“Let me guess,” Kevin said. “There is no brother.”
“Oh, I have a brother, but not one in California, which is where Tarnwell thinks he lives. If Tarnwell does retaliate for my actions, it will be against a family that, except for a few fabricated records in my phone bill, doesn’t exist. If Michael Ward wasn’t lying, that videotape would have given me something to use against Tarnwell.”
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t watched it?”
“We watched it,” Erica said. “The only thing we saw was the first experiment, the one that got this all started.”
“Then Ward was lying.” Van Dyke seemed surprised. “It doesn’t matter. Tarnwell’s easy enough to manipulate without it. However, my most important mission is almost over. I may not even need Tarnwell any more. Not if I can stop Adamas.”
“So you never were helping Tarnwell?”
“Oh, my missions helped him tangentially, but that wasn’t my intent. In fact, this mission will almost surely ruin him. Tarnwell has all of his money riding on a merger with Forrestal Chemical. If he doesn’t have Adamas by tomorrow, his company won’t be worth enough to pay the interest on his loans.”
“If you really are a spy,” Kevin said, “then why are you telling us all this? I thought you guys took poison pills before talking.”
“I’m telling you because I want to appeal to you. My country is in a very fragile state right now. It will take years to recover from apartheid, years that could stretch into decades if our country is suddenly plunged into economic ruin. And this Adamas process will do just that. It could devastate our economy, maybe even provoke a civil war. Whatever you think of me, I am a patriot first. I can’t let my country be ruined, and I’m sure you don’t want it to be.”
Kevin chuckled. “You expect us to believe that load of crap?”
“It’s the truth.”
“The truth! Van Dyke is the third name you’ve given me. Lord knows how many other ones you have. You killed my father, Bern, Ward, Stein. Now you want us to believe that all you want is peace and harmony for your country? Pardon me for thinking this is a bunch of bullshit. Erica start the boat. We’re taking this guy to the police. Let them figure out whether he’s telling the truth.”
“I must point out that I’m merely trying to protect you. Tarnwell has thirty men still looking for you. They’ll find you, just as I…found…” Van Dyke’s voice trailed off, and his face began turning white.
“We need to stop the bleeding,” she said. “He’s going into shock.” She started toward him.
Kevin put his left hand out to stop her. “Wait until we get to the marina. It’ll only be a few minutes.”
“He may not have that much time.” She struggled against his arm, and Kevin turned his head to face her.
“Erica, I’m telling you, this guy is dangerous. If he…”
Suddenly, Kevin’s left arm exploded in pain. The impact of Van Dyke’s foot knocked the gun from his hand. The Glock ricocheted off the port side of the boat. Before he could react, Van Dyke slammed him backward against the console.
In the next instant, Kevin could feel a hand pawing at his midsection. He realized what was happening and wrapped both hands around Van Dyke’s wrist just as he felt the SIG Sauer being drawn from his waistband. The safety was on, but if they wrestled much longer, Van Dyke might be able to flick it off. Kevin didn’t like the idea of a gun going off in his pants.
Erica, who had almost fallen overboard when Kevin glanced off her, regained her balance and came up behind Van Dyke. Using a modified Aikido move, she hammered both arms into his neck. Van Dyke released his grip and the SIG clattered to the deck. In a single twisting motion, he swung in a 180 degree arc and threw his fist at Erica. She ducked to avoid a direct blow, but Van Dyke managed to catch the top of her head. It was enough to send her reeling toward the bow.
Kevin stooped to pick up the fallen SIG. As his fingers brushed the grip, Van Dyke threw his knee into Kevin’s chest, knocking the wind out of him. Then Kevin felt himself being tossed to the back of the boat.
While he struggled to breathe, Kevin saw the Glock lying underneath a life vest in front of him. He scrambled over to it. In a prone position, Kevin raised the pistol and turned to point it at Van Dyke.
At the same time, Van Dyke was rising next to the console, holding the SIG Sauer. But it wasn’t pointed at Kevin. It was pointed at Erica. She was now standing at the bow of the boat.
“Hold it!” Kevin yelled.
Van Dyke remained facing Erica. “I saw you retrieve the Glock, Kevin. Drop it, or I will kill Erica.”
“What if I kill you first?”
“You’re in handcuffs and in an awkward position. I am not. My chances are much better.”
“If you kill her, you’ll die and I’ll still have the Adamas Blueprint. Now put down the damn gun!”
Erica looked at Kevin. Oddly, she didn’t seem as terrified as Kevin was. Instead, she was concentrating on him. Her eyes almost imperceptibly moved towards the water and then back to him. Her legs were bent, ready for action. Kevin understood what she was thinking. But Van Dyke was standing no more than eight feet from her. She’d never be able to dive into the river before he shot her. Kevin shook his head.
“Kevin, we both know how this is going to end…”
The roar of a jet taking off drowned out his words. Erica extended her legs and leaped into the air. Van Dyke fired the SIG. Erica flew backward over the starboard side of the bow. Van Dyke fired twice more within the second it took her to hit the water.
“No!” Kevin shouted. He pulled the Glock’s trigger. A gush of blood and flesh exploded from Van Dyke’s left shoulder, spinning him around to face Kevin. There was no expression on his face. No sadness, no remorse, no anger, no pleasure. Just the determined look of a professional carrying out his duties.
He swung the SIG in Kevin’s direction. Kevin had no choice. Without hesitation, he shifted the Glock slightly and fired. A spray of red flew back from the top of Van Dyke’s head. For a moment, he just stood there, as if nothing had happened. The only change was that he now had an expression.
He was puzzled.
The expression quickly faded. His eyes closed sleepily. Like a puppet dropped by his master, he collapsed in a heap.
Kevin pushed himself to his feet and ran to the bow, expecting to see Erica’s body floating face down in the water. What greeted him was almost worse. All he could see in the placid surface of the Potomac was his horrified reflection.
CHAPTER 37
Afraid that Erica had gotten stuck under the boat, Kevin dropped the Glock and prepared to dive in.
A bubble broke the surface on the starboard side. Then another and another. Erica’s head burst out of the water. She gasped for air and looked up to see Kevin.
“You’re alive!” Kevin said, amazed.
“So are you!”
“Are you injured?” he asked, holding out his still-cuffed hands.
“No, I’m all right.” Erica pulled herself up and over the railing. When she was aboard, he pulled her to him and hugged her fiercely.
“I was afraid you were gone.” Kevin’s hands began to shake and his teeth chattered.