Johann smiled. “I did that as soon as we got here.” He slid his laptop across the table and opened it, bringing up saved files. “This is his house in Axams. In Austria, we must submit plans to the government for approval. They must meet style parameters, of course. Along with meeting environmental impact. Jakov Koprivica built his house on the edge of Axams five years ago. It is actually a main house and two smaller buildings. According to the plans, he said he would rent the other buildings for vacationers. Skiers in the winter and hikers and bikers in the summer.”
“Interesting. Is there any record of him actually doing so?”
“No. Not according to his taxes.”
“Then my guess is he’s using those other buildings to either store something or someone.”
“Perhaps migrants temporarily.”
“It’s possible.” She checked the time on her phone. “We need to rest for a while before heading there for the evening.”
“What do Americans call it? A stake out? We’ll need donuts and coffee.”
“Very funny, Johann. But this body is not fueled by donuts. We’ll need meat and water. Preferably jerky. Protein stops hunger.”
Johann ran his hand across the map and said, “If we sit on this road that leads up the mountain, we’ll have an unobstructed view of the house. I have binoculars.”
“Alright. As long as I have cell service in Axams, we can wait for my intel there. Let’s go. I’d like to get there before dark.”
While Johann packed up a few things in a bag, Sirena texted Jake to let him know her plan. She also relayed Johann’s concern about a possible leak at the Polizei. Of course, Jake had already suspected this possibility when he questioned Sabine Bauer’s motivation.
Just before heading out the door, Jake texted her back, saying he had just gotten to Interlaken.
21
Interlaken, Switzerland
The city of Interlaken sat in a small strip of land between two lakes, Lake Thun to the west and Lake Brienz to the east. Running through the city was the Aare River. Jake knew there were few cities in the world that could rival Interlaken for pure beauty. She was like a young girl in her prime, with perky breasts and a butt like that of an Olympic sprinter. Yeah, she was a sight to see. To truly enjoy her, though, one needed enough money for admission. Hotels were pricy. Real estate outrageous. Jake would live here if it weren’t for its over-the-top pomposity. Plus, he didn’t really get along with the wealthy, other than his Spanish benefactor, who had built his business from nothing.
Jake and Anica had gotten to Interlaken hours ago, and despite the proximity of this city to Innsbruck, she had never been to this mountain town of some 6,000 residents. She was immediately smitten.
They had checked into a nice old hotel in the center of the city, a block from Höheweg, where the swanky hotels sat. Jake wanted to stay away from the higher-end hotels, knowing Giovanni Caspari was staying just two blocks down Höheweg at a six-hundred dollar a night spa hotel.
Having knowledge of the location of Caspari had been important, but then Jake had found the man’s actual hotel and room number.
Now, comm units in their ears, Jake and Anica lingered in the lobby of the hotel where Caspari was staying. Jake was currently at a small bar with a view of the front desk, the concierge stand, and the front entrance, where a uniformed doorman did the job that a sensor and automatic door could do.
Anica was speaking with the concierge folks, flipping through brochures and generally flirting with a younger man.
“I think the man is gay, Anica,” Jake whispered into her ear through the comm.
She ignored him and continued asking about good restaurants.
Jake sipped on a Cuban rum and coke. They didn’t have a good, aged rum, so this was a compromise. Crap, he thought. Had he become one of those pompous assholes who stayed at hotels like this?
He turned his head for a second, and when he turned back toward the front entrance, he saw the two men in suits come out of the bank of elevators. They stuck out here for two reasons. First, their suits were off-the-rack and didn’t fit well. And second, Jake could see bulges where the men kept their weapons.
“Here we go,” Jake said. “Two men in suits. Wrap it up.”
Jake threw down enough money to cover his drink, with a marginal European tip, and then casually walked out toward the lobby. As he got closer to Anica, the target came out of the elevator with a younger woman on his arm.
Giovanni Caspari was a distinguished Italian man in his mid-fifties, his silver and black hair long and flowing nearly to his shoulders. His gray suit was as Italian as this man, and probably cost several thousand Euros.
Coming up behind Anica, Jake kissed her on the cheek and smiled. “Let’s go, dear,” he said softly in her ear.
She thanked the men, who looked extremely disappointed, and walked arm-in-arm with Jake toward the front door.
“We need to separate him from his muscle,” Jake said.
“How?”
Good question.
They lucked out. Instead of getting into a car to drive somewhere, Caspari and his date had decided to walk. Jake had banked on this, knowing that the hotel was within easy walking distance of dozens of great restaurants.
Caspari and the young woman strolled together, while the two security personnel kept pace at least ten steps behind them.
Jake and Anica fell in about a half a block back from them.
In a couple of blocks, Caspari and his entourage turned down Jungfraustrasse, the main pedestrian shopping district of Interlaken. Here, the street became narrower, and Jake knew the area well. He had been here many times in the summer and winter, where he had skied Grindelwald. Luckily, there was a bit of chill in the air and that might have kept some pedestrians at home, making it easier to keep track of Caspari.
“He’s going into the Bierhaus,” Anica said.
