The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5) by Michael Richan Page A

make sure it goes down just like he
said.”
    “Good,”
Carma replied. “Good. There, that’s settled.” She ran her hands down the front
of her dress, straightening it as though the conversation they’d just engaged
in had disheveled her. She reached for her cigarette case and lit up a long,
thin Virginia Slim.
    “Since you
slept in so late,” David said to Winn, “I expect you’ll be wide awake at 2 AM.
I got up early, so I’ll take a nap before we go.”
    “Good
thinking,” Carma replied, exhaling smoke into the air above her.
    “Are you
going to tell us what this all is, exactly?” Winn asked.
    “I’d prefer
not,” Carma said. “Lyman feels it will just complicate things if I say too
much. His approach is always need-to-know.”
    “So there’s
nothing else I need to know?” Winn asked.
    “Not
really,” Carma replied.
    “How exactly
will it release Deem?” Winn asked.
    “I’m not at
liberty to go into the details,” Carma replied.
    “After what
happened in Paragonah,” Winn said, “I’d like to know if there’s more to the
story.”
    “As I said,
I’m not at liberty to say,” Carma replied. “As in that case, if you follow the
instructions precisely, everything should be fine.”
    “But
sometimes shit happens,” Winn said. “It’d be nice to know contingencies in case
something does.”
    “There are a
million contingencies and I can’t get into every possible scenario,” Carma
replied, becoming uncomfortable at Winn’s questioning. “The best thing is to
follow the directions to the letter, and I’m sure everything will be absolutely
fine. Well, that settles it, I guess!” She stood, pressing down the cloth of
her dress once again. “I’m sure Lyman will be very appreciative. I need to go
down and talk with him, and I’m a little late, so if you’ll both excuse me.”
    They watched
as Carma walked around the table and into the hallway. Once Winn heard her
heading down the stairs to the basement, he turned to David.
    “I guess we
should leave here at 1, just to be safe,” he said.
    “Yeah, that
should give us more than enough time,” David replied.
    Winn looked
down at the ebony box between them. “Any idea what’s inside?”
    “None
whatsoever.”
    “Carma
seemed a little skittish.”
    “She did.”
    “I think she
made up having to talk to Lyman just now. I think she was uncomfortable talking
to us, and wanted to leave.”
    David stood
and reached out to lift the box. “It’s light,” he said. “That’s a plus.”
    “Be careful
with it,” Winn warned. “I’ve known Lyman to deal with explosives. The cannery,
remember?”
    David held
the box at arm’s length and slowly placed it back on the table. “Carma asked me
to intercept another drop off from Warren,” he said, looking at his watch.
“That’s in an hour. Plenty of time for a nap after that before we go out to do
this thing. Want to come along?”
    “Sure,” Winn
replied, standing up. “Do you have enough time for me to get cleaned up a
little?”
    “If you’re
quick. It’s at Quail Lake.”
    Winn walked
out of the room and upstairs, heading for the shower.

Chapter Nine
     
     
     
    It had been
twenty minutes since they parked in a spot overlooking the picnic area next to
the lake.
    “He’s late,”
David said.
    “I don’t
like this setup,” Winn said. “Too open. Anyone could see us.”
    “That might
be why they’re using it,” David replied. “Suspicious about the dumpster. Let’s
give it a few more minutes.”
    “Even if he
shows up, you can’t just walk down to one of those benches and retrieve it.
You’ll be seen.”
    “Yeah,”
David agreed, looking out the windshield. “You’re right. This isn’t a good
setup.”
    David’s
phone began to buzz inside his pocket, and Winn watched as he fished it out.
    “Whoa,”
David said, looking at the phone. “It’s Carma.”
    “Carma?”
Winn replied. “She never calls.”
    “Hello?”
David said into the phone.