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Business hours haven't yet begun, but you... Oh, good morning again, Miss
Kittridge."
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"Is Director MacQuarrie there yet?"
"No, miss, he still hasn't arrived. And I haven't been able to locate him."
Hanging up, Beth tried a Greater LA number.
Dan Cardigan, still in his pajamas, answered on the second ring.
"Morning, Beth. I was going to phone you."
"Have you heard from him?"
Shaking his head, Jake's son answered, "Nope. I was wondering if you had."
"Not a word," admitted Beth. "What I'm trying to do, Dan, is get the
IDCA to let me postpone testifying for a few days. Then I can travel down to
Rio and try to find out what's happened to Jake."
"You probably won't have to do that," said Dan. "More than likely he and Gomez
are just someplace where they can't get to any--"
"It's been three days. They've got a communication unit in their sky car
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"Sure, but Sparey could be off in the jungle, somewhere that you can only
reach on foot or--"
"They have belt-communicators, too."
"You can't always safely use those, though."
"Do you honestly believe nothing's happened to them?"
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"I'm trying to," Dan answered. "Dad's told me that there are times in some
investigations when you can't risk contacting--"
"He promised me he'd be here by today."
"I know, Beth. But he and Gomez are first rate operatives and--"
"Have you talked to Bascom today?"
"Not yet, he's never awake this early. But he phoned me last night."
"He phoned me, too. Gave me the usual pitch about the Cosmos Detective
Agency putting the best men on this. He swore they'd find out why nobody's
heard from Jake or Gomez for so long."
"Cosmos does have a lot of good investigators to--"
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"Excuse me, Dan. Someone's at the door. Call me soon as you hear anything."
Agent Neal was on her doorstep. He looked both weary and unhappy. "You about
ready to go, Beth? We have to start for--"
"I'm not going," she told him. "Not until I hear something definite about Jake
Cardigan."
Neal shook his head. "Director MacQuarrie's been in touch with us."
"He has? I've been trying to reach him for--"
"Director MacQuarrie wants me to convey his concern over
Jake," continued Agent Neal. "But we have to depart for Berlin as planned."
"Emmett, there must be--"
"If you don't agree to come along voluntarily, I'm instructed to take you into
custody and escort you to Berlin." He didn't meet her eyes.
"Staying here is more important to me." "I know, Beth, but we're under
orders." "Maybe if I can talk to MacQuarrie directly." "You won't be
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able to do that."
After a few seconds she said, "Allright. I'll go along with you."
"I'll help you pack," the agent offered.
By cutting his last class at the academy, Dan was able to get to the
Cosmos offices by a few minutes after three that afternoon.
Walt Bascom looked up from the scatter of files spread across his desk as the
young man came striding in. "Did we have an appointment, Danny?"
"No, and don't call me Danny."
"Dan, why have you barged into my private--"
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"I got the feeling you haven't been telling me everything you know about my
father. You're holding back with me--and with
Beth Kittridge."
"I hear she's enroute to Berlin."
"She left this morning, yeah." Dan walked up close to the agency
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chief. "You know my dad was planning to go with her. It would take something
damn serious to--"
"Sit down, Dan."
Dan sat on the edge of a chair facing the desk. "Is he dead?" "I
have no idea what shape he and Gomez are in," Bascom answered. "We know they
took off for Brasilia three days ago."
He spread his hands wide. "That's the last anybody's heard."
"But what are you doing about--"
"I already told you that I've sent ops to Rio to find out what happened."
"But they haven't, have they, learned a damn thing?" "Not thus far," admitted
Bascom.
"That girl--Jean Marie Sparey. Doesn't she know anything?" Sitting back,
Bascom steepled his stubby fingers. "I'm inclined to think she does," he said.
"The only trouble is--we can't find the little lady."
"But she's in that damn hospital---dying."
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"So we thought. In fact, I shed several sincere tears over the sad vidtape she
sent along."
"Where is she?"
"Not in the Silo Jose Private Hospital in Rio de Janeiro,"
answered the agency head. "Jean Marie isn't there anymore--nor are the three
medics, one human and two an dies who were allegedly looking after her. The
hospital officials claim they have no notion of where they all went. Miss
Sparey and crew were last seen on the morning of the day your dad and Gomez
left Rio."
"Then she must've been faking. She set my father and Gomez up." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]