the immortality plot (a mike delaney thriller)

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THE IMMORTALITY PLOT

a Mike Delaney thriller

by

David Callinan

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http://www.davidcallinan.com/WebPages/contact




All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. It may not be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered or stored in any form of

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work has been asserted by him in accordance with #he Copyright, Designs and "atent Act ())*. #his book is a work of fiction all characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons living ordead is purely coincidental. #he author is indemnified against the content of any third party websites over which he has no control.

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Books by David Callinan

THRILLERS+

The Immoraliy Plo

0a Mike Delaney novel1

!ni"e Ed#e

Bodys$i%h

An An#el On my Sho&lder

YO'() AD'LT *A(TASY

The !in#doms O" Time And S+a%e

0trilogy1

CHILDRE(,S BOO!S -./012

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SEL*/HELP4 HEALTH 5 HAPPI(ESS

The 01 Min&e Mira%le

0published originally by 2arperCollins with co3author 4loria 5awson1

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CHAPTER O(E

!ham !hui "o, 7owloon, 2ong 7ong

In eactly ten minutes and fifteen seconds his life could end. And his memory of

eistence might last a few moments or stretch to infinity. 2e had no way of knowing.

No one does.

Nor did he know that in eactly si hundred and fifteen seconds he was going to

confront bitter betrayal or sudden death. 2e had no inkling that these were the options.

No idea how the cards would fall.

It was dark and steamy in a slimy alley close to the waterfront. Nearby, the harbour

district was abla8e with vibrant life. 9ut in the deserted streets around the fish market,

festering in the stench of rotting entrails, only a flickering glow illuminated the

darkened wharves and stalls with patches of light and shade.

Mike Delaney gripped his model (' !mith and :esson .* caliber special revolver

close to his face. 2e tightened his knuckles and glanced behind to his left. 2e could

$ust make out his partner 9ob Messenger in the gloom close to a dripping fire escape.

2e altered the position of his gun hand a fraction and shuffled forward, staying in theshadows opposite the target doorway. ;nder a gap at the base of the door a yellowish

light the color of bile seeped into the alley.

Inside the building, a secretive triad group was doing business with a team of non3

Chinese freelance criminals that had come together $ust for this deal+ drugs in return for

people. A consignment of pure cocaine traded for human lives < lives that had no hope,

no future ecept the slavery of the streets and the pimp bars around the world.

Delaney had not set this up. #here were four ;.! and 9ritish citi8ens high on the

wanted lists of both countries inside the target building and they needed sensitive

handling. #hat=s why the operational superintendent had re>uested the presence of

Delaney and Messenger < unusual in a task force situation on the streets of 2ong

7ong.

#he operation had been planned meticulously. #he agreed plan was that behind

Messenger a small unit of armed officers awaited a signal. Another team under the

command of a senior officer was moving in at the other end of the alleyway, blocking



any escape. :hen the signal was given that team would go in first. Delaney could $ust

see Messenger=s shadow shifting against the wooden planks of a storage shed.

A movement caught his attention. It was $ust a shape melding within the darkness

above and to his right. #here was a momentary glint of something.

:as it metal?

Delaney was on full alert, but now his instincts triggered an additional surge of

adrenalin. 2e considered warning Messenger via their microphone link but knew it

could give away their position. !upport units were to maintain radio silence at all costs.

!o he hesitated. Normally he could feel the unseen presence of his fellow officers. 9ut

now, all he could sense were emptiness and isolation. #he gloom surrounding him was

engulfing. It was almost palpable. Delaney eperienced a deep unease, a clammy sense

of betrayal. 9ut, he couldn=t be certain.

#here was only one way to find out.

Delaney began to move silently across to the target doorway. #here was a shuttered

window net to a cracked and sun3blistered door. Delaney sidled towards it, his heart

pounding, watchful and alert.

@es. #here was definite movement.

Delaney stared at the spot. All his eperience told him something was wrong.

!omeone was positioned about ten feet up from the ground on a low roofed building.

2e was sure of it. 9ut this wasn=t part of the operational plan. Nobody had been briefed

to take up that position.

Sniper.

Delaney ordered himself to trust his instincts. As he moved out of the shadows he

heard a whispered click and a glimmer of reflected light as from a scope. Messenger

heard it too and was already moving into the open.

Delaney didn=t hesitate. 2e sprinted into the open alleyway aiming at the shape on

the rooftop as Messenger started to crouch and run, swivelling to take aim.

#he crack of the rifle shot echoed around the empty alley. #here was no one behind

the doorway or inside the building.

#here was no drug deal.

#here was no back up.

#here was only Delaney and Messenger as sitting ducks. #here was only the bullet

speeding towards Mike Delaney. Messenger yelled and Delaney dived as the bullet

found its target < but not the one the sniper had intended. 9ob Messenger screamed



once as the high velocity shell punched home and entered his lower back. 2e fell to the

ground with a thud. Delaney cried out with anger and anguish and saw the assassin

move, take shape, reflect light, and $ump back over the other side of the building.

Delaney was torn between attending to his fallen colleague, a man who had become

one of his few true friends, and his desire to eact immediate and terminal revenge.

:hen he saw the look in Messengers eyes he knew what his friend would do if their

positions were reversed.

2e chose the latter.

Delaney rammed the revolver into his waistband as he raced around the other side

of the building towards the lights of @en Chou !treet. 2e couldn=t risk using a firearm

in full public view. #he chase took little more than five minutes. 2is target was running

out of a narrow alleyway $ust ahead of him as Delaney vaulted a row of barrels and

wooden planks. #he assassin was fast but Delaney was faster.

As he ran, Delaney picked up a heavy cudgel3shaped piece of wood and hurled it at

the moving target. It caught him between the shoulder blades and caused him to

momentarily stumble and slow. 2e had wisely dropped the rifle.

:ith Delaney approaching at speed, the assailant decided to stand and fight.

It was a fatal mistake.

Delaney smoothly sidestepped a $abbed punch, crouched and struck with the heel of

his palm deep into the solar pleusB a fraction later he stepped in with a shattering two3

knuckle strike to the carotid artery. #he assassin dropped instantly. Delaney stamped

his heel into the man=s throat splintering his windpipe. It took him five seconds to die.

Delaney rolled the body onto its back. 2e had seen the man=s face before 3 in a

coded, high security file at operational head>uarters. Delaney walked a few yards to

pick up the rifle. 2e held the 5emington &*' official police issue weapon in his hands

then swung it over his shoulder. #his was no triad hit man. #his was a trained police

marksman.

As Delaney retraced his steps to tend to his colleague and friend he called base

command for a clean3up s>uad. #here was a crackle on the line and a series of rapid

clicks. Delaney had played it by the book but inside he knew. It was a set3up and he

wasn=t supposed to have emerged alive. #he response team sirens were already

screaming towards the scene.

And that=s when an iron web of deceit and lies tightened around Mike Delaney.



CHAPTER 6

#25 @A5! A#5

!an 5afael Mountains, California

2is moving hands cast sharp shadows on the arid earth.

2e was tall and graceful, powerfully built but surprisingly delicate, pushing and

stretching his arms and body in an harmonious display of #ai Chi high in the crisp

mountain air.

Mike Delaney was dressed in a loose fitting black silk suit. 2e was barefoot. 2is

eyes were partially closed and his facial epression fathomless. #he casual observer

would never guess how much deep emotional pain and suffering was being suppressed

beneath his inscrutable eterior.

9ehind him towered the !an 5afael Mountains and in the distance the smoke from

a controlled chaparral burn drifted slowly into a brilliant blue sky. In a clearing below

lay the monastery and the long dirt track that led to its gates and then on for miles of

wilderness to the coast.

2e moved with fluid grace and power, his energy compressed into a ball in his solar

pleus, able to eplode in an instant to deadly effect. 2is focus was fied on his

shadow, etched with clearly defined contours on the outcrop before him.

