Murmansk

Chapters 35, 36, & 37

Chapter 35

December 11, 2000

The man sat up in his cot, noticing some unusual movement on the monitors. Swinging his stocking-clad feet onto the floor, he rose from the cot and shuffled across the floor unsteadily.

He had been deeply asleep and was having a hard time getting the buzzing in his head to clear.

Plopping into his chair, he tried to focus on what was going on in front of him. Expanding the kitchen camera's image, he pulled the headphones down over his ears.

"I have contacts all over the world...I'm pretty sure I can find someone that knows where she is," the dark-haired man muttered as he punched in some numbers on the phone.

"What's going on," the man thought to himself as he watched what was happening in real time. He would need to roll back the footage when he got the chance in order to put this conversation in perspective.

But he could tell by the looks of everyone in the room that it wasn't good.

"Our biggest problem is that Noon Byrk is the most ruthless bitch I've ever come across," the dark-haired visitor continued before connecting with someone on the phone.

As the scene continued to unfold, the observer was further confused by the other man's sudden use of Italian on the phone.

Sighing loudly, he leaned back in his chair. This was an unusual development...whatever it was. Once he had a chance to look at the footage, he knew he would have to place a call to his handler.

He was pretty sure this would be something he would be interested in!

Taking the headphones off, he rose from the chair and turned toward the stairs. It was starting to look like it was going to be a long night...a night that would require more than just a bit of coffee.

Chapter 36

December 11, 2000

My legs were burning as I trudged through the deepening snow. I had no idea how far I had gone at that point, but it felt like at least five miles. Even though I had my face covered with a scarf, I could no longer feel the ice and snow pelting me.

Visions of the dream I had had a couple of days before were now haunting my thoughts.

Had it only been a couple of days?

To tell the truth, what with being on the other side of the world and being ensconced in total darkness...I wasn't even sure what day it was!

Some shit don't matter...

In spite of everything, I couldn't help but smile when the saying struck me. It was one of Frank's...my old partner. He had a stable of eclectic sayings to fit every need, always delivered in his dry, unemotional voice that I suddenly missed very much.

"Not that I'd wish you were stuck in this hell with me," I mumbled to Frank's spirit, "But sometimes I really wish you were still around."

Frank had been murdered a couple of years ago now, when he had gotten too close to the truth on a series of murders. I had been gone at the time...out of the country...trying to get my head on straight after the death of my wife.

I still felt a pang of guilt when I thought about him...dying alone without backup...if I'd only been around...

My self-inflicted guilt came to a sudden end when my foot caught on something and I unceremoniously tripped, my face plowing into a bank of snow.