Thief of Always

by Kim Baldwin

  It was so quiet he could hear the click of the key in the lock before the front door opened. His heartbeat increased, and he peered through the crack in the door, unblinking, poised to attack. The figure that passed by his limited field of view wasn’t Kristine van der Jagt. It was a man, blond-haired and in his thirties, obviously a workman, from his coveralls and the toolbox in his hand. The man vanished into the next room, and shortly after, steady scraping sounds signaled his labors had commenced.

  Azizi quietly slipped the gun back into his coat pocket as he considered what to do. He could eliminate this man now, one less witness and potential impediment to his confrontation with the countess, but he knew he’d have to do it in a way that didn’t immediately alarm the woman as soon as she walked in. No blood. Then he’d hide the body. She would be looking for the workman, though, since his car was parked outside, so he’d have only a limited amount of time to ambush her.

  He reached for a long silk scarf hanging on a peg at the back of the closet, and quietly opened the door a bit more. The workman was not in sight. Azizi pushed the door open further, but before he could take a step, the ringing of a cell phone made him freeze. He heard the workman’s voice. “Jeroen.”

  A long silence followed, then the man spoke again, in Dutch. Azizi caught the word “Kris” and stiffened. The phone call ended, and the sounds of scraping resumed. He slipped quietly from the closet and wrapped the scarf ends around his hands as he crept toward the next room, keeping close to the wall.

  At the threshold of the room, he risked a quick glance inside. Allah was with him. The workman was turned away, occupied with peeling stubborn chunks of plaster from the wall, and the noise he was making would obscure his approach.

  Azizi covered the distance separating them in a few seconds, and had the scarf around the workman’s neck before he could react. He pulled the yellow silk tight, nearly lifting the man off his feet as he struggled, fumbling uselessly at the scarf with both hands. “Stop or I’ll kill you,” he barked in English, and it took only a moment for the man to comply.

  He relaxed the scarf slightly, enough to let the workman breathe again. “Where is the countess?”

  The Dutchman noisily sucked in several lungfuls of air. “I don’t know,” he rasped.

  Azizi pulled the scarf tight again. “Do not lie to me. I know you just spoke to her. I will not ask you again. Where is she?”

  The workman’s face reddened and he made choking sounds as he once more struggled to get free. When he realized the futility of his efforts, he dropped his hands in surrender, and nodded his head.

  Azizi relaxed his hold once more and the man gasped for air. “She’s in Amsterdam,” he choked. “The Saint Francis Institution.”

  He had what he needed. As he jerked the scarf as tight as he could, biceps straining, the workman’s eyes bulged with surprise. He didn’t struggle long. It was over in seconds. Azizi dragged the body into another room, out of sight behind a desk, and threw one of the work tarps over it. He might have to return here, he reasoned, if he missed the countess at the institution. He’d also hide the workman’s car down the road before he left. No need for the van der Jagt woman to be alerted to danger as soon as she walked in.

  *

  Outside Amsterdam

  To stall for time Allegro took every busy street she could, leaving the city. The day was notably colder that the previous day, windy, too, and the gray skies threatened rain or sleet any second. They were still several miles from the Saint Francis Institution when her cell phone chimed. The text message from Domino read: Car clean. Peugeot now in the lot. Advise.

  Allegro typed back: Put tracker on him.

  Three blocks from the building, her cell sounded again. Done.

  Allegro pulled into the lot. Azizi was in his car, parked near the entrance. Domino’s car was two rows away. She found an empty spot right in front of the steps and turned to Kris as she shut off the ignition. “Do you want me to come in with you?”

  “Thanks,” Kris replied, “but I think Mother will be more apt to tell me what’s going on if it’s only us. Why don’t you wait in the lobby?”

  “Fine by me.”

  They hurried into the building, Allegro keeping her body between Kris and the Afghan’s car. The benches outside were empty.

  “I’ll be here if you need anything,” she said as they parted.

