“Yes, but not for fifty percent…”
“Oh, girl, it’ll be even more than that now. Do you know the risk in converting hundreds of thousands of dollars of gold into cash? Now it’s sixty percent.”
She was becoming really nervous. She’d made a serious mistake. Suddenly a drug dealer with whom she’d had a business relationship knew she had gold – lots of gold – and he was going to take most of it for himself.
I should never have done this! I should have talked to Nicu!
“I’m … I think I’m not going to do anything right now,” she said, stumbling on the words.
This time his eyes were steely, his voice hard. He took hold of her arm, squeezing so tightly it hurt. “Yeah, go shop it around, bitch. Seriously? You don’t have any choice. I don’t know how you got a bunch of gold, but I’m in, regardless. I’m taking the bar. I’ll get it appraised and meet you here tomorrow night at eight.” He grabbed the sack and walked away.
She cried all the way home.
What have I done?
What if Denis kills me?
Should I tell Nicu?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Adriana sat on the side of Nicu’s bed, sobbing as the old man held her hands in his.
“I’ve made a huge mistake, darling,” she confessed.
“Tell me, girl. Let me help you.”
She explained what she’d done. He already knew she’d taken the gold bar to the bank and learned its value – she told him that a couple of days ago. Now she’d gotten an outsider involved – a man she’d known from childhood, she said. She said nothing about his being her heroin dealer. Nicu didn’t know she was a user – no one did except Denis. She was always careful – she never injected in places people could see. She went for veins in her ankles, her feet, the back of her legs – places people wouldn’t notice even when she was naked. No one wanted his fortune told – or his sexual desires gratified – by a heroin addict.
“I’m afraid, Nicu. He wants sixty percent…”
For the first time in their years together the old man was harsh. He dropped her hands and said, “You foolish girl. I wasn’t surprised when you took a bar to the bank and learned what it was worth. But I thought there was more to you than greed. Now it seems what you want to do is sell my gold. That’s your prerogative, of course. I told you it’s yours, to do with whatever you wish. I’m an old fool. I thought somehow you might feel about me like I feel about you. How ridiculous is that?” He laughed bitterly. “Now I see a different side of Adriana Creed. And that’s fine. We all have more than one side to ourselves, don’t we?”
“I care about you, Nicu…”
Ignoring her, he resignedly sat on the side of the bed and put on his slippers. “There was a time I could have taken care of this for you. Now I’m too old. The friends whose help I could have enlisted are all dead. This is going to be up to you.” He walked to the closet, rummaged around inside for a moment and came out carrying something. He brought it to the bed and handed it to her.
It was a beautifully inlaid wooden box with a hinged lid.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Open it.”
She lifted the top and saw a pistol nested in faded satin. There were two carvings – the initials N.L. on its stock and a swastika on the barrel.
“Where did you get it?”
He took it out and cradled it lovingly in his hands. With a cold laugh he said, “It’s my Dragon Luger from the war. I hid it from the Russians and I’ve kept it cleaned and oiled, ready for anything, all these years.”
She recoiled in shock. He had changed suddenly. His savage laugh, his cold eyes, his inhuman expression – everything laid him bare before her. She already knew what Nicu Lepescu had been, but until now she had seen him as a kindly old man. She looked into his face and saw the jackal from her dream.
“You’re giving me this to protect myself?”
“Not at all, my dear. I’m giving you this because you’re going to kill him.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Adriana and Denis sat on the same bench where they’d met last night. She hadn’t brought the Luger. In the first place, she’d never held a gun in her life. In the second place, shooting someone in a crowded train station would be unbelievably foolish. There had to be another way.
She’d really screwed things up. Even though Nicu gave her sole possession of whatever was in the safety deposit box, she hated that she appeared to be nothing more than a greedy leech, out for what she could take from him. In reality, that wasn’t far off the mark. She couldn’t bring herself to have feelings for the monster who had become a decrepit shell of his former self. But she had played a role and played it well. She had acted as his friend and his companion. That relationship was most likely gone now, and she’d leave it at that. Every woman for herself.
