The Scorpion's Tale (38 page)

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Steven awoke hours before dawn with a
terrible hangover. The church was empty, with no sign of Father
Mateusse, Father Padron, or Carmen. As Steven struggled to reach
the bus stop, he was demoralized and tired of the futility of this
pursuit. Once again, the Scorpion had been within his reach and
eluded him. His confidence was shattered and he realized the
Scorpion had set rules to a game Steven could not understand. It
was clear to him now that the Scorpion had arranged his delayed
stay in Tena, but why? He desperately needed to collect his
thoughts and leave this place. Ten minutes later, the first bus to
Quito stopped for the sole passenger leaving Archidona.

Steven had unsuccessfully tried reaching Nick
numerous times. For his final stay in the city, Steven opted for a
more luxurious hotel. After the last few days, he felt he deserved
some extra comfort and spent some of Alberto’s money. He checked
into the Marriott
–
one of the largest hotels in
Quito
–
and placed his bags in his room and went to the
hotel’s crowded restaurant for a late breakfast.

He passed by the table of a lone diner, and
noticed the waitress was serving the man a bowl of oatmeal topped
with a poached egg. The combination struck him as so odd that he
held his eyes on the man for several seconds. As Steven found an
empty table, he heard the man thank the waitress and request more
coffee in perfect English. The voice was familiar, and he
discreetly turned to catch a glimpse of the man. Trapped in the
recesses of his mind was something strangely recognizable about
him, and Steven scanned his memory like a facial recognition
machine. Steven thought he was on the tall side, but couldn’t be
sure since he was seated. He had long sideburns and dark brown
hair, and was dressed conservatively. Steven didn’t know that this
man had been following him, and that he had chosen his table and
seat for the view it had of the hotel’s elevators.

Steven closed his eyes and recalled the hiker
on the trail, mentally comparing both faces. Although the facial
features were different, there was a similarity in the slight
elongation of their faces. He tried to recall as much detail as
possible about the priest’s face. Although most of his memory was
distorted from the hallucinogenic, the man who was eating oatmeal
resembled Mateuse. Steven took a sip of coffee and considered his
options. Why would he be following Steven? Hadn’t he accomplished
everything he had intended last night? Steven had no weapon and
could neither kill the Scorpion nor defend himself if he were
attacked. Everyone who knew the Scorpion was puzzled by his recent
erratic behavior and there was no way to predict how he might
react. If this was indeed James, what were the chances he would
admit his identity to Steven? If he was wrong, he would only make a
fool of himself with a perfect stranger, a small risk he was
willing to take. He wasn’t going back into the mountains to search
for the illusive Pierre Mateuse, wherever he might be. He believed
that the priest and the Scorpion were the same person and he was
willing to bet his life on it. He did not believe James had assumed
the identity of the priest for the convenience of having a
one-sided conversation with Steven. Steven stood and walked over to
the man’s table.

The man nonchalantly looked up from his
newspaper and smiled at Steven. “May I help you, Sir?” There was no
trace of recognition.

Steven returned the smile. “I was wondering
if I might join you for breakfast?” You see, I’m visiting this city
and I don’t know a soul. I couldn’t help overhearing you speak
English. I’m rather homesick and could use the company.” Steven
confidently sat down in the chair before the man responded.

“I don’t recall granting your request to dine
with me,” the man said, with an amused expression on his face. “It
is rather presumptuous and rude to sit down when no invitation has
been extended.”

“Yes, normally I would agree. But I feel this
inexplicable connection to you, as if we’ve already met.”

The man took a sip of his coffee, his eyes
locked on Steven’s. Steven watched every movement, trying to detect
any change in his demeanor. He betrayed neither the slightest
emotion nor recognition, and Steven was beginning to believe he had
made a mistake.

“All right, then,” he answered. “I am also
alone in this city. Please join me.”

“Thank you.”

The stranger politely extended his hand
across the table to Steven. “My name is Bryce Cardiff. I’m an
architect from Wales.”

