Iris Johansen - Deadlock

"And, of course, I did it all on purpose." she said. "I planned it all to make your life inconvenient."

"Do you expect me to apologize? Okay, I'm sorry you had a bad time, but you made choices that gave me king-size headaches. You're still giving them to me. Bishop Dimitri's murder is going to be very delicate to handle." He turned back to Garrett. "You're sure it was Staunton who was responsible?"

"No question. You can probably scrounge up whatever proof you'll need." He shrugged. "Or plant what you can't find."

"You don't have much time. The bishop's housekeeper should be coming back to the residency within a few hours," Emily pointed out.

"She's already been diverted," Ferguson said absently. "I don't make mistakes like that."

Garrett smiled. "And I'd guess you sent someone into the forest to make sure the locals didn't find Borg's and Staunton's bodies until you were ready."

Ferguson didn't deny it. "You said that I was going to have my payoff. I wasn't going to be cheated."

"I've kept my promise. You're here, aren't you?"

"To get your ass out of hot water," Ferguson said. "And I'll do it. I just want to come out of this smelling like a rose and with enough prestige for a promotion, maybe even a political career."

"You're going to be the one who finally caught Emily's kidnapper and Levy's murderer. Added to that, you have the cachet of solving Bishop Dimitri's murder. It will be a major media circus."

"I want more."

Garrett tilted his head, waiting. He nodded at Emily. "I want her." "No," Garrett said sharply.

"Yes. She's the draw, the sun that will draw all that media to me. I want her to give interviews with me, to tell everyone how grateful she is that I managed to find Staunton."

"No way."

"I can make this cleanup the most pristine you've ever seen. No one gets hurt. I forget any illegal shenanigans you've pulled on the way to Staunton."

"You want the glory of catching Staunton. You'd do it anyway. Try again."

"Wait a minute, Garrett," Emily said. "I'm the one who's involved here. I'll make my own decision."

He swore beneath his breath. "They'll tear you apart, and he'll stand by watching and smiling like a Cheshire cat."

"I wouldn't allow anyone to tear me apart." She stared at Fergu¬son, considering the situation. "We might be able to work a deal. But it will be on my terms, under my control."

Ferguson gazed at her warily.

"I'll let you use me if you guarantee that Garrett won't ever suffer for either helping me or doing anything else even slightly irregular in the future. I can see you have rather an adversarial relationship. From now on Garrett will come up golden. You'll be the angel on his shoulder."

"Hell, no," Garrett said. "Emily, you're not going to-"

"Be quiet, Garrett. I know you probably may even enjoy battling with Ferguson, but that's too bad. I've got to set everything straight. I've got to pay you back for all you've done for me." She added soberly, "Though there's no way I can make up for the loss of your friend, Karif. But maybe I can make your future a little smoother." She glanced back at Ferguson. "And if you go back on your word later, you'll see a media blitz that will tear any career you might build to shreds. Don't ever doubt that, Ferguson."

Ferguson studied her before he nodded slowly. "Oh, I don't doubt it," he said. "Anything else?"

"Find a way to keep Garrett and Irana out of this."

"Anyone that's close to you will automatically be fodder for the paparazzi," Ferguson said.

"They won't be close to me." She didn't look at Garrett. "It will be just you and me, Ferguson." She could feel the storm of emotion build¬ing in Garrett. She had to get this over before he exploded. "One more thing. When you've milked this situation, I want you to ease me out of it. Find a way to make sure the media considers me a story that's run its course."

"That won't be easy."

"You can do it. I have faith in you. You appear to know every dirty trick in the book." She stood up. "Now I have to go to the hospital and see Irana. I'm sure you're going to be very busy in that forest, do¬ing some intricate staging."

"Yes." Ferguson hesitated. "You'd better tell your friend that we're transferring Joslyn to a hospital outside London within the next few hours. I can control the situation better there."

Ferguson was obviously already in high gear, she thought. "You'll have to talk to Irana about that. She may have something to say to you." She stared him in the eye. "Now, do we have a deal?"

"Yes." He smiled faintly. "Though you practically stole the shirt off my back. It's going to be a nightmare erasing Garrett and your doctor friend from the equation." He was silent a moment. "But I've been thinking that maybe I'll recast Staunton in this story."

"Recast?"

"Well, since the hammer has never shown up, it would be coun¬terproductive to bring up this wild tale about Nicholas II's billions. It will complicate things enormously. It's probably a bunch of bull any¬way."

"Really?"

He nodded. "So why don't we do a little background tinkering and make Staunton a terrorist. He kidnapped both you and Levy to make a statement and would have bargained your lives for a release of political prisoners if I hadn't tracked him down and freed you." Go on.

"The bishop's death could be attributed to revenge against the Church. We can find a way to ignore Babin's and Zelov's deaths. The attack on Mykala Island had a distinct terrorist profile."

"And?"

"That's all. I killed Staunton and his cohort, and we're working diligently on apprehending his cell group." "Could you really stage a big lie like that?" He smiled. "Watch me." "I'm not going to lie," Emily said.

"You don't have to make a statement at all. I'll do all the talking." His brows rose. "Yes?"

She nodded slowly. "I don't care what you say about him as long as everyone knows what a bastard he was." She turned and walked away.

Garrett started to follow her, then whirled on Ferguson. "You take care of her," he said fiercely. "You treat her as if she was made of the finest crystal. If you don't, I'll know about it, and I'll come after you." He turned and caught up with Emily in three strides. "You know why he's concocting this bullshit about terrorists, don't you?"

She nodded. "It's starting all over again. He's going to try to find the Tsar's treasure for himself."

"Ferguson is going to go crazy sifting through Staunton's belong¬ings, trying to find a clue that will lead him to the hammer."

"Good. I can't think of anyone I'd rather see go off his rocker."

"You don't think he'll find it." Garrett's gaze was narrowed on her face. "That's why you agreed."

"I agreed because enough people have died over that damn treasure. And it will never stop. Even if the Russian government took possession, the corruption would go on. Irana said that Nartova told Bishop Dim¬itri that the only way to win the treasure was to leave it alone. I believe he was right."

"And what about Bishop Dimitri's plan to give the money to needy children?"

"A wonderful scheme. Yet whom could you trust to make sure that all the money was protected and went to charity? You saw what happened when Joslyn and Bishop Dimitri tried to do it. No, let Fer¬guson beat his head against the wall, then start believing that the trea¬sure was the myth he called it."

He said slowly, "As I said, you seem very sure he won't find it among Staunton's effects. Why?"

She looked at him. "Do you really want to know? Do you want to find Zelov's hammer?"

He shook his head. "I can't imagine anything I want less. I have plenty of money, and I don't need that kind of burden. It would smother me."

"I don't have plenty of money, but I feel the same way. It would be the only way that Zelov and Staunton could really destroy me." They had reached the car, and she turned to face him and braced herself. "I don't want you to come with me to the hospital to see Irana."