“Good,” Jake said. “We might be able to get in close to them. Remember, you’re my young girlfriend, but might be interested in something more Italian.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said.
“It’s just acting.”
She squeezed down on his arm as they entered the bar. Inside, the place was nearly packed to capacity. High copper ceilings had fans swirling, sucking smoke up from patrons. The two security men split up, one on each side of the room with a direct view of each other and Caspari and guest, who were at the end of the bar trying to get a drink.
A group of three women were about to vacate a table, so Jake asked if they could take it.
“Hang onto this table,” Jake said to Anica. “I’ll get us a couple of beers.”
Jake nuzzled in behind Caspari and his girlfriend, listening to them speak in Italian.
“This is crazy,” Jake said in German.
Caspari turned to Jake and said, “This is Friday night at the Bierhaus.” His German was nearly flawless.
The young woman with Caspari glanced at Jake nervously.
Jake said, “Who do you have to kill to get a beer?”
Caspari laughed. “That is what I was thinking.”
Jake looked back at Anica and gave her a thumbs-up. “At least we got a table.”
“Is that your wife?” Caspari asked.
“No. Girlfriend.”
“Lovely.”
“We are both blessed,” Jake said, smiling and glancing at Caspari’s guest.
“German?” Caspari asked.
“Austrian.” Jake reached his hand out and said, “Karl Konrad.”
“Italian,” Caspari said, shaking Jake’s hand. “Giovanni Caspari. This is my friend, Maria.”
Jake shook the young woman’s hand. She was reluctant and weak with her grasp.
“And your friend?” Caspari asked.
Turning toward Anica, Jake said, “Ute. We have two extra chairs. Would you like to join us?”
Caspari didn’t even ask his girlfriend. He simply said, “Of course.”
“Maria
could take a seat while we get the beers,” Jake said.
The Italian woman was about to say something, but decided to take Jake up on his offer. She wandered to the table and shook hands with Anica. Jake could hear their conversation in his comm unit, but he tried to ignore it while he spoke with Caspari.
The bartender finally came to their end of the bar and Caspari ordered four beers.
Then Caspari turned back to Jake and said, “Looks like we both like them younger.”
“Maria is beautiful,” Jake said.
“So is Ute. She doesn’t really look German or Austrian, though.”
Jake shrugged. “I believe she has some Balkan blood. Does Maria not speak German?”
“She speaks some,” Caspari said. “She’s not very talkative. Very contemplative.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Jake said. “As long as she’s good in bed.”
Caspari smiled. “There is no doubt about that.”
Their beers came and Caspari paid with a large bill, giving the man incentive to keep them coming. Then Jake and the Italian went to their table. Anica and the other woman were speaking Italian, seeming to get along. But this Maria was holding back, not wanting to give up any information about herself. Anica, on the other hand, was making up one hell of a legend for herself. She had mostly been a student for the past ten years, learning languages and culture—not exactly lies, but Anica had done all of this on her own time.
Maria, other than her native Italian, spoke Spanish, French, English, and German.
They drank three beers together before Maria said she needed to go. She was prone to migraines, and a bad one was coming on now.
Jake and Anica watched as Caspari and Maria left. Moments later, their security men drifted out after them, with one staring Jake down as if he wanted to kill him.
Alone at the table now, Jake let out a heavy breath and said, “Well? What do you think?”
“I think Caspari couldn’t keep his eyes off of my chest.”
“I noticed that. I didn’t know if I should punch the man or applaud his good taste.”
“Jake.” She slapped his arm.
“I’m sorry. I’m just being a dude. What else?”
Anica held back and shook her head.
“What?”
“This will sound conceited. But I think Maria was more into me than Caspari.”
“Good observation. I was thinking the same thing. She’s not as she seems. Let’s head back to our hotel.”
The night air had gotten even chillier. Anica held onto Jake even tighter as they made their way along the pedestrian zone of Jungfraustrasse.
Ahead, the street angled to the right, and Jake felt something wasn’t right. He saw a man for a second, but then he scooted down a side street.
“Did you see that,” Anica whispered.
“Yeah. There’s another man following us.”
“The security guards?” she asked.
“I doubt it. They would stick with Caspari. Get your gun ready.” Jake zipped his leather jacket down for easy access to his Glock.
As they came closer to the side street where the man had disappeared, Jake had his gun in his hand, but still inside his jacket. He slowed their pace and stopped at the edge of the building.
Jake swiveled and aimed his gun at the man following them.
Startled, the man was stuck with his own hand inside his jacket.
“Slowly remove your hand,” Jake said in German.
Nothing.
So, Jake repeated himself in Italian. But the man didn’t budge. Jake was sure the guy understood both languages.
Anica pulled her gun and stepped around the corner, finding herself in a standoff with another man pointing his gun at her.
The man with his hand still in his jacket said, “Please, put your guns down. We are with INTERPOL.”
