Sunday, November 26, 2017

Guardian Angels – An Interesting Life (20)



"All quiet on the western front?" Paddy asked, when he materialized in Vic's office.
"Literary references?" Vic smiled slightly. "If so, how about you pick something a little less war-like. But in answer to your question, yes, so far. The security system is armed and the doors locked. Now we just wait and see what they come up with to grab me, if they do."
"How can they do that with you locked in here like…Repunzel?"
Vic couldn't help laughing. "What the hell is on your bookshelves?"
"Given how long I've been around, there isn't much I haven't read at one time or another."
"How old are you?"
"Technically, no older than I look."
"Which would be around thirty. What about actually?"
"I died during the Norman invasion of Wexford. That would be in Eire, in case you didn't know—or Ireland, as most people call it today."
"I didn't," Vic said. "I thought the Normans conquered England in… ten sixty-six."
"They did, and then at the behest of the king of Leinster, they invaded Eire in eleven sixty-nine. It was a bloody war and the death of me in… the human sense." Paddy's words took on an Irish lilt as he spoke, his look wistful. Then he smiled. "But enough about me. My question still stands. How can they get to you with you firmly entrenched in here?"
"I'm not staying in here. I only said that to ease Evan's mind. I'd say the man who was following us has had enough time to call his boss. We give it another twenty minutes for them to get their shit together and stake out the place, and then I'm going to leave."
Paddy nodded. "I'll be able to sense when they're in the neighborhood, so their surprise won't really be a surprise. Before you ask, part of keeping you safe is knowing when danger approaches."
"Makes sense to me." Vic chuckled. "A day ago I'd have thought anyone who claimed to be psychic was crazy but given that I believe you are what you are, I guess it comes with the territory."
"That it does." Paddy looked thoughtfully at Vic. "Do you really have no idea who's behind all that's happened?"
"I'm getting closer to narrowing it down, but I won't know for certain until I see where I'm taken and who is there when I'm unceremoniously dumped at his feet, so to speak."
"I thought you said whoever it was would just be another hireling, although higher up the food chain."
"I'm sure he will be. However by seeing him, I'll have a better idea about which of my choices he's working for. People tend to hire people they think they can control—either by threats or by money—to do their dirty work."
"I disagree. I mean, sometimes yes, but other times they pick someone who believes in the same things they do. Right?"
"Right, and that would make it even easier to nail down who the blackmailer is."
"They're after you because…?"
"They want to stop me, obviously. And maybe find out who hired me in the first place."
"What difference would that make?"
"I suspect because it would tell them who else knows about what's going on. Obviously the blackmailer would rather Marshall had kept it to himself."
"They'd have to be stupid to think he hadn't told someone else."
"Look at it this way. He didn't go to the police and, from what I understand it took a lot of cajoling by my client for him to agree to her plan to hire me. My client says other than Marshall and herself, only her husband knows what I'm doing, because she had to bring him in on things to make my being around work."
Paddy shook his head. "In this day and age, what can be so horrible that Marshall would be unwilling to say 'Screw you. Tell all and I'll deal'?"
"Malfeasance in office, for one thing. Something in his past that would alienate at least enough voters to sway the election. I think to force him to step down it must be something that would make a segment of the voting population turn on him, no matter what. Otherwise, he'd take the chance he could successfully deny the allegations and prove that he's innocent of the charges."
"Politics," Paddy muttered. 
"It's a dirty game and when you have a good man running, sometimes it gets even dirtier."
"I wonder…" Paddy looked thoughtful.
"Umm?"
"Nothing, or at least nothing I'm willing to talk about until I get the chance to speak with a friend."
Vic didn't press the issue, since he had the feeling it would do no good.
Paddy stiffened suddenly. "Okay, the game is on, as some Shakespearian character said."
"I think that's 'the game is afoot', but either way, I gather we have company?"  
"We do. They're in the lobby of the building at the moment."
"Then I should go down and welcome them," Vic said. "Or, as before, walk with great surprise right into their arms."
"I'll be behind you all the way," Paddy replied, going invisible.

No comments:

Post a Comment