A Dangerous Liaison Part Five (2 page)

Petra

I stared at the journal on Cooper’s desk. It was one of those expensive moleskin journals, bound in soft leather. It was extremely worn.

Holding my breath I picked up the book, opened it, and started reading. It
was
a journal. Cooper’s journal. The first thirty or forty pages were written by the teenage Cooper. The writing was full of typical teenage angst. There were lots of complaints about the world and how badly it had treated Cooper. He described how much he hated the cool kids and how he despised Alec because Alec was with me. The further I ploughed through, the more I realized how truly obsessed with me Cooper had been. But I didn’t have time to wade through Cooper’s subconscious. I started flicking through the journal, skipping pages. As the months and years went by the entries became sparser. The handwriting changed, became less adolescent, more confident and competent. The entries were more succinct and sometimes cryptic. Finally when I’d almost given up, I found what I was looking for.

I’m going to get rid of every trace of the project. And I’m going to make that son of a bitch Reader do it for me.

My blood went cold.

I turned over the next page. There was one more entry.

I’m going to blow up that damn lab.

The project’s lab – that was back in the United States, wasn’t it? But hadn’t I seen another entry? I flipped back through the journal before finding it at the bottom of a page of self-indulgent ranting. 

They’ve moved the project’s lab to keep it safe. It’s now under the American Embassy in Rome.
The sweat on my back went cold. At any one time there were maybe a hundred people in the embassy. Stuffing the photo, the newspaper cutting, and the journal in my pockets I sprinted out of Cooper’s office, along the corridor, and down the five flights of stairs to the ground floor, and out of the police station.  

The American embassy was on Vittorio Veneto. It was only a few blocks away but with the streets packed with cars it would be quicker to run. I bent over to catch my breath for a moment, then headed for the embassy.

Alec was innocent. He wasn’t the killer.

The thought kept circling around my mind as I ran through the narrow streets. It had been Cooper all along. But had Alec agreed to take a bomb into the American Embassy? No, I couldn’t believe that. Cooper must have sold him some lie. I just had to tell Alec the truth before it was too late.

***

“Alec, stop.”

Alec froze at the top of a long flight of stone steps leading to the embassy’s entrance. He was holding a leather attaché case in his right hand.   

“Turn around.”

The fingers of Alec’s hand clenching the attaché case flashed white, but he turned around slowly.  Emotions battled for supremacy on his face. He raised his left hand, palm up, towards me.

“Stay back, Petra.”

I stopped not because of what he’d said but because of the extremity in his voice.

“Don’t come any closer.” 

I stayed where I was, my eyes fixed on the attaché case. The bomb had to be in there. After a long moment I met Alec’s gaze. 
Did he know?
I tried to push the thought away but it kept coming back. Did Alec know he was carrying a bomb into the American Embassy? I’d seen enough evidence to prove that Cooper and his need for revenge were at the root of all this. But if Alec was involved as well it would break my heart.

“Petra, stop!” shouted Alec, his voice tight.

Without realizing I’d taken a few steps toward Alec. I stopped again when I heard his voice. 

“Alec, there’s a bomb in that case,” I repeated, watching his face for any sign that he already knew. “If you go into the embassy you’ll kill scores of people.”

He shook his head.

“Petra, you’ve got it all wrong. You’re the one who’s going to die.”

“I’m what?”

I didn’t have time for this craziness.  

I took another step towards Alec.

What was I going to do if he was involved?

“Alec, you’ve got to listen to me. I don’t know what Cooper’s told you, but there
is
a bomb in that case. And if you take it into the embassy, people
will
die.”

“No!” He shook his head again, and held up his hand toward me.

“Stop! Petra. Please stay where you are.”

Reflexively I stopped again. What was he so scared of? I’d never seen him like this before. And from what I knew of Alec, he wasn’t scared for himself.

“Petra, you have a device in your heart.  Cooper put it inside you and he has the activation code. If he uses it your heart will stop.”

I felt my forehead screw up. What was this bullshit?

“Alec, I know about Cooper. I know he was behind all the killings. I know about his father. He wants revenge, but you can’t let him have it.”

