A Price for Balancing the Scales

by W Earl Daniels

  “Thanks for that information. I’m currently using public transportation, but I will intentionally be more evasive in the future. I hope I was not observed talking to either the office building manager or Fräulein Walker in my hotel lobby.”

  “I will also make that complaint to the police and suggest that I could have a credible case against the prosecution for obstruction of justice by the police.”

  “I will take my leave for now. My partner, Cedric, will be back in Frankfurt tomorrow. I hope he may have something that will help. Goodbye for now.” Huck intentionally did not make reference to his planned visits to the firing ranges where Carl had been sent to practice his shooting. If the police have been so bold as to put Rouse’s attorney under surveillance, they might also entertain the idea of bugging his office. Future meetings might need to be held at another location, thought Huck.

  Huck heard Berger shout, “Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Price!” as he left Berger’s office.

  When Huck emerged from the building, the two black sedans were still where they had been when he’d gone inside. Huck increased his walking pace as he made for the nearest U-Bahn platform. His destination was for Schutzenverein 1963 Massenheim e.V. It was the first shooting range Fraulein Walker had written down for him and was located in the northwest sector of Frankfurt.

  When the southbound train stopped, Huck entered quickly. He moved through the cars toward the front of the train. After he had passed through two cars and was close to one of the doors of the third car, the chime sounded, signaling that the doors were about to shut. Huck had just enough time to slide between the closing doors. He hoped that, if he was being followed, his tail would be caught in one of the other cars before he realized that Huck had exited.

  Huck bounded up the stairs from the underground train and immediately flagged a taxi. He gave the driver an address on the west side of Frankfurt, which was on the corner where another U-Bahn station was located. The train he was now on was westbound.

  His plans were to get off the train immediately south of the shooting range and to catch a taxi there. Looking from one end of the car to the other, he did not spot anyone who appeared to be a potential tail. The only ones in his car were two old men, an elderly couple, and about a half dozen teenagers who were probably skipping school for the day.

  Upon entering the shooting range, Huck immediately went looking for the range master. After the traditional greetings were exchanged, Huck clarified that he needed the master to speak in English. He showed his credentials identifying him as a private detective. He never mentioned who he was but just said, “I’m investigating a crime and I need your help.”

  Huck withdrew the picture of Carl that his mother had given him and asked, “Have you seen this man before?”

  The man seemed a little huffed when he responded. “You detectives could save a lot of time and taxpayer money if you would talk to one another. I have already told two detectives that the man in the picture came here at least two to three times a week to practice. Do you also want to see the video?”

  Surprised that there was a video, Huck answered, “Yes. I’m really sorry to have to bother you, but sometimes we have to reconfirm information previously learned.”

  The range master walked over to a computer and typed in some data. Soon a video appeared, with the date and time showing in the right bottom portion of the screen. It depicted about eight shooters firing. The master zoomed in on Carl, who appeared to be firing a sniper rifle.

  “What is that weapon?”

  “It’s a Walther WA 2000. It’s considered to be the ultimate German sniper rifle. And I can tell you that he was really good with it. I think he was dead center of the target with every round.”

  “Did he fire any other weapon while he was here?”

  “Normally he rotated from a rifle to a pistol. Here, I will show you a video of him firing an HK45.” Again the range master zoomed in on Carl among about ten other shooters. Huck could see Carl in a semicrouched position firing away at the target.

  The range master commented, “He was very accurate at seven meters. Beyond that range, he was all over the target. He was much better with the rifle.”

  Huck asked, “Did he ever have anyone with him when he was at the range?”

  “No. He was what I would describe as a loner. He never spoke to any of the other shooters. His conversation with me was limited to what he was going to be firing and then paying when he was done.”

  “How long would he fire?”

  “Probably no longer than two hours, but he could shoot off a lot of rounds in that time.”

  “I suppose so. Thank you for your cooperation,” said Huck.

  “I certainly hope you don’t want a copy of the video, like the other detectives.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. Is there anything else you can tell me about this man?”

  “No. I suspect you already know more than what is necessary to put him away for life.”

  Huck departed the shooting range in the direction of the nearest U-Bahn station.

  The Schutzenverein 1963 shooting range was located in the northwest sector of Frankfurt. Huck now had to travel to the southeast sector to the Schutzenverin Tell Morfeiden 1911 e.V. range. Because Huck was no longer in the vicinity of either the attorney’s office or his hotel, he did not feel that any evasive tactics were necessary. Accordingly, he had to change trains only twice to arrive at Schutzenverin Tell.

  He found his experience there to be the same as the first. There was also video footage of Carl blasting away with the same two weapons. If the range masters’ views of what Carl was alleged to done were any indication of how the general public felt, Carl would be going away for a long time. There the range master’s parting comment was, “I hope the American bastard rots in jail!”

