Chimera by Ken Goddard Page B

Sergei Arturovich, I am here.”
    “Where?” Draganov demanded.
    “In the middle cage – number five.”
    Draganov and Tsarovich stared at each other in shocked surprise, then cautiously and slowly approached the middle cage on the left.   They could see that the metal-bar door was closed and secured like on all of the other cages.
    “Don’t turn on your torch,” Borya warned as the two men came up to the cage front.
    “No, we won’t,” Draganov replied, trying to sound calming and reassuring. “We won’t.   We just wanted to make sure you’re not sick like Tanya.”
    “I’m not sick. I’m fine.”
    “Yes, I’m sure you are,” Tsarovich agreed, “but as the senior medical officer at the center, I need to see for myself.   Please come out so that —”
    “No.   Go away.   Leave me alone.”
    Before he could catch himself, Draganov yelled out in an angry voice: “Borya, why are you in –?!”
    The whimpering sounds of a frightened creature somewhere near Borya – and a very upset big animal in the middle large cage across the way – caused the two men to freeze.   They look at each other, wide-eyed.”
      “It’s okay, Borya,” Tsarovich said in a gentle, soothing voice.   “We’re not angry.   We just wanted to make sure you’re okay.   We’ll leave now and talk with you later.”
    The two research scientists slowly walked back to the shed door.
    As Draganov and Tsarovich exited the shed and carefully shut and locked the heavy doors, the emergency interior lights went out.   Immediately, ten pairs of bright emerald animal eyes flashed open inside the left-side cages.
    In cage five, one of the two eye-pairs was clearly human.

 
    CHAPTER 13
     
     
    Surat Thani, Thailand
     
    It was nearly ten P.M. by the time Bulatt, Kulawnit, Preithat and the bodyguards finally arrived at Yak’s palatial estate.   The rains had mercifully stopped, turning the exquisitely landscaped gardens into a steaming outdoor sauna festooned by dripping lengths of bright yellow scene perimeter tape that provided — among many other things — a safe pathway to the first body.
    The scene commander waited patiently for Kulawnit, Preithat and Bulatt to negotiate the designated route, introduced himself, and nodded respectfully as Preithat made the introductions.
    “The bodies were discovered by the resident chef’s son who came here looking for his father,” the scene commander — a Lieutenant of the Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau — began.   “He entered through the south garden gate, observed this man lying here, ran into the house, and ultimately found three more bodies.”
    “Including his father?” Colonel Kulawnit asked softly.
    “Yes.   He found his father’s body in the walk-in freezer; shot twice, like the others in the house.   At that point, he called the police.”
    Kulawnit looked down at the body sprawled face-down at his feet, a semi-automatic pistol with an attached silencer lying near the man’s outstretched right hand.   There were five widely-scattered bullet holes in the back of the man’s shirt that was bunched together in places by the straps of a shoulder holster, and what looked like five matching holes in the back of a raincoat stretched out beside the body.
    “This one was shot several times,” Kulawnit noted.   His eyes were focused on the silenced pistol.   “Who is he?”
    “Boon-Nam, a criminal well known to us in Surat Thani,” the scene commander replied.   “He is suspected of killing at least thirty people — mostly drug dealers, couriers, body-guards, thieves, burglars and the like — which is to say, mostly the competitors of the people who employ him.”
    “A killer for hire?” Preithat asked.   “An assassin?”
    “Yes, he was exactly that.   We’ve arrested him several times, but he always — please, don’t touch anything!” the scene commander said quickly when Bulatt knelt down to examine the body and weapon more