Long Buried Secrets: James Dieter Book 4

by Francis Joseph Smith

  “Well, we need someone to blame for the robbery.”

  FROM THE COMFORT of the Gulfstream, Benny spoke on his cell phone with his counterpart in the French Directorate-General for External Security, informing him that there was the possibility the person, or persons, who robbed the Bern Museum were at the Bretigny airport.

  CHAPTER 66

  Dolan woke up to view the aircraft gone. He was still a little groggy from the concoction he was forced to drink. He blinked a few more times to clear his head. He sat up and kicked at the cardboard tube that lay at his feet. He then viewed the dead Russian and his goon. “This doesn’t look good,” he said aloud. The Israelis were kind enough to leave behind the Uzi that killed the Russian. Placing it strategically near Dolan. He now could be blamed for their murder and the art heist.

  He was not having a good day.

  In the distance the sound of sirens could be heard, and they were getting closer by the minute.

  Dolan easily removed the plastic ties that had bound him, having been partially cut by the Israelis’ before they departed. He struggled to his feet, still experiencing the side effects of the drugs. He staggered towards the hangars side door hoping to escape. He managed to get about ten feet away when five Gendarmerie Nationale cars pulled up, their tires screeching to a stop. Out poured 20 agents of the National Police force, all with guns drawn, each scouring off in different directions.

  Dolan stopped, a smile creasing his face, as two agents forcibly pushed him to the ground. They spoke in French, pointing to the bodies, wanting to know what happened.

  “I don’t speak your language,” he spat out to the one nearest him.

  “You are American?” the first officer replied.

  “Your damn right I am. Moreover, I know my rights. I want an attorney. A good one.”

  The second officer opened the cardboard tube. “These are definitely from the art theft in Bern,” she said.

  The first officer rolled Dolan over. “Art theft and murder. You will be lucky if you ever see the outside world again.”

  Dolan closed his eyes, realizing he had been royally set up.

  CHAPTER 67

  Pouilly-en-Auxois, France

  Jim had abandoned the van less than two blocks from the canal, leaving its keys on the passenger seat, secretly hoping someone would just steal it. He removed his travel bag and walked the remainder of the way to the canal.

  He still had plenty of time to meet with Nora. She had several shopping duties to complete before meeting him at their agreed location.

  Jim waved to the salesman. “Bonjour, Monsieur Dubet,” he said in greeting, his travel bag slung over his shoulder as he approached the vacation barge. The barge itself barely visible due to a two-meter high concrete canal wall that performed double duty: keeping the earthen bank from falling into the canal, and providing a walkway alongside the canal that traversed through town. “You are a man of your word.”

  Dubet was dressed in a cheap brown suit coat and matching slacks, his hair slicked back. “You required your barge here in record time, and yes I am a man of my word. Of course it required some extra euros, but in the end, everything is okay.”

  Jim walked down the aluminum gangway onto the barge, his hand extended. “Is the barge ready to go?”

  “Stocked with everything you asked for. The Galley has provisions to last you for a few days. Basic foodstuffs and such. In addition, you have enough diesel fuel to make the entire journey without the need for a pit stop. I topped off the tank myself not more than ten minutes ago.”

  Jim withdrew an additional ten, hundred euro bills from his coat pocket. “This is for you, my friend,” handing the bills to Dubet. “My wife and I appreciate all you have done.”

  Dubet quickly pocketed the bills as though expected, without saying a word. “Where is your lovely wife?” He said, looking to the gangway, then Jim. He was obviously eager for another look at his shapely wife.

  “I’m meeting her in the next town. She’s picking up some additional items we might need for our trip.”

  Jim ushered Dubet to the gangway. “I don’t mean to be rude but I am trying to get underway as soon as possible. We have a tight schedule to keep. Can you provide me a hand and untie my bow lines?”

