by Trevor Scott
“You jumped the gun, Gunter. I needed to know who our competition was. But more importantly, I found out that Johnson didn’t give us everything we needed. I won’t bore you with technical terms. Let’s just say Johnson failed to give us an important binding link. Without it, we’ll never know what makes the chip so fast or how to mass produce it.” He paused to take in a deep breath. “So, what have you come up with in the past few days?”
Gunter felt cornered and disturbed. “Plenty,” he said with a clenched jaw. “I’ve told you that I suspected Johnson was selling to another government or company. Now I’m sure it must be Hungary.”
“Why?”
“Because the last couple of days I’ve been trailed by a couple of Hungarian Intelligence agents.”
“How do you know them?”
“I’ve been in this game for a long time,” Gunter said brusquely. “You get to know the players. The problem I’m having, is why they’re following me.”
“Perhaps they saw you with Johnson.”
“Perhaps. I’m not really concerned if you aren’t. I can handle those two.”
The Bundenbach boss leaned back in his great chair and swiveled back and forth a few times before looking directly at Gunter again. “We have another problem with Jake Adams,” he said. “I’ve been told that Jake acquired the missing items we need.” The boss smiled and lifted his eyebrows. “Have you seen Jake lately?”
Gunter shifted in his chair uneasily. “Dropped from sight. He hasn’t shown up at Bitburg or any of our other locations. I don’t know...maybe he returned to America.”
The boss got up out of his high back chair and walked over to a large book shelf. He pulled out an old leather bound book, and turned to face Gunter. “Marx was wrong you know. History has proven that his Communist Manifesto was a baseless farce.”
The two men looked at each other for a minute, and then the boss let out a slight laugh as he put the book back in its slot and returned to his chair.
“We need that data, Gunter,” the boss said, becoming more serious. “You must work your contacts harder. The country is going through some growing pains. I want to be on the leading edge of technology when we get stronger. We’ve let too many foreigners into this country to work in our factories. We’ll pay for that later, but for now we’ll use them as cheap labor to build our products.” He paused to considered something. “What have you promised your contacts in Berlin?”
“Just what you told me to promise.”
“Are the leaders loyal?”
“Loyal? Yes. Trusting? Now that’s another point,” Gunter said. “As you know, they have a hard time believing anything they’re told. But some of them are relatives, and those believe.”
“Finding very few jobs should help our cause. And as I’ve told you I don’t want Turks or Kurds. They work hard, but there will be too much conflict at the plant. We don’t need that standing in our way. Better to use Poles, Czechs or those from the former Yugoslavia. And no Russians. They drink too much. Never show up to work.”
“I’ll make sure that my friends in the government make it difficult for the them to find jobs,” Gunter said with a smile. “They’ll beg us for work.”
“Good. Get me more.”
Gunter eased back into his chair and finally let his muscles relax. He tried to digest what his boss had just told him. How did he know that Jake Adams had his missing items? He’d find out. Gunter stood up slowly, nodded goodbye, and then left the office.
24
AUTOBAHN 61, GERMANY
A warm dry breeze out of the southwest had made the early morning seem more like May than January. But Jake wasn’t complaining. The continuous cold, damp and clammy weather that he had experienced since coming back to Germany, and that he had often complained about when he lived there, could forever refrain from spoiling his days.
Driving along at over two hundred and twenty kilometers per hour was much safer with dry weather as well. Heading southeast on Autobahn 61 from Bonn to Frankfurt had always seemed to bring rain, snow or fog in the past. A clear sunny day with a warm breeze was more than Jake could have expected, but he appreciated the change nonetheless.
As he passed the Koblenz exit, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for Charlie Johnson. Herb had described the murder repeatedly over the past few days, and the morbidity and inhumanity of the act seemed to intensify over time instead of becoming more detached. How could anyone commit such a horrendous crime?
Traffic on the Autobahn consisted mostly of weekend shoppers probably heading to Mainz or Frankfurt, Jake thought. The lack of slow trucks climbing the steep hills of the Idarwald made driving that magnificent highway even more enjoyable than the weather.
The fast speeds make it difficult to think of anything more than mere survival. His tense hands grasped the steering wheel. He frequently looked to the rear view mirror to ensure that nobody was trying to drive faster, and attempting to make him a hood ornament for their Mercedes. But then Jake would catch himself staring at nothing for a dangerous instant, distracted by thoughts of his conversation with Milt. He was hesitant to call Toni Contardo, but knew he needed her. His experiences in Italy weren’t extensive. Toni had always been a welcome and willing guide. They had been a great team, Jake thought.
Jake took the next exit, slowing the Audi down and coming to a stop in front of an Autobahn gas station. He got out and went directly to a yellow phone booth outside a small vending area. Hopefully, Toni still lived in the same place. It had been almost a year and a half since he used the number that was still ingrained in his mind for the long term. He didn’t have her cell number.
She’s probably not home, he thought. After all, it’s Saturday. The phone clicked on the other end.
“Si, Contardo,” said a man on the other end.
Jake hesitated for a moment. English or Italian, he thought. “Pronto, sono il Signor Adagio. Vorrei parlare Sinorina Contardo, per favore,” Jake said.