“Petra, it’s the truth. Cooper might be watching now. If I don’t do what he’s asked he’ll activate the defibrillator and you’ll die. You have to go. Leave me to do what I have to.”

“Alec. I can’t let you go into the embassy with that case.”

His eyes glazed for a minute, then he looked back at me.

“I know Cooper hates me for killing his father. But he’s not a mass murderer. In his own way he’s a patriot. He wouldn’t blow up the U.S. Embassy.” 

Before I could say anything Alec turned his back on me.

I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the back of Alec’s head. It was the second time I’d pulled a gun on him. Only this time there was a much higher chance that I’d have to use it. 

“Alec, the program was never closed,” I said to his back. “They just moved it. Here to Rome. The U.S. Government is still running the program – from the American Embassy. Cooper isn’t trying to kill innocent civilians, random citizens, or politicians. He’s killing people involved with the project. In other words, he’s behaving in a completely consistent way. This is real, Alec. If you walk through the door with that case you’ll be doing Cooper’s work for him.”

He ducked his head for a moment, then walked into the embassy.

“Alec, if you don’t stop I’ll shoot.”

Alec seemed to pause again for a fraction of a second. 

I held my gun pointing at his back until he disappeared into the building.

Alec

I walked straight through the embassy and out the back into one of central Rome’s multitude of narrow alleys – then jerked my head left and right. The street was packed with tourists and commuters on their way home. I watched them pass me one by one. Businessmen, tourists, mothers with young kids, all wrapped up in their own worlds. Looking at them I felt as if I knew how they would react to the devastation a bomb would cause. Of course anyone would react badly to something like that, but that’s not what I was sensing.

“That’s not what I mean,” I murmured.

I shook my head, confused for a second. What did I mean? I watched a middle-aged man in a dark suit walking towards me. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. He was on his way home and late for a date with his wife. It was her birthday. He’d been delayed in a meeting.

Oh, Jesus. No.

It was back. Until a few hours ago I hadn’t known it was possible to see inside another person’s mind. Now it seemed I couldn’t help doing it. But the last thing I needed was to go poking around inside people’s heads.

I had to focus on the task at hand.

I glanced down at the battered attaché case in my right hand. Petra had told me the truth. Cooper had put a bomb in this case. He’d set me up. And I had no idea when it was going to blow, or how destructive it would be. What the hell was I going to do?

I could try to deactivate it, but I didn’t rate my chances high. The bomb squad was something I’d never gotten involved with in the SAS. I had some basic knowledge, but was probably more likely to blow myself, and anyone near me, to pieces rather than defuse it. No, my only option was to find somewhere I could safely detonate the bomb. I needed a place where an explosion wouldn’t cause any casualties. Somewhere it could be contained. And it had to be close.  Someone jostled me as they walked by. I looked up and down the crowded street.

In the middle of Rome? – Who was I kidding? There wasn’t anywhere safe. At rush hour each square mile of central Rome contained two thousand people.

I looked around at the bustling crowds for a moment, then turned my head up to the sky. The dome of St. Peter’s loomed over me. I needed somewhere safe, somewhere underground, where an explosion would cause the minimum number of casualties.

I had it.

I checked my watch. It was 4:45. I had forty-five minutes before Cooper set off that device in Petra’s heart. I had to deal with this damn bomb and find Petra before then. The only problem was, I had no idea how I would stop Cooper from activating the defibrillator and killing her.

Covered in a sheen of cold sweat, I ran into to the crowd pushing people out of my way, heading towards the cathedral. I didn’t want to damage years of heritage but that was better than killing hundreds of people. Anyway, if my plan worked no one would get hurt and St. Peter’s would remain intact – mostly.

***

A few minutes later I was standing in the enormous square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was crowded with hundreds of tourists milling around. The dome of the Basilica stretched high up into the sky above me. It looked impossibly strong, and had stood in the center of Vatican City for more than 500 years. I sincerely hoped I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it down.

