Текст книги "Заговор мечей"
Автор книги: Джейн Doy Press
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Текущая страница: 29 (всего у книги 40 страниц)
But in this case it did nothing to reassure her.
“Gerd. How did you know I was coming?”
“I’ll tell you later. Join me, please?” He motioned again, and after a glance toward Alex’s moving cab, she fell into step beside him.
“I’m staying at the Hotel Bergerhof.”
“Yes, we know.”
They were silent the rest of the way to the car.
Alex checked in at the hotel, and had the bags carried to the room. She waited until the bellhop had explained the amenities in his broken English, then tipped him and ushered him out. The minute he was gone, she locked the door, and reached for her shoulder holster.
Like Teren, she had foregone the holster for most of their stay in Zurich, and the length of the train ride. In public, without their jackets, the bulge from the weapon was obvious. Instead, they had both tucked their weapons into a smaller holster at the small of their back. There they could be covered by a long sweater, or hidden by standing against a wall. But the shoulder holsters had been packed.
Now, Alex wanted hers. She slipped it on, and tightened the straps. Next came the weapon, which she checked, and then slid into the holster, finding some small comfort in the familiar weight. After a hesitation she reached in and turned the safety off. Then she slid her heavy jacket on, and took one last look in the mirror. Then she took a deep breath, and opened the hotel room door.
Their room was on the third floor, and Alex headed for the stairs next to the elevator. As she came down the hall, the doors to the elevator began to open and she looked up to see if it was Teren.
Instead, she saw the same blonde man she’d glimpsed at the train station.
Without waiting for the elevator to fully open, Alex did a sideways leap through the door to the stairs. She was down the first set of stairs before the door fully closed behind her. She took the next flight at a dead run, pulling her weapon at the same time. When she heard the door she’d come through open back up, she prepared herself to leap the remaining two flights.
“Alex?”
The voice calling her name was distorted by the echoes in the stairwell, and it took her half a second to realize it was Teren. She stopped, leaning against the wall.
“Teren?”
“Yeah.”
There were footsteps on the stairs. Alex was torn between believing it was Teren, and remembering the face she’d seen on the elevator.
“Hold it!” The footsteps stopped.
“Alex, it’s me.”
The voice was definitely Teren’s, and decidedly closer.
“Okay, but come down one step at a time.” She kept her weapon ready, the hammer pulled back. Alex listened to the footsteps as they came down.
Finally, she saw a figure come into view, and could tell from it’s silhouette that it really was Teren. With a sigh of relief, she uncocked her gun, and slid it into her holster, flicking the safety button on as she did so.
Teren stopped in the middle of the stairway and stared down at her friend.
“What did you think you were doing?”
Alex looked back up with an embarassed shrug. “Heading off to rescue you?”
That got a smile out of the taller agent, and she shook her head. “Come on, tiger, let’s get back up to the room.”
Alex joined her on the stairs. “Are you okay? I saw that guy at the station —”
Teren put a hand over her mouth. “Let’s go to the room first, okay? I’ll explain everything.”
“Okay.”
“And then you can tell me why you were leaping down the stairs like a rabbit?”
“Cause this rabbit thought there was a wolf after her.”
“Uh-huh.”
Alex unlocked the door to their room, and held it open for Teren to enter. She followed behind her.
The blond haired man was sitting on the couch. He smiled at her, and said something in German to Teren, who smiled.
“How did he get in here?”
The man gave a grin and held up a lock pick.
“Alex, this is Gerd Heinrich. Gerd, Alex Reis.”
Bewildered, Alex took the outstretched hand the man offered.
“Hello, Alex.” She noticed he had almost no accent. “It is nice to meet you.”
“Well, I’d like to say the same, but seeing as how I just got scared out of my wits, I can’t.” She turned to Teren. “From the way you greeted him at the train station, I would have guessed he was an enemy. But since you’ve told him my name, I suppose that’s not true?”
