by Joe Corso
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
John W stared at the manila folder lying on the desk in front of him as if it were too heavy to pick up. He looked at his men, then at the folder again, and then he reached down and picked it up. He hoped it contained the information that he needed. He opened the folder, took out the report, and began to read. “Yes!” he said, pumping his fist up and down. “This is exactly what I was hoping for. Did you have any problems with the police in Berlin?”
“No, Mr. Christo,” Lee said. “We visited their headquarters at 23 Linden Street and spoke to Chief Otto Froedrick, who was very co-operative. He showed us the letter he received from the reclusive billionaire, John Christo, asking for his co-operation in a small background matter. The chief was most cooperative and he assigned an attractive police officer to assist us, a Ms. Helga Borman. I have to tell you, boss, she was a knockout. I didn’t want her to find anything on Kleinst, at least not for a few days, but unfortunately for us and great for you, she found a load of information almost as soon as she started tapping the keys on her computer. She didn’t find any record of a Kleinst in her files, so I showed her a picture of him. She plugged it into her computer’s facial recognition program and bingo - up he popped. Only his name isn’t Kleinst, it’s Rutgar Keisel and he worked as a strong-arm man and a contract killer for the German mob. He protected drug dealers and made sure their deliveries weren’t impeded by a rival mob.”
Sweeney interjected, “Ms. Borman told us that he’s wanted for a string of murders, including that of a cop. The police were about to pick him up, but he simply disappeared from their radar. She told me that if we find him and bring him back to Germany, he’ll be tried for murder.”
Christo’s eyebrow rose. “This is interesting stuff, guys. Your girl just gave us the answer I was looking for. When we grab him, we’ll take him to her and she can handle it from there. Okay, go on.”
“After we had the information we needed, we decided to visit his old address, but Helga told us that the old section where he once lived had been torn down and was replaced with high rise apartments. She explained that the area used to be seedy but after the high risers were built, it became a very nice neighborhood. It was too bad though - I would have liked to see where he grew up. Since we couldn’t visit his childhood home, we decided that since there were two women mentioned in his file, the next best thing was to track them down and have a talk with them.
“One of the girls was a prostitute by the name of Brigitte Keinreck. Helga told us that the name ‘Brigitte’ means ‘Exalted One’ in German. I guess with a name like that, she picked the right profession. Anyway, she pressed charges against Kleinst for physical battery. It appears that he’s a nasty drunk, because he got drunk one night and kicked the shit out of her. And it wasn’t the first time he did it, but she was determined that it would be the last. She pressed charges against him, and had him arrested, then took him to court. As soon as she finished testifying, she left the witness stand, rushed out of the courthouse, and left town in a hurry. She didn’t leave a forwarding address, so we had no way of finding her. Helga fired up her computer and tried to find her parents, but she discovered they were both dead.”
“What about the other girl?”
Jason opened his note pad and turned a few pages. “Here it is. Freida Ernst. Our pretty police officer, Helga, brought up Freida’s home address on her computer screen and printed it out for us. She pointed to the address and asked us if we knew how to get to there. We shook our heads, and to our delight, shapely Ms. Helga put on her uniform jacket and her hat and said she’d take us there.”
John W. smiled. “That must have been disappointing for you guys, not driving there yourselves. Instead, you had to put up with a beautiful police woman to drive you there.”
Lee smiled. “Of course, we would much rather have driven there ourselves but, well, you know, we didn’t want to offend the chief now, did we?”
“No I guess not,” John said, smiling. “But do go on.” His smile grew wider.
“Jeez, John, you look like the Cheshire Cat with all those teeth showing.”
“All right, I’ll wipe the smile from my face,” he said kiddingly. “Now tell me what happened when you got there.”