“I’m Steven Capresi from New York. I’m
actually here on vacation and returning to New York.”

The man looked puzzled. “Quito is quite off
the beaten track. What brought you here? Do not take offense; the
city is lovely. But if I were going on vacation, Quito would not be
on my list, unless perhaps, I was intending to visit Machu Picchu
in Peru.”

“I’m not much of a traveler and don’t get
away often. One of my friends recommended this city and so here I
am.”

The two men regarded each other as the
waitress brought over Steven’s breakfast. Steven’s new dining
companion ate another spoonful of oatmeal.

“That’s the strangest breakfast I’ve ever
seen!” Steven said. “Who would think to put an egg on top of
oatmeal?”

The stranger did not reply and Steven took a
bite of his omelet. Steven was beginning to lose confidence that
this was the Scorpion, just as the man reached for the cream.

“Excuse my reach,” he said.

As he extended his arm, his shirt pulled back
just enough for a glimpse of his watch, revealing a jade face with
black Roman numerals. The priest! Steven laughed aloud, knowing he
had his man. He was, of course, completely oblivious to the fact
that the Scorpion had planned this encounter as part of his sick
game.

“What’s so amusing?” the man asked.

“You.”

“I’m amusing you?” the man responded,
slightly offended.

“I was admiring your watch. It’s beautiful;
I’ve never seen one quite like it.”

For the first time in their conversation
Steven detected the slightest trace of a reaction on his
companion’s face. He simply nodded politely, refraining from
volunteering any information about his watch.

“Actually, I stand corrected,” Steven added,
suddenly becoming serious. “I have seen that watch before, but it
was on the wrist of a priest named Pierre Mateuse. Does that name
mean anything to you?”

The man shrugged as he finished the last of
his oatmeal. “No. I cannot say the name means anything to me.”

Steven leaned closer. “Then I have only one
question to ask you. Why did you kill my wife and my daughters,
James?”

The man feigned astonishment, but Steven knew
he’d hit the bulls-eye this time.

“Do you always strike-up conversations like
this with strangers?”

Steven shook his head very deliberately, his
eyes locked on his breakfast companion. “Only with you, James. Or
should I call you ‘the Scorpion’? You see, while you have been
learning about me, I have been learning about you. Veeksburn gave
me an excellent description of your unusual tan lines created by
your Roman collar and your ring. At first, I thought the
information was useless and that I would never be able to identify
you. But Joaquin told me to stay the course. He told me that no
information is unusable, no matter how trivial. And here I am,
discovering for myself that you have overestimated your own
abilities. When you drugged me, I could barely see or speak, but I
clearly saw your watch in the instant it was exposed, as you gave
me a second mug of your toxin. I’ve been fascinated with
wristwatches since my childhood, which is something you could never
have known. My father was a watch collector and he left me many
watches that I still cherish. That’s why I was so impressed with
your watch. It was a freak detail no one else would have
remembered. But I did and it was the clue that confirmed your
identity. I’ve come halfway around the world to kill you. You’ve
had many opportunities to kill me, but you haven’t. I ask you
again, James: Why did you kill my family?”

The man looked firmly into Steven’s eyes and
a thin smile slowly formed on his face. He sat back comfortably in
his chair.

“You don’t have to worry about me killing you
here,” Steven continued. “I doubt I would be fast or efficient
enough to kill you with a butter knife. I know you’re armed and
could kill me right now, but I don’t believe that is the ending you
envisioned.”

The man laughed heartily. “You are truly an
amazing man, Steven Capresi. I underestimated you. You are the only
person who has ever identified me. I am very impressed. You are
remarkably perceptive, and you are truly your father’s son! He
would be proud of you, and yes, I knew about your father’s passion
for watches!”

“My father?” Steven asked, caught completely
off guard.

“Surprised? Yes. I knew him, and knew him
well,” James replied. “But we will talk about your father later.
For now, let us discuss your wife and children. That is why you
have chased me around the world.”

“Go ahead,” Steven said, still fixated upon
the mention of his father. “I’m not the one who needs to explain
myself.”

