Part 27 (2/2)
”You heard me. Although you might want to grab a shower first, and when you do you might want to toss that tracksuit you are wearing, because laundering ain't going to help it none. Kellerman gave him a look.
He smiled. He had a nice smile.
68.
Beverly Hills, California Julia Goodman walked out of her office in Beverly Hills. She took a shortcut through the seventh floor lobby and exited into the multi level parking structure that stood right next door. As she moved through the auto-lock security door, a closed circuit security camera tracked her progress. Once outside, the security door snapped shut with an air of finality. The parking structure was dark, a gloomy mausoleum of concrete and steel. Julia stepped out into the darkness and popped the security fob with her thumb. Her Mercedes gave a high-pitched trill and the lights snapped on, a beacon in the darkness-warm, familiar, safe.
As the darkness of the parking lot closed in around her, Julia felt her heart quickening. She was late out. Only a few cars remained. She walked faster, her heels reverberating, hollow and metallic against the advancing darkness. She looked about anxiously. A hundred concrete pillars stared back, cold and wordless like tombstones in the night. She bent down, took her shoes of and ran the last hundred yards to the car, with her heart beating out of control. She grabbed the car door, and dived inside.
The doors locked down immediately. Julia's eyes widened with fear. Were the doors supposed to do that? They never did usually. Perhaps they had done something to the central locking system whilst the car had been in the shop?
She sat back fearfully, her pulse hammered, she felt the unpleasant s.h.i.+mmer of sweat beading on her body. The gloomy parking lot had really gotten her spooked. She turned, looked behind her into the back seat, rea.s.suring her self that she was just being silly; then she checked her reflection in the powder mirror and saw that all the color had drained from her face. She cursed, resolving to ring the buildings Super tomorrow, so he could see about getting the lights upgraded.
Julia popped her key into the ignition and turned it.
Nothing.
She turned it again.
Still nothing.
The engine was dead. Her mind raced forwards with panic. What in the h.e.l.l was wrong? Had she left something on that had drained the battery? She drew a sharp breath and reached for her phone-she would call triple A; tell them she was a woman alone; they would be with her in no time. Then, she would call the security guard out on the front desk; tell him to watch out for the breakdown truck, so he could let them in through the security gate. Julia felt the power of rational thought eat into the building fear. Everything would be all right, everything would be...
Her phone rang. She jumped so hard she almost hit her head on the roof.
Who the h.e.l.l could that be? Maybe Reed, calling to find out where she had gotten to? Or maybe it was her mother ringing to find out about dinner arrangements, or the trip they had planned to Palm Springs. Julia turned the phone over and pressed the b.u.t.ton-an incoming video message- but the number was restricted, not from anyone she knew. Julia peered into the screen, ”h.e.l.lo, who is that?” she asked, as bravely as she could manage.
The face on the screen was backlit, by tall, bright buildings. The skyline looked strange- unfamiliar. The neighborhood looked overdeveloped, like downtown Los Angeles and yet- ”I have been watching you.” The voice was distorted by some kind of electronic trickery. Julia strained to find something familiar about the caller but the crucial connections eluded her.
Julia took a swallow and said, ”Who are you? What do you want?” the words flowed too quickly; she felt them waver as they came.
”That is not important-only your actions are important.”
”My actions? If this is some kind of blackmail call, you can go straight to h.e.l.l.”
”h.e.l.l? That is an interesting place Julia. I suggest you treat your family right or you might just find out what it is like first hand.”
The phone went dead.
The car engine started up, and the headlights burned out across the vacant lot. Julia Goodman sat there in the drivers seat, dry mouthed and terrified. Who would say such things to her- such creepy, horrible things? And what did they know of her family and how she treated them? That was no ones business anyway. Julia shuddered. It was almost as though that crazy b.i.t.c.h Reed had been married to so long ago was speaking out from beyond the grave. But that b.i.t.c.h was dead-long dead, Reed had shown her the obituary himself. Julia grasped the steering wheel with both hands and jammed her foot hard on the gas. The big- engined Mercedes moved forward quickly sending a squeal of rubber echoing into the darkness.
Karyn Kane crouched on the Shanghai rooftop and looked down through the night scope of her high velocity M40 sniper rifle. The windows of the Tao Corporation's head office came suddenly into sharp-magnified focus. Julia Goodman could wait-she wasn't going anywhere.
TONY BULMER.
A graduate of the London School of Journalism, Tony Bulmer has spent the last 25 years pulling the oars in news room galleons
across the globe. He lives and works in Los Angeles California. For more information on Tony and his books meet him online at: .
ALSO BY TONY BULMER.
THE s.e.x NET.
DEAD FAMOUS.
THE FINE ART OF MURDER MANHATTAN TAKEDOWN.
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