!uddenly, he noticed the edge of another shadow merging with his. It was

fragmentary. 6leeting. It almost blended, but not >uite. #here was no sound, no breath,

not even a footfall, yet he knew something or someone was behind him. No animal

could have been that silent. Delaney=s hearing had been trained to detect the smallest

sound. 2e altered his balance imperceptibly, moving his weight onto the balls of his

feet, &&' pounds of trained muscle condensing.

:hen he moved, it was with bewildering speed for such a big man yet not even a

grain of dust rose from the earth as he turned, sank his weight, blocked and prepared to

strike. :hat he saw as he spun caused him to hesitate. !uch hesitation, he knew as

soon as he paused, could cost him his life. Instead he relaed and smiled at the elderly

monk smiling up at him, his simple white robe plucked by a slight bree8e. Delaney



noticed the moving fabric, realising it was this and not lack of skill that had alerted him

to the play of shadows.

#he little monk seemed to move yet appeared motionless. 9ut it was an optical

illusion. As Delaney raised his striking fist, the monk drifted out of range yet Delaney,

for all his consummate skill, did not see his feet move.

E9rother 5ama,E Delaney greeted him. EI still can=t see how you do that.E

ECan you hear the arth breathe, Michael, or feel the universe epand?E smiled

5ama. 2e paused for a moment. EI am personally very pleased you have come back to

us, even for a short time.E

E#here was nowhere else I could think of going,E said Delaney.

E:e did have hopes that you would $oin the brotherhood,E said 5ama. EDon=t

forget, you spent two years here with us as a novice. Are you sure now, with all that has

happened to you since then, that you wish to live in the outside world?E

EI=m certain, 9rother 5ama,E Delaney answered. E#here are things I have to do. 9ut

you know I carry everything I have eperienced here within me, don=t you?E

E@es,E replied the little monk. EAnd that knowledge will never leave you.E 5ama

paused and looked steadily into Delaney=s eyes. E@ou know how sorry we all are for

the pain you now feel. @ou know where to come if you ever need to talk, or cry.E

Delaney said nothing. 2e took a deep breath.

5ama continued. EFh, there is a telephone call for you. :e only have one telephone

as you know and it seldom rings. It caused a good deal of ecitement amongst the

brothers, I can tell you. I eplained to the caller that I would have to come and find you

so he would have to hold on for a while.E

5ama trotted by Delaney=s side as they made their way back down from the rocky

platform along a dusty path to the monastery. It had been constructed near the site of an

old Chumash Indian settlement, a collection of simple buildings surrounding a

courtyard. :ater containment was by way of a series of connected wells and conduits

laid out to eploit the seasonal rains. #here were meditation and contemplation areas

shaded from the sun and one or two battered vehicles to collect supplies 3 usually more

than a day=s trip.

#he order of #he 9rothers of ight eisted to eplore the true nature of

consciousness, which it saw as being all3pervasive in that everything in the universe

and in any other universe that may eist was all part of one, timeless, consciousness

from which everything, including all creation, emanated. #o become a fully3fledged



monk an individual had to make a personal choice for life. 9ut no one or nothing could

stop a 9rother leaving the monastery at any time.

#he two years that Mike Delaney had spent here had been the most challenging and

yet the most satisfying of his eistence. It had been a momentous change in his life

direction from his ;! army days with the eclusive and secretive 436orce and later

with the 2ong 7ong "olice elite. 2e believed at the time that he would have been

unable to shake off the effects of the traumatic events he had eperienced in 2ong

7ong without such a dramatic change. 2e realised after two years, however, that he

was not cut out for monastic life, not in the long term, not forever.

#he reason for this was simple. 2e had fallen in love and got married.

Delaney followed 9rother 5ama into the main building, its ancient stucco walls

peeling, and removed his sandals. It was cool inside. Delaney noticed once again with

bemusement and wonder how 9rother 5ama, also barefoot, could walk noiselessly

ahead of him. #hey came to what passed as 9rother 5ama=s office, a shabby, untidy

room, stacked with books and dusty papers, a yoga mat, a few handmade chairs and a

large desk, piled with more papers and bric3a3brac. #here was a little bowl of sweets

perched close to an ancient black telephone with the receiver lying on its side. 9rother

5ama picked it up and spoke into it.

E2ello,E he paused. E#hank you for holding. @es, he is here now. I will pass the

telephone to him.E

2e held the receiver out to Delaney, smiled and inclined his head, pressing his

palms together before gliding out of the room. #he door closed behind him with a

creak.

Delaney put the receiver to his ear.

E2ello?E

EMike, is that you? About bloody time, my old mate. It=s 9ob. 9ob Messenger.E

Delaney brightened at the sound of the clipped nglish accent. Messenger had been

his closest friend in the 2ong 7ong "olice 6orce, to which they had both been

seconded to provide specialist training. Messenger had been his operational partner and

was an epert in I# systems, neural networks and covert electronic surveillance. In the

intervening period between then and now, Messenger had created an Internet

phenomenon, the confess3confess website. #his was the first site of its kind dedicated

to eposing crimes and in$ustice, scams and confessions, scandals and secrets. It had a

global army of amateur sleuths and investigators and was continually battling against



legal writs, threats and intimidation. And yet, it had captured the imagination of the

public and was now used by officials, the media, law enforcement agencies, and

organised crime, to leak both real information and misinformation. 9ob Messenger

himself had become one of the most potent voices and champions of freedom and truth.

E9ob, good to hear from you. @ou still in the ;7?E

=@ou bet. :e=re still in Fford. 9ut we=re opening offices all over the world. In a

couple of days we=re launching our second ;! office in Chicago.E

E@ou=ve gone to a lot of trouble to find me.E

EI guessed where you=d be when you weren=t at the house,E Messenger said >uietly.

E5emember, I called you as soon as I heard about Maria. #he police have only issued a

series of brief press releases up to now despite the media speculation. :hen you told

me what had happened I $ust found it totally incredible. !o, I=m one of few people right

now who knows most of the details,E he paused. Eook, Mike, this is not $ust a social

call, old friend. I need to see you.E

EIt would be great to get together again. It=s been a long time. :hat=s the urgency?E

E:e=ve had a disturbing post on the site. I haven=t made it public and I=m not going

to yet.E

EIt sounds mysterious.E

EIt=s more than that, Mike. It=s grim. And it concerns you.E

Delaney remained silent for a long moment. #hen he said.

E:hat do you mean?E

Messenger paused this time. EMike, it=s about Maria.E

Delaney stiffened, suddenly deadly serious and intense. E4o on,E he said.

Messenger seemed to be struggling for words. EIt=s probably a hoa or a weirdo

crank. 9ut there is something about it that makes my skin prickle.E

E9ob, get to the point.E

EIt=s a confession, Mike. 2e claims to be the one who murdered Maria. #he post

includes an audio clip. I remember you mentioned the tape recording but this is the first

time I=ve heard it. Mike, he knows details that you never told me about. It $ust might be

genuine.E

Delaney said nothing for a long moment. 2e walked around the office. 2e was

thinking hard. A well of emotion was bubbling under his usual iron self3control. Maria

Montalban had been the most important thing in his life. !he had changed his world

beyond recognition. And she had been carrying their child when she met her untimely



and gruesome death at the hands of a maniac, someone whom Delaney would

passionately like to find.

E:ho else knows about this?E he asked Messenger.

EFnly aura.E

aura was 9ob Messenger=s loyal and long serving personal assistant. Delaney

knew her and trusted her.

E:hat about the police?E he asked.

ENo, not yet.E

E:hat=s your gut feel?E

E@ou=ve got to see this for yourself. :ho knows? It could be a crank. It could be a

cop with a grudge. It could be someone who=s uncovered a little information and is $ust

making waves but the confession tape details have never been made public and this

sick individual knows things that give me the impression that it $ust might be authentic.

