Nemesis: Innocence Sold

by Ross, Stefanie

  “Swamp monsters? You’re watching the wrong movies. If you hadn’t put that dummy back on course, things would have gone wrong,” Daniel said. “And we would’ve dragged this equipment for miles over these damned wooden walkways and through the water for absolutely nothing.”

  Dirk smiled and dodged the playful punch.

  “Put that dummy back on course?” repeated Michael, but he didn’t sound particularly angry. With his sleeping daughter on his arm, he looked over Daniel and burst out laughing. “Eddings? I almost didn’t recognize you in that outfit. You’re right. I’m sorry, Dirk. I almost went crazy from fear—I guess I did, actually. After you left, I thought about how perfect your timing was. I thought you were part of the plot. That was pretty far off the mark. I’m honestly sorry. It simply seemed to fit too well that you suddenly showed up and wanted to help me.”

  “How’s your wrist?” Daniel asked.

  “I can move it; I guess Dirk was right on that point, too. What happens now?”

  Dirk looked around and then pointed to Mark and Sven, who were coming toward them and had heard the question. He left it to his partner to answer.

  “Colleagues have already arrested the occupants of the vehicles that were watching the access routes. With some bad luck we won’t be able to prove they’ve done anything illegal. We’ll see. Otherwise, this was an LKA mission that unexpectedly took us outside the Hamburg borders. An MEK team was deployed on short notice when it became clear we were dealing with a hostage situation. The mission was a success.”

  “MEK?” Michael asked in disbelief.

  “MEK,” Mark repeated with emphasis. “Think what you want, but forget you saw Eddings or me here.”

  “How am I supposed to forget you when I don’t even know who you are?” Michael shifted his daughter so he could extended a hand to Mark. “I’ll confirm anything Dirk or Inspector Klein puts in front of me, but I know you were in charge here. Thank you. If I should ever be able to do anything for you, let me know. No matter what it is. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

  After a firm handshake, the SEAL gave his men the sign to move away. As silently as they had appeared, they departed, careful to ensure that none of the prisoners realized they were not members of a special unit of the German police.

  Although Dirk was familiar with the Americans’ abilities, he turned around and wondered where Daniel had gone. He could have sworn he heard quiet laughter from the grassy belt spurred on by his reaction, and he grimaced. “Arrogant gang.”

  A stone struck his thigh; laughing, too, he raised his hands. “All right. I won’t say anything else.”

  Mark had followed along and grinned. “Behave; then they won’t hurt you.” He became abruptly serious. “I don’t like this. Too many open questions. I hadn’t counted on that.”

  Sven nodded. “Two of them, in my view, are Daddy’s spoiled sons and will soon be howling for their attorneys and portraying themselves as victims of arbitrary police violence. They’re much too dumb for the professional preparation of this. The others had arranged themselves with strategic perfection; to me it looks like they have a military background.”

  Stephan yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Our colleagues will be here any minute to take over. You’re right as always, Sven. But the questions will have to wait; we’re not going to get any more answers today. We’ll have these guys checked out by the records department, give them the full program in a cell, and talk to them in the morning. Then they can call their attorneys.” Again Stephan yawned. “Damn, I won’t even get six hours of sleep. Why didn’t I pick a different job?” He turned to Michael. “Do you have a place where your family can drop out of sight? We need your help with Weinreich tomorrow and will have to take care of a little paperwork; then you can join them.”

  “A completely new vacation house on Sylt that’s only known to my nephew.”

  “On Sylt? Sounds good. When the drama here started, plainclothes and uniformed personnel took on the protection of your family. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough evidence of wrongdoing to arrest the observers and sentries here, but we have their personal details. Our colleagues will ensure that you get to the island without being followed,” Stephan said. “Call Dirk when you’re back in Hamburg, but stay with a friend or at a hotel; avoid your house for the next few days.” While Stephan, with effort, was stifling another yawn, his colleagues appeared.

