Quicksilver Dreams(189)

                A wide grin split his face as he ran a nervous hand over his receding hairline. “And you’re sure this deal is going to go through? I need this, Frank. My business is fucked beyond repair. People will come after me. I owe people, you understand. I didn’t know the market was going to drop. I didn’t have enough time to pull out.”

                “The money’s been confirmed. It’s awaiting transfer. First, the clients want to see proof of the mylunate’s potency as an explosive. Then they’ll wire twenty million to our offshore account.” Frank was sitting calmly in a comfortable wingback chair in front of the desk.

                They obviously thought they were alone.

                They weren’t.

                Paul had come to surprise his father for lunch. He’d paused, just out of sight, hearing that his father was in a meeting. His plan had been to back out without interrupting until he heard what his father was saying. He could see the two men reflected in a gilt-framed mirror mounted on the wall.

                “All you have to do is show them that video from your home planet, right? Will that be enough?” The mention of “home planet” gave Paul pause as he listened.

                “We’ll have to see.”

                “You’re sitting there without breaking a sweat, Frank. These guys are terrorists. How can you trust them?”

                “I understand them.”

                Paul’s father paused, and as though suddenly struck with a thought, he said, “You know they’re likely going to target cities in the United States. Doesn’t that bother you?”

                “You’re too emotional, Rosser. This is business. When this is all done, you’ll have more money than you’ll know what to do with. That should take care of your conscience.”

                “You can’t be as cold as you pretend.” Rosser scowled, showing a hint of discomfort, as though seeing him for the first time. “This country has provided for you in so many ways.”

                “Who do you think set off the mylunate bomb in his own hometown?”

                The intercom on Paul’s father’s desk buzzed. Impatiently, he pushed a button, snapping, “What is it?”

                “Sir, I just wondered if you wanted me to make any reservations for you before I left for lunch.”

                “Why? Did I ask you to?”

                “You always ask me to when Paul comes by.”

                “When did Paul come by?”

                “Isn’t he in your office? I thought he went in nearly ten minutes ago.”

                Rosser was silent a moment. “Thanks, Sue. I’ve got this.” He clicked off his intercom and stepped around his desk. As he moved around the corner of his office, he spotted Paul standing just inside the door in the foyer.

                “Nothing’s going on.” Paul gave me a quick smile and took another bite of soup. “I just need a change of pace, that’s all. I have a need to feel anonymous for a while.”

                He wasn’t done thinking about this, though. I saw that Paul had somehow found the stash of mylunate his father and Frank were planning to sell. Frank had hidden the ore in their basement. Paul took it and hid it in some outdoor location that only he was aware of. I could see it seemed to be in a desert. Where was there a desert in California that was close enough for Paul to have traveled to in a day?