2ow else would he have the recording? And I think you were right. :hoever murdered

Maria was not the same person that torched your house.E

EI know. I=ve salvaged everything I could from Maria=s office, which is what they

were trying to destroy, and I=ve cleared the wreckage. I $ust haven=t been able to go

back since the funeral.E

EI understand, old friend. !o, what do you think?E

EFkay, I=ll meet you in Chicago. And thanks for the call, 9ob.E

Delaney scribbled down details of the time and the launch venue and replaced the

receiver. 2owever hard he tried, he could not prevent the here and now, with all its

stabbing pain and heartache, from overwhelming the deeply meditative states he was

able to reach. #he wounds were still too rawB the memories too recentB the feeling of

bereft loss almost impossible to bear. 2e would never be a saint or a sage that was for

sure.

Fnly advanced human beings like 9rother 5ama could ever hope to achieve that

state of mental and spiritual development beyond the confines of religion and science.

9ut he had made himself a promise, if not a vow, that he would endeavour never again

to take another human life. 2e deliberately blocked out the memories of those deaths

he had already been responsible for. #hat was then. #his is now. And they all were

mostly, in crude terminology, bad guysB even though his conscience told him they had

as much right to life as he did.



#he phone call from 9ob Messenger had fanned the burning rage inside him. 2e

knew that one day he would find Maria=s killer. 2e would track down the one who had

murdered his wife. 2e would never give up. And when he did find him, there would be

no agonising over right and wrong, no anguished discussion or metaphysical musings.

2e knew he would be in for the battle of his life. And not $ust a physical battle with

someone that had infected his soul with hate. :hen it came to it, and he was face3to3

face with his wife=s killer, would he be able to keep his pledge?

Fr would he take his revenge and en$oy every moment.



CHAPTER 7

Mike Delaney loved Chicago. It was one of his favourite American cities. Although

he had been brought up in New @ork after his mother and father emigrated from

Ireland when he was twelve, and although he loved the anonymity of the 9ig Apple,

Chicago had something special.

Chicago was a good city to walk around and Delaney set himself a brisk pace

through 5iver North=s restaurant district, where he called into a few bars and sank a

couple of 4oose Island beers.

2e crossed over the Chicago 5iver heading for the Games #hompson Centre. 2e

wasn=t following any particular route, $ust taking streets as they came. 2e was in a

reflective mood but the clatter of the levated 5ailway, the l, helped to drown out his

gloomier thoughts. 9ut not completely.

2e had no $ob, enough money to survive another few months, a partially burned out

beach home near Monterey, a life eperience in covert services, combat, investigation

and undercover policing and that was about it.

2e=d never made friends easilyB he was too much of a loner. 2e=d met a lot of

people when Maria was alive. !he seemed to know everybody on the planet. Maybe

this was why she had been such a fine and respected $ournalist. 2e had been happy to

$ust drift along in the backwash of her energy. 2e took odd $obs and gained a reputation

as a #ai Chi teacher with his daily beach classes. After a lifetime of regimentation,

discipline and, ultimately, of despair when he was framed in 2ong 7ong along with

9ob Messenger and they were both kicked out of their respective military service units

with nothing other than =retired= on their records, he had relished the freedom.

Delaney liked the anonymity of cities and the push and shove of the myopic

crowds. 2e sat at a sidewalk cafH, leaning back in his chair, legs splayed out. 2e

ordered an industrial strength coffee and a cheeseburger and watched a couple of police

officers strolling casually on the opposite sidewalk, hands on their firearms.

Delaney ate >uickly, drained his coffee then paid the check and headed for the

Magnificent Mile, threading his way impatiently through the hordes of retail therapy

$unkies hooked on window shopping. An old black guy in a doorway was playing an

urban blues tune on a beat3up guitar. Delaney stopped and listened, oblivious of the



surging shoppers peeling around him surprised that anyone would want to stop moving

let alone listen to an old loser on the streets.

#he twelve3bar riff matched his mood and acted as a relief valve. Delaney tossed

five dollars into the bluesman=s cap and received a wrinkled wink in return.

Delaney reached the venue in eactly eight minutes and $oined a stream of people

entering through the glass revolving doors into a nondescript lobby where security

checks were being carried out. #hen he entered a large conference room laid out theatre

style. At one end of the room was a large table with screens either side and behind it

three people were seated, waiting patiently. #here was 9ob Messenger, looking a little

heavier than Delaney rememberedB aura, his assistant, looking brisk and efficient and

another man, whom Delaney took to be Messenger=s business partner or the technical

guru sitting impassively by their side.

!oft music was playing in backgroundB Delaney identified it as Dance Of The

Knights by "rokofiev. 2e had always loved music and poetry, especially growing up in

Ireland and with his father being such a great storyteller and singer of the old songs. As

a child he used to dance like a wild thing at the regular ceilidhs and music sessions

loving the sound of fiddles and bodhrans, flutes and pipes. 9ut his father also loved the

classics and brought this love of music with them to America.

2e moved to the side of the room but didn=t sit. Instead, he sidled his way along

until he was close to the front, flanked by a tight knot of delegates. 9ob Messenger

looked calm. 2e was wearing a neat tartan shirt with his sleeves rolled up. 2e had on

pair of thin, black designer spectacles and flecks of grey were starting to appear in his

short hair. 2e was ga8ing around the room, waiting until it was full and the

presentation could get underway. 2is eyes moved to the right and he spotted Delaney

leaning against the side wall in his grey slacks, sea island cotton shirt and creased linen

$acket. 2e smiled and moved back slightly in his wheelchair.

Delaney smiled in return and gave a >uick salute. 2e noticed that Messenger=s

wheelchair had clearly been custom designed. #here were control panels built into the

arms and frame, a miniature screen and arrays of buttons and controls. "resumably it

was a fully interactive machine. Delaney could only guess at its full capabilities.

9ob Messenger watched as the attendant closed the conference room doors. 2e

cleared his throat and began his presentation in that slightly staccato delivery Delaney

remembered so well.



2e began by introducing aura Moore, his right hand woman, who handled the

administration and then Gohn 6arrell who was heading up the ;! operation under him.

2e said that, although he would be paying regular visits to Chicago and other

operational offices, he would remain based in the ;7. 9ob Messenger then painted a

picture of the history of confess3confess.com, how the idea first came to him, how he

believed that there was a passionate need to try and build an outlet for ordinary people

to have some feeling of control and a platform for their outrage at in$ustice, crime,

unfair treatment.

2e eplained that the scope of the site had virtually run away with them, from

personal investigations into bigamy, affairs, cheating companies, scams and divorce

cases to really big crimes such as international drug smuggling, corrupt government

departments, victimisation, organised crime, murders, child abuse cases and almost

every crime you could think of. 9ut the reason, he believed, why the concept of site

had worked so well, was the army of anonymous amateur investigators that had signed

up as volunteer sleuths each with their own individual code name.

#his made confess3confess a true site of the people, driven by the people, he told

his audience. 2e ended his introduction with typical Messenger understatement by

saying that frankly the whole confess3confess team had been completely taken aback

and blown away by the success of the site. And they still were.

2e then handed over to Gohn 6arrell who spent some time keeping the computer

$unkies happy with slides and data about servers and security and the epectations they

had of epanding the business and adding new elements to the mi.

At the end there was a long >uestion and answer session that Delaney, much to his

surprise, found unusually interesting. 6inally, the launch drew to a close. Delaney

walked towards the podium. 9ob Messenger reversed his wheelchair, turned and

headed down a ramp towards him.

EMike, good to see you,E he said.

E@ou too, 9ob. Impressive presentation.E

#he two men shook hands.

E:e=ll go back to my hotel,E Messenger told Delaney. EI could have suggested

meeting there to begin with but I wanted you to hear the presentation so that you have

some background.E

aura came over and shook Delaney=s hand. #hey had met before. It was pretty

clear to Delaney that she and 9ob Messenger were a little more than $ust work



colleagues. Gohn 6arrell was introduced but then said he was going out to lunch with a

group of potential advertisers.

