A Price for Balancing the Scales

by W Earl Daniels

  When Huck was in place, he called and told Walker that she could leave her apartment, reminding her not to look for him or her potential stalker. While sitting and waiting for Walker to depart, he scanned the street for anything unusual. About a half a block away, he noticed a man wearing a dark-colored wind suit and a white headband. After checking his shoelaces, he started into a stretching routine, probably preparing for a run. Although Huck had not seen the building from which the man exited, Huck assumed it might be the building in front of where he now stood.

  Just as Walker exited her apartment and started down the walkway, which connected to the public sidewalk, Huck noticed that the man in the wind suit started to run in her direction along the public sidewalk.

  Huck slowly staggered to a standing position, as if he might be under the influence of a potent substance. Keeping the runner in the corner of his eye, Huck began to stumble across the street, angling toward Walker.

  The runner did not slow as he might if were planning to attack Walker but instead jogged past her, as would anyone on a morning run. False alarm, thought Huck. But he still managed to get a good look at the man’s face and black hair. There was a prominent white scar that ran up the left side of his tanned face and into his hairline.

  Walker’s daily scheduled had her walking about a block and a half to a bus stop. There she would board the bus for a ten-block ride to her temporary job. Huck, in his rambling walking style, continued to follow Walker but without seeing anyone he might consider to be a stalker.

  It was then that the scenario changed. The runner, who was about twenty yards in front of Walker, was jogging in place as if he was waiting for the traffic light to change. However, the traffic was flowing in the direction he was running, but he wasn’t making any forward progress.

  Walker arrived at the bus stop just as the vehicle came to a stop. Huck picked up his pace while keeping his eyes on the jogger. After Walker boarded the bus, the man suddenly turned and followed two other passengers onto the vehicle. Huck hurried and, with perfect timing, ensured that he was the last to board. Huck quickly scanned the passengers, detecting the jogger about a third of the way toward the end of the bus. He was two rows behind Walker.

  Grasping each seat as if trying to maintain his balance, Huck finally made it to the rear of the bus and flopped down. The person he sat next to immediately changed seats. Amused, Huck thought, I didn’t think I smelled that bad.

  From his position, Huck could watch both Walker and the jogger behind her. As the bus began to move, Huck saw the jogger shift in his seat, taking off his headband and wind jacket, which revealed a gray shirt. He then bent over in his seat where Huck could not see him. In a matter of seconds, he sat upright and began to smooth his hair down with his left hand.

  Huck thought, You devil, you just changed your disguise, didn’t you? I suspect when you bent over you were changing shoes. This caused Huck to study the man’s facial features more closely. In addition to his coal-black hair and the scar on the left side of his face, the man had dark eyes, a broad nose, and thin lips. The corners of his mouth turned up, giving him a permanent smirk and suggesting that he knew something the rest of the world didn’t. Let the games begin, thought Huck.

  When the bus finally reached the stop at which Walker would depart, Huck noted that the jogger waited until Walker stood up before doing so himself. The jogger then hurried past Walker to exit at the rear door before her. Huck thought, A good stalking technique—get in front of the person being stalked. That causes them to rule you out as the stalker, especially if you have changed your appearance. Huck noted that the jogger had replaced his running shoes with loafers. The way his shirt blended in with his wind suit pants gave the appearance of just another average citizen going about his daily routine.

  After Walker exited the bus, Huck did his best impression of a drunk stumbling and almost falling out of the bus. He noticed that Scar Face was standing to one side, as if waiting for the next bus. But, as Walker started down the street toward her temporary job, the man stepped in behind her. Unknown to Scar Face was that Huck was following him.

  Cedric was in his second day of observing the mingling of representative staffers and lobbyists. He no longer needed Sniderhouse’s help to find his way around the Bundeskabinett working area, dining area, or restrooms. The majority of his working time was spent in the dining area. When he ventured into other locations, it was primarily to be seen as just another lobbyist trying to do his job. So far his conversations had been limited to greetings but that was about to change.

  Across the room from where he sat was who appeared to be the major power broker between the staffers and the lobbyists. Throughout the day, one or the other could be seen in his presence. They appeared to be either passing information to him or seeking information from him.

  Cedric could not help but wonder why. The man was one of the most disgusting persons he had ever recalled seeing. He was extremely obese, with a girth that would measure larger than his height. His jowls gave the appearance of one who should be in a sty; his hair had never seen a brush or comb; his suit looked as if he slept in it every night; his neck was too large for his shirt collar to button, which caused his necktie to hang down to the second button of his shirt; and both his shirt and his coat appeared to be permanently affixed with food stains. And yet the man was still constantly stuffing his face with more food that in itself would make it a miracle if there were not food stains present. However, regardless of his disgusting appearance, he was constantly surrounded by people with whom he exchanged information. When there was no one around the man, Cedric thought, While there is an opening, I have got to meet him. Apparently he is the most important person in the room.