  Chapter 17

  Within two weeks of the Hesse state representative’s death, the lobbyists were back to work. All the German state representatives who had straddled the fence, either for or against Kaplan’s bid on the project to rebuild some of Germany’s rail system, began to reconsider their views with respect to opposing bids. As long as the Hesse representative had made bold accusations about the Kaplan Company’s attempts to corrupt German politicians, it caused some of them to bend in his direction. But without the opposing winds blowing, some began to move more in favor of Kaplan’s bid. Without the constant reminder, the guilt feeling of accepting the side benefits that accompanied many such trade deals began to subside.

  The deal certainly could be sealed if the death of the Hesse representative could be put to rest by a speedy trial. However, from the perspective of one particular lobbyist, if the American created sufficient doubt, the trial could be extended beyond the time for finalizing the bid selection. Such a delay could be detrimental to the Kaplan Company. The lobbyist felt it to be a good idea to inform Kaplan of the potential problem.

  On the second ring, the company’s receptionist took the call and immediately transferred it to Mr. Kaplan.

  “Merhaba,” said Kaplan.

  “Guten Morgen,” responded the German lobbyist. “Englisch sprechen bitte?”

  “Yes, I can speak English if you think that would better.”

  “I do, and because of a potential problem, it may be best.”

  “How could there be a problem? Just two days ago you were telling me how those who had not made up their minds were swinging in our direction. I don’t need any problems now.”

  “Mr. Kaplan, I understand. A problem could affect both our pockets. But you need to be aware of what is happening in the event that you may need to fix anything.”

  “Don’t waste anymore of my time. Get to the problem.”

  “There are two detectives from the States who are looking into the case of the American assassin. That in itself is not a problem, but my very reliable source informs me that should the
detectives find sufficient evidence to suggest that there are extenuating circumstances that could lead to a reason of doubt, then the case could be extended. That extension could easily go beyond the closing date for the bid selection. Currently we are experiencing what I believe to be a short-term rebound in the political picture for the trade deal. However, if the case is extended, some of our potential favorable votes could swing the other way.”

  “Damn! What else could go wrong?” asked Kaplan. “The bids must close when we’re confident that we have the numbers we need. And from what you and a few of the other lobbyists have been telling me, now is probably the best window of opportunity we’ll have.”

  “That is exactly why I called you, Mr. Kaplan. You need to know the truth in the event that you wish to exercise any other options.”

  “Thank you for calling,” said Kaplan, then pushed the “End” button on his phone. He paced back and forth. He needed a quick fix to this problem. He wondered, Was another call to Mr. Storey warranted?

  Cedric arrived in Frankfurt about an hour later than he expected. The pilot allowed that it was due to strong and unusual headwinds. He immediately called Huck. “I’ll see you at the hotel in about forty-five minutes.”

  Huck said, “I hope it’s sooner than that since I’m standing just outside the customs gate.”

  Within twenty minutes, Huck and Cedric had linked up. Huck grabbed one of Cedric’s traveling bags as they moved toward the entrance to the U-Bahn. As they walked, he spoke to Cedric in a low voice. “Cedric, we may be under surveillance by the local police.”

  Cedric immediately knew to be careful in what he said and to monitor his backside for a potential tail. Speaking softly, Cedric asked, “Do you think our room is bugged?”

  “No. I purchased a scanner from a local electronics shop and it did not detect any listening devices. But to be on the safe side, we need to ensure that we have the TV operational when we discuss business.”

  From that point on, Cedric caught Huck up on how both Rose and Alice were doing. He also shared with Huck the short visit he’d had with Carl’s mother over lunch. He assured her that Carl had fully confided in Huck and himself. He also told her that Carl had now come to the full realization of the seriousness of his case. Lastly, he said, “Huck, I didn’t give her any reason to be optimistic about the outcome of Carl’s case. Although we might be able to confirm that everything Carl has told us is true, it does not mean that the legal system will consider his truth sufficient to offset the evidence, albeit circumstantial.”

  “Unfortunately, locating the weapon is not helping Carl’s case,” said Huck.

  Once in the hotel room and after he had refreshed himself with a shower, Cedric was ready to discuss the results of his trip. “I first went by the agency. Because an American was involved, they had already started an internal investigation. From what they could learn, Carl was the perfect marine and was honorably discharged with numerous awards and citations. They can find no relationship between Carl and the representative. As a matter of fact, there is no evidence that Carl knew or had ever met the representative. And with respect to a hit for pay, Carl has no offshore bank accounts, and his personal bank account is depleted. They’re as puzzled by all the circumstantial evidence pointing toward Carl as we are.”

  “So we can conclude that Carl had no known connections with the representative?”

  “Correct. Now with regard to similar cases of hits on high-profile targets, neither the agency nor the State Department will state emphatically that there is a pattern. Over the last ten years, there have been incidents where high-profile figures have been targets for assassination. The range is from politicians to corporate executives and even to professional athletes.”

  “Professional athletes?”

