by Trevor Scott
“Damn it.” Jake slapped his phone shut and said to Anna, “Weather must be messing with the signal.”
“Could be,” Anna said. “Cell service is tough in Zell am See anyway. It’s quite the bowl.”
What was Toni trying to tell Jake? He’d only be able to wonder now. . .at least until he could get cell service again or find her at a hard line.
Moments later they got to town and Anna parked in front of a restaurant.
“I could use a beer after that drive,” she said.
Jake ran his hand along her face. “Your eyes are red. Too much stimulation.”
She leaned her face to his hand. “We can use our mountain chalet tonight. We’ll have to start a fire, though. But first a beer.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They got out and went into the restaurant.
21
Later that night, Jake and Anna arrived at her family chalet a few kilometers out of Zell am See. The snow had not let up, so Jake’s bearings were way off. He had no idea how Anna even knew where she was going, and wondered if the Audi’s Quattro traction would plow through that much accumulation.
Anna had told him that the chalet was a small wooden structure with a loft and a balcony off of that. It was dark now, but as they drove up to the house the headlights allowed Jake to see more than a foot of fresh snow on the roof, the porch and the deck.
Now Jake held a flashlight for Anna as she opened the thick wooden door.
She flicked on a light and glanced about the place. There was one main room, a kitchen at the back wall, a fireplace to the right, and a wooden staircase that led to the loft. The floors were wood, the walls wood with a few stag antlers, and the place was sparsely decorated. A sofa covered with a wool army blanket sat in front of the fireplace, and a table with four chairs divided the kitchen from the living room area. Three sets of cross country skis sat prominently on a rack on the wall across from the fireplace, boots lined up at attention on the floor below them.
“How about I start a fire and you get the gear from the car.” She handed him a shovel. “Might want to make a path.” Then she turned on a porch light that would make that much easier for him.
It took Jake a half hour to shovel off the deck, the steps, and then haul in their bags. When he came through the door with the last load, the room was already getting warm. Anna’s fire in the stone fireplace was roaring, and she was standing in front of it, her hands extended out to the warmth.
“So this place was your grandfather’s?” Jake asked her, taking a place to her right.
“Yeah. He built it before the Second World War. He was called to service in the German Army. He had served as an officer in the Austrian Army.”
“He didn’t have much of a choice, I’d guess.”
She set her head against his shoulder. “Not really. My grandmother came here with my father, who was sixteen at the time, to. . .hide. They would have taken him too. I think my grandfather made a deal. Take me, but leave my son alone.”
“Did he. . .”
“He was killed in Russia.”
Jake put his left arm around her.
“We should have enough wood for a couple of days,” she said. “But then we should be leaving tomorrow anyway.” Her disposition had changed to near dispassion.
“What’s the matter?”
Raising her eyes to his, she said, “I don’t know. Is it always like this?”
“You mean knowing you’ll be in danger the next day?”
Her head nodded slightly.
“It’s okay to be afraid,” he said. “I’d be really worried if you weren’t apprehensive. That leads to recklessness.”
“What about you,” she whispered.
He let out a deep breath. “I’ve been in the game a long time. But I’m not afraid to die. I’m afraid I might do something stupid and get someone else hurt, though.”
She smiled. “I can handle myself.”
“I know. But when the bullets start flying, shit happens. It’s almost easier if you don’t know it’s coming and you just react.”
“Like in Budapest?”
“Right.”
Suddenly, the door burst open with a gust of wind and snow. Jake had his CZ-75 out and pointed at the entrance in a second. Standing there, his eyes wide and his mouth open, was a man of perhaps twenty-five. Jake’s height and size. He looked like he was going to piss his pants.
“Holgar,” Anna said, grabbing Jake’s arm. “It’s my brother.”
Jake slowly returned his gun to its holster under his left arm. “Sorry,” Jake said to no one in particular.
Anna rushed to her brother and embraced him. “How are you?”
“What’s with the gun?” The brother asked Anna in German. “And who is this guy? One of your Interpol friends?”
She introduced Jake to her brother, they shook hands, and then they took seats at the table.
Holgar was unsure of Jake, that was obvious. “Anna didn’t mention a brother,” Jake said.
“She didn’t mention you either,” he said.
Anna got up and said, “I sure hope dad left some schnapps up here.” She found a bottle in a kitchen cabinet, half full, and three shot glasses, which she wiped out. Sitting back down, she poured the three glasses.
“How’d you know we were here?” Anna asked him and then picked up her glass and sipped the schnapps.
Holgar sucked down his glass of schnapps. When he recovered, he said, “Saw the lights.”
“He lives out by the road,” Anna said to Jake.
Jake nodded and then downed his schnapps. She followed him and then coughed once.
“I didn’t know you were coming home,” Holgar said.
“I’m just here for the night. Would it be all right if Jake borrowed a pair of your cross country skis?”
“No problem.”
“Good.” Her eyes shot toward Jake as she refilled the glasses, and then settled on her brother. “We’re tracking a low-level drug smuggler. Heard he was going to be skiing in Kitzbuhel tomorrow. Also heard he can barely stand up on skis. We’ll use that to our advantage.”