“What did you find out about the bar?”
Denis held up a sack. “You were right. It’s worth around thirty-six thousand dollars. I’m going to give you fifteen thousand each for the bars you have. How many are there?”
“There are four in all,” she said without looking him in the eye. She could lie with the best – after all, she pretended to love the sex she had with one client after another – but this was different. This was her future and she didn’t intend to let Denis rip it from her. She’d give up a little to keep hold of the rest.
“We split fifty-fifty. That’s it. Take it or leave it. I have other places I can go…”
Denis grabbed her arm roughly. “You’re in no position to bargain, my friend, and no, you have no place else to go. I have one of your bars already” – he held up the sack – “and I’m certain you’re lying about having just three more. You’re going to bring me all of them. I will decide the split and you’ll do what I say. Otherwise I’ll hunt you down and take everything. Do you want some of the money or none of it? Don’t be stupid! Noon tomorrow. The Eagle Pensione Hotel in Ferentari. If you’re not there, you’re a dead woman. You can’t escape me. Do you understand?”
She nodded, hanging her head dejectedly in what she hoped appeared to be desperation. It had become clear what she had to do. She had no choice, no other place to turn. She hailed a taxi and went directly to Nicu’s flat.
——
She sat in her usual place on the side of the bed next to him. He lay propped on pillows, listening as she finished telling him what had happened.
“I offered you the gun,” he said quietly.
“I can’t do it, darling. I’ve never even held a gun before.”
He patted her leg gently. “I know that. I knew it yesterday when I showed you the pistol. I saw your face. It’s likely we won’t need it in the first place. It will be our insurance policy, to make sure this friend of yours does what we ask.”
“What do you mean? Are you going too?”
“Of course. I have nothing to lose, my dear. As much as I wanted to be angry at you yesterday, I can’t. You mean everything to me. Consider this a little last-minute adventure for a man who’s lived a long, long time. Now we have work to do. We only have until noon tomorrow to get several things accomplished.”
He went to his closet, pulled out a dusty old suit hanging in the back, and reached into the inside jacket pocket. He removed a black credit card and a small piece of paper with an address in Linz, Austria. The card was completely blank except for the familiar metallic strip on its back. He handed the items to her and said, “Keep these safe. They’re the keys to your future. The only thing else you need are six numbers. Memorize them now and never, never ever forget them.” He recited them to her and made her repeat them back over and over until he was certain she knew them by heart.
Then he explained exactly what the black card was and how to use it.
He began by saying, “Please don’t castigate me for what I was. You’ve done things you regret – everyone has – and so have I. I confessed my sins to you. All my sins were long ago, and I paid my debt to society for my misde
eds.”
Misdeeds. Her mind wandered as he spoke. She thought about Jews in cattle cars, screaming for mercy. Misdeeds.
He explained that after the war there had been a concerted effort by the Allies in particular and the world in general to right the wrongs perpetrated by Nazi Germany. “You’re far too young to understand what it was really all about,” he told her with a smile. She forced a smile back, a false smile that belied her disgust at what she knew it had been about. Death by extermination. Grisly experiments. Man’s inhumanity to man.
She focused on his words.
“As the war came to a brutal end for our beloved Germany, those of us at certain levels were given the opportunity to have a future. If we had assets – any kind of assets, regardless of their type, value or location – there would be help for us. Some people had art, some had hard metals instead of the now-worthless wartime currency, and others had diamonds. It didn’t matter anymore where they came from. An ultra secret private investment firm was established in 1946. In a tongue-in-cheek move the founders headquartered it in Linz, Hitler’s home town, right under the noses of the Allies. Very soon thereafter it had hundreds of millions on deposit and its huge vaults held objects that would never be on public display again. Chalices, crucifixes, priceless art that once belonged to the church or perhaps prominent citizens – all of those things were now property of certain Nazis. Those Nazis entrusted the goods to the bank for safekeeping.