Teren nodded. “At the station, he surprised me. Plus, like I told you earlier, I didn’t know my status.” She motioned to Gerd. “He had a little information for me, on the situation.”
“I see.” Alex pulled her coat off and hung it up. “So, he’s a friend?”
“I am.” Gerd smiled. “And if you are as accurate with that gun as you are quick with your feet, I would say it is a damn good thing for me.”
Teren laughed, and Alex couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, I didn’t know who you were. All I knew was what I saw at the station. Teren didn’t exactly look happy to see you, and when I went back, she was gone. How was I supposed to know?”
“You weren’t. I’m sorry. We knew Teren was traveling with someone, and we knew the name Andrea Reed. But we didn’t know what she looked like.” He shrugged. “We couldn’t intercept both of you.”
Alex nodded and sat down in the chair next to the small couch. “How did you know all this?”
“We received a message from our American counterparts, saying that Teren was in Europe, and we should watch for her. We were told she was under one of her aliases, and traveling with a young woman. When we found the record of Teren’s alias Theresa Wilcox, the name Andrea Reed appeared beside it. We had been checking the hotels, and when the reservation was made, we knew of it within the hour.”
Teren nodded, then pulled her sweater off. “And I suppose you checked the airlines, then realized we weren’t on the plane, right?”
“Yes. After that it was a matter of finding out which train you might come in on.” The blonde man smiled. “You always did enjoy the trains, Teren.”
“So, are you here to help us, or just let us know we’re being watched?” Alex asked.
“Neither.” Gerd didn’t say anything else; he just watched Teren as she came over to the sofa.
“I’ve been ordered to contact the office.” Teren was frowning as she sat down.
“What does that mean? Are they going to help, or is this just more trouble?”
Teren shrugged. “I don’t know. Gerd, what do you think?”
“I don’t believe there is trouble. The order I received was to offer you the use of our,” he paused, “facilities, shall we say.”
“For communication?”
“Yes. For research as well. Though we’re not allowed to participate in your investigation.”
With a nod, Teren leaned back on the couch.
Alex put her feet up on the coffee table. “So, Gerd, how do you know Teren?”
“We worked together on several cases. Teren and her partner Perry were two of the best.”
“Really. The best at what?”
Teren stood up quickly. “Umm, Alex, would you like some dinner? Those sandwiches really weren’t that filling.”
“Sure, Teren. The best at what, Gerd?”
“At everything they did. Whatever the assignment, they never failed in their objective. I remember this one case—”
“Gerd, don’t you have somewhere else you have to be?”
“No, I don’t.” He grinned at her. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Teren?”
“Yes.”
Alex chuckled. “Teren, leave the man alone. You said he’s a friend, right?”
Teren hesitated, then nodded. “Doesn’t mean I want him talking about me.” She sat back down.
Gerd reached over and touched her knee. He spoke quietly in German, and Teren answered him in a low voice. The blonde man laughed, and looked back at Alex.
“I think she is being modest, Alex. She and Perry were very good agents.” He looked back at the tall woman. “Which is why, without even knowing what the assignment is, I know that this is a very important job.” He grinned. “If you are on it, it must be very important indeed.”
“This isn’t an assignment, Gerd. And it isn’t for the Agency.” Her eyes grew very dark. “This is personal.”
Gerd frowned. “Personal? What do you mean?” Then he nodded suddenly. “It is for Perry. You are looking for the man who set you up?”
“You know about that?”
“Teren, you know as well as I do that there are really very few secrets in the intelligence world. Of course I know that Perry was killed, and that the two of you were betrayed.” He leaned towards her. “It is revenge, isn’t it?”
Teren heard Alex take a breath and hold it. She glanced at her, and then looked back at Gerd. “Only partly.”
“There is something else?”
She nodded.
Alex hadn’t realized she was holding her breath, but she felt it drain out of her with Teren’s words. She hadn’t admitted, even to herself, that she was afraid revenge really was the only reason for Teren being there. Hearing her deny it, even partly, allowed some of her doubts to finally disappear.