  “All part of the service,” Dubet said as he walked up the gangway. In a matter of minutes he had unslung the lines with ease. “Au revoir,” he said in French, Good-bye. He stood on the side as he watched Jim motor the barge up the canal, waving back to him. Satisfied, he continued back to his car, parked at the edge of the waterway. With the extra thousand euros Jim had provided he could place a bet at the casino in Dijon. Maybe double his money? He looked at his watch. He still had time to reach the casino and then make the drive back home. As he was about to put his keys in his car door, a woman approached him, seemingly out of nowhere. Dubet dropped his keys in surprise.

  “I am so sorry,” she said innocently, her accent sounding Slavic. Possibly Russian. “I did not mean to surprise you.” She reached down and picked up his keys before handing them to him.

  Dubet stood admiring Lana. “No. no. Not a problem. You did not surprise me,” he said. “I was simply shocked by your beauty.”

  Lana rolled her eyes. How many times had she heard that line? She thought it would stop once she married and had a gold ring on her finger. She continued. “I was just hoping you could tell me who was on that barge, and possibly their itinerary?”

  Dubet was taken back for a moment. Obviously she wasn’t interested in him. “Who are you?” he replied with contempt. “And why do you need to know who my customers are?”

  The woman produced a pistol, on its end a silencer. “Because I asked you nicely,” she said. “But if you like, I can also be a real jerk.” She aimed the pistol at Dubet’s knee. “Need I ask the question again?”

  Dubet looked to Jim’s progress, the barge already at the opposite edge of town. He instantly thought back to the last time he rented a barge to Jim. It was to him and his Irish hoodlum friend. They returned it wrecked. Bullet holes in the woodwork; Glass windows shattered. He had even heard rumors that two dead bodies had been found on board. Now he had the strange feeling it was about to happen all over again. “I rented it to one James Dieter, an American on vacation.”

  “Just one person for such a big barge? Who would do such a thing?”

  Dubet shook his head meekly. “He did not share his plans with me. You know how Americans can be.”

  She fired a shot by his foot. With the silencer attached, it sounded similar to a metal ball dropping in a hollow metal tube.

  He jumped back.

  “The next one is in your knee.”

  Dubet looked down at where the bullet had dug itself into the dirt. He managed a slight smile as he said, “He is meeting his wife further up the canal.”

  “How far up the canal? Don’t toy with me.”

  “I really don’t know. As I said earlier, he did not share his plans with me.”

  Lana shook her head, then turned and fired a bullet into his driver’s side window, the bullet causing the window to spider around its hole, before imbedding into his passenger seat. “Again, how far up the canal?”

  Dubet looked at the damage, before realizing he could be next. “I think he mentioned the next town up,” he said submissively. “Please, I am but a salesman. I don’t make much money on these rentals. I told you all I know.”

  The woman nodded in understanding. It sounded reasonable enough. She produced a hundred euro note, holding it up for him to see. “What is the name of the barge?” She continued.

  “La Belle,” he said, his voice quivering. He studied her for a quick moment. He noted she was someone he would have liked to have met under different circumstances.

  She handed him the bill. “If you tell anyone of our little conversation, I will make you a cripple,” her weapon pointed at Dubet’s knee. “I also know where you do business. Now give me your car keys and then go over to the canals e
dge.”

  “What?”

  “If I say it again, you will be limping.”

  He handed her his car keys.

  She pointed to the canal with her weapon. “Go.”

  He walked over to its edge.

  “Jump in,” she commanded.

  “But this is a new suit,” he pleaded.

  Lana aimed her weapon at his knee. “Well, it’s an ugly new suit,” she said, a smile upon her face. “And it’s going to have a hole right were your knee is if you don’t jump.”

  Lana watched as he jumped in. She lost sight of him due to the floodwall but was soon rewarded with the sound of a splash when he hit the water. Satisfied, she jumped into his car and drove off.

  Dubet heard the woman drive off in his car. “I don’t believe this,” he said aloud. “Every time I deal with that crazy American, James Dieter, this happens to me!”