Gripping the attaché case tight in my hand, I sprinted across the square towards the Cathedral’s main entrance. Inside, the church was dark and cool. Fifty or sixty people were scattered around sitting on pews or kneeling and praying.

I let out a small breath. It could have been worse.

“Everyone get out. I’ve got a bomb,” I said, waving the attaché case in the air.

Within seconds the church was empty. I ran toward the altar. About halfway, I turned off to the right and went through a small door set back from the wall. The sign above it said catacombs.

I slid through the door, pushing it closed behind me and shoving down the heavy metal bar that locked it. Then I climbed down the winding stone staircase into a dank underground world and looked around. A notice on the wall said the catacombs had been closed to the public two hours ago.

Perfect
.

I put the attaché case on the stone floor and knelt down in front of it. The lighting down here wasn’t great – just a few dim bulbs attached to the wall at intervals. Probably something to do with conserving the crypts. They would have to do.

Inside, my stomach was a knot of panic I was barely keeping under control. I couldn’t get Petra’s face out of my mind. By not delivering the case as Cooper had asked I had risked her life.

I checked my watch. 5 p.m. Petra had just thirty minutes until Cooper activated the device in her heart. I gulped. I’d done my best to get everyone clear – but if the bomb went off there would still be a lot of damage to St. Peter’s, and some people would die.

I ducked my head, rubbing my hand over my face.

Dammit!

I had to at least try to defuse it. I’d give it ten minutes then go find Petra. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then clicked the locks on the front of the case open and lifted up the lid. I felt my eyes widen. Inside was a silver box about ten inches square, surrounded by a mass of wires. On top of the box was a digital clock. It read 29:29 and was counting down as I watched.

I hadn’t been completely sure until now. But Petra had been right. That son of a bitch Cooper had really done it.

I looked over the bomb. I had hoped it might have been a simple device but one glance told me it wasn’t. There were far too many wires – most of them were duds, booby-trapped to set the bomb off if they were cut.

A bead of sweat hit the silver case.

Shit
.

I reached over and searched through the wires, tracing them from the box to the switch – looking for the detonator wire. After a few moments I found the most likely candidate. I held the wire between my index finger and thumb, knowing if I was wrong I’d blow myself to kingdom come. Then I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Leatherman knife, flicked the blade out, and held it against the wire.

Just get on with it, Reader
,
I told myself.

Abruptly I drew the blade back across the cable, cutting through the plastic insulation, until I could see the copper inside. 

Alec!

I stopped cutting – my hand holding the Leatherman was shaking slightly.  The blade was deep in the copper cable. A bundle of frayed ends were standing up and only about half of the cable remained intact.

I’d heard it in my mind. It was Petra. She was calling me. I hadn’t realized my mind-reading ability had such a range. It must have been half a mile from St. Peter’s to the embassy.

I’m in St. Peter’s. Alec, where are you?

The bottom fell out of my world. Petra was here.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I stared at the wire in my hand, hardly noticing the Leatherman hitting the stone floor with a dull ring. I glanced at the clock on top of the silver case. It said 24 minutes, 59 seconds, and counting.

No. It can’t end like this.

I sprung up and raced for the door – my heart thumping like a steam engine – pulled the heavy bar to one side, yanked open the door, and ran out into the cathedral. Petra was standing in front of the altar.

“Petra.”

She spun around, and rushed toward me. She stopped a few feet away. Our eyes locked.

“Alec, what are you doing here?”

I clenched my jaw. We didn’t have time for this but I owed her an explanation.

“Petra, you were right about Cooper. He did put a bomb in the attaché case.”

Her shoulders relaxed a little. Maybe she was relieved that I hadn’t taken the case into the embassy, or maybe she was just happy to know that I hadn’t been working with Cooper. Then she frowned.

“Alec, why have you brought it here?”

“Petra, we really don’t have time for this. Cooper is going to call the number that activates the device in your heart at 5:30 p.m. We need to find some way of blocking the signal.”

“I need to know,” she said, ignoring me.

I sighed and spoke quickly.

