The Sky Is Falling

chapter Twenty-Five
DANA MANAGED TO FLAG down a taxi in front of Abbe Lasmann's apartment building, but the ride to the Hudsons' home seemed to take forever. The traffic on the slippery streets was horrendous. Dana was terrified she would be too late.

"Hurry," she pleaded with the driver.

He looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Lady, I'm not an airplane."

Dana sat back, filled with anxiety, thinking about what lay ahead. Matt would have gotten her message by now and called the police. By the time I get there, the police will be there. If they're not there yet, I can stall until they arrive. Dana opened her purse. She still had the can of pepper spray. Good. She did not intend to make it easy for Roger or Pamela.

As the taxi approached the Hudson house, Dana looked out the window for some sign of police activity. There was none. When they went up the driveway, it was deserted. She felt choked with fear.

Dana recalled the first time she had come here. How wonderful Roger and Pamela had seemed to be. And they were Judases, murderous monsters. They had Kemal. Dana was filled with an overpowering hatred.

"You want me to wait?" the taxi driver was asking.

"No." Dana paid him and walked up the steps to the front door and rang the bell, her heart racing.

Cesar opened the door. When he saw Dana, his face lit up. "Miss Evans."

And with a rush of excitement, Dana suddenly realized that she had an ally. She held out her hand. "Cesar."

He took it in his huge hand. "I'm glad to see you, Miss Evans," Cesar said.

"I'm glad to seeyou. " And Dana meant it. She was sure that Cesar would help her. The only question was when she should approach him. She looked around. "Cesar - "

"Mr. Hudson is waiting for you in the study, Miss Evans."

"Right." This was not the time.

Dana followed Cesar down the long hallway, remembering the incredible things that had happened since she first walked down this hall. They reached the study. Roger was at his desk packing some papers.

"Miss Evans," Cesar said.

Roger looked up. Dana watched Cesar walk away. She was tempted to call him back.

"Well, Dana. Come in."

Dana walked into the room. She looked at Roger, and she was filled with a blinding rage. "Where is Kemal?"

Roger Hudson said, "Ah, that dear boy."

"The police are on their way here, Roger. If you do anything to either of us - "

"Oh, I don't think we have to worry about the police, Dana." He walked over to her, and before Dana knew what he was doing, he had grabbed her purse and was starting to search through it. "Pamela told me you have pepper spray. You've been busy, haven't you, Dana?" He took out the can of pepper spray, raised it, and sprayed the contents into Dana's face. She screamed out with the stinging pain.

"Oh, you don't know what pain is yet, my dear, but I assure you, you're going to find out."

Tears were streaming down Dana's face. She tried to wipe the liquid away. Roger politely waited until she had finished, then sprayed her in the face again.

Dana was sobbing. "I want to see Kemal."

"Of course you do. And Kemal wants to see you. The boy is terrified, Dana. I've never seen anyone so terrified. He knows he's going to die, and I told him you're going to die, too. You think you've been clever, don't you, Dana? The truth is that you've been very naive. We've been using you. We knew that someone in the Russian government was aware of what we were doing and was about to expose us. But we couldn't find out who it was. But you found out for us, didn't you?"

The memory of the bloody bodies of Sasha Shdanoff and his friend flashed through Dana's mind.

"Sasha Shdanoff and his brother, Boris, were very clever. We haven't found Boris yet, but we will."

"Roger, Kemal has nothing to do with any of this. Let him - "

"I think not, Dana. I first began to worry about you when you met poor ill-fated Joan Sinisi. She overheard Taylor talking about the Russian plan. He was afraid to have her killed because she was associated with him. So he fired her. When she sued for unfair dismissal, he made a settlement, on the condition that she never discuss the matter." Roger Hudson sighed. "So I'm afraid that you were really responsible for Joan Sinisi's "accident.""

"Roger, Jack Stone knows - "

Roger Hudson shook his head. "Jack Stone and his men have been watching your every move. We could have gotten rid of you at any time, but we waited until you got us the information we needed. We really have no further use for you."

"I want to see Kemal."

"Too late. I'm afraid poor Kemal has had an accident."

Dana looked at him in horror. "What have you - "

"Pamela and I decided that a nice little fire is the best way to end Kemal's pitiful little life. So we've sent him back to school. Naughty of him to break into the school on a Saturday. He was just small enough to fit through the basement window."