Holgar nodded and then finished his second glass of schnapps.
“How are the parents?” she asked her brother.
“In Innsbruck for a few days.”
“Jake’s from Innsbruck.”
The brother looked skeptically at Jake. “I thought he was American?”
“He is, but he runs a security consulting firm there.” She hesitated. “Interpol has asked for his help on this case.”
Jake jumped in. “It’s an honor to work for them.”
Looking deep into his empty glass, Holgar said, “I better get back. Julia might be worried.” He got up and extended his hand to Jake. They shook and he left without further acknowledgment of Anna, the brother sliding out with a gust of wind.
“Tell me what just happened,” Jake said. “You two don’t get along?”
Anna wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s a long story.”
He waited for her, placing his hand on hers across the table.
She finally said, “Holgar was on the Austrian national hockey team before he was injured.”
“The limp?”
“Yeah. He crashed into the boards during a game leading up to the Olympics. Paralyzed him for a while. He eventually recovered, but he was left with the limp and shattered dreams. Even the army wouldn’t take him.”
“He resents you for going to two Olympics?”
“Something like that.”
“What’s he do now?”
“Teaches cross country skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. Also works as a waiter in Kaprun. His wife is a school teacher. Can we change the subject?” Anna got up and added another log to the fire.
“We should check out our gear,” Jake said. “On the drive you mentioned you kept your competition rifles here.”
She nodded her head to follow, and the two of them went up into the loft.
There was a feather bed there, a dresser with a mirror, and a door leading out to a deck. The bathroom was in one corner. Anna went to one wall, moved a small table to the side and hit her hand against the wooden boards. A hidden door opened part way and she pulled it the rest of the way.
“Still have that little flashlight?” she asked him.
He handed her his mini-mag light and she turned it on. She pulled out three padded gun cases and then a plastic box with a front clasp. Moments later she had the first gun out, her hands moving along the stock, and then she put it into shooting position. She was a natural, Jake could tell.
They sat on a wool rug in the center of the loft.
“Anshutz eighteen-twenty-seven Fortner Biathlon,” Jake said. “Twenty-two caliber.”
She looked surprised. “You know your weapons.”
“I’m a fan of the shooting sports. What kind of rounds you use?”
Handing Jake the rifle, she opened the box, revealing containers of .22 caliber bullets. “Standard long rifle, but with a thirty grain poly-coated tip, and hot loaded by a local man. More than two thousand feet per second.”
Jake picked up one of the little bullets. “I’ve heard of these. The coating improves velocity and accuracy?”
She smiled. “Yes. They’re super. The coating also has an added benefit—deeper penetration.”
“Everyone likes deeper penetration.”
She hit him in the arm. “Very funny.”
“Hey, with all this weaponry, I’m getting a little turned on.” He handed her the rifle and she set it on the open gun case.
She crawled over to him and kissed him on the lips, lingering for a long time. He fell back, bringing her with him onto his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
●
Kurt and Toni had found a gasthaus on the edge of St. Johann, a short distance from Conrad’s expansive compound. It was a small room on the top floor of a three-story place, a restaurant and bar taking up the entire first floor. They had grabbed a quick bite to eat and a couple of beers before retreating to their room.
Toni had called in their situation to the regional Agency honcho in Berlin and asked for support from that office. But they could not afford to send anyone, they had said, because of an operation in the Netherlands. Most of their personnel were on temporary duty there.
On his computer again at a small desk, Kurt pulled up the most recent information on Conrad’s castle. “Conrad had the place renovated two years ago,” Kurt said. “Put it back to its original monastery configuration, with a few modifications.”
Laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling, Toni shifted to her side and said, “Like what?”
“Opulent shit mostly,” he said. “But also some heavy duty security features. We’ve already seen the gate and the cameras. But he also added motion sensors.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad,” she said, rolling to her back again.
“Yeah, but assuming full coverage, and the number of goons there, this could get kinda intense.”
Even more reason to get Jake involved, she thought. “Would you send the plans to Jake by e-mail?”
“Sure.” Seconds later it was done. “We going to coordinate our efforts with him and that Interpol chick?”
“What you think?” She sat up on the edge of the bed now. “If she decides to call in her Interpol friends, they could fuck things up royally.”
“But what if we don’t coordinate, and Jake and the girl go in before us? They wouldn’t have a chance against all those guys.”
She clenched her jaw. “Listen, sailor boy. Last time I looked, you still worked for me. We do it my way or you can head back out to sea.”
“That’s bullshit!”
Flopping back onto the bed, she said, “I won’t hang Jake out to dry. I think you know me better than that. We won’t move for at least twenty-four hours. First, we need to see what they’re up to.”
●
At Marienburg Castle, Hermann Conrad and Alexandra had shown up after the long drive through the blizzard. He was tired from the drive and she was in total awe of the splendor of the place.
Now, Conrad sat on the large canopy bed in his master suite watching Alexandra meticulously put away the clothes in the dresser and the hang-up items in an oak shrank.
“I like watching you do that,” Conrad said.
