Karyn Kane: Conspiracy of Fire Part 5

"Yeah, they are from Boston really, but they tell anyone who will listen that they are from County Kildare-it's like a badge of honor or something."

"You don't look Irish."

"My mom is from Puerto Rico. She has a fiery Spanish temperament. I guess she and my father never stood a chance."

"They are divorced?"

"Isn't everybody?"

"My folks live in Seattle," said Verner glumly. "They have been married since Eisenhower was running things. They almost called me Dwight," Verner said.

"That's funny."

"How so?"

"My Dad looks like Ike. Even has a photo of him in his office." Brad Verner looked suddenly brighter, "Say, can I take you to dinner or something? You can maybe even teach me some of those crazy kung fu moves?"

Karyn gave Brad Verner a tight look, "That's real generous of you Verner, but like I already told you, I am running a tight schedule."

"But everyone needs to eat dinner right?" Verner paused, looked earnest and said, "I am a vegetarian personally-not a complete vegetarian you understand-I eat fish, and eggs and cheese and sometimes I will even have a veggie burger-I know I shouldn't really, it causes guilt by a.s.sociation-the unconscious mind a.s.sociates meat shaped food items with the real deal, so it is actually really unhealthy to even consider..."

"Verner, where is your G.o.dd.a.m.n car?" asked Karyn, her voice cool and even.

"Oh, I parked it down the block. Not far really, but you are lucky if you can get a s.p.a.ce at all most days. This is what society is coming to-we are swamped with gas-guzzling motor vehicles and cities that are overpopulated to the point of collapse."

"I never really thought about it to be honest," said Karyn, scoping the back lot for movement, her every instinct on overdrive.

"You didn't?" Brad Verner sounded shocked. In the street light glow, he stared at her over the top of his black-framed spectacles, like she had just revealed a thoroughly unwholesome truth.

Karyn saw him staring and snapped. "What is this, the third degree? I got no time to mix with causes Verner, so quit trying to throw the big sell on me would you? I got business to attend to downtown. So, if you can give me a ride, cool-if not, I will flag down a taxi and figure things out for myself." Karyn looked up the street, first one way then the other, scouring the traffic to see if she could see any sign of a cab. Instead she saw something rather more unwelcome, Detective Kibis.h.i.+ standing outside the Club Carmady, having a heated conversation with a pair of burly goons who looked more like poster boys for the yakuza than members of Honolulu Police Department.

"We've got to go," said Karyn.

"What's the hurry? The world clocks off at five, can't this business of yours wait until tomorrow?" asked Verner.

Kibis.h.i.+ and the thugs were looking their way now. One of the thugs turned and threw a signal-flagging down their wheels-that could only mean one thing, the goons were making ready for a heavy move-things were going to get ugly- real ugly and quick.

"I have never driven a Prius before said Karyn."

Brad Verner stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to Karyn, his face beaming with newfound enthusiasm, "Oh, they are marvelous to drive-comfortable, economical, great gas mileage. Did I tell you, I have the dual fuel model?"

"Give me the keys Verner."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that. You are not down on my insurance policy as a recognized driver. Can you imagine how many forms I would have to fill out if you had a fender bender? Plus, I would lose my no claims discount for certain and insurance companies being what they are, they would probably try and drop me as a customer altogether-it is just another example of corporate greed run rampant I am afraid."

Karyn drew her automatic, held it low by her side so it couldn't be seen in profile. She said, "Give me the car keys, Verner. Give them to me

now."

Brad Verner looked like he was about to blub. "You have a gun? What the h.e.l.l do you need a gun for? Wait a minute-you are a cop aren't you?

Working undercover or something-well it's no good, I won't tell you anything, I..."

Karyn grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and marched him faster down the street. "Where is this G.o.dd.a.m.n car of yours?"

"Wait a minute, you aren't going to shoot me are you? You will never get away with it. Too many people saw us together at Police

Headquarters."

"I am afraid that is part of the problem,"

said Karyn, her tone grim.

"What do you mean?"

The Yakuza thugs were walking their way now, slowly at first but with building speed. Brad Verner was still staring slack-jawed at Karyn. Karyn said, "If you want to live, you will follow my instructions exactly. First, you will give me the car keys and you will walk quickly and quietly with me to the car, do you understand?"

Verner plainly didn't understand. He paused for a long moment, staring at her, a thousand questions forming as he reasoned through the instructions he had just been given. Then he looked back up the street. When he did, things moved fast.

The Yakuza thugs broke into a sudden run, both of them pulling guns.

Verner turned to Karyn, a look of horror on his face.

The first bullets zipped past them high and wide.

Verner fumbled through his pockets for the car keys, found them, then promptly dropped them on the sidewalk. As he stumbled forwards to pick them up more bullets came, the hornet fizz of 9mm sh.e.l.ls cutting through the air.