Not that it matters. I’d want her with me anyway.
She caught Teren looking at her, and quickly refocused on the conversation.
“It’s hard to explain, Gerd,” Teren was saying. “You know that George Mather killed Perry?”
“Yes.” Gerd’s face twisted in a snarl. “I should have shot that bastard two years ago.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry Perry stopped you.”
The two agents grinned at each other.
“Well, at least he’s dead now. Somebody blew him up with a car bomb.”
Gerd’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’re hunting for his killer?”
“In a way, I guess. We think that he screwed up, and was eliminated by whoever he was working for.”
“And you think, what, that the employer is the same?”
“Yes, we think he was still working for whoever told him to kill me and Perry.”
The blonde man nodded. “So. You think he was working for a German?”
“No. We know he was working for an American. We just can’t prove it.”
Gerd snorted. “Who needs proof? If you know who it is, Teren, why don’t you go kill him?” he asked.
“It’s not that simple. It’s not just one man, and I don’t think all the players are in the states.”
“But you do think there is a German involved. Right?”
“Right. But it’s more than that. We think there may be neo-Nazi involvement,” Teren said.
Gerd raised a hand and rubbed his chin. His eyebrows rose as he did. “There has been activitiy, but in the last few months it has been much quieter. Are you sure about this?”
Teren sighed. “I can’t tell you the whole story, Gerd. It’d take the rest of the night.”
“Then make it the very short version.”
Teren looked at Alex for help.
Alex had been content to lean back and let the two of them talk. She got the feeling Teren trusted Gerd, but at the same time was unwilling to tell him everything. She thought carefully before she answered.
“Gerd, the neo-Nazis in the US are involved, and we know that they’re getting financial assistance through a Swiss bank account. We think that account may be a part of the lost Nazi loot.”
Gerd stared at her for several minutes, then turned to Teren. “She’s insane, isn’t she?”
Teren shook her head, no.
“Can you prove what you are saying?”
Another shake. “We can’t prove much of anything, yet. That’s one of the reasons we’re traveling under aliases.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“But you believe in this lost treasure? Teren, please. All the money was recovered years ago.”
“I can’t give you details, Gerd.”
Gerd’s frown deepened. “You’ve always trusted me before, Teren.”
“I’ve always been on assignment, Gerd. Like I said, this is personal.”
“Ah.” He leaned back. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, I suppose. We were given explicit instructions. We are not to be involved in your investigation. You may use our facilities if you need them, but we will not give you any other assistance. Also, we are not to intervene, in any way.” He grinned at her. “Don’t take that as a free hand, my friend. If you shoot up the city you will have to deal with the police by yourself.”
Teren raised an eyebrow. “And when did you last know me to draw that much attention to myself, Gerd?”
He thought for a moment. “Four years ago, the party at Viktor’s house.”
Teren frowned, then let her face shift into an embarassed grin. “Doesn’t count. It was New Year’s and I was drunk. Besides, Viktor dared me.”
“I remember.”
The easy banter between the two friends reminded Alex of David and herself. Which brought up the image of her partner lying on the ground with blood on his chest.
She cleared her thoat, interrupting their conversation. “Teren, don’t you think we need to talk about our plans?”
Teren raised an eyebrow at Alex, detecting an angry note in her tone. She didn’t know what had suddenly upset her partner, but she took the hint.
“Right. Gerd, thanks for giving us the heads up. I’ll come by tomorrow to call the office.” She stood up and Gerd followed her.
“You are quite welcome. I hope that we can talk then about anything else you might need?”
“Of course. I’ll see you just before lunch, all right?”
“Very good.” He turned to Alex, and held out a hand. “It has been nice to meet you Alex. I hope we’ll have a chance to talk again sometime.”
“Nice to meet you to, Gerd.” She remained seated, watching as her dark haired friend ushered Gerd out of the suite.
