Blind Justice. Don Pendleton
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all else was Kendal’s driving force, the one thing that mattered to him. Greed. Plain and simple. No amount of financial success was ever enough. He needed more. Much more. Because immense wealth also brought its own agenda. Wealth begat power, and limitless power was Kendal’s desire. Power, control, the narcotic that demanded endless feeding. He had reached that stage where the craving had become almost self-sustaining. But Kendal would never consciously admit, even to himself, that his need was unstoppable.
And after all this hard work, it frustrated him that a lowly Seattle cop was making an attempt to thwart him.
“This Seattle cop, he’s still causing us problems?” he asked. He was like a headmaster interrogating a failing pupil. “Why hasn’t he been dealt with?”
“He’s disappeared.”
Kendal cleared his throat. “Disappeared? Penn and Teller style, in a puff of smoke? Levitated into an alien saucer?”
Eddie Bishop, the man facing Kendal across the senator’s expansive desk, looked uncomfortable. In fact, he was uncomfortable. Confronting Kendal with bad news was never a pleasant experience. Kendal did not like to be delivered bad news. It meant someone was not doing his job right. If you took the senator’s money you damn well better earn it.
“He’s just dropped out of sight.”
“What about the wife and kid? They magically vanished, too?”
Bishop winced inwardly. At that moment he was wishing he could drop out of sight.
“Logan must have got to her before our people. She’s gone, as well. But we’re working on it.”
“Right. Working on it. That’s a great comfort to me.” Kendal slammed his clenched fist down on the desk, his handsome face flushing with anger. Objects on the desk jumped in the air. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this crap. You understand what’s riding on this? I’ll fucking tell you. The whole goddam operation is riding on this. If that white-knight cop gets someone to listen to him and we get investigated, we all go down the crapper—Koretski included. And the last thing we want is Maxim Koretski pissed off. You think I’m a bastard—think on.”
“Senator, we’re doing our…”
“Do not say your best, because if you were, Logan would be down in my basement begging for a bullet in the back of his skull. If you were doing your best, his wife and kid would be strung up in front of him dripping blood on the floor. Now, is that what’s happening?”
“No, sir.”
“At least we agree on that. So get off your butt and call your people. Make them understand that money and people are not a problem. Use those things to get me results. I want Seattle searched top to bottom. Use your street informers. Dig that bastard out of whatever hole he’s crawled into and get that information from him before he uses it. Close the city down for him. Shut off communication. I want you to beg, borrow, blackmail everyone you can think of. You understand, Bishop? Ray Logan doesn’t know it yet, but he’s already a dead man.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
As Bishop made for the door Kendal said, “Tell Stone I want to speak to him as soon as he arrives.”
Bishop experienced an involuntary shiver at the name. If Kendal was sending for Vigo Stone then someone was in major trouble. Kendal only used Stone when he had a special assignment that needed handling. Bishop hoped his name didn’t come up in the conversation.
Chapter 5
His name was Vigo Stone. He worked for Senator Tyrone Kendal. His job demanded he be available 24/7. Kendal had a direct cell-phone line to the man if they were not in hailing distance of each other—which happened from time to time when Stone was working a special assignment. Those around Kendal viewed Stone with caution. The man was not the kind who would be termed sociable. He displayed a remoteness that kept men at a distance and females feeling uneasy. None of that had the slightest effect on Stone. He worked for the senator, but not for his official position.
Stone was around forty. A man of medium height, lean and with the presence of a prowling big cat. His quiet demeanor matched his looks. A hollow-cheeked face with a slim, slightly hooked nose and wide, thin lips. His eyes never rested. They moved constantly, seeing everything, probing, curious. His smooth skull was shaved, the skin showing a faint sheen. He dressed well. Always in a suit, tie and immaculate shirt.
He entered Kendal’s office and sat facing the senator’s desk. No words were exchanged until Stone had fully read the slim file Kendal passed to him.
“I take it there has been no success finding Logan? Or his wife and brat?”
“Nothing. Bishop and his people have found nothing.”
“Bishop? The man’s a dinosaur. He has no idea.”
“Which is why I want you to handle this. Do what you do best, Vigo. You take charge. Run it however you damn well want. Bishop will take orders from you directly. Hire who you need. Pay off who you want. I want this to go away before it bites us all in the ass. I’ll do what I can to keep Koretski at arm’s length.”
“Koretski has dealt himself in?”
“He has a vested interest. He is my partner in this venture. Hell, more than a partner. If Logan’s information falls into the wrong hands we’re all going down the toilet, Vigo. And there are a lot of important people in the mix. So we need to suppress anything that damn cop has dredged up.”
“You know how I work, Senator. No interference. No directives. I run my own show.”
Kendal smiled. “Vigo, I don’t need reminding, and I have no worries on how you do your job. Never have in the past, so why should things be different this time? You will have access to the open-ended account as usual and we will settle up when it’s all over.”
“Is there any current information not in the file?”
“Our pet cop, Captain Fitch, informed me his two bloodhounds, Brenner and Dunn, passed along something that might be useful.”
“Brenner and Dunn—the pair that let Logan run?”
“Not their finest hour,” Kendal said.
“I’m surprised they can stand up and walk without the need of an instruction book. So what was their information?”
“One of the cops in the squad is a close friend of Logan. He’s also Logan’s partner. Name of Marty Keegan. Dunn and Brenner have a feeling he’s been in contact. Couple of times he’s taken cell-phone calls and been cagey about anyone listening in. Could be nothing, but on the other hand maybe not.”
“It’s a start,” Stone said. “I’ll need details. Keegan’s home address. Anything that might help.”
Kendal nodded. “No problem,” he said. “Give it a half hour and I’ll have all there is to know about Lieutenant Marty Keegan.”
“Good.” Stone stood, adjusting his jacket. “I’ll need a vehicle.”
Kendal picked up the internal phone. He spoke to one of his assistants. “Bring it around to the front in half an hour,” he said finally. He nodded at Stone. “Fixed. Anything else?”
“I’ll wait for the Keegan information in the library.”
“You want tea?” Kendal asked.
“Why not,” Stone said and left the office.
Kendal picked up the phone again and instructed refreshments be sent to Stone. The man only ever drank tea. He never touched coffee or alcohol. Come to think of it, Kendal mused, the man didn’t smoke, rarely smiled and only spoke when it really mattered. He wondered how Stone related to women and sex. What the hell, Kendal decided. The man was good at his job. That was all he was concerned about.
TWO HOURS