The Dolomite Solution (20 page)

“Which company? The German one or Austrian one?”

Varducci smiled and cocked his head to one side. “Doc...I don't wanna deal with no fuckin' Eurotrash here either. I'm a fuckin' American and damn proud of it. I'm talking about the Providence company. Hell it's close. I can keep an eye on it. So, how about it, Doc. Is it a good company?”

The doctor sunk back lower in the chair. This man knew far more than he was saying. Maybe he should have let the guy die on the operating table. “It's a good company,” he muttered.

“Excellent. I thought it was. I just wanted a second opinion. You, especially, can understand that.”

The doctor nodded.

They sat staring at one another.

“Is that it?” the doctor asked. “I have another surgery to get to.”

Varducci checked his watch. “Not for another forty-five minutes. Relax, Doc. I've got some other business for you. In fact, I think you might be coming down with the flu. You better cancel the rest of your surgeries for the day.” He looked out the window, and then got up and sat on the sofa next to the doctor, and put his arm around the man's shoulder. “It looks like a nice day for a drive to Providence.”

“You going to tell me why we're here,” Jordan asked Jake as the Golf pulled over to the side of the road at a phone booth in the tiny village of Tulfes.

Jake gazed up the mountain and could barely make out a building set back from the ridge. He had thought about simply surprising Toni by walking up to her room and knocking on her door, but dismissed it as folly. She had chosen the small gasthaus for good reasons. She would first see his car winding up the road. Then two men getting out. She could only fear the worst if she failed to recognize him.

“I have to see someone,” Jake finally answered.

The major tried to see where he was looking. “What about?”

They had talked on the short drive from Innsbruck to Tulfes. Jordan had told him about how he had followed the two men and woman from Mainz. How he suspected they would now work some deal between Richten and Tirol Genetics. And how there was certainly more to this case than he first thought. Jake had listened carefully, knowing he was right, and also knowing he only understood half of the story, if even that. Then Jake had filled the OSI agent in on what had happened to him since he had been in Innsbruck. He had left out a few pieces of information, still not sure if he could trust the man. After all, Jordan was out of the normal limits of his duties, unless he had special authorization.

“Let's just say this person is vital to what we both need,” Jake said.

The major looked confused. “You see, that's my problem. I don't understand what in the hell you're getting from this whole thing. So someone takes a few pot shots at you. Fucks with your car. Not everyday occurrences, I'm sure, but no great reason to start some campaign against the world.”

“You're still a military weenie, Jordan,” Jake shot back. “You'll never understand. If there's no military objective or national defense significance, you think it's a waste of time. Well I'm here to tell you pal there's more in this world than doing what's militarily pertinent.”

Jordan smiled. “I see. You got some monetary gain going on here.”

Jake thought about punching the guy, but he didn't want to hurt his hand on the guy's thick skull. Besides, he was right. There was money involved. He shook his head and went outside to the phone.

His mind was somewhat muddled as he dug into his pockets for spare change. He found the number in the phone book and punched it in. When an older woman answered, he asked in German for Toni's room. She could have been staying under a variety of names, but he assumed the obvious, since she wouldn't have given the name she had told Otto Bergen.

In a few seconds there was a reluctant “Hello.” A soft female voice.

“Toni? This is Jake Adams.”

There was silence for a moment. And then, “My God. How did you find me?”

“I'll explain in a few minutes,” Jake said. “I wanted to call before driving up. I'm in Tulfes.” He peered up the mountain, half expecting to see her poke her head out a window.

“Jake I'm sorry but I don't have much time. I'm working a case.”

“I know. You've got Scala I understand.”

“How—”

“Can we just come up?”

“Who's we?”

“I've got a Major Stan Jordan with me from Air Force OSI out of Ramstein. I think we need to cross-check what we're doing. I have a feeling there's information I have that would be beneficial to what you're doing. Jordan can fill you in on what he's been up to as well.”

She thought it over. He could still hear her breathing. “Come on up.”

“See you in a bit.”

