“No doubt,” Dirk said and waited until Sandra had disappeared into the shed.
While the black-haired man cut the zip ties on his men, he chastised them for having allowed themselves to be overwhelmed.
“Get in the cars, and get out of here. Toni, you wait for me up on the bridge.”
“Don’t you think we should . . . ?”
“Are you going to question my judgment? Get going before I really get angry.”
Dirk didn’t understand the murmured answer, but it made the black-haired man grin.
Once the Ford and the all-terrain vehicle had turned onto the Hafenstraße, the area around the shed once again lay in deep darkness, and it took some time for Dirk’s eyes to become accustomed to it, but even then he couldn’t really make out his companion’s facial features.
“As I said in there already: children are beyond the limit for me. It sounded like a simple security job and was supposed to be a favor for a business partner, a completely normal job.” Despite the darkness, Dirk saw a smile. “Normal for me, not for you. Be that as it may, the contact was through a guy named Franco. He puts people in touch with former soldiers from Yugoslavia. We don’t normally have anything to do with each other, but an acquaintance asked me to jump in because Franco had lost a few men. I’ll find out who’s really behind it. It’s not Franco. That’s for sure.”
“Leave it. The last guy who tried that almost lost his child and his life.”
“Then he just wasn’t good enough.”
The arrogant remark fit the black-haired man.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, but let’s leave it. Do you have a name?”
“Well, sure, and a phone number where you can reach me anytime. But I think we’ll leave the introductions to a friend of yours.”
Dirk was about to ask what that was supposed to mean when he heard a quiet laugh next to him. “And I thought you hadn’t noticed me. I was waiting for the right moment.”
“Stephan?” said Dirk, completely dumbfounded; then he finally realized why the man had seemed familiar to him. Stephan had a photo in his study of the black-haired man with Hope, Stephan’s daughter, on his arm. “Damn, of course, the photo. This . . .”
“Stanko is enough. It took me a while, too, before I got the idea you were the man Stephan had mentioned a few times. Particularly because he chose not to show himself openly. I only noticed you out here.”
“Well, one can depend on my discretion, after all. Dirk, Stanko isn’t into drugs any more than he’s into children, and I’m damned glad you didn’t kill each other. However, almost no one knows we know each other well. That wouldn’t be advantageous to either of us.”
Dirk nodded. He had general knowledge of the fact that Stephan had received inside information about planned drug deals a few times, and his friend had mentioned that he knew someone from his time with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution who operated on the other side of the law, but absolutely had moral notions of his own. The photo, however, suggested the relationship between the two men was closer than Stephan admitted.
“Give him my phone number. I owe him something. By the way, interesting backup. Pretty atypical weapons for the German police, and then the blond man’s American accent. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve met him at your place, right?”
“Sure. He arrived when you needed to leave.”
“Daniel, Hope’s godfather?”
“That’s correct, but we’ll leave it at that.”
“All right. But now you’ve made me curious. Maybe a Lagavulin will get you to talk next time we meet. The invitation applies to you, too, Dirk. Stephan knows where to find me.”
Stephan laughed. “So you can pump both of us? We’ll see. We’ll talk on the phone.”
“All right. I’ll call you when I know the names of the men behind this. And watch yourselves—someone’s playing a game for damned high stakes here. Say hello to your wife from me, and give your daughter a kiss.” With a wave, Stanko disappeared into the darkness.
“That was a surprise,” Dirk said.
“It was for me, too.”
“Did you keep Mark from intervening?”
“No, and I wouldn’t have—one can never be entirely sure what game Stanko’s playing. It was too risky. If he’d pulled the trigger you’d have had no chance, despite your vest.”
“Do you trust him? I mean, you have a picture of him with your daughter on your desk.”
“Trust? Hard to say. Yes and no. I don’t have many friends; somehow, despite his business, he’s one of them. But he’s an extreme loner. The picture’s mostly there to remind me that within seconds one can lose everything. He lost his wife and son and went through hell but nevertheless remained true to his principles. I like him and hope we never face each other as enemies. Do you remember that casino coup four weeks ago? I’d bet anything that was him, and I want to know sometime how he managed it.”