  As he struggled to climb out of the canals muddy waters, his first instinct was to run. He did not want to get involved. He realized he had to at least warn Jim. But how? He patted his pockets. A soggy lump in his jacket signified he did not lose his cell phone to the canals murky waters. However, would it still work? He depressed the On button and to his surprise, it powered up. Soon he was able to locate Jim’s saved cell number and within seconds, the call was going through.

  CHAPTER 68

  Aboard the La Belle, along the canal

  Piloting the barge brought back memories of his last trip with Dan. How they had enjoyed the French countryside and the wine. Way too much wine. He laughed aloud at the thought of Dan opening a bottle when Jim wouldn’t let him steer the barge. Then he sat out on the deck with several bottles in plain view of Jim. Too bad you can’t drink and steer, he said, sitting back in his lounge chair, enjoying his first glass of the day. That was enough of an enticement for Jim to finally relinquish the wheel.

  Still can’t believe he’s dead.

  The ring of his cell phone snapped him back to reality.

  “Mr. Dieter,” said Monsieur Dubet, his voice sounding high shrilled. “I have some bad news for you.”

  “I just left you 10 minutes ago. What in the hell happened in the meantime?”

  “Somebody approached me after you left. They were very rude.” He was flustered. “I mean to say, a woman accosted me.”

  “Slow down. You were accosted? Why don’t you call the police?

  “She was asking questions about you.”

  That caught his attention. “Slow down and tell me the details.”

  “I was walking back to my car and a beautiful woman, Russian I think, from her accent, approached me. She had a gun with what I think was a sound suppressor screwed on its end. She wanted to know who was on your barge.”

  “I guess you held out for as long as you could before telling her?”

  “She shot my car window! She put a hole through it! Then she said my knee was next. That’s when I felt I had to provide her with something.”

  “So she knows my name? The boats name? And where I plan to stop and pick up my wife?”

  Dubet paused for several seconds before he responded. “Yes, on all accounts. I am sorry Mr. Dieter. But the gun, it was pointed at me. And she was very attractive. I can’t forget her long black hair, slim, high cheekbones.”

  Jim shook his head. “Was she alone? Anyone else with her?”

  “No, she was alone.”

  “Which way did she proceed?”

  “I was in the canal when she drove off in a flash after you. In my car! She stole my car,” his pitch rising. “She might be approaching you as we speak. Please don’t get her mad. And do me a favor. Please, please, return the barge in one piece this time. I say it once again, please!”

  Jim paused for several moments before he responded. “That’s why I purchased insurance, Monsieur Dubet.”

  CHAPTER 69

  Lana focused on the road that ran parallel to the canal, taking time to scan the canal when she entered a straightaway, looking for the barge, La Belle.

  He can’t be that far, she thought to herself. She knew the vacation barges only could muster a top speed of about six kilometers per hour.

  She now deliberated whether she should go after the wife first, or Dieter? The barge salesman said the wife was going to meet Dieter along the canal or possibly in the next town.

  Entering a straightaway, she hit redial on her cell phone, hoping that Yuri would tell her he had the paintings. It went straight to voice mail. I hope he is having better luck than I am, she thought.

  JIM MANEUVERED THE barge over and adjacent to a clump of trees and shrubs that grew out of the canals embankment. Not necessarily an ideal area for parking a 10-ton barge but these particular trees and shrubs looked like they would provide just enough concealment from the road. Satisfied, he shut down the engine and turned off all of the barges lights.

  Then he called Nora.

  LANA DROVE ALONG THE canal road, and past the location where Jim had already pulled the barge in, not noticing a thing. The heavily forested portion of the canal provided him excellent concealment from the road.

  Lana had already changed her mind, deciding to focus on Jim Dieter’s wife, Nora. According to the barge salesman, she would be waiting in a position further up the canal or possibly the next town.

  She recalled her time spent at the GRU Academy. Her instructors would always insist they attack the weakest link first. Neutralize one, and the rest would soon follow.

