by Gavin Reese
I will, of course, be the first and primary target of the police investigation, so I can’t yet cancel or block Stefanie’s access card to my office. That would create more questions for investigators later. As long as the separate motion sensor stays on and alerts me to intrusions, it’s best that I leave everything as it is. The fewer questions the police can ask, the sooner they’ll have to move on to another suspect or declare it a cold case with no expected resolution.
A smug grin spread across Alfred’s face as he leaned back in the desk chair, now very pleased with himself. In the last moments of her life, my wife will assume that I’m responsible for her demise, but she won’t have the time and resources to confirm it. With any luck, Stefanie will be a short-lived problem.
February 16, 08:06am
Hotel Sacher. Vienna, Austria.
Seated at a small bistro-sized table in the hotel’s luxurious and expansive lobby, Michael sipped at a cappuccino, perused a regional English language newspaper, and awaited his target. He’d positioned himself with a good line of sight to both the elevators and the entrance to the hotel’s only breakfast restaurant. Hotel staff had placed the newspaper outside his room overnight, and Michael brought it with him as a prop to help pass the time. Its frontpage, below-the-fold article decried the ongoing drug addiction and overdose crisis in central Europe. ‘Hundreds more die every month.’ I’m getting pressure from all sides on this one. He reminded himself to remain objective in the face of mounting emotional coercion.
Michael’s research into König’s motion alarm company, Die Festung, showed he had little chance of defeating the device without technology from science-fiction and spy novels. I’ve got no choice but to stay low-tech on this. I don’t have a ‘Q’ to show up with some whiz-bang gadget to save the day. His plan this morning amounted to little more than a short stakeout and old fashioned Breaking and Entering. Just as he’d done dozens of times in his previous surveillance work as a cop and in John’s covert training program, Michael tried to blend in, stay focused, and appear apathetic. His operational solitude mitigated most of the normal boredom he’d known on stakeouts. There’s no one to swoop in and help, it’s just me, my fists, and my runnin’ shoes.
As a perceived business leader, Michael expected König to keep reasonable work hours. Should be along any time now. He’s not yet publicly achieved the success that would allow him to show up for a few hours in the afternoon. People around him might start to question how he continues to defy economic principles with little effort. There’s only a few answers to that, and none of them are legal.
Michael nonchalantly scanned the sumptuous, almost timeless lobby. I wonder if JFK would recognize it, if it’s changed much since his last visit. A soft chime drew his attention back to the elevators and König emerged. He strode toward the restaurant, as though he anticipated something important. It’d be bad tradecraft for him to meet with anyone here, it’s practically his own house. Even dogs know not to shit where they eat. Maybe the eggs and sausage are just that good.
Through his peripheral vision, Michael watched his target enter the restaurant and debated whether to deviate from his intended plan. I would prefer to make sure he walks out of the building and across the street, but I’m also running out of time. Michael stood from his plush seat, left two one-euro coins on the table for the wait staff, and stepped toward the elevators. A quick stop by my room for gear and then I’ll see what König’s hiding upstairs. He should be down here for the better part of an hour.
Michael soon stepped into his own hotel room. He’d prepacked everything he wanted for this morning's planned incursion, so he stayed just long enough to grab his messenger bag and confirm that the window over his outside ledge remained unlocked and slightly ajar. Hope I don’t need it as an emergency entrance or exit. Just like my old SWAT team leader used to say, though, ‘it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have, fortune favors the prepared, and confidence breeds success.’ Michael smiled as he secured the door on his way out. That man was a living motivational poster.
He strolled down the well-appointed hallway toward the stairwell. The plush carpeting absorbed all evidence of his footfalls. Reminds me of the morning of my interview at the Archdiocese of Santa Fe last year. Everyone in this hallway also appreciates silent reverence.
No more than a minute later, Michael had ascended two flights of stairs and stood in front of door D41, the suite that his intel packet claimed König leased from the hotel. He began his incursion with a light knock. Michael stood in silence and focused on listening for movement inside the room. Staff here would avoid disturbing the neighbors, and politeness is among the most common character traits in this country. No response, no sounds. He knocked a little louder, but less enthusiastically than normal. This time, Michael held his breath and closed his eyes to focus entirely on listening. Still nothing.
Rather than risk escalating his knocks and drawing unwanted attention, Michael retrieved a lockpick set from his pants pocket and went to work on the room’s deadbolt. Even though he had experience in lockpicking and safecracking, Michael felt intense pressure to succeed quickly. It’s a pretty new, high-tech lock, but it’s not a Medeco, so I oughta be able to--
The cylinder rolled counterclockwise and retracted the deadbolt.
click
Michael replaced his pick set and again stopped for a tense moment to listen. If anyone’s inside who didn’t want to respond to the knocks, they’ll damned sure respond to this. Hearing nothing, he grasped the vertical handle and depressed the control lever with his thumb. The well-oiled internal mechanics moved without a sound. Michael placed firm but slow and steady pressure on the door to push it open. Can’t risk tossing it into the security latch. That’s guaranteed to wake any sleeping mistress. He pressed the door inward, a few millimeters at a time, until Michael knew the latch couldn’t be in place. As he slid the door further open, Michael felt a presence in the hallway to his left.
