my life for him, and he’d do the same for me. And you.”
Holly thought back to the first time he’d spent the night at her house. Nathan had insisted on sleeping on the floor. That was odd enough. Then came his horrible dream. The way he’d jumped off the floor when she’d yelled his name. The expression of rage in his eyes and the paralyzing sense of danger she’d felt. Almost as though he’d been someone else for a few seconds.
Some
Chapter 5
Nathan walked back to Holly’s sedan. The longer he stayed out here, the more it would worry her. To avoid startling them, he approached from the front of the vehicle, then came around to the passenger’s side and climbed into the backseat.
“I trust my absence hasn’t spooked either of you irreparably?”
Holly turned in the front seat to face him, concern in her eyes. “You okay?”
“I needed to clear my head. Sorry.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. What you went through.…”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not
He forced a smile. “Can’t say I like it much. We’re pressed for time, but let’s grab a bite. Anyone hungry?”
“There’s an all-night coffee shop about a mile from here,” Holly said.
Harv climbed out. “I’m gonna lock her up and grab our bags. Be right back.”
Nathan stayed in the backseat and an uneasy silence ensued. He knew she didn’t want to break it, so he spoke first. “You look great, Holly.”
“I don’t feel great. I’ve gained ten pounds since the bombing. It’s this damned cane. I can’t exercise like I used to.”
“You look fine.”
“I’ve really missed you.”
“Me too.”
“Will you stay with me tonight? Harvey too. I mean-”
“I know what you mean. No problem.”
“You going to sleep on the floor?”
“I like sleeping on the floor.”
“You’re the most unusual man I’ve ever met.”
“You don’t get out much.”
“Is Harvey a light sleeper?”
“I’m afraid so. The man can sleep with his eyes open. It’s the damnedest thing you ever saw.”
“I’d like to sleep next to you tonight, even if it’s on the floor.”
“You can’t.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
He took her hand. “But I’m not.”
“Think I’ll ever be able to?”
“Probably not. I’ll never lead a normal life, Holly. Montez stole that from me. All I can do is be the best person I can to you.”
“You’re one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.”
He nodded toward the helicopter.
“Is he coming?”
“Harv knows the score. Don’t worry about him, and don’t let him insist on staying in a hotel tonight.”
“I won’t.”
Harv placed the bags on the seat next to him and slid into the front. “We’re good to go. Listen, you two should be alone tonight. I don’t mind roughing it at the Hyatt again.”
Holly smiled at him in the rearview mirror. “I’ve got a spare bedroom. It’s no trouble at all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
The all-night diner featured an aeronautical theme. Model airplanes of all shapes and eras hung from the ceiling. Wooden propellers and memorabilia adorned the walls. As always, Nathan was amazed at Harv’s ability to eat an inordinate amount of food.
Holly filled Nathan in on what she’d already told Harvey.
“Do you have an ID on the body?”
“Yes, his name is Arthur Kramer. His fingerprints were identified quickly. He was an American attache assigned to the U.S. embassy in Hungary.”
“Hungary?” Harv asked. “What kind of attache?”
“A commercial attache-basically, a person whose job it is to promote American businesses in foreign countries. Apparently, he was part of a joint task force involving the U.S. and the Hungarian government to pursue clean coal technology. He had ties with a consulting firm called Energy Solutions, Incorporated. The group’s focus was on a huge reserve of lignite discovered in an open pit mine near the Mantra power plant.”
“How big a reserve are we talking about?” Nathan asked.
“Half a billion short tons.”
“What does that number mean?”
“I’m not sure, but the case notes say that because of this mine, Hungary could become a major exporter of lignite to other Eastern Bloc countries.”
Harv asked, “What kind of money’s involved with something like this?”
“Hundreds of millions of euros, maybe billions,” Holly said. “I’m obviously no expert, so I did a little research before coming to meet you. Most experts believe clean coal technology won’t be commercially viable on a large scale until the year 2025. In a nutshell, it involves two processes. The first is chemically washing the coal to remove undesirable minerals and impurities, and the second is treating the emissions. Steam would be used to remove sulfur dioxide, but that still leaves the problem of capturing and storing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide gas in solid form. Essentially, dry ice. Many environmental experts believe it just trades one evil for another. They’re worried all the carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere someday.”
“So Montez tortures and kills a clean coal consultant?” Harv asked. “That sure doesn’t sound like his usual MO.”
“More shocking,” Nathan added, “is the fact that he’s working inside the United States. Think about it. The man’s a murder and torture machine. We could be looking at dozens more victims in the months ahead. Hundreds, maybe. It’s obvious he loves his work too much to stop. And how are we supposed to find him? He’s not the type to leave traces of his whereabouts behind. Or witnesses, for that matter.”
“Is there anything you can remember from your time with him,” Holly asked, “that might give us a starting point?”
“I’ve been racking my brain since you showed me the photograph. I can’t think of anything. He didn’t talk about himself much, and truth be told, I was a little distracted at the time.”
“A bit,” Harv added.
“Have you considered hypnosis?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you want to drag that pond?” Harv asked.
“Let’s keep it as a fallback plan. I called Thorny. He cleared his calendar to come out here.”
“That doesn’t give us much shuteye before our flight back.”
“He also wants us invisible from now on.”
