Monster (18 page)

“Just a few commands. Did you get a chance to read over the notebook of commands?”

“No, did you?”

“Of course. We are depending on Dino to help us on a possibly world shaking mission. You have become negligent in your duties. I am shocked, comrade.”

“Don’t take that tone with me. You’re the dog trainer, Comrade Cold.” Reskova continued the conversation in Russian.

“And if something happens to me? What then?”

“Okay, I’ll study them tonight when we get back. Let me take the mongrel’s leash.”

McDaniels knelt down and held Dino’s head in his hands. “You be good for Comrade Reskova, Dino. She will be taking your leash while we go for a walk.”

As soon as Dino heard the word walk he began dancing and hopping around McDaniels with fervor. He quieted noticeably when McDaniels handed the leash to Reskova. Dino sat down on the carpet and stared up at Reskova distrustfully. Reskova tugged gently on the leash.

“Come, dog!” Reskova ordered.

Dino did not budge. He flopped down with his head on his front paws.

“Why you…”

“Tell him about the walk, genius,” McDaniels whispered as if trying to keep Dino out of the loop.

“What the hell are you whispering for? The only thing this dog hears is blah, blah, blah, Dino. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, walk.”

Hearing the word walk Dino jumped up and headed for the door pulling a surprised Reskova along for the ride.

“I said to walk him, Boss, not let him walk you. I taught him heel in Russian already. Try it.”

“Heel, Dino!” Reskova barked out in Russian. Dino came to a sitting position next to her leg. “Not bad, Comrade Cold.”

“Maybe you would like a loudspeaker for my world renown nickname to be heard all over the state, Diane,” McDaniels admonished in a hushed voice.

Reskova nodded, mouthing the word sorry in the darkness. She called out walk in Russian. Dino stood up, waiting for Reskova to begin walking so he could match her stride. She patted him on the head saying good dog at McDaniels’ urging. As they walked along in the coolness of an early Washington D.C. autumn evening, Reskova critiqued McDaniels’ appearance approvingly.

“You really look distinguished in those suits, Jer,” Reskova told him in Russian, using a shortening of McDaniels’ first name they had agreed on.

“Thanks,” McDaniels replied in Russian. “You wear dresses very well. I have noticed a softness in your style whenever you wear a dress I do not see reflected in your other outfits. Your heels are probably not very comfortable walking around on the sidewalk although they accent your dress nicely.”

“It’s a little cool out here without a jacket.” Reskova glanced down self-consciously at her dark blue, sleeveless dress, a little surprised at McDaniels’ complimentary reply.

McDaniels took off his suit-coat and put it around her shoulders.

“Aren’t you cold?” Reskova asked as Dino stopped to water a bush halfway down the street.

“I have a long sleeve shirt and vest. You look too good to cover you up with that big jacket but I don’t want you to be cold either.”

“You aren’t trying to seduce me, are you?” Reskova asked, posing a little while she clutched his jacket around her.

“Because I loaned you my jacket? Besides, I know better.”

“What do you mean you know better?” Reskova asked, reminding Dino to heel as he pulled her away from the bush. “You don’t know me.”

“Meaning it would be okay for me to seduce you?”

“No… I…I mean…” Reskova answered hesitantly before realizing the word trap McDaniels had sprung on her. “You’re playing with words.”

“Then I assumed the right stance. Are you trying to seduce me?”

“What, because I wore a dress? I was trying to get into character.”

“Okay then.”

“Do you get hit on all the time? You have that soldier of fortune dangerous look women are attracted to.”

“It happens. I doubt I get as many interested glances as you do though. Should I resent the soldier of fortune remark?”

“Just stating the obvious,” Reskova replied, surprised at how easily a conversation about seduction flowed between them, even in Russian. “What would you do if I did try and seduce you?”

“I would have to remind you of our rather awkward working relationship and the fact you think I’m a cold blooded psycho.”

“Did I say cold blooded?” Reskova asked innocently. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“No, I’m trying to act like I’m not at a high school dance flirting with my date.”

For a time they walked in silence, making their way around the block from the Mercado house. They could tell little from the street behind the house. In this more upscale neighborhood the houses, land, and fences, obscured the view of houses parallel to them on the street they shared a boundary with.

“What kind of approach do we make with the devil dog here?” Reskova inquired.

“Let’s just nonchalantly walk by the front of their house before crossing to our side. With all the pictures we have of the place, I doubt we’d need much recon of the front. If Dino goes nuts in front of their house we need to hit them quick. No sense in allowing them to move the stuff. He may not be able to pick up anything from out here anyway. I want to see if anyone takes note of us and if they do what their reaction is.”

“If Dino runs into one of them outside can he detect explosive residue on a person?”

“You know more than I do about his capabilities. I imagine he can.”

McDaniels changed the subject. “Do you have someone close you care about?”

“My Mom and Dad are still alive and I have a married sister. All of them live in New Jersey.”

“You know what I mean. How come you aren’t married? You’re old enough to have your Mommy alarm ringing loudly.”

“I thought forty was the age for this idea of an inner clock chiming for children in a woman.”

“Exactly.”

“Why you…” Reskova blustered a bit but saw McDaniels chuckling at his age dig. “I told you I’m only thirty-three. I guess you’d require a younger model though if you wish to be seduced, huh?”

“Not seasoned enough for my taste. Besides, the older ones are so… grateful.”

“Oh you are one annoying… hey, there is someone outside,” Reskova said, looking down the street.

“I see him. Let me take Dino now. I will say hello in accented English and then we’ll cross the street speaking Russian. Just follow my conversation lead.”