In a few seconds Toni answered. “Pronto,” Toni said formally.
“Toni, can you speak freely?” Jake asked.
“Jake,” she said serenely. “Where are you?”
“I can’t explain right now. Please listen. I need to call you secure in one hour. Can you make it to the office that quickly?”
“I still have the Alfa Romeo,” she said. “I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Toni. Ciao.”
“Ciao,” she said softly and hung up.
Jake hung up the receiver and walked back to his car slowly. It had been far too long. Now he knew he needed to see Toni for professional and personal reasons.
He got into his car, closed the door and put on his sun glasses. It’s time for a new car, he thought. Something more Italian. He cranked over the Audi and pulled out slowly through the parking lot, and then, entering the short ramp to the Autobahn, picked up speed quickly until the car was traveling well over a hundred miles per hour.
After half an hour, he pulled into the alley behind Walter Kaiser’s house and drove slowly to a parking space next to a white stucco garage.
Jake knew that Edeltrud and little Jakob would probably be off shopping in Mainz or at the vegetable market in Wiesbaden, so he and Walt would be alone.
After the third attempt at knocking on the large wooden back door, Walt finally came and opened it. He looked surprised, yet relieved to see him.
“Jake, come in,” he said.
Knowing his way around the house, Jake went directly to a large plush chair in the den, sat down, and placed his briefcase next to the chair. Walt followed him and appeared anxious to start the conversation.
Jake didn’t give him a chance. “I’ve talked with Milt Swenson, and he said you called him,” Jake said.
Walt sat in a high back leather chair just to Jake’s right. “Yes. We found Charlie Johnson. He was the guy you were hired to find?”
“Right. In fact I know who killed him. Gunter Schecht and his buddies knocked him over the head with a tire iron or
something and dumped him into the Rhine at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz over a week ago.”
Walt had a puzzled look on his face. “Isn’t that the guy whose license plate I ran for you last week? How do you know he did this?” Walt asked.
“A German customs agent named Herbert Kline saw the whole thing. I found out just a few days ago, but couldn’t tell you about it without a body. Anyway, I just found out from Milt that the body was found and you were investigating Charlie’s murder. So here I am.”
“An eye witness for my first murder,” Walt said. “I couldn’t ask for more than that. But, why did Gunter kill Charlie? What was the motive?”
“That’s the whole reason I’m here, Walt. I was hired by Teredata to find Charlie Johnson. Milt Swenson thought he might be selling some high tech hardware. I’m sure Charlie Johnson was selling to Gunter for a company in Bonn named Bundenbach Electronics. You ever hear of them?”
“Of course. There’s been stories in the German press that Bundenbach is making some great breakthroughs in technology,” Walt said.
Jake ran his hands through his hair and then looked into Walt’s eyes. “The only breakthroughs they’ve made recently has been through Charlie’s skull. I’ve looked into the company over the past week. They fired most of their research and development department. It seems easier for them to just buy and steal the technology.”
“It’s hard to believe that a company would have a man killed,” Walt said.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” Jake started. “I know Gunter Schecht from when I used to work in Germany.”
Walt just sat in his chair with a puzzled stare.
“You knew I was in the Air Force for three years here before moving on to a private company? In fact, we met just after I got out of the Air Force. Well, I didn’t take a job with a private company, I started working for the CIA. It’s no big secret now that I resigned. It’s just that I feel so bad having to keep a secret from you and Edeltrud for so long. It was for your own good, and of course, the integrity of the assignments I was working. I couldn’t compromise my position. I hope you understand.”
Walt scratched his unshaved face. “So, is that how you know so much about electronics and computers?”
“Actually, that’s the reason the CIA hired me. That and the fact that I knew Germany,” Jake said. “You don’t seem surprised?”
“Truthfully, Jake. Edeltrud and I wondered about all the trips you took. We couldn’t figure out why your company would need you to travel so often. But we didn’t suspect the CIA.”
“Walt, I need another favor. I need to make a phone call.”
“No problem. You can use the phone on my desk,” Walt said, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder.
Pulling the briefcase from the side of the chair and placing it on his lap, Jake punched in the combination to the dual locks. The case flipped open with the push of one thumb and pull from the other.
“What in the hell is that, Jake? Isn’t my phone good enough?” he said smiling.
“Of course. But I need to make a secure call,” Jake said.
“Are you sure you left the CIA?”
“Yes.”
After a few minutes, the phone was hitched up and ready to go secure. It was old technology now, almost ready for the CIA museum, but would still work as advertised. Jake checked his watch. It was about two minutes past the hour mark when he was to call Toni. She’d love this, he thought.
Jake watched the LCD screen as he punched in the number to Toni’s office in the American Embassy in Rome.
“Ciao,” Toni answered.
“Ciao,” Jake returned. “Don’t say it. I’m two minutes late.”
“It’s always better to come late than early,” Toni said softly.
Jake smiled. “Can’t beat that argument.”
“I see that you’re calling from Germany,” Toni said. “What are you doing there?”
“I’m here on business,” Jake said, glancing at Walt.
Walt got up and headed toward the door. Jake gave him a thumbs up and a smile.
