Boiled stared out the window with half-closed, emotionless eyes, taking in the night lights.
–The contract’s confirmed.
Shell’s voice—along with a trace of static—on Boiled’s cell phone.
–Well, we’ve only just published the marriage banns, but as soon as my transaction is complete we’ll move on to the actual nuptial contract.
Boiled listened to his employer’s report without seeming particularly interested.
Next to him Medium’s shoulders were shaking. He was struggling to suppress laughter.
–It’s all going smoothly now. Whatever happens at the Broilerhouse, it’s going to be too late to affect anything.
“Do you have a fixed time and date for the contract yet?”
–It’ll all be sorted out within the hour. There’s a mound of official paperwork the height of a thick steak still to get through. Steak is right, actually—you could say we’re all playing for high stakes. Except that I’m going to be helping myself to the best pickings. After it’s all over I’m comping the girl’s father in my hotel. I’ll pile him high with zero-interest chips and make sure he enjoys himself good and proper, on the house.
“This is a personal matter for him, then?”
–He’s on the board of OctoberCorp, so… I’m sure he’ll have a dozen wine-swilling legal advisors lined up in a limo somewhere, but it doesn’t bother me. Her family name is about as prestigious as it comes, and it’s going to be my lucky star. You know her dad, right? Cleanwill John October.
Shell enunciated every syllable of the name.
–And he lives up to his name—he’s a clean-living john. A john as in a sucker, mark, or maybe even a john who likes his whores. Either way, John’s a john, pure and simple.
“What about the girl?”
–I’ll leave her in the hotel for now. Sooner or later she’ll become my official property, of course, so I’ll need to start thinking about a storage space for her. I’ll keep her locked away in a pretty little jewel box of a place, somewhere.
“I’ll proceed according to schedule. I’ll send you a report on the outcome sometime between midnight and dawn.”
–Night mail, then. I’m counting on you. Make sure that your night mail is good enough to banish my nightmares forever. Make the girl, the one that should have already disappeared a long time ago, disappear for good.
“Understood.” Boiled cut the phone line. Next to him, Medium burst out laughing.
“I have no idea what you were just talking about, but there’s one thing that I’m sure of.” Medium pushed his sunglasses up and glanced at Boiled. “Your client’s totally crazy.”
“None of your business.”
“Hey, I don’t mean it in a bad way. He’s about as crazy as us, I mean. A good client to have. A true fetishist’s assignment. That makes me happy.”
Boiled didn’t answer. He slipped the cell phone back in his jacket pocket before changing the subject. “Earlier this morning I put in a request for a coworker on this case, as a witness. That’s you.”
“Ha…so I’m a PI, now?”
“A PI’s assistant. The target, the girl, has a similar request in.”
Medium’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. “I get it. So we can kill her fair and square now, right? All above board and within the law. Brilliant. I’ll kill her all right. I’ll kill her good and use up all her parts. Until I’m satisfied. That’s the agreement, right?”
Boiled nodded.