He hung up and stepped outside. The sun was as high as it would get for that time of year, and a soft breeze brushed the new grass along a boulevard. He took in a deep breath and savored it. Then he got into the Golf and started toward the mountain road.

Jordan sat quietly for a moment, but the uncertainty was too much for him. “You gonna tell me now where we're going?”

“To see an old friend of mine,” Jake said. “You know about Leonhard Aldo's death. Well his partner in the research project is—”

“Giovanni Scala. From the University of Milan. Onetime wonderboy. Now middle aged and about to receive his first Nobel Prize. It looks like Aldo will get his posthumously.”

“You are up on this,” Jake said, as he started winding up the mountain. The road was narrow, but in near perfect shape. The paving job couldn't have been more than a year old.

“So is this some girlfriend of yours?”

“I didn't say it was a woman,” Jake said.

“You didn't have to. I could see it in your eyes when you talked about her. Unless you're gay.”

“Whatever happened to don't ask, don't tell?”

“That was fucked up from the start,” the major said, shaking his head. “Talk about some civilian fucking with the integrity of the military service.”

Jake wound up the final turn, where the road opened up at a ledge. On the lower side was a small area where cars could pull over to take in the panoramic view of the mountains to the north and the Inn River cutting through the valley. On the upper side was the gasthaus, a small place, but one with a great view in nearly every direction. Jake understood why Toni had chosen the place. He parked next to Toni's Alfa Romeo and got out. Looking at the car, he remembered having driven it in Italy. There was history with that hunk of metal and rubber. He looked up at the second floor windows and noticed a figure standing along the right side of one. It was Toni, he was sure, but with the sun glare he could only make out her shape.

Jake and Special Agent Jordan slowly walked inside and up the stairs to the second floor. A door opened down the hall and Toni stepped out. She was wearing dark jeans that showed she hadn't gained an ounce, and a gray sweater that seemed to hike her breasts to full life when she saw Jake.

They hugged, holding each other close, and he kissed her on both cheeks.

“Let's get inside,” she said softly.

She closed the door behind them.

Jake started the introductions with himself and Jordan. Then Toni introduced Giovanni Scala, who seemed a bit out of place. Toni and Jake took seats at a small table across from each other, and Special Agent Jordan slid a chair out, sitting backwards on it. Scala retreated to the bed in the corner.

“I'd offer you a drink,” Toni said, “but they don't have wet bars here.” She stared at Jake and said, “So, why'd you bring the Air Force along for the ride?”

Jake smiled, ignoring the major. “He looked desperate.”

“Hey, hey,” Jordan chimed in. “I am here, folks.”

“Excuse me,” Jake said. “It's a private joke. I used to complain a lot about my Air Force days when Toni and I worked together years ago.” He turned toward Toni, looking deep into her. “So, how have you been?”

“Fine. As you can see.”

He could. Her hair seemed longer and curlier. Maybe even blacker, if that was possible. Her eyes were bright. He remembered how she would look at him and seem to know what he was thinking. They had been so close for so long and then had drifted apart because of mere geography. Yet, despite that difference in distance, he had always thought of her. He hoped the feelings were mutual.

Toni first explained what she and Scala had been through in the past few days. Then Jake started filling her in on what had been happening in Innsbruck. He told her everything, except how he had taken on the job with Otto Bergen. He wanted to hear her out before divulging that.

When he was done, she simply stared at him for a moment. She slapped him across the arm. “You bastard!”

“What?”

“You move to Innsbruck and you don't even tell me? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I've been leaving messages for you,” he pleaded.

“Yeah, well, you could have tried harder.”

Jake looked to Special Agent Jordan for help.

“Don't look at me, Adams,” Jordan said. “I'm not the pig who failed to keep track of this beautiful woman.”

She smiled at Jordan and noticed his wedding band. “See. This man is probably happily married because he has great consideration for her. Am I right?” She asked Jordan.

Jordan raised his brows and reluctantly said, “Damn straight.”

“Could we get back to the problem at hand?” Jake asked. “Major, we haven't heard everything out of you, I'm sure.”

