Chapter 14

14

There was a knock on Jillian’s office door, and before she could say anything, it opened and her boss strode in.

“Drop whatever you’re doing,” he said.

She blinked. “What?”

“Something’s come up that you need to discuss with Mr. Braun.”

The hairs on her arms began to prickle. “ I do?”

“Yes, you. You’re the one heading up research on Golden Hour.”

“W-w-what do I need to talk to him about?”

“It concerns one of the names on the list.”

“Oh, um, okay. I guess that makes sense.”

“A rumor has come to my attention that Mr. Braun will be very interested in hearing. I want you to inform him and ask him what he wants to do. If he’d like us to follow up, you will handle it.”

He handed her a thumb drive.

“The rumor is on here?” she asked.

He shook his head. “That’s an encryption key that will allow you to communicate with several of our special contacts, including the person who passed the rumor to me. Their username is marked with an asterisk.”

“?‘Special contacts’?”

“People in sensitive positions who help us with our research but need to keep a low profile.”

“I guess that makes sense. But what’s the rumor?”

He gave her a piece of paper. “Read, it then put it in your burn bag.” Every member of the research department had burn bags that were picked up at the end of each day and taken to an incinerator.

Jillian’s eyes widened in surprise as she read the paper. “How sure are they?”

“Like I said, it’s a rumor, but the contact says it’s from a trusted source.”

“When should I tell him?”

“Now would be good.”

Dieter knocked on Braun’s office door and stuck his head inside. “Schmidt has an update. I thought you might want to listen in.”

“Absolutely,” Braun said, waving him in.

Dieter set his cell on Braun’s desk and activated the speaker. “So, what is this news?”

“I’ve found Rogers,” Schmidt said. “I told you I would.”

“Where?” Dieter asked.

“In Italy.”

Before Dieter could respond, Braun pushed out of his chair and leaned toward the phone. “Could you be a little more specific, Mr. Schmidt?”

“Mr. Braun? I-I didn’t realize you were—”

“A location, if you don’t mind.”

“Right. Um, I tracked him down in Rome and followed him to Florence.”

“Are you looking at his corpse? Because that’s what I’m expecting you to say next.”

“Well, no, sir. N-not yet.”

“Why not?” Braun snapped.

“I-I-I haven’t been able to get close enough. But I will. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Funny,” Dieter said, his tone neutral. “That’s almost a direct quote of what you said when you found Rogers in Prague.”

“T-t-this time it’s different. I promise.”

“You’re right about that,” Braun growled. “Would you like me to explain what will happen to you if you don’t get it done?”

“No, sir. That won’t be necessary.”

“I thought not.”

“Is there anything else?” Dieter asked.

“No, Mr. Wenz. The next time you hear from me, I promise it will be good news.”

“We look forward to it,” Dieter said, then tapped the disconnect button.

“I swear to God,” Braun said. “If he fucks this up, too…” He shook his head and began pacing behind his desk. “Does he not understand how important this is to me?”

Dieter remained silent as his boss walked back and forth.

Finally, Braun stopped. “Schmidt has become too much of a liability. Where’s our closest team?”

“In Rome.”

“Put them on standby and keep tabs on Schmidt. If it’s not done within the hour, send the team to deal with Rogers.”

“Understood.”

Braun’s desk phone buzzed. He hit the intercom button. “Yes?”

“Jillian Courtois would like a moment,” his assistant said.

“Send her in.” He clicked off the phone and said to Dieter, “You should stay for this.”

Like before, Jillian entered as if she wasn’t sure she should be there.

“Come, come,” Braun said, waving her to his desk.

“S-s-sorry, Mr. Braun,” she said and hurried over.

“Well?” Braun said.

She swallowed nervously, then said, “Something came up concerning one of the names on your list.”

“Which name?”

“Teddy Fay.”

“Teddy Fay is dead,” he said, eyes narrowing in annoyance at being reminded that his father’s killer had escaped justice.

“That may not be true, Mr. Braun.”

He stared at her, not sure he’d heard correctly. “Say that again.”

“It-it-it’s possible that Teddy Fay is still alive.”

“Explain.”

“It’s only a rumor, but the source is credible. M-M-Mr. Lawrence wanted me to tell you and ask if you’d like me to look into it further.”

Braun stared at nothing, not wanting to believe it could be true for fear of his hopes being dashed, but unable to stop himself. If Teddy Fay was alive, then Braun would have his long-desired chance to squeeze the life out of the son of a bitch.

“M-M-Mr. Braun?” Jillian said.

He blinked and focused back on her.

“What would you like me to—”

“Do it,” he said, cutting her off. “Find out if it is true, and if it is, find him.”