  Dirk nudged him. “Well, come on. You’ve done enough for today. I’ll drive you home. Sven can manage by himself.”

  It wasn’t until the Mercedes slowed down and finally stopped that Daniel reluctantly opened his eyes. He refrained from looking at the clock on the dashboard; he knew the night was nearly over.

  “If you want to sleep for a few hours, you should get out pretty soon,” said Tom.

  Daniel grumbled, but the cool night air outside the car had a refreshing effect, and he nearly smiled. “Thanks for taking care of all that.” Tom hadn’t only driven but had also stowed and checked Daniel’s equipment without being asked.

  “That’s what partners are for—and friends. Wouldn’t it be better if I slept at my place?”

  “No. We talked about that already. The house is big enough for all three of us.”

  “All right. While you shower, I’ll look around the kitchen. I’m hungry. What about you?”

  “Same. I might fall asleep while I’m eating, though.”

  Tom held the door open for him. “More for me, then. By the way, thanks for your performance as the boss. Fox’s expression was great when you explained to him that until further notice we would be taking the Daimler. That was classic.”

  The senior chief had apparently become accustomed to having the use of the team’s second Mercedes and had been enthusiastic, but his hands were tied in the face of direct instructions from Daniel. “That’s true—he’s going to love me for that.”

  He laid his pistol and machine gun on the chest in the hall. He had a lockable gun cabinet for his weapons, but tonight the German laws didn’t interest him. He must have been even more tired than he had thought. Then he noticed a shimmer of light from the kitchen and a spicy smell that caused his stomach to contract painfully.

  He blinked against a sudden brightness, and it took a few seconds before he realized that the kitchen door was now completely open, that Tom had turned on the light in the hall, and that Sandra was looking at him with concern.

  “Is everything all right?”

  He couldn’t get a word out. For the first time since he had moved to Germany, he had the feeling of coming home.

  When he remained silent, Tom said, “Everything went well. The girl’s free, and no one got hurt except the people who deserved it. Take it easy on Doc; the work for the LKA is taking a toll on him. Tell me, what is it that smells so good?”

  “Noodles. I took everything I found in the cabinets and refrigerator and threw it together and made a sauce. I thought you two might be hungry.”

  “That’s an understatement. You’re an angel, Sandy. It’s a shame Doc found you first.”

  “Found?” Sandra repeated, snorting. “Go take a shower. To put it nicely, you smell a little ripe. I could put it differently, though.”

  Tom smiled and dismissed the reproach. “I’m off.” Before he left, she went to him and whispered something in his ear, and he nodded with a smile while Sandra’s cheeks turned red.

  The penetrating smell of brackish swamp water and rotted water plants didn’t seem to bother Sandra as much in Daniel’s case. Tom had barely disappeared upstairs when she embraced Daniel. “I’m glad you got back safe. This day must have been hellish for you.”

  She was right about that. Three armed conflicts in one day exceeded even what he had experienced during his deployments to crisis regions. “For you, too, though. Shouldn’t you get some sleep?”

  “I did get some first; I was completely wiped out. Then it occurred to me that you two were going to be hungry, and I tried out your PlayStation while I
was waiting. By the way, do you drink alcohol when you’re working? I mean, a glass of wine or beer? Or none at all?”

  There was a look of uncertainty on her face.

  “As long as it stays under control, there’s no reason not to, and I could use a beer. I didn’t think we had any left, though.” He was startled by the automatic way he had used the pronoun we.

  “We didn’t, but the gas station was still open. And before you complain: I had my Walther at hand, and no one followed me. Also, we agreed we can watch out for ourselves.”

  He was too tired to try to win an argument with her and only nodded. “What was that with you and Tom just now, by the way?”

  The redness returned to her cheeks. “I . . . I moved stuff around a little up there and put his things in the guest room because I thought . . .” Embarrassed, she broke off and looked at the floor.

  Daniel bent forward and kissed her. It wasn’t until she wrinkled her nose and pushed him gently away that he released her. “I’m sorry, but your hair stinks like hell.”

