"Oh, that," Durrani said with a smile, refusing to let Rickman's sour mood spoil this special moment. "And you are such an angel, my friend. We both do what we must do. That is why we work so well together."
"The nurse?"
Durrani sighed. "What about her?"
"Why do you have to kill her?"
"Stop it. We have more important things to discuss. I need to show you something."
"What?"
"You will see." Durrani was back at the door. He opened it a foot and signaled for Lee to join him. He held his finger to his lips and said, "We must speak softly."
Durrani walked back to the bed with Lee at his side.
"My God," was all Lee could manage to say.
"I know . . . it's horrible."
"Kids did this?"
"I wouldn't exactly say that. Grown men, really."
Lee's face was a combination of shock and revulsion. "Who is he? Have I met him?"
"I'm fairly certain you have never met." Durrani looked at Rickman. "Joe, have you ever met this man?"
Rickman craned his head back and through a narrow slit in his right eye, he took in a blurry image of the man. He gave his answer through his swollen, Vaseline-laden lips. "No,"
"Was he in a bad neighborhood?" the Kansan asked.
"You could say that. That is why I've warned you that you must be very careful."
"This is horrible. Have you contacted the police?"
"No." Durrani shook his head. "We don't need to get them involved. My men will handle things."
"And his family?"
A devilish smile creased Durrani's lips. "Ah . . . like you, he has no family."
"Where is he from?"
"Denver, I think. Is that right, Joe?"
Rickman sounded bored. "Yes."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lee asked with genuine concern.
"As a matter of fact there is," Durrani said with a huge smile. He glanced over his shoulder and gave the signal to Kassar. Looking back at Lee, he made an apologetic face and said, "If you would die, it would be a huge help."
Lee's face twisted into a confused frown.
Kassar had put on his gloves while they were talking and had casually unfolded the plastic bag. In one fell swoop he pulled the bag over Lee's head and yanked it tight around his neck. Kassar had learned this little trick many years ago. The key was to wear gloves, because the victim always scratched and clawed at your hands. One time, though, a very uncooperative victim had been smart enough to shred the plastic covering his face. It had turned out to be an ugly, less-than-professional kill, as they ended up rolling around on the floor. Kassar had used the remnants of the bag to strangle the man but had not walked away unscathed. His slightly crooked nose was a constant reminder that he needed to continue to refine his craft. The trash-bag manufacturer Glad solved his problem when they came out with their tear-proof ForceFlex bags.
This particular American was easy to handle. He was neither violent nor physical, and all Kassar had to do was keep him from breaking some of the furniture. He kept a firm grip on the bag and danced the man around in the ample space between the bed and the door. The script was nearly identical every time: the wild arms swinging, the body twisting, both hands clutching to pry his hands loose, then one hand dropping as fatigue set in, and then the other until the victim was spent and simply collapsed.
Kassar lowered Lee to the floor gently, as if he was laying him down for a long nap. He knelt beside the body and kept the bag tight for a ten count. When he was confident that Lee wasn't about to jerk back to life, he yanked on the two red strings, tied them off, and stood.
"Well done," Durrani said with respect.
"Thank you." Kassar was pleased with his steady heart rate.
"What do you think?" Durrani said, turning to Rickman.
Rickman was no stranger to murder, but this little orchestrated event seemed particularly absurd to him. He stifled a cough and said, "I have no idea what you are up to."
"He is a gift to you. He is your new identity. Look at him." Durrani pointed at the floor.
Rickman didn't bother lifting his head. "He has a bag over his head."
"Hmm." Durrani rubbed his upper lip and then said, "Never mind. He is the same height as you and he has the same hair color. I found him over a year ago and made him