The Hunt (Mike Greystone, Book 1) (15 page)

29.

Leo Vermin woke
up in the basement of our office. We’d strapped him to a chair for comfort and security. Ours, not his. I thought it might be worthwhile asking him a few questions before handing him over to Ivanov, who would no doubt conduct a much more in-depth interrogation.

He was waking up slowly. He lifted his head and opened his eyes, one by one. He seemed to be surprised, no doubt about it. Thousands of thoughts were running through his head, but one seemed to dominate: “What the fuck am I doing here?” He actually followed up on this theme and asked, once he’d regained a reasonable amount of consciousness.

"What the fuck am I doing here? Who the fuck are you?"

I wasn't surprised at the question. I didn't bother to answer, but asked instead,

"Where the fuck is Ron Morgenthal?"

There was a silence for a moment.

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't really matter. What matters is what’s going to happen to you." I was trying to be honest about the situation.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't been very grateful to Mr. Ivanov," I explained. "He's very keen to talk to you. In private."

"Fuck," he muttered.

It suddenly started to come together for him.

"No, don't do that, please," he tried to appeal to our consciences. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"You see, I need to find Ron Morgenthal. Ivanov knows where he is or how to find him. Doing him a favor, that is handing you over, would convince him to give me Morgenthal, I hope. I have no choice, really. Nothing personal."

"Don't do that, he'll kill me, I have a wife and two children!" he pleaded.

"Don't bullshit me, you're single and you have no children."

"I meant I want to get married and have children before I die," he was clutching at every straw.

I laughed. "Don't be funny. Your only chance is to tell me where Ron Morgenthal is."

Silence.

"You’re not giving me too many options. However, I want to give you one more chance."

"I don't know where he is," was his answer. Tears were rolling down his cheeks.

I turned to Maya: "Maya, is it ready yet?"

"It's ready," she answered and brought out a little handheld gadget.

"I know Morgenthal is quite a formidable person. You might be afraid of him more than you are of Ivanov. I want to check that first."

He looked at Maya and then me with questioning eyes.

"See, this little thing is a steam cleaner. It's not very powerful, just a normal household device. It boils water and shoots out steam. It's not super-hot, it's just a decent 250 degrees Fahrenheit."

I waited for the impact, but he didn't seem to grasp the significance of my words yet.

"Even though it's not an industrial steamer, it's quite painful when applied to bare skin."

He finally realized what we were up to.

"You wouldn't do that?" he asked with some hope in the tone of his voice.

"You're right, I wouldn't. My associate will operate the device."

"I don't know where he is, I don't know Morgenthal. I heard about him once or twice, but never even met him," he started panicking. It seems we’d finally got some traction. I doubted he knew anything more, but it was worth trying.

"I believe you, you don't need to get agitated. I just want to make sure you’re telling the truth."

He was sitting on a chair. The seat of the chair was made of metal mesh. Which was very convenient for us. We pulled down his pants and underwear, not without resistance, and tilted the chair forward, with Vermin strapped to it.

"Maya, please," I motioned her to commence.

She was holding the steam cleaner. It looked a little like an old-fashioned kettle, but was made of plastic with a metal high-pressure container and heater inside. It also featured a handle for convenient operation and an elongated nozzle to spray the steam.

Maya pressed a button to test it out and was satisfied.

She put the nozzle two inches from his ass and pressed the button for a few seconds.

He shrieked in pain, crying, "I don't fucking know him. I'm telling the truth!"

"We believe you, just a few more tries," I said, trying to calm him down.

Maya pressed the button for five seconds. His cries were irritating, but it was a necessary evil.

"Try not to fry his balls, he wants to have a wife and children," I said.

"I'm doing my best," Maya answered.

This time she pressed the button for six seconds. I assure you, it was very hot. Imagine sitting with your bare ass on a red-hot metal kettle for six seconds. The flesh on your buttocks is in fact quite sensitive. Vermin's rear quarters were starting to turn red already. He wiggled and twisted, screaming, but it was of no avail. He was securely fastened to the chair, which I was holding firmly in place.

Maya paused for a while and pressed the steam button for seven seconds.

"I don't know anything!" he was shouting in pain. I started to believe him.

Maya applied the steam a few more times until she reached a respectable time of eleven seconds in a single go, taking short breaks between applications to let the pain soak into his mind, but unfortunately no response about Morgenthal’s whereabouts was forthcoming, so we were positive he didn't know anything.