  “That’s true.” He tilted his head, listening. “The shower’s free. When I’ve gotten rid of the stink of the moor, I’ll try again.”

  “All right, but not until after you’ve eaten something, and then I want to hear all the details.”

  “Fine with me,” Daniel said.

  CHAPTER 22

  Daniel tried to muster enough energy to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. However, this would require him to give up holding Sandra, who had nuzzled against him. The sun shining through the curtains into the bedroom confirmed his supposition. He had already slept considerably longer than he had planned. Slept? Well, to begin with they had just fallen into bed, dead tired, but in the early morning hours they had made better use of their time.

  The thought of working wasn’t very attractive; nevertheless, he pulled himself together and cautiously got out of bed. Sandra emitted a noise of protest and snuggled deeper into the comforter. She needed the sleep. Like a mantra, Daniel repeated this sentence until he was sure he could withstand the temptation to wake her. The overdue look at the alarm clock caused all thoughts of that to disappear. Nine thirty? It was a good three hours later than he had intended.

  On his way to the kitchen, he tried to get rid of the tension in his shoulders. Tension sounded a lot better than sore muscles; nevertheless, he would have abstained from going swimming the previous day if he had known what surprises the day had in store. He yawned and tore a note off the laptop sitting beside a thermos.

  “Am jogging. Read your e-mail. Start with the last one; I summarized all that crap for you.” Instead of a signature, a sketched snoring smiley ended the message.

  A paper bag next to the computer smelled of fresh rolls. With great foresight, Tom had left the Nutella out. Like the rest of the team, they were more or less addicted to the chocolate stuff, which they had come to know and love because of Dirk’s and Sven’s kids.

  With his second roll in hand, he scanned Tom’s e-mail, which consisted of a single paragraph:

  Nothing new, everything as expected. Meeting with Dirk and Sven at around twelve in Berger’s hospital room. At two, the German police will take over protecting Berger (and Pat will finally be able to sleep). Then it will be time for Sven to interrogate the idiots from the bridge, and Dirk is going to visit that newspaper guy with the dummy from his car. Preliminary identification (preliminary because background check is still missing): two sons of rich parents, three mercenaries with Kosovo experience. One National People’s Army, two Belgians. Question: How does this fit Sandy’s profile?

  The designation “dummy from his car” for the private detective made Daniel smile. Tom had held his breath in fear when, through their headsets, they had been able to experience live how Dirk suddenly had a gun pointed at his head. With his question about the perpetrator profile, Tom had identified the problem in a nutshell. Perhaps a group of bored rich kids who considered themselves above the law? They would see—he trusted in Sandra’s and Sven’s abilities. Those two would put the puzzle together.

  He took a sip of coffee and felt his cell phone vibrate. He grinned, realizing Tom must have switched off the ringtone. It certainly violated Navy regulations for Tom to know Daniel’s smartphone access code and have access to his e-mail, but he didn’t care.

  The call was from Tom. “Yes?” Daniel feared what might come next.

  “We have a problem. A guy with a dog has tracked Sandy from her apartment. They lost the trail temporarily, but he’s searching in a bigger and bigger radius and will soon pick it up again. That would be bad enough, but he has another guy following him who’s already made a phone call. I bet he’ll have reinforcements soon. Too many people, too little cover to take them out inconspicuously.”

  Dog? “Did you see the guy’s car?”

  “I’m guessing the silver Mercedes station wagon belongs to him. License plate number for the vicinity of Frankfurt. Information retrieval is blocked. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Daniel thought of a photo in Sandra’s living room. “Yes. We should let him live because we could have trouble otherwise.” Daniel was about to hang up when he hesitated. “Approximate position?”

  Tom laughed in a mocking way. “Have a nice night, boss? Didn’t really catch up on your sleep, right? Just walk in the direction of her apartment. You can hardly miss us.”

  Unfortunately, there was no time for a fitting reply. Daniel dropped the roll, reached for the Sig, and attached the holster to his belt. When his sweatshirt was covering the weapon, he quietly left the house.