  “Two years ago, a professional soccer star who was destined to play in a world championship had a mysterious motor vehicle accident and was killed. What all will agree to is the similarities in the cases. In all cases, there was no evidence of the victim or the suspect knowing each other, in every case the suspect proclaimed his innocence, and in every case all evidence was circumstantial. There has been only one case where the justice system rendered a not guilty verdict because of lack of conclusive evidence. Those found guilty have either gone to prison or have been executed.”

  “Were there any other cases where there was an international connection?” asked Huck.

  “No. For the first five years, the cases were all viewed to be internal to the nation where the incident happened. Some were interpreted to be terrorist attacks. However, in the last five years, the similarities were so much alike that Interpol began to investigate the possibility that an assassination team from another country was making the hits. One of the interesting points made to me was that all the hits have been in a European country.”

  “Was any reason given for that line of thinking?”

  “Yes. It makes the case harder to solve, and there are never any clues to lead in any other direction than one suspect.”

  “For the one person executed, how solid was the evidence to secure such a verdict?”

  “I knew you were going to ask me that. The suspect’s DNA was found on a cigarette discovered in the victim’s room.”

  “I guess a cigarette butt is not much different from a passport. Where do you think we should go from here, Cedric?”

  “I think we should try to visit the crime scene. You know there have been cases where the police overlook evidence that is right in front of their faces. And I’d like to know who found the body. For the police to act so fast, the window of opportunity to find the body had to be very narrow.”

  “I agree. Tomorrow morning I will contact Berger to see if we can visit the scene and if he knows who found the body.”

  “Good. Now why don’t you share with me how you have been keeping yourself busy while I was on the other side of the pond?”

  “OK. But first, what did Frank Walton at State have to say about a possible of any other benefactor of the death of the representative?”

  “He said there were at least three. The German government is planning a major upgrade of its rail systems. It’s working toward having tracks that will accommodate higher rates of rail speed. The bids have been narrowed to three companies, and the recipient of the bid will have a lucrative contract.”

  “Did he say anything about the position the Hesse representative was taking?”

  “Yes. The Hesse rep was adamantly opposed to the Turkish company’s bid. He was a newcomer with no realistic idea of how governments work at times. He had been highly critical of the Kaplan Company for paying bribes to German representatives and a Turkish diplomat who he says will receive a large incentive if Kaplan wins the bid. Although he apparently had not shared any evidence of his claims, he had been successful in swinging some reps toward voting against the Turkish company.”

  “Do you know the financial condition of any of the companies?”

  “Not any specifics other than that the Turkish company only recently ventured into the rail industry and that it would be a coup for them to win the bid. The company is well diversified, but there is speculation that it incurred significant debt when it branched out into the rail sector.”

  “What are its other products?”

  “It has been very successful in farming equipment and hand tools.”

  “Well, let me share with you what I have been doing while you’ve been vacationing.”

  The whole time the two men were talking, the TV volume was turned above the normal hearing range.

  Chapter 18

  Mary Harris was in Charles de Gaulle International Airport, awaiting her connecting flight from Budapest, Hungary, to Los Angeles International Airport, when one of several phones she carried with her rang; unfortunately, it was the one she had hoped would never ring. She immediately knew who the call was from�
��the man she had told never to contact her again.

  In her most manly voice she answered, “What is it that you don’t understand about not ever calling me again?”

  Kaplan replied, “But we have a problem.”

  “We don’t have a problem. Our contract has been finalized. I am satisfied and you should be also.”

  Kaplan had never been spoken to in such an abrupt manner. “You have got to help me. There are two detectives who could very well complicate the project for which you previously assisted me.”

  “Listen to me very carefully because I will not repeat myself. First, I told you before we entered into a contract that I never work for the same employer twice. Second, I told you to never call me again. The only reason I held on to this phone was to assure you that I followed our agreement. You have not done so. Therefore, when this phone goes dead, know that I have disposed of it.” Harris ended the call and turned the ringer off. She would later feed the phone to the fishes.

  Kaplan did not know what to do. He had never before had anyone hang up on him. He was not only at a loss for words but also enraged to the point where he threw his phone across the room, only to see it shatter in many pieces when it hit the wall.

  After disconnecting the call, Harris’s mind was rushing through so many possibilities that she almost missed her boarding call.

  Once buckled into her first-class seat, Harris realized that there were two things troubling her. First, what if Kaplan panics and does or says something stupid enough to cause Interpol to become involved? Second, did she do a foolish thing this time by not sticking to the standard plan that has always worked in the past? Never before had she recruited a fall guy. Luring the American into the plan was not a smart move. In the past, Harris had always created a scenario whereby a local was charged with the crime. Furthermore, she had added to this problem by leaving behind a witness like Lanna Walker. Walker not only could confirm the existence of Empire Enterprises but also could provide a description of Mr. S. Harris needed to figure out a way to correct this problem without personally getting involved. Her European contact might be the final solution for Lanna Walker. She could not be a trial witness.