When the door was closed, Teren turned to Alex with a puzzled look on her face. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Why?”
She moved away from the door, back towards the sofa. “Well, one minute you seemed fine, and the next, you looked like you wanted to chop off both our heads. What happened?”
Alex sighed, and closed her eyes. She let her head drop to her chest, and shook it slightly. “I’m fine. Just had a flashback of David and I and the way we used to talk.”
Teren moved over and sat on the edge of Alex’s chair. She let her hand brush through the younger woman’s hair, gently pushing it away from her face. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Her friend laughed and leaned her head back against the back of the chair. “Too late. I’ve been uncomfortable since the shooting.”
Smiling at that, Teren leaned over and kissed Alex’s forehead.
As if on cue, Alex’s stomach rumbled. Teren laughed.
“I get the point. Dinner, right?”
“Right.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Teren caught a cab to a car rental agency the next day. After signing for it under a new alias, she took the rental car back to the hotel and picked up Alex. Together they loaded their bags into the trunk. It would be better, the two agents decided, if they didn’t stay in the same place two nights in a row.
They drove to an office building near the middle of the business district. After parking, they entered the building through the lobby doors, and took the elevator to the seventh floor.
They stepped out into a small foyer with white walls and no ornamentation. There were no windows. On either side of the room there was a solid white door, with no handle or knob. The pattern of the linoleum consisted of alternating black and white squares, and was polished enough to reflect the overhead flourescent light.
Across from the elevator stood a counter, also white, with black trim. The seat behind it was filled by a large bald man in a blue suit who reminded Alex of the stereotypical thug from the gangster movies. He looked up at them, and glared.
“This is a private company, we do not accept visitors, unless they have passes.”
“We’re here to see Gerd Heinrich. My name should be on your guest list.”
“And you are?”
“Teren Mylos.”
He glanced at the screen of the computer on his desk, and shook his head. “Nothing there.”
Teren frowned, and clenched her fists. “He forgot to inform you we were coming in today. Fine.” She nodded, trying to keep control of her temper. “Please call him.”
“No.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “Excuse me?”
“No. I don’t have to call anyone. If your name is not on the list, then you can’t see anyone, and you can’t come in. It’s as simple as that.”
Teren rolled her eyes. “Whatever happened to Franz? He was someone I could deal with.”
“Franz retired. Now, leave, before I get angry and make you leave.”
Alex didn’t understand a word of what was going on between Teren and the man at the desk, so she was surprised when Teren reached over the desk and grabbed the man by the lapel of his jacket.
The tall woman pulled her adversary across the counter, then slammed him into the elevator door. He reached under his coat, but Teren stopped his movement by grabbing his wrist and twisting. She put her other hand against his throat, holding him in place, and planted a knee firmly against his crotch. He stopped moving.
“Now,” Teren growled, “you are going to tell me Gerd’s extension, correct?”
He tried to shake his head, and Teren tightened her grip.
“I’m in no mood to play around, little man. I’ve had a bad month, a really bad day, and I’m about to make yours even worse. So, you tell me Gerd’s extension, and you do it quickly, or I’m going to begin removing pieces of your anatomy. Am I being clear?”
The man nodded, and gasped for a breath when she eased her hold on his throat.
“Now. The extension?”
“Fourteen-twelve.”
“Alex, go dial one-four-one-two on the desk phone, and tell Gerd that you and I are here, alright?”
Her partner made her way around the desk and dialed.
“Heinrich.”
“Gerd, this is Alex Reis.”
There was a pause, and then, “Uh – Alex, hello. Um, how did you get this number?”
“Teren gave it to me.”
“How did she get it?”
“Well, the man out here in the lobby was kind enough to give it to her. Now, I think she wants you to come out here, and you might want to do it before she drops this poor guy down the elevator shaft.”
There was a click from the other end of the phone, and a moment later the door to the left of the elevator opened.