  Cedric walked over to the man’s table. “Excuse me. My name is—”

  Interrupting him, the lobbyist looked up at Cedric with a stare that could penetrate even the strongest man. “Cedric Smart. I know who you are and that you represent the US steel manufacturing industries. I’ve been wondering when you would finally make your way over here.”

  The man’s abruptness caught Cedric off guard. But Cedric was a professional who had had experience with similar greetings in the past.

  “I took my time because I wanted to be certain you’re the one who holds the keys that unlock all the doors around here. From what I have observed, you are that man, and your time is too important for you to spend it referring me to someone else.”

  A slight smile appeared on the man’s face. “I like you. Obviously you are a no-nonsense type of guy. Sort of reminds me of myself in my younger days.”

  Cedric knew the man meant that to be a compliment, but he thought, I certainly hope I was never viewed as I view you; besides, I am probably much older.

  “What can I do to help an American today?”

  “I would like to talk with someone who might be interested in buying premium steel for your country’s new rail modernization project and to do so at a good price.”

  “There has been no bid decision as of yet.”

  “I would venture that a man of your knowledge and position would know the direction in which to guide me toward the most promising prospect.”

  “What is the connection worth to the people you represent?”

  “That depends on the size of the deal we can negotiate. What would you speculate to be the going percentage rate?”

  “In Germany, the percentage rate sometimes depends on the financial position of the country we are dealing with. The United States is a wealthy country.”

  “I would ask that consideration be given more to the future financial positions of our association. As you know, we have only recently started to reopen our doors to the export market. It is also important to give consideration to the value of the possibility of a long-term relationship.”

  “Mr. Smart, I see that you are not a novice at brokering deals. Give me some time to talk
to some of my colleagues. We just might be able to come to a suitable arrangement for all parties.”

  “With all due respect, sir, I believe that my knowing the leading bid contender would not only be a sign of good faith but also a sign of sincere interest in working toward a more positive agreement.”

  “You are a shrewd one, Mr. Smart. I like the way you play this game. The tidbit you are looking for comes from Turkey. If you are as smart as your name implies, you will have it figured out by this time tomorrow.”

  Cedric made a shallow but polite bow. “Thank you. I look forward to furthering our conversation.”

  Cedric departed the dining room for his hotel room, where he planned to call Huck. He wanted Huck to know that the man’s reference to Turkey implied that the Kaplan Company might be back in the number one spot for the rail bid. Cedric did not want to jump to any conclusions before talking to the company’s primary lobbyist, whose name he still did not know, but if the objective of the assassination of the Hesse representative was to position the Kaplan Company as the top bid contender, then the murder had achieved its intended results.

  Chapter 25

  Once Walker was secure in her office, Huck dropped his surveillance for another visit to Berger and Berger. Before he did so, he once more determined the location of Scar Face. He was now positioned on a sidewalk bench on the opposite side of the street but directly in front of Walker’s workplace. He was perfectly situated to see when Walker departed. Huck thought, Fellow, you’re in for a long wait because Walker will not leave her current location until I call to tell her I have her in my sights, and that will not be until late this afternoon.

  Huck caught the next bus to the closest U-Bahn station. There he hopped the first train that would take him to the U-Bahn stop in the vicinity of Berger and Berger.

  He walked into the law office still in his homeless disguise. Upon entering, the receptionist rose immediately to her feet. Speaking in German she said, “Wait one minute, mister. I think you’re in the wrong place. You need to leave before I call the police.”

  Huck pulled off his hat and sunglasses. “I’m glad I am not who you think I am. It’s very important that I see Gunter now.”

  In a state somewhere between stunned and surprised, she said, “Herr Price…?”

  “Yes. Is Herr Berger available?”

  Shaking her head in dismay, she stared at Huck as she pushed the intercom button. “Herr Price is here to see you, sir. He says it’s very important.”

  Berger responded, “Please ask him to come in.”

  Again Huck’s entrance was met with a shocked and questioning look.

  Huck quickly said, “I’ll soon explain, but first I want to give you an update on my trip to Turkey to meet the president of the Kaplan Company. It might be a good idea to record what I am about to report.”

  For the next thirty minutes, Huck provided a detailed report of his meeting, ending with his professional opinion that the Kaplan Company did have some involvement with Mr. S. and that he believed the Kaplan Company had paid Mr. S. for some services. However, that was still to be proven. After he completed his report, Huck asked for the recorder to be turned off.

  He then stated the reason for his current attire. “I’m confident that Fräulein Walker is being stalked, and I hope to know why before too much longer. Do you have a copy of the sketch of Mr. S. that she provided to your artist?”

  From his top desk drawer, Berger pulled two copies of the drawings and handed one to Huck.