“You left the Agency. Who are you working for now?”
Jake thought for a moment, wondering how much to tell her at first. It wasn’t a matter of trust, but more of a professional courtesy.
“Can you tell me anything about a technology transfer from an A-7 retrofit aboard the aircraft carrier Roosevelt?” Jake asked.
From the silence on the other end of the line, Jake already had his answer.
“Jake, how in the hell do you find out about things like this?”
“If you remember Monaco, Toni, I’ve always been lucky.” Jake paused for a moment. “I need your help.”
“Jake, you know you can count on me,” she said seriously. “What do you need?”
“Well, I’m working privately for Teredata International Semiconductors, the same company that has had some of its stuff come up missing from that avionics upgrade to the A-7 that I assume you’re working on. TIS has some pretty important stuff missing up here on some of its contracts as well. I’ve been here a while now, but my boss wants me to go to Italy to see if I can plug that leak.”
“You’re always welcome here, Jake,” she said. “When are you coming?”
“I’ll be there by morning,” Jake said. “I’m not sure what time. It depends on if I run into any trouble along the way.”
Toni laughed out loud. “Trouble does have a tendency of following you around, Jake.”
“I’ve got to go, Toni,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you...it’s been far too long.”
“Yes, it has,” she said softly. “You should get a cell phone.”
They both hung up gently at the same time, he laughing about the cell phone jab. Maybe he should pick up a disposable cell phone.
Jake put the secure phone back in its case and quickly hitched up Walt’s phone as normal. He turned and looked into a small mirror above the coat hangers of a wooden umbrella rack. He looked so old. He took a deep breath and released the air slowly.
●
A harsh voice echoed through the marble corridor of the Wiesbaden Bahnhof terminal announcing the arrival of a train from Cologne. Jake looked at his watch; exactly noon. Damn thing’s on time, he thought. German efficiency.
Through a glass enclosure, Jake watched a portly man sorting Euros and punching buttons. Then a white ticket with holes popped up through a metal counter, was whisked by a chubby hand and flipped to the hole under the glass.
“Danke,” the man said as he looked at the woman in line behind Jake.
Jake looked at the ticket to ensure it was for a round trip to Bremerhaven, and then stuffed it into the inside pocket of his leather coat. While inside his coat, he slid his finger across the butt of his 9mm CZ-75 as if checking his wallet to ensure it hadn’t been pick pocketed.
He turned and walked down the long passageway with a high glass ceiling. His footsteps echoed in time with countless others. He stopped for a second to look at a schedule of departures and arrivals encased in a metal frame with glass front. He knew what the schedule said, but the glass was a near perfect mirror to check behind him. Gunter’s two men were still there, stopped when he had, less than twenty paces behind him. Gunter was still nowhere in sight. Jake had caught them looking over Walt Kaiser’s house and led them here.
Jake waited for the last call for the train to Bremerhaven, and then slowly boarded up the metal stairs. Once inside, he slipped through from car to car looking for a seat in the crowded compartments. He couldn’t see his two pursuers, but he knew they were there.
When he reached the second to the last car from the engine, he quickly dropped out of the train and onto the dock before descending the stairs that led to an underground passageway beneath the tracks. He heard the train slowly pulling away above him.
Once outside, he jumped into the first cab and directed the driver to Mainz Centrum. After he got there, he found the first downtown bank machine and withdrew money from
his Luxembourg account. Then he caught another cab and went to a car rental outlet just outside the Frankfurt International Airport. Jake paid cash for a Fiat using false identification. In the parking lot, he swapped some of his gear from the Audi he had been driving for the last couple of days, and then slowly drove out onto the Autobahn and started driving south. He would have to set a fast pace to make Rome by morning.
25
BONN, GERMANY
The charcoal gray Mercedes pulled up slowly next to the curb, stopped, and the headlights went out. In a few minutes, a dark blue Fiat van pulled up behind the Mercedes and parked. Two men got out of the van, hesitated, and then proceeded to the driver’s window of the Mercedes. The driver’s power window came down slowly.
Parked down the road and obscured by bushes, Herbert Kline lifted a small parabolic microphone from the passenger seat of his car and aimed it through his open window toward the men at the side of the Mercedes. He adjusted the volume on his headset to bring in the conversation at over a hundred meters.
“We ran into a problem,” said the Fiat driver.
“Obviously,” Gunter said. “If things had gone as planned you wouldn’t be here now. You’d be trailing Jake like I told you. How did he lose you?”
The men looked at each other. The thinner man was content with letting the large driver explain their failure. “He bought a round trip train ticket for Bremerhaven at the Wiesbaden bahnhof and then....”
“Wait, let me guess,” Gunter interrupted. “By the time you looked for him and realized that he wasn’t on the train, you two were half way to Denmark.”
Herb couldn’t help himself. He started laughing so hard the microphone wouldn’t stay put long enough to bring in the conversation. When he realized he could be missing something important, he held his breath long enough to settle down.
“Where could he be?” Gunter asked.
The men shrugged their shoulders.
“Shit. Do I have to do all the Goddamn thinking around here? Where was he when you last saw him?”
“The train,” said the thinner man finally.