Terry Neale - Jo-el

“Where are you going?” Maggie asked.

“I have to see this CIA lady, you can stay here or leave, you’ll only be at risk if Verminov and his friends find out my real identity. I’m seeing Sean for lunch if you want to come with me, in about an hour.”

“Maybe,” she said.

Women. I changed into Jo-el.

“Sally bounce me into Pippa’s apartment.”

Pippa was in her small family-room reading while Billy played with an ipad on the sofa. She was startled but not surprised.

“I thought I’d see you today,” she said, when her breath allowed.

I smiled and put my hands in the air indicating surrender. “I need your help, Pippa.”

“Wow! I thought you Superhero’s were pretty self-sufficient.”

“You know what happened here last night?”

“You killed those three guys who were planning to either kill me or kidnap me, right?”

“Did you see what happened at CNN this morning?” Pippa shook her head. I recounted the events, she turned white. “I need the names of all the people who know my identity. It’s the only way I can protect them.”

“Or, you could give yourself up to those bastards,” she said.

“Is that what you want, Pippa?”

“I’ve got protection for now, we all do. You’ve caused a nightmare for anyone who’s met you. My guess is that if you were to die there’d be a collective sigh of relief.”

I was bewildered, I turned away from her to think. As soon as I’ve spoken with the President, then I can announce the real reason I was here. That should change her perspective.

“You’ll change your view, soon Pippa, trust me. But first I need the names.”

“After what’s happened do you think any of them will admit to having anything to do with you?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it? If Verminov finds out who knows my identity, they’re dead. He’ll extract the information and it won’t be pleasant, then they’re useless to him and he’ll get rid of them.”

“Who’s Verminov?”

“He a billionaire Russian, drug lord. He seems to be leading the search to find me. There’s a guy called Jerry Spiel who has a mole in the CIA. It’s just a matter of time.”

Pippa hesitated, then said she’d speak with someone. “Come and see me in an hour.”

Maggie was still in the suite when I returned, she had CNN on the TV. They were interviewing various colleagues of Vogel and Nolan. Along the bottom of the screen was a breaking news message noting the deaths of various prominent business men from America to Europe. I was being linked to the deaths. I watched with her for a while. After a few minutes the lead story moved to the deaths of the businessmen. No comments had yet been forthcoming from any part of government.

“You’re going to have to talk to the FBI, Dad. They know it was you.” She looked over her shoulder at me, fear very apparent across her face. “I’m not sure you’re winning the media war.”

“It’s early days, Maggie. As soon as I’ve told the President everything, I’m sure he’ll make a statement and things will change.”

“I hope so,” she muttered.

“Has there been anything about the number of rape cases?”

“Nothing while I’ve been watching.”

“Sally,” I called out. Sally appeared by the window, away from where Maggie was seated. “What’s being reported about the incidence of rape?”

“Not much, it’s too soon for the police to assemble the data. There was something saying certain police forces had received videos and they were following up with enquiries. There’s numerous rape web sites praising your warning.”

“Have they actually arrested anyone?”

“Twelve guys interviewed by the police have admitted having sex with women, all of them said it was consensual. Nine of the women raped agreed it was consensual.”

“Dad, most women don’t want the stigma of being a rape victim, you know that.”

“Jeez! I should have started with murder. Let’s do that Sally, can you get a note to Leland Price?”

“Sure.”

“Tell him to announce on the air that I’m sending videos of all murders to the relevant authorities starting today.”

“You’re keeping me busy, Jo-el,” replied Sally.

“Are you saying you can’t cope?”

“No, I think I can do it, but I’m nestling up to edge of my capacity, eventually something has to give.”

“Okay, I hear you.”

Five minutes later a breaking news item appeared on CNN about the murder videos.

“The police are going to be stretched to the limit, Dad.”

“Yea, well, tough.”

“I have to go back in tomorrow,” Maggie added. “Looks like you’ll be keeping me busy, too.”

“Sally, did Espinosa start closing his business?”

Sally grinned, “not only has he issued orders to shut everything down, you got a wire this morning confirming receipt of a hundred and sixty million into the bank I set up.”

“That should keep us in champagne for a while.”

“Dad, you can’t keep it?” Maggie looked astounded.

“No sweetie, I know, just a little joke.”

“What about Yerchenkov?”

“He went with Verminov to Israel,” answered Sally.

“I guess he’ll have to live like a mole if he wants to be able to wipe his own ass for the rest of his life. Let me know if he pokes his head above ground.”

“Problem, Jo-el. Sean messaged a friend on Facebook about fifteen minutes ago that he went to Washington DC for a day on Sunday. Nothing else. But I’m seeing texts asking a Samuel Sands to check out Sean. Sands is a gun-for-hire in LA.”

“Who’s asking?”

“A billionaire drug dealer called Mickey Gregorino, also in LA.”

“Is he working with Verminov?” I asked Sally, I was biting a nail.

“I don’t know for sure, I can’t find him, but he has a basement shelter in his house in West Hollywood. So, I wouldn’t bet against it.”

“Where’s Sands now?”

“He’s just leaving his apartment in Culver City, he’s about thirty minutes from Costa Mesa.”

“They must be chasing people all over the country! What do they do to ‘check people out’” I made quote marks in the air.

“Hang on, let me see,” said Sally.

“Dad, you need to warn Sean.” Maggie’s voice was raised.

“I know that, Maggie, but if I can get Sean to convince this Sands guy that he has nothing to do with me that would be good, right? They’d cross the name Murphy off the list.”

Maggie scratched her head. “But, you’ll have to explain all that to Sean in the next thirty minutes.”

“Way ahead of you, sweetie.”

Sally butted in. “It seems they are told to ask five questions. Why did you go to DC? Have you ever spoken to the CIA or FBI? Where does your father live? When did you last see your father? And, do you have any brothers of sisters?”

“Seems like the first question is the key. Find me a funeral in DC yesterday.”

“Sure.”

“What are you going to do, Dad?”

I smiled at Maggie, “I can’t stop these people trying to find me, Maggie, but I’m going to do my level best to make it as difficult as possible.”

“So, how?”

“I’m going to see Sean in about ten minutes, are you coming?”

Maggie switched off the TV and said, “Why not, I hear the weather down there is lovely this time of year,” but she looked scared.

“Sally, how much longer till Sands gets there?”

“Maybe eight minutes.”

“Show me the guy on my heads-up.”

Maggie was watching me cautiously, while checking her phone to see the time.

“What are you doing, Dad?”

“You’ll see, okay, let’s go.”

Sean was twenty-eight years old and working at an escrow company in Newport Beach. He lived in the lower rent district of Costa Mesa, sharing with another guy who was always travelling, so most of time Sean was alone. He had a girlfriend he’d found online but it wasn’t serious. He’d only known her for two months. He’d told me many times that the escrow business was not where he wanted to spend his life but he didn’t seem to be doing much about it.