Deadly Echoes by Philip Donlay Page A

murderous owner. All of that came to an immediate end after Robert Huntington staged his death, and then five years later, ever the eco-terrorist, Garrick ended up in a prison cell in Brazil.
    â€œWhy does he want you dead?”
    Donovan let go of his memories and quickly came up with a lie that would hopefully placate Erica. “I was part of his circle once myself. But I went another direction long before he became so militant. When he was imprisoned, he reached out to me for help, and I didn’t answer. I’m sure he hates me for that. Garrick was always a troubled man with a deep-seated hatred for those he feels have wronged him.”
    â€œThat’s an understatement.”
    â€œYou said you were there when he vowed to kill me. What happened?”
    â€œIt was months ago, before his surgery, so he was still sightless. He liked to listen to the radio, had it on all day, said he hated the silence. One day I was in the room and he was listening to the BBC. It was after the terrorist attack in Washington D.C., last fall. There was a brief segment when you were released from the hospital. You said very little to the reporter, I can’t even remember what you said, but it was enough for Garrick to fly into a rage. I clearly remember him ranting that you’d died when your plane crashed. He was livid you were still alive. He kept ranting that
He
was alive. I ended up sedating him, but that was the day I heard him swear to hunt you down and destroy you.”
    Donovan tried to remain passive. There had in fact been two plane crashes. One was twenty years ago. The other was last summer. He hadn’t died in either one. What frightened Donovan was that Garrick had recognized Robert Huntington’s voice after all of these years. He wondered if being blind had played a part in the process.
    â€œDid the accident alter Garrick’s voice?”
    â€œHis vocal cords were damaged after inhaling fumes from the same chemicals that blinded him,” Erica replied. “He can talk, just not very loud, and he has a permanent rasp.”
    â€œI saw pictures the FBI took of these people leaving Hawaii. None of the men looked like Garrick. He was tall, with a hawklike nose and prominent chin. Was his face altered?”
    â€œIf it was, he didn’t have the work done at the clinic. As far as I know, he should look exactly the same. There’s some scarring around his eyes from the acid that blinded him, and he has a great deal of difficulty blinking. The only other difference from when you knew him is that he won’t be able to move his eyeballs in the sockets due to the ocular muscle damage. He’s like an owl, in that he has to rotate his head to change his field of vision.”
    â€œOkay, then he wasn’t in those FBI pictures. I would have recognized him, which means we have no idea where he is right now.”
    Erica shook her head and then looked away.
    Donovan suspected there was something else coming.
    â€œThere’s one other part of the story you should know. But I don’t want it to change our agreement.”
    â€œLet’s hear it.”
    â€œDo I have your word?”
    â€œNo, Erica, you don’t. I won’t agree to something you’ve obviously withheld. If what you tell me is a deal breaker, then we go our separate ways. I will, however, promise to reward you for what you’ve told me already—enough to get you on your way to where you can hide again. As soon as Garrick and Nikolett are dealt with, you’ll be free.”
    â€œNo I won’t. I’ll always have to hide.”
    â€œWho else would be trying to kill you if not Garrick?”
    â€œThere were two doctors at the clinic. Viktor…Dr. Viktor Klasen, an ophthalmologist, and his business partner Dr. Drescher, who specialized in plastic surgery. We were a research facility for Dr. Klasen’s work using stem cells for optical nerve regeneration.”
    â€œIf you were