During the attack on the casino in Travemünde, a group of men had succeeded in acquiring millions simply by switching the armored cars without a shot being fired.
“Let me know if you meet. It sounds completely crazy, but somehow I like him.”
“That’s true, it sounds pretty sick after what just happened in there, but he seemed to feel similarly, and at least you didn’t kill each other. And . . .” Stephan hesitated and shrugged. “Somehow, he reminds me of Mark. Stanko’s men would go through fire for him, too.” An ambulance approached. Stephan laid a friendly hand around Dirk’s shoulder. “Come on. The official part’s starting, and I know from a dependable source that Daniel’s waiting for you, and of course Mark and Sven are extremely angry because of your solo action.”
“And you? I’m not going to get a lecture from you?”
“No, I’ll enjoy watching them work you over, nod in the right places, and drink your whiskey in peace.”
CHAPTER 31
Sandra’s eyes were threatening to close. The demanding day was taking its toll, and the darkness also had an effect. The rhythm of the raindrops pelting the windshield and the almost empty autobahn were putting her to sleep. She wanted to start a conversation. “Actually, you should be satisfied. Well, apart from the guy in the all-terrain vehicle. What happens next? We’re apparently not welcome in Dirk’s study anytime soon. That was unmistakable.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily want to be there when they light into each other. That’s not going to be a typical mission debriefing, only a slugfest. Thanks anyway. I’ll pass.”
“What did Dirk do wrong?” When Daniel was silent, Sandra started guessing. “All right, they went in and didn’t wait for us, but anyone would have done that. The risk of losing sight of the boy was too great.”
“No one’s going to blame him for that, either.”
“Oh, man, Daniel, stop it. I want to know what happened in there. Hey, I accepted that I had to be good and wait outside.”
Daniel laughed. “Well, that was a clear and reasonable order from your boss.”
“Plural: bosses. After all, you both talked to me. What happened in there?”
“All right. You know he takes the matter very personally. He flipped out when he had the buyer in front of him. When you have the muzzle of a machine pistol pointed at your head, that’s not exactly a good idea. After that, Mark was about to initiate a diversionary tactic in order to get a chance to take a clean shot when Dirk attacked the man. The risk was actually too great. On the other hand, he was in the best position to judge the situation, and this way, no one was injured and no shots were fired.”
“Then his actions were correct, and as far as the rest is concerned—Mark should have excluded Dirk from the investigation to begin with.” Sandra chewed on her lower lip when she realized she now also viewed Mark as an unofficial boss. “I mean . . . Oh, I don’t know what I mean. Of course, you can’t actually issue orders to the LKA, but unofficially you can, right?”
Daniel laughed again. “Issue orders. That’s hard for me to imagin
e. You should get some sleep before you start saluting Mark.”
“Very funny. But I can understand Dirk. Not everyone has your boss’s self-control, and after all, we’re talking about the guy who wanted to buy Tim.”
“I see it that way, too. And Mark will realize that.”
“I hope so. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re in such a bad mood.”
Daniel turned to look at Sandra. “I’m not in a bad mood.”
“As if. I know you by now.”
Daniel’s phone rang; it was Stephan, but he didn’t switch to speaker this time. Instead he held the phone so Sandra couldn’t hear a word.
“It’s about time you called. I think you have an explanation for me, right?” Daniel said.
What else had she missed? Sandra tried to hear Stephan’s answer. At least Daniel seemed more relaxed.
Finally, he laughed. “Use that as a defense for Dirk; maybe then Mark will let him live. Thanks for clearing that up for me.”
“And what about me?” Sandra said and got a regretful look for an answer.
“Sorry, Sandy, this info is only for me and Stephan. And before you get upset, I know my job doesn’t make it easy to have a relationship, and that your boss is one of my closest friends makes things even more difficult. But we’ll make it work, all right?”