"Okay, man, you don't seem to know anything, you're free to go," I said,

"Thank you, are you really going to release me?" he asked with a tinge of hope in his voice.

"I mean free to go to Ivanov. We'll get you there shortly," I shattered his hopes.

He didn't respond.

"Martin, need a meeting with Igor Ivanov first thing tomorrow morning. We've captured Leo Vermin. Hopefully it'll be enough for Ivanov to put us on Morgenthal's trail."

"Ten o’clock?" Martin asked.

"Yeah, should be fine."

"You're aware Leo Vermin is only small fry?"

"I am. We'll see."

"Morgenthal is far more valuable that Vermin, I’m not sure if Ivanov will like such a deal."

"I know, it won't be easy, but it’s a good starting point. I don't have any other options really."

On the way home, I got a text from Martin that Ivanov would see me the next day at ten in the morning. After a long day chasing our target I wanted to chill out a bit. Back home, I took a nice warm bath and pondered the events of the past few days. I had quite a lot on my plate. But it was still manageable. I didn't have to panic yet. Well, I never panicked, whatever happened. I may have sweated a little in more difficult situations, but I never panicked. Personal experience and CIA training have prepped me for unusual situations. Staying cool had become an easy habit if practice enough.

Anyway, when I was thinking over my future plans and actions, I liked a sip of something nice and strong. After my bath I prepared a light supper and proceeded to my whiskey display area to see what was suitable for that day. I wanted to savor something nice and special. Blanton's Original Single Barrel sounded encouraging, as did Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit. But eventually I decided that the 27-year-old Parker's Heritage Collection would be suitable for the occasion. I poured a generous half glass and took a liberal sip. I sank back in the armchair and closed my eyes. The next sip went down equally well. I savored the taste, smell, and texture of the liquid, feeling instantly relaxed. A pleasant warm sensation spread throughout my body with the third sip of the liquor.

I could feel I was closer to the solution than ever. Still, I was aware that I would only find out how to catch Morgenthal if Ivanov agreed to cooperate. I didn't have very strong cards, unfortunately. Leo Vermin might not be enough to buy information. However, there was no other way but to try.

I poured myself another glass of that noble drink and enjoyed it for a few more moments sitting in the armchair, before retiring to bed.

30.

Next day I
woke up refreshed and ready for action. I prepared a quick breakfast of tin mackerel with finely chopped shallots, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and pickled gherkins, a squirt of ketchup, and a dollop of mayonnaise. Add brown bread and filter coffee – the breakfast of kings.

Ivanov was waiting for me in the reception room of his residence. Martin hadn’t given him any details, but he was surely expecting something more important than a casual visit.

"Good morning, Mr. Greystone," Ivanov greeted me.

"Good morning, Mr. Ivanov," I responded. "Lovely day for some business."

"Lovely indeed," he grinned. "What business brings you to my friendly house?"

The reception room was very large. I noted at the far end a big tank containing some marine animals. It was massive and well-lit. Ivanov noticed my interest and encouraged me to have a closer look. I approached the tank. The fish tank was probably the only reasonably classy thing about his residence, which was quite trashy and in poor taste in general. In the tank, there were some fish and a few sizable turtles swimming around. I don't know much about turtles’ sex lives, but one of them must have been a female on heat, as another one was latched onto her back and was floating happily, if you can judge happiness from a turtle's facial expression.

We sat at a table not far from the tank.

"Interesting sight. You must be very keen on marine fauna?"

"Yeah, it's a passion I've been cultivating for a good few years," Ivanov responded.

I watched the turtles floating in the tank for a few moments and then got down to business.

"I've found something you lost recently," I started.

"I'm all ears. Details, please." I’d aroused his curiosity.

"I like helping people, but needless to say I'm expecting information in return."

"Morgenthal, I know. We can talk about that later," he said. "What is it that you have for me?"

"You've been doing business with Leo Vermin. I know the business turned sour recently when he stole a few grand from you," I continued.

"I'm impressed, you have good information sources," he said. He seemed to appreciate the news.

"That's the business I'm in. And I have people, technology, skills, and contacts to collect information," I explained, and continued: "As I was saying, Leo Vermin was hiding, but he doesn't seem to be very smart as he was hiding, so to say, in plain sight. You might still have been searching for him for a long time, but I tracked him down easily."

