Stone Junction

‘I had fun with Dredneau. I was in a good mood.’

Volta had asked Smiling Jack to come to El Paso for a personal report and consultation, and had arranged a charter to deliver him. It wasn’t like Volta to duplicate effort. Jack couldn’t tell him more in person than he had on the phone. Smiling Jack thought perhaps Volta was doubting his own judgment. To Jack, who’d worked with him for twenty years, this only confirmed Volta’s judgment, for it took wisdom to understand that your heart’s entanglements might be affecting decisions. And courage to admit it.

Over cognac, Smiling Jack recounted what he’d heard through Dredneau’s door during the detective’s torture, and his encounter with the killer on the stairs. Volta listened intently until Jack concluded with the information that Dredneau was still alive when they loaded him in the ambulance.

‘He died on the way to the hospital,’ Volta said.

Jack nodded. ‘Yeah,’ he said distantly, ‘no surprise.’

Volta poured them each another shot. He lifted his glass. ‘We’ve worked together what seems like forever, Jack, and you still astonish me with your good sense and clear judgment.’

‘Shit,’ Jack said, ‘coming from you that’s almost more praise than I can stand.’ He lifted his glass. ‘But I will drink to good sense wherever it shows up.’

‘As I told you, though you might have mistaken my seriousness, I intend to retire when this Diamond caper is resolved.’ Volta smiled wryly. ‘Assuming it can be resolved.’

‘You used to relish complications. You’re the one who claimed you found them inspiring.’

‘That’s when I was young and foolish.’

‘That was three years ago. In Montreal.’

‘When I was still young and foolish.’ Jack started to speak but Volta lifted a hand. ‘Let me finish before I dodder even further from my point. With your permission, I’m going to recommend you to replace me on the Star.’

‘Nope. I accept the honor and decline the nomination.’

Volta sighed. ‘Daniel won’t bring me the Diamond, Charmaine refuses to serve as a go-between, you won’t accept what you’ve earned – no wonder I’m doubting my judgment.’

‘Charmaine wouldn’t do it?’

‘She flatly refused. She said it was pointless. I quote, “Volta, it is not something between you and Daniel, but between Daniel and himself.” And she’s right.’

‘Now there’s my candidate to replace you on the Star when we retire.’

‘Her clarity is beyond question, but she needs to refine her compassion.’

‘You’re just miffed because she told you what you already knew.’

‘Exactly. As I said, she lacks compassion.’

Smiling Jack shook his head and smiled.

‘Speaking of which,’ Volta continued, ‘I’d like to ask you a question. Were you tempted to kill that CIA agent when you met on the stairs?’

‘No, but if he’d decided to look at the transistor, I might have had to try. I’m old and he was obviously good. If he kills me, we lose the information I just risked my ass to get – like confirmation that the code’s cracked, that they have Daniel’s real identity, that this guy killed Annalee. Another thing, too. This killer told Dredneau that he – the CIA, actually – was tipped about Annalee planting the bomb, and I figured he’s our best way of finding out who did it. I liked that girl a lot. I brought her into the Alliance. I know the attempt had nothing to do with us, that it wasn’t our action and was against our policy, but she was betrayed, and I’d like to know who snitched.’

‘I doubt he knows,’ Volta said. ‘He’s little more than a freelance assassin, and to judge by what you’ve told me, he wouldn’t even ask why. I think we can assume this is the elusive Debritto we’ve caught whispers about. The style’s right, and he’s supposed to work out of the Bay Area. Did you notice that he said his instructions were simply to foil the bomb being planted? And yet when Annalee saw him on the rooftop and began running – which indubitably foiled the diversionary bomb, and thus the attempt on the plutonium – he tried to shoot her, tried to shoot her knowing her son was in the car. He’ll be punished.’

‘Ah,’ Jack nodded, ‘now I understand why you wanted to see me. You have a personal problem.’

‘I’d like to think it was because I value your advice. My appreciation of your company is sharpened by the realization you came very close to being killed tonight merely because I feel I’ve earned the privilege of seeing this Diamond, though for no reason beyond my own personal satisfaction. When the Star Council found out about the Diamond, I’m the one who argued we should commit our full resources to wrest it from government control and return it to the elements. I argued that its possession, especially by a government, might be a disaster of the spirit. And that well might be the case. However, Daniel somehow managed to steal it, so in fact the mission has been accomplished. I never once mentioned to the Star that I personally wanted to see it. But I did tell Daniel. Daniel knew and understood that in exchange for my help in his training and the Alliance’s aid in resources and planning, he and I would return the Diamond together. You see––’

Smiling Jack held up his hands. ‘Stop. I see. You want to know if it’s honorable for you to trade his mother’s killer for the Diamond.’

‘Exactly,’ Volta sighed. ‘Except I wouldn’t have said honorable – I would have used fair. Is it fair?’

‘Yes,’ Smiling Jack said without hesitation. ‘More than that, if this Diamond has overwhelmed him somehow, it might bring him back to earth.’

Volta said, disgust and sorrow in his tone, ‘There are better reasons than revenge.’

Jack shrugged. ‘I would have used the word justice.’

‘Touche.’