“He’ll figure it out,” Teren said, “he’ll know it was you that killed this guy.”
“By that time it will be too late. You will be gone, and so will I.” He held up a tiny glass vial. Teren had seen them before; she and Perry had each carried one in their luggage.
“Are you sure about this?”
He nodded. Teren did so as well, and squeezed his shoulder one more time.
“Good rest, Werner.”
Teren headed for the door, where she turned around just once.
The old man seemed to be trembling, in convulsions. Then he went limp, his arms falling to his sides.He slumped forward, only a belt holding his body to the chair.
Alex met Teren in the hallway. “Is he coming with us?”
“No.” She gently pulled Alex down the corridor. Near the front door, Alex tugged her arm loose.
“They’ll kill him, Teren, you know they will.”
“He’s already dead. He used a cyanide capsule to kill himself while you were in the other room.”
Alex’s mouth hung open for a moment, then she blinked and closed it.
They walked silently back to the car.
Chapter Thirty-one
Alex and Teren were headed toward the cemetery when a car passed them, going at top speed. Teren recognized it as the one from earlier in the day.
She glanced at Alex, and noticed the younger agent was examining the papers from Odbert’s mattress, her face stoically blank.
Neither of them had spoken of the death of the old man.
“Anything in there?”
“Not much. Mostly church business. Stuff about the renovation and — ” she paused as she held up a envelope, “wait, hang on, here’s a letter from the States.”
“Anyone we know?”
“Can’t tell, can’t see it very well in the dark.”
“How do you know it’s from the US, then?”
“I recognize the stamp.” Alex waited for the car to pass beneath another street light. “Ah, it’s from Washington.”
“The state, or the capital?”
“Capital.” Alex put the letter down and continued looking through the bundle. “I can’t really see anything else of interest at the moment. It’s not easy to tell, though.”
Teren nodded. “Do you want to put them into my duffel?”
“No, I think they’ll fit in my briefcase.”
“With your computer? Alex, that thing’s getting pretty full.”
Alex grinned, even though she knew Teren couldn’t see her in the dark. “I know. That’s what they made expansion straps for.” She reached over the back seat and snagged her case. After releasing the expansion snaps, the papers slid in easily, and she closed the case, depositing it behind her seat.
“Do you know where this cemetery is?”
Teren squinted as a car with a set of bright lights passed them. “Yeah, I know where it is. Or the general area, at least.”
“I wish I had your experience with Europe, Teren.”
It took a moment for Teren to answer. Then she said, “No, you don’t, Alex.”
They were both quiet for several more moments. Teren turned a corner, and Alex could see the outline of headstones through the iron fence they were passing.
“Teren?” Alex’s voice was very soft.
“Yes?”
“Why do you think he helped us?”
There was a heavy sigh from the driver’s side. “I don’t know, Alex. Maybe it was his way of salvaging his conscience.”
“Maybe.” Teren began to slow the car. “You liked him, Teren, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I think I understood him, a little.”
Alex nodded in the darkness. She said nothing more.
Teren pulled the car into a small area behind some trees. Opening up her bag again, she pulled out her infrared glasses, and surveyed the area around them. There were a few red blips, but nothing big enough to be a human. She turned them off, and looked at Alex.
“Ready?”
“For going tomb hunting? Oh, sure, just what I wanted to do tonight.”
Teren smiled, happy Alex was trying to hang onto her sense of humor. Sometimes, she thought, it’s all we really have.
“Let’s go, then.”
They both checked their weapons, and left the car.
It took them several minutes to find the tomb of Baron Von Nievenheim. The squat gray building showed signs of aging, and the statue out front was missing half of his head. Weeds and bushes had grown up around the area, and vines of some kind covered part of the front and side. The inscription on the vault was barely readable, and the dates of the Baron’s life had all but withered away.
“Okay, Teren, we found the tomb,” Alex whispered as she pulled on a set of gloves, “now what?”
Teren stood still, staring at the front wall, her small flashlight trained on the rough stone seal. There was no obvious door, and no lock. There had to be a way in, though.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting for the tomb to show me how to get in,” Teren whispered back.
Alex just stared at her. “O-kay.”
She studied the building for a few more minutes, aware of Alex jumping up and down beside her to keep warm. There was something not right about the tomb. Something that just didn’t fit, but Teren couldn’t tell what it was.
Her friend stopped jumping and looked at her. “Figured it out yet?”
“No.”
“What are you looking for?”
Teren sighed and glanced at Alex. “Something’s out of place. I can’t tell what it is. Once I figure it out, it’ll tell me how to get in.”
“Oh.” Alex moved to stand beside her and stare at the tomb. Then she squinted and took a step forward. “Teren, have you noticed that these vines here are the only things around here with green on them?”
The dark woman stared at her. “That’s it. That’s what out of place.” Teren stepped forward and touched one of the vines. “They’re plastic.”
“Who would put plastic vines on a tomb?”
“Maybe someone who wanted the covering year round?”
Alex raised her eyebrows in understanding. Teren moved the flashlight to her mouth and began to feel under the plastic foliage. She followed one particular stemlike piece, and stopped abruptly. Moving it gently aside, she found what she’d been looking for.
A keyhole.
With a smug look at Alex, Teren pulled out her set of picks and went to work. A moment later the tumbler clicked, and a small door, whose dimensions had been hidden by the fake vines, appeared.
Teren took a look around the cemetery. The wind had stopped, and the moon had begun to set. There were the normal night sounds, of insects, and distant dogs barking. Satisfied that they were alone, she motioned to Alex, and they stepped into the tomb.
Teren’s flashlight only illuminated a small area, but it gave just enough light to show that the room was full of wooden crates — not coffins.
Alex lifted the top off one, and peered inside. The crate was lined inside with metal to keep the elements out, and foam padding to protect the contents from damage during moving. The contents of the crate were several wooden frames. Alex gently pried one part way up, and found a portrait of a young woman.
“I don’t recognize this, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was by Renoir.”
Teren had pulled the lid off of another, much smaller wooden box, to find trays of old coins. “Hey, Alex, ever seen a real Roman coin?”
“No.”
“Here’s your chance.”
Carefully sliding the painting back down, Alex glanced towards her partner. “You know this stuff’s worth a fortune.” She picked up the lid and repositioned it on the crate. “We can’t just leave it all here, Teren.”
“I don’t intend to. Soon as we get out of here, we’re calling the BKA.”
“Which is?”
“Bundeskriminalamt. They handle the investigations of all neo-Nazi activities.”
“Good. Are we going to tell them everything we learned from — Odbert?” She hesitated just a moment before saying the name.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think we should even let them know we’re here.”
“Right. So, we’re calling them, and hopping on a plane, right?”