3 The Braque Connection (10 page)

Knowing my role, I held out my hand. “Pleased to meet you, Rhonda.”

“Doc.” Rhonda took my hand in a crushing grip. She was establishing dominance and I allowed her to. I pulled my shoulders slightly towards my ears in a typical tortoise pose and lowered my eyes. This pleased her and she let go of my hand. “Let’s get this party started then.”

She held the door open for us, allowing us to go in first. I did not see it as a gesture of hospitality. This enabled her to shoot us in the back if we became a threat. Logic dictated that somewhere in the building was a person with a weapon trained on the door, covering us from the front. I swallowed and touched the inside of the left arm of my glasses.

Rhonda led us deeper into the large structure. I pretended to look without really seeing anything. It wasn’t difficult. All I had to do was make sure that the glasses got as much view of the warehouse as possible. I moved my head slowly enough to not create a visual blur, but not so much as to be noticeable.

We passed crates stacked in rows reaching as high as eight meters, but still very far from the ceiling. Aware as I was of Hawk’s main business, it was difficult for me to process that these crates might all contain weapons. At the end of one of the many rows was a man working on a tablet computer while looking at the crates. When we got closer I noticed how much shorter than Vinnie he was. I estimated his age at mid-forties, yet he had the kind of look that would ensure graceful aging. Fortunate genes, despite the height disadvantage. He was elegantly dressed in black trousers and an expensive beige silk shirt, contrasted by heavy boots.

“Vinnie, you ugly bastard.” The man put his tablet on an unopened crate and gave Vinnie a back-slapping hug. “It’s been too long, eh?”

“Hey, gotta make you miss me some, H.” The nonverbal cues on Vinnie’s face were not what I had expected. Their relationship meant more to Vinnie than he had led me to believe. Vinnie had not trusted me with their history, but something had to have happened to make my paranoid friend feel affection towards a man he had labelled as a ruthless killer. His smile was genuine. “Whatcha up to?”

“Checking inventory. I had an arsehole stab me in the back two weeks ago. Can you believe it, Vinnie?” Hawk’s
risorius
muscles moved the corners of his mouth towards his ears. A contemptuous smirk, often mistaken for a smile. “I welcomed this jerk into my business, into my home and he sold me out to the police. What is the world coming to when you can’t even trust those around you, eh?”

Vinnie chuckled. “You don’t trust anyone, in any case, H.”

“True, true, true.” Hawk looked at me, his eyes narrowing. “So, this is your shrink, eh?”

“H, I would like you to meet Doctor Sebastian.”

Before Vinnie could introduce Hawk to me, the short man stepped closer and held his hand out to me. “Any friend of Vinnie’s is a friend of mine. Please call me Hawk.”

“Pleased to meet you, Hawk.” I offered my hand and he took it in a firm, but respectful grip. A man confident enough in his position that he didn’t have to posture or intimidate.

“You have a beautiful smile, Doc.” He held my hand for a moment too long. I longed for my hand sanitizer.

My smile dimmed a bit at his over-familiarity, but I recovered by lowering my eyes and making my smile shy. “Thank you.”

Hawk turned to Vinnie. “You sure she’s only your shrink? A pretty thing like her would distract me too much to talk about my emotions, eh?”

“Careful, H.” Vinnie’s tone was still friendly, but had lost some of its warmth. “I respect what she’s doing. She’s really helping me and I promised her complete safety.”

“Safety, Vinnie? You brought her here to discuss business.” All friendliness left Hawk’s body, replaced by an alertness only noticeable to the practiced eye.

Vinnie didn’t answer. I saw an opening and took it. I placed my hand on his arm and ignored his surprise. “It’s okay, Vinnie. Tell your friend.”

For a few seconds Vinnie stared at me, his expression shuttered. Yet I could see him fluctuating between amusement and concern. “If you think so, Doc.”

“I think so.” I pulled my hand back, resisting the urge to wipe it on the skirt that wasn’t mine.