E:e=re staying at the 2ilton and #owers,E Messenger said. Eaura, why don=t you

take some time off and do some shopping. It=s a nice day, Mike, and the hotel is only

down on !outh Michigan. :hy don=t we walk down together and get some fresh air?E

Although Messenger=s wheelchair was fully motorised he was happy for Delaney to

take control and push him out through a back entrance into a bree8y ast :acker

Drive, turn right and stroll along to the lights then right down !outh Michigan Avenue.

6or a long moment neither man spoke. Delaney found to his surprise that he was

en$oying pushing Messenger along, smiling at pedestrians as they spread like waves

parted by the prow of an ocean liner.

6inally, as they approached the Chicago Frchestra 2all, Messenger spoke.

E@ou=re looking good, Mike. All that meditation and spiritual mumbo3$umbo must

be doing something for you.E

EI=m $ust eploring my inner self, 9ob. At least that=s what I think I=m doing. I had

to get away and I couldn=t think of anywhere better to try to get my head together.E

EI=ve been doing a lot of thinking about this weird message,E said Messenger. E#he

more I stare at it the more genuine it feels,E he glanced up at the big man. E#he police

still have no clues?E

ENot one,E Delaney replied. E2e left no trace, not even a drop of sweat. #he police

may not be telling me everything, of course.E

EAre you still a suspect?E

EI am as far as Maria=s friends and family are concerned. #hey $ust know she was

murdered. #hey don=t know the details of how she was killedB the barbarity and the

mutilation. I have an alibi for the time of her death but the police are not convinced.

#hey=re $ust not sure about me. If they were I=d have been formally charged by now. !o,

what does this message say?E

#hey were strolling opposite 4rant "ark. #he street wasn=t busy but Messenger still

glanced around from force of habit.

EIt=s partly in rhyme. #here are some biblical >uotations and then it replays Maria=s

confessions and, well, describes things. Fh, and he calls himself the "riest.E

Delaney=s pace increased involuntarily as his hands gripped the wheelchair handles

more tightly.



Messenger continued. E:hoever wrote it seems to have some kind of religious

fiation. It=s anti3female < as though he=s getting revenge on women in general < which

makes him etremely dangerous. 2e also hinted that Maria wasn=t the first and won=t be

the last but that she was a special case. :hen we get to the suite I=ll show it to you on

my laptop.E #he two men were silent for a time. #he watery sun was flickering through

the branches of the oaks in 4rant "ark and in the distance Delaney could $ust see the

rainbows sparkling around the central water fountain.

It had been a very different scene that night in 7owloon three years earlier. Delaney

had been seconded from the highly secretive 436orce unit in the ;nited !tates to the

"olice #raining College and Messenger from the 9ritish Army=s crack !A! outfit to the

Covert Intelligence ;nit. 4radually they found themselves snarled up in assignments

controlled by the operations wing, in particular the "olice #actical ;nit and specifically

the !pecial Duties ;nit, or !D;, known as #he 6lying #igers. #his unit was based at

the "olice #actical ;nit head>uarters in 6anling.

#he unit had been set up in ()/ as a 4overnment response to the escalating threat

of international terrorism. #he first 6lying #igers used eisting weaponry and devised

its own tactics until an appraisal of the unit by the 9ritish !pecial Air !ervice led to

considerable changes in e>uipment and tactics.

It was his involvement with the !D; that led Delaney into his fiery and brief

liaison with the wife of the operational superintendent.

#he special assignment in !ham !hui "o had come straight from the

superintendent=s office.

:hen it was over, Delaney found he had killed a serving officer in the 6lying

#igers and was immediately summoned back to the ;nited !tates and 9ob Messenger,

now paralysed from the waist down, was recalled to ngland.

2e would never walk again.

#he official investigation had swirled around Delaney, stage managed behind

closed doors. 2e remained numb and helpless throughout amid the treachery and

in$ustice of the whole affair. In the end, it was clear it was an official whitewash. A set3

up. Nothing would appear on his record. No opportunity to challenge the events and

reveal the truth would ever emerge. It was all sewn up with no redress. No risk of any

future investigation.

No pension.



Fnly there was a third loser in the whole sickening business. #here was a new

widow in 2ong 7ong whose husband was $ust following orders and who had happened

to run into an avenging Mike Delaney.

9ob Messenger had had the worst of it. 2e endured years of painful physiotherapy

and counselling. 2e was unmarried and went back to ngland to live with his parents.

2e came through several attempts at suicide largely with their help. !ince then, he and

Delaney had not spoken about the events of that night in 2ong 7ong. Delaney knew he

owed Messenger his life and Messenger, having ad$usted to life as a paraplegic and

come out the other side a success with his self3esteem restored, did not want to stir up

the memories. 9ut there was now a bond between them. No words were necessary.

Delaney and Messenger reached the opulent entrance of the 2ilton and #owers

hotel. #en minutes later they were sitting around Messenger=s laptop in his well3

appointed ground floor suite complete with wheelchair access. Messenger opened a

bottle of !ancerre and poured two glasses.

EFkay,E said Messenger. EAre you ready for this?E

E@es,E said Delaney.

Messenger switched on the computer.



CHAPTER 8

95;!!!

#he tall, skeletal man was standing eactly dead centre of 4rand "lace. 2e had

calculated the distance from one end to the other by walking its entire length in

carefully measured footsteps and then returning to the centre point. 6rom his elevated

position he had a clear view of the market s>uare. vening lights flickered into life

under an overcast sky and the beautiful world heritage buildings < a miture of gothic,

baro>ue and ouis the fourteenth < glowed in the increasing intensity of a soft amber

light.

It was a magical place but Claude 5attin was unaffected by such beauty. :hen a

chattering Gapanese tourist held out a small, digital camera and indicated in signs that

5attin oblige a nearby troop of visitors, goggling at the sights, 5attin glared. It was

enough to send the little Gapanese scuttling back to his friends.

EAre you completely unmoved by your surroundings, Claude?E a soft voice spoke

behind him.

Allowing his lips to stretch into a smile of welcome, 5attin turned to see an

elegantly dressed man standing before him.

E@ou choose some eotic locations for our meetings, 2erman,E 5attin replied.

EI do my best, kamard, to improve your appreciation of the finer things of life.

And, besides, it is never wise to meet in the same place twice < not for the matters we

have to discuss.E 2erman etski glanced around him. EIt is wonderful here, don=t you

think?E

EI imagine you are right, 2erman,E said 5attin. EAre we going to discuss things out

in the open?E

EI=ve booked a table at Maim=s, but we can talk about one or two matters right

here. #here is a certain anonymity in the midst of a crowd.E

E#he last assignment went well. I hope you are pleased,E said 5attin.

etski remained silent, framing his thoughts. #hen. E@es, and I have new

assignments for you here,E he indicated a small valise in his left hand.

EI thought you might be angry because he has started to attract attention,E 5attin

ventured.



EAnd it is a recent development, Claude. In the past he was discreet, invisible,

contracts terminated professionally and without trace. :e are using someone who is a

perfectionist < someone truly uni>ue. I do not think en>uiring eyes or Internet amateurs

will ever do more that chatter online like parrots.E

ENothing can lead back to us then?E en>uired 5attin.

ENothing will ever lead back to me,E etski told him with a touch of steel in his soft

voice. EDivide and rule, or operational segmentation, is an admirable philosophy.E

5attin started to reply but thought better of it.

etski continued. EI have faith in our li>uidator but I think I understand why he has

recently made his work public and attracted the attention of the authorities.E

EIt is a message,E said 5attin.

EFh yes,E replied etski. EI understand that very well. I will be seeing him soon in

New @ork. I will assess the situation then.E

E@ou have made him promises,E stated 5attin.