She turned to him, her hands on her hips. “You’d like it better with a maid outfit. Sorry, but I didn’t bring it with me.”
“I’ll bet you have one. Would you like a bite to eat? I could have our chef make you something.”
Rubbing her flat stomach, she said, “That would be wonderful. Just a snack, though. I don’t have to eat with those men.” Her eyes shifted toward the door.
Conrad got up from the bed and gave her a big hug, before backing up, her arms in his hands. “No. Not at all. At least not tonight. We do have a big meal scheduled for tomorrow night, though.” He thought at that moment about Altenstein and Albrecht, each in other rooms just down the hall.
“I understand,” she said. “But I saw guns.”
“Security. Austria has changed, Alexandra. There are those who would like what I have by any means. We have to be prepared.”
“But I don’t like guns. Growing up in Soviet Union, there were soldiers everywhere.”
“I understand.” He let her arms go and went to the door. “I’ll have the chef prepare something.” He left and went to the hallway.
At the end of the hallway, Miko Krupjak stood, an Uzi in his right hand at his side. Conrad told him to call down to the chef to prepare something for Alexandra, a snack, and deliver it to his room, which the man did with a walkie-talkie.
“Now,” Conrad said, “let’s see what Albrecht has to say.”
Miko unlocked the grand master’s door and went in first, pointing his gun at Albrecht, who sat on the bed reading a book.
Conrad locked the door behind him and stared at the man. He had only met the grand master once, years ago, so he didn’t expect the man to recognize him.
“How are you doing?” Conrad said.
Albrecht put down the book. “Why are you keeping me here?”
“You mean, why are you still alive.”
“I can’t imagine why you want to kill me,” Albrecht said. “What have I done to you?”
Conrad smiled. “There can only be one grand master, and this Order is hollow and ineffectual. The Order used to stand for something, but now it’s all about charity and education. Do I have to tell you what the Teutonic Knights accomplished in their day? Europe is changing and the changes are not positive. It is time, again, for the Knights to rise up and push back those who are not like us.” Conrad went on and on about the changing face of Europe and how they would bring it back to its past.
Albrecht’s eyes were wide now, his jaw tight, and his mind obviously trying to come to grips with Conrad’s words. “You can’t be serious. Are you saying this is some kind of Crusade for you?”
“I’m glad that doctorate of yours hasn’t gone to waste.” Conrad continued to explain why his way was the only way—certain that Albrecht was only partially listening.
●
Back in the master suite, Alexandra opened a window and felt the snow fall to her hand. She was the only woman in the house. That made her a bit concerned. She closed the window and quickly locked the door. Crossing the room, she found the window that overlooked the front of the castle. What a splendid place—a view of the mountains to the east from one side and from the other a view of the forest. Then she went over to her suitcase and pulled out her cell phone.
She heard a sound outside the door and quickly put the phone away. When the noise went away, she continued in her suitcase, going into an inner pouch and pulling out three tiny objects and a lapel pin. The pin she put on and the objects she put into her purse.
Satisfied, she went to the door and quietly unlocked it. Just as she did so, there was a quiet knock on the door. Her heart raced.
Settling down, she opened the door. “For me?” she said. It was an older man with a tray covered by a metal dome.
“Yes, ma’am. I am Rene.” His German had a French accent. He brought the tray in and set it on the dresser. “I could open a bottle of wine for you.”
“Thanks,” she said. “But I’ll wait for Hermann to see if he wants red or white.”
The man bowed his head and left.
Alone again, Alexandra started in on the food, a tray of meat and cheese and crackers.
The door opened suddenly and Conrad came in. “Good,” he said. “You got something to eat.” He went to the wet bar and opened her a bottle of Mosel Riesling, and then poured her a glass and brought it to her.
She took a drink, washing down a cracker. “Thank you. You want some?”
“No. I’ll be back in a moment. I have to speak with someone.”
Glancing at her purse on the bed, she said nothing as she watched him leave. Damn it. She filled herself with meat, cheese and wine.
22
The sun was on its way up over the eastern Tirol Alps. Jake glanced up the path toward Anna’s chalet, where the snow from the night before had filled in his shoveling with six more inches of snow—making it a foot and a half total. He was packing Anna’s car with the skis and her competition rifles when his cell phone rang. The clear skies must have helped the signal, Jake thought. He picked up, “Yeah.”
“Jake.” It was Kurt Lamar.
“What ya got?”
“Did you get the e-mail I sent you last night? Plans for Conrad’s castle.”
He looked around, remembering his laptop was in the back seat. “Haven’t checked my mail,” Jake said. “I can do it on the way to St. Johann. What’s the weather like up there?”
“Crappy. Well, I take that back. It was crappy last night. Looks like it will be sunny today. But the roads are a big mess.”
“We’ll be heading out soon. Anna has her Quattro. We should be all right. What’s up at Conrad’s place?”
There was a beeping in the background.
“What’s that?” Jake asked.
“Our GPS tracker just went off. Looks like Miko is on the move. Hang loose, they’ve gotta pass us. We’re right on the road to town.”