THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 94

         Kerri stood Visconti's briefcase upright on the white tiled floor of the suite's bathroom. She unpacked the Black & Decker electric drill she had purchased, fastened the cobalt bit in the chuck, then connected the device to an electrical outlet. She descended to her knees and began to drill straight down through the center dial. She had almost finished her third hole when the briefcase opened with a loud snap.

"You should have let me open it for you," Visconti said.

Adrenaline shot through Kerri's body like an electric shock.

He stood in the doorway, his eyes piercing. "I bet you're wondering why I'm not on my way to Geneva," he said, then approached her and closed the briefcase. "I wasn't completely satisfied with your answers when I showed you that photograph. I wasn't sure. It might have been the way you spoke, the color of your face or the fact that you owned a photograph of Mike King. So, while you were in the bedroom cleaning up the mess you created to make this little scam look like a robbery, I decided to verify your story. I pulled your wallet out of your bag and found something very interesting." He reached into the pocket of his shirt and removed Kerri's birth certificate. "I'm confused. Maybe you can explain to me why Kerri Larkin is carrying Kerri King's birth certificate."

Kerri's charade had ended. She knew it was pointless to say anything. All she could think of was how she could escape from the incredible nightmare into which she had maneuvered herself.

"You're King's daughter," he said with a cold penetrating stare. "Aren't you?" he shouted, slapping her face as hard as he could, the force of the blow knocking her sideways to the floor.

"Yes," she sobbed as she covered her face with her hands.

"I underestimated him. All these years I was never quite sure if he trusted me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would stoop so low as to ask his own daughter to share my bed with me." His evil smile was replaced by a pained expression. "How could you do this to me, Kerri? We had it made. For the first time in my life I was actually in love."

Kerri refused to speak.

"I asked you a question!" Visconti shouted. "Answer me!" he screamed.

Kerri glared at him defiantly, blood oozing from her mouth. "You're a sick, pathetic excuse for a human being. Jackie Crawford was right about you. You're incapable of loving anything but money."

"I'll show you how to love!" he snarled. He grasped her hair with his right hand and jerked her head upward, then smirked. "Let's do it one last time, just for the record." He pulled her head toward his and kissed her savagely. "Let's do it right here on the floor. I'll show you what's in the briefcase when we're finished. Then you can go for a nice long swim, just like Phillip did." He ripped off her T-shirt and reached for the top of her her jeans. He stopped when he heard a knock on the door to the suite, then stood and hurried to the living room. "Who is it?" he shouted.

Another knock.

"Who the hell's there?"

Again no answer.

"What the fuck is this?" Visconti muttered. He marched to the door and jerked it open. His mouth opened as he froze in shock at the sight of his visitor. "Jesus! What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Louis. A pleasure to see you again," Alfred Schnieder said with a golden smile. "It would be appreciated if you would invite me in."

Visconti attempted to close the door in Schnieder's face.

"Don't, Louis," Schnieder warned, pointing the muzzle of his Mauser Parabellum at Visconti. "This pistol almost as old as I am but it is still extremely effective. It is quite capable of putting a bullet through both the door and you. It was given to me in Oberdorf when I was forced to fight for the Nazis. Using it to kill one more American would be no problem for me...Now, may I come in?"