"That's all very well, Mr. Greystone, but Leo Vermin isn't that valuable to me. He's just a petty thief."

"He did rob you and your reputation may suffer if he isn't punished as an example," I argued.

"That's right, it could suffer. That's why I'm still willing to regain control over Leo Vermin."

"Glad to hear that. Do we have a deal then?" I asked.

"Not so fast. As I said, Morgenthal is too valuable for me."

This was what I feared.

"What do you propose then?"

Igor Ivanov thought for a moment. After a while, he smiled fleetingly.

"I have one thing in mind," he started, articulating his request. "I meant to deal with it myself, but nothing has come out of it so far."

As he was saying that I glanced at the tank. It seemed the pheromones secreted by the female, or whatever they do to attract males, must have been strong, as a second male turtle had attached itself to the top of the first male. As I said, I knew little about the sexuality of the turtle species, but unless the male equipment was very long and the female had two ways of receiving it, I doubt it was any use for the second male to attach itself to the top of the first male. He seemed happy though, going by his facial expression. Who knows? Perhaps it was as much about how you felt as about how effective you were? You could never know with turtles.

I continued: "Tell me more."

"In fact, it seems despite my organization being state of the art in what we do, there are of course limitations to what we can actually do. We don't have access to government, judicial, medical, or other records relating to individuals."

"That’s surely something I could help with."

"Possibly. Theoretically, I could bribe an official here and there to get some details, hire private investigators, and extract information using my people in more or less friendly manner, depending on the cooperation of the information source. But it would take ages, cost a lot, and be a rather disjointed effort."

"Rings true, what can I do for you then?" I asked.

"It's a very sensitive matter," Ivanov waved at the goons to move away, and only two of the most trusted ones remained.

"It's about my daughter," he said, finally getting round to explaining the issue.

I smiled to myself. Parents would do anything for their children. Especially fathers for their daughters. I knew that first hand.

"My daughter is dating a guy," he continued. "I want my daughter to be happy, and so on. I love her more than anything else. She’s the most important person in my life. But I know that at the age of nineteen she can make mistakes."

"I know something about that. My daughter is just a little younger than yours," I interjected.

"She's normally very smart, smarter than average," he bragged, as every father would. "But occasionally, she's just a little stupid. Especially when she falls in love. Especially when she falls in love with the wrong person. It's obviously not that black and white, you can never judge a person from first impressions. But I prefer to err on the side of caution and I always judge people on the basis of first impressions."

"I follow the same principle, better safe than sorry."

"Do you? You don't lead the safest lifestyle," he laughed.

"I meant not trusting people, safe rather than sorry," I explained.

"Got it," he smiled. "Anyway, as I said, I don't like the guy. He doesn't look right. I don't trust him. I don't like him. I don't know what it is, but he's just not right."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"You have access to information. I want to know everything about him. I want to know what he does all day, his associates, friends and family, if he has a dog, car or fish, what he says on his cellphone, what he texts, emails, and what he watches on TV."

"What he tweets?"

"Yes, what he fucking tweets and fucking posts on Facebook, although that I could check myself. I want to know everything about him. I’m sure you'll find something. There's something wrong with this guy."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," I agreed.

"That's what I thought. You have the technology to do that. Do that then."

"Yeah, I have the tech, skills, and the people," I confirmed. "It might take a few days, but I’ll know more about him than he knows about himself."

"That's what I need."

"Do we have a deal then? I want Morgenthal."

"One condition," Ivanov added.

"I’ve already committed to do a lot. And I don't want to wait too long. This guy is threat to public safety. I‘m being paid to clean it up."

"I understand. Don't worry. The condition would be a favor for me in the future. I may need some information, research, or investigation. Or something that you do as part of your daily business."

"That could be anything. Not sure if that's a little too open-ended a request?"

"You don't have to do it now, I just need your word you'll help me out when I need it."

"I could live with that."

"Deal then."

"Deal."

"When are you going to send Leo Vermin to me?"

"Right after our meeting is over."

"Good. I miss him dearly," he laughed and added through clenched teeth: "Tell him I miss him."

"I will, no worries."

After a pause.

"I’ll need some details about your daughter's boyfriend. And your daughter too."