EFf course. I make everyone promises.E

E@ou only have to say the word and I will arrange the final solution.E

EI know,E said etski. EAnd that word may yet come.E 2e paused and glanced

around the s>uare. E#he demise of the most recent individual was not part of our

normal workB it was a one3off. !he was particularly perceptive and resolute and could

have caused us difficulties, as you well know.E

5attin nodded. E!he had to be removed.E

E@es, but her eradication could shine an unwelcome light.E 2e paused. E:e have

two more current clients to satisfy so I will use our li>uidator irrespective of his recent

and publicly vile atrocities,E said etski.

E5eally,E said 5attin in surprise. EIs he forcing your hand?E

ENo one forces my hand, kamard. #hese will be his last assignments. I intend to

source a replacement. "eople with the skills we need are not standing on street corners.

#hey are hard to find. ;ntil I discover a new li>uidator I may decide to suspend

operations temporarily.E

EI see,E said 5attin.

EFur enterprise has made you a very rich man, Claude. @ou have no need to do a

day=s work for the rest of your life,E etski said with a smile.

EAnd our li>uidator?E



E2e believes he is going to receive the same reward as our clients who have paid

millions for our services. Normally, I would have kept my promise but his recent

behaviour has caused me to think again. Fur li>uidator is going to be disappointed.

And he may re>uire the final solution you mentioned in due course. 9ut enough of this

talk. 6or now, let us en$oy the best that Maim=s can offer.E

:ith shadows lengthening in 4rand "lace and the market s>uare erupting with

evening revellers, the two men made their way across the cobblestones and faded into

the night.



CHAPTER 9

#he words scrolled upwards. Delaney stared at them, totally focused.

'And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she

profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

'Behold, will cast her into a bed, and the! that co!!it adultery with her into

great tribulation, e"cept they repent of their deeds. And will #ill her children with

death$ and all the churches shall #now that a! %e which searcheth the reins and

hearts: and will gi&e unto e&ery one of you according to your wor#s.'

At this point the tone of voice changed.

'o trace of !e within or without. either breath nor fluid shall find !e out. A&e

(aria, she had ser&ed her ti!e. )uriosity was her great cri!e. %er sins she confessed

and she died repented. The cross of sal&ation car&ed and indented. On her bac# in

blood by her sa&iour in life. )arrying a child as would a good wife. But was she true

and who was the father* That's the +uestion you !ust answer. n the na!e of the

ather and of his Son.'

#he message paused, then continued on another level.

'-ou can loo# for clues as long as you li#e. -ou will find no DA, no footprints, no

fingerprints, no weapon. -ou will find her last words, her final confession. did that

for her. sa&ed her. She carries the sins of all wo!en. And there are !any li#e her.

car&ed delicately, noticing the !ole in the shape of a star and her tattoo in the shape of

a s!all fish, ust under her left shoulder blade. She was dead at that point. The

!ar&ellous (s (ontalban had written her last lie. let !y hands slide down and along

her body. was en&ious. To sa&e you pondering and guessing used a si"/inch scalpel,

the #ind you can find in any hospital. And by the ti!e you trace the 0 nu!ber of this

nternet caf1 co!puter will be long gone. 2isten with !other follows. 3ntil the ne"t

ti!e. Kissy, #issy.' The 0riest.

Delaney stood up and walked to the window to ga8e out at the Chicago skyline. 2e

was fighting the onset of rage mied with intense pain.

E@ou=d better have another drink, old man,E said Messenger softly. E#here=s more.E

Delaney relaed his shoulders and returned to the sofa where Messenger had

poured him a glass. 2e clicked on an audio link and Maria=s voice crackled into the

room. Delaney had heard this before, when the police played him the miniature cassette



tape < the type used in a thousand offices to take notes. At that point the police were

clearly treating him as a suspect. 9ut no matter how many times he might hear it, the

sound of his wife=s last words on arth stabbed him in the guts and he had no defence

against the pain. 2er words were interrupted by a series of clicks as her killer switched

the tape on and off to avoid his own voice being heard.

' swear, this is !y final and true confession. -es. (y na!e is (aria Delaney. a!

#nown as (aria (ontalban. 0lease... don't do this... don't #now who you

are...)2)K...yes, hated !y father.. -es, a! sorry...no, please...)2)K... ha&e felt

ealousy and hate...)2)K...no, please, not again, can't ta#e this...)2)K... lied, yes

lied to !y husband, to (i#e, told hi! didn't #now the se" of our child but did,

did...)2)K...yes, ha&e lusted after !en, you're right...please let !e go... )2)K...

yes, a! a whore, all wo!en are whores...'

It got worse. Delaney snapped off the audio. Maria=s killer clearly had control of her

and she had started to babble and cry in pain. Delaney couldn=t take any more. Fnce,

now twice, was enough. 2e wasn=t going to listen to the very end when the sound of

the death blow eploded out of the tape and Maria screamed for the last time.

EI=ve heard this already. I don=t want to hear it again,E said Delaney.

EI=m going to have to give this new stuff to the police at some point,E said

Messenger.

EI know,E said Delaney.

E#he Internet cafH is in New Gersey.E

ENew Gersey? Maria was murdered in !an 9enito.E

EMike, do you want to bring me up to date?E

Delaney nodded. EMaria was murdered two months ago. #he same day she was

killed someone tried to burn down her office at our beach house. I managed to keep the

damage to a minimum until the fire service arrived and I=ve stashed the remains of her

files and her computer away from the house. 4ut instinct. After the funeral I $ust

couldn=t stay there a moment longer. #hat=s why I went back to the monastery.E

E!o they carried out an autopsy, but they decided against an in>uest, correct?E

ECorrect, because in the circumstances the coroner=s office felt an in>uest would

serve no purpose. #he tape identified Maria but they still needed a non3relative to

formally identify her body. I told them to call her New @ork agent, Miles Dunning.

#here were no witnesses and the circumstances of her murder were bi8arre, out of the

ordinary. I was giving a #ai Chi class at time of Maria=s death. I have witnesses. #hat=s



a cast iron alibi. And then there was the fire. It took place around about the same time

she was murdered. I was there and so were a team of firefighters.E

E!o, what have we got?E asked Messenger.

ENot much. Maria left for an appointment. !he was ecited. !he was working on

something big but she never discussed it with me. !he never came back. #hey found

her body in a disused chicken shed about fifty miles outside of Monterey on the way to

!an Guan 9enito. I returned home from the beach and found our house on fire.

Neighbours helped and we managed to contain it until the fire department arrived.

#here was still no word from Maria. !he didn=t come home that night and there was no

response from her cell =phone.E

Delaney paused and sipped some wine. Messenger could see how tough this was.

2e=d never seen Delaney near to cracking before.

EA couple of days later, after I=d been tearing my hair out, calling anyone who

might know where she was, officers from the !an 9enito police called, led by a

ieutenant Nache8. #hat=s when I knew.E

EA chicken farm. Must have been covered in chicken DNA and a mountain of

chicken shit. #hat=s where they found her but is that where she was killed?E said

Messenger.

E2e carved the sign of the cross, vertically down along her spine and hori8ontally

across her back and arms. A blow with an unknown weapon to her neck snapped her

spinal cord and was the cause of her death,E Delaney said hoarsely. E#hen there was the

mutilation, the body parts.E Delaney stumbled over words. Could not describe the

details.

EAnd, of course, it gets worse,E said Messenger >uietly.

Delaney had to pause for a moment.

E!he was three months pregnant, 9ob. :e were going to have our first child. It

would have changed our lives completely.E

9oth men remained silent for a few seconds.

E:hat do think =who is the father= means?E asked Messenger.

E"robably some warped religious reference to 4od #he 6ather,E said Delaney.

E:ho found her?E asked Messenger.