“Teren, would you please let go of Karsten? I’m sure he meant no harm.”
She immediately released her hold on his neck and arm, and pulled her knee away. After steadying him on his feet, she reached up to straighten his collar. Karsten stayed still, his eyes still bulging in fear.
“Good morning, Gerd. You forgot to add our names to your visitors list.”
“I didn’t forget. I wasn’t expecting you so early. Did you have to scare the hell out of the man?”
She shrugged. “Maybe next time he’ll be a bit nicer to a visiting agent, hmm?” She walked past him into the hallway.
Alex sighed, and followed after her. She stopped for a moment, looking up at Gerd. “Sorry. It’s been a really bad morning, and she’s been wanting to beat someone up for hours.” Then she stepped past him.
Gerd glanced back at Karsten who was beginning to gingerly rub his throat. “I’ll write it in the log later. Get some ice on your neck, eh?” Then he followed Teren and Alex back down the hall.
Teren waited by the door to Gerd’s office, which was closed. He approached her and shook his head, leading them a little further down the corridor, and into what appeared to be an unused office. There were a couple of chairs, and a desk with a phone on it.
“Alright, Teren. I’ve set up a secure line to your office. You know, of course, that Alex cannot go anywhere else? I’m breaking the rules by allowing her past the desk. She’s not a cleared agent.”
Teren dropped carelessly into a chair and stared at Gerd. “Yes. I know the rules.” She pointed at the phone. “You’re sure this is secure?”
He nodded.
“Good. Why don’t you and Alex go get something to drink? I’m sure the cafeteria isn’t top secret, is it?” She frowned at him. “Of course, if you still make that deadly coffee, then I can see why it would be.”
“Oh, very funny. First you’re looking like you’re going to kill Karsten —”
“Karsten? Oh, you mean monkey boy out front.”
“and now you’re joking about coffee.” Gerd shook his head. “I’d forgotten how changeable your moods can be, Teren.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’ve forgotten a lot, haven’t you, Gerd?”
“What does that mean?”
Teren waved a hand in dismissal and picked up the phone. Alex took Gerd’s arm.
“I don’t know about you, Gerd,” she said as she gently urged him toward the door, “but I’m parched. I could use a cup of something. Will you show me the cafeteria?”
With a last glance at Teren, Gerd let the door close behind him. He stopped and shook his head. “Alex, I’ll never admit it to Teren, but our cafeteria has been voted worst coffee in the world by the agents who visit here. I’m not sure you wouldn’t be happier by the desk.”
“Oh, no. I’m not much of a coffee person, I like hot chocolate or hot tea better. But right now, I’d take just about anything.” She chuckled. “And I don’t think Karsten would be too happy with me hanging around out front.”
Gerd smiled. He had to agree with her. “Fine. But I don’t know that the hot chocolate will be much better than the coffee.”
“Is there chocolate in it?”
“Of course.”
“Then it’ll do.”
Teren finally finished her call, and hung up with a sense of relief. For the first time in days something had gone right.
It was just so ludicrous that the best news since they’d left the states had come from the same man that had gotten her involved in this mess.
Ron Graves had been the one to insist on George Mather accompanying her and Perry to Lithuania. He had chosen him against the wishes of the other two agents involved. Teren had never known what his reaction was to hearing of Mather’s betrayal, but when he had come to see her in the hospital, he’d had a cast on his hand.
When he had called her to tell her about Alex, and the finding of Perry’s id, she had threatened the man with serious bodily injury. Now, however, she couldn’t find it in her to hate him, even though she wanted to. He had, after all, introduced her to the blonde woman with whom she traveled. And Alex was … .
Important. And growing more so.
Teren had to admit that scared her.
Before she could dwell on further thoughts, the door opened, and Alex preceeded Gerd back into the small office.
“Did you finish your call?” Gerd asked her.
“Have I hung up the phone?”
He looked at her. “Yes.”