  After Huck studied the drawing, he asked, “Do you know someone in Frankfurt airport security who can review the video of the passengers entering the airport from the US at the same day, time, and flight as Rouse? We need to try to match the facial depiction in the sketch with that of a person arriving on the same flight as Carl.”

  Gunter replied, “I think so. I’ll certainly give it a try.”

  “Another source of confirmation would be your customs folks. From them we might also be able to confirm whether Mr. S. has departed the country.”

  “I’ll see what I can do there. Herr Price, I must admit, since you have been here, I have started feeling more confident in our defense strategy.”

  Huck thought, I didn’t know we had a defense strategy. However, he said, “Although we might be developing some evidence to substantiate Rouse’s claim, I’m not prepared to confirm that our efforts are helping to secure a defense strategy. We still have nothing strong enough to counter the government’s evidence that Rouse killed the state rep. Which brings me to my next question: What did you learn about the person who found the body?”

  “I was provided with a copy of the person’s statement, but the name was redacted. When I questioned the redaction, I was told that the prosecution was planning to use the signed statement, with hopes of avoiding having to call the individual to testify.”

  “Why are they going to try to avoid calling the person to make their statement in court?”

  “The prosecution says that her statement, which can be substantiated, is sufficient and that there is no need to require the person to go through the ordeal of the trial. What they failed to redact was the gender of the person making the statement. In summary, the statement reads that a female left the nightclub where she works around ten p.m. She arrived at the rep’s apartment at ten thirty and let herself in with the key given to her by the state rep.

  “When she entered, she saw a light coming from the second-level great room and could hear the television. Upon entering the room, she saw the rep, from behind, slumped over in the right corner of the sofa. She assumed he was asleep. She approached him quietly with the intent of kissing him on the forehead to awaken him. But when she came around to the front of the sofa, she saw that his eyes were open and that there was blood on his face and chest.

  “At that time, she didn’t know if he was alive or dead, but she was afraid to touch him. She immediately notified authorities. End of statement. Police and emergency medical personnel were on the scene by ten forty-five and he was pronounced dead at ten fifty. All the information she provided has been verified and documented in the police report.”

  “I can understand why the prosecution sees no requirement for her to testify,” commented Huck. “Were you able to learn the length of time she had been living with the representative?”

  “The police report said that she had known the rep for approximately eight months and had moved in with him after two months.”

  Huck questioned, “I gather she didn’t see or hear the intruder?”

  “That is correct,” replied Berger.

  “I’m afraid we’ve reached another dry hole,” said Huck. “Now it appears we’ll have to rely on the sketch of Mr. S. and the airport security people being able to provide us with an actual photograph of him. Also, it would be helpful if we can learn when Mr. S. departed Germany. Your customs services should have that information. It’s possible that Mr. S. never left the country.”

  “I’ll get on that right away,” responded Berger. “And Herr Price, please inform Fräulein Walker that I am very sorry if her helping us with the sketch has caused her to become the victim of a possible stalker.”

  Huck stood up to leave. “I’ll tell her, but I don’t think that to be the case. I think someone is trying to eliminate a potential witness to the existence of Mr. S. Although we’re having some luck in confirming Rouse’s side of the story, we haven’t done much to prove his innocence.”

  At 3:30 p.m., Huck casually walked the sidewalk in front of where Walker worked. His dress was that of a typical American tourist. He was wearing a white sweatshirt with the word “Duke” on the front. He also wore jeans and tennis shoes. The backpack strapped to him contained another disguise in the event that it was needed.

  Using the reflections from the shop windows as mirrors, he could not locate Scar Face. There was no one sitting on the s
idewalk bench across the street. Huck thought, Did I make a mistake by assuming the man would maintain continuous surveillance on Walker?

  As Huck continued to walk along the street, he noticed a man leaning on a No Parking sign and staring in his direction. The man had a white complexion with reddish cheeks and bright-red hair. He conveyed the impression of never having been in the sun but being very fond of German beer.

  The man paid no attention when Huck passed by him. Huck concluded, The man was not watching me, but he might be watching the office where Walker works. There might have been a change in stalkers. If that’s the case, I could have more than one man to deal with. Could there be more than two?

  Huck crossed the street and walked down to the bus stop where Walker would catch the bus to return to her apartment. There he could maintain a view of the redhead and the entrance to Walker’s office. He made a call to Walker.

  She answered on the second ring. “Ja.”

  Huck said, “I will have you covered. Leave the office now, and remember—do not look for me or for anyone you think might be following you. By the way, you did great this morning.”

  “Thank you, and I understand. I will be leaving here within five minutes. When I cross the street, I will walk directly to the bus stop.”

  “I’ll be watching you.”

  Huck returned his phone to his pocket. Although he continued to scan for Scar Face or anyone else who could be a stalker, Huck’s primary focus was to observe what Redhead did when Walker exited the building.