Inspector Touh turned to Jennifer. “I’m sure this will interest you.”
“What is it?”
“Come along. You will see.”
The interior of the building was old and dilapidated-looking, but the overpowering impression was of the smell, wild and primitive and musky. It was like nothing Jennifer had ever smelled before.
A young girl hurried forward and said, “Would you like an escort? I—”
Inspector Touh waved her aside. “We won’t need you.”
He took Jennifer’s arm and they walked outside into the grounds. There were half a dozen large sunken tanks and from them came a series of strange slithering sounds. Jennifer and Inspector Touh reached the first pen. There was a sign: Keep Your Hands Off the Pool. Danger. Jennifer looked down. The tank was filled with alligators and crocodiles, dozens of them, all in continuous movement, sliding over and under one another.
Jennifer shuddered. “What is this?”
“It is a crocodile farm.” He looked down at the reptiles. “When they are between three and six years old they are skinned and turned into wallets and belts and shoes. You see that most of them have their mouths open. That is the way they relax. It is when they close their mouths that you must be careful.”
They moved on to a tank with two enormous alligators in it.
“These are fifteen years old. They are used only for breeding purposes.”
Jennifer shivered. “They’re so ugly. I don’t know how they can stand each other.”
Inspector Touh said, “They can’t. As a matter of fact, they do not often mate.”
“They’re prehistoric.”
“Precisely. They go back millions of years, with the same primitive mechanisms they had at the beginning of time.”
Jennifer wondered why he had brought her here. If the inspector thought that these horrible-looking beasts would interest her, he was mistaken. “May we go now?” Jennifer asked.
“In a moment.” The inspector looked up toward the young girl who had met them inside. She was carrying a tray toward the first tank.
“Today is feeding day,” the inspector said. “Watch.”
He moved with Jennifer toward the first tank. “They feed them fish and pigs’ lungs once every three days.”
The girl began throwing food into the pen, and instantly it erupted into a churning, swirling mass of activity. The alligators and crocodiles lunged for the raw, bloody food, tearing into it with their saurian fangs. As Jennifer watched, two of them went for the same piece of meat, and instantly they turned on each other, savagely attacking, biting and slashing until the pen started to fill with blood. The eyeball of one was torn loose, but its teeth were sunk into the jaws of its attacker and it would not let go. As the blood began pouring out more heavily, staining the water, the other crocodiles joined in, savaging their two wounded mates, ripping at their heads until the raw skin was exposed. They began to devour them alive.
Jennifer felt faint. “Please, let’s get out of here.”
Inspector Touh put his hand on her arm. “One moment.”
He stood there watching, and after a while he led Jennifer away.
That night, Jennifer dreamt of the crocodiles clawing and tearing each other to pieces. Two of them suddenly turned into Michael and Adam, and in the middle of her nightmare Jennifer woke up, trembling. She was unable to go back to sleep.
The raids began. Federal and local law-enforcement agents struck in a dozen different states and in half a dozen foreign countries, and the raids were orchestrated to take place simultaneously.
In Ohio, a senator was arrested while making a speech to a women’s club on honesty in government.
In New Orleans, an illegal national bookmaking operation was shut down.
In Amsterdam, a diamond smuggling operation was halted.
A bank manager in Gary, Indiana, was arrested on charges of laundering Organization money.
In Kansas City, a large discount house filled with stolen goods was raided.
In Phoenix, Arizona, half a dozen detectives on the vice squad were placed under arrest.
In Naples, a cocaine factory was seized.
In Detroit, a nationwide automobile theft ring was broken up.
Unable to reach Jennifer by telephone, Adam Warner went to her office.
Cynthia recognized him instantly.
“I’m sorry, Senator Warner, Miss Parker is out of the country.”
“Where is she?”
“The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.”
Adam’s spirits rose. He could telephone her and warn her not to return.
The hotel housekeeper walked in as Jennifer was getting out of the shower.
“Excuse me. What time will you be checking out today?”
“I’m not checking out today. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
The housekeeper looked puzzled. “I was told to get this suite ready for a party coming in late tonight.”
“Who told you to do that?”
“The manager.”
Downstairs, an overseas call was coming in at the switchboard. There was a different operator on duty and a different man was standing over her.
The operator spoke into her mouthpiece. “New York City calling Miss Jennifer Parker?”
She looked at the man standing next to her. He shook his head.
“I’m sorry. Miss Parker has checked out.”
The sweeping raids continued. Arrests were made in Honduras, San Salvador, Turkey and Mexico. The net swept up dealers and killers and bank robbers and arsonists. There were crackdowns in Fort Lauderdale and Atlantic City and Palm Springs.
And they continued.
In New York, Robert Di Silva was keeping close track of the progress being made. His heart beat faster as he thought about the net that was closing in on Jennifer Parker and Michael Moretti.