“Then I guess I’m finished.” She reached for the cup that Alex handed her. After a sip she raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t their coffee.”
“Sure it is. I threw half of it out, though, and mixed it with hot chocolate.”
“Oh.” Teren took another sip and nodded. “Good idea.”
“Thanks.” Alex sat down in the other chair.
Gerd seemed content to lean against the wall. He was watching Teren very carefully. Teren was acting differently towards him today, and he thought he knew why.
“So, Teren, I heard from our surveillance team that you found the bugs.”
She looked up at him. “You never could hide them worth a damn, Gerd.”
Alex and Teren had found several tiny listening devices in their hotel suite. The CIA agent had grown angrier with each one she found. Alex had no wish to step between Teren and her intended victim, and she stayed silent for the moment.
“Want to tell me why you were so interested in our dinner conversation?”
Gerd shrugged. “I know what you’ve been trained to do for the last few years. If there’s going to be an assassination on German soil, I want to know about it.”
“I told you it wasn’t an assignment.”
“So you said. I have only your word on that.”
“And since when isn’t my word good enough, Gerd?”
“There were rumors you were off on your own, Teren, but then we got a call that said you still had CIA clearance. What were we to think? Besides, the bugs were planted before our conversation last night.”
Teren nodded. “I see.” She sat up straight in her chair, and pinned him with her gaze. “It won’t happen again, will it.” She wasn’t asking, and Gerd knew it.
“No.” She didn’t blink, or speak for several minutes, and Gerd began to sweat. “No, Teren, it won’t.”
“Good.” She drained the last of her chocolate coffee, and set the cup down with a thump that seemed louder than paper could make. “Now. Tell me what you know about Jurgen von Odbert.”
His eyes widened at the name, and both blonde eyebrows went up. “He is the retired leader of St. Luther’s Evangelical Church. Why?”
“Do you know how old he is?”
“No. I believe probably in his eighties or so.”
Teren nodded. “So, that would mean he was, what, in his twenties, early thirties, during World War Two?”
Gerd nodded, a frown line forming between his eyebrows. “Where are you going with this, Teren?”
“Well, I just thought it was really interesting that the first record of anyone named von Odbert appears in 1950. The same year that a Nazi named Werner Hoppe was last seen, in Zurich, Switzerland.”
The blonde man leaned over, his meaty hands planted firmly on the desk in front of Teren. “Are you insinuating that von Odbert, one of the most respected men in Munich today, was a Nazi?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not.”
Teren stood up, her face inches from Gerd’s. “Then tell me why, in 1950, Werner Hoppe turned over to Jurgen von Odbert a Swiss bank account worth millions of dollars?”
Alex could see the shock in Gerd’s eyes.
“That’s a lie.”
“I have a copy of the signed bank records. That’s why we were in Switzerland. A CIA contact in the Swiss banking industry was able to provide us with copies of the original papers. Hoppe signed the account over to von Odbert, who placed it in the hands of the Evangelische Kirche des Heiligen Luther in 1985, with himself as the principle signer.”
Gerd relaxed slightly. “So, if what you are saying is true, then he is turning money he made illegally into something that will do good for the German people.” He shrugged. I see nothing wrong with that.”
Alex couldn’t believe she’d just heard that. “Nothing wrong? That money doesn’t belong to the German people. It was stolen from the Jews of Europe, and other —”
“Spare me the sanctimonious garbage of how the Jews were wronged. I know what happened, I am German.”
“And I’m Jewish, and if you—” Alex stopped when Teren’s hand dropped onto her shoulder. She clenched her fists and sat down.
“Gerd. I can prove that the account was an illegal one, started by a Nazi war criminal. And I can prove that it’s being used to fund Neo-Nazi activities.”
Gerd laughed, but nervously. “Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
“I have the records. Odbert passed the reins of the account to Franz Eisenbein.”
“That’s natural. He is the new leader of the church.”
