CHAPTER 1

It was difficult to imagine this was the room of a madman. It was so orderly and sensible. There were long, tidy rows of books lining the wall that separated his efficiency in the unexceptional lower East Side building from the one next door. Everything was neatly arranged and in place--dishes washed and put away, kitchen table cleared except for a lone place-setting, no clutter underfoot and a computer set in an alcove displaying a screen-saving pastoral image.

Theodore Boncheny sat in his favorite seat by the window, morning light streaming over his shoulders and filling the room with an encompassing glow. What had happened to his life? he wondered. He was 46 years old, still youthful in appearance, but old nevertheless, mostly from disillusionment he came to realize. He had started his life with so much promise. He had been a brilliant student, then a successful surgeon with a beautiful wife, and still later a talented and successful computer analyst and consultant.

Then things began to go wrong, a gradual decline in fortune he had to admit was partly his fault. On rare occasions when he forced himself to think about it, he concluded that life, his included, could be defined as the sum of one's choices--choices that in the aftermath of execution lead either to greater fulfillment or more disappointment. In essence, it was that simple, and he now realized he was as close to total failure as he had ever been.

Still, there was a trace of conviction within him that he was not wholly to blame. He had powerful enemies. He had not created them nor confronted them at first. But they would not go away, and he could not ignore them. Boncheny knew he was a fighter, an idealist, a person who would not back away from challenge no matter the cost.

In less than 40 hours, it would be Thanksgiving Day, a pivotal day. He would confront his enemies then, not by choice but of necessity. Except for the spiritual support of the Better Life Assurance Council, he would be on his own. He prayed silently for the strength to persevere, while resting the 9mm automatic pistol gently on his lap. "I probably will need more bullets," he said almost as an afterthought.

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The students and faculty at Sendestino College where Billy Laderan attended school liked him. He was a friendly, outgoing and positive-thinking student with a kind word for everyone. And he was a good listener, having the ability to overlook irritating traits in others to concentrate on their words. To anyone conversing with Billy, it was flattering to be placed at the center of his attention. But Billy did not manipulate. He had a genuine interest in others, and listening intently was, for him, a natural and practical means to an end. With his unassuming manner and knack for placing people at ease, Billy could enter and exit a conversation easily, and seldom leave behind the slightest whiff of his own personality. This ability to move through life without seriously impacting it enhanced his popularity, and made others feel good about themselves. They felt secure in his presence and were always happy to see him. Even the name "Billy" was disarming and casually reassuring.

There was nothing physically distinctive about Billy's appearance. He had dark, brown hair, thick and evenly trimmed, much like that of a typical house cat. His eyes were greenish-gray like a cat's, also, and were the most interesting feature on an otherwise average face that, because of its perfect balance and proportion, lacked the subtle imperfections needed for interest and character. He carried a proper amount of weight evenly distributed on a five-foot-ten frame, and he always smiled when he spoke. Billy lacked the aggressive and competitive nature of a leader, and his grades at Sendestino College reflected the absence of sustained effort, ranging as they did over almost four years of study from C pluses to B minuses. It bothered his professors that such a nice young man would not try harder to succeed, considering his above average intelligence. One instructor, Dr. Armin Kreeter, actually took Billy aside after class one day to talk to him about it. But nothing changed. The conversation proved to be fruitless, a one-sided counseling session during which Billy smiled a lot, revealed nothing of himself, and which finally drove Dr. Kreeter to comment, "Mr. Laderan, you are an
intelligent, sensitive young man with a good amount of promise. It is unfortunate you choose to dine at the table of mediocrity."

Billy's lack of drive and competitive spirit did not come from his parents. His father, Stewart, was a successful stock broker with a loyal following of affluent clients who tended to excuse him for money they lost when he gave bad investment advice, and who credited him directly when his recommendations proved profitable. Their loyalty was due mostly to the skill of Billy's father in blaming the volatility of the market for clients' losses and for taking personal credit for any profits they might enjoy. The fact was, Stewart Laderan had little skill for interpreting the market or giving sound financial advice, nor did it concern him for a moment that he lacked this skill. His strengths were those of selling and looking good. He was slender and tall, wore expensive, European-tailored suits, and had a full head of thick brown hair, maintained on a weekly basis at Adam Amani's Salon and Image Boutique.

It was the hair more than anything else that served as infallible proof to a large segment of the buying public that he was an honest, trustworthy person. And they rewarded him with their stock purchases. People and their checkbooks were the tools employed by Stewart to build financial security for himself and his family by recommending and selling almost exclusively those securities that paid him the highest commissions. He was a talented and tireless worker who in the company of friends would disarmingly and good naturedly refer to himself as a peddler. To the stock brokerage firm that paid him, Stewart Laderan was a hero and a treasure, worthy of promotion to partner should he ever decide to press the issue by threatening to seek employment elsewhere.