“Listen. Would you quit calling me major. You can call me Stan or Jordan, but calling me major is out of the question. It sure as hell doesn't do much for my cover.”

“Fine. Jordan. I can live with that. Now tell me what in the hell Allen Murdock was doing for you.”

The OSI agent sighed deeply. “You knew Murdock when you both worked tactical intel and then humint. He did get out of the Air Force and started working for Richten Pharmaceuticals. He worked as a computer analyst for a few years until the owner Andreas Kraft found out he had worked intel. Since Murdock was fluent in German, and I think his wife being a knockout blonde didn't hurt matters either, Kraft started working him into the operations side of the house. Murdock kept his job in the computer area, but he simply worked a little overtime for Kraft.”

“Doing what?” Toni asked.

“I got it first hand from Murdock,” Jordan said. “He'd go to conferences with his wife, she'd rub her large breasts up against some target, while he went up to the man's hotel room and took photos of various papers. They had it down to a science. Murdock had saved Richten millions in research and development costs. They'd simply stole ideas from their competitors.”

Jake started thinking. He didn't think Toni or Jordan would understand him sleeping with Murdock's wife. “You think he was doing the same thing in Innsbruck?”

“I'm not sure,” Jordan said. “His wife Ute didn't make the trip with him as far as I know. She was being watched by my people until a few days ago when she disappeared. Murdock was beginning to suspect someone was on to him.”

“What was he doing for Richten in Innsbruck?” Toni asked.

“He had become one of Kraft's most trusted agents,” Jordan explained. “He was to come here alone and work out the final details of the contract, and also attend the meeting where Aldo and Scala explained how things were going.” The OSI agent glanced to the scientist, who seemed truly interested now, and then back to Jake and Toni. “Obviously someone had other plans for him.”

Finally the scientist broke in. “But why would someone want to kill Leonhard? Or his maid?”

Jake explained. “Here's the sequence as I see it. Someone goes to Aldo's apartment to see if they can find a copy of his work. The maid surprises him and gets herself killed. The killer, or killers, doesn't find what they're looking for there, so they head to the Dolomites and try to snatch the info there. Only they fuck up and run Aldo off the road. With Aldo gone, and his research lost, they head down to Milano to nab Scala.”

Toni shook her head. “I don't think so. The two guys who ran Aldo off the road had to be in the Dolomites when the maid was killed. I think we're talking two separate factions here.”

Jake laughed. “Great.”

“What about Murdock, though?” Jordan asked.

Jake swished his head. “That's someone else. He was killed by the same asshole who's been fucking with me. And I'm not sure why, but somebody wanted the deal between Richten and Tirol Genetics stopped. Killing Murdock would delay things only, so I'm sure there's more to come in that area.” Jake glared at Jordan. “What I still don't understand is what Murdock was doing for the Air Force OSI?”

Jordan shifted in his chair and cast his eyes toward the floor.

“You going to answer that?” Toni demanded.

“Don't hold out on us, Jordan. Remember, Toni is with CIA. You two are supposed to talk once in a while. It's the reason the new Agency was formed in the first place.”

“All right. Christ, give me a break. It wasn't for some lofty reason. We simply suspected Richten was dealing in more than just over-the-counter medicine. They have research facilities in some South American countries like Columbia and Venezuela. We think they have a large trade distribution of cocaine from those countries on Liberian tankers from Caracas to Monrovia. From there they go to Amsterdam before spreading out across Europe by truck. We've gotten so close. Murdock provided much of our initial information, although he said he wasn't involved. That part of Richten's operation was handled by Nikolaus Hahn, the operations officer.”

Jake shook his head. “I don't believe Murdock was killed for drugs. It had to do with this deal. I'm certain. Someone thought they'd slow the process down, if not completely derail it. Maybe Richten wanted the technology entirely for themselves, cutting Tirol Genetics out. They steal the solution from Aldo and Scala, knock them out of the loop permanently, and they don't have to settle for a percentage of the profits, they've got the whole works.”