Greed

“You square things with Corsco?” Fe

“He hasn’t called back yet,” Alger said. “But we gotta talk about how to spin this coke deal. You were making progress with the whole abuse thing, so I’ve chatted up some of the high-profile TV shrink types, got a couple of them ready to give you a pass on the OD, chalk it up to some kind of post-traumatic stress. You’ll have to go on their shows, though. But we need to get our story straight on that, make sure we keep it all consistent.”

“Get that guy in from LA, what’s his ass, the shrink I’ve been seeing. I’ll play it out with him, and then we’ll get him to make a statement,” Fe

“Yeah, OK. You’re clear on the Chicago end. They aren’t moving ahead with any charges. So you’re good there. Only free radical is this Hardin fuck.”

“What I hear, he’s got enough problems,” said Fe

They talked for a bit, working out their PR strategy. Suddenly Fe

Fe

“Shamus?” Alger said. “Shame? You there?”

Fuck, Fe

Starshak and Lynch stood in the back row. The room the Feds were using for their press conference was hot as hell, seeing as they had an overflow crowd, every damn network and cable outlet trying to cram a crew in, dozens of light rigs baking everybody. They’d rushed the show, getting it out just in time for 10pm news, getting the first draft out in front of everybody before the media had a chance to start developing theories. They were slapping a national security Band-Aid over the whole deal. It was a good way to keep anybody from taking too close a peak at the forensics or details, because God knows some of that was going to smell fu

Hardin and Wilson were in the front row with the stars, the Secretary of Homeland Security spi

Everybody said their lines, everybody took their bows. Fade to black.

Fe

“You catch that shit?” Alger asked.

“This Hardin, he’s like the French James Bond. You think he doesn’t know? We gotta do something.”

“Do what?” Alger said.

“I du

CHAPTER 103

7.30am. Lynch picked up Hardin and they drove north on Michigan.

“Michigan Avenue still looks the same anyway,” said Hardin.

“Lived here all my life,” Lynch said. “Everything changes, you don’t really notice, until you look up one day and it’s a whole different world. Gotta be strange for you, back after all this time.”

“Haven’t had a chance for much sightseeing,” Hardin said. “But it’s weird. I mean I stopped into one of these Super Wal-Mart’s with Wilson? I saw more consumer goods in fifteen minutes than I’ve seen in the last fifteen years. Twelve different kinds of electric toothbrushes.”

“You counted them?”

Hardin shrugged. “I was curious.”

“Mean anything?”

“What do I know?” Hardin said. “It’s too much shit, though. I mean all that crap in Wal-Mart, then Corsco’s guys, they drag me down to the old US Steel site, and there’s nothing there, just busted concrete and weeds. Too much of one thing, not enough of the other. Something’s not right.”

“You work it out, drop me a postcard,” Lynch said.

Lynch pulled into a reserved slot near the ER entrance at Northwestern, turned to Hardin.

“Sure you’re OK with this?”

“Little shit tried to get me killed. I’m good to go.”

CHAPTER 104

The Eagle was working the phone, working some sources, ru

Got to Northwestern at 7.00, wanted to do a quick recon, be set up, ready to go at 8.00 on the dot. But they’d moved the target. He wasn’t in his room, wasn’t in the ICU at all. Did the guy die? That would be handy. Take credit for it anyway, tell Corsco to pay up. Corsco would. They always did. They knew the other option.

“OK, thanks.” Closed the phone.

Fe

The Eagle looked up the floor plan on the smart phone. Layout was almost identical, even better maybe. Fe

Take the elevator; be ready with the gun when the door opened. If there was a cop at the door, take him, go straight in, nail Fe

CHAPTER 105

The city still had a uniform outside Fe

Lynch gave a little snort. “Yeah. Listen, I have to talk with Fe

“No,” the uniform said.

“Why don’t you run down and grab something. I’ll be here a bit.”

The uniform looked at Hardin. “This guy with you?”

Lynch nodded.

“Cool. See you in a few.” The uniform got up from his chair, headed for the elevators.

Fe

“Tell ‘em they can have the exclusive if–” Fe

Lynch could hear the voice on the other end of the call. “You there Shame? Shame?”

“Tell them you have to go,” Lynch said.

“I have to go,” said Fe

“Tell them you’ll call them back,” Lynch said.

“I’ll call you back,” said Fe

“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for,” said Hardin.

“What?” said Fe

“Hang up the fucking phone,” said Lynch.

Fe

“How’ve you been, Shamus?” Hardin asked, walking around to the other side of the bed. “Long time.”

Lynch stepped to the side, leaned on the wall in the corner by the door. Fe

“You OK?” Lynch asked. “Need the doctor? Having some kind of flashback here?”

Finally Fe

“From what?” Lynch asked. “Hardin? Why would you need protection from Hardin? He’s a freakin’ hero.”

“I just, I mean, you know, Africa. I kind of screwed him up over there.”

“Water under the bridge, buddy,” Hardin said. “No, it’s the contract with Corsco I’ve got the real problem with.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Fe

“That’s fine,” said Hardin. “Thing is, I’ve got this policy. Nobody gets to try to kill me twice. If you’ve been paying attention the last day or so, then you know I got to a drug lord and an international terrorist. You gotta ask yourself how much trouble I’m go