Prophecy of the Undead by Fiona McGier Read Free Book Online Page B

friend?”
    Casimiro clicked off the television and minimized the computer screen, Then he turned to face Yuri.
    “Sit, sit, comrade. What is it that disquiets your mind and forces you to contact me when I have only been in town for a few days?”
    “Are you bankrolling neurobiological research at a local facility? Is that why you are in town?”
    Casimiro smiled. “And you? Are you still pursuing the answers to your questions about the nature of our existence? I swear, Yuri; no one is as single-minded as you are when you are curious about something.”
    Yuri grinned. “Yes. I have finally found someone who can answer my questions. She is being threatened and hunted. I need to find out if you are in any way connected to that.”
    “Why? What makes you think I have anything to do with that?”
    “She told me one of the backers of her research is reputed to be a member of a Central American drug cartel. When she said that I remembered I felt your presence return to this area recently. So, I wanted to find out if you are able to call off the dogs hunting her. I don’t want any conflict with you but she is under my protection. Anyone trying to hurt her will have to deal with me first.”
    Casimiro leaned back and concentrated. He spoke slowly and deliberately.
    “She? Is she perhaps the researcher who seeks the chemical responsible for intelligence in our mortal citizens?”
    Yuri nodded. “Yes. Right after she isolated the enzyme, her life became a living hell. I want that to end.”
    “Funny. I was told that she was dead. The GPS tracker attached to her body is no longer reading any body heat. I was told it was just a matter of time before the body turned up.”
    Yuri nodded solemnly at the other man, whose eyebrows rose with understanding.
    “Ah...so, she has no body heat anymore because of what you have done, is that it?”
    “Yes. She is under my protection. Why are you hunting her? She found what she was paid to discover. Shouldn’t she be counting her bonus money and planning a trip to somewhere exotic as a reward for her hard work? Who wants her out of the picture?”
    Casimiro rose and walked slowly across the room to get himself a wine bottle filled with a thick red liquid. He poured some of into two glasses and walked back to offer one to Yuri. He sat back down. They clinked their glasses together, then both took a sip.
    “This is very fresh,” Yuri said, “And quite a young donor.”
    Casimiro nodded. “Only the best for my old friends, Yuri. You and I are fellow countrymen, though there might be many years between our natal dates. So, I respect you and I won’t lie to you. I don’t have all of the answers you are seeking. I am only the moneyman. Remember, it’s my job to invest the money and to see that we make more of it. Apolinar told me to invest in this research because it suited him to see it completed.”
    It was Yuri’s turn to raise his eyebrows with surprise.
    “Is he here?”
    Casimiro chuckled warmly. “In a big city like Chicago? In cold weather? Of course not. He’s in one of our places in the south. He has a studio in Arizona and likes to paint the surrounding areas. He keeps tabs on what’s going on up here and sent me up to be sure the research would be used correctly.”
    “Just how is correctly?”
    “My dear Yuri—just because you discover what makes a mind more intelligent doesn’t mean that was your original goal. Because for every action, there is an opposite reaction. If a serum can be created that will enhance intelligence—now that we know how it works—then a serum can be created which will decrease intelligence. That’s not the kind of news which needs to be disseminated to the general population...or even to the research community.”
    Yuri frowned and put his glass down.
    “So, the woman was hunted to stop her from sharing the news of her discovery with others?”
    Casimiro nodded. “She worked alone. She, alone, knows what she has discovered. As long as