4:11 hours
He
wanted to live a dual life and when he got his heart’s desire, he grabbed the
opportunity with both hands. One catered his basic needs and another fed his
passion which was his quest for the perfect murder. With a solve rate for
murders being under 15%, this indeed was the perfect place for him to hone his
craft. He had never failed on a task.
The
dual lives he lived were painful, for the joys were a few and far in between.
It had been quite a long time since he had been consumed by this fervor. His instincts
were intact. The call had fuelled the fire in him.
For
the first time, he felt sorry for his target. But then he always had to do what
he was asked to do. That was how he had earned his riches. He had to remain
invisible. A nanosecond of extra attention
and he might be entangled in the spindles of deceit he had spun. And he knew it
and that metaphor kindled memories-some old and the rest not so.
He had
sniped some of the richest businessmen and powerful politicians. He checked his
bank accounts. He had fourteen accounts in as many banks. The money had been
wired. That meant he had to get on with the task. He had very little time to
complete his task. He checked information regarding his first target.
A few minutes later he had a plan.
***
4:15 hours
The phone rang and Agnew was sure who
the caller was.
“Agnew. You have lost the plot.”
“Emanuel…?”
“Yes. Your plan would never work. I
know you and your friend Landau are trying to scare me out of business. No I
won’t buy it”
“Why are you so thick?”
“Better luck next time.”
Emanuel cut the call leaving Agnew
flabbergasted. It was not what he had expected but nothing he had not
anticipated. That meant Plan B would now come into force. He heard the door
open.
“Ah...Henry…I have a job for you…”
There was another faint thud.
***
4:30 hours
Landau was lost in thought. He was sure
that the old man was honest in issues pertaining to science. He was the one who
had helped United reach the zenith it had now attained. Agnew never wanted to be
remembered as the business man. But now the proposition he put forth was
amazing. All he asked was for more resources. Landau was never short of funds.
Besides, the time asked by Agnew was just a little more than a week. If he
succeeded, it meant trillions. More than that, what interested him was Plan B.
That involved Emanuel.
It looked as if Emanuel had something
that Agnew needed. No doubt it had something to do with Emanuel’s ties with
Area 51. If he did not relent, Agnew suggested Landau sold his stakes in United
and invests it in another company-one in which Agnew would have 45% stakes. And
when their technique was perfected, United would become another Enron. But then
Landau had to wait. He could not afford to be the laughing stock if the plan failed
and Emanuel became the emperor of Energy business. It was worth a gamble.
Unlike wile and vile, Agnew’s project motives were slightly hard to comprehend.
Nevertheless, Agnew had promised to make his plans clear in a little while.
“Sir, you said we have to reach Antwerp
by 5:45 pm, local time, sir”
“So?”
“Sorry sir. But we have to start now to reach
on time”
Landau decided to ponder over Agnew’s
issue a little later. He was always of the opinion that there was no better
place to get a nice idea than his Dassaut Falcon 2000. Nothing was more
inspiring than its posh interiors. Club seats
Buffalo Bill leather, Fig Cedar veneer with light Mahogany hardwood molding,
Milkweed ultra-leather headliner, lower sidewall beige silk and brown leather,
Satin Bronze plating. All this came for a little more than 25 million
dollars. He was not an advocate of luxury, but this was a necessity. He
travelled thousands of miles and a jet with a speed close to one mach was no
more than what he deserved.
Just as he was about to leave, another
attendant brought a small briefcase.
“Sir, this one was sent by Dr. Agnew”
No doubt it was details regarding the
new plan, Landau said to himself. He chose to go through it on his way to
Antwerp.
***
10.30 hrs(2 hours ago)
When Mike woke up and a swift look at
the clock told him it was half past ten, surely he was going to be late. Van
Guerin would be mad at him. But then the events of the previous night came
flooding. It was a dream he thought. A pathetic dream... He could only blame
his work load. He had gone 28 hours without sleep before he was asked to take
the day off. The day off became an off day as it had then gone from bad to
worse when Anne refused to take him seriously. He remembered finding solace in
the bar He could not remember how he had got home. He convinced himself he had
taken too much tequila. The television was running. It was a good looking
brunette who looked bewildered.
“The latest news coming from Nova
Scotia...The remains of the plane have been found out and no one is known to
survive the crash. That makes United Petrochemicals’ day even darker. Earlier,
we had reported that Mr. Emanuel, another of the highest echelon in U.P and
also a known member of the Government’s Space project had gone missing. He was
supposedly travelling from Ohio to an undisclosed destination. Now it is Mr.
Landau….”
“Holy shit”
Mike could not believe it. Two
influential men of a powerful conglomerate had disappeared.
“And this could just be the start. You
have shortened the time we have”
Mike was aghast to hear that voice. It
had not been a dream, after all.
His vision blurred. The tiredness of
the previous days combined with the odd aura in the apartment.
And he fainted, again.
She groaned.
***
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