Prophet of Death

Chapter 16

     Pete waited a few rings for the tech boys to be ready to trace before finally picking up the line and answering. He didn't say anything and waited for the Prophet to begin the conversation. For the time being, Pete was going to play dumb about Jones and her escape, hoping that if he didn't know about it yet and was calling for a different reason, it might help stall for time and help the tech boys trace the call.

     "Always busy down there, eh, Pete?" the Prophet finally said.

     "I don't know what you're talking about," Pete replied.

     "Don't insult my intelligence and answer the question," Geronimo responded with a rather harsh tone.

     "We found your mole," Pete said. "So now you're in the dark just like we are. Now we'll be able to see how smart you really are."

     "You don't think I'm smart?" the voice on the other end asked.

     "As of right now; not really," Pete replied. "All this time, you've been spying on us, and that's how you were a step ahead. Now that advantage is gone, so it's only a matter of time before I nail your ass to the wall."

     "Doesn't sound very nice," Geronimo countered. "I wouldn't recommend that."

     "And why is that?" Pete asked.

     "Because Mr. Blitzer wouldn't appreciate that," the Prophet answered. "He can still pay for your mistakes should you choose to not do as I say."

     "Then what do you want me to do?" Pete asked, pushing his luck. "I'm not even on your case, the feds have taken over."

     "I don't give a shit about the feds!" the Prophet screamed, clearly frustrated. "You will do whatever I say or he dies. Understood?"

     "Yes, I understand," Pete repeated. "What do you want?"

     "I want you to meet me at the subway on Queen Street," the killer said. "Go alone or he dies. Try to screw me and he dies. Seeing the pattern?"

     "I am," Pete said as he looked at his watch. "How much time do I have?"

     "Twenty minutes and no cars," the Prophet answered. "Start walking and you should be there with a few minutes to spare."

     "Alright, I'm moving," Pete said as the line went dead.

     "What does he want?" the captain asked.

     "For me to walk to the Queen Station," Pete asked. "Alone."

     "Good choice," Avery said. "Underground location takes out any chance to hit him with a sniper."

     "Doesn't matter," Pete said, as his mind was made up. "This is the best chance we have to take down the man with the plan. Jones is just a worker; this guy is the one pulling the strings. We take him down and this is all over."

     "I don't know," Avery said. "This seems like another ploy. Could he be trying to get us away from someone else again?"

     "Maybe, but this time we won't fall for it," Pete said as he turned to his captain. "No one leaves their posts this time. All targets stay secure, alright?"

     "Understood," McManus concurred. "I'm going to double the guards but I still want officers and agents blocking all exits so no one else can go in and interrupt your one on one with our suspect."

     "Sounds good to me," Pete said. "Let's get down there."

     The Prophet had likely assumed that using the subway would prevent his wires from working, but Avery took care of that. Before Pete, Avery put a US Flag pin on his person.