“The bomb is in the catacombs. It’s the only place I could think to bring it. At least down there most of the explosion should be contained. They’ll be casualties, but not as many as an explosion above ground in the center of Rome. Now we need to get you out of here before it’s too late.”

***

Why don’t you just die, Reader?

I flinched. I’d heard the words as clear as a bell in my head – but they weren’t my thoughts. They were someone else’s. Someone angry and frightened, and bitter. Someone who wanted revenge badly, and felt he was about to get it at last.

Cooper.

I jerked my head toward the entrance – where the thoughts seemed to be coming from.

“Cooper, come out.”

“What are you doing, Alec?” said Petra.

I didn’t answer her. Sensing Cooper’s thoughts had given me an idea, and I didn’t want to lose him. Cooper’s mind had gone quiet – at least he had tried to make it quiet – but that was virtually impossible. I could still hear the mumble of automatic background thoughts.

He was somewhere in the cathedral. I scanned left and right trying to pin the son of a bitch down.

“I know you’re there, Cooper, come out now.”

“What the hell are you doing? Alec. You said we didn’t have time to hang around.”

Petra was right – the clock was ticking on the bomb in the crypt, and that damn device in her heart – but I had to find Cooper. It might be my only chance of saving her.

“Cooper, show yourself.” My voice echoed in the cavernous cathedral.

Cooper appeared from behind a pillar about twenty yards away and walked slowly toward us. He had an automatic pistol in his hand.

“I knew you’d never keep your side of the bargain, Reader.”

“You tried to plant a bomb in the American embassy,” said Petra. 

Cooper flicked a glance at her.

“I had my reasons.”

“I know all about your reasons, but however much you were hurt it doesn’t justify mass murder.”

Cooper snarled.

“I’m just balancing the scales, Petra.”

Cooper pushed his mouth into a wide grin.

“I just wanted to see your faces one last time before you’re both blown to pieces.”

I blew out a breath. I had to play this right. I decided to try the direct approach first.

“Okay, Cooper, you win,” I said, stepping forward, pushing Petra behind me, and spreading my arms open. “You’ve got your revenge. But there’s no need to hurt Petra.”

Cooper’s smile disappeared.  “What are you talking about, Reader? You were supposed to deliver that case to the embassy. Not to Saint fucking Peters.”

“But what you really want is me, isn’t it?”

“Don’t flatter yourself…”

“Look, the bomb is in the crypt. It’s going to go off in about twenty minutes. I’ll stay and…”

“No!” screamed Petra, twisting around and grabbing my arm. “You can’t.”

I held her wrist and pulled her close, not taking my eyes from Cooper’s.

“I’ll stay. When the bomb goes off I will be killed. You’ll get what you want. Your father will have been avenged…”

“Alec, you can’t.”

I squeezed Petra’s wrist hard. “Petra, I have to do it. It’s the only way.”

Cooper smiled thinly, and raised his gun.

“I don’t see that you’re in a position to bargain.”  

Then a rush of memories from Cooper’s mind hit mine. It was an information dump – thoughts, feelings, and images one after another from Cooper’s past. Among all the images I saw one of Cooper, Petra, and me together as teens. He had his arm held awkwardly around her shoulders.

“Stop. I didn’t give you permission.”

A shiver went down my spine, and involuntarily I took a step back. I looked away.  I’d heard those words before. It was unnerving that he would choose exactly the same phrase as his father had. Did I have the right to do this again? I’d already killed Robert Haslem – was I going to kill Billy as well?

But I already had what I needed. I pulled out of his mind. Cooper staggered. His face was ashen.

“Take Petra, and when you get out of here get the defibrillator removed,” I said, gently pushing her toward him. “If you do I won’t resist. I won’t hurt you. I stay here until the bomb detonates.”

Of course I had no way of knowing that Cooper would stick to his side of the bargain once he was out of danger, but I was banking on him being satisfied with my death, and leaving Petra be.

Cooper’s lip quivered. He looked twenty years older.

“You can’t order me around, you son of a bitch.”

“I’m not ordering – I’m asking,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “There’s no need to hurt Petra. This is a win-win situation for you. You get rid of me and you get to keep her.”