She was filled with a blinding rage. "You cold-blooded monster. You'll never get away with this."

"You disappoint me, Dana. Resorting to cliches? What you don't understand is that wehave gotten away with it." He walked back to his desk and pressed a button. A moment later Cesar appeared.

"Yes, Mr. Hudson."

"I want you to see to Miss Evans. And make sure she's still alive when the accident happens."

"Yes, Mr. Hudson. I'll take care of it."

He was one of them. Dana could not believe it. "Roger, listen to me - "

Cesar took Dana by the arm and started leading her out of the room.

"Roger - "

"Good-bye, Dana."

Cesar tightened his grip on Dana's arm and marched her down the hall, through the kitchen, and out to the side of the house, where a limousine was parked.

The WTN helicopter was approaching the Hudson estate.

Jeff said to Norman Bronson, "You can set it down on the lawn and - " He stopped as he looked down below and saw Cesar putting Dana into a limousine. "No! Wait a minute."

The limousine started moving down the driveway and onto the street.

"What do you want me to do?" Bronson asked.

"Follow them."

In the limousine, Dana said, "You don't want to do this, Cesar. I - "

"Shut up, Miss Evans."

"Cesar, listen to me. You don't know these people. They're murderers. You're a decent man. Don't let Mr. Hudson force you to do things that - "

"Mr. Hudson isn't forcing me to do anything. I'm doing this forMrs. Hudson." He looked at Dana in the rearview mirror and grinned. "Mrs. Hudson takes good care of me."

Dana looked at him, stunned. I can't let this happen. "Where are you taking me?"

"To Rock Creek Park." He didn't need to add:where I'm going to kill you.

Roger Hudson, Pamela Hudson, Jack Stone, and Mrs. Daley were in a station wagon, heading for Washington National Airport.

Jack Stone said, "The plane is all ready. Your pilot has the flight plan to Moscow."

Pamela Hudson said, "God, I hate cold weather. I hope that bitch burns in hell for putting me through this."

"What about Kemal?" Roger Hudson asked.

"The fire at the school is set to go off in twenty minutes. The kid is in the basement. He's heavily sedated."

Dana was growing more desperate. They were nearing Rock Creek Park, and the traffic was beginning to thin out.

Kemal is terrified, Dana. I've never seen anyone so terrified. He knows he's going to die, and I told him that you're going to die, too.

In the helicopter trailing the limousine, Norman Bronson said, "He's turning, Jeff. It looks like he's heading for Rock Creek Park."

"Don't lose him."

At the FRA, General Booster stormed into his office. "What the hell has been going on here?" he asked one of his aides.

"I told you, General. While you were away, Major Stone recruited a few of our best men, and they're into some big deal with Roger Hudson. They've targeted Dana Evans. Look at this." The aide pulled up a screen on his computer, and a moment later there was a picture of Dana naked, getting into the shower in the Breidenbacher Hof Hotel.

General Booster's face tightened. "Jesus!" He turned to his aide. "Where is Stone?"

"He's gone. He's leaving the country with the Hudsons."

General Booster snapped. "Get me the National Airport."

In the helicopter, Norman Bronson looked down and said, "They're heading toward the park, Jeff. Once they get there, we won't be able to land because of the trees."

Jeff said urgently, "We have to stop them. Can you land in front of them on the road?"

"Sure."

"Do it."

Bronson pushed the controls forward and the helicopter began to descend. He passed over the limousine, and then began gently to bring the helicopter down. It landed on the road, twenty yards ahead of the limousine. They watched as the car screeched to a stop.

"Turn off the engines," Jeff said.

"We can't do that. We'll be at the guy's mercy if - "

"Turn them off."

Bronson looked at him. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"No."

Bronson sighed and turned off the ignition. The huge blades of the helicopter began to slow down until they came to a stop. Jeff looked out the window.

Cesar had opened the back door of the limousine. He said to Dana, "Your friend is trying to cause us trouble." His fist shot out and punched Dana in the jaw. She fell back on the seat, unconscious. Then Cesar stood up and started toward the helicopter.

"Here he comes," Bronson said nervously. "My God, he's a giant!"

Cesar was approaching the helicopter, his face filled with anticipation.

