“That being the case, I will leave you to finish this meal alone so that I can get started immediately.”
“Know that I do not want any connection to me, to my company, or to our country.”
Demir said, “And you should know that I will die before anyone knows your name, but should that happen, my wife will know enough to expect that my insurance policy is paid off in the amount of five hundred thousand US dollars, plus payment for the job.”
“I understand,” replied Kaplan.
Chapter 41
Twenty minutes later, Huck and Cedric returned to the room where Number Three was handcuffed to the bed’s headboard; the tape remained over his mouth. Huck immediately noticed a change in the man’s appearance. He was relaxed and appeared to be more confident. His expression was that of one who had just won the first round of a three-round fight or of a gambler who was confident that he held all the cards and was in a position to dictate the next move. Huck knew that his strategy had to change.
“Well, you look more comfortable and like a man who has nothing to say. But before I ask any questions, let me update you on our current situation. As I indicated before, Numbers One, Two, and Four are prepared to say that you’re the hit man. The eyewitness who saw you and the Asian climb over the wall at the victim’s house is prepared to testify that it was you who went into the apartment and that, after hearing a shot, he saw you exit and place something in the flowerpot by the railing. I believe that was Number Four’s passport.
“Now the best part is that I have just gotten off the phone with Mr. S., who thinks he is talking to Number One. He has offered me your cut for getting rid of the woman if I will kill you after the job is done. He said something about how he did not like loose ends. So although you remain loyal to Mr. S., he has no intention of remaining loyal to you.
“To summarize, while the others on your team will probably get no more than five years of imprisonment for their involvement in the assassination, you can expect to go away for life with no chance of ever seeing freedom again.
“For now, unless you have something to say, I plan to return you to your most uncomfortable position to let you think more deeply about how you have been hung out to dry.”
Number Three gave no indication that he had anything to say, so Huck and Cedric returned him to his previous position, spread eagle and bent downward and to the his left, where his left hand was cuffed to the left foot of the bed. Huck detected that the man’s self-confidence was disappearing as he began the same ordeal he had previously experienced.
Number Three understood that he had no way of knowing whether these men were telling him the truth. He knew that they had Number One’s cell phone because they had used his own cell phone to call Number Three, which was one of the two phones on the dresser that had rung. Did the other phone belong to Number Two? At this moment, it seemed that he’d have more to gain by telling the two men what they wanted to know than holding out for an escape. Only he could help himself.
When Huck and Cedric departed the room in which Number Three was being held, Huck said, “I’ll take the first watch on this yardbird. You go back to the hotel and get some rest. Should he change in his mind about talking, I’ll give you a call.”
“If I don’t hear from you, I’ll be back in about six hours to relieve you.”
Cedric departed and Huck opened the door next to the room where Number Three was restrained to the bed. Huck stretched out on the bed in the outer room. He wanted Number Three to be left completely alone to think over what he had told him.
At 5:45 p.m. on the afternoon after discussing his deal with Kaplan, Demir, along with two of his thugs, boarded a five-hour Lufthansa flight from Istanbul to Karlsruhe, Germany. The plan was simple. The three of them would kidnap Smart, kill him with a bullet to the head, throw his body in the Rhine River, and return home to collect their payday.
The three arrived in Karlsruhe around 11:00 p.m., obtained a rental car, and checked into the nearest guesthouse. After a good night’s rest, they planned an early start in their efforts to locate Smart.
Anticipating that the work hours of the public prosecutor’s office would begin around 8:30 a.m., the three Turks arrived at Brauerstrasse 30, the German public prosecutor’s office, at eight o’clock. After seeing that the office hours were from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Demir was a little aggravated with himself for the thirty minutes he had lost.
Upon entering, he made his way to the shortest line available to service patrons. Ten minutes later, he finally reached the clerk’s window. “I would like to know the name and address of the defense attorney in Frankfurt representing the American accused of murdering the state representative.”
Demir’s shaggy beard and rumpled clothes caused the clerk some suspicion as to why he wanted the information.
“Why?” she asked bluntly.
Already irritated about not being there when the door opened, Demir said, “It is public information, correct?”
Not fazed by what could best be described as an impolite attitude, the clerk replied, “That is correct, so why don’t you try reading a newspaper?”
Demir realized that his direct and abrupt attitude was not working, so he decided it was best to regroup. The name on her window read Hannah Wagner. “I beg your pardon, Fräulein Wagner—”
“It’s Frau Wagner.”
“Again I apologize. The day has started badly for my friends and me. I am behind schedule and I have some very important information to share with Herr Rouse’s defense attorney. It could make a difference in his case. I am on a very tight schedule and will only be passing through Frankfurt. I would be most appreciative of any help you could provide me.”
Frau Wagner gave Demir one of her harshest no-tolerance looks before turning to a cabinet where she withdrew a business card. She slid the card through the window. “He is being represented by the Berger and Berger law firm. The address is on the card.”
