Day Of Confession

Elena turned from Harry, frozen in horror. Thomas Kind didn't see the move. He was lost in his own actions. Harry could see the veins bulge in his neck and forehead as he stepped over Adria

It was all too fast. Too violent, too perverse. No time for Harry to react. It was just he, Elena, and Thomas Kind. In the center of the floor of an enormous room. Void of furniture. No place to run. To hide at all.

Then Harry did move. Directly for Kind. Kind saw him and stepped around, bringing the machine pistol up as he did.

'HARRY!'

Da

So did Kind, his eyes searching the empty depot.

Abruptly Harry stepped into the line of fire, directly between Kind and Elena and the door behind them.

'Elena, get out. Now!'

Harry's eyes were locked on Kind's. His voice full of urgency.

Elena turned, slowly, reluctantly.

'GET OUT!!!'

Suddenly, she broke. Ru

'Thomas Kind!' Once again Da

Kind felt the touch of his palm on the machine pistol's grip. His eyes continued to search. Dark, to the bright spots of sunlight in the center of the floor, back to dark.

'She's gone, Kind. You're done anyway. You kill my brother you gain nothing. I'm the one you want.'

'Show yourself!'

'Let him go, first.'

'I count to three, Father. Then I start to take him apart in pieces. One-'

Through the window Harry could see Elena climb the stairs to the engine. He wondered what the hell she was doing.

'Two-'

Suddenly a series of short, loud train whistle bursts rocked the station. Kind ignored it. Dropped the machine pistol toward Harry's knee caps.

'Da

Harry's eyes swung to Thomas Kind. 'I know my brother better than he thinks.' Harry kept his eyes on the terrorist. 'What is it, Da

'OORAH!'

Suddenly Da

'OORAH!' Harry yelled back. 'OORAH!'

'OORAH!'

'OORAH!'

Kind saw nothing but blinding light in front of him! Then Harry started walking toward him.

'OORAH! OORAH!' he chanted, his eyes fixed on the terrorist. 'OORAH! OORAH!'

Suddenly Kind swung the machine pistol at Harry. At the same time Da

'OOOO RAHHHHHH!'

Da

'NOW!' Harry yelled.

Kind swung the machine pistol toward Da

For the briefest moment Thomas Kind felt the jump of the machine pistol in his hand and then he couldn't see. Fire was everywhere. Turning, he started to run. But to run he had to breathe, and without realizing, he inhaled the burning sear, sucking the flames deep, igniting his lungs. There was pain like nothing he'd ever experienced. There was no air to breathe either in or out, not even to scream. All he knew was that he was on fire and he was ru

The train whistle still sounding, Scala and Castelletti ran down the track. The gunshots, the train whistle with no train appearing. The hell with it, they were going in. Then they stopped. A man on fire was ru

The policemen held their breath as the man ran on. Another ten feet, fifteen. Then he slowed, stumbled a few feet more and collapsed on the tracks. He was no more than a hundred feet into Italy.

162

Harry heard the massive iron gates thud closed in the wall behind. In front of him an ambulance pulled in through a sea of blue-shirted, heavily armed Swiss Guards and drove rapidly onto the dock beside the station. Backing up, it stopped next to the work engine. Then the paramedics and the doctor with them rushed to where Elena knelt with Hercules. In no time they had inserted an IV and moved him onto a stretcher; and then the dwarf was lifted up, put in the ambulance, and it was gone, driving off through the army of Vatican soldiers.

Watching it go, Harry felt as if some part of him were leaving with it. Finally he turned away only to find Da

Suddenly Harry was aware that he had forgotten Elena. Turning, he saw her standing alone, her back to the work engine, watching them both, all but unaware of the force of soldiers around them. It was as if she understood something of great significance was going on between the brothers and wanted to be a part of it yet was hesitant, even afraid, to intrude. In that moment she became the dearest person he had ever known in his life.

Automatically, and without the slightest conscious thought, he went to her. And in front of Da

163

That afternoon and into evening Harry and Elena and Da

Just before the di