Reskova nodded, switching places with McDaniels as they drew near to the house. A man leaned against a vehicle parked in the driveway, smoking a cigarette. McDaniels nodded at the man while keeping Dino tight to his side, waiting for an indication the dog sensed anything. When Dino ignored the man, McDaniels said hello in heavily accented English. The man gave him a little wave. McDaniels started crossing the street, turning to Reskova.

“Have we unpacked my files yet?” McDaniels asked in Russian.

“No, my love, I have not found them yet.”

“We must find them this evening or I will be in trouble when I meet with the board of directors tomorrow. They will not be accepting of excuses.”

“Tell them we have just moved in,” Reskova said with some irritation. “Surely they can understand that.”

“I do not wish to rely on their understanding. I like this neighborhood.”

“Perhaps we will be able to stay longer here than just a year.”

“Perhaps,” McDaniels agreed, unlocking their front door and allowing Reskova to enter before him.

Inside the house, McDaniels unleashed Dino and threw away the waste bag he had carried along for the dog. Without saying anything else to Reskova, McDaniels hurried into the room where their sound equipment was set up. Dino followed on his heels curiously. McDaniels put on the headphones and sat down, listening intently. Reskova sat next to him on a chair in front of their equipment table after draping the borrowed suit-coat over it. A smile appeared on McDaniels’ mouth. He looked up at her and nodded.

“He went right in and gave his little playmates the news. They think because Russia played footsies with Saddam before the Iraq war we’re probably okay. One of the Chechen women just offered to check out our language usage. She doesn’t like it.”

“What’s not to like?”

“She thinks it’s too coincidental.” McDaniels took off the headphones. “She’s the only one. Expect to get a visit tomorrow while I am supposedly at my meeting. You’ll need to watch them and see if they send someone to follow me. Can we set up a fake meeting somewhere believable?”

“I’ll get on it.” Reskova picked up her cell phone and left the room.

McDaniels watched Reskova walk out and then patted Dino’s head. “We need to find a way for you to recon the target house. If the stuff is sealed I don’t know whether you’ll be able to sniff it out or not. I…”

“Let me know if he answers you,” Reskova said, striding back into the room. She handed McDaniels a card with an address written on the back. “Here’s the address and the office number. Tom will have the meeting set up at the proper time. Our people will be there. It’s a legitimate law office we have a high up friend at.”

“I don’t play these games very well, Boss. I could…”

“You could nothing, Cold,” Reskova cut him off sharply. “No severed heads, no botched recons, we do this by the rules.”

“I won’t let them blow up a school. We can dance around with bomb sniffing dogs, surveillance equipment, and suave secret agent ploys, but the bottom line - I ain’t letting them bomb a bunch of kids while we play house.”

Reskova saw the thin scar running up McDaniels’ face whiten as his voice became more strident. “Your scar’s glowing, Cold. Calm down. We’ll get these people.”

McDaniels unconsciously brushed his hand up over his face. “It lights up when I start thinking about murderous human animals like that bunch across the street.”

“I can understand your feelings. We just can’t do it your way this time. If we can get them alive they could give us leads into who is controlling them and picking these missions.”

“Maybe, if someone gets to ask them in the right manner.”

“Ken told me about your neck scar. Where’d you get the face scar?” Reskova asked, avoiding the subject. “It looks like some kind of knife wound.”

“Same thing - shrapnel,” McDaniels answered after a moment of silently reigning in his feelings about the kinder, gentler terror war. “I have a bunch of little matching ones under my shirt, compliments of a landmine in Gulf War I.”

“It doesn’t help with your blending in. It’s not real visible until you get close though. It’s kind of kinky looking.”

“Oh, thanks. How about you? Have any scars?”

“Other than emotional? Yeah, I have a tattoo.”

“You’re kidding?” McDaniels asked in disbelief. “No way!”

“I was young and foolish,” Reskova explained with a sigh. “My Father told me only cheap whores and gangsters had tattoos so naturally I had to get one.”

“What did he say when he found out?”

“He was really mad at first but then he just smiled. He told me a day would come soon when I would look back on his advice longingly, wishing I had followed it. I kept my mouth shut, all the while thinking not in this lifetime. Boy, was I wrong.”

“Okay, show me the tat,” McDaniels ordered.

“Not in this lifetime, Mr. Mountain.”

“You know you want to. Otherwise you wouldn’t have told me about it in the first place. Besides, you were trying to seduce me. I would have seen it anyway if I would have succumbed to your schoolgirl wiles.”

McDaniels chuckled appreciatively as he heard a sharp intake of air and saw Reskova’s face redden.

“I was just practicing my Russian,” Reskova argued. “I needed something besides encyclopedia facts to practice my conversational language skills on.”

“Very commendable. Now, show me the tat. I’ll show you my scars.”

“This is childish.”

“I promise not to tell your Dad you showed it to me. Speaking of which, does anyone else know about it?”

“Not in the FBI, at least not the ones without access to my medical records. It’s no big deal anyway.”

“Good, then let’s see it,” McDaniels persisted. “I have a scar right next to my dick where a piece of that landmine almost had me singing soprano. I’ll even show you that one.”

“You’re too willing. Besides, we need to get back to the very dangerous business at hand,” Reskova reasoned, cursing herself silently for wanting to see the scar he had just mentioned.

“You wouldn’t let me deal actively with the business at hand so I’m trying to take my mind off it. Show me the tat.”

Reskova glared at McDaniels’ grinning face and then stood up. She turned provocatively. Reskova reached around and unzipped her dress down to where the zipper ended just below her panty line. She pulled the top of her black thong down slightly, revealing a rainbow approximately the size of a silver dollar. Reskova spun around as she fastened her dress again.

“There!” Reskova wondered at her actions as if observing the behavior of a stranger. “Your turn.”