Seizing the card, Demir said, “Again I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you for your assistance.”
As the trio departed the public prosecutor’s office, Demir commented to the two toads following him, “She is one who needs to be slapped around a few times until she learns her station in life. She has let the power of her job go to her head.”
Neither of the men would ever suggest that his demanding approach did not endear people to him. Furthermore, they were not about to remind him that he was now in Germany, not Turkey.
Huck awoke to the sound of a foot stomping on the floor. He looked at his watch and saw that it had been two and a half hours since he and Cedric had returned Number Three to his uncomfortable position. Huck thought, Maybe Number Three’s discomfort, as well as the knowledge that others are prepared to finger him as the hit man, is causing him to rethink his previous position.
Huck yell out, “Hold on, I’m coming. You best hope that you are not disrupting my sleep because of your discomfort.”
When Huck entered, Number Three looked at him with pleading eyes. “Do you have something you want to say?” asked Huck.
Number Three nodded in the affirmative.
Huck reached down and ripped the tape from the man’s lips.
No sooner had the tape been removed than Number Three exclaimed, “I have to use the toilette!”
“That’s not my problem,” replied Huck. “I suspect that we can withstand your stench as well as you can. Feel free to relieve yourself right where you are.”
The Middle Easterner rendered a look of disbelief at what Huck had said. “Please, man. Don’t make me do that.”
“OK. Tell me how you were recruited to help Number One.”
“Mr. S. called me directly and offered me twice what I was originally paid to help Number One. Now can I go to the bathroom?”
“Yes, but with the understanding that we will talk more when you finish whatever
you have to do. Agreed?”
“Yes, I agree. Hurry!”
Huck released Number Three’s left hand from the foot of the bed and pulled him to a standing position. “Should you try anything once I release your right hand, it will be my pleasure to bury your face in the toilette. Do you understand?”
Once in the bathroom, Huck handcuffed the man’s left wrist to a water pipe that ran from the ceiling to the top of the toilette. The only exit from the toilette was through the door where Huck was standing. “Call me when you’re ready to come out.”
While the Middle Easterner was in the bathroom, Huck called Cedric. “Don’t rush, but I think Number Three is ready to tell us what he knows.”
“I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes,” replied Cedric.
Chapter 42
During the Middle Easterner’s two-and-a-half-hour ordeal, he had come to three conclusions. First, without knowing his role in the assassination, his teammates were making him the scapegoat to lessen their own involvement. Second, he could not expect any help from anyone, in particular Mr. S. And finally, to minimize his involvement, he had to tell the truth and to do so convincingly.
When Cedric arrived at the previous Empire Enterprises office, he found Huck sitting at the table with a pad and pencil. Number Three was perched on the edge of the bed with his right hand cuffed to the headboard; he held a bottle of water in his left hand.
“So, Number Three has decided to tell his story?” questioned Cedric.
“I think so,” replied Huck, looking in the man’s direction. “That is correct, is it not?”
Number Three replied, “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s take it from the top when you were first recruited by Mr. S.”
The Middle Easterner began. “Mr. S. called and asked if I was interested in a good-paying job in Frankfurt. I said yes.”
“Were you told the nature of the job?” asked Cedric.
“No. Mr. S. never reveals any details of the mission until he decides who will participate in whatever is to be done. And no one knows the other’s role in the mission. You must understand that the only reason I am being singled out is to save the others’ skins. The people who say I was the assassin did not know my role, just as I did not know theirs. And your eyewitness who said I shot the target lied.”
“Well, since the others say they didn’t and you did, and the eyewitness says it was you who entered the house, after which a shot was fired, my only conclusion is that you did it.”
It was then that Number Three understood that being fully truthful was his only course of action. “Your eyewitness is a liar if he says I was the shooter. It is true that I was there, but I never entered the house. My job was to help the Asian get over the wall, spray-paint over the entrance camera lens, and hold the ladder while he went inside to shoot the occupant. I never knew who the occupant was until I saw it on the news.”
With the exception of Number Three’s version of what happened the night of the assassination, the remainder of his story compared favorably with the others’ version of events. He did not know that he had been selected to participate in the mission until that night. At that time, he and the Asian were brought together by Mr. S. and told they had been selected. Mr. S. laid out the details of the mission to include timing, transportation, getting across the wall, and spraying the camera lens; the Asian was designated to make the hit. The Asian was also given a passport to drop in the flowerpot on the patio. Number Three did not know whose passport it was. He knew only that it wasn’t his because he had his at that time.
Approximately two hours later, both Huck and Cedric felt that they had finally been provided with the most comprehensive explanation of the assassination to date. Huck had taken good notes and also told Number Three that when he gave his written testimony, it had best track with the notes he had. Huck then placed a call to Berger and told him to round up his policeman because they now had the fourth member of the team who was prepared to make a written statement.
