Jungle Of Steel And Stone

'Veil, I feel very strange.' 'You're tired. You need some rest.' 'This was important. It was something I wanted to share with you, because you seem so much like this man. My friend says he's sure—'

Veil slowly moved his hand back and forth, and Reyna again fell silent. Veil was aware that at the moment he seemed a stranger—and, perhaps, a bit frightening—to Reyna. It was what he wanted. 'Don't stalk me, Reyna. Please. No good will come of it.'

Chapter Nine

Veil, darling,' the voice on the intercom intoned sweetly, 'are you in the mood to receive a visitor?'

'It depends on who it is, Chuck.'

'The sweet man says that his name is Gabriel Vahanian, and he has the prettiest detective's badge. He's a real hunk, Veil.'

'Anybody with him?'

'Nope. He's alone.'

'Send him up, Chuck. Thanks.'

Veil slipped the tape recorder he had purchased under his platform bed, draped all of his canvases, then walked across the spacious loft and pulled open the sliding door. Vahanian, looking tired and anxious, emerged from the elevator. Veil stepped aside and motioned for the detective to enter.

'What's the story on the fag and the other four guys down there?' Vahanian asked as he looked around the sparsely furnished, paint-splattered loft.

'That 'fag' is a friend of mine who would have done you very serious damage if you'd tried to come up here without permission or a warrant. He and the others are occasional students of mine.'

'Karate?'

'Martial arts in general. Karate is just a name for a rather specific Japanese system.'

'I'd heard you were pretty good at that stuff. I didn't know you were an instructor.'

'I'm not. For every eight hours they stand guard, I give an hour to share some of the things I know.'

'Eight hours for one; that's expensive time.'

'They're not complaining.'

'Who teaches you?'

'A barber, a tugboat captain, and a stockbroker. Sometimes, when I'm judged particularly worthy, there is a special session with a fifth-grade teacher who flies in from Seattle to teach me.'

'What things make you particularly worthy?'

'I never know. When I do know, I'll join their ranks.'

'Kendry, I don't understand what you're talking about.'

'I'm talking about secret knowledge.'

'Where did you learn your basic skills?'

Veil did not reply.

Vahanian stared hard at Veil. 'You used what you know to do something funny to Nagle at the gallery, didn't you?'

'I don't know what you mean. The good detective had been drinking and he threw up. I was just trying to come to the aid of an officer of the law.'

'Bullshit.'

'Whatever you say.'

'Do you always keep bodyguards outside your loft?'

'No.'

'Why now?'

'I've been suffering from anxiety attacks. Why did you come to see me, Lieutenant?'

Vahanian took a deep breath, slowly let it out as he ran his fingers through his thick, black, wavy hair. 'Sorry if I sound snappish, Kendry. I've been up twenty-four hours.'

'It's okay.' 'We're not enemies, are we?'

'I don't like the company you keep.'

'Neither do I. Believe me, it's not by choice.'

Veil shrugged. 'As far as I'm concerned, we're not enemies.'

'I came to ask you a question, which I hope you'll answer.'

'Let's hear the question.'

'I'd like to know what you said to my partner.'

'Oh, that. I told Nagle I knew he was a Mafia enforcer, rapist, child molester, and all-around sadist. I also mentioned, in passing, that he had executed Vito Ricci, that he was on the Mafia's shit list for his somewhat excessive behavior, and that for an act of penance he's supposed to make sure that the Nal-toon is delivered safely to any one of the remaining five families. I very politely asked him to decline the Mafia assignment and request transfer to another case, since the K'ung obviously need the idol more than the Mafia does. That's about it. Is he still upset?'

Vahanian seemed stunned as he stared at Veil, his mouth slightly open, his breathing rapid and shallow. 'You got anything here to drink?' he said at last.

'Scotch or bourbon?'

'Bourbon.'

'Water? Ice?'

'Neat. A big one, if you don't mind.'

Veil went into the kitchen, removed a bottle of bourbon from a cabinet, and poured a heavy tumbler half full. When he returned to the other room, he found Vahanian sitting on the floor, back braced against one of the support pillars that ran down the center of the loft.

'Cheers, Lieutenant,' Veil said as he handed the drink to the detective. 'You'll excuse me if I don't join you. It's still early, and I've got things to do.'

Vahanian downed the drink in three quick swallows, then set the glass down on the polished hardwood floor. 'I'm with the New York State Police, Kendry, on special assignment to the NYPD. I've been investigating Nagle for close to a year, and I only know maybe half of what you just told me.'

'So the NYPD is on to Nagle?'

Vahanian nodded. 'They've suspected for some time, especially since the last big problem he had. But it's tough to nail him down. He's very good at what he does, Kendry, and he covers his tracks well.'

'Oh, he has great technique. It's called terror.'

'Are you sure of your information?'

'Yes.'

Vahanian studied Veil for a few moments, then nodded. 'I can see that you are. Will you give me the name of your informant?'

'No. I won't even confirm that I got the information through an informant.'

Vahanian sighed with resignation. 'One of the biggest problems we've been having is getting anyone to testify against him. Terror isn't the word for what Nagle instills in his victims—and we suspect there are a lot of them. Do you know of anyone who might be willing to come forward?'

'I might. But I wouldn't even think of mentioning this person's name until you have Nagle nailed down tight. Sorry, Lieutenant, but Nagle's your problem.'

Vahanian rose to his feet, straightened his sport jacket. 'Judging from the presence of those bodyguards downstairs, I'd say he's also your problem.'

'I don't think of Nagle as a problem.'

'You know, the attitude of the police department in this city toward you is very ambivalent.'

'I don't consider that a problem, either.'

'May I ask what your interest in this matter is?'

'I don't really have an interest. I'm just a friend of Reyna Alexander's.'

Vahanian grunted with disbelief, then headed toward the door. 'Thanks for the drink.'