"Sure, he's name is Philip Harker," Ivanov said, and gave me some more details.

"I'll give you a call as soon as I have enough information. Can I, so to speak, 'interview' him?" I asked.

"Do as you please, but be gentle. If he turns out to be a good guy, which I doubt, I wouldn't like to spoil my daughter's relationship."

"I'll use my judgment."

"Please do. If you find something on him, feel free to, whatcha call it, interview him."

"I'll be gentle."

"There's one more thing. As I said, I don't want my daughter thinking I had anything to do with it. Premise one, I don't like the guy. Premise two, he’s dating my daughter. Premise three, I don't want him to be dating my daughter. Premise four, I don't want to hurt my daughter's feelings. Conclusion, I'm sure you know how to interview people, but if in the highly unlikely scenario you happen to interview him too eagerly and he doesn't survive the interview, I would be sad about my daughter, but very understanding towards you, if not grateful."

I looked at the water tank. The turtles were very persistent. Or just didn’t hurry. They would live fifty or eighty years anyway, so why hurry. Every day was the same for them. Anyway, they were persistent. The two males still attached. The female didn’t seem to bother too much, despite the considerable weight attached at her back.

"Good God, so I'm sitting here watching fucking turtles copulating instead of running research on this Philip Harker guy. Mr. Ivanov, you needn't be so coy, if you want the man out, just say so."

"I'm very conscious of my daughter's feelings," he smiled.

"I hope you'll be able to sleep well once it's over," I laughed.

"You’d better find something good on him before you finish him off. And tell me all his sins and dirty secrets. Then I'll sleep like a baby, even when he's gone. You know, it's all for my daughter, even though she wouldn't necessarily want it. Fathers know better," he laughed too.

"I knew something didn't seem quite right when you first mentioned Mr. Harker. Information is valuable, but research on your daughter's boyfriend seems a low price for Morgenthal. Having talked that through, since it more than just research, it now seems a more reasonable price for Ron."

"I could really do it myself, but then I wouldn't be able to look my daughter in the eye anymore."

"I understand perfectly," I said, assuming an emphatic tone.

"Good, anyway, do the research first, shoot next. By the way, I'll introduce you to my daughter. Needless to say, don't mention anything about all this to her," he said and told one of the goons to bring his daughter.

While we were waiting for his daughter, I turned my head to see how turtles were doing. To my surprise, a third male had latched onto the top of the second male, who was already covering the first male. I seriously doubt a female turtle can serve three turtle males, but not being a marine expert I could be wrong. The third male turtle was just as happy as the second and first, as far as you can judge by a turtle's facial expression. It couldn’t be an easy life being a female turtle with three copulating males on top of her. But on the other hand, the buoyancy of the water no doubt helped, so perhaps it wasn't that hard after all? I was wondering if there was a limit to how many turtles could latch one onto another while trying to copulate with a female on heat. I was sure there was an equation for it, where the drag of the water due to the attached males exceeded the strength the female needed to propel herself forward. Surely, the physical dimensions of the tank were also a limiting factor. But I’d leave that to the scientists. There was an even better sight coming into view than copulating turtles. Lena Ivanova.

"Mr. Greystone, let me introduce you to my daughter, Lena Ivanova," Ivanov said.

I was surprised why he called her Lena Ivanova, not Ivanov. The only explanation that came to my mind was that Russian names had some kind of inflection or declension depending on say gender of the person, whatever proper term for that was.

"Good morning, Mr. Greystone," she greeted me. She had a beautiful voice that matched or even surpassed her appearance. She was tall, which she must have got from her father. She was also really pretty, which she couldn’t have gotten from her father. Igor Ivanov was particularly ugly, if you went to any natural history museum and saw what the primitive ancestors of human beings looked like, you’d get an idea. But Lena was stunning. A very slender physique and a well-toned body; she must have been spending a lot of time in the gym. Straw blond hair, a flawless complexion, a pale face with a rosy blush on her cheeks, typical of rural girls in Russia. No doubt she must have been extremely popular with the boys.

"Good morning, Miss Ivanov, nice to meet you," I answered.

We chatted about trivial matters for a few moments before Ivanov dismissed his daughter.

"Okay, time to go," I said. "The sooner I start working on Philip Harker, the sooner I'll get Morgenthal."

"No doubt about it."