“I don’t know. That’ll take some time to figure out. What did you tell your boss at the Service.”
She turned to him again. “What do you mean?”
“While I was in the shower you packed a bag and took it to your car. Which is why you had me put my bag in the back seat.”
Alexandra’s eyes checked the speedometer and then settled on the Autobahn again. “I took the week off,” she finally said. “I haven’t taken a vacation in more than a year.”
“What did you tell them?” he implored.
“I just said I was going to take some time off. Maybe go to Paris. Maybe go to Berlin. I wasn’t specific. It’s none of their business.”
“They must have suspected something wasn’t right with your request. Sent a crew to check on you.”
“You think those men in the Audi were BND?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“We don’t play games like the CIA and SVR.”
“That’s not true and you know it,” Jake scolded. “But it could have been innocent concern for your safety.”
A tear streaked her right cheek, which she let stay there, both of her hands occupied with the driver’s wheel. Jake wiped the tear away.
“I would never do anything to hurt you, Jake.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that. Like I said, they could have been looking out for you. You said you hadn’t taken vacation in more than a year, so that’s out of the ordinary for you. It raised a flag.” He thought for a moment as another tear rolled down her face. “Why didn’t you ask me to bring you along?”
She sobbed. “I know what you’d say.”
He moved toward her and wiped her face again. He wasn’t sure why she was becoming so emotional. It was a side of her he hadn’t seen.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
She cried now. Not just sobbing, but full tears and emotions pouring out of her. As she did so, she slowed the car to a reasonable pace. Jake looked in her glove box and found some tissues, handing a pile to her. Jesus, he wasn’t overly equipped to deal with a crying woman. Not when he couldn’t hold her to sooth away the tears.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Finally, she said, “I’ve been under investigation.”
“For what?”
“For two months.”
“Why?”
Recovered somewhat, she picked up speed again. “Since you were shot in Austria. My boss knew I knew you and Anna. I went to the funeral for more than just Anna. They had me check into the situation to see if it had anything to do with German state security. My conclusions were less than certain, but my superiors told me to end my investigation.”
“And?”
“And I didn’t. I continued to look. I thought I’d covered my tracks. And then when I heard a man had died trying to set a bomb on your car, I went to Innsbruck on my time off. I ran into a brick wall with that new Kriminal Hauptkommisar, Hermann Jung.”
“We’ve met. He came by the hospital a couple times.”
“I know.”
Jake scrutinized that revelation.
She continued, “Then I heard about the men at your apartment. How one had died and the other got away. I was concerned, so I inquired further. I’m guessing our internal division found out I’d been looking into the incidents. Your call from the train station wasn’t totally unexpected. That’s why I called you my cousin. But I called my real cousin Johann this morning. He said the Polizei came to his door last evening and asked to see his identification. Something about terrorism. He showed them his passport and driver’s license and they left. They were checking up on me. I just know it.”
Jesus. “This is my fault, Alexandra. Just drop me off at the next train station. Get out of my life. Everything goes to hell around me.”
“Nonsense. What happened to Anna wasn’t your fault.”
If only it was just Anna. What about all the others who had died at his hand or while working with him? He couldn’t even count all of those. What kind of man doesn’t remember how many people he’s killed? What had he become?
“I’m in this with you,” Alexandra said defiantly.
Just try to tell a German woman she can’t do something. Good luck with that, Jake. “All right. But will you have any access at all to your Service?”
She smiled now. “Yes, sir. Directly and indirectly. I have contacts all over.”
“Outstanding.”
“Where to next?” she asked, her hands gripping the wheel with newfound strength.
“Luxembourg.”
“Why there?”
“I need to make a withdrawal. In person.”
They drove on with great speed. At that pace, they’d be to the Duchy by afternoon, Jake guessed. He felt both good and bad about Alexandra joining him. Sure he enjoyed her company. But he didn’t want her getting caught in the crossfire when more assassins came for him. And Jake knew they’d keep coming. He felt it in his bones.
13
Toni and Franz drove north through Garmish early that morning, not even stopping, and continued toward Munich. The BND and the Agency cooperated on many levels, and Toni had worked with them dozens of times over the years. Although many of her contacts were on assignments overseas, or had moved on to the new facility in Berlin, she still had access to BND assets after a quick phone call to her boss, CIA Director Kurt Jenkins, on the drive.
Their greeting at the front door security wasn’t overly pleasant. Toni figured part of that had to do with it being Sunday. A young man in his mid-twenties escorted the two of them into a conference room deep within the newer building on the BND complex. There they were offered a cup of coffee and made to wait. She guessed they were being watched and listened to, but saw no camera. She informed Franz to let her do all the talking. The Germans only allowed Franz into the complex on Toni’s insistence.
The thick wood door opened and a man in his forties stepped in, followed by their younger escort.
“Martin Mayer,” the man said, extending his hand to each of them. He pronounced his first name ‘Marteen.’ He reminded Toni of Tom Selleck, only a foot shorter and lacking his musculature. He did have the thick black mustache, though.
They shook all around and then the young man stood in the corner while Herr Mayer sat at the head of the table, picking up a remote control.
“How may I help you?” Mayer asked, his eyes directed more toward Franz than Toni.
Toni quickly explained in English how they were seeking one of their assets, Jake Adams, and hoped for German cooperation.
Mayer smiled continuously as Toni talked. “I met Jake a few years back,” Mayer said. “He was speaking on counter terrorism at Oberammergau. An interesting man. But I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”
This guy was fishing, Toni guessed. “Right. He was with the CIA and spent many years in Germany. I’m sure you’re aware of that.” She figured he already knew this about Jake.
“Do you know that Interpol has a Red Notice out on him?” Mayer asked derisively.
“Yes, we’re working on getting that lifted. They had no right to issue that notice.”
Mayer released air through his nose. “He killed a man in Austria. He beat a German Polizei officer in Garmish, a family man who was just doing his job.”
Franz interjected. “He killed that Serb in self defense.” He covered his mouth and coughed into his clenched fist. “They were hit men sent to kill Jake.”
“And our Polizei officer?”
Toni placed her hand on Franz’s arm and said, “The Red Notice is for the death of the Serb in Austria. You have no evidence that Jake did anything to the German Polizei officer. Coffee in the crotch makes for an unreliable witness.”
The BND officer stared at Toni trying to intimidate her, but he obviously didn’t know her at all, she thought. This puke couldn’t intimidate a Southern debutante. She didn’t want to tip her hand, but she also wanted to leave with some information and the hope of cooperation from German Intel. To do so she’d have to play the diplomat, much like she was forced to do while the station chief in Vienna.