EA couple of siteen year olds looking for somewhere to make out. #hey called the

police on a cell phone.E



EMaking out in a chicken shed? #hey must have been desperate. And it=s almost

impossible not to leave traces at a crime scene. #o do so indicates a remarkable level of

attention to detail,E remarked Messenger. E2ave they searched your house?E

E6irst thing they did. 9ut they haven=t checked through the stuff I salvaged. #hey=ve

carried out house to house canvassing, checking us both out.E

E5outine procedure,E remarked Messenger, E:hat else?E

E#hey=ve been contacting people she worked with, looking for enemies she may

have had. :e both know the basic processes they will be going through. At this stage,

they=re trying to develop a viable theory about what took place. 6rom the analysis of

the crime scene and Maria=s background they will try to come up with at least two

theories about what happened.E

Messenger was entering in some numbers on his wheelchair keypad.

Delaney told him. E#he first thing I=ll do when I get back is to sift through the

debris of the fire. #here must be some connection between whatever it was she was

working on and her murder.E

EAnd you have no idea what that was?E

EMaria kept her professional work to herself. !he didn=t like to discuss it. I

respected that.E

E2ow does the timing work out?E Messenger asked him.

E#he timing fits. It would take an hour ma to reach the mission, so she could have

spent hours with this guy. 2er body was found two days after she was murdered. And

they put the time of death at approimately the same as when I was putting out that

fire. #hat=s about all we know.E

E:hat about Maria=s car?E asked Messenger. E!urely that=s the first thing the police

would be checking on?E

EI asked the same >uestion. 2er car was nowhere near the crime scene. It hasn=t

turned up yet, or, at least, I haven=t been told. !o, this could mean Maria met the killer

somewhere between Monterey and !an 9enito County.E

EAnd she $umped into this guy=s car, $ust like that?E

Eooks like it. It means she didn=t feel threatened. It could also mean the perpetrator

offered to drive her somewhere and show her something.E

E:hich brings me to my net point,E Messenger said, pouring the last of the wine

into their glasses. E:hat are your plans? :hat are you going to do, Mike?E

EI=m going to find him, however long it takes,E Delaney replied.



E:hat are you going to do for money? :hat resources, apart from your undoubted

physical and investigative skills, do you have going for you, old mate?E

Delaney did not reply at once. EI can work. I can get by.E

E#hat=s not good enough and I think you know it,E said Messenger.

E!o, do you have something in mind?E

EIsn=t it obvious? It=s right in front of you. Confess3confess has built up a grudging

relationship of sorts with law enforcement departments all over the world and with all

kinds of official and unofficial organisations and information sources. #hat=s the reason

I wanted you to come to the presentation. I wanted you to know about the site and how

it worked. Mike, become an investigator with confess3confess. It=s no guarantee of co3

operation with county police officers like Nache8 and you would have no official status

but you would get the power of the website behind you as your eyes, ears and research

partner. And, you get publicity and, in this case, you get funded. :hat do you say?E

Delaney said nothing. 2e $ust nodded.

EIn this case, I would like to tell the story of Maria=s murder by treating it as a

challenge. 2as anyone ever come across an M.F. like this? It=s distinctive. 2ow did the

perpetrator avoid leaving bio clues? And the confessions, with their religious and anti3

female content, what=re they all about? All you have to do, Mike, is post regular

information on the case. :e=ll ask !heriff Nache8 to do the same. @ou=ll need a

pseudonym, of course. @es, I have it. :e=ll call you the Monk. :e could do your first

post right now.E

Delaney smiled despite his black mood following the so3called confession. 2e

thought about it for a moment and knew that it made sense in his circumstances. 2e

would have resources, money and access to a huge audience.

EFkay,E he said. E6or Maria=s sake.E

#he two men drained the last of the wine. Messenger smiled over at Delaney.

E6or Maria,E he agreed. EDon=t forget, it was me who brought you two together and

I was best man at your wedding. I want to find the bastard who did this to her almost as

much as you do.E

E!o, I owe you twice,E said Delaney.

Messenger $ust smiled in reply, and then became serious again.

E#here=s no time like the present. :hy don=t you $ust tell the story more or less as

you=ve $ust told me, straight into my laptop. I=ll check it through and edit where

necessary and add my own comments.E



Delaney $ust nodded.

EMike, will your weird beliefs hamper you when it comes to the crunch?E

EI=m not religious in a conventional sense,E smiled Delaney. EI know it all sounds a

little esoteric and I realised after two years at the monastery that I couldn=t live like that

permanently. I=ll have to remain a monk in spirit if not in practice.E

EIt sounds like either escapism or a true vocation, old man,E said Messenger.

E!ometime soon we=ll get very drunk together and I=ll try to eplain. I=m no epert,

9ob. I=m $ust as confused about life, the world, the universe and whether it=s $ust

oblivion or continuation when we finally shuffle off this mortal coil as anyone else.E

Delaney touched Messenger=s shoulder in a gesture of rare trust and intimacy. #he

two men understood each other. Delaney sat down at the laptop and began to tell the

story. It was a cathartic release and an emotional eperience but Delaney knew he had

to go through with it. Messenger was right. #his was the only way in which he could

take control. 2e knew without doubt that he would find the killer, however long it took.

As he typed the words, memories of his life with Maria came flooding back. Delaney

was unaware that tears were running down his face until he tasted salt on his tongue.

#he room had darkened and Messenger had >uietly pushed himself to away to stare out

of the hotel window.

Delaney sat back when he had finished writing and rubbed his eyes. 2e was filled

with a new determination and now couldn=t wait to get to work. 2e turned to see

Messenger watching him. 2e had switched on the lights in the hotel room. 2e wheeled

himself over. #hen he pressed some buttons on the arm of the wheelchair and a screen

flickered. It was a duplicate of the laptop screen Delaney had been using.

Eeave the rest to me, Mike. :e need to set up some funding for you. It won=t be

much but it should cover the basics and your epenses. eave your banking details

with me before you leave.E

Messenger paused and looked serious. E5emember, once the real story of Maria=s

murder gets out there is going to be national media interest. Maria had a lot of business

associates, contacts and friends, apart from the people you both knew socially in

Monterey.E

E#hanks, 9ob. :hen are you heading back to the ;7?E

E!oon as I can, probably in a couple of days. @ou have my address and telephone

number and the site will be our main interface. I=ll give you a special email address. If

you need to speak to me securely the only way is to use a pay phone.E



E#hanks for everything, 9ob.E

E4et out of here, old friend,E Messenger said gruffly. E#he sooner you get back to

Monterey the sooner we can get started. Make sure you can access the site from your

cell phone. Now, go on, get moving.E

Delaney stood and shook 9ob Messenger=s hand. #hen he scribbled down some

notes and numbers on a notepad, tore off the sheet and handed it to Messenger. And

Messenger did likewise. :ithout another word, Delaney turned and left the room.



CHAPTER :

ucius 4ynt awoke early with the watery New @ork sun filtering through the slatted

blinds of his @orkville penthouse apartment. As usual when he opened his eyes after

sleep he was filled, almost to the point of being overcome with elation, with the

ecitement of $ust being ucius 4ynt for one more day. In a display of true narcissism,

his first and only thought was about himself.

2e knew he was beautiful. 2e didn=t have to be told, although he accepted

compliments as though by right. And he knew he was different. 2e knew there was no

one in eistence >uite like ucius 4ynt. #his sense of his own uni>ueness pleased and

satisfied him. 2e started each day with a personal homage to himself. 2e stretched

languorously on his waterbed and thrilled to the sensuous shiver of the silk sheets that

covered his tall, slim but eceptionally powerful body.

#he apartment was decorated in pink and saffron with soft furnishings, garish wall

coverings and, what 4ynt thought of as, avant3garde art discoveries that included some

minimalist sculptures and eamples of art3deco ob$ets d=art.

2e had hung some of his own works bathed in subdued lighting. Fne day the

mainstream art world would discover him. It was only a matter of time. Already a new

and eciting gallery in ong Island City had a hung a select number of his artworks. 2e

had made a particular friend of Juentin, the gallery owner. =New 9rutalism= was how

Juentin described 4ynt=s work. 2e thought 4ynt could be the net big thing.

6luffy rugs and mats were strewn around the timbered floor of the large, open

space, from the centre of which a cast iron spiral staircase wound its way up to a railed

gallery that circled three sides of the room. arge warehouse windows gave the

apartment a light and airy feel.

