Page 9 of The Death
“Maybe I didn’t want to,” Fallon said bitterly. “I like Eve Duncan. I also like the idea of letting her stay home with her family instead of turning her over to you and hoping that I’m doing the right thing.”
“You are doing the right thing,” Dominic said. “It’s much better that you let me handle this and try to keep Duncan’s family out of it. I guarantee that she’ll be much safer with me. Trust me.”
“I do trust you. Why else would I have let you talk me into this?” Fallon asked sourly. “But it would help if you could tell me that you’re certain that the information I was giving Eve Duncan was at least close to the truth. Look, do you think that I’d just blindly go into deceiving Eve if I hadn’t realized who and what you are? Over the years, my university has done quite a bit of investigating with some of my friends at Scotland Yard. I found out that you’re rather a mystery man, Dominic, but you’re not a crook. You own several casinos in Africa and Europe, and you also have quite a prosperous farm near Johannesburg. You appear to have contacts all over the world. You’ve had dealings with not only Scotland Yard but also the FBI, the CIA, and several other similar organizations. Yet no one at any of those places seems to have in-depth reportson you. Or at least none they’d reveal to us. Which probably means you’re some kind of secret agent.”
“Does it?” Dominic chuckled. “I guarantee you didn’t find out I was James Bond, and I’m sure none of your sources would have hinted in that direction. They’re much too cautious of being ridiculed. You did your probing very well considering what an upright and straitlaced scholar you are. But then I thought you would.”
Fallon scowled. “You seem to think this is amusing. All I really want to know is where the hell you heard about either that village I was describing or the tomb that’s supposed to be its pride and joy. You promised me that at least that part of your story was true.”
“As far as I know, it was not a lie. As you say, I have certain contacts,” Dominic said. “And most of the time, you wouldn’t want to associate with them, Fallon. But sometimes information filters down that can be useful to even a learned professor like yourself and brilliant forensic sculptors like Eve Duncan. I don’t believe you regretted my interference when I stepped in last year and took out that thief at the trade conference in Johannesburg who was trying to put you down.”
“You know I didn’t,” Fallon said. He was still remembering that moment when Dominic had appeared out of nowhere and quickly and efficiently destroyed the attacker. “I was out of my depth until you showed up and saved my neck. I don’t think I would have gotten out of there alive. But then you were there, and I was very grateful.”
“But now I’ve given you a way to return the favor,” Dominic said. “And you’ve done it. So we’re even. And since all you wanted to know was where I found out about the tomb,naturally I’ll tell you. I had a tip from an informant who frequents one of my casinos in Morocco, who mentioned that Duncan was going to be asked to work on a recently discovered tomb in a mountain range near Kilimanjaro. Since Eve Duncan’s reputation was absolutely sterling, I decided it might be wise to take a look at the situation and bring the two of you together.”
“Not that it will do you any good. As I told you,” Fallon said, “she’s going to turn me down.”
“Perhaps. But at least you’ve prepared the way. I’ll follow up with someone that may be able to persuade her to go the rest of the distance.”
“And who will that be?”
“You needn’t worry about that. I have someone in mind.” He added, “If it makes you feel any better, she won’t be a stranger to Eve and will have only her well-being at heart. Trust me. Okay?”
“I suppose it’s got to be.” Fallon grimaced. “Though I wish you actually were James Bond.”
“Well, you can’t have everything.” Dominic chuckled. “Thanks for your help, Fallon. I’ll call you in the morning and keep you updated.”
“Do that,” Fallon said. “You know that if it does work out, I want to be involved? This entire project could be magic for any archaeologist or educator.” He hesitated and then asked the question he’d tried to avoid. “Don’t lie to me. I know you promised to take good care of Eve. But this could be dangerous for her, couldn’t it?”
“You want the truth? From what I’ve found out in the past few days, some very nasty characters are weighing in on thehunt for that sarcophagus. I know I can promise that she’ll be safer with me and my team. I’ll try to make sure that it doesn’t turn out in a way that we’d both regret. All I can do is watch out for her, and you can bet I’ll be doing that. Thank you for your efforts. Goodbye, Fallon.”
Dominic cut the connection before Fallon could ask any more awkward questions and sat there for a moment. He wasn’t eager to make this next call. The last person he wanted to involve in this potential mess brewing ahead of him was Catherine Ling. But it wasn’t something he could leave her out of considering her relation with Eve Duncan. The fact that Dominic knew she and his partner, Cameron, were lovers made the assignment more difficult, though not impossible. Hell, it was always his job to do whatever made the impossible turn out as close as he could to reality, he thought recklessly. It wasn’t Catherine’s fault that this particular job was shaping up to be a nightmare. Just do what was necessary to put together the right elements and then keep them moving in the correct direction. He’d already checked and knew that Catherine was in Rome at the moment. He quickly dialed her number. “Catherine? Alex Dominic. I may need your help. Are you busy? Or can the CIA survive without you for a few days?”
“I’m always busy, Dominic,” Catherine said sarcastically. “It’s only you and Cameron who belong to an agency that permits you to schedule your own assignments to work toward your special Shangri-La. I’m just a poor peasant striving to preserve democracy.” She paused. “Though it seems I haven’t heard from Cameron in a long time. How is he?”
“He’s well,” Dominic said. “We’ve been working on different continents, but we still manage to keep in touch on theimportant goals. I may have to call him in on this new job I’ve been pulled into. Particularly if he knows that you might be involved in it. That’s always a lure for Cameron.”
“Bullshit. You know I stay out of Cameron’s world as much as I can,” Catherine said. “We walk our own paths.”
“Yes, you do,” Dominic said. “And ordinarily I’d keep far away from the fireworks that surround the two of you. I don’t know if Cameron told you that we’ve now split up the territories our teams monitor. I drew Africa, which is fast becoming a hot spot. But Cameron is tied up in Nova Scotia trying to keep Diane Connors’s medical miracle from being hijacked, so I have to run the risk of being the one to drag you away from the CIA for this small job… because you may be the only one who can do it.”
“What a blow to your ego,” Catherine said mockingly. “The great Alex Dominic, who manages to manipulate almost everyone to do his bidding and can persuade dictators to stop wars, has to rely on me to do a job for him? Why?”
“It’s a matter of persuasion. You’ve worked with Eve Duncan and I haven’t. Plus I can’t make any mistakes in this. Since you care about her, neither can you. She’s your friend.”
Catherine inhaled sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is she in trouble?”
“Not yet. But she may be heading in that direction. In fact, it may be our task to guide her toward it for the greater good.”
“Go to hell.”
“I thought you might feel that way. I’m glad that I can accept that venom and protect Cameron from it. Anything for my best friend.”
“Keep your damn machinations away from Eve.”
“I’ll certainly try. Now listen, and I’ll tell you what I know and don’t know. But I should first mention that this problem centers on someone we all know very well. One Ezra Caldwell, whom you want to nail as much as we do.”
“Caldwell!” Catherine muttered a curse. “Oh, yes. Espionage, gunrunning, human trafficking, murderer, high treason… The CIA has had him on their most wanted list for years. What’s the bastard up to now?”
