Smithback raced up the stairs. There was another hallway here and, operating purely on instinct now, he followed it to a desk, behind which sat two women in white.
“Can I help you?” asked one, looking him up and down.
“May I use your phone?” he asked. “It’s an emergency.”
The women looked at each other. But even as they did, Smithback heard a burst of angry Spanish from downstairs and realized it was already too late. Flaco, ever suspicious, had entered the building himself.
On pure instinct, Smithback raced past the reception desk and through a partially open door beyond. He sprinted past a room in which a dentist was at work, drill whining. Another room contained a patient waiting in a reclining chair surrounded by hideous gleaming instruments. Ahead, a sign above a door read EXIT. Smithback charged through and rammed it open, finding himself in a back stairway as he heard another burst of Spanish, this one louder, longer, and angrier.
He descended to a landing, two steps at a time, down a second flight, pushed open the door the stairs dead-ended at, and found himself in the backyard of the building. He paused a second. On either side were similar structures. Ahead of him was the slough he’d noticed earlier: a dense, swampy tangle of mud, brook, and bracken that ran like a green labyrinth from right to left. Pushing himself away from the façade, he ran for it. As he did so, he heard a shot ring out behind him, followed by yelling and a scream. Reaching the edge of the slough, he practically dove into the jungle-like vegetation, rolling over once, then gaining his feet and running on into deep mud as the mazy branches of a mangrove swamp closed in overhead and the sunlight dimmed.
Suddenly, another shot rang out. Then another, whining past a few feet behind him, clipping twigs as it went. He realized he was still clutching the manuscript and immediately dropped it, pages fluttering into the muck. And then he heard the already distant Flaco, yelling at him in furious, frustrated rage: “Smithback! You a dead man. ¡Chinga tu madre! You hear me, motherfucker? Dead! Dead! Dead!”
40
CHIEF P. B. PERELMAN, on his first day off since the case broke, heard his doorbell ring at noon, as he was sitting down to lunch. The ringing, once again, aroused a twist of pain for him, followed not by a flurry of eager barking, but only by silence. God, he mourned that dog every day. If only he’d closed the door properly on that fateful, awful morning…
He was surprised to find Pendergast standing on his porch. The man was so unpredictable, never turning up where you’d expect. His very capriciousness seemed to be a feature of his investigative methods.
“Lovely morning,” said Perelman. “Can I offer you a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you. I have an appointment with the commander, and I was hoping you might accompany me.”
“Of course. Come in while I get ready.” This was a bit strange.
Pendergast stepped into the entryway and waited while Perelman buckled on his belt and sidearm, then buttoned up and adjusted his shirt. Perelman disliked the commander and as a result always wanted to appear spit-and-polished when meeting him. Speaking of spit and polish, he noted the perfect gleam on Pendergast’s shoes and checked his own.
“Just a moment.”
He kept a shoe brush handy in the entryway for just this purpose, and he now pulled it out of its box and gave his shoes a swift brushing.
“What’s the meeting about and, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you need me?”
“I am bereft of my partner, Agent Coldmoon, who is down in Central America. Constance is out on some errand of which I am ignorant. As a result, I find myself in need of a witness. That would be you, Chief Perelman.”
“A witness.” He followed Pendergast out to the porch. To his surprise, a new, full-size Range Rover sat gleaming at the curb. “How so?”
“I believe our meeting with the commander might result in a small contretemps. He will be accompanied by his second, Lieutenant Darby. I, too, must have a second.”
“Sounds like a duel,” said Perelman with a laugh. The laugh quickly died as he realized the man wasn’t making a joke. There was a chill about him today that was quite unsettling.
Pendergast got into the driver’s seat, while Perelman slid into the passenger seat.
Traffic was lighter than usual, and they sailed along the causeway and up to Fort Myers. It felt strange, somehow, to see Pendergast behind the wheel, but Perelman was very pleased with the plush interior of the vehicle. The parking lot was almost empty. Pendergast parked up close and they stepped out into the muggy air. Perelman noticed that, for the first time in his memory, Pendergast was carrying a briefcase.
The commander’s door was closed, as usual, and when Pendergast knocked—at exactly 12:30—it was opened by Darby, who stepped aside in silence to let them in.
The commander rose. “Chief Perelman, this is a surprise. I was, however, hoping to have a private conversation with Agent Pendergast.”
“Chief Perelman is standing in for my absent partner,” said Pendergast. “You can speak in front of him as you would Agent Coldmoon.”
“Well, fine. If that’s the way you’d prefer it. As we get started here, I just have to warn you that what I have to say may not be things you wish others to hear, Agent Pendergast.”
Pendergast said nothing and they took a seat. Darby, Perelman noticed, sat at a chair beside Baugh like the lapdog he was. He even had a steno notebook in hand, ready to take notes.
“All right,” Baugh rumbled. “Do you finally have the reports on those vessels?”
Pendergast opened his briefcase and pulled out a file, handing it over. “Unfortunately, nothing came of the searches. It appears the Empire Carrier was smuggling a cargo of Iranian caviar, and that’s what was seen dumped in the satellite pictures. The other vessels proved even less interesting.”
Commander Baugh took the file with a grunt and pushed it aside without looking at it. “Now I want to talk about this oceanographer you’ve been working with. Pamela Gladstone.”
A chilling silence.
“I thought you’d take my gentle hint,” the commander went on, “but it seems you chose to ignore it instead. I know all about it, so no more secrets. She and her crackpot ideas have no place in this investigation. I’ve already sent her notice of termination, and I’ve ordered a full accounting of her work, expenses, and results, such as they are. I’ve made it clear to her and her assistant that any further work in this regard will be considered interference, and I will yank her oceangoing research permits so fast her head will spin.”
Silence.
“Now, what about your man in China? Anything happening there?”
“He was murdered.”
“What? Murdered? How the hell did that happen and why wasn’t I informed?”
“You were not informed because I’m growing increasingly concerned he was killed because of a mole in this investigation. Most likely on your staff.”
“A mole? On my staff? That is an outrageous accusation! By God, Pendergast, this is a step too far. I hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but you give me no choice.” He stood up, his face darkening. “I hereby terminate your involvement in this case—which, as commander of the task force, I am fully authorized to do. Pack your bags and get out. I’ll be in touch with your superiors about your insubordination and obstruction—you can be sure of that.”