  Kris disappeared down a hallway and she went to take a seat on a couch near the reception desk. She hoped Kris’s demeanor when she returned would indicate whether she’d left the diamond with her mother, and whether whoever had broken into Wilhelmina’s room had taken it.

  Allegro sent Domino another SMS: Could have lead on Operation Vanish. Sit tight.

  *

  Wilhelmina van der Jagt was sitting at her window, staring out, as she had been the day before. But her demeanor couldn’t be more different. In place of the mute lassitude she’d exhibited the day before, was a level of animation Kris hadn’t seen in months.

  “They won’t believe me, but I swear it’s true,” her mother began as soon as she stepped into the room. “I saw him going through my things. I’m not hallucinating, and it wasn’t a dream.”

  “Slow down, Mom. Start from the beginning.”

  Wilhelmina glared at her with irritation. “A man came into my room last night, very late.” She spoke with the deliberate over-enunciation one uses with a child. “I’m a light sleeper, as you know. When I woke up, I saw him searching through my bureau.” She pointed toward one of two large dressers by the bed. “It was dark, but he had a little flashlight, and there was enough light coming in through the window too that I could see his silhouette clearly. I didn’t see his face, but he was tall and he wore a long coat. No hat.”

  “What did you do?” Kris pulled a chair up beside her and studied her face. That glazed look was gone, and Wilhelmina certainly sounded coherent.

  “I was terrified, of course.” Her mother’s hands shook. “I should have pushed my button for the attendant, but I wasn’t thinking very clearly. When he moved toward my closet, I blurted out something. I think it was, ‘What are you doing?’ or words to that effect. He bolted from the room.”

  “And then?”

  “Then I turned on the light and rang for help. It took the attendant at least three or four minutes…minutes.” she repeated with disdain, “to get here. And then he refused to believe me, I suppose because the man didn’t throw everything on the floor and make a mess. He told me I must’ve had a nightmare and to go back to sleep.” She clutched nervously at a small string of pearls around her neck. “What if he’d attacked me?” Her voice rose. “I’d have been dead long before anyone came to check.”

  “But you’re all right, Mom,” Kris replied in her most soothing tone.

  “I tell you, he was here,” Wilhelmina insisted angrily. “Why won’t anyone believe me?”

  “I believe you,” Kris said, though she wasn’t quite sure what to think. The story sounded fantastic and her mother had a history of conjuring up tales that were much more fiction than fact.

  “You need to tell them,” Wilhelmina said. “You need to take me out of here, so it won’t happen again.”

  “I don’t think you’re in danger, Mom. The staff will be alert to any strangers walking about after visiting hours, and I’ll ask them as I leave to check on you more often.”

  Wilhelmina scowled. “You don’t believe me, either.” She turned away from Kris and gestured with her hand impatiently. “Just go, then, if you’re not going to help. I don’t know why you came.”

  “I came because I care about you,” Kris said softly. She stayed for another hour, but her mother ignored her. Finally she rose from the chair. “Have them call me, if you need me.”

  *

  Allegro glanced out the lobby window at the Peugeot. Azizi hadn’t moved. Obviously he hadn’t found the diamond when he’d broken into her mother’s room. Or someone else had been here the night before. If Kris had given the
Blue Star to her mother, and someone else had gotten to it, the damn stone could be anywhere by now. Finding it would be next to impossible.

  Allegro cursed herself for letting her guard down and neglecting what she’d been sent to do. Time was pressing, with too much at stake, and for the first time ever she found herself in the unprofessional position of having to remind herself what her mission was. Her objective was to retrieve a damn historical rock to save the reputation of the Islamic world in exchange for information about an imminent terrorist attack, and she was acting as if she was assigned to protect and serve. Protect Kris and serve her own emotional and physical needs.