Vinnie looked at Hawk. “There’s another reason she’s here. Doc reckons I would make faster progress if I trusted more people. I told her you are one of my oldest friends and she suggested I trust you more.”

There was a moment of silence before Hawk burst out laughing. Vinnie joined him.

“Um, how much does she know about you?” Hawk asked as he wiped tears from his eyes and gave a few more chuckles.

“Everything.” Vinnie lifted a hand to stop Hawk’s response. “I need help, H. Things were turning into a complete fuck-up fast. I knew it wasn’t long before I lost it and did something I could not get back from. She’s helped me a lot in the last year. A few months ago I realised that she could be trusted with my life and I told her everything.”

“You gave her names?”

“When you agreed for her to join me was the first time I gave any name. The things I’ve told her have been without names and places.”

“Most of what he has told me related to his reactions in different situations.” I knew I wasn’t supposed to talk, but Hawk was the kind of man who needed more than the usual reassurances. “I know he told you that I have other patients like him. Vinnie is not the only person trusting me with sensitive information.”

Hawk studied me for almost a full minute. He must have seen something he approved of. “Tell me about doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“In my personal practice I take it further than the law requires.” I had thought about it this morning and discussed it with Vinnie while Francine had worked on my make-up. “By law I cannot disclose any information about a patient unless he is a danger to himself or society. In my personal practice I will only report a patient if he is an immediate threat to children. My patients know that from the first meeting. So far, it’s worked for all of them.”

“And I have some dirt on her.” Vinnie’s smile was filled with retribution. I didn’t understand why he would feel the need. I thought I was doing great in solidifying our cover story. “I managed to find some stuff on Doc Sebastian that she agreed shouldn’t be public knowledge. We’re good, H. She’s safe. Else I would never have brought her here.”

“You are the most paranoid bastard I know. If you say she’s good, I believe it.” Hawk nodded. “Well, okay then. Let’s have tea, eh?”

He turned away from us and walked even deeper into the building, Vinnie next to him asking Hawk about his family. Just because criminals could coldly execute plans, and people, didn’t mean they didn’t have the same emotions when it came to family. There was pride in Hawk’s voice when he talked about his daughter Monique, getting ready to go to university in America. He didn’t want his world to taint her and he was pleased with her American education.

From his chatter I heard his affection as he talked about Monique having been in US schools since the age of eleven. There was also a lot of pride in his voice. He took a photo from his wallet and showed it to Vinnie. I caught a glimpse of a happy teenage girl. He believed she was going to be the best in whatever field she studied.

I followed them, making sure to slowly look from side to side, again as if I was looking, but not absorbing. It was Hawk’s admission that he was hoping to take it easier that greatly interested me. He wanted to spend more time with his daughter. From the rest of their conversation I surmised that Hawk was planning to exit this line of business. Although I saw only the left side of his face and his back, it was enough for me to read him. He was deeply concerned about something. Maybe his retirement was forced.

We stopped in front of two large steel cabinets, used in most offices for filing. Hawk looked at Vinnie. “You’re sure you trust her, eh?”

“With my mental health and my life, H.” His tone and every nonverbal cue agreed with the statement. My carefully constructed mask crumbled for a moment. Despite the many layers that made up Vinnie, and his vast and rich criminal history, he had grown very dear to me.

“Tea it is.” Hawk held a key-card to the side of one of the cabinets and a few short beeps filled the air. The cabinets silently rolled sideways along the wall to reveal a large door that looked like that of a walk-in safe. Hawk leaned close and a retina scanner confirmed his identity, asking in an automated voice for his code. That was entered with one hand covering the other. He seemed to equal Vinnie in paranoia.

“Please, come in,” Hawk said when the door silently slid open. The room it revealed was in complete contrast to the warehouse at our backs. I joined the two men in the room and slowly turned around to take everything in. And to record what I was looking at. The walls were filled with paintings that looked authentic to me. Most of the masters were represented on the walls, showcasing the major eras in art history. A glaring omission was the cubist masters. I made a mental note of it. Later I would examine all my observations, as well as carefully studying the footage.