In one corner of the room space was stacked 4ynt=s mountainous collection of

teddy bears, their button eyes staring sightlessly from mounds of fur and fabric, their

ears pricked listening for the sound of their master=s voice.

4ynt=s bears were his only really true friends. #hey knew how special he was and

how lucky they were to be sharing their lives with him. And 4ynt consulted them

fre>uently, especially about the details and plans for his special assignments. #hey

were very seldom wrong and were particularly good at reminding him if he had



forgotten some very important, minor aspect of a mission. ucius 4ynt thought of

himself as a perfectionist, a consummate master of his trade.

In a corner of an ad$acent room were the accoutrements of his profession. ocked

pull out drawers from a sideboard housed his weaponry. A narrow closet was home to

his clinical and pristine work wear and by the side of the closet was a very small but

purpose designed, free3standing cryogenic cabinet and clinical workbench. Inside this

cabinet, 4ynt created and preserved his very special weapons.

All in all, life was so good to ucius 4ynt, he thought, as he rose slowly from his

bed. As usual, his first port of call before taking his morning leak and conducting his

careful ablutions was to stand in front of his floor3to3ceiling mirror and eamine

himself minutely.

:hat he saw pleased him. 2is body was tall, well honed and lightly tanned. 2e

carried no spare flesh and he was in perfect proportion. Ff particular note were the

main tools of his trade. 2is hands were eceptionally powerful. #hey had been trained

to perfection and turned into perfect killing machines. 2e could crack walnuts in the

palm of one hand and grind the shells into small particles. 2e owed this skill to his

racial background and his unusual past life. Fne of the reasons he liked living in the

relatively innocuous middle class neighbourhood of @orkville was its past history as an

area settled by 2ungarian and 4erman immigrants.

Most mornings, 4ynt tiptoed to the drawer of an anti>ue writing desk and took out

his sacred scrapbook, a fading, worn, leather3bound book with its rich, dark cover

decorated with newspaper cuttings, snippets of photographs , advertising headlines,

cartoons and arcane symbols. 2e touched it reverentially. #he scrapbook was part

diary, part photographic album, part sacred tome. 2e opened the cover and began a

rapid $ourney through his life. 2e found that living his life again backwards could

enhance his eperience of the present moment. #his was something he had learnt from

reading 4urd$ieff, his favourite spiritual teacher. 2e touched the images of his parents,

of himself as a boy and the sepia toned street scenes of !eoul.

4ynt=s father had been 2ungarian and his mother 7orean. #his gave him a slightly

oriental appearance with a central uropean physical legacy. Most of his life he had

been shunted around the world but had his spent formative years in !outh 7orea. 2is

father ran a shady business eporting dubious !outh ast Asian artefacts. ucius 4ynt=s

life on the streets had been a hard education. It was kill or be killed. 2is father largely

ignored his son, apart from the tortuous seual abuse he had inflicted on him when



drunk and before beating his mother. In order to give young ucius, real name i, a

fighting chance of survival she enrolled him in a private 2apkido school and paid for

his tuition with her most precious possession, her body.

6or years, i was trained in the merciless disciplines of the 7orean martial art. 2is

mind was trained as well as his body in a harmonious wholeness. #hrough 2apkido he

was taught three important basic principles.

#he principle of the circle was paramount. All movements are round. #he 2apkido

fighter moves as inside a ball. 6orces from outside of the psyche are rerouted and

neutralised at the surface of the ball.

2e learned the principle of the river or how to adapt etremely fleibly to the

environment. In this moment of build3up enormous strength is developed. i, as a

2apkidoka, also sensitively reacted to his opponent in order to let his pent3up Chi or 7i

flow into the opponent at the crucial moment.

6inally, i was taught the principle of influence. 9y lightning movements, which

can hardly be noticed, the aggressor is manoeuvred into refleive counter movements,

which then are used to overpower him.

4ynt paused at the only photograph he had of his 2apkidoka class. 2e ran his

finger over the lifeless faces of indoctrinated $uveniles with the gla8ed, staring eyes

until he found his own. A small tear trickled over an eyelash. 2e blinked it away and

remembered that it was shortly after this photograph was taken that his life had

changed forever.

i ran away from home $ust as soon as he figured out that there was a bigger world

out there, but not before his father was mugged and murdered as he returned from a so3

called business trip and his mother had to go on the streets full3time to scrape some

kind of living. Nobody had suspected young i at that time and the crime was never

solved. i changed his name to ucius when he eventually left the violently strict

environment of 2ap au special 2apkido school, bribed and threatened a government

official and eventually secured a passport in his new name.

2e headed for "aris where his eceptional beauty and instincts for survival led him

into the seedy underbelly of "igalle. :hen things got too hot for him in "aris, where he

had built a reputation for sadistic violence, ucius 4ynt travelled+ to ondon, 2ong

7ong, Naples and, finally, New @ork. 9ehind him he left a trail of petty crime, murder,

etortion, identity fraud and passport violations. #hroughout his career in this septic

underworld, 4ynt had never been caught, never been accused of any crime and never



been imprisoned. 2e had no criminal record. 2is sense of timing, coupled with his

survival skills,, had been given to him by 4od. 2e knew that to be true. #here was no

doubt about it.

It was only during a routine se haul by the N@"D that he eventually came into

contact with the law. It was also the moment of his salvation. 4od had sent his saviour

to him. #he man with whom he was having lunch on this bright but frosty New @ork

morning had rescued him from further investigation into his dubious past. #his was the

man who had paid a high price to save 4ynt from the authorities and from himself and,

recognising how useful his special skills could be to him, released those true talents

and encouraged them to flower. 2e was also the man who had made ucius 4ynt the

greatest and most treasured promise of his life. 4ynt now knew he owed everything to

4od. #hat meeting was the moment of his salvation when 4od pointed 2is finger and

chose 4ynt=s life path and destiny.

4ynt closed the book and placed it back into the drawer. 2e stood for a moment

allowing the memories to seep into his subconscious and rest within his psyche.

9efore he ran his morning bath, 4ynt firstly laid out his selection of clothes for the

day and then his cosmetics. Net he went through his daily 2apkido routine, including

hand and wrist strengthening eercises. 2e needed two accompaniments to his

preparation. 2e switched on his favourite cable channel. #he Sal&ation programme

broadcast hell fire and damnation, eplained the truth of the 9ible and railed and

screamed at the unbelievers, the liars and cheats, the whores and the devil worshippers.

#hen he selected Jueen=s =:ho :ants #o ive 6orever= from his digital music system

and turned it up full blast.

4ho wants to li&e fore&er*

4ho wants to li&e fore&er*

There's no chance for us

t's all decided for us

This world has only one sweet !o!ent set aside for us

As 4ynt worked out he knew Gesus was on his side. 2e was a soldier of Gesus, on

arth to do his bidding and rid the world of deviant tendencies, particularly those of

women, most of which were whores at heart. 2ow devout is the convert, he thought?

:hy else was I born so beautiful?



E:ho wants to live forever,E 4ynt shrieked hoarsely and tunelessly at full volume.

E@es, Gesus, I want to live forever. I will van>uish the whores and devil worshippers. I

want to live forever.E

2e sank to his knees, his blood humming and bubbling from his eercises, his spirit

eulting. 2is day had begun. 2e switched off the radio and sound system.

:hat to wear, what to wear? After 4ynt had bathed, flossed, shaved carefully,

lightly glossed his almost shaven head, applied copious body oil and patted himself dry

he was ready to dress for lunch.

!ilk underwear was a must. It made him feel so eclusive. Net came a pair of

5icci pants, sleek and comfortable with a button fly. Fver this, he pondered, yes, a

milk3white tunic style brushed cotton shirt by Kerdun topped with his favourite bomber

$acket, found in a second hand store in Kenice, California.