“I know. He is the principle signer, and he has a co-signer named Stephen Radcliffe. Radcliffe is an American, and he signed off on a bank transfer that gave five million dollars to a man named John Treville. Treville used part of that five million to pay George Mather to kill me and Perry.”
Gerd’s mouth was hanging open, and his lips quivered, but he didn’t say anything.
“Now, Alex and I are —”
“I am a member of St. Luther’s.”
Teren stared at him. “You’re what?”
“I am a member of St. Luther’s Evangelical Church. I have been for two years.”
Alex started to jump back up, and it was only Teren’s firm hand that kept her in her chair.
“Gerd, what are you going to do?”
He wouldn’t look at her. “There is nothing I can do. My orders are that I am not to interfere.”
“Right. But that’s direct interference. What about indirect?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know very well what I mean. One word of this in the wrong ear and Alex and I are dead.”
Gerd straightened up fully, and started to turn away. “I don’t —”
Teren was over the desk and shoving him against the wall. “You don’t what, Gerd? Don’t believe me?”
“Let go of me,” Gerd growled between his clenched jaws.
“I should kill you right now.” Teren’s voice was flat and emotionless. “Give me a good reason not to, Gerd.”
“If you do it, you won’t leave here alive.”
She smiled at him, but there was no humor in it. “Of course I will. It’s what I’ve been trained for these last few years, Gerd, or did you forget that?”
Teren’s hand had begun to press harder against his throat and his words came out with a higher pitch and a gasping breath. “Teren, let me go. I won’t repeat anything that has been said in here. You have my word.”
She stared at him, watching his struggle to breathe. His hands remained still, one on her arm, and the other flat against the wall. Teren had expected, almost hoped, that he’d go for his gun, but he knew better. Finally, she began to ease the pressure off of his windpipe. He stayed still as she backed away.
Keeping her eyes on him, she opened the door and waved Alex through.
“Don’t make me sorry I left you alive, Gerd.”
Then she left the room.
“D you trust Gerd?”
“Fuck no.”
Teren was driving their rental car as they headed for the address of one Florian Kirchner.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Same as before, but not as much time. If possible, I want to be on a plane back home tomorrow afternoon.”
Alex’s eyes went wide. “Really? That fast?”
“Yeah. We just need to send a telegram when we’re about to get on the plane. We’ll be met at Dulles by two CIA operatives. They’ll take us to a safe house just outside D.C.”
“You think they’ll try to kill us even on American soil?”
“Possible, but doubtful.”
“Then why would we need to be at a safe house in the States?” Alex asked with confused look.
“Well, I may not. All charges against me have been dropped. Seems I made enough of an impression on the cop I kidnapped in Philly. When Davies wouldn’t listen to him, he took his story to the media, telling them I was with him when the cops were killed, and he had stayed in visual contact with me throughout the firefight.”
“So, you’re clear?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, you’re not. FBI has named you a rogue agent.”
“We knew that before we arrived in Zurich.”
“Sure, but what we didn’t know is that they’ve upgraded it to fugitive status, subject to immediate arrest. Without protection, you’ll be arrested before you can step off the plane.”
“Oh, wonderful, just what I wanted to hear.” Alex was silent, staring out the window. “Anything else?”
“Nope. Except that David’s back in Washington. They transferred him on a medicopter a day or so ago.”
“Ken said he was going back. That’s good news. Sounds like he’s doing well, and I’m glad.”
“Me, too.” Teren pulled to the curb and turned off the engine. “Okay, Kirchner’s apartment is in that building. Third floor. I think we should go in the side entrance,” she pointed to the left of the building where a glass door could be seen, “and take the stairs.”
“Right. Why don’t you —”
“We are not splitting up, so don’t even ask about it.”
“No kidding.” Alex’s sarcasm made Teren glance over at her. “Look, I’m not stupid, Teren. This isn’t the same situation as Zurich and Meinhard. So, we stay together, and if someone comes after us, we cover each other’s ass. Okay?”