“Who owns that firm? I have no idea, nor does it matter. I’m sure many of the initial depositors are dead by now. Some were executed for war crimes. Some made deposits and never returned for one reason or another. The firm itself must be wealthy beyond imagination. It has operations all over the world, and you may use that black card to access the account from every major city on the planet. Everything is completely secret and totally secure. I’ve been paid interest on my holdings for all these years, and my account is as impregnable as it was the day I opened it. Whoever holds the card – that card in your hand – has total control over it.”
He explained that although it wasn’t a credit card – it couldn’t be used to purchase goods or services – it could be used to withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide while not producing any traceable transaction receipt. The bearer remained anonymous thanks to a maze of encrypted movements between the ATM and the firm where Nicu’s assets were deposited.
He told her they were going to his bank tomorrow at ten a.m. to sell the remaining thirteen bars of gold in Nicu’s safety deposit box. The proceeds would end up in this account, he continued, waving the black card in front of her. The other ten bars would be no problem either. He instructed her to take them to the address on the card, the place in Linz, Austria, where they would do whatever she needed with no governmental or regulatory involvement.
As she listened, her earlier revulsion at his “misdeeds” disappeared. When he explained what the black card represented, she forgave him. In an odd twist of fate this monster had become her savior. It was that simple, and she must forgive his past. She had to get over it. Especially now.
The more he talked, the more euphoric she became. She didn’t need a heroin dealer named Denis anymore. She would never have to work again. Like always it seemed, once again Nicu had solved her problems.
That day, for the first time since she’d met him, her warm, tender attention toward Nicu Lepescu became real. She cried sincere tears of affection for the old Nazi who was willing to do anything to help her. Despite what he had once been, no one else had ever cared about her like this. Whatever happened was in the past. The black card proved the lengths to which he’d go to help her. She kissed him lovingly – not the peck on the cheek she always gave him. This was a real kiss – a lover’s kiss. She’d never done that before; it surprised both of them and he hugged her tightly for a minute or more.
“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Nicu.”
“It’s nothing, Apostol.” He laughed, using her nickname. “Just a little token of my affection. I told you I love you already!” He held her a moment longer. Somehow they both were aware that one way or another, things were different now. Everything in their lives was about to change forever.
“I love you too. I will always love you. No matter what happens.” She’d never uttered those words to him before, but they were sincere now.
——
Adriana let herself into his apartment at nine since they were going to the bank in an hour.
“Good morning, Mrs. Radu!”
Silence. Not even her usual snippy greeting. Then she heard Nicu say from the bedroom, “I gave her the day off. Come help me finish getting dressed. I’ll get your gold cashed in; then we’ll deal with your friend the swindler.”
The banker accompanied them to the vault, where Nicu removed the last thirteen gold bars. He asked the banker to convert them into US dollars and advised where to wire the proceeds. He signed several documents and they left. Next up was their appointment with Denis.
Bucharest’s Ferentari ghetto was considered one of the most dangerous places in Europe. Tourists were warned there was no protection for them there. Thieves, murderers and drug-crazed lunatics haunted these twisted streets. Even the police dared venture into the ghetto only during daylight hours. After dark it was a threatening maze of danger where anything could happen. The awful things done at night would still be waiting for the cops in the morning, they rationalized as they patrolled along the fringes.
Their cab driver refused to go into the Ferentari, so they had to walk the last few blocks. Vagrants loitered everywhere and several wolf-whistled at Adriana. Nicu kept his hand wrapped around the Luger in his pocket. Just before twelve they entered the dark, fetid entrance to the Eagle Pensione Hotel. Aged furniture sat in a decrepit lobby that hadn’t been painted in twenty years. The place reeked of cigarette smoke. Marijuana too. The latter wafted from behind the ancient counter that was the front desk.
