Sacrificing one of their own for the sins of the many.
At least that was how von Neurath had explained it-the choice of words, thought Kleist, a clear indication that perhaps thirty years within the fold had affected the cardinal more than he realized.
No matter. By tonight, the entire world would be privy to the latest mind-bending catastrophe out of the Institute of Religious Works, a mere trickle of the deluge to come. But the bloodhounds would have to wait for at least a few more days. Time enough to place von Neurath on the papal throne.
And by that time, there’d be much bigger stories holding their attention.
Pen at the ready, Kleist stared at the delete command flashing up at him. For some reason, he was having trouble following von Neurath’s instructions to erase the files. He stood alone on the balcony, the room behind him empty. Still, he felt the need to glance over his shoulder. No one. Kleist looked back at the tiny screen, his pen once again poised above.
With a gentle tap, he reengaged the phone line. Another connection, this one somewhere in Barcelona. A second tap.
All four files went at once.
Von Neurath had given him a direct order.
The contessa, however, had always given him far more.
And she would understand.
“No, no. That’s more than enough.” Mendravic placed what he thought was the last bag of food in the back of the van, the woman at his side insisting he take one more. “We’ll be able to pick up what we need along the way,” he tried to explain.
“Not if someone’s looking for you,” she answered, and pushed the bag into his arms.
The woman was somewhere in her late forties. She held her hands atop two full hips, broad shoulders below an equally wide, if almost square, head. Her face, though, was that of a much younger woman, lovely pale skin, with bright blue eyes that peered over at Mendravic. Pearse sensed there was something of a history between them. Funny that he’d never thought to ask about that part of Salko’s life. Or any part of his life, come to think of it. An affinity built on circumstance.
“All right,” said Mendravic, smiling, “but if I take it, I get to take you, as well.” He bent over and placed the bag alongside the others in the van.
“You’d be so lucky. You barely fit inside the car yourself.” She reached underneath and pinched the middle of his stomach. “You’d probably make me sit in the back with all the food.”
“Would I do that?” Mendravic answered, still fiddling with the bags. “I’d have Ian drive. Then I’d show you what the back of this van is really good for.”
A mighty wallop landed on his back, the woman looking over at Pearse, the paleness of her skin unable to hide the hint of a blush.
“He didn’t mean that, Father,” she said, the red growing on her face.
“Oh yes he did,” said Mendravic, head still buried inside the van.
Another slap on the back.
She smiled. “Well, maybe he did.” And with that, she turned, giving Mendravic a final swat before heading back to the house. “But not likely it’s going to happen.”
Mendravic emerged from the van just in time to see her step to the door. “Poor woman doesn’t know what she’s missing, Ian,” he said, loudly enough for her to hear.
“Oh yes she does,” she answered, not bothering to look back. A moment later, she was gone.
Mendravic laughed to himself, then turned to Pearse, handing him the keys. “Lady friend or not, you drive. I’m tired.”
“I wanted to say good-bye to Petra and Ivo.”
“Of course. So do I. You wouldn’t be needing the back of the van, would you?”
“I can hit a lot harder than your friend can.”
“Does Petra know that?”
Pearse started to answer, only to find he had nothing to say. “Do we know where she is?”
“I said quarter to. Give her another five minutes.”
As if on cue, Petra emerged from the house, a pack on her shoulder. “Is he in the front?” she asked, tossing the pack into the back of the van.
“What are you doing?” asked Mendravic as he retrieved the pack and handed it to her.
“Getting ready to leave,” she answered.
“I thought we discussed this.”
“No, you told me what you wanted me to do. I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided that we’re going with you.”
“I think that’s a mistake,” answered Mendravic.
“Yes, I know that’s what you think. And I think we’d be worse off staying here if they did get a trace on the place.” Again, she tried to toss the pack in; again, he stopped her.
“I told you this morning,” Mendravic’s tone more pointed, “they’d have been here by now.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Getting out of here is the only way to be sure.”
“She does have a point,” Pearse piped in.
The look from Mendravic was enough to stifle any other helpful comments.
“If it were just you, I’d understand,” Mendravic continued. “In fact, we’d be better off with you. But I’ve no interest in taking Ivo into God knows what. They might or might not show up here. Fine. But they’ll definitely be in Visegrad. That doesn’t seem like too difficult a choice to me.”
“Then you stay here.”
“You want me to …” His frustration was mounting. “Fine, then Ivo and I will stay here.”
“Ivo comes with me.”
Pearse had forgotten how the two of them approached “discussions.”
“You’re not making any sense here, Petra.”
“No. You’re just not understanding what I’m saying.”
“I understand perfectly well what-”
“No, you don’t.”
“Look, if you’re afraid of losing Ian again-” Mendravic stopped, realizing he’d overstepped the bounds. The ice in Petra’s eyes was all the confirmation he needed. “Try and understand,” he said, his tone less shrill. “My only concern here is Ivo.”
Petra held his gaze, the venom no less intense. She tossed her pack past him and into the van, then started for the front. “I’ll take him on my lap for the first part of the trip.” She opened the door, the cold stare replaced by a look of confusion. She turned to Mendravic. “Where is he?”
It took a moment for the question to register. “What?”
“Ivo. Where is he?”
“I thought he was in the house with you.”
An anxious look crossed her face. “I told you that he was coming out to help you with the car.”
Mendravic continued to stare at her, his eyes replaying an earlier conversation between them. “I thought-”
“He never came out?” she broke in, now looking past Mendravic to Pearse.
Pearse shook his head. “He must still be in the house.”
It was an obvious answer, but one that seemed to catch Petra completely by surprise. Without even so much as a nod, she raced back up the steps, shouting Ivo’s name as she went.
Clearly addled, Mendravic turned to Pearse. “I could have sworn she said-”
“I’m sure he’s just waiting for her.”
Mendravic nodded slowly.
“He’s not there,” she said when she reappeared. “I told you that he was coming outside-”
“I’m sure you did.” It was Pearse who spoke, trying to calm her. Strange, he thought, to have the roles reversed, Petra and Salko always so unflappable. Not that he didn’t understand their reaction, but somehow he trusted little Ivo, sensed that he was all right, no reason for panic to cloud the response.
“He’s probably just taken off on another adventure,” Pearse continued, waiting for Petra to turn and look at him. When she did, he said, “I’m sure he’s fine. We just have to find him.” Before she could answer, he added, “I’ll take the houses down this way, Salko can take the ones up that way, and you stay here in case he shows up.”