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Id be unprejudiced no matter what I suspected. You have to be when you do my kind of work. But I cant believe you want me to help you dig up Ke
No manual labor is required. I just need you to verify
And get shot in the process. For Gods sake, Ke
Is he?
She went still. What the devil are you saying?
Sit down.
I dont want to sit down. I want you to talk to me.
Okay. He paused. What if it isnt Ke
Heaven help me, not another conspiracy theory?
Conspiracy? Yes, I guess that about covers it. But with a slight twist. What if it were one of Ke
She stared at him in disbelief. Ke
Most public figures have doubles to protect both their lives and their privacy. Its estimated Saddam Hussein has at least six.
Hes a dictator of a third-world country. No one could get away with that here.
Not without help.
Whose help? she asked sarcastically. Little John-John? Maybe brother Bobby? Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Youre nuts. Its the most outrageous thing Ive ever heard. Who the hell are you accusing?
Im not accusing anyone. Im just looking at possibilities. Ive no idea how the man died. He had all kinds of health problems that werent public knowledge. His death could have been by natural causes.
Could? My God, are you suggesting the cause might not have been natural?
Youre not listening. Dammit, I dont know. The only thing I do know is that a deception that exten-sive would have involved more than one person.
A White House conspiracy. A cover-up. She smiled mockingly. And isnt it convenient for you that Ke
It might.
You bastard. I dont like smear campaigns. And I dont like being used, Logan.
Understandable. Now, if youre through venting your displeasure, will you listen to me for a moment? He leaned forward in his chair. Eight months ago I got a call from a man named Bernard Do
Only a skull?
The rest of the body was cremated by Do
Rescued it?
Not many people know that it takes a tempera-ture of twenty-five hundred degrees and a burning time of at least eighteen hours to completely destroy a skeleton. Do
Do
Oh, he wasnt murdered. He was an old man and had a bad heart.
And who was he blackmailing?
Logan shrugged. I dont know. Do
And youre saying you didnt press him?
Why would I tell you that? Of course, I tried to get it out of him. All hed tell me was what Ive told you. He wasnt as gutsy as his father and he didnt like living on the edge. He offered me the location of the skull and the story in exchange for enough money to set him up in Italy with a new face and identity papers.
And you took the deal?
I took it. Ive paid more for prospects with less potential.
And now you want me to bring that potential to fruition.
If what Do
It isnt. The entire story is crazy.
Then why not go along with me? Whats the harm? If its not true, then youll come out with your pocket full of my money and Ill come out with egg on my face. He smiled. Both prospects should bring you extreme pleasure.
Its a waste of my time.