The desk clerk stood and watched them cross the lobby. He wore a ragged Def Leppard T-shirt and he needed a shave and a bath. As he took another drag from a joint, he gave Adriana a leer. He watched her and the old man walk to the elevator. She had to be a whore – no decent woman would come in here – but she had class. She didn’t look like the ghetto girls. He wondered idly if her unbelievably old client would be able to perform. Who knew? Who cared? Maybe he just liked to watch her. It made no difference to the clerk. He was happy they hadn’t stopped by the desk for a key. That wasn’t unusual and it meant less work for him. Lots of the whores rented rooms by the week. Without another thought he went back to a flickering black-and-white TV on the counter, where Lucy and Ricky were arguing in Romanian.
The ancient elevator was slow and creaked loudly as it carried them to the third floor. They got out and looked around. They didn’t hear a sound. Nicu walked to the far end of the hall, opened a door marked “Stairs” and pointed at them.
“Remember these, just in case. This is the back exit.”
She knocked on the door of room 304.
“It’s open.”
She went first. The drug dealer sat on a seedy couch behind a coffee table. He glanced up in surprise as Nicu came in behind her and closed the door.
“What the hell is this? Who’s the old fossil?”
“Mind your manners.” Nicu spoke quietly as he took a seat across the table. “I’m here to move things along. I’m her … her adviser, you might say.”
“Her adviser? Shit,” Denis muttered. “All right, whatever. Give me the bars.”
As always, Nicu’s voice was shaky. “Not yet. I want to hear your offer. And I want to see the gold bar she gave you.”
“Who gives a shit what you want?”
Adriana said, “Show it to him, Denis. I’ve asked him to help me, and he wants to be sure you still have it.”
Denis pulled the bar from under the table and tossed it over. “See that name on the bar? Reichsbank? I’ll bet you know something about that, don’t you, old man? You�
��re plenty old enough to have known our beloved Fuhrer,” he said mockingly. “Did you goose-step around the square–”
“Shut your mouth, you little prick!” Nicu’s words were suddenly firm, strong and harsh. There was an evil tone to them that made Adriana cringe. The words caught Denis by surprise. He hesitated, then decided to let it go.
“Like I told her, I sell the bars and she gets fifteen thousand each. Nobody asks questions, nobody wants to know where this Nazi gold has been all these years. You understand? If Adriana could take them to the bank, she wouldn’t be talking to me, now would she?”
Nicu spoke softly.
“What? Speak up, for God’s sake!” Denis was becoming impatient, irritated. This old man wasn’t a part of this transaction and she’d been stupid to bring him here.
“I said you’re not offering a fair price.”
“Fuck you. Do I care what you think? She’ll take what I offer or…”
“Or what?”
“Shut up!” Denis yelled. Then he glanced over and drew back in alarm as he saw a Luger pistol in the old man’s hand.
“What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Nicu held the gun steady, aiming it directly at Denis, and he spoke quietly once again.
“I may be an old fossil, but I’m certainly not crazy. Adriana will pass on your offer. Take the bar, Adriana. We don’t need to deal with this amateur.”
Suddenly Denis lunged across the table. He was in midair when three shots rang out. His body fell on Nicu like a sack of flour, blood spurting everywhere. With a heave Nicu pushed Denis to the floor. His body lay still.
“Holy Mother of God!” Adriana yelled. “You’ve killed him!”
“It was the only way, my dear,” he said with a rueful smile. “It was inevitable and it was what I came to do. You should be grateful. I’ve solved a problem for you. You must leave quickly. After our visit to the bank today, you’re set for life. I’m an old man, as he said…”
They heard the creaking of the elevator. He handed her the gold bar and said, “Get out! Hurry! Take the back stairs. Destroy your cell phone so they can’t track you, and buy another one later. Go to Linz quickly, but be careful to avoid the authorities. Use the black card! Now go! Disappear!”
The Crypt Trilogy Bundle Page 53
