“Well, if we hear of anybody showing up dead or missing over the next couple days, we’ll know why.”
“Unless they’re smart enough to spread out the killings,” Keane said. “And these bad guys are getting pretty damn smart.”
“Well, let’s hope it’s not connected,” Nico said. “This could be just a simple kidnapping.”
“Could be. She’s also an anthropologist.”
“So she studies dead societies and dead people’s lifestyles,” Nico said, shrugging.
“Something like that, yeah, which is also why she doesn’t want the current aboriginal groups to become extinct.”
“We’ll all be dead here in another couple hundred years with this climate change and the political distresses,” Nico said. “The world’s a mess.”
“Well, we can agree on that,” Keane said.
Nico stared out at the huge vistas full of vivid colors all around him. The one thing about Australia that always got him was how everything seemed to be in Technicolor. The sun was super bright, and the leaves seemed greener, while the yellows seemed more yellow, and the oranges looked almost neon. “She was taken from her Sydney hotel. There were no last-minute changes to her hotel or to her flight info. So no sign of any known issues or threats facing her?”
“Not that anybody has told us,” Keane said. “Not that I found online. But I researched a lot of the more recent rallies where she was in attendance. Of course, with these groups, whether she’s there or not, injuries and arrests are commonplace. I remember finding an incident a few years ago at a rally she attended. A couple guys throwing bottles tried to get past security, and it got pretty ugly but nothing worse than at any music concert. Still I did run across an article about a death at another rally. Accidental of course.”
“Only one? That’s not as bad as what could happen at these events.”
“Apparently she was distressed by it and stepped back out of the limelight. It took a lot to convince her to return to Sydney.”
“She should have followed her instincts and not come here,” Nico said.
“Yeah, that won’t work so well,” Keane said. “I’ve heard her speak. She’s very compelling.”
“Well, I listened to a couple of her videos on YouTube and also a TED talk,” Nico said. “I had a long flight, and it gave me the chance to delve into her life.”
“What do you think of her?”
Nico was silent for a moment and then said, “I think something started her on this pathway, and I think it was an impassioned route. Probably something to do with her first husband’s death.”
“I couldn’t find much about his death.”
“Right,” Nico said. Pulling out his phone, he quickly texted Miles. I need to know the details of her husband’s death. And he left it at that. “I think something pushed her in this direction. She’s very obsessive about her subject.”
“I think she’s also passionate about saving the planet and saving the people. Maybe she’s just that kind of a person.”
“Maybe,” Nico said in a more noncommittal tone. The information came in almost immediately via the chat window. Nico whistled. Then shared the info with Keane. “Makes sense now. Maybe. Apparently she lost her husband to brain cancer and he’d been big on aboriginal and environmental issues. She’s more or less picked up his battle as he couldn’t any longer.”
“Sounds like she’s carrying the torch for her dear departed hubby.”
Nico nodded.
They were only a few minutes from the hotel. They pulled up, and Keane said, “Hop out. I’ll be up at the room in a few minutes.”
“Good enough,” he said. “I’d like ten minutes of shut-eye, and then I’ll need some food.”
“Already arranged for food,” Keane said, handing over one of the hotel cards. “Good luck getting a nap.”
“Did she have the same kind of a security key card?” Nico asked. “To get in and out of her room?”
“She did, but there had been problems with it,” Keane said. “They couldn’t lock it properly and ended up giving her a different key that eventually worked.”
“Of course there had been problems,” Nico said. He hopped out of the car and grabbed his bag, then walked into the hotel and completely ignored the front desk. He headed to the elevator and up to the room. Much better nobody knew he was here. He wasn’t sure what names they were registered under, if even names had been used. Often the Mavericks members operated under aliases and sometimes fake company names. But Keane got here earlier this morning, as he had been closer, and already had their room set up. Nico tossed his bag on the bed to see a gun case sitting on the floor beside it.
He opened it up and smiled. A long-range rifle and a handgun. Both already fitted with silencers. Perfect. He quickly picked up the handgun and checked that it was loaded, then put it back down again on the table beside where he would be working. Not back in the case. A gun was no good if packed away. He was one of those who never pulled it unless he needed to shoot. And, when he shot, he never intended to hurt. It was always to kill. As far as he was concerned, if he was in such a scenario where he needed a damn gun, then it was bad news, and he would take whatever way out that he needed to.
As Keane walked in, he pushed a trolley.
Nico smiled, looking at Keane, and asked, “Was it waiting out there?”
Keane shook his head. “It was just arriving.”
Nico nodded, and they quickly served themselves from the trays. Steak, vegetables, and potatoes. “Looks good to me,” he said. He glanced down at his watch. “Who are we working with for an update?”
“No one local,” Keane said.
Nico swore. “I still don’t understand that. Even with the undercover brother issue, why can’t we tell the locals to just do their jobs as usual, get their help, and never mention the brother?” Still shaking his head, he