Jason skimmed through his notes. “She wasn’t there, but her landlady told us where she worked. So, Helga drove us there, to a large Blockbuster-type store that sold and rented movies and computer games. Freida was the day manager and when we inquired, a young clerk pointed to her office. She was a little surprised to see two strange men and a police officer enter her office and she wondered what we wanted. Helga handed her a file photo of Rutgar Kleinst, which she studied for a moment. She said, ‘This is an old picture of Rutgar. Where did you get it?’ Helga told her it was from his police file. ‘What has he done now? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. He’s been out of my life for a long time now and I don’t want to be reminded of him.’ Helga insisted, ‘I’m afraid we must ask you some questions and you must answer them. Give us five minutes of your time and we will leave.’ Freida shook her head. ’I don’t want to get involved with that man ever again. And I won’t answer any of your questions. Do you think I’m mad? I don’t want to worry about that man coming back to Germany to look for me. I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.’ Helga was polite but firm. ‘Please. It would be better to answer our questions here in the privacy of your office where we wouldn’t take up much of your time. But, if you do not cooperate and you give us a hard time, then we will finish asking our questions at police headquarters where it will take much longer and be a lot more unpleasant for you. Which is it to be?’ Poor Freida didn’t want any part of this, but she knew she didn’t have much choice in the matter. And she preferred to answer their questions here in her nice air-conditioned office than down at that dreary unpleasant police headquarters. She’d been there once to bail Rutgar out, and she swore that she never wanted to visit that place again.
“‘All right,’ she said, ‘Ask your questions.’ She talked for twenty minutes, telling us about his friends and what he did for a living. ‘I found out quite by accident what he did for these men. I overheard him talking to someone on the telephone and while he spoke low and tried not to say much on the phone, I understood what was said and I became frightened. I stopped seeing him. He had no idea that I discovered what kind of man he was and he called me frequently, but I wouldn’t talk to him.’”
Sweeney asked her when she saw Rutgar last. “‘About four years ago. He was questioned by the police for the murder of two men, but he had an alibi. It was contrived of course, but Rutgar got away with it. But it became difficult for him to remain in Berlin. They knew he murdered two men, and they were looking for a reason to arrest him. The police had been following a drug dealer, because an informer told them a large amount of drugs would shortly be delivered, but they didn’t know when or where. They continued to follow Rutgar, figuring he’d lead them to the drugs, and that’s when he made a mistake. He was taken so completely by surprise that he was almost captured. He shot his way out, killing a policeman. He had to leave town fast, so he fled to America and sold his services to the highest bidder.’
“‘How do you know that?’ Helga asked.
“‘Because I knew that is what he did here. Killing was all he knew so why would it be different in another country? He is a charming man when he wants to be but he is very dangerous all of the time. Be careful. Because if you intend to arrest him, and if you are not careful, he will kill you like a dog. Well that is all I can tell you. Do you have any more questions?’”
John W scanned through his file. There were many murders that pointed to Kleinst, but they were attributed to Keisel and couldn’t be proven. He was arrested once on suspicion of murder, but wasn’t convicted because witnesses somehow never testified against him; they just seemed to disappear. Hmm, so how can we use what’s in this file against him? he thought. He dropped the file on his desk and pondered his next move. It was i
mportant that he be right the first time. If Kleinst ever got a whiff that he was being set up he’d bolt in a heartbeat - and once he was gone he would be difficult, if not impossible, to find. Rutgar was an expert in disappearing. He was so good at disappearing, he could have given a college course on the subject. John W knew that Rutgar was the one with whom he’d have to be extra careful. He knew with the other two he could use their weaknesses against them, but Rutgar was different. He was a hunter and he knew the signs of another of hunter, especially if that hunter considered him prey and was hunting him. Rutgar was a smooth operator who was always suspicious of everyone he met. He trusted his instincts, and he always looked over his shoulder. He was an expert at spotting a tail and he could spot one a mile away but he did it surreptitiously so no one could tell he was checking to see if he was being followed. John W nodded in acknowledgement of this man’s superb abilities as a clandestine operative. It didn’t matter, though. He’d get him no matter how good he was. He was still a man, albeit a strong man, but a man nonetheless - and every man had a weakness. He picked up his file again, and glanced through the pages. Kleinst was playing it close to the vest. He had a good thing going in Jack McCormack. He was making a good buck, and he wasn’t straying far from McCormack, except for his little forays, visiting his favorite prostitutes, which were his one weakness, and the only constant in his behavior. That was his recreational constant in Berlin and it was the same here, because as smart as he was, he never thought of his bordello visits as a risk.
