The Love You Crave

54.

Bob Koltech gets us back to the private airfield. I pay him the balance I owe him, and he tries to hug me. I back away. He tries to shake hands. I bump his fist, instead. I like Bob, but I don’t allow anyone get a hold of me if I can help it.

“How’m I gonna show my love?” he says, frowning.

“By being available for me, day and night.”

He grins. “Count on it.”

Jeff and I climb in my car and I head straight for McCarran International, knowing Kimberly will be landing any minute. I find a spot in short-term parking and tell Jeff to catch a cab to PhySpa to check on George’s corpse.

“If it’s ready, what should I do?”

“Start without me.”

He smiles. “Thanks, boss.”

Jeff is at least a little stranger than the rest of us.

Moments later I’m in baggage claim, talking to Lou on my cell phone.

“Why wouldn’t you take my calls?” he says.

“I was on a plane.”

“I thought you changed your mind about needing a plane.”

I ignore the comment. I should probably be more concerned with what’s going on with Lou, but I’m so excited about Kimberly’s visit, and so happy about her friendship offer, I barely care. Lou’s after me? Big deal. Not so long ago my life was in the hands of a cage full of monkeys!

“I notice you called me three times,” I say. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to come clean.”

That surprises me.

“Go ahead,” I say.

“Darwin wanted your itinerary.”

“And you gave it to him?”

“He’s my boss. You keep forgetting. You fired me, remember?”

It’s true. I do keep forgetting. But I don’t forget why I fired Lou. He tried to kill me. But I forgave him. Not completely, but enough to let him continue working as my facilitator. Since he and I both work for Darwin, it’s not a great idea to keep the relationship going. But Lou is irreplaceable, so I can’t imagine finding someone else. Whoever I get would have to be a personal secretary type of person, with no government contacts. And he or she would have to understand what I do for a living, and…well, it’s a tough gig.

“You weren’t going to tell me about Darwin,” I say.

“I hoped to prevent it. It’s not like he’s using the information to kill you or anything.”

“Lou?”

“Yeah?”

“Darwin ordered Doc Howard to plant the chip in my brain.”

“That’s nearly true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you. But I’m the most loyal friend you have.”

I take the phone away from my ear and look at it. Then put it back to my ear.

“Did you mean to say that?”

“I know,” he says. “Like my old friend Donovan Creed used to say, it sounds stupid when you say it out loud like that.”

I smile.

“Let me try to explain,” Lou says.

“Make it quick.”

“Got a hot date?”

“Something even better.”

“Okay. Remember Augustus?”

“Of course.”

“If somehow he had survived, and the whole issue with the kidnapped girl had been resolved, would he be able to trust you from that point on?”

“Yes. But what happened with us was different.”

“I’m trying to make up for it.”

“Then give me something to convince me. Because right now it sounds like you’re in Darwin’s pocket.”

“I decided to give you a present.”

“A present.”

“Right. Something so big you’ll know you can trust me with your life.”

“What could possibly be that big?”

“I just killed Doc Howard.”

“ What? Why on earth-”

“Doc Howard was Darwin.”

As I’m about to faint from shock, I hear a young woman shout “Father!”

It’s Kimberly, heading down the escalator, toward baggage claim.

I tell Lou, “Thanks.”

“Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“No, but it’s the first thing.”