Alien Diplomacy

added. “Though I think it applies to everyone.”
    “Even if you think you’re better at doing the real protection stuff?”
    “Even then. And, who knows? You might surprise yourself, if you give it a chance. Understanding people’s motivations is a huge part of this job, and from what I gather, you’re quite good at that.”
    “I suppose.” I wasn’t doing so well with motivations right now; none of us were. I looked at McMillan. “Can I ask a hypothetical question?”
    “Certainly.”
    “Why do you assassinate someone?”
    This earned me a long look. “I don’t, but I understand your question. There are a few reasons, all of them political. To remove someone from office, to make a statement against what your target stands for, or to remove someone standing in the way of what you want.”
    “That last one, why do you feel it’s a political reason?”
    He shrugged. “Most human motivations can be boiled down to very simplistic emotions or desires. Love, revenge, money, power. There are others, of course, but you can probably boil them all down to those few.” He chuckled. “Money can boil down to power and revenge can boil down to any of the others. So, I guess that leaves us power and love.”
    My mental wheels were finally turning. But the answer was still out of reach. “Okay, that all makes sense. So, why assassinate someone, as opposed to merely killing them?”
    “You mean, why was JFK shot publicly?”
    “Yes.”
    “To make that statement. And access, of course. Most people of high political importance have a great deal of security around them at all times. Usually it’s only at big events where there are so many people that an assassin can take their shot.”
    “You mean an amateur assassin, right?”
    “Right.”
    Almost there. “So, what if you didn’t want to make a statement? What if you didn’t want anyone to know?”
    “It’s difficult to kill someone and not have the police take an interest. While there are sadly many unsolved murders, the police do their best to solve every case they can. Especially high-profile ones. Killers tend to get caught.”
    “Amateurs, yes. But not the professional ones.” I could feel it, the answer to the question of what was really going on, but my mind couldn’t quite wrap around it. I scanned the crowd.
    “Ah, then we’re talking straightforward murder for hire. That’s a different thing. Your professional assassin doesn’t want to get caught, of course, or make a statement—if a statement’s being made, the assassin isn’t the one really making it. He or she is merely doing a job.”
    “The person paying them doesn’t want to be found out, either. That’s part of why they hire a professional.”
    The room was packed, but I finally spotted Leslie dancing with Bryce. They looked extremely comfortable with each other, both laughing and smiling. They smiled a lot alike. I wondered if Leslie still wanted to talk to me or if that had all been some sort of weird thing going on around Ryan’s death.
    “Exactly.”
    “So, it’s safe to assume that some suicides are actually murders done so well that the police are fooled?”
    “Yes, I’d have to say that’s a likely assumption.”
    “So, what do you think about the current police situation in the city?”
    “I think it stinks. I’m not a fan of Titan Security. For a variety of reasons.”
    I looked at his expression. Everyone I knew seemed to trust him. And I knew something he didn’t, which I was fairly sure no one, including Caroline, had briefed him on. “Titan hired people to…watch you while you’re in Paraguay.”
    “Oh, I know. Can’t stand them. I do not approve of turning the protection of city, state, or country over to private enterprise. Possibly because I’m an old soldier, so to speak, but more because I think it’s incredibly dangerous to our liberty, as well as providing no protection for those who’re likely to need it most. Antony Marling and I agree on some things, but not this one.”
    “I’m with you on that sentiment. But there’s more than that. The Titan guards with you in South America…they’re not…whatyou think they are. And definitely not who you think they are. If you see them in the room, avoid them, and let me know.”
    I got a shot of the McMillan Gaze, which was reputed to be something prisoners, soldiers, and the faint of heart cracked under back in his war days. It reminded me a lot of my mother when she was seriously