The Rules Of Silence by David Lindsey Read Free Book Online Page B

trees surrounding him out of his peripheral vision. He stood that way a long time, long enough to lose track of time. Long enough to be startled by Norlin’s voice.
    “You’re in luck, ”Norlin said, coming up out of the darkness.
    Titus was surprised to see Norlin step up and stretch out his arm, handing the cell phone to him.
    “He just happens to be close by, ”Norlin explained. “He’s in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. His name’s García Burden.”
    Titus took the heavy phone and put it to his ear in time to hear one ring and then:
    “Titus Cain?”
    “Yes, that’s right.”
    “García Burden. Gil’s told me the basic story. If this is what it seems to be, it’s extraordinary.”
    His voice was soft, a surprise, though Titus hadn’t had any preconceptions. He had a bit of an accent, but Titus had no idea what it was. García. No, it wasn’t Hispanic, the accent, not like Alvaro’s, anyway. It was something altogether different.
    “‘If’? ”Titus asked. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
    “Who knows? ”Burden said cryptically. “But your visitor’s not who he says he is. His scheme is complex and would require a lot of experience in this sort of thing. So I’m fairly sure he’s using a bogus name, which means he’s on all the international border watch lists. He must’ve entered the States illegally. That’s significant and supports the ransom story.”
    “How does it do that?”
    “He’s too cautious to have come in under a fake passport. Too much risk with the new technology now. This kind of man wouldn’t enter the States under the sorts of conditions illegal entry would require for anything routine. This has probably been in the works for a long time. He’s come in for the kill … so to speak.”
    Burden seemed to be all over this.
    “How long before he gets back to you?”
    “He didn’t say.”
    “It’ll be very soon. But he gave you no instructions?”
    “No.”
    “So there are no ‘rules’for you to offend yet.”
    “I’m not supposed to contact any law enforcement agency.”
    “Well, he would consider me in that category, so if he knew about this, you would’ve already offended him. This conversation would justify the first hit.”
    The word
hit
struck Titus like a board to the side of the head. Jesus. It was stunning to hear that word in the context of reality, of his reality. But then, did he really believe Alvaro was going to start killing people if Titus didn’t—what—follow instructions?
    Burden responded to Titus’s shocked silence.
    “No, don’t make that mistake, Mr. Cain, ”he said. “This man doesn’t threaten. He probably even told you that himself. He’s eagerly awaiting his first opportunity to show you how quickly he’ll react to your failure to follow instructions.”
    “Then you do know him.”
    “I don’t know. But I do know the kind of man he is. In that sense, yes, I know him. ”Burden abruptly shifted gears. “I want to work with you on this, Mr. Cain. Are you interested?”
    Titus glanced at Norlin, but he couldn’t see anything beyond a dark figure.
    “Of course I’m interested, but I’ve got to think this over. I’m not going to decide to do this right now.”
    “I’m only asking if you’re interested in talking.”
    “Yeah, of course I am.”
    “There’s not a lot of time. You should come tomorrow.”
    “Down there? San Miguel?”
    “Yes. We need to be here when we talk. I have things to show you, to explain. My archives are here. They’re not portable.”
    “But what if he tries to get in touch with me while I’m gone?”
    “I’ll explain how to handle that.”
    “I don’t know if I can make it tomorrow. My security system’s been wrecked, and I’ve got to get someone to start debugging this place.”
    “Did he tell you not to call in security people?”
    “No. ”Titus cringed. Was that another offense? Was he expected to live with Alvaro listening to every word spoken in his own home? He couldn’t do