KILLING SARAI(74)

“But you brought her along for a mission? Why?”

“Because for now, she is convenient,” I say. “Considering the short amount of time I was given to carry this hit out, there wasn’t time to fill anyone else in.”

I know this is not the greatest of explanations. There are several women in Los Angeles who work for the Order like Fredrik and one of them could have easily taken Sarai’s part and played it as flawlessly as Fredrik played his. But hopefully Niklas will take my word for it. He doesn’t play the field like I do. He isn’t as intimate with the process of carrying out an actual hit as I am. He has killed people just as I have, but not on the same level and he doesn’t have my experience.

“She will only get herself killed,” Niklas says.

“Yes, you’re right.” I stop and contemplate my words and then decide a different approach. “It’s the reason I brought her, if you want to know the truth.”

I can tell right away that his concerns have changed, that I’ve finally offered him an explanation he can be content with accepting.

“I can’t bring myself to kill her,” I go on as if finally admitting this to him. “I will if I have to, but you’re right, Niklas, to believe that I’ve been affected by her in some way. Only you noticed it before I did, or rather, you noticed it before I let myself believe it. The girl has to be removed entirely from the picture.”

“I could kill her for you,” Niklas says with sincerity and not out of spite or hatred for a change. He is empathizing with me and my plan is working. “Regardless of your nature, Victor, you are human. I understand. I can help you. Let me kill her for you.”

I sigh lightly into the phone. “No. She is my problem and I will deal with it. She wants to be what we are.” Niklas scoffs at hearing that. “There’s no better way to make her understand that it’s entirely unfeasible than to give her what she wants by throwing her into a mission head first. I’ll let the mission kill her.”

“And what if it doesn’t?”

“Then I will do it,” I say. “No matter what happens, Sarai will die in California tomorrow night.”

“I am sorry, Brother,” he says with real sympathy. “To have relations with women other than sex, it never works, you know this. We don’t do it for a reason and this situation you’ve gotten yourself into with her is only proving the validity of that reason.”

“I am aware, Niklas,” I say and change the subject quickly. “Give me the details of the mansion.”

After a brief pause and I sense his acceptance of my lies, Niklas begins, “There are ten bedrooms and a master suite which is Arthur Hamburg’s room located on the fourth floor. Six bathrooms. A Jacuzzi room on the ground floor, east side. A game room with five pool tables. A theatre room is located on the back north end of the mansion. There is a hidden exit behind the projector screen that leads underneath the house and outside near the back gates. There is another hidden door on the third floor, south end near the hallway with the black marble flooring. That one we’re not sure about where it leads, but the maid said that it, like the secret room in Hamburg’s suite, is locked by a keypad. She doesn’t have the access code. You won’t have time or the opportunity to break the access code of either door so you’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.”

“What about cameras?” I ask.

“There is one in every room except Hamburg’s suite.”

“I suppose there wouldn’t be,” I say. “Can’t imagine one like him foolish enough to record the evidence needed to put him away for life. This works in my favor.”

“Yes,” Niklas agrees. “Whatever you do in that room only those inside will know it.”

“And the maid?”

I mentally jot down all of the information he is giving me.

“The one you should look for is a woman named Manuela. She wears a nametag like all of the staff. Meet her near the Jacuzzi room at precisely eight o’clock. But do not speak to her. She will be working near the towel shelf where the envelope has been hidden. When you make eye contact with her, simply nod once to acknowledge her and she will place a stack of three towels on top of the towels where the envelope can be found. But this cannot be carried out until eight o’clock, so if Hamburg invites the two of you to his room before that, you’ll need to stall him.”

“And nothing that we discussed last night has changed?” I ask.

“No. Everything is to be carried out as planned. Hamburg’s gun is located in the nightstand on the side of the bed nearest the window. There is another gun in an unlocked briefcase on the floor of the closet.”

I let the scene run through my mind for a moment. “This is a first for me,” I say. “And I thought I have seen everything.”

“I agree,” Niklas says. “But it is what it is and it’s no different from any other hit from our perspective.”

He is right about that. Despite the unique circumstances, I have no problem carrying out this job. Sarai, on the other hand, I doubt will be able to stomach it.

“Contact me as soon as the job is complete,” Niklas says. “I would like to get the information back to Vonnegut as soon as possible. Hopefully it will make up for the delays and problems you encountered and created on the mission with Javier and Guzmán.” I hear the faint accusation in his words, but it’s to be expected and I let it go.