John W pressed his intercom. “Have Angelo report to my office.” Then he thought of something else and pressed the intercom again. “Monica, call Jason Sweeney and tell him I’d like to see him as soon as possible.”
Angelo knocked once, opened the door, and walked in and took a seat. “What’s up, boss?”
“Can you get away for a little while?”
“Sure, I have no family to speak of. A sister in New Jersey, but that’s it. Why?”
“I’d like you to come to Arizona with me. I’m going to buy a building in Phoenix and I’ll need a car, so while we’re there, I want you to buy one for me and we’ll and keep it there. This way, we’ll have something to drive around in whenever we visit Phoenix. I’ll talk to Bill Hayes and I’ll have him check on office buildings for me. Maybe if I ask him, he’ll come in with us. We’ll see. For now, pack a bag and be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. Go down to Valentino Maximus on Spring Street and buy yourself three new suits, some shirts, shoes, and ties. I’ll call down there and tell them you’re coming. They’ll know what to give you. Keep your cell phone on in case I need to talk to you.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
“No, that’s all for now.”
An hour later, Sweeney walked in. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Christo?”
“Yes, Jason. I need you to fly out to Arizona and do something for me, and it’s important that you start right away. The meter will start running when you leave this office today. Now, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to buy yourself a western outfit; boots, cowboy hat, western shirt, jacket, and anything else you need that will make you look like a local. Bring me the bill and I’ll pick up your expenses, including whatever clothes you have to buy. Don’t over dress. You have to look as if you belong there. I don’t want anyone to think you’re a dude, and I don’t want you to stand out as a New Yorker. Either way, you’d be spotted immediately. Dress like a local, and then follow Rutgar Kleinst wherever he goes. I’m only interested in the houses of prostitution he visits. Follow him, and take notice if he visits a particular house more frequently than the others. Once you know his favorite house, then find out who his favorite girl is in that house. Get her name and find out where she lives. Once you have that information, call me and I’ll fly to Phoenix on the first plane out. Any questions?”
“Mr. Christo, this could take a month or more. Are you sure you want me to stay that long?”
“Do the job, Sweeney. That’s what I’m paying you for. Get me a name and an address. Then I’ll fly there, and we’ll conclude this business.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Three weeks later, Sweeney called. “I have a name for you, Mr. Christo.” Sweeney was always formal when he spoke to John W because business was business. He was being generously paid by Mr. John Christo and he would treat him with the respect he deserved. So it was always “Mr. Christo” whenever he addressed him.
“He sees a lot of women, but he favors one more than the others. Her name is Jane Spotta and she works as a prostitute for a Madam Sophia who runs a fancy sporting house on the outskirts of Phoenix, heading toward the desert. Rutgar Kleinst is a busy man. Or I should say he’s a ‘horny’ man with a very large libido. Anyway, she’s the one you want to talk to and don’t tell me why you have to talk to her, because what I don’t know won’t hurt me.”
John laughed. “Relax, Jason. Nothing bad is going to happen. I’m just going to take him down a peg. You know, teach him a little humility. God knows he needs it. Good job. Send me your bill and I’ll cut you a check.”
Jason was silent a moment. “Look, I’m going to stick around until this is over. Don’t worry about paying me for my time. It’s on me. You may need me and besides, I’m kind of interested in how this plays out.”
“I’ll talk to you when I get there, but when I tell you what my plans are, you may not want to stay and help me. Besides, you may not have any say in the matter. I may surprise you and insist that you go home.”
Jason laughed. “Let’s talk about that when you get here. When can I expect you?”
“I’ll have my secretary book us a flight for tomorrow morning, and I’ll call you back with the details.”
“Good I’ll wait to hear from you.”