Karyn dropped to one knee and returned fire. Four quick rounds and the first guy was down from a hundred yards out. The rapid takedown sent his buddy careening into traffic to avoid the gunfire. Karyn saw him, had him marked as he bobbed along the far side of the parked cars. Seamlessly she scooped Verner's keys off the sidewalk and whispered to him, "You good?"

Verner was laying p.r.o.ne on the pavement his hands pressed tightly over his head, as though this might offer him some kind of protection, "h.e.l.l no," he almost shouted. "Those men are firing bullets at us, they are trying to kill us."

"No s.h.i.+t Sherlock. So here's what happens next, you want to live, you peel your a.s.s up off the sidewalk and we head on out of here. You got a problem with that?"

"I am not going anywhere until the police get here. They are trained for these kind of emergencies, they will know what to do."

"You wait for the cops Verner, they are going to be zipping you in a body bag when they get

here."

Karyn pressed the door lock blooper for the Prius and the car sprung alive, no more than twenty yards away now.

More bullets cutting overhead, this time with greater urgency, the gunman knowing he had to finish his play and fast.

Karyn a.s.sessed the situation. "I am going to give you a three count Verner and unless you are up and running, I am going to shoot you myself. Are we clear?"

The words had an almost magical effect.

Brad Verner rose to his feet and tore down the sidewalk roaring at the top of his lungs-what he was roaring exactly was rather hard to determine, but the effect was impressive. The Yakuza gunman who had been crawling along behind the parked cars suddenly rose up like a monster from the deep, holding his gun gangster style. He let rip on full auto. Bullets filled the air, zipping and singing as the came.

Karyn stood and double-tapped the gunman, two quick shots in the head. The hot bullets took him down, snapped his head back like it was coming off his shoulders. But already Karyn was up and moving, double-timing it to the Prius, where she slipped into the drivers seat and fired the engine up.

Brad Verner was cowering in a ball in the pa.s.senger side foot well.

"You might want to clip your seat belt Verner." Karyn didn't wait for an answer. She was already on a trajectory that cut through traffic with a trail of burning rubber. A chorus of horns serenaded them as Karyn floored the gas and accelerated through the first light they came to. "Are you insane? " squawked Verner as he rolled in the foot well."

"I told you I had things to do tonight Verner, but you wouldn't listen would you?" They were moving now-travelling at least twice the posted limit and still gaining speed. Karyn pulled into the outside lane, speeding past anything that blocked their way by cutting into the median. Lights flashed by, as Karyn tore through the gears like a rally

driver.

"Slow down, for G.o.ds sake slow down, I beg you!" wailed Verner.

"We ain't out of this yet."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"They've got follow cars-if we are lucky we will shake the one on our tail at the next light- but if these guys have had any kind of experience, they will box us in and soon-so they only thing we got going for us right now is crazy."

Brad Verner peered up at her from out of the foot well. "Crazy? I don't like the sound of that, not at all. I cannot handle this, please just pull up at the next light and let me out-you can take the car, just let me out.

"Negative."

"What the h.e.l.l do you mean negative?" "I mean that the people following us want us dead Verner. If I let you out of my sight they will find you and kill you, and you won't be able to do a d.a.m.n thing about it."

"Why would anyone want to kill me-all I have ever done is try to help people, care for the environment and buy ethically where ever possible. Why would anyone want to kill me?"

Karyn cut through traffic, weaving through the drive time pack like a Nascar veteran.

"You have been shooting you mouth off haven't you Verner, saying things about Deng Tao's power generation project. Maybe his board of directors have had a meeting and decided it's time they turned a different spin on the negative publicity that you have been giving them?"

"Ecological disaster is not something I can keep quiet about."

Karyn swerved into the oncoming lane and cut past a turning car, without pausing to think. As headlights raced towards them with the speed of inevitable impact, Karyn swerved back to the safety of the outside lane, with only fractions of a second to spare.

Verner let out an unholy wail, as the car swerved sickeningly through the lanes pulling g's like a runaway roller coaster.

Karyn held the wheel in a 9-3 fixed input grip, her manner calm and relaxed.

"You said they were going to blow the Island up."

"Not this Island. I am talking about the Big Island-about Kilauea."

"The Volcano?"

"One of the biggest in the world, the Tao Corporation are drilling into it to extract geothermal energy-"

"Geothermal energy?"

"The molten rock inside the volcano creates more energy than a thousand nuclear power stations. By drilling deep into the structure of the volcanic fault lines, the heat energy can be harnessed and converted, turned into steam, to power generators and create an unlimited amount of free electricity."

"Except you rained on their little parade didn't you Verner?"

"I was just doing my job."

Karyn snapped a box-junction turn so fast and aggressive, that the sound of squealing rubber drowned out the next part of the conversation.

That is when the bullets came, lighting up the road in a hail of bouncing sparks. The sh.e.l.ls tore into fabric of the Prius rending through the metal with a deadly clatter.

"We have got interference, said Karyn grimly. You might want to keep your head down Verner."