Duby's Doctor

Chapter 14-B: REVELATION, conclusion

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Carinne Averell's chauffeur and bodyguard, Yves Dubreau, made a serious mistake when he rescued Carinne from the attentions of a friend of her father.  Kyle Averell intended Carinne to please his friend and business associate, Sr. Iglesias, but Dubreau prevented that from happening.  When Kyle learns what Duby has done, Duby's life will be over.

Enjoy the final installment of Part II: BEFORE, the story of how Jean Deaux came into being.

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It was late afternoon of the following day when Iglesias, sporting a fresh set of cuts and bruises, relaxed, smirking, in a leather guest chair in Kyle Averell's opulent office. He was not sure how long he had been unconscious or how long he had walked along the highway before getting a ride. He knew he had spent two unhappy hours with a doctor and several more hours sleeping off his ordeal – a painful one in many different ways.

At any rate, he had finally made his way to the Averell mansion, determined to share his news in person. He expected that Averell would have heard some version of the debacle from his daughter, already, and he was right.

With such an important business agreement in the balance, however, he was not surprised that Averell was eager to hear the other side of the story. While Iglesias had told his version of the previous night's events – in elaborate and lurid detail – Averell had paced the Oriental carpet, listening.

The account finished, Iglesias reached for his cup and took a sip of espresso. He winced when the hot liquid touched his split lip.

Averell had come to a standstill in the center of the room, facing Iglesias. Behind the guest's chair, Rico stood against the far wall, looking very pleased.

Averell eyed Rico and barked, "Where is Dubreau?"

"In the gym," said Rico, "training the new man."

Averell nodded. "Have Guillermo take Carinne on an extended shopping trip, at least four hours. As soon as they're gone, bring Dubreau to me."

Rico left the office a happy man.

Frank Stone's office was in a bad part of town. At least, it was made to look like a bad part of town. The buildings resembled a cross between industrial park and ghost town. The only color was the green of grassy weeds springing up between the irregular cracks in the pavement. Empty parking lots surrounded peeling, rusting, sometimes leaning, corrugated metal walls.

The lots were empty because the employees parked inside the buildings. Entry doors, sheltered on walls not visible from the street, were raised and lowered by security officers. Those allowed to enter were few and, even though familiar faces, were required to provide proper identification badges to gain access.

Inside, however, was a different world, one in which state-of-the-art electronics combined with government-drab furniture.