“Doc, green, white or black tea?” Hawk had turned on a kettle and was standing in front of an impressive collection of glass containers filled with tea leaves. My recent poisoning flashed into my mind and I hesitated.

“Doc Sebastian is scared she’s going to offend you, H.” Vinnie’s laugh was derisive. “She’s done a lot for me, but she’s one of those health nuts. Vegan, can you believe? And she doesn’t drink any kind of tea or coffee.”

“Really?” Hawk looked at me as if he saw me for the first time. “Not even rooibos tea? Its health benefits are many.”

“No, I don’t drink rooibos tea.” It was the truth and I felt relieved to not have to lie about my beverage preferences. Once I had tried this apparently wonderful tea, but the taste did not please my palate. “I’m well aware of its highly regarded health properties. I just don’t drink it.”

“May I offer you anything else?”

I knew my refusal would be considered an insult. “Bottled water, if you have any.”

“Only the best.” He opened a small built-in fridge and took out a bottle of expensive imported water. I didn’t care as much about the purity of the water as I did the sealed top. When I heard the crack of the seal breaking, relief rushed through me. He poured the water into a sparkling clean crystal glass. It was no guarantee, but much better than taking a chance with tea leaves.

Vinnie had no such problems and easily accepted the white tea Hawk brewed for them. Two hardened criminals drinking tea out of fine china was another valuable piece of information I stored. I had come to learn Francine’s sense of humour and predicted she would find this highly entertaining.

For the next twenty minutes I quietly watched Vinnie and Hawk chat. There was an easy camaraderie between them borne from years of friendship and shared experiences. It made me more curious about Vinnie’s past, something I had never asked him about. I wasn’t one to pry, believing people would share what they were willing to share when they were ready. Maybe I was mistaken and should ask more intrusive questions.

“So Doc, you want to step into the shadows with us, eh?” The change in Hawk’s tone and body language announced the true conversation was about to start.

“Yes.” It took monumental effort to lie about my greed for more money. It took no effort to appear nervous and uncomfortable in a new situation. “In the last week alone, I listened to three patients expressing interest in finding untraceable weapons.”

“I don’t know if I should laugh or shoot both of you.” Hawk’s micro-expression confirmed his indecision. I hoped he would laugh.

“I told you I trusted her.”

Hawk took a long time to reach a decision. I watched the process unfold on his face. He sighed and looked at me. There was not a single sign of deceit. “If I ever so much as get a hint that you spilled a word about this, I will find you. And I will kill you.”

“I believe you.” I did.

“Good. What are you looking for?”

“When I spoke to Vinnie, he told me there have been guns on the streets for a few months now that left no traceable evidence on the bullets. No striae, nothing whatsoever. That’s what I’m interested in.”

“What makes you think I will have one of those, eh?” He laughed softly when Vinnie looked at him in disbelief. “Sure, I’ve also heard of those.”

“Do you have any of those?” I asked.

“Nope. I am trying to source it. You are not the only one interested in this, eh?” Hawk stood. He was announcing the end of our meeting. “I will remember to let you know as soon as I find those guns myself, eh?”

Vinnie stood as well. “Thanks, H.”

“You know you’re welcome here any time.” Hawk watched me get up from the sofa. “I like you, Doc. You are also welcome here any time.”

“Thank you.” That was the only safe answer I had for his lie.

Hawk led us out the warehouse, chatting to Vinnie about inconsequential things. Five minutes later we were in the pickup truck driving past the other warehouses to the main road. Vinnie was very quiet. I waited. When he was ready, he would talk. It took ten minutes.

“He was lying about not knowing about the guns, wasn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“He made me, didn’t he? He made us.”

I remembered this expression from Colin’s last experience with Kubanov. Vinnie had lost his cover with Hawk. My voice was quiet with sympathy. “Yes.”