The door opened The General with his head down, adjusting his shirt took two paces forward and then saw Archer. Without hesitation he lunged forward and was stopped by Jacob’s commanding voice, ‘Hold it!’
Mastasson stopped and turned, ignoring Archer and addressing Jacob, ‘My old friend, so still trying to save the world? Or just practising your breaking and entering skills?’
‘Bit of both Vincent.’
‘It has been so long since anyone called me that.’
Mastasson was moving across towards his desk as he spoke, Jacob moved along getting ahead of him.
‘I would rather you sit in the chair near Archer.’
Mastasson backed off and sat down, Archer securing him to the chair. Jacob moved behind the desk, and looked underneath the innocent leather inlaid top. Under the sill was a panic button and loaded pistol.
‘Nice surprise Vincent, still as paranoid as always?’
Mastasson was obviously annoyed at anyone getting the jump on him, ‘yes Jacob, but apparently not enough to stop you.’
‘Well you know how tenacious I can be.’
‘I do, but I thought you were dead?’
‘Oh that cave-in caused by Laurent? No I think he exaggerated his claims, as usual.’
‘Yes he has a habit of that, but I am sure he will not in his limited future.’
‘Have you killed him?’
‘Not yet, but I am sure my tolerance will wane.’
Jacob sat down in the comfortable leather high back chair, placing his gun on the desk, Mastasson was visibly peeved at the intrusion. Jacob sat forward smiling, ‘So where have you put the fifth amulet Vincent?’
From Mastasson’s face Jacob knew he had hit a nerve, revealing something only just discovered by his captive. Archer was not sure what Jacob was doing, and pulled a face behind Mastasson.
‘Vincent we have known about it for some time, had you not stolen it from the museum warehouse in Washington we would have it in South America by now anyway.’ A lie, but Jacob wanted to rile Mastasson.
‘I am sure you did not know until I took it Jacob. I was always three steps ahead of you.’
‘Yes sometimes, I mean faking your own death that was a good one.’
‘I bet you never suspected I was alive.’
‘I suspected you of many things Vincent, like killing your wife.’
Mastasson was sweating now, his restricted arms causing marks on his shirt. Jacob pushed, ‘When I looked at the timeline of your ‘death’ I noticed that your wife died two months before.’
‘Yes tragic accident, I was heartbroken.’
‘Don’t lie to me Vincent, you hardly ever saw her, you married for her father’s money and influence.’
‘True Jacob but I did not kill her.’
‘No? So she dies in a car accident, the insurance and whole estate goes to you and then you die two months later.’
‘Well that is a simplified summary but yes, although you did miss out that her lover was murdered in his apartment by a burglar.’
‘Let me guess Vincent, that was you?’
‘Certainly was, unlike your dutiful wife, mine occupied herself with a string of lovers. When I came back from Iraq, after almost eleven months away, she had taken a lover.’
‘You ever heard of divorce? Or could you not bear to part with all that money?’
‘That money was my investment fund for this, when I died I left it to a shell company as a charitable donation.’
Jacob got all the pieces, ‘So you kill your wife, change your will and then send the money to yourself after your death.’
‘Yes and no one ever discovered the truth. Only four people in the world know who I really am.’
‘And when you die again, no one will notice.’
Jacob picked up his handgun and moved towards Mastasson, ‘I don’t have much time, where is your safe Vincent?’
Mastasson remained silent, but his eyes flickered to a picture on the wall, a careless micro-expression. Jacob moved over to the painting, while Archer pushed the barrel of his handgun into Mastasson’s neck to remind him who was in charge. Checking the painting for hidden alarms on the rear then removing it carefully, behind was a large safe with a fingerprint and retinal scanner next to it. Mastasson was cursing now and then began to smile, ‘Well Jacob very good, but that safe opens with retinal scan, fingerprint ID and voice activation.’
‘That is okay Vincent, because you are going to open it for us.’
Mastasson began to laugh, ‘And why do you think I would do that? You don’t even know what is in it?’
‘I know General, you have the amulets, no way you would want anyone else near them, or knowing about them.’
Archer stuck a needle into Mastasson’s neck, ‘this cocktail will make you more co-operative.’
‘I knew I should have had Enzi kill you earlier.’
Archer removed the syringe and threw it into the bin, returning and crouching in front of Mastasson.
‘Yes that’s right Archer, I sent you because I thought your sense of duty would ensure you gave all the information I needed on Uncotto and if he became a nuisance you would dispose of him.’
‘And so you sent Khan to check on me?’
‘No he was an unexpected surprise. I presume he came to see you.’
‘And you had Enzi torture and kill him because?’
The drugs were working now, and Mastasson was becoming more compliant and truthful, ‘I had someone in my organisation spying on me, someone high up and Khan was working for him. I had Enzi attempt to discover his source, but his clumsy men killed Khan too quickly.’
‘And me, why did he take me?’
Jacob was surprised, ‘he took you? And did what?’
Mastasson smiled again, ‘I had Enzi torture him to see what Khan had given him, and what he knew, but he escaped.’
‘Yes I did General, and I have all the information Khan had. The spy you never found.’
Jacob stopped him, Archer objecting, ‘he is not going to live to tell.’
‘Yes he is son, I, we, are not going to kill him. Any thug can murder, we are beyond that. We get what we need and we leave him.’
Archer was annoyed but understood his father’s point; he did not have to demean himself with revenge.
‘Oh go on Archer, kill me, please.’
‘Vincent, where are the amulets? Are they all here in the safe?’
‘Yes, all four, but the documents are in my helicopter with Laurent, we were going back to the complex.’
‘Why are you going back, you have them all?’
‘That is not true Jacob, you know there is one left, and I want to see what they do.’
‘Well how can you gain access to the complex?’
‘I have sent two boats with men already, and Enzi is following and meeting them taking to seaplane to the rendezvous point off La Tola.’
Jacob was concerned by this revelation, he had not bargained for Enzi and Mastasson returning so quickly. He looked at Archer who also expressed concern, but did not say anything in front of Mastasson, even in his drugged state he would remember the conversation.
‘Get him up, but keep a tight grip on him.’
Archer cut one of the ties on Mastasson’s arm held it tight, then released the other arm. The General was surprisingly co-operative. Archer led him over to the safe on the wall, supported his weight, and instructed him to open it. The system confirmed eye recognition, and fingerprint, which included checking for a pulse. Then simple voice ID given with a prompt from the gun in Mastasson’s temple.