“Not really a problem for me because I can’t think of a single woman in the world that I hate enough to bother killing.”
“I’ll remember you said that. Also, if you do get a dossier like the one I’m talking about, I need you to say you’re going to act on it and call me immediately.”
When he spoke again, Lang had turned back into the businessman he’d always been. “I’m hearing you asking for a lot of favors, Dr. Kennedy.”
She winced and Rapp understood how she felt. How many markers were they going to leave around the world before all this was over? It was worth killing Cook just for that.
“I’m hearing the same thing, Earnst.”
“In that case, I’d be very happy to help. Just like I imagine you will be if I ever need it.”
She disconnected the call. “Next?”
“Aat Rueng,” Claudia said.
“Who’s that?” Rapp said.
“A midsized Thai gangster. Last I heard, he was being squeezed by a number of other gangs and had lost a lot of his influence. I can contact him directly. It’ll cost some money and a little groveling, but he’ll back off. After that, we have Josef Svoboda.”
“I hate that prick,” Coleman groaned. “He gives the business a bad name.”
Rapp nodded in agreement. The man was talented, but also extremely public. An army of lawyers and greased politicians allowed him to stay one step ahead of Interpol and live like a rock star. Last Rapp had heard, he’d bought a stake in a nightclub in Prague. Svoboda patterned himself after Hollywood’s image of a hit man—five-thousand-dollar suits, Italian sports cars, arm candy. He reportedly drank martinis and actually had the balls to order them shaken, not stirred.
“How’d you piss him off?” Rapp said.
“He and Louis were double booked on a job and Louis got the upper hand. Svoboda came off looking incompetent and cowardly and thought he could regain some face by retaliating. The problem for him was that, while he’s not actually incompetent, he definitely is cowardly. He knew he wasn’t likely to survive a confrontation with Louis but I’m a softer target.”
“Can we use that?” Rapp asked.
“I doubt it,” Kennedy said. “While it’s true that he doesn’t like to put himself at risk, he’s unpredictable. I don’t think we can count on threats because we can’t be confident that he’ll act in his own best interest.”
“Then can we just kill him?” Rapp asked.
Coleman was quick to answer. “I’ll handle it.”
“Another problem solved. Was there anyone else?”
“Only one,” Claudia said. “Enzo Ruiz.”
“Never heard of him.”
“He’s a Spanish drug runner who worked the routes from North Africa.”
“Another drug trafficker,” Rapp sighed.
“They have a lot of money and want a lot of people dead,” Claudia explained. “This was early in Louis’s career, and he actually botched the job. Ruiz was the target and he survived being shot. It left him partially paralyzed, though, and his kids forced him out of the business.”
“I remember this,” Kennedy said. “Part of a war between Spanish gangs and ones based in Morocco.”
“It was during that war, yes. But what no one knows is that his children hired us and used the dispute with the Moroccans as cover. In any event, Louis was going to finish the job, but they told us to stand down and paid us in full. Apparently, they despised their father and loved the idea of seeing him powerless and wasting away.”
“How old is this guy?” Rapp asked.
Claudia considered the question for a moment. “Around ninety?”
“So, a partially paralyzed ninety-year-old who was put out to pasture by his own family? What am I missing? How is this guy a threat?”
“He’s not just a threat, he’s the most dangerous,” Claudia said. “Ruiz is an extremely sadistic, violent man who blames me and Louis for what he’s become. Also, he isn’t as out to pasture as his children think. He still controls a fair number of hidden accounts and is surprisingly well versed in the use of the Internet. People say he’s built quite an online criminal empire, though I’ve never done anything to confirm those reports.”
“He’ll be hard to reason with,” Kennedy pointed out. “We don’t have anything he wants, and a man in his position isn’t going to be easy to intimidate.”