When Huck and Cedric returned to their hotel suite, Cedric stretched out on the sofa and Huck sat in the recliner chair. Each puzzled over where to go from here. The feeling of progress still did not satisfy their need for furthering their objective toward securing Rouse’s freedom. They had to figure out a way to either locate the Asian or the infamous Mr. S. And although neither was a guaranteed slam dunk to securing Rouse’s freedom, it would certainly go a long way toward removing the most serious charge from his case—the assassination of a German political statesman.
Eventually, Cedric was the first to speak. “I’m going to give my friend in customs a call to see if they have had any luck with a facial comparison between Mr. S. and anyone else with the same facial data points.”
“Sounds like a good idea, Cedric. While you do that, I’m going to call Walker to see if she feels like her life has returned to normal since we apprehended her stalker. I called her the morning after we took down Redhead to tell her that I didn’t believe she had anything else to worry about.”
Cedric remained reclined on the sofa to make his call while Huck went into his bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, Huck returned to find that Cedric had an interesting look on his face. He was also the first to speak.
“How was Walker? Is her life back to normal?”
“She said it was and again she thanked us for coming to her assistance. I did tell her that the police might contact her as to why she suspected she was being stalked. I also told her that I had already informed the police that she had no direct evidence—that she had not seen anyone whom she thought was a stalker but that she had started to believe that was the case when she felt there was an effort to push her in front of a bus. How did your call go?”
Cedric sat upright before he answered. “Pack your bags. We’re heading back to the States.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“My friend in customs tells me that they have made an interesting discovery that we need to see. He said it was of such a sensitive nature that he did not think we should discuss it over the phone. In short, it’s one of those you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it situations.”
“OK. I’ll call to arrange us seats on the next flight to Reagan International. You give Alice a call to tell her we’re on our way home, and ask her to please tell Rose. As soon as we have an arrival time, we will let them know.”
Chapter 48
Mustafa was still having difficulty interpreting the real meaning of his last conversation with Kaplan. He paced inside his apartment; periodically, he would pull his curtains back to scan for movement along the street below. He was nervous over how his actions, in relation to his perceiving Smart to be a lobbyist, had been received by Kaplan. His impression was that Kaplan did not appear to be blaming him for misreading Smart’s intent. To some degree, Kaplan had conveyed the impression that it was not unexpected for a trained CIA operative to outwit a lobbyist. Kaplan also sounded appreciative that Mustafa had provided sufficient information to help him confirm his thinking as to Smart’s intent. Finally, it was his understanding that Kaplan was going to fix the situation.
Nevertheless, Mustafa was prepared to leave the country the moment he had any indication that Kaplan might be sending someone for him. He had booked flights out of Berlin and into Brussels for three different times. He had all his belongings packed except for the clothes he was currently wearing. He had made phone calls to some of his friends in Istanbul to gain some insight into any unusual actions by Kaplan. One friend advised that representatives from the US Consulate had met with Kaplan, but he did not know the nature of the visit. Rumors from the lower-income side of the city placed Kaplan, in disguise, in a private meeting with a lowlife named Demir. Mustafa concluded that Kaplan wouldn’t send Demir for him. Rather, Demir would just wait for Mustafa to return to Turkey.
Reality and shock hit Mustafa when he heard a knock at his door. He was not expecting anyone. He thought, Whoever was representing Kaplan would not come knocking. Who could it be?
When Mustafa peered through the peephole, he saw a man dressed in a white shirt with an open collar and a sport coat.
He could be another lobbyist, a businessman seeking assistance, or a messenger from the Bundeskabinett. As Mustafa opened the door slowly, the impact of a sudden jar to the door knocked him backward.
Two men quickly entered Mustafa’s room. Both flashed their credentials in his face, and one said, “State Police! Give me your passport, please.”
Mustafa hurried over to his bed, picked up his coat, and withdrew his passport from the inside pocket. He handed it to the policeman who had requested it.
Mustafa said, “What is this all about? Am I being arrested? If so, for what reason?”
The policeman who was holding Mustafa’s passport replied, “Sir, you have been named as a person of interest in the assassination of the Hesse state representative. Because you are deemed to be a flight risk, we are retaining you in Germany until your status is determined. Accordingly, we will escort you to the public prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe. There you will be retained and questioned until a final decision is made as to your knowledge of or your implication in the assassination.”
“Why do you believe me to be a flight risk?”
“It might be because you have booked three different flights out of Berlin to Belgium and that you have two suitcases already packed. If you will grab one of the cases, my partner will get the other, and I will escort you to our waiting sedan.”
Huck and Cedric’s flight from Frankfurt arrived at 10:20 a.m. the day after their meeting with Berger. Prior to their departure, they had prearranged for Rose to meet them at Cedric and Alice’s home near Mount Vernon. Because of the large volume of traffic at Reagan International, the plan was for Cedric and Huck to take a taxi to the house. Huck and Rose would then return to their house so that Huck could freshen up and get a little rest from the overnight flight and then he and Rose would return to have dinner with Cedric and Alice. Included as additional guests were Carl Rouse’s parents, Sandy and Robert. There Huck and Cedric planned to bring all up to date on what had transpired in their efforts to change the scales of justice in Carl’s favor.
