“Thanks,” Alex told the man.
“Well, you just made it.”
“I know. I thought I had a minute or two more.” Alex tapped her watch. “I think it’s losing time.”
“Well, it is obviously not a Swiss time piece. They are the best watches in the world.”
Alex laughed with the conductor.
“Do you have your ticket?”
“Actually, my friend should have it. I’m supposed to meet her in the dining car.”
The man nodded. “Well, then, you had better meet your friend. I will find you later to punch your ticket.”
“Thanks. Which way should I go?”
He pointed, his ticket punch in his hand. “Two cars up.”
*******************************************************
She found Teren in the dining car as they had agreed. Without a word Alex followed the darker woman into the cars with first class compartments.
Teren opened her compartment door, and ushered Alex inside quickly.
“We got lucky,” Teren said as she closed the door. “This is the only car with sleeper compartments. It’s unusual for an express to have them, and it’s really just being transferred back to Germany, so I had to pay extra to get it. I figured a nap would be good, though, so I took it.” She held a hand out. “What do you think?”
Alex nodded, and sat on the bed. “Not bad. Even our own tiny sink. Is there a bathroom?”
Teren pointed to a door.
“Oh. Thought that was a closet.”
“It is,” Teren grinned. “A water closet.”
Another nod. “Got it.”
“Did you have any problems?”
“Not really. I might have been followed, but I don’t think so. I didn’t see any faces I knew.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She looked at Teren. “Were you followed?”
The dark agent shook her head. “I didn’t feel anybody, and I can normally tell. I think your idea of using my beret and glasses again really helped.”
“That, and us separating.”
“That, too. I didn’t like the idea, but I have to admit you pulled it off. Even if they did follow, all they’ll know is that we’re headed for Munich, but not how to find us when we get there.”
“Unless they call ahead and have someone ready to meet us at the station.”
“Of course. But we’ve got five hours to think of ways to outsmart them.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
Teren grinned. “Ever want to dye your hair, Alex?” She watched the green eyes widen.
Actually, the dye job wasn’t as bad as Alex had feared. Teren had insisted on a trim for her, and had used a rinse that turned her hair a reddish blonde. It reminded Alex of how her hair looked when she was a teenager.
She had to admit, Teren had at least kept her bangs even. They were shorter than she usually wore them, but they were cut in a straight line across her forehead.
“Okay, so this,” she ran a hand across the back of her neck, which was now bare, “is my disguise.”
“Yeah. It’s not much, but it should make them overlook you at first glance. Add the beret, and no one will know it’s you.”
“And what about you? I doubt you can cut your hair anymore.”
Teren grinned. “Yeah. But we can make it a little less black, you know?”
Half an hour later, Teren pulled the towel from her damp hair and looked at Alex. “Well?”
Alex tilted her head back and forth, then shut one eye, and used her hands like a picture frame.
“Ehh.”
“Oh, thanks.” Teren threw the towel at her.
“Hey, sorry. I’m just not sure how I feel about blonde streaks in your hair.”
Teren got up and looked in the small mirror. “Yeah, I know. At least this frosting stuff that will wash out fairly quick.”
“Yeah.” Alex stood behind the taller woman, leaning slightly around her to see the reflection. “Gotta say, we don’t look like ourselves.”
“That’s the general idea.”
“I know. It’s just strange. I should take a picture, just to show David. He’d never believe it.”
Alex’s smile dimmed for a moment, and she sent a silent prayer off for her partner’s safety. Then she sighed, and leaned against the wall.
“So, how long till Munich?”
Teren picked up her watch from the bed where she’d left it. “Another four and a half hours. Plenty of time to go over those papers from Meinhard.”
Alex shook her head. “I’d rather not. I locked them in the bottom of my new bag. Thought they’d be safer there.”
“You don’t think we should pull them out?”
“Well, look, it’s past two o’clock, which means it’ll be six or later when we get into the station. By the time we get to the hotel, it’ll be too late to do anything, and we could spend this night kind of backtracking, and examining what we’ve learned.” She put a hand to the back of her neck, and rubbed it. “Besides, I think we need just a tiny bit of a break, don’t you?”
Teren reached over and moved Alex’s hand, replacing it with her own. She gently kneaded the muscles at the base of Alex’s skull, only letting go when she felt them finally begin to relax.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. We could do with a little R and R.” Teren sat down on the bed and propped herself up against the pillow. “Did you have something in mind?”
“Yeah, I did.” Alex dug into one of her bags, and withdrew a small package. She tossed it to Teren, then climbed onto the bed next to her.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
Teren quirked an eyebrow at her friend, but began to pull the wrapping off. Inside was a travel size chess set.
“Cool. Is this the surprise you got for me?”
“Yeah. I thought it might keep us occupied on the plane flight home, if we ever go home.”
Alex tried hard to keep the tinge of wistfulness out of her voice, but knew she failed when Teren’s hand touched her knee.
“We’ll get there, Alex. I promise. A couple days in Munich, and we’ll fly home.”
“Right. And if we can’t clear ourselves?”
“We will.” Teren put as much force in her voice as she could. She wanted so much for Alex to believe her. She sighed with relief when the blonde head nodded, and her friend looked back at her with clear eyes.
“Okay. Now, how about we christen this chess set?”
Alex smiled. “Fine. Bet I can beat you this time.”
“Oh, you think? What’s the bet?”
“If I win, you have to keep your hair like that till we get home, and David sees it.”
“Why?”
“Because laughter is the best medicine, and he’ll laugh his ass off.” That earned her a pillow in the face.
“Okay. But just remember that mine washes out in two washes.” Teren grinned wickedly. “Yours doesn’t.”
Alex held her hands up. “You got me. I won’t say a word.” She motioned to the chess set in between them. “Shall we?”
“By all means.”
*******************************************************
The two of them had been quietly playing for twenty or thirty minutes. To Alex, things seemed to be going her way, and she had to smile as she took one more of Teren’s pawns.
Teren raised her head and looked at her friend.
“You took my pawn.”
“Yep.”
There were no other words, but Alex could feel the blue eyes still on her. She looked up at Teren, whose face seemed to have aged, suddenly.
“Teren, you alright?”
Teren nodded. She glanced down at the pieces she’d taken from Alex. Picking up a pawn, she held it out to Alex.
“Know what this is?”
Alex would have laughed, but Teren’s face was deadly serious. “It’s a pawn.”
“Right. And his name is Kyle Brogan.”
Alex stared.
Teren picked up another pawn, and said, “This is one of the guys I shot in Philadelphia.” She pointed to Alex’s rook that she had taken several turns before. “That’s David. And that,” she switched and pointed to the pawn Alex had just nabbed, “that, is Otto Keppelmann.”