“Kann ich Dir helfen?”
Michael looked left at the unexpected, masculine voice. A balding, shrewish man stood two doors away. He wore the hotel’s service staff uniform and glared at Michael.
Unsure what he’d asked, Michael expected the man had seen the surprise he felt. “Nein danke,” he offered and glanced back into König’s hotel suite. Michael brought his right hand up and stepped forward as though greeting his target beyond the employee’s view into the hotel suite. “Guten morgen, Herr König. So nice of you to see me on such short notice.” Michael pushed the door open farther and stepped into the suite like he’d been invited to do so. He turned and closed the door behind him, just fast enough to keep the man from seeing inside, but without conveying any urgency. Nothing to see here, nothing to report.
Michael glanced at his new surroundings. Seeing no immediate physical threats, he turned and looked back out the door’s peephole and turned the well-oiled deadbolt. The staff member stepped in front of König’s door but seemed not to dare leaning in to listen. He paused for a few seconds before continuing on down the hallway.
Michael sighed, even though the staff could easily find his target downstairs at a breakfast table in the next few minutes. Shouldn’t have used König’s name, that was a mistake. He flipped the security latch over its coupling. Now they can’t surprise me, and they’ll risk announcing the security breach to the other guests if they force their way in. Michael activated the timer on his wristwatch and started his protective sweep of the two-bedroom space. He required less than a minute to confirm he was alone and set about a fast-paced search. Shouldn’t stay more than five minutes, the staff in these places pay attention to detail and they’re rewarded for doing so.
Beginning with the contents of the desk, Michael rummaged through the small collection of documents, all of which were in German. Not looking for papers, anyway. This man’s arrogant enough to risk keeping some records, but I’m more interested in jump drives and tech. He glanced down at the timer. 00:03:31. Not much ti
me.
Raised voices out in the hallway hijacked his attention. He rushed to the door’s peephole.
February 16, 08:25am
Hotel Sacher. Vienna, Austria.
Standing just outside the entrance to his private suite, Alfred stopped and pointed at Jan, the bellhop who’d alerted him to the intruder, and responded in already-tense German. “No, I will not wait for the plainclothes inspectors to respond! I will address this problem myself, and I don’t care what it means for the Sacher’s reputation! If there’s an intruder’s in my suite, it’s your fault he’s there!”
Alfred stepped to the door, pressed his RFID access card to the sensor just above the manual deadbolt, and the machine whirred as it retracted the lock. Once he saw the sensor’s light flash green, Alfred forced the door open and defiantly stepped into his private suite.
Propelled by his social superiority and the arrogance that his concealed pistol provided, Alfred searched the entire suite in under thirty seconds with the staffer in tow. Nothing appeared out of place. Without the bellhop’s assertion, he wouldn’t have believed anyone else had ever been inside.
Frustrated, Alfred stopped in the center of the expansive living room. “Jan, are you sure it was this suite?”
“Yes, quite. I heard him use your name when he stepped inside, and I read your suite number on the door.”
“So, where is he now?”
“I don’t know, I came to find you. I was alone and didn’t have anyone to leave behind to watch the door. I am happy to ask the manager to come up and join us, Herr König, you’re an important, long-term guest-”
“Did you get a good look at him?”
“Yes, although, it was brief.”
“Could you recognize him?”
“Yes, I think I could.”
Alfred retrieved his cell phone and brought up the digital images he’d made of the man who trespassed into his office last night. “Is this him?”
The bellhop examined the two images in silence. “I cannot absolutely say so, but, yes, I am very confident that this is the same man.”
Stefanie. She must have given them the access card to my suite. Now I must have that changed.
“Do you know this man, Herr König?”
“Not yet, Jan, but I will, soon enough.”
“Shall I alert the police? Perhaps they can find his fingerprints and--”
“No, Jan, that won’t be necessary. I must handle this quietly, for both my company and our beloved Hotel Sacher. Neither of us wants the negative publicity that this would bring and, in fact,” Alfred explained as he retrieved a one-hundred-euro note from his wallet and passed it over, “I think it’s best that this never goes beyond us, Jan, and I appreciate your discretion. These matters are best resolved in private.”
“I understand,” Jan replied and pocketed the payoff with practiced expertise.
“What do you know about any data the hotel keeps from the electronic locks?”
Jan cleared his throat as though he feared Alfred’s reaction. “It, uh, doesn’t exist. The police have requested such data many times, but hotel management insists they do not wish to keep such records of our guests’ activity.”
“I understand. That poor decision is no reflection on you or your service.”