"Jeff, he's got to have a gun. He's going to kill us."

Jeff yelled out the window, "You and your bosses are going to prison, you bastard!"

Cesar started walking faster.

"It's all over for you. You might as well give up."

Cesar was fifteen yards from the helicopter.

"You'll be jailbait for the boys."

Ten yards.

"You'll like that, won't you, Cesar?"

Cesar was running now. Five yards.

Jeff pressed his thumb down hard on the start button and the huge vanes of the helicopter slowly began to turn. Cesar paid no attention, his eyes were focused on Jeff, his face was filled with hatred. The vanes began to spin faster and faster. As Cesar ran to the door of the helicopter, he suddenly realized what was happening, but it was too late. There was a loud splash, and Jeff closed his eyes. The outside and the inside of the helicopter were instantly covered with blood.

Norman Bronson said, "I'm going to be sick." He turned off the ignition.

Jeff glanced at the decapitated body on the ground, jumped out of the helicopter, and raced to the limousine. He opened the door. Dana was unconscious.

"Dana...darling..."

Dana slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Jeff and mumbled, "Kemal..."

The limousine was almost a mile from Lincoln Preparatory School when Jeff yelled, "Look." Ahead of them in the distance, they could see smoke starting to darken the sky.

"They're burning the school down," Dana shrieked. "Kemal is in there. He's in the basement."

"Oh, my God."

A minute later the limousine reached the school. A heavy cloud of smoke was rising from the building. A dozen firemen were working to put down the fire.

Jeff jumped out of the car and moved toward the school. A fireman stopped him.

"You can't go any nearer, sir."

"Has anyone been inside?" Jeff demanded.

"No. We just broke open the front door."

"There's a boy in the basement." Before anyone could stop him, Jeff went through the splintered doorway and ran inside. The place was filled with smoke. Jeff tried to yell Kemal's name, but only a cough came out. He put a handkerchief over his nose and ran down the hallway to the steps that led to the basement. The smoke was acrid and thick. Jeff fumbled his way down the stairs, holding on to the banister.

"Kemal!" Jeff called. There was no answer. "Kemal." Silence. Jeff made out a vague shape at the other end of the basement. He moved toward it, trying not to breathe, his lungs burning. He almost tripped over Kemal. He shook him. "Kemal." The boy was unconscious. With an enormous effort, Jeff picked him up and started carrying him toward the stairs. He was choking and was blinded by the smoke. He lurched drunkenly through the swirling black cloud, carrying Kemal in his arms. When he reached the steps, Jeff half carried him, half dragged him up the stairs. He heard distant voices, and he passed out.

General Booster was on the phone with Nathan Novero, the airport administrator at Washington National Airport.

"Does Roger Hudson keep his plane there?"

"Yes, General. As a matter of fact, he's here now. I believe they've just been cleared for takeoff."

"Abort it."

"What?"

"Call the tower and abort it."

"Yes, sir." Nathan Novero called the tower. "Tower, abort the takeoff of Gulfstream R3487."

The air traffic controller said, "They're already taxiing down the runway."

"Cancel their clearance."

"Yes, sir." The air traffic controller picked up his microphone. "Tower to Gulfstream R3487. Permission to take off is canceled. You will return to terminal. Abort takeoff. I repeat, abort takeoff."

Roger Hudson stepped into the cockpit. "What the hell is this?"

"There must be some kind of delay," the pilot said. "We'll have to return to the - "

"No!" Pamela Hudson said. "Keep going."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Hudson, I'd lose my pilot's license if - "

Jack Stone moved next to the pilot with a gun pointed at the pilot's head. "Take off. We're heading for Russia."

The pilot took a deep breath. "Yes, sir."

The plane sped down the runway, and twenty seconds later, it was airborne. The airport administrator watched in dismay as the Gulfstream soared higher and higher into the sky.

"Jesus! He went against - "

On the phone, General Booster was demanding, "What's going on? Did you stop them?"

"No, sir. They - they just took off. There's no way we can make them - "

And at that moment the sky exploded. As the crew on the ground watched in horror, parts of the Gulfstream started raining down through the clouds in fiery pieces. It seemed to go on forever.

At the far edge of the field, Boris Shdanoff watched for a long time. Finally he turned and walked away.