22
Axams, Austria
Sirena and Johann had gotten to a position on the road leading up the mountain to the ski resort just as darkness rolled across the Alps. Their Audi was nestled among a group of trees with a stone wall alongside a pull-off that allowed for a view of the city of Innsbruck in the distance. They had been there for hours now, watching what they had started to call a compound owned by Serbian immigrant Jakov Koprivica. The newer house was a two-story chalet style home with a balcony running along most of the second story. The place fit in perfectly with the rest of the town in the shadow of Innsbruck. The other two buildings were more like log cabins that foresters would use in remote locations in the Alps.
Since the two of them had been watching, there had been no movement around the two smaller buildings. But the main house had a security presence, with roving guards periodically moving around outside. To the casual observer, these men could have been simply out for a stroll and a smoke. Sirena knew better.
She had not heard from Jake in hours, which wasn’t unusual. It wasn’t like he needed a babysitter. Sirena sat in the passenger seat of Johann’s Audi, observing the compound with binoculars.
“What are you thinking?” Johann asked.
Good question. “I don’t like this.”
“What’s not to like. We have meat and cheese and water. What more could we need?”
“I’m not a sit still kind of woman,” she revealed, and then glanced away from the binoculars for a moment.
“You like to take action.”
She put the binoculars to her eyes again and said, “I would like to take Jakov Koprivica for a ride up into the mountains for a little talk.”
“I won’t ask you how you know what you know about him,” Johann said. “But perhaps this is enough for our Polizei to bring him in for questioning. Maybe the World Court would like to prosecute him.”
That was the problem, she knew. The Mossad had given her information off the record. They had called the reliability near one hundred percent, but they also had no direct evidence. According to her source, Jakov Koprivica had been heavily involved in a work camp during the war that used rape as a tool to make the locals comply with their orders. And these women were from both sides of the conflict. Koprivica was an equal opportunity abuser.
“The Hague would require witnesses to come forward,” Sirena said. “Even with war, there is a statute of limitations on rape. He would need to be charged with murder and crimes against humanity.”
“That was a long time ago,” Johann said.
“Men like Koprivica don’t change, Johann. My guess is that he is up to his old tricks.”
“What do you mean?”
“If he is smuggling refugees into Austria, I’ll bet he is taking advantage of the women. These women would be in no position to complain. They are powerless.”
“With all of the problems with immigrants recently, our government has nearly shut down all migrants coming in to Austria.”
She laughed. “That’s what guys like Koprivica thrive on. But we need to catch him in the act. Human trafficking is only one part of his business. They’ve already found drugs in the Konstanz warehouse, along with the migrants. But I’ll bet they’re also into weapons sales and smuggling.”
“How long do we stay here?”
“How hard is it to get a wire on this guy’s house?” she asked.
“Not easy,” Johann said. “We must have solid cause to do so.”
“If we had cause, we wouldn’t need a tap on his phone.”
“He doesn’t have a traditional phone. Just a cell phone.”
“We have that covered,” she said. “But he could have a number of disposable phones, or even a secure SAT phone.”
“We could just go down and talk with the man.”
“That would be a mistake. We don’t want him to know that we know about his existence. At least not until we get more on him.”
“Or until Jake and Anica get here,” Johann said. “How are they doing?”
She took her eyes away from the binoculars and shifted her stare at the young Polizei officer. “You really
like her, don’t you?”
“Anica is a good friend.” Johann stopped, something obviously on his mind.
“What is it?”
“I don’t understand her relationship with Jake.”
“She was a vulnerable young orphan who came to him for help in a dire moment in her life. Jake helped her get placed with a Tirol Polizei family, who helped raise her. Anica is obviously someone who remembers those who have helped her in the past. It’s an admirable quality.”
“I see. So, there’s nothing physical with them?”
Sirena punched Johann in the arm. “Don’t be an idiot. She’s like a niece to Jake.”
“But, still.”
“You obviously don’t know jack about Jake. The man is an Eagle Scout.”
“What is that?”
“You have Boy Scouts in Austria.”
“Yes, of course. I understand. He’s a straight shooter. Honorable.”
“That’s right.” Sirena saw a car coming up the mountain. “Is that her?”
Johann grabbed the binoculars from Sirena and he focused on the approaching car. “That’s her.”
“Is she alone?”
“Looks like it. That’s what you told her, right?” Johann handed the binoculars back to her.
“Yeah.”
The BMW cruised by them slowly. Then the driver turned off her lights, pulled a U-turn, and parked behind them. The woman climbed into the back seat of the Audi and leaned forward between the two front bucket seats.
Kriminal Hauptkommisar of Tirol, Sabine Bauer, asked, “Why am I here?”
Sirena turned to her and said, “You don’t trust everyone in your office.” It wasn’t a question.
“Why do you say that?” Sabine asked.
“Not exactly a denial,” Sirena observed.
“You’re about as confounding as Jake Adams.”
“I’ve been told,” Sirena said. “But it was a simple deduction. You wouldn’t have flown all the way to The Azores and convinced Jake to come to Austria if you trusted your Polizei officers to find Anica.”
Sabine’s eyes shifted out through the windshield. “I think we might have a problem. And I knew that Jake could be trusted.”
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