“Thank you, sir, I appreciate your graciousness. How may I be of further assistance, Herr König?”
Alfred pondered his next step. Unlike the trespass into my office last night, the police will have a witness to it, Jan, and it will seem odd if I do nothing to improve my own security. Another potential thread for inspectors to pull on later, when that time comes. No, I must resolve this. “First, please have the access cards changed for my suite, right away. I need but one copy this time.”
“You don’t want another for Missus König, sir?”
“It’s my understanding that she’s out of town, Jan, so she can resolve that upon her return. I’m sure you can understand, given this apparent intrusion, that I’m safer if I alone have a functioning card, correct?”
“Of course, Herr König.”
"Next, if you do again see this man, the intruder, inside the hotel, especially, I’d be grateful for a phone call.” Alfred gave the bellhop his personal business card. “My mobile number’s on there and I can be reached at all hours. Please do not hesitate to call should he return. And, of course, do not call the police.”
“I understand that, as well, sir.”
Despite the nonverbal social norms that announced the end of their conversation, the bellhop remained in Alfred’s company. Oh, right, I have made an additional request that’s contrary to his posting, haven’t I? He passed over another note from his wallet. “I assume this will ensure everything stays between us, regardless of what your superiors might ask of you?”
“Just between us, Herr König. Thank you for the opportunity to help. I’ll return with your new key card in a few moments.” Jan turned and stepped toward the door.
After the servant departed, Alfred called his hunter from the landline. The man answered on the second ring.
“Yes?”
“I have an additional target for you. Are you in the city?”
“Yes. I’m en route to our breakfast meeting now.”
“I’m sending over two images. I need him identified and eliminated.”
“That’s outside the contract we discussed last night.”
“You’ll be well-rewarded for this addendum. One of Stefanie’s wolves has trespassed one time too many. I’d prefer that he’s experienced his last sunrise.”
“I’ll make it so,” the hunter confirmed.
“When you do find him, call me. I wish to speak with this one before you finish with him.”
“As I said before, it’s your money and I’m happy to spend it for you.”
“Get here as soon as you can.” Alfred ended the call and stepped over to his desk. Stefanie’s wolves are no longer allowed to go away. Now they have to suffer first.
February 16, 09:30am
Hotel Sacher. Vienna, Austria.
After dropping from König’s small ledge down to his own, Michael had scampered in through his open window and scurried to close everything up before König peered over the railing above. Thank God John made us spend so much time on his damned parkour obstacle course last year. People that fall from four stories up hit the ground hard enough to bounce a few times.
Michael had since retreated deeper inside his hotel room, changed clothes, and now he watched König’s office and waited for the man to appear. I should have waited for him to cross the street. I let the deadline influence my decision, and there’s too much at stake for that kinda sloppiness. I should change hotels tonight. Even if the bellhop didn’t alert the rest of the staff, I’d bet my last dollar that he’s on the lookout for me. I can wait until later this evening when he’s sure to have gone home for the day.
Michael lifted the binos back up to his eyes when he saw movement inside König’s office. The curtains pulled apart from the middle to the far ends of the room. From the south side of the room, to Michael’s left, Herr Alfred König emerged and stood before the glass wall with his hands on his hips. He surveyed the street before him as though he dared Michael to again attempt to enter his domain. He’s won the right to be arrogant. My visiting team’s down 0-2 right now. The sun had risen just enough that Michael couldn’t see into the back half of the office. Where I come from, third time’s the charm, Herr König.
With outside temps still in the mid-twenties, Michael switched over to his thermal binoculars. The relative heat-based image revealed König was alone in the office. As soon as he seems settled in, I’ll have to risk going back up to his suite. No way König or the hotel would have called the cops, so the biggest problem I might have is an unarmed security guard. I don’t wanna hurt a man who’s just doing his job, but I won’t let him apprehend me, either. Michael stood and donned another thin layer of clothing that he could discard to change his appearance, shou
ld the need again arise. People always run faster scared than angry.
February 16, 09:42am
König’s Office. Vienna, Austria.
Having just settled in behind his desk for the morning, Alfred checked his work email and did his best to ignore the recent intrusions to his office and hotel suite. Stefanie’s going out of her way to make trouble for me this time. If my hunter comes through as usual, she and her hired bloodhounds won’t have long to regret what she’s done.
Alfred sighed and worked to put his personal problems aside. He had to ensure none of his remaining legitimate business contracts demanded attention. The beauty of his operation and corporate structure was that Alfred delegated most of the work to middle managers at the various ports where his company transitioned custody of its clients’ property and worked with customs inspectors. He had paid his employees above-market wages due to their ability to make decisions. At first, that had given him a tremendous advantage in recruiting the best and most capable talent pool, but it eventually threatened to scuttle his business. All the public statements he had made about serving those who served him wouldn’t allow his ego to cut salaries and benefits to stay competitive as the industry evolved.