  She was frustrated and irritated with herself for not giving this particular assignment the singular attention it required. How many thousands of lives did it take for her to put her objective first and foremost? When she’d realized Kris had taken the stone from the vault she should have just ended it right then, and forced Kris to hand it over. Instead she’d allowed her to leave the house, possibly with the stone. Then came her irrational response to dealing with Azizi. She’d been so ready to take him out that she’d almost blown it like an amateur. Why was she acting so unprofessionally?

  “Everything all right?” a voice asked from immediately behind her and Allegro realized she’d been so preoccupied she hadn’t noticed Kris approach.

  “Yes, fine,” she said hastily. “How is your mom? What happened?”

  Kris shrugged. “Mother’s fine. She wasn’t hurt. But to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I believe her. She claims she caught a man going through her things and scared him off.”

  “Did she get a good look at him? Did he take anything?” Allegro asked as they made their way outside.

  “No, it was dark.” Kris sighed loudly. “My mother has invented things before to get attention. But she certainly seemed agitated today, and quite lucid. I stopped to talk to her doctor. He doesn’t give much credence to her story, either, but they’ll keep a close watch on her and make sure security is alerted.”

  Kris’s calm reaction told her the stone was still safe. Allegro walked her to the Clio, keeping her body between Kris and the Afghan’s car. It had started to rain, a light mist. “See you back at the estate,” she said as Kris started the engine.

  Kris pulled out first, and Domino slipped in behind her, ahead of the Peugeot. Allegro was the last to leave, but detoured at her first opportunity, speeding down a parallel street to get ahead of them all, then racing toward the mansion.

  She didn’t know how long Domino could delay Kris, so she used every moment she had, screeching to a stop in front of the mansion, spitting gravel in every direction, then bolting up the stairs to Kris’s bedroom. Though she tried not to disturb things as she went about her search, she couldn’t take quite the meticulous care she usually did. She started with the obvious. Mattress, dresser drawers, and the pockets of the clothes in Kris’s closet. Inside shoes. Then the less likely places. The diamond wasn’t there. Her cell phone rang as she headed toward Kris’s bathroom. She glanced at the display, expecting an update from Domino, but it was Montgomery Pierce.

  “Why haven’t I heard from you?” he asked. “Do you have the diamond?”

  “You would’ve heard from me if I did.”

  “Maybe I haven’t made myself clear. I need that stone yesterday.” Pierce was nearly shouting into the phone. “An attack is planned for any minute. I don’t care what you have to do at this point but get the diamond now. We have our people in Afghanistan ready to move. Because time is so short, you’re going to have to deliver it directly to the mole. I’ll give you his coordinates as soon as you’re ready for the drop off.”

  “Any idea where that will be?”

  “Probably Kabul. The MIS is on standby at the Dutch army base to fly you over. You should be there in half the time.”

  “Why do you need me to deliver it if the MIS is flying over there?” she asked.

  “This is no time to be handing it over to other people,” Pierce said. “The last thing we need is for it to fall into the wrong hands. And since she’s with you, instruct Agent Domino to join you. We’re going to need as many ops as possible out there.”

  “How did you know—”

  “Because it’s my job to know.”

  He disconnected and Allegro returned to her task. She’d nearly finished searching Kris’s bathroom when Domino called.

  “Rocky’s detoured. She headed straight for Amsterdam after you left her, with the Afghan on her heels. I ran a red light to lose him and stay with her. She’s on foot at the moment on the Kalverstraat. I’m following her as we speak.”

  “Are you picking up his signal?”

  “Yes. He’s in the area, on the move. No doubt looking for her car.”

  It wasn’t welcome news. The district that contained all the major shopping venues and attractions was relatively small. “Damn. The city is like a big village. You have to go out of your way to not be seen.”

  “The weather isn’t helping either,” Domino said. “The rain is keeping a lot of people off the streets. She’s an open target.”

  “Stay as close as possible.”

  “I intend to, but short of putting my arm around her and blowing my cover, there’s only so much I can do to protect her. Have you found the rock?”

  “Negative, and I’ve done as much searching in this place as the mission allows. It could be anywhere and I’m afraid time’s up. I have to confront her.”