The Arizona Biltmore is a Waldorf Astoria hotel and is located at 2400 East Missouri Avenue, in Phoenix. John W had his secretary, Monica, book four rooms for an undetermined stay. Everyone had heard of John Christo, the mysterious, reclusive young billionaire, and the staff was excited to have a man of his stature stay at their hotel. Of course, celebrities were not uncommon at their hotel, but even they were curious and wanted to know if he was handsome or homely, and what sort of man he was. Everyone wanted to get a peek at him, so it was with nervous trepidation that the hotel manager, Mr. Arthur Crumb, waited at the entrance with four bell hops to take Mr. Christo’s luggage to his room, as soon as he stepped out of his limousine. A few minutes later, a black stretch limousine pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel. The driver got out of the car and opened the car door. By this time, a crowd had gathered wondering, who would step out of the car. Most knew the billionaire was expected but many of the onlookers thought that maybe they’d have the good fortune to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They were disappointed to see three regular looking men in beautiful suits step out of the limo one at a time. The fourth man stepped out, wearing a Brioni $6000.00 black pinstriped suit with an Italian white silk shirt, lavender Italian silk tie, and a lavender silk pocket hanky. The lights of the hotel reflected off his thick slicked-black hair that he combed back like a movie star of the twenties. So this was the mysterious billionaire that everyone was talking about, some in the crowd murmured. Every magazine and newspaper tried to have an interview with him, but he politely refused all interviews. Mr. Crumb rushed over and greeted him effusively, telling him that he when he realized who he was, he switched the room he booked, to the penthouse suite, of course at no extra cost to him. John W played the part of the billionaire to perfection. He was humble in an arrogant sort of way, but it was becoming on him. He acknowledged and smiled at everyone as a king or prince would to his subjects. The girls behind the reception desk strained to get a better look at the young man and when he noticed them, he smiled and waved to them.
Lee leaned over and whispered to him. “You’re quite the celebrity. Everyone wants to get a look at you.”
John nodded. “They’re curious, that’s all. I’ve been getting a lo
t of publicity lately and since I don’t give interviews, people suddenly want to know more about me. I told you my background. I’m a simple guy who is living a complicated life, and I don’t like it. Lee, you’ve hooked your star to me. Whatever I do when this is over, you’ll be a part of it. Can you live with that?”
“Are you kidding? I was going nowhere when you first came to my house. Now I have a future and I’m living like I’m a millionaire. I’ve become somewhat of a mystery myself because of my closeness to you. Are you kidding, sure I can live with that.”
“Good because we’ve got more work to do before we can relax and have some fun.” They spoke in whispers until they were in the penthouse.
“Angelo, I want you to buy us a car tomorrow. Make it a large car like a Lincoln Town car or a Navigator, like the one you bought up north. Yeah, let’s buy another Navigator. I like that car and it’s large enough for all of us to fit in comfortably.”
Angelo excused himself and walked to the phone on the other side of the room. He scanned through the phone book and found a Ford dealer. He spoke to a salesman for a few minutes, and then he rejoined the conversation.
John W looked around the living room to make sure the four of them were within shouting range. “Get close, guys. I want to bring you up to date on what I’m planning to do.” Lee, Angelo, and Jason sat on the leather couch and John W sat in his leather chair facing them. “Earlier, Jason gave me this file on Rutgar Kleinst,” John said, holding the folder up for all to see. “Every Tuesday and Thursday, he visits a brothel just outside Phoenix’s city limits. Sometimes he’ll visit on a weekend but not on a regular basis. We know for a fact, thanks to Jason, he goes to the whore house to visit a certain young lady.” John stopped what he was saying and put down the folder and his face took on a somber look. “I’m getting a little ahead of myself because I trust you guys. I’m talking to you from my heart or I wouldn’t be discussing any of this with you. We’re entering areas where loyalty is depended on, so if any of you betray my trust, you’ll wish you were never born.” When he said that, it struck fear in each of them. He looked at each of them for a reaction. There was none. His demeanor lightened and he was himself again. “Okay, here’s what I plan on doing.” John spent the next hour going over his plan. When he was finished, he looked at Jason. “Are you in?”