“I am truly surprised to see how your hatred
has diminished. A few weeks ago you would never have been able to
sit across the table and break bread with me. You would have tried
a witless act and ended up dead.”

“I’m a different man today.”

“As I hoped; you are a wiser man and a more
skilled hunter now. I see it in your eyes.”

“Maybe, but we’re not finished yet.”

“I did not intend to kill your family. My
assignment was to kill your friend and his wife. I did not know
until that day your family was visiting.”

“You, the great Scorpion, didn’t know? You
expect me to believe that?”

“Unfortunately for both of us, I was
careless. I incorrectly assumed your wife and child were not there
because her van was not present. I later learned that she had
dropped it off at a nearby garage.”

Steven remained silent, raging against the
man before him and the heartlessness of fate.

“Sometimes one mistake can change a life,”
the Scorpion added. “Your wife and daughter must have been sleeping
in the guest room. After I completed my assignment, I was making my
way out of the house. Your wife was coming back from the kitchen
with a glass of water. She startled me and I was taken off guard. I
had no time to reflect. I simply reacted and instinctively fired
the fatal shot. I immediately heard a noise behind me and fired
again. It was your daughter. I sat on the floor and wanted to hold
her in my arms. At that moment, I would have gladly traded my life
for theirs, but there was nothing I could do. They haunt me every
night as I see their faces in my nightmares. I was even willing to
risk contaminating the scene by giving last rites to them, but I
could find no oil within the house for the sacrament.”

Steven looked away. He couldn’t say anything.
He wiped away his freely flowing tears with his napkin.

“Where do we go from here?” James asked.

“I still intend to kill you,” Steven
answered, trying to avoid eye contact. “I don’t believe a small,
pregnant woman could completely overwhelm the great
‘Scorpion’”.

“I anticipated you would have doubts,” the
Scorpion replied, leaning in closely toward Steven. “Trust me. You
will believe.”

“Tell me about my father,” Steven
demanded.

“I knew your father as Tomasso Capresiano.
His friends called him T.C.”

“Were you his friend?”

“Yes, his closest friend. There is nothing we
wouldn’t have done for each other.”

“Do you know my mother?”

“No. She came at a later time in your
father’s life, after he and I parted ways.”

“Was my father in the food business?”

“No.”

Steven looked directly into the Scorpion’s
eyes. “Do I want to know about my father?”

“That is up to you, but some things are
better left alone.”

“Nothing is better left alone. Was my father
an assassin? A paid killer?”

“Yes.”

“How did my father die?”

“He was murdered.”

“Was there a contract on my father’s
life?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No. I was originally offered the contract,
which I refused.”

“If you didn’t kill him, who did?”

“Why is that important?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to
you
!” Steven bellowed, attracting the attention of other
customers. “Tell me about the killer!” Steven commanded, lowering
his voice.

“You have already met your father’s
killer.”

“What? Who killed my father?”

“Pablo Munoz.”

“That can’t be true!”

“You don’t have to take my word for it, but
it is the truth.”

“Who ordered the contract on my father?”

“Sometimes what you do not know cannot hurt
you.”

“Stop playing with me! I need to know!”

“Then you will have to hear it from someone
else, because I will not tell you.”

“What kind of bullshit is this?” Steven
stammered, raising his voice and again attracting the attention of
other diners.

“All in good time,” the Scorpion
answered.

“Good time? Now is the time! Do you know what
I think? I don’t believe you even knew my father, and this is
another one of your elaborate traps!”

James nodded his head sympathetically. “I
understand your feelings but I want to show you something. I’m
going to reach into my pocket, very slowly, to retrieve my wallet.
I am not reaching for a weapon, I assure you. May I proceed?”

Steven nodded, intently watching every move
James made as he withdrew his wallet, opened it, and removed a
photograph that he handed to Steven. Steven stared at the
photograph. It was a picture of three men standing together dressed
in tuxedos. The man in the middle had his arms draped around the
shoulders of the other two.