  “When?”

  “ASAP. I’ll call you back in a few. Don’t lose her.” Allegro hung up and dialed Kris’s number. “Hey, there. Where are you? I thought you’d be right behind me.”

  “I was about to call you,” Kris replied. “Since I was in town anyway, I thought I’d stop to get some software and a few other things I need. It’s time I got back to some of my projects.”

  “Okay, cool. Are you going to be long?”

  “Miss me already?”

  She could hear the smile in Kris’s voice. “That too, but I was wondering if you could pick up some lunch. There’s nothing here.”

  “Sure. I should be back in thirty minutes.”

  “See you soon.” Allegro went downstairs, considering what she would say to get Kris to surrender the diamond. Barely five minutes had passed before Domino called her again.

  “Azizi’s signal just stopped where our cars are parked. I think he’s spotted the Clio, and Rocky is headed that way now. It’s not safe for her to go back there.”

  Allegro immediately disconnected and dialed Kris’s cell. She had to get her away from the car and keep her from walking around, direct her somewhere safe until she could get back to Amsterdam. Somewhere indoors. Crowded. And close. The Rijksmuseum. It had all of the above, and a bonus—security guards with guns.

  “You must be really hungry,” Kris said when she picked up.

  “Why don’t you stay where you are,” Allegro suggested. “I have no idea where Jeroen is and what he wants to work on next, so maybe we could meet up and do something fun. What do you say, are you up for it?”

  “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “You’re still in town, right?”

  “I’m headed toward the car,” Kris replied. “What do you have in mind?”

  “A museum and then lunch?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Great. Why don’t you leave the car where it is, if you have a good parking spot. Catch a tram to the Rijksmuseum, and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Good plan. It’s impossible to find a parking spot around here. See you in a little.” Kris added warmly, “And I miss you, too.”

  Allegro hurried to the Audi, her cell phone to her ear. “I’m meeting her at the Rijksmuseum,” she told Domino. “I told her to take a tram.”

  “Chances are he’s going to be on the same tram. He’s back on her heels.”

  “Good. If he’s as obsessed as I think he is, he’s going to follow us into the museum, and I intend to lose him in
there.”

  “Then what?” Domino asked.

  “Then I want you to take Kris somewhere safe. This asshole won’t let up as long as he thinks she has the stone, so I need to get rid of him for good. I’ll meet up with you after and get her to give me the diamond. Once she does, both you and I have to leave for the Middle East. I can’t go until I know she’s safe.” She pressed harder on the accelerator, passing cars on the highway like they were standing still. “Get yourself a ticket for the museum, and stay close to us.”

  “Rewind a bit,” Domino said. “Bothof us are going to the Middle East?”

  “Yeah, Monty’s orders. They need as many of us as possible should this get out of hand.”

  “How the hell did he know—”

  Allegro cut her off. “Quote. It’s my job to know. Unquote.”

  “Why do I ask?”

  “I’m fifteen minutes away,” Allegro said.

  “See you at the museum.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  There were a half dozen people already waiting at the tram stop, and a handful more hurried toward it when they saw the long tram come into view. Kris got on at the front, ahead of a cute woman dressed in black, two Japanese tourists, and an elderly man. The rest piled into the rear, where an attendant was also dispensing tickets. The tram was fairly crowded, with few empty seats. As she paid the driver, she spotted one in the middle. A tall, dark-skinned man coming in from the back saw it as well. Their eyes met briefly. She was closer, so she started toward it to head him off, but was stopped short by a tug on her coat. She turned to see the cute woman who’d boarded the tram behind her.

  “Does this tram go by the Rijksmuseum?” the woman asked in English. An American.

  Kris glanced back toward the rear before she answered. The dark-skinned man had taken the empty seat and was watching her, but without the smugness she might have expected. Sighing, she gripped the nearest pole and turned to answer the American as the tram began to move. “Yes, it stops right outside. I’m headed there myself. Just get off when I do.”