  On his street there wasn’t anything to see. He ran to the next intersection and cursed. Tom’s assessment was right on target. Not two hundred yards away, he saw a German shepherd pulling its master in the right direction. A gray-haired man was strolling behind them. When the dog stopped and raised its head, sniffing, the apparent stroller stopped, too. There was no sign of Tom, but Daniel hadn’t expected there to be.

  He dialed his friend’s number. “Take the gray-haired man out. But not until I’ve spoken to the dog lover and he’s changed direction.”

  Although this would attract attention, Daniel sprinted toward the man with the dog. The dog owner’s brown hair hung in his face in strands, his eyes were bloodshot, and his chin had lots of stubble. He blinked when Daniel stopped in front of him, blocking his path. With his accent he was hardly going to convince the guy that he was working for the LKA, and displaying his identification was out because of the gray-haired man; he needed to find another way to solve the problem. “Don’t take another step. Turn around, and walk in the other direction. We can talk later.”

  “What’s the meaning of this? Who are you?”

  “Daniel Eddings. A friend of Sandra’s. We have no time for details. Do what I say, or you’ll endanger your sister. Is that enough?”

  Apparently it wasn’t; the man’s hand went to his belt. Cursing, Daniel caught the hand and exerted painful pressure on his wrist. “Pull yourself together. You’re Martin Meinke, your dog’s name is Kaspar, and I know you work for the BKA. It’s new to me, however, that computer specialists carry guns. If you say one wrong word or give the wrong sign to your four-legged friend, you’ll end up in the hospital and Kaspar at the pet cemetery. I’m not going to let you endanger Sandra’s life, and right now you’re doing exactly that. Do you understand?” With his left hand, Daniel raised his sweatshirt high enough that Sandra’s brother could see the Sig. It took an endlessly long time for his bewilderment to be replaced by slight comprehension and for him to rub his chin and nod.

  “Thanks very much for your help. Now I’ll find my way and still get there on time,” Daniel said in a loud voice, so their uninvited listener wouldn’t miss a word. While he jogged back at a more moderate speed, he held his cell phone against his ear. “When you’ve gotten rid of the gray-haired man, you can bring Martin with you. I’m going to continue with my breakfast.”

  Daniel had just finished b
rowsing some online news sites and magazines he regularly visited when he heard the door of the house open. This would be interesting.

  He filled a bowl with water and went into the hall. While Sandra’s brother watched with shock as Tom petted the dog and the dog leaned against him, Daniel wasn’t surprised by the sight. Tom had inherited his skill in handling horses and dogs from his grandmother and had regretted often that his job left him no time for an animal of his own. Daniel received a grateful glance from Tom for the bowl of water.

  Martin held the leash in his hand. “Should I tie Kaspar up somewhere?”

  “No, let him run free. He won’t bother anyone. Would you like some coffee? Sandra’s still asleep, and I hate to wake her.” The dog’s tail shot up when he heard Sandra’s name.

  Martin smiled at the dog’s reaction. “Kaspar will want to take care of the waking; that’s like a ritual between them.”

  “Fine with me. I’m sure he’ll find the way to our bedroom on his own.”

  The message got through. Martin’s hands clenched into fists before he looked around. “I really think we should have a talk,” he said and headed for the kitchen.

  “Be nice to him—he’s exhausted,” said Tom.

  “I see that. But some things have to be cleared up.”

  Tom rolled his eyes and grinned when a patrol car drove past some distance away with its siren howling. “The gray-haired man’s not going to like that.”

  “If I make some fresh coffee, will I get an explanation?”

  Tom took a roll from the bag and sat down on the chair next to Martin. “I left the guy on the playground. Leaned against a tree with his pants down, without papers or a cell phone. When we were leaving, two mothers came toward us with their children. I bet they had phones on them.”

  Daniel grinned and poured fresh beans into the coffee machine and filled the water tank. “Extra strong?” he asked Martin.