The Dolomite Solution (31 page)

“This is interesting,” Jake said. “Go ahead, Talbot. Continue.”

Talbot drank the last of his cognac and poured himself another. “The bastard set me up. This woman comes on to me, hauls me up to her bedroom in the middle of this party and strips down. My God she was beautiful. How could I resist? When I get back here I get a package with photographs of me and the woman.”

“Wait a minute,” Jake said. “I thought you were divorced. Why would you care about photos of you and another woman?”

Talbot took another drink. “Quinn here told me if I didn't hire him to secure the deal with Tirol Genetics he'd give his good friend Allen Murdock the photos. He said Murdock was extremely jealous and would kill me.”

“I said shut up, Talbot,” Quinn said.

“So you hire Quinn,” Jake said. “It makes no sense, since Tirol Genetics was already set to deal with your German company.” Jake thought for a moment and all of a sudden things became clear. “You were going to cut Tirol Genetics out of the deal.”

Talbot sunk into a chair alongside the fireplace. “It wasn't my idea. Quinn set up the entire mess. As it turned out, his plan would have been perfect.”

“Why's that?” Jake asked.

“Because of that fucking goon Varducci who took over majority stock of my German company,” Talbot said, and then drank down the last of his drink.

“This is interesting. I'd like to hear more,” Jake said.

“What? Varducci? He's a fucking mob asshole from Boston. Comes to me and forces me to sell my stock to him and this doctor. I'll show him how cutthroat I can be in business.”

Just then the hall door flew open and Varducci entered with his driver. He was holding the cell phone against his ear.

Talbot turned pale seeing Varducci.

Jake pulled his phone from his pocket. “Wonderful little devices these cell phones.”

“You'll show me hey you fuckin' little puke,” Varducci yelled at Talbot, looming over the man in his chair. “You're lucky I didn't really conduct a fucking hostile takeover.” Varducci backhanded Talbot, snapping his head back against the wall, knocking him out. Then Varducci turned on Quinn, who had sat up in his chair straighter. “And you...you cock sucker. You're the bastard who shot my nephew. I ought to fuckin' pop you right here. Only reason I don't is because I made a promise to Jake here that I wouldn't. I always keep my promises.”

With one quick motion, Quinn pulled his gun and aimed it at Varducci. Then he rose from his chair moving his gun within a few inches of the man's face. Varducci didn't budge. “You're pretty tough when you have your goon standing by here.”

“Jake, shoot this motherfucker,” Varducci said.

Jake had his gun aimed right at Quinn's head. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted the man in jail, not dead.

Suddenly there was a single shot from Jake's left. Quinn dropped instantly to the bearskin rug, a bullet hole in his temple.

Jake turned to see the young man from outside. The driver of the Ford. He was shaking now, his gun dangling from his right hand.

●

Back in Innsbruck, Jake slung his bag over his shoulder as he came down the arrivals ramp. He checked over the crowd, searching for her. Finally he saw Toni standing against a pillar smiling at him. They embraced for a long time and finally kissed.

They started walking toward the exit, when she said, “You're going to love this place I found. It's close to the river with a wonderful view of the mountains to the north.”

“Sounds great. Now all we need is another job.”

It was a warm afternoon in the Italian Dolomites. The two young girls ran through the field of high grass and wildflowers. The sisters were wearing Sunday dresses, had just come from church, and were allowed by their parents to take a shortcut from their tiny village of Pico Forno to their country home that sat along the Avisio River.

As the girls got closer to their home, they met up with a path used by cattle along the edge of the river. They followed the trail singing songs.

When they could see their house, they slowed and started throwing sticks into the water.

Anna, the older girl, saw it first. Light shimmered from under the brush when the sun's rays hit it just right. She pointed it out to her younger sister.

The older girl broke a stick and reached as far as she could, finally catching the handle and pulling the silver box toward them. She reached down and raised the heavy box from the cold mountain stream and set it at her feet in the grass.

“What is it?” her little sister asked.

“I don't know. But I'm keeping it.” She picked up the briefcase and skipped along toward her house, her sister right on her heels.

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The Cold Edge
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Lethal Force
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