  Lana chose Nora as the weak link.

  Jim would have no choice but to come to her.

  WHEN NORA DIDN’T PICK up Jim had no choice but to leave her a voicemail. He knew she might still be driving, or had merely left her phone in the new rental. He waited five minutes and then called her a second time. She picked up on the third ring.

  “Where are you?” he said in a controlled voice.

  “What, no hello?”

  “Listen. Hear me out. Somethings come up. There is a female Russian Agent possibly coming to your location. I think she is the same one from Bern. The barge salesman called me to tell me of his run-in with her after I pulled away from the dock.”

  “That’s not what I wanted to hear right now. I just pulled into the spot where you planned to load the paintings. Its really dark here, between the trees canopies, and what looks like a nasty storm approaching.”

  “Get out of there, now! Drive back towards town. I am no more than ½ mile outside of town. When I see you approach I will turn on the barge spotlight and point it towards the road.”

  “I’m on my way. But don’t you think the Russian will see me driving in the opposite direction?”

  Jim paused for several seconds. “You’re right.”

  Nora looked up towards the road. “I already see a car’s headlights coming towards me from town. It could be the Russian now.”

  “Get out of the Range Rover. Hide somewhere. I’m coming to you. I should be there in 10 minutes.”

  Nora quickly exited and sought shelter in some underbrush.

  LANA NOTICED THE Range Rover on her left as she drove by, it parked by the canal, about 25 meters off the road. She intentionally drove by before choosing to turn around in the middle of the roadway about a half a kilometer away. She thought it best to drive without lights, turning them off, as she doubled back.

  Lana drove slowly, stopping just out of view of the Range Rover, and in the middle of the canal road, leaving her engine running. She now reached for her AK-47, releasing its safety, placing it in her lap. She then turned on the cars high beam lights as she steered in directly towards the Range Rover, placing the car in neutral, she aimed the car straight for the Range Rover before jumping out, rolling on the ground with her AK-47 machine gun.

  JUST AS JIM ASKED HER to do, Nora was hiding in some underbrush on the edge of the canal, awaiting his arrival in the barge. Hopefully he would arrive before the Russian did. She thought she heard an engine chugging away in the distance. That has to be Jim, she thought.r />
  Then she heard another sound, one much closer, possibly a revving car engine, quickly followed by a metal on metal crunching sound.

  LANA QUICKLY SPRUNG up with her machine gun pointed towards the Range Rover. She approached cautiously, her weapon expertly tucked into her shoulder, the weapon leading the way. She had hoped to surprise whomever was in the vehicle with her controlled crash. Her cars engine sputtered and died as she walked past where it had rear-ended her target, proceeding to the drivers side of the car. Luckily, a fallen tree had stopped forward progress of the Range Rover or it would have been pushed directly into the canal, paintings and all. Lana kept her weapon pointed at the driver’s side as she used one hand to pull open the door, stepping back in case anyone was waiting inside.

  FROM HER HIDING SPOT, Nora viewed Lana as she sprung up and walked towards the vehicle.

  Nora realized she was cornered and had no choice but to attack. Cautiously she approached Lana from the heavily forested side along the canal, trying her best to maintain cover as she watched Lana open the driver’s side door.

  Nora looked around for a weapon of some sort, settling on a small, two to three kilogram, round rock. When Lana poked her head in the van, Nora sprung on her, the rock over her head.

  Lana heard the snap of a tree branch and turned in time to see Nora but not before the boulder smashed into the left side of her head. Lana managed to let off a quick burst of her weapon before falling unconscious to the ground.

  JIM HAD JUST ROUNDED a turn in the canal and could view his meeting place with Nora. He also saw the front of the Range Rover parked dangerously close to the edge of the canal. He signaled with a flashlight, two long, one short. When she didn’t respond, he tried once more. That’s when he first heard a burst of an automatic weapon. He tried calling her cell phone. No answer. He went below for his own weapon, a 9mm Glock.