Midnight Angels by Lorenzo Carcaterra Page B

Kate does indeed find something of value during her time in Florence,” Edwards said, returning to the dilemma at hand. “How can we make sure we learn about it before the Raven does?”
    “Not an easy task,” MacNamera said. “Much will depend on what she finds and where she finds it. And also, what she decides to do with that discovery.”
    “My guess is she would contact me right off the bat,” Edwards said. “In that case, we can hold a slight advantage, perhaps buy ourselves a few hours.”
    “Working on the assumption that she does contact you first,” MacNamera said, “we then need her to be savvy enough not to use a landline or a traceable cell. We will also have to hope that her friend Marco can be trusted to remain silent.”
    “How does he check out?”
    “No links whatsoever to the Raven or anyone remotely associated with him or his group,” the older man said. “He is all that he appears to be—a student behind on his bills and his assignments who has developed a rather large crush on our Kate.”
    “Does she feel the same way about him?”
    “I’ve never been able to judge which way a woman’s heart leans,” MacNamera said. “But my guess is that her feeling is simply friendly. At least for now.”
    “If Kate’s going to find anything at all, she’s going to need some time,” Edwards said, “and we have to make sure she gets that.”
    “Which means bringing trouble down the Raven’s path,” MacNamera said. “That can be arranged.”
    “Then throw as many diversions at him as you can,” Edwards said. “And let’s not depend just on the strength of the Society. I’m sure the Rome Art Squad has him under their lens for one heist or another. Let’s see if we can be of any help in that regard. He’s also had a price on his head for several years now, with few venturing to make even an attempt. Why do you suppose that is?”
    “He hires any potential assassins who might rise to the bait and pays them handsomely to work by his side,” MacNamera said, “leaving the inexperienced and the desperate as potential prey. He also commands a certain level of fear and of invincibility in both the art world and the criminal underground. There are many who think we are the only ones who can battle him on equal footing, and we haven’t been able to touch him for more than two decades.”
    “Do you ever think I’ve taken it too far in that regard?” Edwards asked.
    “What choice did you have?”
    “I often wonder if Frank and Andrea would have turned the Society into such a lethal force,” he said. “In truth, how different are we from the Immortals other than in the methods we choose to dispense the lost art? Blood on both sides has been spilled in equal amounts.”
    “Perhaps it may one day revert to what Frank and Andrea originally had in mind,” MacNamera said. “If Kate so desires.”
    Edwards turned to the game and briefly allowed himself the luxury of getting back into its rhythms, a respite from the talk of danger and deceit. He glanced at the scoreboard and then turned back to MacNamera. “The Society will defeat the Raven and ultimately bring his run to an end,” he said. “I have never doubted that fact.”
    MacNamera nodded. “That and a well-played game is more than enough to bring a smile to a dying man’s face,” he said. “In the interim, I’ll cause as much havoc as I can to the Raven and his illustrious Immortals, allowing Kate to pursue either her studies or our next adventure.”
    “I always take you for granted, Andrew,” Edwards said. “I never mean to do it, it’s just that you have been there for me for such a long time that it’s easy to take your talents as a given. But I would be lost without your help and friendship.”
    “I fear you will be without both sooner than either of us would like,” MacNamera said, avoiding eye contact. “It’s spreading faster than the doctors anticipated. I doubt I will be of much use to you past this