Sandra didn’t need to think about this. She unbuckled her seat belt and nuzzled against Daniel. “Of course. Will you tell me what’s going to happen next? With the case, I mean.”
Daniel put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “And I thought you meant the ticket for driving without a seat belt.” He laughed when Sandra tickled him. “It’s very simple. Tomorrow, Jake and Dirk will check the background of the company the all-terrain vehicle is registered to, the one Lars and the Lübeck policemen dug up. Sven will make sure the prosecutor’s office keeps Blumenthal and this prim professor locked up for a nice long time. We’ll meet in the evening at Dirk’s place; we’re off until then. That goes for Kat and Lars as well. Lüttgens can rejoin his family, and Wartberg wanted to visit Berger and will go to his island after that.”
Sandra was gradually developing an inner radar for when Daniel was keeping something from her. Also, she urgently needed a distraction from the memory of the professor of art and music who was apparently pretty well known but also had a deviant interest in children. The doctor had had to treat him for circulatory problems, but after that he had gone to jail, as it should be. She suppressed the thought of what her colleagues would find in his house. She would read about that in the files later. She again concentrated on Daniel. “So far, so good, and now spit out what you’re keeping from me.”
“God, are you an interrogation expert, or what?”
“No, it only works with you. Well?”
“There are certain problems within the LKA. If the department head of this economic stuff gets his way, Dirk and Sven will take on other assignments immediately.”
The demand was so ridiculous that Sandra dismissed it. “Nonsense. He’ll never get away with that.”
“That’s what I think, too. They’ll take care of it somehow. Satisfied?”
“No, there’s one more thing. Do you have any idea how we could get rid of Tom and my brother tomorrow? I mean, your house is big, but I’d rather be alone with you.”
“I’ll come up with something,” Daniel said and smiled.
His head leaned against the side window, Dirk kept his eyes shut. No other way of winning urgently needed time had occurred to him. He had rejected Sven’s attempt at making conversation, which had more or less consisted of a collection of reproaches, and consistently ignored Mark’s icy looks. Before he dealt with his friends, he had to come to terms with himself, and he couldn’t do that while he was still seeing the images of himself attacking that damned professor. Apart from the fact that physically attacking a man thirty years older than him wasn’t morally defensible, his behavior had been irresponsible under those conditions. On the other hand, everything had gone well, but neither Mark nor Sven would accept that as an argument; instead, they would probably draw his attention to the fact that this hadn’t been the first time he had lost his composure during a mission. He remembered all too well how he had attacked a contract killer who had almost killed Mark.
The closer they came to his home, the worse he felt. His only argument was that he had ultimately endangered only himself, but he wouldn’t be successful with this argument when he faced Mark and Sven. Why couldn’t they let the matter slide with a casual that could have gone badly, like Pat or Daniel?
After Sven stopped the Audi, Dirk got out and ignored the Mercedes that had stopped behind them. Although it was already after eight, his son was waiting for him on the porch. Dirk spread his arms and picked Tim up, who immediately nestled against him. He found brief peace in the contact with his son; much too soon, Tim loosened his embrace and pointed to the bandage on Dirk’s temple. “What’s that? Does it hurt?”
“No, not anymore. I wasn’t paying attention and bumped my head.”
Tim was satisfied with his explanation and tilted his head. “Can we still play something? On your computer?”
It would have been better if he had never shown his son any online games. He smiled and said, “I don’t think so. It’s late already. What are you doing awake?”
“I wanted to wait for you.”
Alex joined them. “And I thought the bandit had been in bed for a long time. Are you going to spend the whole night standing on the porch? It’s too cold out here for Tim.”
“Sorry. I’ll take him upstairs.”
With that, he had gained further minutes before he would have to face the anger of his friends. While his wife assailed Sven with questions, Dirk went upstairs with his son on his arm. When he had gotten upstairs, he risked a look back and started. Mark’s disapproving look spoke for itself, but Jake inconspicuously winked at him before he disappeared into the kitchen.
