“Us, sir?”

“You’re part of it now, Thomas. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” Gérard said. “How did it go with McElroy?”

“The man’s a rube. He supplied his own theory about our request for Alexandra’s involvement and I saw no reason to discount it. That’s the problem with the private sector. They’ll believe anything if there’s a dollar attached.” He paused. “There’s one last thing before we hang up.”

“Yes?” Gérard said.

“When the deed is done, there’s something I want you to do at your first opportunity.”

“And that is?”

“I want you to send a message to my old friend Frank. I want him incapacitated by grief. It took him a very long time to recover from the death of his wife, and I doubt he’ll be able to survive another loss, even if time and distance has separated them.”

A pause. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yes,” Gray told him. “I want you to kill his loving daughter.”