:hen he was finally ready he estimated it would take twenty minutes to stroll along

!econd Avenue to laine=s. 2e checked out the apartment=s security, including the

double barred window and loft shuttered locks, switched on the alarms and triple

deadlocked his front door.

Futside it was a cold but pleasant day with the first tang of winter in the air. It was

good to be alive. It was even better to be alive and to be ucius 4ynt. If he=d really

wanted to he knew he could have been a celebrity. #here was nothing to it really. 2e

had the looks and the charisma. And he had the artistic talent. Maybe he would decide

to be famous. Maybe he would. #he art world was enticing and seductive and it

beckoned. 6or now, 4od had cast him in this subversive role in life. 2e liked it. 2e

liked knowing what others didn=t know. 2e swaggered along !econd Avenue with the

air of a man who has the world at his feet.

2e contemplated his recent change of plan. 2e had deliberately made his work

public in order to force the hand of his mentor who had promised him the immortality

he craved. 2e wanted to live forever and he would. Fnly two more assignments and his

dream would be made to come true. 2e had been made that promise. It was a pledge.

2e wanted to ensure the promise was kept.

9ut he knew he had taken a risk and wondered how his employer would react. 2e

had left no trace of his earlier assignments. 4ynt epected his employer would be

surprised that 4ynt had taken the risk of epressing his unusual and vicious proclivities

and displaying them in full public view without warning. 2e would take it as a

message, of course, saying clearly, it=s my turn now. 7eep your promise. Fn the other



hand, it could blow up in his face. cept, that he knew his employer needed him and

his very special abilities.

#he most recent high3profile assignment had nothing to do with their mainstream

business. It had been a precautionary measure. Fne of the useful services that pathetic

confession website served was that it provided invaluable information and advance

warning of any risks that their activities might fall under the spotlight. 4ynt was proud

of his posting on the site. #he "riest. 2e liked the name. It suited him.

4ynt had profited by his assignments+ an apartment here in New @ork, an

apartment in !t ucia and a small house in Nice, plus a considerably inflated offshore

bank balance.

9efore he arrived at the restaurant he knew that the man he was meeting would

have ordered a bottle of Chateau Kalandraud !aint3milion ())L and that he would eat

a simple fish salad.

2e reached laine=s and glanced over at a couple of celebrity hunters with their

autograph pads at the ready. 2e paused and posed. #he two second raters looked at

each other uncertainly. :ho was he? :asn=t he off that #K soap? #hey took a step

forward, preparing to pounce. 4ynt gave them no chance. :ith a huffy shrug of his

shoulder he entered the restaurant and looked around.

2is lunch appointment was already seated at a discreet table. 2e was late fifties,

early sities. 2e had iron grey hair and a Cote D=A8ur tan. 2e was handsome in

corporate leader way. 2e had the kind of face you could see beaming from the cover of

9usiness :eek < but in reality you never would. 2e was elegantly dressed in a dark

blue pin striped suit, a custom3made shirt by Monetana and 4ynt knew his brogues

would be by Gohn 2obbs.

#he man stood up as 4ynt approached. 2e was shorter and heavier than the

younger man.

Eucius,E 2erman etski purred in accented voice. E2ow delightful to see you.E

Fn a seat by his side was a large, brown manila envelope.

#wo hours later and ucius 4ynt had said goodbye to 2erman etski. 2e had

stored the envelope containing briefings of his net two assignments safely within the

inside pocket of his $acket. 2e was happy but a little uncertain as he retraced his steps

back up !econd Avenue and entered his apartment.



ucius 4ynt was trembling with anticipation. ven the bears were ecited. 2is final

reward was in sight. 2e was surprised at how >uickly it had come about. #here was

usually a respectable amount of time between the sacrifices of his whores to the bosom

of the Almighty. It was not like 2erman etski to rush into things. In one sense, 4ynt

was happy. #he sooner he received his reward for services rendered the better. 2e tried

to imagine where it would take place. New @ork City was the favourite and obvious

location but it was up to etski.

As he went through his preparations and his wardrobe selection he wondered what

would be entailed. :ould it hurt? 2ow long would it all take? Now that he was close to

achieving his dream he felt uncommonly nervous. 2e hummed a little tune as he

drifted around the apartment and checked elements of his outfits with his bear

audience.

2e wondered too about 2erman etski. :as this really his name? 2e had hinted it

wasn=t. 2e had eplained how easily he could $ust vanish and his entire operation with

him. Could 4ynt really trust him? Could he truly believe him?

2e paused and replayed past conversations. 2e tried to recall firm promises with

details and he found his memory straining to remember anything with absolute

certainty. 4ynt=s life eperience had taught him the value of caution and of precaution.

2e stopped in the centre of his apartment, poised like a gymnast preparing for the

parallel bars. 2e was suddenly and depressingly swamped with doubts. ucius 4ynt

didn=t like doubts. #hey disturbed him. It was time for a board meeting.

2e assembled his bears in order of seniority and placed them in a semicircle. 2e sat

cross3legged before them and posed a number of >uestions < the ones that bothered

him most now that he was close to achieving his ambition. 2e always took note of the

bears= wise counsel. 2e listened without interruption as they advised him about the

precautions he should take. 4ynt had suddenly realised how vulnerable he was to the

perfect double3cross. At any moment he chose, etski could shop him to the authorities

anonymously.

4ynt would have to remain alert and attuned to the slightest hint that he was not

net in line. etski could simply vanish without trace leaving 4ynt bereft. 4ynt knew

that etski had an etensive global operation but very few, if any, close confidantes or

partners. #he most insidious thought that penetrated 4ynt=s mind was that etski could

simply have 4ynt taken out. etski knew where to find him in New @ork, !t ucia or

Nice. A dark night, a drive by shooting and that would be it.



6arewell immortality.

During lunch he had sensed dis>uiet behind etski=s urbane eterior and could tell

he was disturbed by the edge of steel in his voice. 2e wasn=t happy about 4ynt=s public

demonstrations of vicious slaughter. Nevertheless, 4ynt had made his point. Now it

was etski=s turn to deliver. If he was so sure he was untouchable then what was there

to worry about. If he wanted the "riest to return to the anonymous disposal of

unwanted assets he knew what he had to do. 7eep his promise.

ucius 4ynt was looking forward to the evening when New @ork changed colour.

And he planned to change with it. 2e popped into 9loomingdale=s and cruised the sales

departments eventually buying a little trinket, a pair of solid gold earrings in the shape

of woman. 2e liked them. 2e liked to buy something most days.

As the evening drew in and the sun set over @orkville, 4ynt prepared for the night=s

entertainment. 2e needed company and he needed anonymity. 2e stripped, showered

and shaved his legs and underarms then went to his evening closet. !lowly he caressed

his body with a fresh, silk pair of panties before rolling on a pair of stockings. 2e was

old3fashioned. 2e liked garters.

2e slipped into a breast enhancer cum bra with >uick release tabs on the back. Now

he selected a dress to suit his mood. 2e plumped for a low3cut red number by @ves !t

aurent, which matched his Diamante encrusted necklet. 2e would never wear real

$ewellery where he was going to hang out.

2e picked for tonight a dark wig that suited his mood. It was ra8or cut and sculpted

to his features making him seem even more oriental. 2e knew this intrigued men and

women alike and he liked both at once.

2e spent an hour on his make3up then selected a pair of 4ucci shoes that showed

off his calves. 2e was almost ready. 2e had secured his money and a credit card in a

secret pocket designed into the false belt on his dress. All that remained was to check

his look in the mirror. @es, he was devastating. 2e picked up his shoulder bag, paraded

in front of a captive teddy bear audience and went to the door.

merging from the apartment, Chantelle stepped daintily out into the New @ork

evening. 4ynt smiled behind his alter ego as he noticed admiring glances from passers3

by. 9ut Chantelle wasn=t looking for passers3by tonight.

!he was looking for love.

end of ecerpt



9uy book on Ama8onThe Immoraliy Plo

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