The breaking of the day was evident when sunlight began to creep into the room from around the edges of the drawn blinds. Number Three had signed his statement. All statements taken, independent of the others, revealed their ignorance of the mission while at the same time their willingness to participate. Through the process of elimination, and based on the denials of those apprehended, the assassin appeared to be the Asian. For now his identification and location were unknown by all except Mr. S., whose true identification and location were also unknown.
Before the policeman departed with this latest apprehension, he made it clear to all that he could no longer keep the individuals in isolation but had to enter them into the legal system. And although Huck and Cedric’s efforts were greatly appreciated and did add credibility to what Rouse had said, it really did not change his situation. Of all those now in custody, only Rouse had attempted to leave the country on a bogus passport and only Rouse’s real passport was found at the scene of the crime. Furthermore, there was a real question as to how much weight the prosecutor would put on Number Three’s admission because only he and the Asian were at the scene of the crime.
As he prepared to depart with his copy of the testimony, Berger said, “Although I might be able to create some doubt in the mind of some of the judges, short of the arrest of the Asian or Mr. S., we’re still a long way from keeping Rouse from doing some serious time in prison. In a courtroom in your country, I think we would have a good shot at creating a preponderance of doubt as to Rouse’s guilt, but, under our system, convincing five judges of Rouse’s innocence, or that he was so ignorant as to believe he was working for a US intelligence agency, will not move the scales of justice in Rouse’s favor.”
Berger was almost through the door when Huck asked, “Gunter, how soon can Cedric and I get copies of all the testimonies taken to date?”
Berger replied, “They should be available by ten a.m. Why?”
“I’m thinking that there might be something someone said that did not register at the time and that will provide us with a clue as to the direction we need to go next.”
Cedric spoke up. “Huck, you’ve been up most of the night. While you rest and freshen up, I’ll swing by Berger’s to pick up the copies of the testimonies.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” replied Huck.
Chapter 43
Demir and his two thugs arrived at the address for Berger and Berger at 9:45 a.m. Some discussion took place as to whether one of them should go inside to try to learn the hotel where Smart might be staying. To do so might be faster than surveillance, but it also might unnecessarily set off some alarm bells. Furthermore, when Smart disappeared, whoever revealed the information would have a description of the person who made the inquiry, thus making them a person of interest. Of course, there was also the possibility that before the information was offered, the provider might insist on some form of identification. On the surface, identifying Smart and his location might not be as easy as initially thought. But then all that changed.
A black BMW pulled up to the curb directly across from where Demir was parked, pointed in the opposite direction. To their amazement, an older man with a cane exited the car and limped into the building.
“That has to be Smart,” exclaimed Demir.
The thug from the rear seat commented, “He’s a lot older than I thought he would be.” He smiled. “I think this will be a one-day job and the easiest payday we’ve ever had.”
Demir said to the driver, “Turn around and get behind him. I want to follow him to where he is staying. We’ll let him enter his residence and then we’ll snatch him the next time he returns to his car.”
The driver pulled away from the curb to make a U-turn that would position them behind Smart’s car. Demir turned to thug in the rear seat. “You and I will take him.” He directed his next comment to the driver. “You find an alley or underpass whe
re we can put a bullet in his head and then find an isolated place along the Rhine where we can dump his body. We should be at the airport before midnight, booking our return flight to Istanbul.”
The driver added, “This will be like taking candy from a baby.”
Shortly after entering the building, Smart exited with a large manila envelope under one arm. As Demir watched Smart limp back to the BMW, he couldn’t imagine why the man caused Kaplan any reason for concern. Although his body, other than his bum leg, appeared to be in good shape, he was old and decrepit. He seemed to be having a difficult time getting from the building to his car. Demir concluded that he must have a lot of valuable information stored in his old balding head.
The BMW eased away from the curb, careful to avoid any oncoming traffic. Unknowingly to Cedric, a silver Mercedes moved away from the curb at the same time. Cedric was in no hurry because Huck was just getting up from his nap when Cedric departed the hotel.
Cedric had started using the parking lot on the west side of the hotel because it was closer to their room and had less traffic. As he brought the vehicle to a stop, he looked at the gas gauge and said to himself, I should have stopped and purchased some petrol. I’ll deliver this package of testimonies and find out if anything else is needed before I go back out.
The Mercedes pulled into the parking lot a few seconds behind the BMW. Demir commented, “Boys, this is our lucky day. We’re in a parking lot with no traffic, which should make for an easy grab and run. Park the car where we can easily observe his exit from the building. Once he appears, we’ll drive as close to him as we can.”
Turning to the man sitting behind him, he said, “You and I will make the grab and put him in the rear seat with you. When he next departs the building will determine how long we’ll have to drive around before it’s dark enough to dump his body without being seen. Anyone got any questions?”
A Price for Balancing the Scales Page 21