Upon Cedric and Huck’s arrival at Cedric and Alice’s home, Huck and Rose reunited as if they had not seen each other in many years. This was the first time since their recent marriage that they had been separated for more than a day or two. Almost before the taxi stopped rolling into Cedric’s driveway, Huck and Rose were locked in a loving embrace. Rose told Huck over and over how much she loved him, missed him, and had worried about him. Huck exchanged the same words with her but added how sorry he was not to have wrapped up the case by now. He assured her that she would better understand once he and Cedric had the opportunity to explain what all they had learned and that the case, as promised, was now in the hands of the German state police.
After the men had exchanged hugs and greetings with each other’s wives and Huck had helped the taxi driver unload the luggage, Huck transferred his bags into his Audi. He and Rose bid goodbye to Cedric and Alice and reaffirmed that they would see the two of them again around six thirty that evening for dinner.
During their drive to their house south of Fort Belvoir, on the banks of the Potomac River, Rose could not sit any closer to Huck as he maneuvered through the intense, mind-boggling traffic of Route 1 and I-95 south. Rose kept whispering in Huck’s ear how much she loved him and that she had a real surprise for him when they got home.
When Huck pulled into the driveway, which was about a tenth of a mile from the main rural road, he did not think his house had ever looked so much like a home. Their two-member family was finally all together again.
Once inside, Huck put his luggage down. “Rose, I’m going to grab a quick shower and lie down for some rest before we return to Cedric and Alice’s house later.”
Rose responded, “I’ll be waiting for you wi
th your surprise.”
After drying off and stepping into a pair of pajama shorts, Huck hurried into the bedroom. There he found Rose in bed, propped up on a pillow.
As he started toward the bed, she threw back the sheet. “Here’s your surprise!”
Curled up next to Rose was a small white ball of fur. When it stood up, it rose to the height of about six inches, stretched, and rolled its black eyes at Huck as if to say, “And who are you?”
But it was Huck who said, “Who are you?”
Rose replied, “Coco, let me introduce you to your daddy.”
The little white puppy bounced on the bed in Huck’s direction. Huck looked at Rose and said, “What is this?”
“The newest member of our family. She’s a Morkie, which is a mix of Yorkie and Maltese. I became so lonely with your absence that I needed some companionship. Coco has helped bridge that gap. I hope you’re OK with my decision.”
“I’m definitely OK. I think she’s going to add something special to our family unit.” Looking at the little one trying to gain its footing on their bed, Huck said, “Move over, little one, daddy needs some rest.” Soon all three were asleep, with a little ball of fur on the pillow between their two heads.
At 6:20 p.m., Huck and Rose pulled into Cedric’s driveway. An older model Honda sedan was parked in front of one of the two garage doors. Huck pulled in front of the other.
Upon approaching the Smarts’ front door, Huck found that the wooden door behind the storm door was opened. That was Cedric’s way of saying, “Don’t ring the door bell; just come right in.”
Huck opened the storm door, and he and Rose entered. The first door to the left was an arched entryway into the living room, where they found Cedric, Alice, and another couple. Huck recognized Sandy and assumed the man to be Robert, who he knew to be Sandy’s ex-husband.
Cedric quickly stood up and made formal introductions. Alice asked Rose to help her in the kitchen to complete their dinner arrangements, and she invited Sandy to join them in conversation and to leave the men together in order for Robert to get to know Huck and Cedric.
Although Robert wanted to immediately begin discussing Carl’s situation, Cedric suggested that it wait until they all were together. That would preclude two possibilities. One was to prevent having to repeat themselves and the other was to keep the women from speculating that they had not been told everything. Accordingly, their conversation was confined to a brief history of each one’s background. The most positive part of that conversation was that Robert and Sandy were in the process of putting their past disagreements behind them and were starting anew in a united effort to work toward Carl’s freedom. They had even discussed the possibility of re-marrying. Furthermore, his ex-daughter-in-law, whose car he was driving was working to reconcile her relationship with Carl.
Soon the men were invited to join the women in the dining room for the evening meal. Before taking their seats, Cedric proposed that they all join hands for a prayer. In addition to praying for God’s blessing on their meal, he thanked God for the progress he and Huck had made in Carl’s case and for their continued success in uniting the family and bringing closure to Carl’s situation.
While the meal was one of leisure for Huck and Cedric, it was not for Sandy and Robert. In their anxiousness to learn the status of Carl’s case, they had finished eating in about half the time as the others. Although both Huck and Cedric had looked forward to a relaxing evening at home, the anxiety of their dinner guests soon became apparent. This was made even more evident when both Sandy and Robert declined Alice’s invitation to some of her homemade pecan pie with ice cream and coffee.
Alice said, “Why don’t you all return to the living room where I’ll bring dessert and then the boys can bring us all up to date as to their activities to secure justice for Carl.” At that suggestion, Sandy and Robert agreed to have dessert.