Taking a deep breath, Dirk pushed open the door of his study despite the fact that he would rather have read a dozen more good-night stories to Tim. Uncontrolled actions were one thing, but he had never been cowardly, and postponing unpleasant things wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
“And? Have you reached your verdict already?” he asked after he had acknowledged Stephan’s presence with a slight nod.
Stephan grinned. “Actually we were just discussing whether we should undertake an outing to the steak house. However, we haven’t really been able to agree.”
The double meaning of the last sentence was communicated. Sighing, Dirk fell onto his desk chair and looked at Mark. “Come on, get it over with. But confine yourself to the attack on that bastard.”
“Stanko or the professor?” Mark said.
“Aha, Stephan told you. The latter. The other was my decision. I knew the risk I was taking, but for me there was no defensible alternative. In principle, Stanko’s men had done nothing illegal; on the contrary, their words and actions spoke for themselves.”
“You mean threatening a person with a machine pistol is all right as far as you’re concerned? Is that now permissible under German law?”
“Save it, Mark. I was closer to the situation. My assessment, my decision.”
Before Mark could answer, Jake got up and calmly stood next to Dirk. “Take it easy, Mark. What’s this about? The fact that one of us was in danger? That’s one thing. An assessment of Dirk’s behavior is something else. He was right. Accept it; the outcome proves it.”
The movements of Mark’s jaw muscles revealed his tension. Dirk returned the accusing look. “I know. That’s only one point. What can I say? I flipped out when that bastard suggested the children would participate voluntarily, and I . . .”
Mark raised a hand. “Just a second. Go back. What exactly was said?”
It was only now that Dirk realized his friends had probably heard none of the exchanges. He examined the glass in front of Sven and then took a sip of whiskey bef
ore he began summarizing the first conversations with Stanko. “I believed him, and when he silenced Blumenthal, I no longer really felt threatened. On the contrary, he seemed to be looking for a way to get everyone out of the situation alive, and after all, that was what I wanted, too. I didn’t like the thought of one of you firing,” he said and took another sip. Sven’s choice was perfect: the Talisker’s intense, smoky note fit his mood. “When that professor wanted to get out of there with the boy and justified his behavior, then . . . I can’t describe it. I just went crazy. I couldn’t listen to it and couldn’t stand him.”
“That wasn’t clear to me,” Mark said, slightly relenting.
Sven stood up, taking a bottle from the shelf and pushing a glass over to Dirk. Instead of sitting down again, he remained standing next to Dirk. “One can look at it however one wants. I understand it. I probably would have felt similarly. And I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t have done the same. The idea that this bastard enjoys himself for months with a child and then orders the next one is intolerable. If on top of that one’s own child had nearly become a victim of his, it’s no wonder he briefly lost control. The stress is on ‘briefly,’ Mark, and it’s also now clear that Dirk’s assessment of Stephan’s mysterious friend was on target. Let it be. I’d have liked to work my valued partner over immediately afterward, but that chance is long gone.”
Dirk hadn’t counted on this. As promised, Stephan remained neutral, but Jake and Sven had made their positions clear—they supported him.
Mark arrogantly raised an eyebrow. “Are you finished defending your partner? If you’d listened to me, you’d know I heard nothing of those conversations. Except for the question of whether we’re going to drive to the steak house now, the matter’s resolved for me.” A warm smile replaced Mark’s rather harsh expression. “I have the impression that our accountant is beating himself up more than anyone else. Let it be, Dirk, and don’t be too hard on yourself. I’ll let you know if you screw up.”
“I’m sure you will,” Dirk said and was relieved that he had gotten off so lightly. “I think I’m too tired for the steak house. What’s the story with Schmidt, by the way? You made another phone call earlier. Is there any news? Am I going to have to look for a new job?”
Nemesis: Innocence Sold Page 37
