"A Dish Best Served Cold, Part 4"

REGINALD V. ENGE'S HOTEL ROOM, 5:46 PM

    Enge looked over his "guests." The three of them were the best to be
found in the world.

    Morgensen, the Swede, ran a hand through his blonde hair as he
stretched in the humidity of the afternoon. He idly toyed with an ornate
dagger in his free hand. He had killed over thirty men and women with
that knife, with no evidence linking him to the crime.

    Ling Pao, the Shanghai Mistress. The most dangerous hand to hand
combat expert currently to be found. It was rumored that only two others
were better than her, but all attempts to locate them had failed. Some said
it was because Ling Pao had already found them...and made sure that no
one else ever would.

    Finally, the Irishman, MacInnes. Possibly the best marksman in the
world. Shots that others deemed impossible were child's play to him. His
demeanor was a cool as the jade of his eyes, but he had a temper that
could flare as red as his hair if he was provoked.

    These were all people whom Enge would have liked to have had on his
payroll back in the good old days. As it stood now, he'd have to settle for
their temporary services.

    "Gentlemen, and lady," he began. "I've contracted your services for a
very special job. I have a target for you that I believe you won't be able to
pass up."

    "Skip the pitch, Enge." said MacInnes. "We've already accepted the
your offer. Who's the target?"

    Enge smiled. "Direct, aren't you, Mr. MacInnes? Very well." Enge
slapped a black and white photo on the table around which they were
sitting. "Your target is Carmen Sandiego."

    The three assassins stared at him.

    "You are not serious." Ling Pao stated. "Carmen Sandiego is quite
possibly the most elusive woman on the planet. How do you expect us to
find her?"

    "You don't have to." Enge answered. "She's already here. At this very
hotel. Through an old 'associate' of mine, who is currently working for
Ms. Sandiego, I've discovered that she is taking a vacation here. She is
registered under the name of Dr. Candace Smythe. You will find that most
of the staff here are familiar with her under this name."

     "If you know where she is and what name she is going under, why
don't you just kill her yourself?" Morgensen asked. "Why hire a
professional? Three, no less?"

     "Because I don't expect you to suceed." Enge replied. The three killers
frowned. Enge raised a hand. "I don't mean to insult your talents, but you
haven't had the experience of being pitted against her. She is clever,
inventive, resourceful and, above all else, intelligent. This is what makes
her so dangerous. However, you three are capable of the one thing she
is not: killing another human being. This will give you a distinct advantage.

      "The contract remains the same. Three million dollars each has
already been deposited into your respective bank accounts. There is,
however, one condition," Enge glanced over his hired help. "You each get
one attempt on her. No more."

      "You do not wish us to continue if our first attempts are thwarted?"
asked Ling Pao. Enge shook his head.

     "If you are as good as you claim, you shouldn't need more than one
attempt. But, should you fail, I don't want you getting in one of the others'
way. You will still be paid for your services whether she is killed or not.
Should one of you succeed, I will gladly pay a bonus of ten million."

      "And if we fail to kill her?" Morgensen inquired. Enge went to the
closet, reached into an inside pocket of his trenchcoat and returned with
three envelopes. He handed one to each assassin.

     "Give her the envelope. She has proved that she can create clues. I
want to see if her ability to disseminate them has eroded in the past
decade. Don't worry, you won't be incriminated in any way. Do we
understand each other?"

      "Yes." said Morgensen.

      "Most assuredly." affirmed Ling Pao.
     
       MacInnes merely grunted.

       "Excellent." Enge said. "Now then, there is one minor annoyance still
to be dealt with." He laid another photo on the table. "These two are
detectives from Acme. They are also here attempting to figure out how to
expose Carmen so she can be arrested. Their names are Zack and Ivy."
Enge placed both palms on the table and leaned forward. "I don't want
them interfering with my plans. If they get in the way, do whatever is
necessary."

      The three professionals nodded.

      On the front steps outside the hotel, Zack watched Ivy pace.

     "I don't believe this! She just puts in a pair of contacts and speaks
with a British accent and she's got this whole hotel at her beck and call!" 
Ivy ranted. "Meanwhile, who knows what she's planning! She could make off
with the Parthenon tomorrow and we can't do a damn thing about it!"

     "Whoa, calm down Ive," Zack said. Ivy only swore when she was
REALLY steamed. "It looked to me like Carmen wasn't planning on doing
anything. She seemed to be relaxing. Maybe she really is taking a
vacation."

     Ivy glared at her brother. "Right. And Chris Farley was a comic genius.
Grow up, Zack. Carmen's a classic workaholic. She couldn't go two
weeks without stealing SOMETHING."

     "Yeah, well--" Zack was interrupted by the incoming beep from his
communicator. "Go ahead, Chief."

     A window opened in the space in front of them, revealing the Chief.

    "Whew! Am I glad I caught up with you before you went in there!"

    "Actually, Chief--" Ivy began.

    "You're being pulled off this case." The Chief continued.

    "WHAT?!" both Zack and Ivy exclaimed.

    "Chief, we're in a perfect position to catch Carmen!" Ivy protested.
"She's at this hotel and she hasn't begun her heist yet! We'll never get a
second chance at this!"

    "That may be Ivy, but we've got a Code Red on this one. Because not
only is Carmen here, but also Reginald V. Enge!"

    "Who's Reginald V. Enge?" Zack asked. "Player, access Acme's files,
please."

    The window switched to a picture of Enge as he was being booked. 

    "Reginald V. Enge used to be Acme's Numero Uno criminal
mastermind," narrated the Chief. "Until he was finally captured in 1984 by
Carmen Sandiego. Enge was tried and convicted on 45 counts of Grand
Theft, 27 counts of fraud,. 15 armed robberies, and 127 counts of murder
in various degrees. He was sentenced to 25 to life in Leavenworth
Federal Prison with no chance of parole."

     "Wow," Ivy said, astonished. "Sounds like a real nice guy. Good thing
he was taken off the streets."

     "WAS is right, Ivy." The Chief said. "Enge broke out of Leavenworth
last month and hasn't been seen until now! And this is why you're being
pulled off this case. Enge has had thirteen years to seethe about Carmen,
and his psych profile indicates that he would DEFINITELY try to get rid of
her. I'm not putting you two in the crossfire."

     "But what about Carmen, Chief?" Zack asked. "If this Enge guy is as
vengeful as that, don't you think we ought to warn her?"

     "I'll worry about that when you two are safe back in San Francisco!
So let's go, go, go!"

     With that the C-5 corridor opened up before them. Zack and Ivy
approached it and entered. The blue light started to fade out, but at the
last moment, Ivy leaped out of the corridor and back to the hotel. The C-5
winked out.

     Ivy's communicator began beeping insistently, but the detective
switched it off and put it in her pocket just to be on the safe side.

    "Sorry, Chief," she said as she turned back towards the hotel. "But I'm
not about to let her get away THIS time." 

     She began making her way to the service entrance of the hotel...

                                   To Be Continued...