Back in the living room, and after dessert had been served, Huck took a sip of his coffee before speaking. “Rather than a chronology of what we have been doing, let me summarize, to the best of my ability, what has been achieved. Cedric, feel free to interject any time you feel that something needs further clarification. Robert and Sandy, if you have a question, write it down; if I do not answer it during my briefing, I will be glad to answer it at the end.”
Before Huck could ask, Alice said, “Give me one moment and I will give everyone some paper and a pencil. I know Rose and I will also have some questions.”
Huck began. “Carl was recruited to be a member of a multinational team of six, one of whom was the team leader and a fellow American. The recruiter presented himself as a CIA agent. Carl was told that his skills as a former marine sniper were essential to the team. In that regard, there is conclusive evidence that Carl practiced his skills at several different firing ranges in Germany. Only those included in the planned mission were told of it, which was done on the day before the mission. All others were directed to return to their native countries. All were told that they would be returning to their home countries on German passports. Unknowingly to Carl, he was the only member of the team that attempted to leave Germany on a German passport.”
“He was framed,” interjected Robert.
“He was,” continued Huck. “But Carl’s real passport was found in a flowerpot on the victim’s terrace. According to the police, although circumstantial, the passport at the scene of the crime constitutes evidence that Carl was there. Now, although we cannot be sure how effective it will be, we have an eyewitness who has given written testimony that he saw two men, neither of whom fit Carl’s description in terms of height and build, at the house at the approximate time of the assassination. One of the men entered the victim’s residence through the patio door. The witness also heard a shot fired. When the man exited the house, he placed something in the flowerpot, but the witness cannot say that it was Carl’s passport. The thing you need to know about the witness is that he is a very pro-American Jew. The prosecutor would have a field day proving that he was not objective.”
Sandy could not contain herself. “But the evidence should at least create reasonable doubt as to Carl’s guilt.”
“Sandy, unfortunately, the German legal system is not one of trial by a jury of one’s peers, where reasonable doubt is a factor. Instead, it is a trial by five judges. Should Carl go to trial, those individuals will determine his guilt or innocence.
“Now as to what we have accomplished, in addition to locating an eyewitness, let me say that we have made significant progress. We apprehended three members of the six-man team. Carl is the fourth member of the team. They and their testimonies are in the hands of the police. We believe that we have uncovered, both in writing and in verbal recording, evidence as to the individual who hired the mastermind of the assassination. He is in another country, but I believe that because of the evidence we have provided to German law enforcement, Germany will initiate extradition proceedings to bring that man to justice.
“We now need to find a way to separate Carl’s case from the case against the assassination team. To do that, I think we need to locate either the person who actually did the assassination or the mastermind behind the mission. We believe that the killer is Asian and that he has returned to his home country, but we do not know where that is. The alternative is to locate the mastermind. All we know about him is that he boarded the same aircraft as Carl and that he was Carl’s seatmate to Germany. We do not know his nationality or his current location.”
Looking a bit depressed, Sandy asked, “Where does that leave us?”
“If we can separate Carl’s case from the other team members, the only charge he will face will be attempting to travel on a false passport. Should that be the only charge against him, the court could show leniency for a first-time offense and drop the charges.”
“Trust me when I say that you made the right decision in the attorney you selected for Carl
. Mr. Berger is working very hard to maximize the use of all the evidence we have uncovered to secure Carl’s release. Does anyone have any questions?”
Huck looked slowly at Sandy, Robert, Alice, and Rose. Only Rose spoke. “Do you believe that you and Cedric can locate either the Asian or the mastermind?”
Huck looked to Cedric. “What do you think, Cedric?”
Cedric replied, “I think we’ll know more after our meeting tomorrow. I hesitate to mention tomorrow’s meeting in fear that it will raise optimism, which could easily come crashing down. Regardless of how things go, you all can be assured that Huck and I are prepared to return to Germany to help Berger prepare the best defense possible for Carl.”
As Sandy choked back tears, Robert said, “Cedric, I greatly appreciate what you and Huck are prepared to do, but I don’t know how we will be able to pay you. Please do not incur any more expense on our behalf.”
Huck said, “Robert and Sandy, we are no longer helping for the money; we are helping to see that Carl receives justice.”
As Huck drove home that evening, Rose studied him for some time before she spoke. Lovingly she said, “Huck, tonight you made me so very proud. You are the most honorable man I have ever known. I have always known you to do the right thing, and tonight I am honored to say that you are the most perfect man for me. I am very confident that you and Cedric are doing and will continue to do everything in your power to secure justice for Carl Rouse.”
Chapter 49
At seven thirty the next morning, Huck entered his front door from his cooldown walk following his three-mile run. As he entered, he heard Rose call down from the top of the stairway. “How was your morning run?”
“Great. I needed it. When I miss my runs, I start feeling lethargic. Cedric and I have been so busy for the last several weeks that I was not been able to get one in.”
A Price for Balancing the Scales Page 24