“I don’t understand. How was he getting close?”
“Charles had files about your organisation. He gave them to me. I thought that was why you went after him.”
Cartwright laughed, enjoying the game.
“That wasn’t the reason at all.”
“Then what could you possibly have had against him? Charles was a good man, he was a war hero.”
“Not that it matters now Eric, but I didn’t have any agenda. It was just another contract.”
“But why?”
Cartwright shrugged.
“Why does anyone want anything done? In the end, it always comes down to money and power. In his case it was his ridiculous insistence in following his True Democracy idea.”
Cartwright sat on the edge of the desk, casually holding the gun.
“After that talent show got so many votes using his idea, it was clear that True Democracy had become a real threat to some career politicians, both here and in the USA. We were tasked with discrediting him, but it had to be done in a way that would make any of his ideas permanently unpalatable. Unfortunately he took the cowards’ way out.”
“You sick… ” Stone started to rise, but he stopped when Cartwright raised the gun again. “You cold bastard! Charles Rathbone was a hero.”
“Now, now, Eric. There’s no need for name calling.” He waved at the building with a sweep of his hand. “This is just… business.”
“Who paid?” Stone demanded, his anger brimming just under the surface. “Was it Heathfield?”
Cartwright looked genuinely surprised.
“Sir Harold Heathfield? How on earth did you figure that out?”
“He’s one of the trustees at Second Chances.”
“I’m impressed.” He gave Stone a little nod of approval. “Heathfield pain me in cash, dollars actually, so I suspect his backers were watching events unfold from the comparative safety of Washington.”
Then Cartwright frowned as a thought entered his head.
“Incidentally, how did you find me?”
“Huggermugger,” Stone said.
Cartwright smiled to himself.
“Oh, well done! You really are quite bright. I never thought that anyone would spot that.”
Stone said nothing; he was staring at Linda. She remained frozen in her original position. Cartwright followed his gaze.
“Tell me about Linda, you seem to be quite struck with each other.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Oh come on Eric, indulge me. Otherwise… ” He waved the gun again.
“What’s to tell? She’s clever, funny, and beautiful and I love her.”
Stone noticed that for an instant, Linda’s eyes flicked in his direction, before returning to stare at the wall opposite.
“You love her?” Cartwright asked incredulously, “But you’ve just met.”
“I can’t explain it. I just know that I love her, more than anyone I have ever known. And she loves me.” Stone saw Linda’s eyes flicked in his direction again, this time for a little longer.
“Eric… Eric… Eric, you don’t even know her,” Cartwright said as if he were admonishing a naughty child.
“I know her well enough,” Stone said defensively.
“Do you?” Cartwright asked with an overtone of disbelief, “Do you really?”
“I think I do,” Stone said firmly.
Standing to one side, Cartwright smiled wickedly. Then like a master of ceremonies, introducing the next act, he dramatically swept his arm towards Linda.
“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the best assassin in the world… I give you The Chameleon!”
Stone felt an electric bolt shoot through his body. He stared in disbelief at Linda. She continued to look blankly at the wall, but now her face showed the pain of some dreadful inner turmoil.
“It can’t be!” he whispered in shock.
Cartwright’s face was a picture of glee.
“Oh, but it is.”
“But the Chameleon’s a man,” Stone pleaded, “I read it, it’s in the file.”
Cartwright shook his head.
“Chameleon can be whatever, and whoever, I need her to be. She’s a master of disguise — hence the name.”
“Linda?” Stone pleaded, “Linda please, tell me it isn’t true,”
She didn’t move.
“She can’t hear you,” Cartwright said, “Right now she’s totally in my control.”
“What madness is this? Linda, look at me!” Stone shouted.
Again, she didn’t move, but the inner turmoil was becoming more obvious. Eric thought he could see tears running down her face.
“It’s not madness — although I suspect the people who created her were,” Cartwright said with a strange hint of sadness.
“I don’t understand.”
Cartwright checked his watch again and sighed.
“Well, I don’t suppose it would hurt to tell you. This… ” he gestured towards Linda, “is not Linda Smart. This is Chameleon. It is an assassin created by the Bulgarian secret service. I don’t have all of the gruesome details of how they did it, but as it was explained to me, it started with a little orphan girl being rescued from a State institution. The two men who sold her to me did some pretty sick and unpalatable things, to create and train Chameleon. Think of the assassin as a sort of evil twin living unseen inside Linda Smart.”
“Unseen?” Eric managed to ask shakily.
“Yes, it’s quite a remarkable achievement really,” Cartwright said, “the Linda Smart that you claim to know so well, doesn’t have a clue that she is Chameleon. In fact she believes her alter-ego to be her twin sister.”
Stone said nothing.
“Apparently they don’t get along,” Cartwright joked, “Actually, as far as I can tell, Linda knows nothing about Chameleon, and visa-versa.”
“How is that possible?” Stone asked.
“Think of it like hypnosis, although a lot more sophisticated than making someone cluck like a chicken. You see, I have the trigger. It’s just a word, but I’m the one person who knows it. Once I’ve used it, Linda Smart’s brain goes to sleep and my assassin wakes up. Once her mission is complete, Chameleon fades into the background and Linda Smart wakes up again — none the wiser.”
He looked at Linda and smiled benevolently.
“I spoke that trigger word earlier, that’s why Chameleon is awake now. Normally I would give my instructions by phone, this is the first time I have used the trigger face-to-face. The effect is really quite remarkable.”
“You mean that Linda had no idea that this ‘Chameleon’ was living inside her?” Stone asked.
“None whatsoever! She’s the perfect assassin — hiding in plain sight,” Cartwright said with unconcealed pride, “And Chameleon has never failed to complete an assignment. At least until Linda met you.”
“What do you mean?” Stone asked, his curiosity exceeding his anger.
“She was sent to kill you outside some bar in Essex. You were supposed to be accidentally stabbed in a scuffle with a couple of muggers, but something went wrong. I sent my Chameleon out and she never came back.”
Cartwright leaned forward and gently caressed her hair. Stone had to make a huge effort not to jump up and try to attack. He knew he had to wait for his opportunity.
“Linda was being attacked — I saved her, that’s how we first met.”
“Yes, it’s most odd — Chameleon has no recollection of the event at all. It seems that you had quite an effect on her.”
Cartwright gave a little smile as he sat back onto the edge of the desk.
“Actually, this has all been most fortuitous. You see, I had only ever seen Chameleon once. It was on the day that I purchased her. As her owner, I had to keep my distance — for obvious reasons — so I allowed her to create her own life, far away from me. When I needed her services, all I needed to do was call her up and say the trigger word. I was going to leave her behind, along with most of my other possessions, but then I saw her in a photograph with you — and I knew I had to have her. She really is quite beautiful.”